Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo

For Shinji Ikari, the last thing he remembers is diving into a void to save his friend Rei.  And he saved her…or so he thought.  Suddenly back on Earth, Shinji discovers that 14 years have passed and the game has changed.  NERV is now the enemy and therefore, so is he.  Targeted by his former allies, Shinji finds refuge in the ruins of Tokyo 3.  Here, he befriends Kwaoru, a gentle young man with a talent for the piano and a fondness for Shinji.  Together, they undertake a mission to set things right and restore the world. 

The end of Evangelion 2.22: You Can (Not) Advance left me in a strange state.  I was rooting for Shinji to save Rei.  I was excited for all the changes our characters had gone through.  I was looking forward to one of the mothers of all cliffhangers being continued.  Kwaoru arrived and severed Third Impact.  Shinji was trapped with Rei inside Eva Unit 01.  The new additions to this take on the mythos were working and I was so hyped to see how it would all play out.

Then we got to Evangelion 3.33: You Can (Not) Redo.

In the mother of all twists, we get virtually nothing from the preview included at the end of 2.22.  Instead we get a bold move to change the world of Evangelion all together to kick off the second half of the Rebuild of Evangelion saga.  Now I would be ok with this.  This is a brand new take on the story.  And while we’ve seen many nods to the original telling (especially in 1.11) Rebuild has taken on a life of its own with new twists, new characters and (as of the end of 2.22) a whole new direction.  I’m fine with all of that.

What I’m not ok with is being thrown into this brand new world…WITH NO EXPLANATIONS WHAT SO EVER!!!  I’m serious, from the moment Shinji wakes up, it’s all scowls and “You’re the enemy now Shinji, HMPH”.  Well…why?  Last I saw, Third Impact was averted and things looked ok.  Was it restarted?  Was it paused?  Misato is a boat load of zero info, probably given the worst downgrade of the cast (besides Ritsuko and her bad haircut).  If this is the be the new status quo of the saga, I would have at least liked a bit more discussion as to why any of this is.  What’s worse?  You actually sympathize with Shinji a bit.  He has a right to complain and whine.  He has no clue what the hell is going on.  It’s not because he’s stubborn or a crybaby (at least in the beginning) it’s because he’s just as freaking lost as we are. 

What time could have been spent on world building and exploration is given to Kwaoru and Shinji.  And here is where the Yaoi fan fiction kicks itself into overdrive.  Now let me be clear: LOVE WHO YOU WANT TO LOVE.  Cant be anymore clearer than that.  But Shinji and Kwaoru’s time together induces more giggles than feels.  This is mostly because we spend a good chunk of the film watching them play piano together in an over the top, hallucinogen esque animated sequence that is more head shaking funny than probably intended.  I’d rather have more time spent on talking about how Asuka got back in the game or getting to know Mari a bit better, cause God knows she’s still just as much an enigma as she was in 2.22.

This all builds to a jumbled, action filled finale that, again, takes no time to spell out what the hell Gendo’s endgame is or what anyones stake in this confusion is.  Eva Unit 02 even turns into a four legged beast at one point to battle Rei’s sythe wielding Eva.  I think I can sum up my thoughts on Evangelion 3.33 when this sequence ends with one popular Ed Helms quote, “WHAT THE F*** IS GOING ON!!!!????”  Why is everyone at each others throats?  How did NERV get this way?  How did Mari join up and where the hell does she even come from?  What’s Gendo’s goal?  Does Shinji have a right to be a mess by the end?  The answer to that last one is “yes” by the way.

I will give credit where it is due.  This series keeps looking better and better.  Even when the animation goes wonky in the final battle with berserk Eva 02 turning into a Ralph Bashki creation, it’s still cool to look at.  The opening battle in space is FREAKING AWESOME!!!  Watching Asuka and Mari duke it out with an Angel in low orbit is way over the top but it’s a good attention grabber.  I loved having Asuka back.  Her new plug suit and eye patch suit her and it’s good to see that events haven’t dulled her bad ass temper.  Rei’s arc is a bit stale compared to 2.22.  She does at least question her orders and herself a lot faster than previous Rei’s, which I guess is progress.  And yeah, her new plug suit is pretty cool too.  For all of her mystery, with still one movie to explore that btw, Mari still gets some of the best lines and moments.  I love how chill she is around the end of the world.  She and Asuka make a pretty good team.  Lastly, is it me, or is it bizzare to see a co piloted Evangelion and a mere few months after this film came out in Japan, Pacific Rim came out with a similar piloting system for giant robots?

I’d say after such great hype built up over two movies that Evangelion 3.33 is ultimately a let down.  The world is not explored or explained enough.  The characters, for the most part, are the worst they have ever been before.  Events move so quick it’s hard to keep up, especially when matters aren’t made clear.  I feel a lot like Asuka at the end, having to drag Shinji away to find a way to make things right.  I can only hope now that Evangelion 4.44 salvages the mistakes made here and finishes this series off right.  I still have faith in the Rebuild of Evangelion series…but this chapter tested that faith quite a bit.  The title is right, you can’t redo this one…you can only move on and hope it gets better from here…pressures on though, there’s only one more film left to make this all right.

5.5/10

Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 4

Part 4-Border 4-Ghost Stands Alone

When a peaceful protest turns into a violent massacre, all signs point to the name Fire Starter.  Ever since she left Unit 501, Motoko has been searching for the creator of the Fire Starter virus that infused her with false memories for a time.  Now that she has a full unit, she’s ready to close in on the criminals responsible.  Will Motoko finally close the lid on this case that has haunted her for so long?  Or will she find more questions than answers in the action packed finale of Ghost in the Shell: Arise.

Well at long last and after many lengths to get my hands on it, we’ve finally come to the final episode of the Ghost in the Shell: Arise series.  Was it worth the wait?  Well…kind of?  While it is really great to see all of the key Ghost in the Shell players finally united, the “resolution” we get to this whole series long mystery is non existent.

Yes, there is no resolution to the Fire Starter mystery in “Ghost Stands Alone” (like the nod to the previous incarnation of GITS).  Instead we get one more stand alone tale that incorporates players and elements from the previous episodes in an attempt to wrap something up while stiring the pot more.  There is a pretty interesting story here though.  The subject of Ghost Dubbing reared it’s head a couple of times in Stand Alone Complex.  But multiple Ghost Dubbings is something else entirely, particularly when you’re fusing two minds.  Would you go that far to live forever after death?  How much of yourself is left after countless Dub attempts?  It’s pretty scary when you think about it.  Though not nearly as scary as Togusa getting hacked, holding his gun to his head thinking it’s a phone and talking to his dead father.  Come on, we almost lost him in Solid State Society, quit scaring us like that.

Once again, the characters shine and it’s great to see Motoko’s team together at last.  The serious work mode of SAC is here but so is the humor from the last episode.  Motoko making Batou nude in the chat room to poke fun at him was great, as was the bit where Batou took the fight outside and still got his ass handed to him.  Oh and believe it or not, we got to see the team in their downtime.  Seeing as how the episode takes place around Christmas, we’re treated to some nice final scenes: Togusa going home to his wife and newborn child; Paz, Borma, Saito and Ishikawa all having Christmas Dinner together; and Motoko and Batou sharing a drink on a boat while Batou tries to convince Motoko to go swimming with him (hey I’d love to see this Motoko in a swimsuit too).  The best moments, however, will always be Motoko and Aramaki for me.  By the end of this episode, we come to know why their bond is as solid as it has been in later iterations.  Aramaki’s little revelation to Motoko at the end clearly rocked her world and her opinion of the old ape.

The animation quality seemed to vary from moment to moment.  The intro battle is breathtaking, especially Motoko battling a chopper while falling down a skyscraper.  But once we get to the half way mark, most notably Motoko and Batou’s shootout at 501 HQ, the polish wears off and things look a little more cartoony than they should.  Even at it’s worst, Stand Alone Complex always looked like it maintained steady quality throughout.  Arise has it’s charm but the animation has been inconsistent throughout, which is a letdown.

Now, as for the Fire Starter mystery.  Turns out Arise was meant to be resolved in Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie, which was released the summer after Arise ended (see my review of it here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2015/11/ghost-in-shell-new-movie.html)  There was also a televised version of Arise called Alternate Architetcure (AAA).  It split each OVA episode into two parts for TV broadcast and included a bonus fifth, two part story, Pyrophoric Cult, which was meant to tie up Fire Starter while seeding the events of The New Movie.  So knowing that there’s an extra episode that wasn’t included in the original release feels like a bit of a cheat on the productions part.  AAA is available for streaming and download thanks to Funimation, so I could easily download and watch it and see the resolution, maybe even review the episode down the line.  Point is, if you go from this “final” episode of Arise into The New Movie, you’re going to be confused as to why Fire Starter wasn’t resolved.  That’s pretty irritating.

And now for my final thoughts.  Flaws and all, I really liked Ghost in the Shell: Arise.  The animation may have flip flopped and the score isn’t the knock out of the park hit that Yoko Kanno’s SAC score was, but I loved the fresh takes on this cast.  Seeing the beginnings of Motoko, Batou, Togusa, Aramaki and the others was a lot of fun and it showed in their interactions.  The stiffened seriousness of Stand Alone Complex didn’t stop this series from cracking a joke more than once every few episodes.  I also really enjoyed Motoko as a younger, still flawed individual coming into her own.  She still retained her smarts and her determination but was always learning to trust others and work with a team.  Seeing her in love was one of the shows best stories, showing Motoko is still capable of feeling an emotion many, myself included, didn’t think she ever could (poor Batou).  Plus I really dig the red outfit.  If the main story had been wrapped in this initial telling, then I would rate the series higher.  But to have to track down another episode isn’t very appealing, even if ill do it eventually.  Still, what I saw did leave me wanting more, in a good way not just in a “the story wasn’t wrapped up entirely” kind of way.  If you’re a Ghost in the Shell fan, this one’s for you.  If you’re just a fan of scifi and Blade Runner especially, still give it a shot…but you might like the 1995 Oshii movie or Stand Alone Complex a bit more.

7/10

Well it’s time for a bit of a change with our next series.  Next week I’ll be taking a look at a slice of life series I know and love dearly.  There’s kendo, there’s strong female characters and…there’s sushi.  Bamboo Blade starts next week…don’t freak out ok?

PPS

Might have one other review from Katsucon that I’ve been meaning to post.  So expect a potential special double posting today.

First Impression Friday (FIF) #1-Your Lie in April

Kousei Arima was a piano playing master at the age of 11.  Taught by his mother, there wasn’t a number he could not play…until one day he could not.  Ever since a tragic blunder during a performance, Kousei has lost the ability to hear the sounds of the instrument he loved to play.  But then he meets the beautiful Kaori Miyazono, a prodigy violinist.  She is determined to play to her hearts content and she wants Kousei to back her up on stage at the piano.  There are reasons why Kou lost his gifts and why he is afraid to return to the spotlight.  But sometimes the road back is paved with challenges, from facing your fears to falling in love.

Welcome to First Impression Friday.  In this new little feature, I’ll be posting my initial thoughts on different series im checking out but not intending to do a full review of them.  These may be the first couple of episode or even a small group of 6, kind of depends on what ive seen.  I’ll share my likes, dislikes and whether or not I’ll be carrying on with this series for the foreseeable future.  Chances are I could just be watching out of excitement or desperation in the hope that a show will get better (trust me that bit’s been known to happen).  And to kick off this new run, I taking a look at a series that was heavily promoted at Katsucon: Your Lie in April.

Personally, when it comes to Anime I am an action/scifi/mecha lover first and foremost.  Anything else I take with a grain of salt and it will be a long shot that I enjoy it.  However, sitting down at the premiere of the English Dub of Your Lie in April at Katsucon 2016 was something I needed.  I was a bit bogged down by events earlier in the day and I needed some inspiration.  I could have gotten that anywhere at the convention but somehow, being in this room, watching these 3 episodes was what I needed at the time.  Was it the characters, the humor, the music (especially the opening and ending themes)?  Well it was a mix of all.

While the degree to which Kou’s mental block affects him has yet to be fully revealed, I think we’ve all been at some stage of talent block in our lives: Music, writing, animating or otherwise.  I feel for him, mostly.  How bad his mother probably treated him during his training makes me wonder why Kou put up with it.  That’s still too early in the series to talk about.  What I can talk about is the blossoming friendship between Kou and Kaori, which is the selling point of this series.  Kaori is insane, in a good way…sort of.  She’s hilariously rabid and violent but a gentle soul around children.  And when she’s on stage, she’s a rockstar with a violin.  Kaori breaks the rules and plays the way she wants to play.  And it’s this philosophy she wants to impart to Kou to help snap him back into playing.  Why do you play the violin?  Why do you play the piano?  All are good questions to be discussed as this series continues.  Now does Kaori see Kou as more than just her accompanying Pianist?  I want to say yes but more needs to develop.  Still, the effect Kaori has on Kou is obvious even if he doesn’t know what to make of it.  It’s heartwarming and overpowers my head scratching over Kou’s inner situation.  Just what the hell did his mom do to him.

The music is very well done.  Both the opening and ending themes and the classical music are great.  The musical throwdown between Kou and Kaori steals the show in these first few episodes.  I’m not sure how classical music purists would feel about this little step away from performing but damn it was awesome.  This is arguably the best use of orchestra ive seen in an Anime since Evangelion and MAN I didn’t think anything could come close after that series.  Im wondering if the infamous Beethoven Symphony #9 will come into play before the series ends.

There’s a pretty fair balance between the humor and heavier moments in Your Lie in April.  Usually most of the darkness revolves around Kou and his breakdowns.  Which is a good thing that fun supporting characters like Tsubaki and Watari are around to liven things up along with Kaori.  Kou is practically immortal with all of the physical abuse (THE FUNNY KIND NOT WHATEVER THE F HIS MOTHER WAS DOING TO MAKE HIM A BETTER PIANIST) being thrown his way by all three characters.  But the humor is good motivation and is pretty uplifting at times.  Kaori’s special kick and finishing pose on the roof is easily one of the funniest moments in an Anime ive seen in a long time.

So will I continue with this series?  You know what, yeah.  I’m four episodes in and im invested with what happens to Kou, Kaori, Tsubaki and Watari.  I’m guessing there will be some heartache and some love triangles or two developing between these four.  But the inspiration they create when theyre all together is undeniable.  I haven’t been into an Anime about music like this since K-On.  Could this be the next K-On or Ouran High School Host Club for me.  I certainly hope so.

 

RWBY Vol.3

The Vytal Festival Tournament has finally begun.  Teams from academies across the kingdom gather for an all out but friendly brawl for victory. And Team RWBY is ready to prove their worth to the world.  But there are others who have their own plans for the tournament.  Cinder, Emerald and Mercury finally begin their plan which has been ages in the making.  A darkness descends upon Beacon, the likes of which has never been seen before.  For Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang and their allies, this will be the battle that tests them like never before.  And when the dust finally settles, nothing will ever be the same again.

Following the unfortunate passing of series creator Monty Oum last year, the future of RWBY was uncertain.  But Rooster Teeth announced that Oum’s series would carry on and return to fans within the year.  And RWBY did indeed return.  But I don’t think anybody was ready for what this season was going to bring.

This is easily the darkest RWBY has ever been.  It kind of harkens back to the first few character trailers before the series began.  The action, music and pacing seemed pretty dramatic and it wasn’t until we saw Yangs trailer that we found some of the series humor.  Now the humor is still there but that’s mostly placed in the first half of the series before the rug is ripped out from under us in the second half.  Merciless is how I have been describing the events of Season 3 to most people.  And I know that a lot of what goes down, especially in the finale, is going to divide the fandom straight down the middle.  Will anyone stand against what the creators did to so many beloved characters or will they embrace change?

Me?  I actually embrace it.  That doesn’t mean it’s hard watching characters get killed or maimed.  But one thing I felt was particularly lacking about the first two seasons was a sense of tension and danger for the girls and their friends.  Everything felt like it was building up to something but we never got a proper payoff.  Now there is still the elaborate chess movement of characters and plot points that is still continuing in this season as well.  The difference is that there’s payoff here and I like that there are bold moves made that cant be reversed (right now anyway but who knows).  The two halves of Season 3 are distinct.  The opening half is all of what we love about RWBY and more: the action, the team dynamics, the still kick ass music.  But half two is when everything falls apart, literally and you feel like youre on the edge of your seat more than ever.  It’s always a risky move to shake up a world like this.  But I cant wait for Season 4 with the hopes that the new direction sticks while retaining much of RWBY’s charm and humor…but no laughs during the season finale folks, it was all tears and WTF’s.

Even with the much missed presence of Monty Oum (made harder by the fact that they had to recast Wren, who Oum voiced) you can tell that the Rooster Teeth staff is doing their damnedest to honor his memory.  Season 3 is, in my opinion, the best looking season to date.  There’s a more natural Anime kind of feel to it and it just looks much smoother and polished (probably helps that they didn’t release RWBY in the summer like they usually do and waited for Fall).  All of the characters you know and love are back as well.  Though with the redirected closer focus on Cinder, Emerald and Mercury, a couple of fan favs kind of get left to the side like Sun and Neptune, at least until the finale.  I feel like a little more could have been done with Weiss’s sister, Winter, especially with her relationship with Qrow.  And man, after all the hype, Qrow did not disappoint with his drunken arrival.  You can tell why Ruby and Yang are so energetic and optimistic in their adventures by just seeing how great they are around him.  Also helps that Qrow is voiced by Vic Minogna (aka Edward Elric of Fullmetal Alchemist fame).  How RT managed that I don’t know but theyre awesome for it.

There’s a great sadness that will stay with you long after the Season 3 credits roll.  But there’s also a fire, that burned in me at least, to see Season 4 pronto so all of this could be resolved.  Binging this season was a lot like binging Madoka Magica.  You feel wide eyed in wonder at the beginning and then leave teary eyed and a little pissed…but in a good way, in a good, GOOD way.  RWBY Season 3 will be the most controversial season yet but whether fans love it or hate it, like me they’ll be back for more when Season 4 commences sometime this year.  Cause no matter what happened to them this round, through the fire and the flames, Team RWBY will carry on.

9/10

T5W#28-Top 5 RWBY Moments (Season 1&2)

So…I binge watched the third season of RWBY the other night.  Lotttttts of feels, both heartbreaking and infuriating.  Who thought Rooster Teeth could be so ruthless with their storytelling but do it in a Game of Thrones matter that makes you love it more?  I’ll be sure to do a review on it soon while it’s fresh.  In the meantime, since I don’t feel like talking Season 3 spoilers, I figure id take a look back at the first two seasons of RWBY that ive covered on this blog.  These are my Top 5 favorite moments across both sets of episodes and ill do my best to keep things spoiler free…that’s what Season 3 is for.

 

#5-Red Like Roses (Red Trailer)

RWBY was first announced in a surprise trailer following the credits of Red vs Blue Season 10.  The trailer was a mystery for sure.  A little red ridding hood looking girl looking over a gravestone.  Suddenly she is surrounded by Grimm.  What comes next is totally unexpected.  Red produces a gun sythe and goes on a slaughter spree of all the monsters.  While the more mature feel of the trailer wouldn’t find it’s way into the series til much later, the Red trailer showcased Monty Oum’s talent for over the top and imaginative action sequences.  And this was only the first taste of what was to come.

 

#4-The Entrance Exam (Season 1)

So much of the first seasons charm can be found in this middle arc.  Ruby, Yang, Blake and Weiss along with Jeaune, Phyrra, Wren and Nora all meet for the first time, creating their teams, getting into mishaps and ending their first test with a Final Fantasy style clash against an enormous monster.  The action and music are perfect.  But it’s the little moments like Ruby crying out for Yang while running through the forest or Jeaune absolutely hilarious, “It’s not the relic, it’s not, it’s not,” when he’s ambushed by a scorpion that make this little segment worthwhile.

 

#3-Weiss makes peace with Blake (Season 1)

Weiss was a stubborn character in Season 1 and probably what I felt was the weakest link.  She kept repeating story beat three different times, twice with Ruby.  Still, each time she got through them and came out a better person.  And this is best exemplified when she scolds Blake for not coming to her team about her past with the White Fang.  At first you think Weiss is going to be kind of a bitch.  But her kind words, reminding Blake that this team has her back no matter what, brought a tear to my eye as well as Blakes.

 

#2-Zewi (Season 2)

Every Anime needs a mascot and Rooster Teeth mustve loved Cowboy Bebop.  Enter Zwei, Ruby and Yangs adorable puppy.  Not only can he be fired as a projectile to great affect, but he can even sway Weiss and Professor Oobleck to keep him around when he really shouldn’t be in Beacon or on a mission.  Zwei is the most adorable puppy and an instant win for the series.  If you cant fall in love with a face like his, you’re not human.

 

#1-Food Fight (Season 2)

“Justice will be swift.  Justice will be painful.  It will be…DELICIOUS!!!”  With this battle cry from team leader Ruby, Season 2 of RWBY got off to an amazing start.  We were given an excellent fight between Team’s RWBY and JNPR in what can only be described as fun.  Tables flying, turkey’s being used as boxing gloves, Ruby wailing as Weiss falls, this has easily been the high point of the series for me.  It’s the perfect blend of action and fun, which is what RWBY has always been.  Which makes the events of Season 3 all the more tragic when looking back at this sequence…but more on that at another time.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 3

Part 3-Border 3-Ghost Tears

Life should be pretty good for Major Motoko Kusinagi.  She’s not only got the unit made to her perfect specs, but she’s also found herself a nice boyfriend in the form of Akira Hose.  So what’s the downside?  Beside Firestarter still at large, Motoko is still short one team member to get her unit recognized.  Plus she’s got a terrorist attack on a Water Dam and the death of a detective to investigate.  And the prime suspect in both incidents?  Akira.  Motoko seems a totally different person around this man.  Will she be able to separate her desires from her duty?

Kept you all waiting huh?  Well here it is at long last, the first of the final two episodes of the Ghost in the Shell prequel.  And I think we got one of the much stronger, character driven episodes than anything we’ve gotten in either the movies or the Stand Alone Complex saga.

What made this episode special for me is Motoko.  Arise has given me probably my favorite interpretation of the character: younger, flawed but learning, tough and beautiful.  But Ghost Tears showed us a side to Motoko we’ve never really seen before: Motoko in love.  Every scene she shares with Akira is a new experience.  Motoko is happy, practically glowing and will take no crap from Batou for teasing.  There’s a much more human feel to Motoko seeing her in a capacity other than law enforcer or soldier.  I mean just look at her in the dress she wears to Akira’s friends wedding…damn.  And what’s more is that Akira really seems to care about Motoko just as much.  He’s genuinely a good guy, which is something Motoko never thought she deserved.  Now we’ve seen teases of Motoko romances in the past with Batou and especially Kuze in 2^nd Gig.  But those always played second fiddle to Motoko being all about business.  Here, she was enjoying pleasure…even if one of those mini vacations was only 5 hours and 7 minutes long.  It’s a welcome sight that I wish could have lasted a lot longer.

Another aspect that seems to place this adaptation above SAC is the comradere between Motoko’s Proto Section 9 team.  There’s a nice bit of humor and welcome to the group, different to the totally cold depiction of the team in SAC.  Heck one bit of humor from the manga that only showed up once in SAC is Motoko making Batou punch himself when he gets out of line.  She does that to him twice and no one even bats an eye.  It’s just another day for the team. 

After sitting out last episode entirely, Togusa came back to the fold.  I really like this take on his character.  He’s eager, eccentric and a lot of things Motoko and her unit are not.  And I like how he eventually wins Motoko over and she recruits him to be the final key team member.  His reaction comes perfectly timed with the announcement of his wife going into labor.  The human element Togusa brings is very welcome.  Aramaki even reiterates something Motoko herself spoke in the Ghost in the Shell movie, “Overspecialize and you breed in weakness, it’s slow death.”  Togusa’s detective instincts and humanity will definitely give Motoko’s unit an unexpected edge for sure.

The Firestarter Arc of this series did have a couple of extra players thrown in to keep the mystery going alongside the main story of the episode.  Hozumi, much like Godha in 2^nd Gig, just screams obvious bad guy with her whole Darth Vader mask get up.  Dr. Thied’s story wasn’t totally wrapped up this episode so I’m sure we’ll see her again next episode.  But more puzzling is Krutzu’s apparent new protegee for Unit 501.  One short meeting with Motoko and this young one is confident she can take Motoko?  There wasn’t a lot of focus on Fire Starter but the pieces are moving into place slowly.  Should make for an interesting finale next week.

Ghost Tears was a solid episode if only for how well the characters were done.  The action was ok but not as good as Episode 2.  The main draw was Motoko in a world of romance and the tragedy it brought to her world in the end.  Will this change her down the line and will we see any of this affect her with one more episode left in this little series?  Sucks to say but as quickly as it has returned, Ghost in the Shell Arise concludes next week with a nice little nod of a title: Ghost Stands Alone.

Catch ya next time.

PS

Having caught a couple of new-ish titles at Katsucon last weekend, I have an idea for a new feature on the Anime Corner.  Keep an eye out Friday for a special debut that I hope everyone will enjoy.

T5W#27-Top 5 Katsucon 2016 Moments

I did have another topic in mind for my return this week.  However, now that I think about it, there was no way I could slip off to Katsucon without talking about it when I came back.  So here we go, for any and all interested, my Top 5 Most Memorable moments from my return to the con that set a high bar for others to come. 

 

#5-The Magic of the Gazeebo

If I ever had a moment of woe, and believe it or not I did have a couple of those, id somehow finds my way back to the Gazeebo of the Gaylord Hotel.  And somehow, just sitting here, watching the crowds, observing the cosplay, taking in the atmosphere, it restored me and reminded me of why I enjoy these cons.  There’s a magic to places like the gazeebo, common areas where photoshoots take place and parties meet up.  It can just be talking.  But you never know when a dance off or epic sing along will suddenly pop up to get the evening going.  I almost cried a couple of times here at this hallmark of cosplay photography.  It reminded me of why Anime Conventions are home for me.

 

#4-The Return

I remembered upon seeing the National Harbor Ferris Wheel and Convention Center, how that one song from the Lord of the Rings popped to my head to describe the experience. For the return, it was the trailer mix for the final trailer of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  The soft, lingering sounds of piano keys being tapped, building to something truly big.  By the time we parked and entered the Convention Center and I spied the Gazeebo once again, I could finally say what I had wanted to say for a long time, “Chewie…we’re home.”  The Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center, again, may not be as large as the Baltimore Convention Center where Otakon is held.  But it has a wondrous feel, found in its floor to ceiling ratio and the lighting.  Man when the sky goes dark and the lights turn on, this place sings a new tune.  It’s the perfect location for an Anime Convention and it was really good to be back here again.

 

#3-Video Game Room 2.0

 

The Video Game Room was a win once again this year, but not for the reasons I was expecting.  With the wait line policy set in place with Just Dance, the fun kind of got taken out of it, though I did get in a dance or two.  No, the win came from me broadening my horizons a bit.  I found myself beating Time Crisis 2 with an L cosplayer…ive only beaten that game once before in my life.  And then I found my way to a game called Flash Beat.  Think of it as Air Hockey with sound beats, keep the beats from entering your goals.  I got my ass kicked 4 separate times, so why did I enjoy it?  Cause of the people I met there, three players who never chided me for my weakness and welcomed my company.  Plus it was fun watching them rock the game, they were all exceptional players.  It was different and that’s exactly how each con experience should be.

 

#2-Golden Boy

At long last, I watched Golden Boy.  The adventures of Kintaro, a “student of life” and a serious pervert with a good heart, lived up to its much deserved hype and it’s 18+ warning label.  I only got to see one episode due to only half the series being shown and not all of it.  But that one episode plus the MST3K group that had been adding their own commentary definitely made me want to seek out more of this show.  I have since watched the rest of the series via youtube and have fallen in love with it, especially the first episode.  “MONEY CANT REPLACE THAT KIND OF KNOWLEDGE!!! THOSE NOTES WERE PRICELESS!!!!”  Yeah look forward to a review on this one very soon.

 

#1-Dejavudea

My favorite moment of Katsucon 2016 was actually one person, one very inspiring and amazing person.  Dejavudea is a popular youtube cosplayer and convention attendee who also leads the convention touring dance group, Dantsu to Pantsu.  She also hosts the Kigurumi Parties at several conventions she attends.  Here she takes a few minutes with groups of individuals to get to know them, find out how their con is going and see how she can make it better.  Well remember those moments of woe I was telling you about a couple entries ago, one of the hit right around the time of the Kigu Party.  After taking a lap, I returned because I had no other place to be.  That’s when she sat down next to me, recognizing me (it still wows me that she remembers that stuttering guy who got to take a selfie with her and MangoSirene a year prior).  I told about me missing a few friends, especially after the hardships of last year.  I was given a hand on the shoulder, a nice hug and then tugged into a group of individuals, one of whom I ended up having a fun conversation with.  Dejavudea is a real Anime heroine whose goal is to make the world a better place for convention attendees everywhere.  She’s sweet beyond belief and one of the top 10 human being I know on this planet.  I hope our paths cross again one day.  She saved my convention experience big time and that counts as my top moment of Katsucon 2016.

Be sure to check out Dejavudea’s Youtube page for Convention reports, cosplay tutorials and other fun vids.

https://www.youtube.com/user/dejavudea

And YES I know there was a fire, I know I was shoved out into the cold along with thousands of others and no it was not fun…but I still had fun overall and I hope others did as well.  Any fav moments?  Feel free to leave a comment.

T5W#26-Top 5 Katsucon 2015 Moments

Well, tomorrow is the big day.  Well it’s the start of the big event anyway.  I don’t know if a lot of people do this, but I easily count Thursday, the Pre Reg Day, as the unofficial start to a convention.  So yeah, Katsucon 2016 kicks off tomorrow.  So it’s only right that I finish off this little three part T5W arc with one more look back at last years game changing convention.  These are the 5 moments that made it so and made me so excited to return one year later.

 

#5-The WTF Moment

They are rare, but moments can hit you at a con that threaten to derail the whole experience.  For me at Katsucon, it was the news that a new friend I had just made had returned home a day into the con to avoid bad weather. I spent most of the rest of Friday night in a saddened state.  I was almost ready to admit defeat around 230am when I decided that, “Hey it’s a 24hour convention.  I should see if I can find something.”  I found my way to another 18+ panel and just happened to enter at the right time…as an image I probably shouldn’t even begin to describe appeared on the screen prompting wide eyes and a very loud, “WHAT THE F***” from myself and more than half of the audience.  I’ll just tell you that the panel was pretty suggestive, so I’ll leave what I saw to your incredibly disturbed imagination.  There’s something about these more raunchy and not so kid friendly late night panels that can make you laugh, gasp and question your own morality watching some of this stuff.  But the memory is one for the books for sure.  So yeah, seeing what I saw cheered me up.  It saved my weekend and the con could now continue.

 

#4-Video Game Room

It wasn’t as big as Otakons but dammit it had everything Otakon had been lacking the last couple of years: Halo and Call of Duty, Smash Bros of all generations, multiple DDR’s and even an X-Men Arcade machine.  The X Men game was six players and we were able to actually have a full on team of six playing as Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Dazzler for the bulk of it.  We didn’t finish with six but we did manage to beat the game, a fun bit of retro gameplay.  However it was the very back of the room that held my attention for the rest of the night.  They had Just Dance 2015 playing on an Xbox 360 kinnect hooked up to a massive TV and it was drawing quite the crowd.  I was content to watch until after the first few photos I decided to join in.  The playlist was short but memorable and we definitely did some song multiple times.  .  From mastering a song I thought would kick the crap out of me (Get Low) to songs the DID kick the crap out of me (The Tetris and Christmas Songs) to classics I enjoyed thoroughly (Bad Romance, What Does the Fox Say, You Spin me Right Round), I danced with a group of fun individuals for TWO AND A HALF HOURS!!!  .  At 330am, I was sore, hot and tired but feeling the greatest, not a bad Valentines Day event in a way. 

 

#3-Sailor Moon Photoshoot

The Sailor Moon photoshoot next to the Gazebo doors was the perfect setting.  It just looked like Moon Kingdom material.  And we got a nice collection of all scouts and even a few villains who I don’t see cosplayed that often (here’s to you Doom Tree Siblings).  And the shoot ended up falling into the hands of two energetic and sister like Sailor Moons named Jerri and Gillian to organize and announce the shoots.  Man were those two amazing and so full of life and love for Sailor Moon, keeping everyone smiling and energized.  I had never experienced a Sailor Moon shoot quite like this.  I let a little tear emerge cause it was pure moon magic…and the perfect spot to grab a well earned nap.

 

#2-The Gaylord

Could I ever imagine such a palace existed?  It was ok at first but it’s here I bring up a scene from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.  That scene where the Fellowship descend into Moria and discover the remnants of the Dwarf City of Dwalindale and the song that plays as they arrive?  Yeah it kind of felt like that.  Beyond the hotel lobby was the main section of the hotel: A giant glass box, including a high glass ceiling. with balcony views of the interior all within.  There were three levels: the bottom most was the Atrium, which held a tiny town of sorts with shops and restaurants just before the main entryway fountains; level 2 was the main hotel lobby and the bar and level 3…was the Gazebo, the most coveted spot of all cosplayers and photographers.  If you came to Katsucon in costume, that was the spot you had to get your picture taken in or the trip just didn’t matter…ok that’s a bit much but that spot was a big deal.  The Convention Center attachment more than matched the hotel portion.  The floor to ceiling ratio alone, this place was built for giants.  If you ever want to make a place specifically catered to Anime Conventions, this is what you should model it after. 

 

#1-Meeting Popular Cosplayers

I follow numerous cosplayers on Facebook and Instagram and I knew many would be attending this con: Katsucon kind of has an unsung rep of being a cosplay hotspot, more so than Otakon.  But did I ever think id meet MangoSirene, Mostflogged, Dustbunny AND Dejavudea all in the same weekend?  The answer is no and from the moment I took that selfie with MangoSirene and Dejavudea that Thursday night, I knew this weekend was going to be something special.  I got autographs from all of them and I think that surprised them all, cant say why but it was still cool.  No clue if im going to see them all again this year, one of them at least has announced they wont be able to make it.  It was definitely an experience getting to meet these girls in person.  They are so incredibly nice, their feel good spirits more than matching their skill at cosplay.  If you ever have the chance to meet your cosplay idols, do so.  I guarantee it will boost your will to craft and cosplay 100 fold (ok I don’t guarantee that since I don’t cosplay but you get the point.)

Katsucon 2016 has arrived.  See you there if you go.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Part 4-Episode 7

While Bright Noa makes a move to stop the Vist Foundation’s activities on Earth, Banagher is pursued by a jealous Riddie and Full Frontal.  The battle returns to Industrial 7, the place where this conflict began AND the location of Laplace’s Box.  Here with Mineva, Banagher learns what the box is and how it’s secret could rock the foundations of the Universal Century itself.  What will these two do with this knowledge?  Will it usher in a new era for mankind much like the arrival of the Newtype Phenomenon?  Or will it throw the world and space into chaos.  Whatever happens, the search is over and the fight must be finished. 

At Otakon 2012, it was announced by Sunrise that (amongst other Gundam announcements) Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn’s episode length was being extended by one, from it’s originally intended six.  So with this delay in mind, the double length episode arrived a year after Episode 6.  Seeing as how we’ve had a ton of build up til now, could Gundam Unicorn deliver?  And would the extra run time and production time on the episode make it the stuff of Gundam legend?  Let’s review this sucker.

We pick up exactly where we left off last week…with Banagher wasting all of his heavy artillery on fighting Riddhe.  Riddhe, Riddhe, Riddhe…what a pain in the ass he has been this whole series.  Even when he seems to find his redemption at the end, there is no reason to root for him, warm up to him, or feel even remotely sorry for him.  Riddhe went from hotshot pilot to racist against Newtypes at a very rapid pace.  It seems like they were just prepping him all along to be another rival for Banagher to fight besides Full Frontal.  I don’t know.  Everytime Riddhe opened his mouth to speak I just shook my head.  I was done with him the second he proposed to Mineva and expected to still be likeable.  He sucks as a pilot and even more as a character.  Congratulations Graham Acker from Gundam 00, you have a new roommate. 

Ok, my Riddhe rant aside, what about the big secret of Laplace’s Box?  Well…it’s actually kind of shocking that one tiny line of writing can be the cause of so much chaos.  I wont say what the actual secret it but it was worth the build up.  This secret really was a game changer for the Universal Century era.  It makes me wonder if this could have been somehow included in Amuro’s story, for reasons which would kind of give away the secret…but even then that’s kind of a hint I think.  It makes me wish there was a follow up story between Unicorn and Gundam F91 (the next conical entry of the Universal Century) to deal with this fall out.  Maybe a Gundam series or movie will come along detailing what happens when we hit the 100^th year of the Universal Century (UC 0100, wow) and if there were any lasting ramifications to this unveiling.

So yeah, the secret of the box is a great twist.  Everything around it though, is good and bad.  The opening battle, for all it’s Riddhe nonsense, is pretty freaking awesome.  Finally, Banagher is able to make the Unicorn really fly as it went toe to toe with the Neo Zeon’s.  I wish he would’ve taken out Angelo and put that Full Frontal fanboy to rest, but I know that would go against Banagher’s beliefs.  Speaking of the man who will never be Char, Full Frontal’s giant God Mode Cheat mobile suit was so ridiculous.  It acted like an overpowered hydra, everytime an arm was cut off or destroyed, five more appeared.  Everytime it poked out a new weapon, I groaned.  I think the episodes runtime was partly extended cause Frontal refused to die cause he thinks he’s so important.  The suit more than matched Frontal’s personality, overcompensating for the fact that he will never, EVER be Char Aznable.  Char never needed all that tech to go toe to toe with Amuro and was the gold standard for key adversaries in the Gundam franchise.  You wanted to like him as well as punch him.  Frontal, you just always wanted to punch (and thankfully Banagher does a lot of that with his Gundam).

What was a miss about this episode?  Well the pacing was a bit of a problem.  After the opening third which featured the battle between the Nael Argama and the Neo Zeons, we got a slow plodding second third with the revelations of Laplace’s Box and not one, or two, BUT THREE ideologies spoken of back to back.  Sion Vist, Riddhe and Frontal all had to get their issues and wishes for the boxes use out of the way.  This meant a lot of talking when we should have been kept in the action.  At the very least, we could have cut out Riddhe’s stuff (cause who cares).  The excessive run time of this episode could have been reduced here if we kept it to Banagher and Mineva discovering the box’s secret then heading into the final battle.  Then there’s the final battle and that real trippy venture to the realm beyond realms  and it looked a lot like Gundam’s take on 2001: A Space Odyssey’s final act.  I’m not totally sure where it was that Banagher and Frontal ended up traveling to.  It was admittedly cool to see updated animation of battles and events from the original Mobile Suit Gundam series as the two traveled through time.  They made it sound like this is the plane where humanity will all end up one day down the evolutionary line  That probably is the case since we got a big surprise mini cameo by Char, Amuro (?!) and Lala Sune, all there to witness the final fight.  Guess the biggest rivalry of all Anime did get settled since Amuro and Char are getting along with Lala at their side.  We also had to deal with taking care of the annoyingly forgettable Martha Vist and her conspirators on Earth.  Sure Bright was there to take them down.  But the Vists were just one villainous group too many.  I miss the days when villains didn’t have to rely on being snotty and arrogant and actually felt threatening…you know like Char.

It had it’s issues and left things a bit open ended as to where things go in this beloved Gundam era.  I also think it was longer than it needed to be.  As far as finales go, this wasn’t the worst in Gundam history but I don’t think it was the best.  If you stuck with it this far, you owe it to yourself to see this series through to the end. 

So, at long last, my final thoughts.  Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn was an ambitious tale to tell in the franchise.  Sure there’s a thirty year history gap between Char’s Counterattack and F91 to take advantage of, but what other stories were there to tell?  If nothing else, Unicorn presented a great mystery to enlarge the mythos of the Universal Century.  We went back to the beginning and toured it’s history to see where humanity might be heading.  As far as casts go, Banagher ended up being a pretty good addition to the pilot roster, once he stopped whining and stepped up (and yes I do think he and Mineva did make a cute couple).  We also had a strong supporting cast with powerful female leads in Mineva and Marida, solidifying that Gundam needs more strong female leads like them and great Captains in Zinnerman (god I was spelling his name wrong in every review, I apologize), Otto and Bright Noa.  The villains weren’t really memorable if only for their annoyance and I think ive said all that needs to be said about Riddhe.  The series is gorgeous from beginning to end.  Unicorn is definitely the example each series needs to live up to now in terms of animation quality.  Overall?  This was a solid entry in the Gundam franchise, good moments and bad.  Hell it was enough to warrant a simultaneous release both in Japan and in America (a trend being continued with Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin).  Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn wasn’t the fully strongest of the Gundam entries, but definitely not one of the weakest.

Fly on Gundam, until we meet again on this blog…sooner than you think

7/10

Well now that that is finally concluded, it’s time for me to head out to Katsucon.  No new review next week…at least that’s the plan, but there will definitely be a new Top 5 Wednesday.  Who knows I may write a surprise review in advance.  Whatever happens, check back definitely in a couple of weeks for the return of Ghost in the Shell: Arise.