Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again Part 2 Episodes 4-6

Hibiki and Ishtar find themselves held captive by the Marduk.  With an army of brainwashed Zentradi powered by the song of death, the Marduk press on to Earth, annihilating the UN Spacey forces.  As Humanity faces a grim defeat, the bonds of love and song bring Hibiki, Ishtar and Silvie to the one last hope to win the fight: the Super Dimensional Fortress Macross.  Once again, the mighty fortress rises, this time not to fight a war, but to end it once and for all.

Well, that was certainly better.  I don’t think Macross II will go down as one of my all time favorite Macross entries.  However, I do think the second half of the OVA managed to turn things around a bit and provide at least a very entertaining conclusion that’s certainly in the spirit of Macross.

FIF#130-Tower of God

The Tower.  If you reach the top, everything you can imagine awaits you.  Any wish you desire can be granted, from simple matters to the greatest temptation to attaining Godhood.  A young girl named Rachel entered The Tower wishing to see the stars.  Her cost of doing so meant leaving behind a boy who needed her more than anything.  Now, that boy, Bam, is determined to follow Rachel and face whatever challenges The Tower holds for him.  Sometimes the simplest of wishes begin the greatest of journeys.

Tower of God might just be one of the most anticipated titles of 2020.  It’s an Anime based on a Korean Web Comic that is co produced by Crunchyroll themselves (even has the brand spanking new “Crunchyroll Original” label on it).  There’s a strange amount of pressure on this one, beyond the likes of recent Anime like Fire Force or even Demon Slayer.  Based on the premise, Tower of God could be one of the longest investments you could make in a new Anime…like One Piece levels of time investment.  Even if that’s the case, the beginning is interesting. 

T5W#276-Top 5 Kirby Morrow Anime Roles

Normally around this time, the day before Thanksgiving, I usually do a Top 5 list of the things related to Anime that I’m most thankful for. Last week, however, the Anime community received sad news of the passing of one of the most celebrated voice actors in the Anime industry.  Kirby Morrow is a name that has resonated with fans for decades thanks to the roles he took in the early 2000’s, some of who were our first Heroes of Anime.  I for one am thankful I was able to recognize his voice, his talent and the characters he brought into my life.  And for that alone, the man deserves a Top 5 list today.  We’ll miss you Kirby…always…here are my Top 5 Kirby Morrow Anime Roles.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again Part 1 Episodes 1-3

2092 AD.  It’s been 80 years since the end of the Zentradi war and now humanity lives in peace with many members of its former sworn enemy.  That peace is threatened when an Alien attack force believed to be rogue Zentradi appear near Jupiter.  Their threat grows more dangerous when even Earth’s best weapon, the Minmei Defense, is ineffective against them.  In the middle of the chaos, reporter Hibiki Kanzaki steals a beautiful girl named Ishtar from an Alien vessel and brings her to Earth.  As he tries to show her Earth’s vast culture and learn more about her Identity, Ishtar cannot help but be drawn to the long dormant Super Dimension Fortress Macross, whose reactivation might be Mankinds only hope to survive destruction once again.

Much like Mobile Suit Gundam, Super Dimension Fortress Macross was a pioneering scifi/mecha title for Anime in the 80s.  The slick and fast paced action combined with a masterfully done love story and gorgeous soundtrack has made it an endearing legend that has spawned its own successful franchise.  Over the years we’ve seen several success stories like Macross: Do You Remember Love, Macross 7, Macross Zero and, my personal favorite, Macross Plus, just to name a few.  So why don’t we hear much about the title meant to celebrate Macross’ 10^th Anniversary?  Well over the next two weeks were gonna find out why that might be as we take a look at Super Dimension Fortress Macross II: Lovers Again.

FIF#129-Space Pirate Captain Harlock

2977 AD.  Mankind has reached the stars, leaving their beloved Earth behind.  Those who remain find themselves falling into complacency and depression as machines become the new workforce who services them.  Most are unaware that forces from beyond the stars have their sights set on Earth itself.  One isn’t so naieve, the man who left Earth long ago to stand against its oppressive government.  He is a man who flies the stars in a ship modeled after the Pirates of old, even bearing a skull and crossbones flag.  He is a man who’s name reverberates throughout the galaxy, who is both savior and terror.  And this man, Space Pirate Captain Harlock, is the only one capable of stopping an ominous threat looming near Planet Earth.

After putting up with the sheer amount of boredom produced by Harlock Saga (incase you already forgot, it’s joined the 0/10 club here at the Gundam Anime Corner), you’d think I’d be ready to put the MatsumotoVerse in my rear view.  Well while Harlock Saga is a pretty big blotch on the good captain’s record, it’s not enough to make me dislike the character or the other features hes been in.  So I stumbled across his very first Anime introduction, 1974’s Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and decided to just check out the first episode.

T5W#275-Top 5 Games I’m Considering for my Twitch Channel (ArschelGundam87)

Back in September I began experimenting with Twitch streaming on my Xbox.  What began as another late night insomnia project has become kind of an extension of the Gundam Anime Corner…kind of.  I’ve finally settled on a name for this Twitch page-ArschelGundam: Games and Winging It…cause I really have no idea what the heck I’m really doing besides yammering while playing video games.  Still, it’s an interesting enough experience I’m gonna keep it going.  So, I’ll need some games to play, the more Anime related the better but I wont be picky.  One thing I have come to learn is that some games cant be broadcasted on Twitch for whatever reason.  Hence my plan to stream the Zone of the Enders HD Collection got ruined pretty quickly.  Still, there are thousands of other choices to choose and experiment with so why not list a few ideas ive had.  These are the Top 5 Games I’m Considering for my Twitch Channel (ArschelGundam87).  These games will more than likely be longer projects and separate from my regular Friday streams where I try something either A. Simple or B. Multiplayer heavy like Overwatch.

Harlock Saga Part 2 Episodes 4-6

With the Rhine Gold now in the hands of a vengeful Alberich, the Gods of Valhalla slumbering at the center of the universe find themselves desperate to stop him and preserve their power.  Drawn into a conflict spanning millions of years, Captain Harlock and the crew of the Arcadia step up to defend a dear friend caught up in this mess.  The whole of the universe is at stake if this war cannot be stopped.  Once more, Captain Harlock enters the fray, not to save the Gods, but to save all life in the universe itself from certain destruction.

Thank freaking God that’s over and done with.  And I dare say that it only got worse as it went on.  Harlock Saga proved it was so unworthy of bearing the name of the famous Anime Space Pirate by being the most dull, boring, and incredibly unimpressive tale I’ve seen featuring the character to date.  This is just…this is just bad, it’s a whole laundry list of bad.

FIF#128-Cosmo Warrior Zero

Mankinds war with the Machines is now over but the cost has left the Earth and its people devastated.  Captain Warius Zero knows the pain of this bitter victory all to well, having lost his wife and daughter to the war.  Yet he continues to serve as a member of the Earth Fleet, now working hand in hand with their former enemies.  But now, Zero has been given a mission most would deem impossible.  Determined to see it through, Zero commands his crew of both Man and Machine to venture into the galaxy to complete their task: the capture of the infamous Space Pirate Captain Harlock. 

Well now, this is an interesting spin on things.  I’ll admit, when I saw the initial promo image for this series, I wondered if it was going to be another randomized spin on the legend of Captain Harlock.  Turns out, I might be half right.  Not only does the Harlock character get a twinge of a new spin, we’re also looking at the crew sent to capture the legendary pirate himself.  That’s not a bad hook for a show.

T5W#274-Top 5 Abridged Series that Ended Too Soon

Team Four Star, the kings of Abridging, have been busy this year.  Over the last couple of months, Takahata101, Lanipator and KaiserNeko have hosted two marathons of their best works: The Dragon Ball Z Abridged Movies and Specials and the complete run of Hellsing Ultimate Abridged.  These shows and movies are still a blast to watch even today, especially today.  But, while DBZA and Hellsing Ultimate Abridged both got proper conclusions (Yes, if it isn’t clear by now DBZA’s finale is final unless TFS ever says otherwise), there have been a fair share of amazing Abridged series that never got the same treatment.  This could be for a number of reasons and while they should be respected above all else, it still sucks that these parodies will never get their true endings.  So on today’s Top 5 Wednesday, I’m counting down the Top 5 Abridged Series that Ended Too Soon.  To qualify, all of these shows must either have had no new episodes for a pretty long time or have been confirmed defunct by their creators, for reasons that will be explained if I know of them. 

Harlock Saga Part 1 Episodes 1-3

The Rhine Gold.  It is said to be the very center of the Universe itself, containing power beyond comprehension.  Guarded for millenia, it has now been stolen by ruthless bandits.  Their leader fashions the gold into a ring and declares he will conquer the Gods of Valhalla.  One voice cries out for a savior and the one who answers is a man whose name is feared across the universe.  He is the one who will challenge anyone who crosses his path and eliminate all who prey on the helpless.  He is the Pirate who flies the spaceship Arcadia with a Skull and Crossbones flag…Space Pirate Captain Harlock.  Once again, the fate of the universe is in his hands.

Captain Harlock is a name that’s come up a few times here at the Gundam Anime Corner.  Not only did he have a central role in the Galaxy Express 999 movies, we also looked at his origin story, Arcadia of my Youth, last year.  While the universe made by Leiji Matsumoto isn’t as prevalent as it was in the late 70’s and early 80’s, occasional titles featuring his characters and world pop up from time to time (Space Battleship Yamato just had a new iteration last year).  In the late 90’s we got Harlock Saga and the trailer for this one looked promising.  Sporting a very haunting music track, it looked like we were gonna get another epic adventure worthy of Anime’s greatest space pirate.  Annnnd I’m still waiting for something notable to happen that isn’t an act of stupidity, another variation of the same doomed prophecy, or  a random planet blowing up (and you know you’ve done wrong when that cant get you excited).

FIF#127-Drifting Dragons

High above the skies, Dragons roam free, unchecked and unchallenged.  To combat their increasing numbers, aerial crews are sent across the land to battle the Dragons.  The mission is simple: Kill them, then get ready to sell them for profit to a hungry populace.  The Quinn Zaza is one of the few remaining ships left in this business and her crew is second to none.  Among them is Mika, a man fascinated with defeating Dragons so he can cook them and eat to his hearts content.  In a business where failure means death, that kind of crazy might be the key to survival.

Drifting Dragons is…an interesting one.  I wasn’t sure what to gleam of it from the preview images beyond it being 3DCG characters on blimps battling Dragons in the sky, which sounds pretty cool (except for the 3DCG stuff, seriously Netflix stop trying to help make this a thing in Anime).  I didn’t expect the show to turn into How to Eat Your Dragon…cause that’s essentially what the premiere episode boiled down to.

T5W#274-Top 5 Reasons I’m Taking a Break from RWBY (more than usual)

It’s been a little bit since I’ve said anything about Rooster Teeth’s RWBY and there’s been multiple reasons for that.  At least twice now this year, I’ve slotted the 7^th Volume into the review rotation.  And at least twice, I haven’t followed through on that.  Incase anyone was curious as to why this has become a thing, today’s Top 5 Wednesday is here to address this little decision of mine.  Now, I’m not saying I wont pick back up on RWBY, it’s just not as high a priority on my list as it has been in the past.  How can this be?  Am I calling it quits on an almost annual tradition (considering I review seasons once theyre completely uploaded to either Rooster Teeths main page or Crunchyroll)?  Well, I’ve held off on talking about this for a couple of months now so let’s not waste anymore time.  These are my Top 5 Reasons I’m Taking a Break from RWBY (more than usual).

Psycho Pass 3: First Inspector

For months, CID Unit One has been pursuing the elusive cabal known as Bifrost and their devilish “First Inspector” Koichi Azusawa.  Now the fight has come directly to their doorstep.  Azusawa and his deadly associates launch an unexpected sneak attack on the Public Safety Bureau HQ, trapping everyone inside and separating Arata and Kei from their team and each other.  As the scattered members work to regroup and defend their base, the true intentions of Azusawa’s long game become clear.  Final judgement has come and Unit One must not only contend with vicious opponents…but the heartbreaking betrayal of one of their own.

Psycho Pass 3 ended on a pretty big cliffhanger with Kei Ignatov being coerced into siding with the enemy and the fate of series favorite Yayoi Kunizuka left in jeopardy.  Thankfully, unlike most long running Anime franchises (cough cough Full Metal Panic cough) we didn’t have to wait forever for a continuation.  What’s surprising is that this isn’t a fourth season we’re getting, but a movie, Psycho Pass 3: First Inspector, to wrap up most of the dangling plot threads and give Season 3 a proper conclusion.  It’s also worth noting that I’m reviewing this after watching it on Amazon Prime, where First Inspector has been chopped into 3 45min long episodes.  Which begs the question: As good as First Inspector is, why couldn’t we have gotten just a big 3 episode finale back in December 2019 when Season 3 was almost done?

Twitch News-ArschelGundam: Games and Winging It-November Plans

Hey everyone,

It’s a new month and the newest Gundam Anime Corner experiment continues.  All last month over on my Twitch page: www.twitch.com/arschelgundam87 I was running through a marathon of Resident Evil games for the Halloween season. I tackled Resident Evil 2&3 Remake, Resident Evil 5 and even experienced my very first playthrough of Resident Evil: Revelations.  Well, Resident Evil is an easy game to schedule for October cause it’s the month of scares…but what does that mean for November?