T5W#94-Top 5 Haikyu Characters

 

So recently, I began chatting with a new Otaku friend and found out she was cosplaying a character from a show called Haikyu.  I had heard the title before but often confused it with Kurokuro’s Basketball, or rather their uniforms look pretty similar.  Still, at this friends request, I decided to give it a shot and a week plus change later, I’m about halfway through the second season (out of a current three).  This show is the ultimate underdog tale, a bit more so the Free in some ways.  The strength of the team work involved by every single character is integral and each team member needs to improve their skills in their own way.  With a cast so large, it’s hard to pick just five, especially when you factor in the other schools.  Lucky for me, my Top 5 Haikyu Characters are all from the kick ass Karasuno High School Volleyball Club, so here they are.

 

#5-Kiyoko Shizumu

Funny enough, were it not for Season 2, Kiyoko would not be on this list.  Don’t get me wrong, she is as hot as the boys make her out to be.  In fact, they’re dead on with their evaluation: she is sexy as all know how.  Only she doesn’t do much in Season 1 besides being the only girl on the show and doing something in the background.  Season 2 has Kiyoko open up a heck of a lot more.  With the end of her time at Karasuno drawing near, Kiyoko steps up her dialogue and series activities (and apparently her sex appeal, she looks much better in Season 2 for some reason).  She recruits a protegee in Hitoka Yachi and teaches her a lot about the game and being friendly with the team.  Through these exchanges, you can see Kiyoko views this band of misfits as her brothers and will miss them all when she’s gone.  But she’s going to cheer them on a bit more and make sure they can last without her.

Oh who am I kidding, faults and all ive had with her, Kiyoko is smoking hot in uniform (I am weak and a welcome member of Tanaka and Nishinoya’s cheer squad for Manager Shizumu)

 

#4-Daichi Sawamura

Daichi was one of the first characters I found myself loving when the show began.  I really liked his mentor style, which mostly involves saying hurtful truths to teammates in a very polite manner.  He’s also hilarious when he gets upset, like wrath of God angry.  And yet he’s always dependable, always optimistic and a kind soul to his brothers.  But mostly I just live for the moments when he gets angry, you just know youre gonna get some sweet and hilarious reactions from the guys when that happens.

 

#3-Ryunosuke Tanaka

This guy is the best kind of big brother to have.  Tanaka is the constantly lit fuse attached to a powder keg you cant wait to see explode.  And thankfully, most of the time, when he goes off, it’s not cause his teammates might not be doing their best.  Actually, Tanaka has two kinds of set off moments: one for his opponents and one for his teammates.  You know he’s always going to be there for his teammates, even when Hinata pukes in his lap out of sheer nervousness.  While he hasn’t done it in a bit, Tanaka also has a hilarious tendendcy to tear off his shirt and swing it victoriously after scoring a point.  He’s only done this like once in the show but does it ever so often in the eye catches.  Idk, I find it amusing.

 

#2-Hinata Shoyo

Haikyu is a Shonen series.  So it’s obvious a hyperactive main character like Naruto would be in your face a lot.  However, unlike Naruto or even Seikai from my least favorite Gundam series, Gundam Build Fighters Try, Hinata comes off as both a fusion of those two without becoming overbearing or obnoxious, well to me anyway.  In a way I cant explain it, he has all of their qualities but I should hate him, so why don’t I?  Maybe it’s because he’s actually good at the sport going into it but willing to learn new things.  Maybe it’s his comradere with Kageyama.  Maybe it’s his comedic timing.  Whatever the case, ive cheered for Hinata from the first episode and I haven’t found any reason to stop rooting for this kid.

 

#1-Tobio Kageyama

While I was tempted to put him and Hinata on the number one spot together, these two are still separate characters, though they seem to operate as a single unit a lot during matches.  And between the two, Kageyama has grown the most between the two.  At first, he was a brilliant but arrogant kid who expected others to follow him and he ended up pushing his old team away.  Through his time with Karasuno, and especially Hinata, Kageyama has begun to shake off that shameful past and live up to his potential.  He chides Hinata constantly, most times done with great comedic effect.  But every supposed insult is a critique he’s learning he needs to share to make Hinata, and himself, play better.  Kageyama isn’t one for feelings but you can tell he views Hinata as the closest thing he’s had to a best friend, someone who believes in his skills even when things get super rough on the court.  Hinata may be the unwavering heart of the team but Kageyama is the calm and never surrendering soul of Karasuno High’s Volleyball team.

 

Before I close out, I should give a shout out to the super awesome cosplayers Rinaca and Surine Cosplay.  You may have heard of these two.  They’re a really cool cosplaying couple who just got married last year (Supergirl married Power Girl I believe was the headline a lot of papers used).  I found progress photos of Karasuno Uniforms before knowing what they were and asked Rinaca about them.  Because of her, I found Haikyu (yep she’s the new friend I mentioned above).  This Top 5 is a thank you to both her and her lovely wife for getting me out of my usual mecha and action Anime comfort zone.  I’ll include links to their Facebook and Instagram pages below.  Please go check them out and bear witness to their amazing work.  As individual cosplayers, they are awesome.  Together…they are legends.

 

Don’t believe me?  They just cosplayed Widowmaker (Rinaca) and Tracer (Surine) from Overwatch…the results speak for themselves.

Rinaca Cosplay

Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/RinacaCosplay/

Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/rinaca_cosplay/

 

Surine Cosplay

Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/SurineCosplay/

Instagram-https://www.instagram.com/surinek/

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 5-Episodes 17-21

Galatea has taken over things at Genom and begins her plan for conquest with the ADP HQ…with Nene trapped inside.  Even after she is rescued, panic is sweeping the streets and soon, the once proud city of Tokyo is deserted.  The stage is almost set for an epic battle between the Knight Sabers and their true enemy.  But it will take more than these four beautiful maidens to win the day.  Can they convince their longtime adversaries in the ADP to side with them?  And will this union be enough to stop the greatest threat they’ve ever faced?

Jeez does this show know how to do a good job leaving you on the edge of your seat.  And actually, while I have some stuff to nitpick, ive been enjoying what ive seen from this new direction Bubblegum Crisis has taken.  Even my dislike for Syllia has died down…but not by much.

Picking up from last weeks epic cliffhanger, Nene and the remaining AD Police Officers got to play Resident Evil inside Police HQ.  It was hard to tell when they were fighting a hoard or the entire building when the Boomers started to fuse with the structure itself.  I’m guessing any and all future Boomer bosses will be the size of small buildings or skyscrapers from now on.  But before we got that big, we got to see a Hard Suit-less Priss storm the base with only her kick ass motorcycle.  All to rescue a girl she’s accepted as her “step sister at least”.  The end result was some of the best fun yet on BGCT2040 and showed that the girls may not have had their suits at the moment but they were far from powerless.  Special shout out to Nene, who stepped up to guide her remaining staff members to safety and even kick a little ass herself.

Also stepping up to the place were Leon and Daley, who rallied the troops to defend the city, at least for a little bit.  The dynamic duo had what’s probably their last hurrah together trying to take down a giant Boomer up close and personal.  It’s pretty bad ass and a bit of a shame since Daley kind of vanishes without much on an explanation.  Leon says he has a family but I doubt given the bond these partners share that Daley would leave when the city is in such chaos and the final battle is coming up.  Leon continued to grow and eventually he let Priss know how he felt, by kissing her on the helmet and promising she’d get a real one when she came back to him…freaking stud.  It was also good to see Leon accepted into the bros club of Knight Saber supporters as he shared a drink with Mackey, Nigel and Henderson (the butler) as the girls went off to war. 

Speaking of heading off to war, Nigel did a solid and actually provided the girls with new Hard Suits.  They’re not bad: shinnier, sleeker and a bit more revealing (they are totally naked underneath in these new ones).  Still they kind of operate the same as the previous models.  The only big new addition is that Priss can now fuse with her bike into a new Battleoid kind of mode (to borrow a term from Power Rangers).  All in all though, I’m glad to see the girls back in action and more united than ever.  Priss even accepted Nene as a friend and made peace with Syllia despite what she’s done.  This team is now a family because of Priss and she even has the love of Leon as an added bonus to her awesome life.  I liked Leon’s quip about being glad Priss owns more than just sexy leather outfits.

But, sigh, we gotta talk about the villains.  More specifically, we need to talk about how easily the “villains” were disposed of by Galatea.  Honestly, I’ve never been able to peg Rosenkroitz down and even though he’s killed in a manner similar to Syllia’s father (poetic?), it feels so underwhelming after building him up.  Same goes for Mason, who is part Boomer (huh?) and wants to see the world reborn with Boomers as the master race.  And how does the ever growing Galatea (called that btw) reward him for freeing her and giving her a chance to live…by throwing his ass into her growing, living fortress…cause yeah why not.  Like I said, it’s a bit underwhelming but still.  Did Mason really think he could control Galatea so easily?  He deserved his demise (if he’s even dead, I’m not totally sure actually).

Another bit that didn’t really work for me was the only now addressed love triangle between Syllia, Priss and Nigel.  It’s clear that Priss and Nigel seem to have some silent connection but Nigel clearly doesn’t want to act on it cause, well he loves his work more.  Syllia is connected to Nigel cause he worked for her dad and has pretty much used him to attain the power to take revenge on her fathers sins.  Seeing Syllia make a move on Nigel and Priss being upset with it didn’t really gel.  I guess that’s because this has barely been addressed throughout the series.  Still, Priss rebounded quick as this pushed her into the waiting arms of Leon…and yeah they’ve got the better thing, at least Priss doesn’t come with Syllia’s baggage. 

As the beginning of the end drew to a close, once again, we were given a killer cliffhanger, straight of out Aliens actually.  Boomers had invaded the Knight Sabers home base, using a structural weakness Syllia forgot to think about (WHO BUILDS A POOL THAT GOES THAT DAMN DEEP AND SHE SWIMS IN IT??!!)  Also, Mackey’s clearly losing more control to Galatea, I’ve got a feeling he might not make it (poor Nene).  So…how the hell are the girls getting out of this one?   

Your guess is as good as mine but it’s time for a pretty big miracle.  See ya next week for the finale coverage of Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.

T5W#93-Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 2010’s (so far)

(Each decade throughout history brings about a new legion of Otaku.  While we’ve seen a huge boom in the last 20 years or so, incase you haven’t noticed I tend to go back a little further with certain titles.  My beginnings in Anime go back to the early to mid 90’s with some titles even coming from the 80’s themselves (when I first saw Voltron I never knew it was Anime in origin).  Well, now that Gundam Month Mark II is all over, it’s time for another month long event for the blog.  Only this will be exclusive to T5W.  For the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the last four decades: the 80’s, the 90’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s so far and selecting my Top 5 Favorite Titles from each decade.)

We’ve traveled across three decades so far and now, we’re almost caught up.  The 2010’s still have time to give us more amazing titles, than they already have.  So now comes the toughest list of all…well they’ve all been tough but right here I had a list of almost 10 that I had to wither down to 5, not easy.  And what my Top 5 Favorite Anime Titles of the 2010’s (so far)?  Let’s find out.

 

#5. Free

Yeah, yeah yeah I know, I know, it’s Free.  I’ve yacked on and on about it in the past and guess what, I still stand by it.  Yes it’s easy to play the “Ship Game” with everyone (I’ve narrowed it down to Makoto and Rei are in love with Haru while Haru is in love with Rin but Sousuke is also in love with Rin and Nagisa loves Rei…think that’s everything).  But there’s a reason ive gone back and watched this show a couple of times, both seasons.  The bonds are so believable through really good writing, genuine emotion and humor and some pretty damn fine animation (Kyoto Ani can do no wrong it seems).  There’s more Free on the way this summer, including a sequel, and im definitely looking forward to seeing the boys again…and Gou, Gou’s totally cute.

 

#4. Ghost in the Shell: Arise/Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie

Another decade, another Ghost in the Shell and this may be my favorite one to date.  I know im a bit in the minority on that opinion.  But I really like this take on Motoko and the origins of Section 9.  Sure that takes away the mystery from them but I like that this show tries to humanize them a bit from the more stoic and emotionless versions we see in Stand Alone Complex (though I do enjoy that show).  Motoko is my favorite.  She’s brash, impulsive and far from the woman she is down the line and I LOVE that.  She’s flawed, makes mistakes and has to learn (something I felt wasn’t happening too much in SAC, made her feel too much like a perfectionist elitist).  Arise was solid and The New Movie was an equally strong follow up to close out that storyline.  I don’t know if we’ll see more of this anytime soon but for what I got, this was the Ghost in the Shell I always wanted to see.  Plus Motoko’s Kaneda style outfit is the hottest outfit she’s ever worn.

 

#3. Fate/Zero

It’s always risky taking on a new franchise knowing very little about it.  For Fate/Stay Night, I knew of Saber and Rin but not much else beyond their sexy character designs.  So when Fate/Zero debuted on Netflix, I decided to give it a shot and man am I glad I started here.  Unlimited Blade Works is beautiful but kind of irritating in the story department.  Fate/Zero is the total package of presentation, story, action, characters and…and GODDAMIT UFOTABLE WHY DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE EVERYTHING LOOK LIKE GOD HIMSELF CREATED YOUR PROJECTS??!!!  Ahem, sorry about that but it’s true about everything they work on (and they’re doing Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel later this year, hell yes).  Fate/Zero is about as perfect a Fate show has gotten and its almost a shame I started here.  While I have seen and enjoyed other Fate entries, they haven’t quite measured up to Fate/Zero’s success.  It even has the best Rin story-as her older self, she’s the ultimate crush but as a kid, she’s the best little sister figure.

 

#2. Himouto Umaru Chan

Who would’ve thought I’d find my spirit animal in a chibified female Otaku on every adrenaline drug known to man?  From start to finish, I could never decide whether or not I loved Umaru or hated her.  On the downside, she’s greedy, works her poor brother to death and generally cares for nothing outside her fandoms.  On the plus side…she is exactly how I kind of wish I was (only as a dude): perfect at everything but a total bad ass nerd who chugs endless Soda, munches on mountains of chips and is master of Anime, Manga and Video Games (the scene where she breaks down in horror when the wifi goes down is exactly how ive reacted a few times in real life).  Himouto Umaru Chan might not paint the greatest picture of an Otaku but damn if it isn’t hilarious, feel good entertainment.  The theme song alone is enough to brighten your day and Umaru’s adventures trying to conceal her inner self have gut bustingly funny side effects.  A second season has been announced for this one and I’m more than ready for the return of my Hamster hoody wearing heroine.

 

#1. Your Name

For months I wondered why this movie was as good as the Second Coming of Jesus (if not better if you listen to some reviews).  And now I know why…unintentional blasphemes aside.  Your Name seemingly came out of nowhere into my Anime orbit and I was finally able to see it last month when it made it’s US debut, both in Japanese and in English.  The story of two starcrossed lovers trading bodies and getting into misadventures before unexpected tragedy strikes is one I really wouldn’t like if it had been made as a live action film (which I assume is coming in the next couple of years…I know you Hollywood).  But as an Anime, Your Name hit me right in the feels, making me experience a story that spoke to me on an unexpected level.  Even seeing it a second time and knowing what was going to happen, I was still crying cause I was rooting so much for Taki and Mitsuha and getting into their drama and the world they lived in and the music and the animation and…yeah just see this movie, however you can.  There’s a reason it is the greatest thing since sliced bread right now and after you watch it…you’ll known your own reason for why that is.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 4-Episodes 13-16

The Knight Sabers began with Syllia Stingray’s crusade to rid Tokyo of rogue Boomers.  But Priss, Linna and Nene are about to discover there’s a lot more than that.  When the past begins to emerge, Syllia is determined to put an end to the curse of her fathers legacy, even if it costs the Knight Sabers everything they have.  Their bonds pushed to the breaking point, the heroines also have to contend with Galatea, a mysterious entity uncovered by the Genom Corporation.  Tokyo needs the Knight Sabers more than ever.  But will there even be a team left when Syllia is forced to tell them the truth about Mackey, their weapons and her past?

You know...I get that a plot has to develop and be there to stretch out a 26 episode series.  But still…Syllia could have avoided jumpstarting the Apocalypse if she had just been up front about her past to Priss, Nene and Linna from the get go.  But now the cats come out of the bag in the worst possible way and it’s all because of my least favorite character on the show doing the most stupidest thing I really shouldntve put past her to do.

Wow, that was a bit of a rant.  But in all seriousness this week established a new status quo for Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.  I wont say it’s a full blown reboot since things have been building slowly towards this, even if it hasn’t been totally clear.  But it looks like the time for stand alone, monster of the week stories is over.  It’s time to get down to the real business.

After a lengthy build up at the beginning of this set, the floodgates opened and all hell broke loose.  Syllia’s past was at the forefront, right down to the Akira style events that set the whole story in motion.  I do feel a little bad for Syllia being used as a lab rat by her father, who was a real nutjob trying to play God and he kind of got what was coming to him (I’m not totally heartless).  That still doesn’t really make her anymore likeable in my eyes.  She still tries to fix her family’s legacy all by herself and unleash her fathers old experiment as a result…oops?  And even after learning her lesson and telling the girls the truth, her attitude hasn’t changed: get with the program and she’ll handle it all herself.  COME ON!!!  To quote Rocket Raccoon and I kind of hope Priss says something similar, “EVERYONES GOT DEAD PEOPLE.  THAT’S NO REASON TO GET OTHER PEOPLE DEAD ALONG THE WAY!!!”  It’s funny how the only stable Stingray in Syllia’s family is the artificial one, Mackey.  He’s worried but he’s not chewing out everyone left, right and center declaring he’ll wage a one man war on Boomers.  He wants the team to stay together and wont fight without them…why isn’t he the one leading this team (behind the scenes, Priss is still field leader).

I’m kind of with Nene and Priss in their reactions to the truth about Syllia.  She flat out lied to them and used them for her own means without giving them the full details.  Again, things might’ve gone a bit smoother now if she had opened up.  The fact Priss and Nene both quit because of Syllia’s withholding is pretty intense.  Were it not for the fact that Priss, Linna and Nene are a solid team, id say it’s good they just leave Syllia to her death wish.  But I think we all know that’s not going to happen.  With about 10 episodes left, it’s safe to say we’re going to see the team get back together at least one more time.  BTW, whereas I said that the earthquake to burry Galatea was very Akira, the revelation of the Hard Suits being Boomers is very Neon Genesis Evangelion in execution.

Nene might’ve been my favorite character this week.  I talked about her shock and distrust of Syllia but I haven’t talked about her reaction to Mackey.  Rather than dismiss him much like she did Syllia, Nene is convinced by Nigel to remember that Mackey isn’t just some clone or a Boomer.  And she embraces it, embraces Mackey.  Sure she may have been a huge annoyance in the first half of the series but Nene really has grown…unlike Syllia who refuses to grow up.  And it’s her friendship with Mackey that has helped shape her into a more confident and likeable person.  I wont say she’s my absolute favorite now.  That honor still goes to Priss and Linna, who spent a lot of time bonding this week.  I loved Linna telling Priss she’s not riding on her bike in a skirt cause of the way she drives and Priss agreed.  Priss will never be one to open up about her feelings, with Linna or with Leon (who finally revealed he’s known about her and the Sabers for a bit), but it was fun to see her enjoying life with a friend…and for the guys in the audience there was a lot of fanservice while the two got pampered at a spa.

As for Galatea…well the fact that she looks like Syllia (makes sense since her father based her design on her, twisted guy), doesn’t earn her immediate likeability points.  I’m curious how the hell Mason, who has more or less emerged as the true villain between him and Rosenkroitz (though it does suck to agree with Nigel that his decision to try and burry Galatea with the earthquake might’ve saved more lives in the long run), thinks he can control her.  The villains or would be villains have been as stupid as the benefactor of the Knight Sabers.  And really, I cant wait to see Mason get his, just to see it all fall apart in his face. Will Galatea stay a little girl or will we be facing a full blown adult version by the end?  Most rules of scifi make me think it will be the latter but we’ll see I guess.  If she does grow to look exactly like Adult Syllia…man that will ruin her day.

We ended the week on another great cliffhanger.  With the AD Police HQ now crawling with zombie Boomers and Nene trapped inside, it will be interesting to see if Nigel can pull out a miracle and give Priss and Linna new Hard Suits to save her.  The zombie Boomers may just be a taste of what’s to come in the back half of the series.  And if what was to be believed in the horrific flashback where Galatea killed Syllia’s dad and his staff and some cops…we haven’t seen the worst yet and it’s time to be very afraid.  All in all, this feels like a different series now but still an interesting and fun one.  Syllia may be frustrating and while I may not have a lot of sympathy for a grown woman who refuses to learn her lesson and be honest/open with others rather than break glass consistently, I definitely give a damn about everyone else.  For Priss, Linna, Nene, Mackey, Nigel and Leon, I will carry on to the end…plus all in all I still like this show a lot.

Special shoutouts go to Leon, who, as I mentioned earlier, did figure out Priss and her friends were the Knight Sabers.  He didn’t rat them out and actually managed to have a couple of cute moments to show Priss he was a decent guy.  Priss and Linna may be dead in the water (I cry) but I’m all for watching more of how this little romance might work out. 

T5W#92-Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 2000’s

(Each decade throughout history brings about a new legion of Otaku.  While we’ve seen a huge boom in the last 20 years or so, incase you haven’t noticed I tend to go back a little further with certain titles.  My beginnings in Anime go back to the early to mid 90’s with some titles even coming from the 80’s themselves (when I first saw Voltron I never knew it was Anime in origin).  Well, now that Gundam Month Mark II is all over, it’s time for another month long event for the blog.  Only this will be exclusive to T5W.  For the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the last four decades: the 80’s, the 90’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s so far and selecting my Top 5 Favorite Titles from each decade.)

The 90’s might’ve been a golden age for me but what came afterwards?  The 00’s that’s what.  And what a glorious follow up it was.  So we continue our time travel trip with my Top 5 Favorite Anime from the 2000’s.

 

#5: Rahxephon

Was Evangelion too bleak for you?  Try some Rahxephon instead.  It bears a similar story and a cast that has many echoes to the staff of NERV.  But Rahxephon never goes beat for beat.  It goes it’s own way and makes its own successes for it.  From the souped up “Moose Gundam” to the much more likeable protagonists to the inventive mecha designs, this show has a lot of merit and tends to get lost in Eva’s shadow.  Sure Evangelion left a mark that cannot be removed from the history of Anime (nor should it be, trust me, I love Evangelion too).  But Rahxephon is a hidden gem of a title that deserves just as strong a spot right next to it.

 

#4: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion & Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Another double whammy tie.  But like last time, these two deserve a spot together for almost the same reasons.  Code Geass came along at a time when I was actually beginning to lose a lot of interest in Anime.  But like cables to a car battery, the show jumpstarted my spark again and that Season One Finale…frak it still impresses no matter how many times I watch it.  Sure Season Two is chalk full of problems but there’s no denying the brilliance of the final arc…it’s perfect.  Gundam 00 gave me the magic I loved about Wing in a more recent (at the time) addition to the franchise and I still enjoy it, so much I still watch it annually during the summer (when I first saw it).  Lelouch, Cornelia, Setsuna, Tierria, Lockon, all characters from both shows that I adore totally.  It’s no surprise that I had to do full series reviews of both shows right here on the blog, massive undertakings that I had a blast doing.  Love them or hate them, these are two equally loveable shows ill never forget as long as I live.

 

#3: Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

I first saw Ghost in the Shell 2 mere months after it’s intial debut in Japan in 2004 (one of the first times we got brand new Anime so quickly after a Japanese release).  A lot of the existentialism goes over my head but listening to characters wax philosophy and metaphysics in Japanese is surprisingly pretty soothing.  Plus this movie gave me more of what I wanted from the first Ghost in the Shell in the action department.  Oshii also went balls to the wall on the animation, it’s miles, nay lightyears above the first film.  Even if the story never makes sense, you can always mute the TV and watch the pretty pictures…but you’d also be tuning out the serious upgrade that Kenji Kawaii gave the soundtrack.  To me, this will always be one of the greatest Anime sequels ever made, no matter what anyone thinks.

 

#2: Black Lagoon

I lucked into getting my hands on the first two seasons for a decent price.  Before I knew it after I got home, mere hours had passed and I was through all of Season One and then Season Two the following evening.  So much bloody brilliant action, some very smart, blockbuster style writing and one of the hottest Anime heroines I have ever seen (Here’s looking at you Revy).  There is hardly a time I can pop this title in for one episode and not end up watching an entire season.  The story flow is so incredible, you cant stop watching after one cliffhanger passes.  The Nazi slaughter arc in Season One is one of the most perfect arcs in any Anime and Season 2’s Vampire Twins and Greenback Jane arcs build a world that’s darker and more amazing than you’d think possible.  This isn’t just a dumb action Anime.  This is the best action Anime ever made.

 

#1: FLCL

FLCL is the greatest Anime ever made…I had that thought the very moment the final episode ended and there hasn’t been an Anime since to make me think otherwise.  Sure a strong title has come along every once in a while, like Free or Fullmetal Alchemist.  But FLCL has yet to be toppled.  This is the show that celebrates being an Anime fan with multiple art styles, multiple genres and so many references and nods mixed in with a wacky dose of zany action.  Robot battles, guitars as swords, the craziest chick in all of Anime and the most memorable eyebrows since Gundam Wing’s Dorothy Catalonia.  Newcomers to Anime might be totally lost but I wouldn’t recommend this to a fresh new Otaku. This one is for the veterans, the ones who love everything about Anime and just want to enjoy it in all of it’s bombastic, action packed, heartfelt glory.  Plus the soundtrack is good for a drive on a nice sunny day.  And no, I don’t know what FLCL means and I don’t care…make up your own definition on your own.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 3-Episodes 9-12

As Boomer attacks begin to increase in frequency, the battle begin to take their toll on the Knight Sabers.  Nene screws up in a big way, jeopardizing her spot on the team.  Linna begins to feel the burden of a duel life, pushing her to return home and think about her own future.  Only Priss is left to fight the good fight alone.  But she might not be as alone as she thinks.  ADP officers Leon and Wong are slowly gravitating towards the side of the Sabers.  Meanwhile, the Genom Corporations investigations attract Syllia’s attention.  The question is, who will catch who first in the race for the truth about the Boomer epidemic?

We’ve reached the half way mark of the series.  And yet what transpires during this weeks set of episodes feels like it could be the series finale.  Characters got a lot of growth and time to shine.  The action went to the next level of epic.  And all around, it was a huge amount of fun…even if it’s kind of difficult to pinpoint who the endgame villains are.

I haven’t said much about the dynamic ADP duo that is Leon and Daley.  They’ve had small roles but have grown steadily in importance as the series has gone on.  Leon clearly has the hots for Priss that’s certain but he and Daley have always seem to be on the frenemies end of the Knight Sabers.  They’re supposed to arrest them, and have attempted to.  More often than not, they end up having to help them because the Boomers are the common enemy.  This week, they really got to take the lead a couple of times, and against two ginormous threats.  And against each, neither of these guys backed down: not from the colossal giants or from each other.  Leon and Daley aren’t the bumbling stooges there for comic relief (though they’ve provided plenty) but theyre equally heroes in this show alongside our cyber powered heroines.

Speaking of the Sabers themselves, Linna and Nene both got some nice arcs this week.  Nene got chewed out a bit harshly by Syllia for wanting to hook Priss up with Leon…which is a bad idea cause Leon is a cop unknowingly trying to arrest Priss, the Knight Saber.  I did feel bad for Syllia’s scolding (cause does she really have a right to do so with her state of mind?).  But later it consumed Nene, who began to feel inferior compared to Priss and Linna.  I’m surprised it took Priss this long to suggest Nene be taken off of the team.  But Nene bounced back against the giant monster in the sewers and provided the intel that helped the Sabers win the day.  Which I thought was ironic because even high and mighty Syllia got taken down by the monster who could drain the Hard Suits and Boomers of their energy.  So Nene is safe and she’s growing a bit, becoming more confident in what she is best at, intel gathering.  Oh and the cute little crushing she and Mackey are doing on each other is nice too.  They do play well off of each other, but then again Mackey is good in any scene.

Linna, meanwhile, suffered the dilemma most rookie superheroines usually do: the dangers of a double life.  While the trip home was ok, I was more into her going to Priss for advice. I’ve been a strong advocate of the bond between these two.  Priss can give Linna easy, if not a bit hard, truths (just get out of your crappy day job, she tells her) and Linna gives Priss the friendship she sorely needs.  The fact that Linna rushed home to fight the giant military Boomer to save Priss is proof of how much she values her.  Even if Priss wont say thanks, I know she feels the same way.  Still haven’t thought of a ship name for these two, even though I know it probably wont happen.  Still a guy can dream. 

All of these developments culminated in battle with two foes who were the size of buildings, the biggest threats the Knight Sabers have faced.  Kudos to Priss for being the bad ass to take on the military Boomer alone.  But it was the combined teamwork of Priss, Linna, Nene and even Mackey backing them up that pulled out the victories both times.  As I said, the action felt above and beyond epic and it’s the kind of scope that you might reserve for battles towards the end of the series.  I hope this isn’t a sign of BGC blowing all of it’s awesomeness only half way through the race. 

Once again, my biggest issue with the show is the mystery of the villains.  But who is the main villain: Mason or Rosenkroitz?  Mason has the more malice between the two and even kills Syllia’s spy after having him set a potential trap for her.  His character design also screams “scum bag”.  But Rosenkroitz, hooked up to a chair he can never leave and with a creepy voice, gives off more of the Emperor Palpatine, final boss kind of vibe.  We still don’t know what Mason is looking for but it’s clear it has to do with Syllia’s fathers Boomer research.  Things are a bit more in motion, with Mason apparently getting something out of Nigel, something so bad Nigel is drinking himself to death.  Guess we might see some developments emerge on this end next week.

Also how is Syllia’s place not filled with broken glass?  Cause everytime her father, or his research on Boomers gets brought up, she drops a bottle or a cup.  Her butler should really “Syllia Proof” this place.

We ended on a pretty big cliffhanger.  Nene discovered Mackey isn’t quite who he thinks he is.  Nigel may have just betrayed Syllia.  And it looks like Syllia’s past is about to catch up with the team.  Half way through and we’re on a pretty good track in terms of character moments, action, animation and lots of cute girls kicking ass their way.  Here’s hoping the second half is just as good as the first has been.

T5W#91-Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 1990’s

(Each decade throughout history brings about a new legion of Otaku.  While we’ve seen a huge boom in the last 20 years or so, incase you haven’t noticed I tend to go back a little further with certain titles.  My beginnings in Anime go back to the early to mid 90’s with some titles even coming from the 80’s themselves (when I first saw Voltron I never knew it was Anime in origin).  Well, now that Gundam Month Mark II is all over, it’s time for another month long event for the blog.  Only this will be exclusive to T5W.  For the next few weeks I’ll be looking at the last four decades: the 80’s, the 90’s, the 2000’s and the 2010’s so far and selecting my Top 5 Favorite Titles from each decade.)

With the 80’s behind us, let’s move on to my Top 5 Favorite Anime of the 1990’s, the decade where most of my all time favorite titles came from.

#5: Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team

Yes it’s a tie.  But there’s no way I could make this list without acknowledging the breakthrough Anime title of my life and one of the best Gundam entries from the 90’s I found because of it.  I don’t think I need to say much about Gundam Wing.  It was the juggernaut title that made Gundam a household name.  Maybe it was because of the premise, the characters, the twists and turns writing or the general suits themselves.  Whatever the case, Wing still stays with me as a title near and dear to my heart.  And because of it, I found 08^th MS Team a year later and man is it an awesome show.  Brutal mecha combat, including one of the best Gundam battles of all time (and you’re not even really rooting for the 08^th Team themselves, Norris Packard is that bad ass).  08^th MS Team may surpass Wing in overall quality…but just go back to the beginning of the paragraph and re read why Wing sticks around with it in this slot.  Without these two shows, my love for Gundam (which I dearly name my blog after) would not be as great.

 

#4: Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion

NGE as a whole is pretty damn impressive.  But it was the feature length film finale that left a huge impact on the way I look at Anime.  The brutal loss of characters id come to care about.  The overall sense of helplessness knowing the good guys were not going to win.  And in the end, it haunted me for days but this depiction of the end of the world is beyond incredible overall.  Sure it doesn’t wrap up every single plot point from the series, but what it does is give fans a better end than the series ever did.  Even if we lose most of the cast, they have a moment to shine.  The Eva’s themselves get one last hurrah and Anno’s gets to give his saga the animation and theatrical upgrade it’s always deserved.  It’s gorgeous, it’s epic and the effect it has will stay with you forever…and you will never be able to get that cheerful sounding apocalypse song out of your nightmares for a good long while as well.

 

#3: Ghost in the Shell

What’s funny about this is, the first time I saw this film I almost swept it under the rug.  For this being a movie that inspired “The Matrix”, the lack of action was kind of disappointing.  But man, am I happy I gave this film another go.  The philosophy, the cyberpunk storytelling, the awesomeness that is Motoko Kusinagi, Batou, Togusa and Aramaki.  And that score?  Kenji Kawaii could create the ultimate bedtime musical set and I would be a very happy kid.  This was the beginning of a long friendship with the infamous franchise.  Just take a look at the blog.  Ive covered pretty much every major GitS release, including the movies, the series, the OVAs…even the travesty of a live action flick we got this year.  What can I say, I cant get enough and it all started with this classic flick that definitely lives up to the hype.

 

#2: Macross Plus

Besides my #1 pick, Macross Plus is as close to “Perfect” as an Anime gets.  I even gave the series a solid 10/10 when I reviewed it here on the blog.  The action, perfectly executed.  The character development, solid across the board, even with the secondary characters.  The animation, fluid, flawless, holds up even against most major releases today.  The music…Yoko Kanno, nuff said.  The most Macross I had ever been exposed to when I first saw this was the Macross Saga in Robotech.  But you really don’t need to know much about the show that preceeded this to get maximum enjoyment out of this one.  They call Macross Plus the “Top Gun of Japanese Anime”.  Honestly, I cant argue that.  Even Gundam couldn’t get it’s “Top Gun” entry perfect (talking about Gundam 0083).  It’s a title that every Anime fan must see at least once, especially newcomers before it becomes a lost classic.  It is a title “for our future pioneers” after all.

 

#1: Cowboy Bebop

As I said above, Macross Plus isn’t the only title one can call a perfect Anime.  THIS is the title that defines perfect Anime.  The adventures of Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein continue to wow fans both new and old even almost twenty years after they first blazed across TV screens in 1998.  Their big US boom in 2001 via Adult Swim was how I got to see it for the first time and it is a show that has stayed with me ever since.  Spike is the King of Cool.  Faye is still one of the most dream worthy girls in existence.  Ed and Ein…they need their own spin off. Yoko Kanno…is a freaking goddess of music and her soundtrack of Bebop should be owned and listened to by all.  Even if you don’t like Blues and Jazz, you’ll make an exception for these heavenly beats.  Cowboy Bebop is a show that even people who aren’t into Anime can get behind.  We need more universally beloved titles like this one.

…Bang.

Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 Part 2-Episodes 5-8

The streets of Tokyo 2040 are filled with heat, violence and music as the action heats up for the Knight Sabers.  With Linna now officially on board, the Sabers are stronger than ever…or are they?  Despite some much needed upgrades, the team finds themselves up against equally stronger and nastier Boomers.  Will these new foes be too much for the beautiful defenders to handle?  And who is this mysterious young boy who claims to be Syllia’s sister?  The mysteries of the future, and the past run deep, in the next chapter of the Bubblegum Crisis saga

This show loves to tease sometimes.  I’ll admit in Part 1 last week, I kind of liked the idea of Priss and Linna becoming a thing.  But given this weeks developments im sure that Priss and Leon might end up a thing instead…damn you Nene for being coy and teasing Linna about Priss’s romantic interests.  Ok, that little bit of playful shipping out of the way, let’s get to this weeks review.

After a decent starting premiere, this week continued strong, making solid progress on a few fronts…while others remained stubbornly the same.  The team feels pretty solid and I like the sense of comraderie between the leads.  Still, characters like Syllia and Nene continue to frustrate.

Syllia is more my main source of misery than Nene.  The introduction of Maki, her “younger brother” (yeah anyone who buys that from the get go is well…not that smart), and some brief glimpses of her childhood show just how messed up Syllia is as a person.  Clearly, her dad had something to do with what’s driven the Boomers to their fits of mutation and rage and whatever he did, scarred Syllia for life, to the point where she seems to hate all machines and the idea that they have feelings.  I dare say it’s a borderline racist attitude…no not borderline it is racist.  The counter point is Maki.  His mystery aside, he’s a fun, energetic guy who enjoys working with machines and wants to help but Syllia wants him to shut up about his views on machines and follow her mindset.  It’s no wonder Maki eventually moves in with Nigel, the Sabers chief mechanic.  Living with Syllia would be a tremendous pain with her way of thinking and emotional outbursts…I don’t care if she is a cute fashion designer.  Also, Syllia is totally jealous that Priss and Neigel hang out together, have more in common and would probably be a decent pair if that were the case…so ha there.

With Nene, it’s more her “I’m the best cause I’ve been around longer” that rubs me the wrong way. It amazes me she and Linna can even be friends and that she and Priss can even work together.  It’s pretty clear that Priss is the ace of the Knight Sabers but Linna is coming in close behind her through determination and natural talent.  Nene’s compensating for the fact that she isn’t nearly as bad ass gets on my nerves quite a bit.  Sure she’s got a good friendship with Linna but that can only get you so far.  That being said, the three are a solid team and got some good action in together as a unit.  Even when they were outmatched, they never left each other behind and played well off of each others attitudes.  Surprisingly, even Syllia got in on the action (not too big a shocker she has a suit since it is in the intro).  Priss’s highway showdown with the hot rod Boomer was the highlight of the action this week.  It oozes Akira (it’s practically an updated version of Kaneda’s legendary bike from the movie).  Plus adding to the whole Power Rangers motif, it’s clear Priss’s new ride was always intended to be an upgrade for her suit if need be.

Speaking of Priss, she was the focus of one of two great stand alone episodes this week.  Her “day in the life” tale showed us a bit of her mindset, in life, song and action as a Knight Saber.  She’s got a very dark view on the world and channels it into everything she does.  While we don’t know what exactly wounded her so to make her this way, it’s clear to see it’s never been easy being Priss.  Her pain aside, God is this woman a total bad ass.  Priss always impressed me with her character design (so much better than her poofy haired counterpart in the original Bubblegum Crisis OVA), Devil May Care attitude and fighting spirit and this week we were able to see it in every frame she was in.  Plus we got to hear her sing a lot, including a solo vocal performance of the shows end theme.  The “Streets of Fire” inspiration rings true here as I couldn’t help but see a bit of Diane Lane’s character from the film in Priss’s performances and on stage outfits (maybe she could have played her back in the day if they did a BGC live action movie).  The music has always rocked and the vocal performances are stand outs everytime we get a chance to hear them.  Really, this show could be all about Priss alone and I’d still watch it…Linna can tag along too I guess, I like her too. 

The second of the stand alone highlighted an interesting aspect of the Boomers.  These things are diverse and their reasons for mutating are all different.  Last week, a Maid Boomer took a twisted customers orders right into Hentai territory.  This time, an Underwater Boomer went after his dead operators wife after the operator found out she was cheating on him.  It’s fascinating and kind of reminded me of the second episode of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, which had an engineers mind in a tank seeking to find his parents.  The end result is a tragic tale of loss on all ends as the Boomer was destroyed and the wife mourning his loss, it was actually not that hard to feel bad even if she did cheat.  The varying Boomer abilities were also cool as well.  The hot rod Boomer was a stand out but the Boomer from the factory battle was absorbing other Boomers into it.  I bet that will definitely come back into play somewhere down the line.  And what if it gets its hands on one of the Sabers?

All this praise and yet I have to dock some points because the villains are…well not seeming that interesting or intimidating…or even really villain like in the case of Rosenkroitz.  He wants to world to love Boomers but is he really behind the mutations?  Mason seems more the guy to pin that on, what with his sadistic smile and how he treats his female Boomer assistant like a sex toy.  I feel there’s something deeper at play here and it’s not going to involve either of these two posers.  Given her state of mind, I’d expect Syllia to do something stupid that puts the world in jeopardy before these two do.

All in all, it was a good second week for the Knight Sabers and their allies.  If Syllia could get her mess cleaned up, Nene could dial back the posturing and the villains could be a bit more intimidating, we’d have a perfect show.  Right now, it’s still pretty good.  The animation looks great, I’ve talked a lot about Priss and the music and action.  I’m still on board and definitely ready for more.