Anime at the Gates of Dawn

I recently finished watching the series Heat Guy J. I first found it around 2004/2005 when MTV tried to show anime again. Doing what MTV does best it moved the show around different time slots until they stopped showing it all together. Since then the entire series (26 episodes) has come out on DVD and I decided to start the series over again and add it to my Netflix.

J beating the piss out of someone's head

The main plot of the show focuses on a young detective named Daisuke Aurora and his android partner J. J is the only government sanctioned android in a futuristic island society where borders are closed and androids are banned. J's design is pretty cool kind of a cross between cyberpunk and a futuristic steampunk, as he relies on steam pressure to operate and vents the exhaust through pipes that serve as his clavicals. The cast of characters are a pretty good mix and play off each other well. After watching a few episodes the real underlying plot comes out which boils down to fight the mafia and the government. Towards the end of the series it does a good job of showing how much you really care about the characters as they have grown on you.

A Track from the shows diverse soundtrack

The animation style is very clean and the CGI images are as good as 2002 had to offer. The voice acting was well cast and believeable. For those familiar with Cowboy Bebop the voice of Jet is promently heard through out this series as supporting roles. The part of the show that really sticks out for me is the soundtrack. The music ranges from bluesy rock to bagpipes, classical voice, and techno. They even throw a few world music style songs in there to show a mixing of culture. An example of this are the tracks that have an Indian woman singing in the style of the Indian culture, high pictched and fast. As great as the plot was to follow each episode I enjoyed and looked forward to the music the most. This show does not dissapoint.I reccomend anyone who is intersted in anime or a good detective/sci-fi story to give this show a try, or at the very least try the soundtrack.

I give it 4 red tap bullets out of 5.

I am Nostradamus!

"I am your witness
The one who can tell
Bearing the sword - the shield
To your heaven from Hell"

That is a lyric from the song "Prophecy" off of Judas Priest's album Nostradamus. It is the bands first concept album and is about the life of the prophet Nostradamus. It starts out very heavy with visions of various prophecies from the future and Armageddon. These revelations eventually lead to him being exiled. As the album takes a turn into the realm of sadness with slower songs we find out how much it bothers him having these visions and being shunned. In a sick twist of fate, after Nostradamus' death, humanity finds out just how right he was.

This is a very well constructed and thought out album. It transitions well from a heavy metal opening into a more somber second act, and finishes back on top with the return of the metal sound. Rob Halford does a great job of making it seem like he is telling this tale around a campfire as a warning to future generations. The songs run the gamut of Halford's vocal range from the high notes ala Screaming for Vengeace to the low growl chanting from Hell Bent for Leather and Breaking the Law.

Clocking in at over 90 min. make sure you have ample time to dedicate to this epic album. A few of the tracks that stick out to me are "Prophecy"(my favorite off this album), "Awakening," "Revelations,""Four Horsemen," "Visions," and "Nostradamus." I am patiently waiting for the day when it is made into a movie like Pink Floyd's The Wall and Daft Punk's Interstella 5555.

I rate this album: Dripping with epic win.

Take a listen.