Astro Boy (2009):

Astro Boy (2009):

I finally got around to watching Astro Boy (2009), and you know what? I liked it. Not loved it. Not “This redefined Astro Boy”- kind of liked. But, liked it.

Let’s just get this out of the way. Yeah, the visuals are kind of dated. It’s very 2009 CGI. Shiny metal, slightly rubbery faces, and that weird in-between era where animation hadn’t quite figured out how to stylize humans yet It’s fine. It works. It feels like a Saturday afternoon kids’ movie.

One of my biggest mixed feelings is how they re-imagined the world. In the original anime created by Osamu Tezuka, Astro’s adventures spanned the cosmos. There were robot wars on the Moon. Moral dilemmas across continents. Wild sci-fi ideas that felt boundless.

Here, Metro City is basically a floating city-state, hovering above a trashed Earth. It’s very “Metropolis-lite.” It grounds the story, which makes sense for an American family film, but it also shrinks the scope dramatically. The universe feels smaller. Safer. Contained.

They do sprinkle in nods to older characters and lore, which longtime fans will recognize. But the characterizations? Totally different. And that’s fine. I get that they were probably setting up a new franchise direction. It’s just… this version of Astro Boy, aside from the name and powers, feels barely recognizable.

One thing I genuinely enjoyed was the humor.

Yes, including the now-infamous:

“I have machine guns in… my butt???”

It’s dumb. It’s juvenile. It absolutely got a laugh out of me.

There are also some sweet friendship beats, especially once Astro lands on the surface and ends up with the junkyard kids. It leans heavily into the American “ragtag group of misfits who come together” formula. Predictable? Sure. But it’s warm.

One thing that really stood out to me is how simplified the themes are. Classic Astro Boy wrestles with identity. What does it mean to be human? Can robots have souls? Can they coexist with humanity? His heart, metaphorically and sometimes literally, is tied to something spiritual.

In this movie, it’s Blue Core vs. Red Core. Good vs. Evil. Intention vs. corruption. It’s very literal. Almost like the movie is afraid to wade into anything messier or more philosophical.

Astro’s journey toward humanity gets glossed over. Instead of grappling deeply with what he is, the emotional takeaway becomes: “He’s a good friend.” Which, to be fair, Astro has always been. But he’s also a robot navigating a complicated world. That complexity gets reduced to “outsider kid trying to fit in.”

It works for a children’s movie. It just feels restrained.

The voice cast is kind of stacked, which makes the restraint even more noticeable. Nicolas Cage plays Tenma in a surprisingly subdued performance. Bill Nighy brings dignity and warmth to Dr. Elefun. Donald Sutherland goes full militaristic villain as President Stone. Nathan Lane as Hamegg is easily the most fun performance in the movie... he sounds like he’s having a blast. There’s also Kristen Bell (pre-Frozen) as Cora and Samuel L. Jackson as Zog, the ancient construction bot.

It’s such a tremendous lineup. And yet the script keeps everything so safe. Even during the big climax, a showdown with President Stone who's piloting a giant robot, it never really lets Astro go wild. He fires lasers out of his hand cannons, looks at them, and goes, “Huh. Cool.”

And that’s kind of the vibe of the whole movie.

Huh. Cool.

But not much more.

I don’t hate this version. I actually think it’s a perfectly decent kids’ action movie. Throw in some good snacks, settle in, and you’ll have a good time.

But compared to the 2003 anime series, or especially the original 1960s or 1980s Tezuka vision, it feels cautious. Smaller. A little too afraid to let Astro ask the big questions. A little too determined to translate everything into simple, digestible morality.

Astro Boy has always been a good friend. But he’s also a robot built after Tenma's grief for his dead son. A machine searching for humanity. A hero navigating prejudice and war and loss.

This movie hints at those things, and then backs away.

Still, it’s always good to revisit Astro Boy in any form. And for what it is (A mid-2000s Americanized reboot trying to introduce him to a new generation.) it’s good.

Not cosmic. Not profound.

But good.

Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind (2009)

Street Fighter IV: The Ties That Bind (2009):

“An anime OVA based on the Street Fighter IV videogame.”

OVA means Original Video Animation. In this case, this was an OVA intended solely to promote the then-impending release of Street Fighter IV in 2010. It introduces new characters like Sakura, Juri, Crimson Viper, and Seth. It also introduces the new villain organization S.I.N. Let's get right into it!

Right off the bat, Cammy and her team are investigating a burst of power from South America, eventually calling in Guile and Chun Li. But, their investigation leads them to S.I.N. Chun Li is on to Juri. S.I.N. is who's investigating Ryu's power, the “murderous intent”. (Satsui no Hado.)

Meanwhile, back in the US, Crimson Viper is a CIA agent trying to track down Ryu through Ken Masters. She tracks him down, gets Ryu's location, and fights him in Japan, trying to get him to unleash his full power, just like Seth. Crimson Viper fights Cammy off, and Sakura (The Ryu fangirl.) shows up to cry, and convince Ryu not to turn evil.

Ryu surrenders himself to the CIA, who turns him into S.I.N. He and Seth (And Ken!) fight. It's a pretty straightforward OVA. It basically establishes who's fighting for Good vs. Evil. Plus, it shows that the then-new characters could kick some of the old characters' butts. It's just enough to make you want to play Street Fighter 4. It's only about 64 minutes long. Give it a watch if you're a Street Fighter fan like me.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (2009):

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (2009):

“A few days have passed since the reported raid by Ragna the Bloodedge, The 13th Hierarchical City Kagutsuchi forgets to celebrate New Years, as his alleged involvement in the Mysterious Bombing and "Huge Pentacle Sightings" becomes the talk of the town. With the NOL offering no official explanation, the citizens voice their own theories, exaggerating and spreading rumors like wildfire. Completely indifferent to the state of the city, Ragna grips his massive sword and quietly bides his time—waiting for the chance to achieve his true objective, and then, the enormous power that has ensnared Ragna begins to activate...”

A Fighting Game/visual novel. Colorful characters, attacks, and sometimes waifus. One is a squirrel, and there's a couple cats, a couple robots, a vampire, and one character (Arakune) is a bag full of bees. The main character is a spiky-haired edgelord with a big sword who swears sometimes. There's a backstory about Magic Weapons and time travel, but it's not important. The last boss is Michael Jackson with demon powers, basically. Honestly, if it weren't also a fighting game, I'd say it made no sense. It still makes no sense, but at least it's cool to see. Actually, the visual novel aspect is pretty forgettable, for as complex as it wants to be. But, it's still a cool fighting game. I'd recommend it. Check it out.

Eden of The East (2009):

Eden of The East (2009):

"A compilation of the TV series, Eden of The East."

In this short, 11-episode anime, Akida Takizawa (If that’s his name.) awakes from a daze on the White House lawn naked and holding a gun. What would you do? If you said, “Uncover a plot by a billionaire to rule Japan while going on a semi-romantic adventure with a girl.” you’d be right! Also, if you said that, you probably watch too much anime. (Good job!) This one was oddly fascinating due to the terrorist angle.

You see, in this universe, Japan was the victim of a terrorist attack called “Careless Monday” when 10 missiles were accidentally fired on Japanese soil, and 20,000 people showed up missing. That’s the interesting part to me. Evidence points to him as the terrorist. But, this girl Saki keeps showing this naïve interest in him, that ultimately changes the tone to more mushy romantic comedy.

More to the point, after uncovering this plot to fire the missiles, (Again!) Akida again frames himself and gives himself a new identity rather than arrest the group behind it. Each player in this political game has a cell phone equipped with a 10 billion yen account. Akida discovers he’s one of the players in a game orchestrated by a billionaire to see how individuals, if given power, would save or change the country.

One of the contestants, in fact, is a prostitute who cuts off male members if they displease her. It’s a little unsettling…and it’s all there to make some point about love that’s developing between him and Saki. I have no idea what “cutting off Johnnies” would do to improve the country, but sometimes anime is wacky. Also, love or something.

Anyway, I was more interested in the political plot. The team that keeps track of Akida’s political funds is called “Eden of The East”. His computerized cell phone accountant Juiz will do anything he asks with the 10 billion yen. I just don’t get why he blows it by framing himself again, and evacuating 20,000 people! Again! It’s like he’ll have to do it all over again, including meeting Saki!

Yes, I know how it ends. I’m not gonna get into that. I just think repeating the same thing you did to get framed as a terrorist has to be one of the most baffling decisions ever. But, it’s oddly fascinating because at it’s heart you have an anime that wants to be romantic. So, it’s just this guy who just wants to live life, and full in love, and avoid responsibility. Also, just as a whimsical joke…he commits a terrorist act against Tokyo.

He’d probably be in jail, and lose his girlfriend. But, dang if he didn’t have 10 billion yen and a magic robot in a cell phone! Look, I know it’s fantasy, and love, and he can clear his name with a phone call. But, am I supposed to believe accepting responsibility means framing yourself as an international criminal? All I’m saying is, the minute I saw Akida had machine guns in his closet, and planned to commit terrorist acts because he can’t bring down his psychopathic buddies… if I were Saki, I’d leave. I would fear for my life.

I know it’s technically like a romantic comedy/political satire, but it had real potential up to the point where he takes responsibility rather than arrest the contestants. Is the rest of Japan still getting played like a game show? What happened to the other contestants? It could’ve been a really interesting espionage thriller, but went the romantic comedy route. By the way, none of this explains why he was naked at the White House.

But, the odd mixture of romantic comedy/espionage thriller works, because the suspense lasts about right up until the second-to-last episode. Then, it’s purely and unabashedly mushy. I’d give this series a firm “skip it”. I liked the concepts, and certain parts! But, it just seems like a lot of wasted ideas. And I just don’t think terrorism is a joke. It could’ve been so much more than what it aims for, but the message seems to be take the 10 billion yen and don’t ask questions. The terrorism angle drew me in, but it deals with it far too whimsically!

Redline (2009):

Redline (2009):

"A story about the most popular racing event in the galaxy, the Redline, and the various racers who compete in it."

Sweet JP competes in the famous interplanetary Redline race with the help of his trusty alien mechanic Frisbee. However, the government of Planet Roboworld vows to destroy all the racers in the name of “peace”. It's like anime meets Death Race 2000. I enjoyed the weird characters and souped-up cars. Definitely worth a watch. Free on Tubi!

9 (2009):

9 (2009):

"A rag doll that awakens in a postapocalyptic future holds the key to humanity's salvation."

In an alternate 1930s world, a scientist is ordered by his dictator to create a robot in the apparent name of progress, and so the scientist creates the B.R.A.I.N., a highly intelligent robot. Lacking a soul, it turns machines against humanity. As a last ditch effort, the scientist puts his soul into 9 ragdolls (called "stitchpunks") to stop the B.R.A.I.N. Check it out, it's wild!