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Go Go Anime!" comes off more like an episode of "The Real World" than a serious exploration of Otakudom. It doesn't mean that it isn't a well done MTV flavored special.

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Go Go Anime

Review by Matthew Anderson

Documentary

Company: Live Sockets Entertainment

Running Time: 60 minutes

Rating: G

This is a special review of and advanced DVD preview.

EXTERNAL EXAM

"Go Go Anime!" is a look at the interesting and diversified world of anime fandom. Following a group of avid anime collectors, a Sailor Moon cosplay team, and aspiring Manga style artists, "Go Go Anime!" takes us on a journey from their homes to the biggest anime convention on the West Coast; Anime Expo! We get to experience the trials, tribulations, and jubilations as they go for the gold, and have fun while doing it.

You may think your an otaku, but you have nothing on these folks! Go Go Anime...GO!

FINAL EXAM

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a documentary is "Presenting facts objectively without editorializing or inserting fictional matter, as in a book or film." While technically "Go Go Anime!" does exactly that, it comes off more like an episode of "The Real World" than a serious exploration of Otakudom. It doesn't mean that it isn't a well done MTV flavored special.

This particular film covers three separate groups of anime fans as they journey toward the Mecca of the anime scene, Anime Expo. The first group consists of members of "Sailor Jamboree", well known Sailor Moon cosplayers who are ready to take Anime Expo by storm. Next, we visit with Glenn, Al, and John, three older anime fans who spend part of their weekend drinking beer and watching anime. While not actually a group, there is Henry and the members of Artists Alley. Always a popular attraction at anime conventions, these men and women work hard to bring their manga style artwork to the public and the industry.

The movie starts with visits to each of their homes. Like an episode of "Cribs" (Henry the manga artist even calls his home his crib), we get to see how these otaku's live. Glenn lives in a very nice house, and has more anime in one cabinet than I have in my entire office. We get to go on a tour of what could be the largest anime laserdisc collection in the US. With "Sailor Jamboree", we see them practicing their "Chicago" inspired routine for the Anime Expo Masquerade at the home of one of their members. Then we take a short visit with Henry, as he shows us the place where he draws his manga, along with a look at the first issue.

From there, we go with all of them to Anime Expo. We get to see the members of "Sailor Jamboree" scramble to get everything ready before the big event, as well as attend a huge Sailor Moon cosplay gathering. We follow Glenn and his guys as they look for great deals on Laser Disc's, DVD's, and attend the always popular "Dead Or Alive" swimsuit photo shoot. A quick visit to artist's alley has Henry introducing us to his fellow artists, including the very confident and talented Jen Chan.

Unlike Otaku Unite, which dived pretty deep into the rivers Otakudom, "Go Go Anime" gives us a more surface look at the culture we know and love. There are no hard hitting, deeply probing looks into the lives of Otaku. We visit their houses, and see them mix and mingle, but the filmmakers don't go much beyond that. That's why it feels like something you would see on MTV, not "The Documentary Channel".

I have to give the producers credit for finding some of the most photogenic otakus out there. There are no pimply faced, severely overweight, overly dorky people to be found in this film. These are the beautiful people, all of them having the right stuff to get to the point they are at. They act very natural in front of the camera, speak clearly and intelligently, not reverting to the ranting that some Otaku do. I'm sure that many of you will find the members of the "Sailor Jamboree" very attractive, as well as the models at the DOA Extreme Volleyball photo shoot. You will never find a hotter group of anime fans than them.

Our favorite subject was Glenn. This is one of the friendliest anime fans you will ever meet. He make no apologies for who he is, and he is always supportive of those who share his interest. Senior Editor Ann Marie found him very charming, in that squishy bear kind of way. I hope that one day, our paths will cross, and I can drool over his laser disc collection. I have to agree with him, Laser Disc was the best format for anime, even though I love DVD!

The production values are decent, and the editing is well done. They were very adept at weaving the three separate pieces into one cohesive format, that keep the viewer interested, and not over exposed to one group in particular. There were no real jerky camera movements, most of the interviews were framed well, and the titles were easy to read. They did very well, despite the rather small budget.

I was disappointed with the extras on this disc. The only true extra is a photo gallery consisting of a montage of cosplayers and original artwork. The rest of the extras are trailers, so sorry guys, the DOA Beach Volleyball feature is a game preview, not of the photo shoot at Anime Expo.

"Go Go Anime!" certainly was an entertaining look at the world of otakus. While not as informative as "Otaku Unite", it has it's charms, thanks to its solid production values, tight editing, and excellent interview subjects. If this were to become a regular TV series, I would never miss an episode!

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