August 19th, 2006 by GoldenAppleCorp
Boredom can lead to many horrible things: nose goblin collections, unwanted pregnancies, Paris Hilton movies and self-flagellation, to name but a few. But on the most rare of occassions, it can also lead to wonderful examinations of television intros.
So, without further ado…
The Venture Bros.’ intro has it all: action, adventure, a quick breakdown of characters and a color palette that is pleasing to the eye. The show’s not too bad, either, with frequent pop culture references to comic books, movies, tv shows and David Bowie. Sweet.
Cowboy Bebop has the most bitchin’ intro music ever. “Tank” by The Seatbelts helps maximize this intro for the most kick ass anime about bounty hunters… IN SPACE! Spike’s a cool cat, and all the fellas have a thing for buxom Faye Valentine. Ed will always have a special place in my heart, though.
Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law tries all of the interesting cases, from Fred Flintstone’s violaton of the RICO act, to Shag and Scoob getting busted for pot. Perry Mason ain’t got nothin’ on the decidedly pulp fiction feel of this intro.
Samurai Champloo is done by the same people who brought us Cowboy Bebop, and you can tell. The characters, mood and humor are all quite similar. They even use a few of the same voice actors for the English dub. The intros are similar, excepting that Samurai Champloo has a laid-back hiphop theme. And I have a stupid girly crush on Mugen. Yes, I’m aware he’s animated.
With a new No. 2 in every intro, The Prisoner never left you wanting. Too drunk to remember the last time you watched it? No problem! The 3 minute intro explains how The Prisoner got to where he is. Watching the show sober and you still don’t know what the hell’s going on? Join the freakin’ club, man. But don’t give up, because it only gets weirder as the short-lived series progresses.
August 19th, 2006 at 1:14 pm
A perfect collection - and some damn perfect shows too.
I was tentative with Venture Bros at first, but it gets funnier and funnier every
dang week. Ripping good satire and fanboy jokes galore. A true bounty.
And I use Cowboy Bebop wallpaper on this ‘puter - cause a spaceship named fer Charlie
Parker is an idea that makes me smile and that run of stories is just so
much better than I ever thought it could be.
Excellent list - bravo!
August 19th, 2006 at 2:42 pm
Man, I wish I lived in the Cowboy Bebop world, except for that whole economic decline, and basic desolution of Earth. Tooling around in a spaceship like it was a big assed Winnebago is the life.
Venture Bros just amazes me. I was tentative at first too, but its just too damn funny. We watched last weeks episode last night, and it was just great.
August 22nd, 2006 at 1:32 pm
Fooly Cooly’s intro and ending credits are good too. The original jap opening for Naturo is better than the one they have on Toonami.
Have you ever watched It’s Always Sunny in Philidelphia? They have a clever intro, driving around Philly at night. I think it’s clever anyway.
August 22nd, 2006 at 2:47 pm
Never watched IASP, but I’ve heard others talk about it being a great show.
I like FLCL, but AT bemoans it and refuses to watch it when I bring it up. I remember I was flipping through channels when I happened on one particularly weird scene, and thought someone had spiked my drink. Trippy, trippy shit there.
Haven’t seen Naturo, though. I have a hard time watching most Toonami shows.