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monkey-network · 2 years

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Anpanman Dubbed Specials Ranked

Anpanman is great. Anpan is probably good, I dunno I never had some before anyways. I found the dubbed tv specials for Tubi on a whim so I thought why not? About an hour each, I'll give 'em a try. What followed was an enjoyous week of cute, simple, breezy, and magical superhero adventures. I wish I could see more but it's seriously hard finding anything yet I'm grateful nonetheless. With that said, here be the top ten worst to best specials. Let's go...

Number 10: Revive Banana Island!

Actually the first special I watched and it's terrible, but it's the least impactful of the bunch to me. Queen Banna was just annoying and she hardly makes up for it until the very very end. Baikinman and his crew are kinda just there and Banna sides with him over Anpanman because... reasons. I never knew how to feel about Banna beyond she was just a brat. The fight with the ice demon saved this from being forgettable but this is one I really won't come back to.

Number 9: Apple Boy and Everyone's Hope

The specials are notably like Lupin the 3rd movies where they introduce a new character that's the focal POV and either sides with the MC or is in disbelief like "Who does RedBeanBunHead think he's kidding"? All the specials here have this; Queen Banna in the previous and for this it's the titular Apple Boy (fake name), who's better than Banna but not great. He wants to be a hero but concerns too much about self-image. He's better in that he gets more development over time, especially when him and a farmer apple girl get to plant seeds at night (Heyo!). The witch villain appears out of nowhere and has a worse fight than the ice demon, but it's better in giving our Apply Bapply his time to shine. It's only a couple points ahead of #10 but still not a standout.

Number 8: Nanda and Runda from the Stars of Toys

This here suffers from a weak 3rd act but good 1st and 2nd acts. The escapade through Baikinman's toyland is fun but the final fight against him is forgettable. This is made up with the adventure getting there where Runda and our heroes chase after Baikinman and Nanda who are joint mainly by force. We get a scrap in the desert, a journey through an underground railroad, a chase in the sea, all good stuff. Nanda is a brat but you get it in the beginning and her moment in the final fight makes up for her being a nuisance. Runda is such a bro too, being a real Iron Giant for Creampanda and his friends while chasing Baikinman. It ends on such a sweet note too which is what I love about these specials.

Number 7: Star-Spirited Dollie

This here flips the script where the 2nd act is a hit or miss sandwiched between a good 1st and 3rd act. If you don't like Dollie, you probably won't like the middle of this movie because yeah, she's a brat for most of it even if they express where she's coming from. This is made up with the final fight where it surprised me with how... mortal it got. I like how this made sense with the universe they built and it makes for a very emotional conclusion.

Number 6: The Secret of Fairy Rin-Rin

I think Rin-Rin is more charming than the other oneshot characters and I like that this special is more of a globe trot where we get multiple places to explore and multiple characters to fight. It's a simple story about courage through failures and while I wish the finale didn't feel like a cop out, it overall has more highs than lows. I dunno

Number 5: Purun, The Soap Bubble

I honestly like that this was Creampanda's time to shine, supportive for the bubble musician Purun and showing me why he is courageous and confident despite being the youngest and weakest hero of the squad. Just don't let him sing again, the dub is not the best when it comes to lyrical music. This spoke to me on a personal level because it isn't just about confidence issue, but the fact that your actual hard work comes up short and you feel you can never go bigger; the small accomplishments don't feel like it's enough anymore. I like that this special offers that lesson that good confidence can come from your tinier actions building into something greater; to be appreciative that you can still keep going. This is brought down by a weak final boss like it's just another robot, but the victory is still sweet which always makes up for it. Anpanman specials can have their lackluster moments, but there's always a nice balance.

Number 4: The Adventure of Happie

This spoke to me as it felt like a bonafide Superman story where you know heart & sacrifice are what truly makes the strongest. Happie screws up by joining Baikinman for a moment, but you can see where he's coming from where Happie greatly looks up to Anpanman but didn't get what he saw in the hero that doesn't do so much beat up enemies as he does help people in the everyday. It worked as knowing the ideal from reality, and it still kicked ass when Happie got to save Anpanman during the final boss. This also has the most cringe song by Baikinman I'll probably ever hear. I say cringe in the most unapologetically so bad it's good way. It all just works better than most with how you're with the characters and how much Anpanman can mean a lot to someone.

Number 3: Twinkle! Princess Vanilla of Ice Cream Land

The friendship between Kokin and the Vanilla Princess is what makes this special. I also like that the Princess here isn't made to have an ego about her status but is actually resentful of being princess because she can't live up to the role. So Kokin helps her enjoy life a little, lets her be happy and less stressed out about trying to make ice cream. It's a nice change of pace that makes the final act with her stand out better. Princess Vanilla doesn't reject her responsibilities, she just didn't know why she had them in the first place and it hindered her. I wish I knew who Kokin was more, but we at least know enough for this. The final fight's against Baikinman again but it's a more fun fight where it feels like the princess is truly empowered and gives us a good twist on the victory. This is definitely a more breezy special to get into and with one of the better arcs of these specials.

Number 2: Blacknose and the Magical Song

This was the 2nd special I watched in this marathon and I got to say, this was what hooked me. Kana is a good character with a conflict that actually feels natural given where she starts from. The titular Blacknose felt like a great villain to introduce while still giving Baikinman his devious moments even if he's not the big bad. This all plays to the fairy tale storybook feeling Anpanman overall works best with. Kana's rejection of the more happier life everyone has makes sense given what she's raised to believe and it works when that heart of stone slowly break. Melonpanna is to Kana what Kokin is to Princess Vanilla, but that redemption for Kana boosted this to being a more memorable story. All this with the 2nd best final boss fights where they actually incorporate the Anpanman march in a way that fit amazingly with the story. Plus it's the special where the dubbed singing isn't that bad, so this made the finale all the more impactful. These specials have always been not about good vs evil, but kindness over cynicism, negativity, and this perfectly exemplified that. Visually and emotionally, this is where I came to like Anpanman. Number one though is where I came to understand.

Number 1: Shine! Kulun and the Stars of Life

I had a feeling this was the best for last and I was not off. This was the special where I felt everything came together. It wasn't just Anpanman vs Baikinman, but the legacies of their many battles before. It wasn't just about a new character figuring themselves out again, but what does everyone see in Anpanman that they want to inherit themselves. It wasn't just about purpose, but the spirit that can come with it. This was the most adventurous special of the bunch, a good mix between relaxing interactions on Earth and a sincere, determined quest when we finally get to outer space. There was a real sense of finality where even if things would return back to a more episodic state, it shared the essence of what makes Anpanman such a mainstay, a classic hero that soared for this long, the most popular and profitable icon in Japan. He'll always be a hero to believe in because he smiles on for us.

It's genuinely hard to find Anpanman media online, especially since I'm a weak Yankee no less that they probably crackdown on pirated episodes and movies harder than most anime. But thanks to tubi, I was able to find a new appreciation for this everlasting series. I could definitely see why Takashi Yanase, at one of the lowest points of his life, would want Anpanman to be real. These specials brought a good joyous feeling whenever I watched them, cringe dub aside, and I truly got the simple yet inspiring reasons why this hero is what he is and why everyone loves him for it.

Tune in next time where I actually try some anpan at my locally gentrified Asian market.

#Anpanman #anime #countdown #top 10 #reviews #Good Stuff

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recentanimenews · 3 years

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Tubi Adds 7 More Anpanman Films to Streaming Catalog

If you can't get enough of Anpanman, the costumed crusader with the pastry for a head, then Tubi (a streaming service owned by FOX Entertainment) has got your back, because as of September 10, 2021, they've added 7 additional animated films featuring the popular children's character created by Takashi Yanase to their online streaming catalog. The new films include:

The Adventure of Happie - When Anpanman’s new apprentice, Happie, is swayed by Baikinman, Happie's whole village is in danger. Anpanman must set him straight, before all is lost.

Star-Spirited Dollie - When Anpanman saves Dollie, she gains life and just wants fun, even if it means bothering others. Meanwhile, Baikinman tries to build the strongest mold robot to defeat Anpanman.

The Secret of Fairy Rin-Rin - When Baikinman tricks the fairy Rin-Rin who protects the flower that gives Anpanman strength, everyone must go on a journey to find more flowers.

Blacknose and the Magical Song - An orphan, Cana, raised in darkness by evil Blacknose, tries to destroy the joys of singing, dancing, and yummy food. Can Anpanman make the kid see the light?

Revive Banana Island! - Clouds and cold may ruin all the sweet fruit on Banana Island, but queen Banna refuses to ask Anpanman for help, while Baikinman goes to Banana Island in search of the legendary Giant Banana.

Nanda and Runda from the Star of Toys - The selfish princess Runda, accompanied by a kind robot, Nanda, loses her wand that turns things into toys and needs Anpanman’s help to find it.

Shine! Kulun And The Stars Of Life - Before the annual Star Festival, the mysterious Kulun pops out of Baikinman’s garbage bin and black stars fall, threatening life on Anpanman’s world.

Tubi is also currently streaming the Anpanman films Purun, The Soap Bubble and Apple Boy and Everyone's Hope. The streams are available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Mexico.

Source: Official press release

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Paul Chapman is the host of The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast and GME! Anime Fun Time.

By: Paul Chapman

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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