T5W#127-Top 5 Worst Titles Ive Reviewed on the Anime Corner

Not all Anime is perfect.  For every five amazing titles one might watch, there will always be just as many that just plain suck or worse.  Here on the Anime Corner, ive been a bit lucky that the amount of decent to great Anime ive reviewed has far outweighed the stinkers.  Still, that doesn’t mean I haven’t stumbled across a title that’s one of the worst of the worst, or at the very least incredibly disappointing.  So for this weeks Top 5, bracing for the possibility that another title might join this roster one day this year, I’m looking at the Top 5 Worst Titles Ive Reviewed on the Anime Corner.  To qualify for this list, each title has to have earned at least below a 5/10, though maybe if I do a future list I might up that to a 6/10 cause even some 5/10’s are pretty bad.  Eh that’s a sequel list for another time.  Onto the current Top 5.

 

#5-Inuyasha: The Movie 4-Fire on the Mystic Island (4/10)

Of the four Inuyasha movies, this one is the least memorable for the fact that it is both confusing and boring as hell.  At least the first two films had some good Inuyasha/Kagome moments and the third actually had merit to be a lore expanding Inuyasha entry.  Fire on the Mystic Island is as generic a Shonen Action film as you can get: forgettable quest, forgettable villains, annoying side characters.  This pretty much represents how bad the filler in the show was getting, which eventually drew me away from it, sadly.  I don’t remember needing to write much about this one.  Because if you’re going to throw crappy effort into an Inuyasha film, why should I give more effort to review something that I could do in two simple words: it sucks.

 

#4-Robotech II: The Sentinels (3/10)

Watching this film, I can see why this Robotech sequel didn’t get off the ground.  The Sentinels, comprised of the only three episodes every produced, is a ton of build up to one momentous occasion.  And while the long awaited Rick Hunter/Lisa Hayes wedding is heartwarming, it doesn’t change the fact that there is a ton of focus on characters we don’t know or care about.  Any action involves zero Veritechs and takes place all off world.  The mechs don’t look good but then again the animation feels subpar compared to Macross, then again The Sentinels wasn’t based on an existing Anime this time either.  This is where “The Sentinels Curse” began for Robotech, as no other project created for the fondly remembered franchise has ever made it past one teeny feature every once in a while.

 

#3-X: An Omen (0/10)

One of the most pointless Anime in existence, the only reason I reviewed this Episode 0 OVA was to just complete the series and that’s all.  There’s nothing new added to this extended look inside the heads of one of the most criminally underwritten characters, Kaykyo...unless you wanted to see him get pestered by the overly obnoxious Hokuto.  Honestly, the only reason to watch “An Omen” is if you don’t have time to watch all 24 episodes of the X TV Series and just want to check out a 30 minute abridged version that spoils the entire plot in bullet point mode.  It was so pointless, it got a 0/10, but trust me, even with that there are worse on this list

 

#2-Silent Mobius: The Series (4/10)

Every week I think I mentioned the sheer potential of this concept at least once and each week I wept at how the show squandered it.  Five women, all beautiful, all with their own unique skills in tech or magic, teaming up to battle demons in the future.  How could it all go so wrong?  Well the faults like with below half assed animation that cant make up its mind if it wants to be handdrawn or cell shaded; terrible writing; a forgettable cast; and just making me pissed that this Anime was inspired by Blade Runner.  And yet with all that said, the “finale” is still one big setup for a Season Two that (thankfully) never came about.  But then again, how the hell did the producers think that was going to happen when barely any heart was put into the “first season” to begin with.  While the movies were just the beginning of the story, at least they were better overall compared to this disappointment…and suddenly 4/10 seems overly generous.

 

#1-Dragon Ball Z: The Movie-Bio Brolly (0/10)

They said this was the worst of the DBZ movies and I just had to tempt fate.  One of the best villains in Dragon Ball Z history is reduced to a five minute glob of goo who is easily defeated by two of the worst characters in the entire show.  Bio Brolly is a cocktail of everything that was wrong with Z at the time: Goten and Trunks, piss jokes, potty humor, Trunks mooning a villain, undervaluing its powerful female characters (twice in this case, with Android 18 here and Videl in the prior movie).  Even most of the better characters are nowhere to be found, which may be a good thing considering how bad this one turned out to be.  In fact, Bio Brolly is a movie I despise so much that it was the first, very first feature covered on this blog to receive a 0/10 score.  If someone gives this to you as a gift, give them a hug and thank them for trying…then burn the DVD with fire (preferably in an oven).

One Punch Man Part 3 Episodes 7-9

An enormous meteor speeds towards Earth.  The vicious Sea King and his minions rise to claim the surface for their own.  As the mighty heroes fall one after another, all hope seems lost.  That is until he comes in.  His name is Saitama and he’s…well he’s just kind of passing through and has nothing of importance on his plate at the moment.  He’s looking for good, strong opponents but might find one in maintaining his rep within the Heroes Association.  All the eyes of the city are looking to this man who can end battles in one punch.  But is Saitama a savior or a cheater in disguise?  Better yet…does Saitama even care?  Probably not but that’s life for him I guess.

Well my hopes of Saitama getting into a battle royale with the Class S heroes never came true.  Still, that didn’t stop One Punch Man from delivering two more memorable battles and events that elevate Saitama to higher levels…what kind of levels is up to the viewer. 

It’s hard to gauge Saitama sometimes.  He wants to be known to the world but doesn’t want the recognition that comes with it?  He defeats a foe that no one else can, not even Genos, yet he claims he was simply capitalizing on the effort of heroes who already wore the enemy out?  Don’t get me wrong, Saitama isn’t a bad guy, not at all.  He does use his powers for good, even though he only seems to be thinking about something tedious like dinner while using them in battle.  I guess seeing him take a hit so that the reputations of Genos, Mumen Rider and the other heroes who couldn’t beat the Sea King was as humble as we’ve seen him yet.  Saitama’s just a guy who goes about his business and is more carefree and selfless as any character ive seen in an Anime.  He just…does what he does, even if it just so happens to involve beating up the Sea King or punching a FREAKING METEOR OUT OF THE SKY.  Truly, Saitama is the hero Anime deserves and ill stand by that sentiment, even if I still need to watch one more week of episodes to solidify that declaration.

That’s not to say other characters got overshadowed by Saitama.  The Sea King story really didn’t need to be two parts, in my opinion.  It felt padded out just to throw in more “heavy hitter” Class S heroes when really their time could have been cut down considerably.  Really, it was all building up to Mumen Rider and Genos making one incredibly defiant stand against the monster who could not be taken down.  Genos got the most stylish fight of the show so far, echoing his Dragon Ball Z inspired training match with Saitama.  But Mumen Rider’s futile stand was very My Hero Academia.  Even before we saw him face a monster he had no chance in hell of defeating (he’s a good fighter but doesn’t have super strength and rides a simple bycicle), we saw civilians stepping up to defend the shelter housing survivors from the Sea King attack.  Wow, that definitely gets the heart pumping.  It also made truly worry that, for a show as hilarious as One Punch Man is, things were going to take a line crossing turn.  Would Genos and Mumen Rider really bite it (especially Genos, gahhhh seeing his body get melted by acid was horrifying).  I guess there was a lot of material that it wouldntve been able to fit in one episode.  If I had to make a final call on it, the second part was much stronger than Part 1, which had a lot of build up but merely just felt like the first “ok” episode of One Punch Man when everything else has been excellent.  Worse yet, the Sea King Part 1 was sandwhiched between it’s second half AND Saitama and Genos going all out against the meteor (btw DAMN is Genos well animated and cool with his super cyborg buster arms).

In the end, Saitama made a friend of Mumen Rider and now there’s someone, other than Genos, who truly knows that Saitama isn’t a fake out to take the credit of other heroes.  Saitama’s subsequent bump up to another rank tells us the Heroes Association is finally taking notice as well.  I still don’t get how Amai Mask fits into all of this.  Is the ultimate Class S hero destined to get the crap knocked out of him by Saitama or Genos…cause id be ok with that arrogant jerk getting laid out like that.  It’s almost hard to believe ive blown through this show so quickly and that next week is the series (or rather season) finale.  One Punch Man so far has lived up to the hype, despite a couple of stumbles this week.  Let’s see if it can hit it out of the park one more time next week.

PS

“Threat Level Dragon” sounds so cool and I love the other names for the danger rankings for the city.

T5W#126-Top 5 Anime Super Powers

It’s the dream every kid has had at least once in their life, whether watching a cartoon or picking  up a comic book.  Even if you didn’t want to be a superhero, you always wanted a specific super power to make your life easier or more awesome.  You’ve always got your standard picks: flight, super speed, invisibility, time halting, etc.  Anime, I think, likes to go beyond the basics and really branch out.  Sure you could be invulnerable like Superman, a warrior like Wonder Woman or intelligent like Batman.  But what if you added a bit more “edge” to all of them?  So, that’s what todays Top 5 is all about.  I taking a look at my Top 5 Anime Superpowers, ones that go beyond the norm and into the realm of OP and yet still so freaking cool.

 

#5-Spirit Gun (Yu Yu Hakusho)

This is probably the most basic of super powers on this list but come on.  Didn’t you wish when you made the finger gun gesture that you could ctually fire an energy beam from it?  Yusuke Urameshi’s signature technique can simply stun a human being or turn into a Kamehameha Wave fired from his little finger.  It truly is, as Yu Yu Hakusho Abridged puts it, a true “FINGER BANG!!!””

 

#4-Super Saiyan (Dragon Ball Z)

In middle school, everyone wanted to hope that this was attainable after we found out about it.  The feeling of ascending to near Godhood by getting incredibly pissed off (which is even more funny since Super Saiyan God mode is cannon now, more or less replacing Super Saiyan 4).  Man if this were real and a kid actually managed to break the boundary and claim that golden glow…no one in school would dare mess with him ever again.  This goes double if they hit SSJ3 and can unleash a punch that produces an EPIC GOLDEN DRAGON!!!

 

#3-Esper (One Punch Man)

After seeing some of Terrible Tornado in action, the classic class of esper that was hugely popular in the late 80’s and early 90’s in Anime suddenly became a favorite of mine again.  Without spoiling too much since we haven’t seen her in action yet, let’s just say Tornado lives up to her promise with her psychic abilities, doing more than just levitating things (and looking sexy in her black dress but that’s another topic all together).  Could an Esper match a Super Saiyan in battle?  I don’t know but I’d love to see that fight.

 

#2-Unlimited Blade Works (Fate/Stay Night)

An armory of never ending blades encased in a bloodied landscape…I could definitely get behind that.  As a big fan of the swordsman, especially Knights and Samurai, the Noble Phantasm of Archer in Fate/Stay Night would be a power I’d love to have.  Being able to summon almost any bladed weapon at will (and I’m sure you could somehow forge a gun or two), you’d never run out of ammo and you could choose any favorite to aid you in battle.  Samurai Katanna? Good start.  Move up to Claymore? Definitley.  Summon a Gunblade or Cloud’s Buster Sword?  With the power of Unlimited Blade Works, the sky is the limit.

 

#1-Alucard God Mode (Hellsing Ultimate)

Before Aizen from Bleach and Naraku from Inuyasha abused this to death, there was the vampire Alucard and his nigh level of ferocious invincibility.  When Integra unleashes his “Level 0” abilities, Alucard becomes the reckoning and devours and slaughters everything in his path.  You could lob a nuke at him and he’d either swallow it up or take it in stride and laugh all the way. On a really, really, REALLY bad day…yeah that’s the kind of power id like to have…to you know, blow off some steam.

One Punch Man Part 2 Episodes 4-6

With the House of Evolution crushed, Saitama now has two big problems on his plate.  First, he has a new disciple in Genos…and literally nothing of value to teach him.  Second, Saitama isn’t a widely recognized hero.  At the suggestion of Genos, Saitama goes to sign up with the Hero Registry.  But it turns out there’s more to being a hero than just having the power of a God in your body.  If Saitama cant find a way to bump up his ratings, he’ll just end up more forgotten than he already is.  And when Genos is accepted into a class higher than Saitama, how will this affect the growing bond between “Master and Student”?

Terrorists threatening destruction in order to help the lower class get free food…yeah that would be boring to Saitama.  BUT Terrorist threating destruction in order to help the lower class get free food…who are also stealing Saitama’s bald headed look?  THAT is something the One Punch Man will not let stand.  It’s good to see that, contrary to any fears I had before, this show has not lost its amazing sense of humor after a brilliant opening act.  There might’ve been a pacing issue or two here and there.  Overall, if last week was about introducing us to the chill awesomeness that is Saitama, this week was about introducing us to the world he lives in.

It’s hard to tell which world takes its superherodom more seriously: One Punch Man or My Hero Academia.  Sticking with One Punch Man though, I do like the diversity of its heroes.  Many designs seem DIY mixed with a more traditional style of superhero wardrobe.  Anyone can be a hero it seems, so long as they are signed up with the Hero Registry.  This concept seems like a less brutal version of the Superhero Registration Act that was part of the Marvel Universe for a little bit.  If you aren’t signed up, you can still be a hero, you just don’t get a lot of recognition…or pay for that matter.  It’s kind of funny.  For being so detached and bored with being a hero, Saitama still wants to be known.  You’d think he would be anyway, given when he’s done and the villains he’s taken down.  By the end of this weeks set, he might wish he’d stayed off the radar but ill get to that in a bit.

While the scenes involving the higher ups at the Hero Association don’t go on for very long, they were probably my least favorite scenes so far.  Clearly theyre meant to be a parallel between the more super serious take on being a superhero as opposed to Saitama being Saitama.  Still, they didn’t seem as funny as they could be.  Now the heroes sent into battle, that was another thing, along with the villains they fought.  I got one of the best laughs of the series involving quick moving Ninja, Speed-O-Sound Sonic.  He may be bad ass with a sword but an accidental punch to the balls courtesy of Saitama was comedy gold (cudos to the technical difficulties insert card right when it happened). Golden Ball’s sling shot bullets and Spring Mustachio’s extendable also got a fun scene trying to take down Infinity Kombu, who itself was also highly entertaining.  Yet the one new character who holds the most promise didn’t do much besides float and pout.  I’m talking about Terrible Tornado, a cute ethereal powered superheroine.  A lot of characters like to boast about their powers but I wonder if she could actually be the challenge Saitama is looking for.

Speaking of the One Punch Man, Saitama’s shoulder shrugging reactions to everything around him continue to be the highlight of this show.  From just wanting to go home and not fight Speed-O-Sound Sonic, to suddenly forgetting an important food ingredient before being attacked by Infinity Kombu, we all wish we could be as chill as Saitama when it comes to this thing called life.  Not that he’s being lazy all the time.  Saitama and Genos got one awesome training match in on a scale that, I dare say, dwarfs even Dragon Ball Z.  Genos might have some sweet combat moves to him, along with some new upgrades.  But much like Carnage Kabuto in the House of Evolution, even the Cyborg had to feel a huge shred of fear when Saitama finally got serious and punched a hole through the canyon they were battling in.  It’s easy to be impressed by Saitama’s strength but im more impressed with how cool he is afterwards.  The dinner scene at the noodles shop following such a big fight was perfect: kick ass during the day, have a pot o noddles after, that is what’s best in life.  I did fear that Genos’ insertion into a high ranking hero class would dent his friendship with Saitama, and it still could given how the shady Amai Mask seems to be approaching him.  However, Genos coming to live with Saitama put those fears aside for now and I cant wait to see the comedy that comes from Master and Student living under the same roof.

Gotta say though, I love the cliffhanger ending this week.  Saitama may be good at saving the day…but the rest of the world is now gunning for him, believing he’s the ultimate threat to both humans and the monsters of City Z.  What’s more, no one knows it’s Saitama himself, they just know someone is walking around causing havoc and its enough to scare good guys and bad guys.  Could we be looking at a battle royale between Saitama and all of the Hero Registry’s best?  He may suck at written exams but we’ve seen enough of Saitama’s power to know that numbers aren’t enough to stop him.  If anything can we at least get Saitama vs. Terrible Tornado?  We’ll see what comes from this next week, see ya then.

T5W#125-Top 5 New Years Resolutions for Anime Corner 2018

2017 is over, done with, gonzo.  With 2018 now underway, it’s time for me to think about what I’d personally like to do with this blog over the next year.  How should I expand it?  Does anything already established need to be addressed?  Where do I feel like I stand more than almost 4 years into this little project?  This list took a while, for a minute I didn’t think I was actually going to go through with it.  But looking around and some heavy thinking later, ive got it, my Top 5 New Years Resolutions for Anime Corner 2018.  These are the ideas I want to build upon in the coming months and do my hardest to make a reality, for me as a reviewer and an Anime fan and for you guys, the readers and fellow Anime Fans Im happy to share my thoughts with.

 

#5-Cosplay Shout Outs

Cosplay is a very strong part of the Anime community.  Through the hard work of gifted nerds, various fan favorites can be brought to life with their own unique spins.  In the past I have done a couple of cosplayer shoutouts but ive never done like a Top 5 or so often cause…well I mostly know female cosplayers and just saying “Theyre hot” feels shallow and wrong.  If I wanted to do proper tributes id go a bit more in depth as to why theyre so good at what they do.  Maybe ill make this a once or twice a month feature depending on when I start it. 

 

#4-Writing More in Advance

Currently, im working two jobs, one during the day and the other at night.  That means finding time to watch Anime and review it is becoming more and more scarce.  Often times ill come home from my night job and stay up an hour or so just to work on stuff for me and, sometimes, that includes working on blog content.  Back in late October 2017, I ended up watching all of Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid in a single day and took time after each disc to write my reviews.  It freed up more time for me, knowing all of my reviews for a single month were written and good to go. I actually, more or less, did the same thing for Gundam Wing last summer and I want to try and do more of that this year.  The more stuff I have written out ahead of time, the more assurance I have it’ll get posted on time and itll mean ill have more chances to work on other projects related to the Anime Corner.

 

#3-Videos 

Ive never thought about doing Video Reviews before.  That requires a lot of editing, voicework, clip research, tons of stuff.  And given how I kind of stopped doing AMV Fridays way back when here on the Anime Corner because I thought I got flagged for copyright issues, it’s never really dawned on me to do anything else in that field.  Still, looking back on a couple of promo videos I made for upcoming reviews, as well as video tours of the places ive attended for conventions, it might not be a bad time to revisit these ideas.  Video Reviews, those ill have to still think on.  The convention tours and maybe a few videos from panels, photoshoots, dance offs and more, that might be a bit more doable.

 

#2-Convention Reports 

I know ive done Top 5’s on these over the years and ill continue to do them in the future.  However, I am sitting on a few years worth of more detailed reports ive written to cover my time at multiple Otakon and Katsucon Conventions.  Perhaps its time to let them see the light of day.  They’d require a little bit of editing but I think it would be fun to share more of my experiences with everyone.  These could very well take the place of First Impression Fridays until I decide to bring those back.  Just as well, as Katsu approaches and Otakon is, for the moment, in the cards for August, maybe ill start sharing them closer to their next events.  We’ll see

 

#1-Back to Basics 

2017 sucked on many life levels.  Many times, I found that affected my writing here at the Anime Corner.  I could feel I just wasn’t having fun anymore working on certain reviews.  Full Metal Panic Season 1 was a definite victim of this as I could feel little joy starting a project that would last me most of the year.  Well 2018 is where I try to find that spark again and apply to every show and movie I review.  Plus, I have found that ranting about a bad show like Silent Mobius can be kind of liberating too.  Does this mean seeking out more classic titles?  Going after titles that I know have a rep for being terrible?  Im not sure but I need to reignite my Anime and Film Reviewer passions big time this year.  After all, this is supposed to be for fun right, not a job.