Almighty Dad | A stay at home dad blog

It hit me yesterday that my kids don’t watch kid TV shows.  As a result I don’t know what’s on or what’s popular.  We go to bed late and wake up late thereby missing all the cartoon shows and PBS kid programming.  They don’t know what Sesame Street is or – jeez, I don’t even know what else there is.  To compensate we rented, then bought, a bunch of Backyardigans DVDs (which are now collecting dust as the boys are too old for them).  We also bought several of the Little Einstein videos (which got stupid really quickly).  But, as far as being in the loop for kid TV?  No, I’m not.  But, none of this is to say we don’t watch TV.  On the contrary, we watch quite a bit.  Yesterday I talked about the quirks that make our family unique.  This is one of them.  When other kids are discussing some cartoon I’ve never heard of (except Kim Possible – the boys have rented those), my kids are talking about Stargate SG1, Farscape, Full Metal Alchemist and Bleach.  We’re a sci-fi family.  That’s just what we do, not better, not worse. 

To be completely fair, there are some cartoons we rent on DVD that the boys like.  Kim Possible is one they like and so is Ben-10.  Everything we see is rented from Netflix, and those rentals are almost all sci-fi.  I listed some of our favorites below.

Our Favorite Sci-Fi and Animes: I want to rent Battlestar Galactica but haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Sci-Fi:

Stargate SG1 and Atlantis: Quickly becoming one of the most successful sci-fi series of all time.  It’s been constantly on the air for 15 years with over 200 episodes.  Based on the movie, it’s about space travel through ancient wormhole devices called Stargates.  Teams from earth (Specifically SG-1) explore other planets through the gates.  They’re always meeting new enemies and discovering new technology.  SG-1 lasted for 10 seasons and passed the torch to Stargate: Atlantis in 2004.  For as much as I loved Star-Trek, I’m now much more interested in the Stargate universe.  Classic.

Farscape: The whole series finally came out on DVD last month which I’m really happy about because I never got to see all the episodes the first time around.  Like Firefly it got canceled early (halfway through the 5^th season) but shouldn’t have.  It’s about an Astronaut (John Chrichton) who gets sucked through a wormhole on a test flight.  He ends up getting spit out in some strange part of the Universe and in the middle of a space battle.  Bewildered, he gets captured by a group of escaped convicts (who are the good guys) aboard a Leviathan (a living ship).  It’s made by Jim Henson Studios so there are some pretty fantastic puppets involved.  It’s got a high production value and some unique story lines.

Dr Who: This is the best Sci-fi series of all time other than maybe Star Trek (it’s a close call).  A description won’t do it any justice.  Dr. Who is a Time Lord who has a special affinity for humans and tries his best to be the protector of Earth and human kind.  He travels around in a Tardis which is a Spacecraft/Time Machine/House that looks like an old fashioned police box (It’s bigger on the inside).  Well, I’m going to stop there.  If you haven’t seen any episodes and   want to get started you can begin with the modern series (Christopher Eccleston) and you will understand.

Firefly: The all time best series to be canceled abruptly by a bone headed studio.  It’s a Joss Whedon creation that is essentially a western set in outer space.  It’s a fantastic series that is completely worth the viewing.  They even made a movie to sorta wrap up some plot lines after cancellation.  Serenity is one of the few sci-fi TV adapted full movies out there that is actually really good in its own right.  Watch the show first and the movie is even better.

Torchwood: A spin-off of Dr. Who that follows the exploits of Capt. Jack Harkness, a human who can never die thanks to being imbued with the power of Dr Who’s Tardis (or something like that).  Anyway, he works in a secret underground facility in Cardiff that is charged by the British Government with hunting and collecting alien technology (specifically anything that can be used as a weapon).

The Twilight Zone: Not the new Twilight Zone; that’s not the same thing.  The old series was way ahead of its time.  The boys love it even considering it’s black and white and sometimes corny.  The stories are what drive it.

Eureka: This is a quirky series about a town full of scientists who, for national security reasons, must remain secret.  It’s a sci-fi comedy more than a serious show, but it makes for a fun ride.  The town sheriff is the only non-genius in the town, but he’s a well meaning and good guy who sometimes provides needed ethical guidance to the crazy scientists who are constantly creating life threatening technology without regard for safety.  Like I said, crazy fun hi-jinx.

Smallville: I don’t particularly care for Smallville.  But the boys and Mely (wife) watch it so I include it.  It’s basically about Superman when he was in High School and before he started wearing the suite.  It’s a teen drama series dressed as sci-fi.  Whatever.

Stargate Universe: Season one just came out on DVD and I started watching it two days ago.  So far it looks good and I’m holding out high hopes.  The premise seems to be about an SG team that finds themselves traveling through space on an ancient auto-piloted ship on the other side of the universe.  I don’t know more than that, but it’s gritty and sorta cool looking so far.  The boys like Stargate so they’re giving this a try with me.  We’ll see.

Anime: 

To watch most anime you can’t be a puritan.  If you are, perhaps the genre isn’t for you.  To me it’s just good fun, and the boys agree with me.

Full Metal Alchemist: Easily the best kid anime in existence (my opinion).  It’s about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse, who are alchemists (turn everyday elements into whatever they want).  They are both exceptionally gifted and somewhat reckless.  This recklessness leads to them trying to re-animate their mother after her death.  Human Transmutation is a major no-no and they pay for their arrogance.  Alphonse loses his body in the exchange and has to have his spirit fused into an old suit of armor (the only thing available at the time).  Edward loses his arm and has to be fitted with a prosthetic one (he definitely made out better than Alphonse). The series is all about them trying to get Alphonse’s body back and to atone for their transgression.

Naruto: Naruto is a ninja from the Hidden Leaf village who has the evil spirit of the Nine Tailed fox trapped inside of him.  The village defeated the corporeal Nine Tail when Naruto was a baby, but they couldn’t destroy its spirit.  The solution was to lock the spirit in a baby using a powerful sealing spell (I forgot why they did that).  As a result Naruto grows up as an outcast who wants nothing more than to be accepted.  He turns his energies into becoming the best Ninja in the village and dreams of becoming the Hokage someday (the Hokage is the chief ninja and head of the village).  It’s a never ending series with multiple plot twists.  If your kids start watching it they might not finish until they’re in college as there are so many episodes (it’s been going on forever).

Bleach: Soul Reapers are charged with escorting wayward souls to the Soul Society (the afterlife) before evil spirits (hallows) get to them and consume their soul energy.  It begins with Rukia, a soul reaper, getting injured by a hallow and losing her ability to fight.  To save her own life and to kill the hallow that was chasing her she transfers her soul reaper powers to a human.  Ichigo      Kurosaki is a high school student who then becomes a “substitute soul reaper” and has to perform and learn the duties of a soul reaper while maintaining a human life as a high school student.

Full Metal Panic: Many of these animes are not specifically intended for kids.  This is one that is geared for older kids but that my boys really like as well.  It’s about a secret mercenary army that utilizes bipedal weapon systems that are controlled internally by human operators (a little like Voltron).  Unlike Voltron though the story takes place on a 20^th century earth (parallel world), and is much less corny and much more gritty.

Kyo Kara Maoh: A regular Japanese high schooler, Yuri Shibuya, discovers he’s the predestined ruler of an alternate world which he can randomly travel to whenever he touches water – falling in a pool, taking a shower etc… .  He doesn’t know anything about being a    ruler though and he needs a host of advisors and teachers to help him along the way.  The plot quickly gets quite involved with wars happening and mystical quests he needs to go on.  It’s definitely one of our favorites.  But, if you’re not into watching shows that feature gay characters then this isn’t right for you as there are several ambiguous characters.  Like I said though, it’s a great show.

Avatar, The Last Airbender: An American Anime!  And it’s actually really good.  Excellent even.  It’s about Aang, an airbender, who is the Avatar (the one who is able to control all the elements and keep peace between the Fire, Air, Earth and Water kingdoms).  He’s only a kid though and gets scared of his destiny and runs away.  While he’s running he gets trapped in ice for 100 years.  Meanwhile the Fire Nation decides to start a war and ends up taking over most of the world.  Upon awakening, Aang realized he needs to get to work mastering all the elements to restore peace.  He gets help along the way from some friends and his trusty friend/flying buffalo thing, Appa.

Air Gear: It’s about a community of roller bladers who form into teams to fight each other in order to move up the ranking and gain more special moves and powers for their rollerblades (which are really magical sorts of things that I’m lacking a better name for).  There’s no moral or higher lesson or anything remotely deep about it, but it is action packed so the boys liked it.

Ah! My Goddess: Keiichi is a college freshman who is something of a dork.  He can’t get a date and he gets constantly bullied by his classmates.  One day he makes a call and accidentally gets connected to the Goddess Help Line.  A goddess informs him that’s they’ve noticed he needs a little help.  She grants him a wish, but instead of wishing for something like money or fame he wishes that this goddess, Belldandy, stay with him and take care of him forever.  She has to grant his wish and thus he has his very own goddess.

Air: This is a really beautiful anime that’s difficult to describe.  It’s about a guy, Yukito, who is in search of “the girl in the sky” that his mother told him about before she died.  Turns out that this “girl” is the spirit of some goddess that keeps reincarnating into human bodies.  She gets lost though and needs to get back to the sky.  Really complicated, but exceedingly beautiful.

Elemental Gelade: The adventures of a sky pirate named Cou who finds a mystical being called an Edel Raid who looks human but is more goddess than not.  Edel Raids fuse with humans to become powerful weapons.  Cou must fight off a series of bad guys because he realizes he’s fallen in love with his Edel Raid and doesn’t want to use her as a weapon.  But he has to fight to keep her.  Interesting plot.

Kenichi – The Mightiest Disciple: About a kid who has to master 5 martial arts disciplines to stop being bullied at school.  He’s a disciple at a dojo full of crazy masters. Very funny and excellent for the kids as there are lessons of honor and loyalty sprinkled throughout.

Buso Renkin: A kid gets nearly killed by a weird monster and then saved by a girl who implants a device in his body.  This device gives him special powers to fight the bad guys (Homunculus).  Pretty standard anime plot, but the kids really liked it.  I didn’t really care for it, but the boys were deep into it for about a month.  Must be a kid thing.

Kaze no Stigma: The main character gets cast out of his family for being a failure; he can’t use the power of fire which his family is masters of.  He returns years later after mastering the power of Air.  He gets reunited with his brother and childhood rival (forgot her name) to solve a series of murders in the family.

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