Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture

The close of the Bakumatsu brought about a new age for Japan.  Ten years later, there are still those who are unhappy with this and seek to change the world again.  One such man is Shigure Takimi, a man who watched his closest friend get cut down by the Bakumatsu’s greatest warrior, The Hitokiri Battosai, the Manslayer, during the war.  As he begins to ignite a new rebellion, Takimi crosses paths with Kenshin Himura and his friends.  When Kenshin’s identity as Battosai becomes known to Takimi, the battle becomes more personal.  Once again, the Rurouni who wishes only for peace must draw his sword to defend the new era.

This is just sad.  This whole movie was underwhelming and just…bad.  It hurts all the more because Rurouni Kenshin has always been a personal favorite of mine and Kenshin himself is one of my favorite heroes in all of Anime.  He deserved far better than this snoozefest.

 

Watching the RuroKen Movie makes me a tad greatful I never watched the series after its second season.  For whatever reason, after adapting the first two arcs of the manga into the first two seasons, the third opted for several really bad stand alone tales that ranged from ridiculous to just plain bad.  Requiem for Meiji Restoration Patriots not only feels like it belongs in that season long graveyard but it also feels like a film announcing to the fandom “we’ve run out of good ideas…and will probably never adapt the Jinchu Arc from the manga so youre stuck with this”. 

 

It’s just lazy and uninspired all around.  Once again, Kenshin must fight someone from his past who wants to start another revolution, blah, blah, blah seen it already.  Not everything has to be a threat to Kenshin because of his past as Battosai.  But no, the easy route is taken and it doesn’t help that Takimi is so standard, along with the forgettable Toki.  You don’t care about their motives or plot and not once did I buy that Takimi was a guy who could take on Kenshin and win.  Was Kenshin humoring him by getting hurt…im gonna say yes.  Even more criminal, Kenshin and his team look bored out of their minds as well.  Hell, Yahiko goes and does something so out of character to try and spice things up that it makes no sense whatsoever.  Did anyone working on this movie read the manga or watch the first two seasons of the show to understand what makes a good Kenshin story?  Obviously that’s a no.

 

The story and characters fail, no question.  As for everything else, well the bulk of the animation budget seems to have gone to the barely decent intro battle…which the movie keeps consistently cutting back to.  Seriously, maybe one more time after it was shown was enough.  But the movie seems determined to pad out its runtime by cutting back to this flashback every twenty minutes or so.  Is that intro the best part of the movie?  Sadly so but it still looks a tad more presentable than the rest of the garbage that this movie looks like.  Even the battles seem to be lifeless and without the heart and soul that every Kenshin battle should have.  As I said above, it doesn’t help that Takimi doesn’t seem like a good match for Kenshin.  It’s like the legendary Battosai had to dial it down just to humor the poor guy…that’s sad.

 

Sad, that sums up Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture nicely…along with lazy and easy.  The story is lifeless and a mix of “Been there, done that” Kenshin tropes.  The animation is worse than the show.  The action moves at a snails pace along with the story as a whole.  And the movie keeps constantly relying on a dramatic moment that has no real emotional weight to it.  Ugh, why didn’t they just adapt the Jinchu Arc into a movie instead of pulling out some storyline that got omitted from Season Three?  Kenshin deserves a lot better than this.  But I would never ask him to turn his blade around to strike down this film…clearly even Kenshin in the film itself knows this mess isn’t worth his time.

1/10

Let’s hope the OVA features are better than this.  Our next Rurouni Kenshin feature takes us back in time to Kenshin’s days as a Manslayer…and really this is the event The Motion Picture should have been.  See ya tomorrow for Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal.

End of 2018 Announcements

Hey everyone,

Hope Halloween was good for everyone.  Well the temps are steadily getting colder (then warmer again cause F 2018s weather seriously) and that means we’re starting the march to the end of 2018.  As such, Im ready to close out this year of the Gundam Anime Corner on the best note possible.  So here’s a look at whats coming up next for the rest of the year.

November:

At long last I can finally post my review of Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory.  And let me tell you, it was worth the decade plus long wait since Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid.  I’ll also be posting some bonus stand alone features throughout the month, kicking off (today actually) with the trilogy of Rurouni Kenshin Anime films (Rurouni Kenshin: The Motion Picture, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal and Rurouni Kenshin: Reflection).  The start of November also sees the “fall finale” of First Impression Fridays, my last one of 2018.  And trust me, ive saved the best FIF ive done in a while for last (I really like what I wrote for the title Ill be talking about haha.)

 

December:

I have two short shows ill be reviewing in the final month of 2018 but its still going to be incredibly busy.  Ever wonder what would happen if you made a Holy Grail War version of Sword Art Online?  For the five people who have, youre in for a treat.  We kick December off with Fate/Extra: Last Encore, the latest spin off of the Fate/Stay Night franchise.  And when that ends, my long awaited review of Psycho Pass 2 takes us right to the end on a bit of an accelerated schedule.  Yeah this Christmas im bringing the gift of maximum reviewage.  Fate/Extra’s finale and Psycho Pass 2’s premiere will both drop on Christmas Eve while Part 2 of Psycho Pass 2 and a special second review drop on Christmas Day.  All this plus some end of the year Top 5s and maybe some future announcements at big things kicking off 2019.

Heres hoping everyone finds something to love if they stop by and check out the upcoming goodness.  See ya around dear readers.

Supernatural: The Anime Series Part 6 Episodes 21-22

While taking a breather with Dean, Sam is abducted.  All signs point to the Yellow Eye Demon and he’s ready to implement his endgame.  With Sam trapped in a deadly free for all, it’s up to Dean and Bobby to save him.  However, when an unexpected tragedy strikes, Sam and Dean will be forced to pull out all the stops to end the existence of a demon who has plagued their family all their lives.  And even if they can avenge their parents and save the world…what’s next for the Winchesters?  Does the hunt ever end?

 

Happy Halloween everyone and welcome to the conclusion of Supernatural: The Anime Series.  Everything since Episode 1 had been building to this two part scare and gorefest and…it was ok.  Some things felt rushed or not taken full advantage of.  But overall it wasn’t a bad way to close out this series.  

 

At long last, Jensen Ackles finally took his place behind the mike alongside his onscreen bro Jared Padelecki.  Now again, Andrew Farrar has not done a bad job as Dean, in fact id say he’s been absolutely great.  However, hearing Sam and Dean together with both of their original actors is a whole other kind of feeling, a good one and one that will definitely make some fans wonder why they didn’t hold off on dubbing this project until both leads were available.  In a way, Sam handled a lot of the physical aspects of the finale while Dean got the brunt of the emotional and there’s always a certain way that Jensen brings out the deeper side of Dean, particularly when he’s mourning Sams (albeit temporary) death.

 

Speaking of that temporary death, Sam got plunged right into what should have been an all out brawl between would be X-Men.  However, Sam being Sam, he attempted to persuade Jake and the other chosen children to work together for most of the first part.  It is what Sam would do, but it also meant a trade off in that only the last few minutes of Part 1 had any real action.  Here’s also where doing Supernatural as an Anime went a long way.  The visuals of “All Hell Breaks Loose” feel like the culmination of all the action horror filled imagery seen throughout these 22 episodes.  From Sam’s psychedelic chat with Yellow Eyes to Jake’s Hulk like appearance when he goes all out, this was the most Anime inspired stuff yet in the art department.  It also meant that we got to see Sam get a hole literally punched through his chest by Jake…ouch, yeah that was one of the bloodiest kills of the series.

 

But no, Sam didn’t stay dead for long, though the sight of his dead body on a table was pretty chilling.  Much like the TV Series, Dean made a deal to bring Sam back…but now he only has a year to live and if you know the TV Series, that leads to a whole other can of worms but we’ll talk about that later.  As for the final showdown, it was pretty big, just like its live action counterpart.  Sam and Jakes rematch and Dean’s showdown with Yellow Eyes against the backdrop of the Gates of Hell opening up delivered.  It was also good to see John Winchester make one more critical appearance to help his sons destroy their enemy once and for all.  It was also good to see Bobby and Missouri lend a hand, no matter how tiny.

 

However, this is where the “rushed” mention comes in.  There’s barely any time to decompress and deal with Dean’s deal or Sam’s ruthless takedown of Jake or the fact that Hell’s gates were opened and things definitely escaped.  One could blame this on the episode being half the length of your normal Supernatural.  You could also say that, since there isn’t another season of the Anime, it doesn’t matter.  And in a way, that’s kind of a shame.  Supernatural was a good fit for an Anime project and if it did the first two seasons well enough, imagine what it could do with Seasons 3-5.  For those who don’t know, not only do we deal with Dean’s deal in Season 3, but we eventually move into war with both Angels and Demons and the Apocalypse itself.  Just imagine an OP psychically charged Sam going all Dragon Ball Z on Angels and Demons, or what fan favorite Castiel would be capable of unleashing all out Angel bad assery.  Sadly, we’ll never know because, as of now anyway, there are no plans for a continuation of this Anime.  I don’t know how well this project did to somehow merit another Anime season but I think we should just be grateful we got this little endeavor anyway.  Like I said though, it’s a shame we may not see more.  HOWEVER, one thing I find inexcusable in this finale is the lack of a full season recap aka “The Road So Far”.  This is practically a staple of the Supernatural series, a recurring feature used in Season Finales since the second season.  Personally, even if I haven’t been keeping up with the TV Series, I always tune into the start of the Season Finales so I can see these recaps and listen to “Carry On My Wayward Son” in the process…why couldn’t the Anime give me this goodness?  

 

So final thoughts then I guess?  Supernatural: The Anime Series was a fun and unique take on the vast lore of the Supernatural franchise.  The adaptations of TV Series episodes were faithful but with their own fun twists.  The original episodes were probably some of my favorites as they allowed to expand the history of the Winchesters and even give some time to side characters who would play greater roles down the line.  Taking a hard edged Anime approach also allowed for the use of more scary visuals and lots more gore than you’d see in the series (and it can be gory at times too).  A couple of episodes didn’t really succeed on a couple of levels, the final two episodes were adequate but rushed and the lack of a few key original actors hindered a couple of roles (this mostly goes to Bobby but I wonder if even Jim Beaver said no after he saw how weird his character looked in the Anime).  But when this Anime worked, it worked.  If you’re a fan of the series, this is worth a look.  If you’re looking for a decent horror Anime, it’s not a bad choice.  If anything, the Anime might get you to check out the TV Series.  Cause if you like what you see here, you aint seen nothing yet.  There’s a reason Supernatural is still chugging along today.  Go check it out and discover why for yourself.

 

Supernatural: The Anime Series gets…an 8/10.

 

Next week we leave the ghouls and monsters behind and prepare for the long awaited return of some old favorites.  That’s right boys and girls, Sousuke Sagara and Kaname Chidori are back…and to quote Sousuke’s obvious father Solid Snake, “Kept you waiting huh?”  Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory, starts next week right here on the Gundam Anime Corner.  I hope you’re as ready as I am.

 

T5W#168-Top 5 Otakon 2018 Cosplays

Happy Halloween everyone…though for Cosplayers it might as well be a Tuesday lol.  Joking aside, cosplayers are some of the hardest working individuals I have ever met.  They spend hours of their lives (and who knows how much money) bringing to life their favorite characters from Anime, comic books, video games, etc.  And they have to have a ton of patience to be stopped dozens of times for photos at conventions.  I personally don’t have that kind of patience but man do I respect the people who do.  Their work pays off in spades and every photo request brings a smile to their face cause people love their work.  And this year I got to attend two big conventions to see more of this stellar work.  And hell, it’s Halloween, dressing up is a must.  Let’s dive into this weeks Halloween event T5W, my Top 5 Otakon 2018 Cosplays (and if you missed Part 1 of this little special, my Top 5 Katsucon 2018 Cosplays list can be found right here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/t5w167-top-5-katsucon-2018-cosplays.html

 

#5-Lancer (Fate/Stay Night UBW) (zitchy14)

Of all the Fate cosplayers I saw at the FSN photoshoot, whenever this guy walked into a group shot, he always stood out.  From the actual lance to the hair to the dead on detailed body suit, it was as if the actual servant walked right out of a battle in Fate/Stay Night to grace us with his presence at a photoshoot.  That’s not to say that there weren’t a lot of great Fate/Stay Night cosplays at Otakon, there were tons (some worn by good friends of mine).  This Lancer just rocked, plain and simple.

Check out more of zitchy's work right here:
https://www.instagram.com/zitchy14/

 

#4-Genderbend Princess Mononoke (Laurence)

My good friend Laurence has been cosplaying for a long time and this latest project of his took a while for him to pull off.  I’d seen the progress pics as they came along but to see it in person, damn brother.  Special praise should go to the San mask he made in addition to everything else.  The detail is precise and looks very tribal warrior, just like San is in the actual movie.  Im sure this was a dream project for Laurence and im so happy it paid off in spades as he got stopped constantly for a photo, right on dude.

You can follow Laurence’s Cosplay and general wacky adventures here:

https://www.instagram.com/bishounen.balisong/

 

#3-Moana (Vixie Belle)

Another good friend lands a spot on my Top 5 (feel like this is all long overdue for the amazing people I travel with during these events).  VixieBelle is a huge Disney fan, hell she practically is a RL Disney Princess.  For this Otakon, she debuted her finished cosplay of Moana of Matanui and…let me tell ya the second we linked up in the Dealers Room on Saturday all I could do was say “wow” as silently as I could.  Vixie could not have looked more beautiful and perfect as the water master of Disney.  Fun fact: she kind of does costume work for a living and im glad she finds time to put her profession into her awesome hobby (cosplay I mean lol).

Check out Vixie’s Cosplay and Costume design adventures right here: 

https://www.instagram.com/vixiebelle/

 

#2-Sailor Neptune (Rizuki)

Rizuki the Senshi Master strikes again.  Not only was she hosting one of the official Sailor Moon photoshoots at Otakon 2018, she was also bringing her updated Sailor Neptune cosplay along with her.  The updates and hard work put into them all were worth the hype: darker colors didn’t sacrifice the brightness of the character and it just felt more confident like ever before.  I told Rizuki that if I had to make a list of cosplayers id slot into a Sailor Senshi shoot…she’d be Venus cause she’s her main HOWEVER the new Neptune makes a compelling argument to change that decision lol. 

You can check out more of Rizuki’s cosplays here:

https://www.facebook.com/rizukicosplay/

https://www.instagram.com/rizuki/

https://twitter.com/rizukiann

 

#1-Momma Midoriya and Baby Deku

Just look at how unfreakingbelievably adorable this is?  It isn’t uncommon to see some parents dress up their babies and infants when they bring along for the ride at conventions.  Often, they steal the show (case in point the couple of tiny Princesses and Senshi at the Disney and Sailor Moon photoshoots).  This, however, made everyone stop in their tracks.  Yes, yes, the BNHA group as a whole was pretty legit.  Baby Deku in the wagon (in costume and with a little Greymon too ahhhhh) being watched over by Mama Midoriya, God you couldn’t ask for a more perfect family moment at a convention, ever.

Supernatural: The Anime Series Part 5 Episodes 17-20

With their father dead and The Colt missing, Sam and Dean are on the warpath.  With the Yellow Eye Demon still at large, no one is safe, especially those with powers similar to Sam’s precognitive abilities.  But no matter the danger or the monster, the boys press on to continue their fathers legacy.  But is this all there is to their lives now?  Or is there more to life than just hunting all the evil on Earth?  The answers to these questions might change Sam and Deans lives forever…or cost them their souls.

As we head into the final stretch of Supernatural: The Anime Series, im happy to see that the series isn’t just brushing over the big loss the brothers endured last week.  This week, Sam and Dean dealt with the fallout of their fathers sacrifice while speeding headfirst into their final battle with Yellow Eyes.  All the feels were here, some a little out of order but I’ll talk about that in a second.  By the end of this set though, there was plenty of reason to cry a little.

Once again, I have to give a lot of credit to the Anime Original stories of this series.  They not only opened the doors to missed storytelling opportunities but also manage to expand them and even go a little crazy for crazy’s sake.  Example: A flashback to Sam and Dean’s childhood involving a woman who was almost a surrogate mother to Sam was very well done.  It gave us a chance to see adorable little Sam and even give one last little hurrah for John Winchester, sewing the seeds of the sacrifices he’d make to ensure Sam and Dean would always be ok.  And then you got Dean and John vs a Giant Robot Junkyard Monster created by would be Demon Mom…it’s farfetched but when youre telling this through an Anime medium, you can give it a pass cause you’d never see a creation like that on the TV Series.  We also got an Anime exclusive backstory to Jake, a character who will play a big role in the Anime series finale.  Just goes to show that, even if they do feature heavily, the focus doesn’t have to be exclusively on Sam and Dean for Supernatural to work, particularly when Jake’s story is compelling and has one helluva sad conclusion.

Dean was the one you felt the most for during these episodes.  After realizing his Dad made a deal to save his life, he was nothing but tormented.  In fact, the other two episodes in this set dealt specifically with Dean’s emotional state, from lashing out at Sam to seeing what life could be if he had never hunted.  Deans smooth talking negotiation with the Crossroads Demon was very effective at breaking Dean’s shell open, even when he was trying to save a mans life in the process.  Yeah, Dean managed to keep an innocent soul from being devoured by Hellhounds.  But the Crossroads Demon still got in a win by poking Dean’s shattered spirit, having lost his father to preserve his life.  Nothing, however, compared to the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life” tale that saw Dean living in a perfect world.  He was married (to a woman we never knew but I guess it couldn’t be helped since Dean hadn’t connected with any other woman in this series so you’d have to make one up); Sam was engaged to Jessica and his mom was still alive (John not so much so what’s up with that?).  Seeing Dean slowly come to accept this reality was something but seeing him deny it to escape and save his life from the Djinn draining his life was one of the most powerful and emotional moments of this entire series.  After all he’s lost and suffered, how does Dean not deserve a happy ending?  Same could be said for Sam but his and Dean’s roles seemed to switch this time around, with Sam needing to be the voice of reason and the shoulder his brother needed.  

One thing that did bug me this week was the placement of the first two episodes.  I feel like Dean’s trip to see the seer Missouri, which is where the flashback episode took place, should have come after Dean’s encounter with the Crossroads Demon.  Dean was a wreck at the beginning of that story and, on screen, it came after he seemed to finally begin reconciling his fathers death and strengthen his resolve to protect Sam even though his Dad told him he might have to cause of his powers.  When he visits Missouri, Dean has finally broken and is sobbing into his friends shoulder.  Idk one story definitely should have come after another in this case for better character flow.

Well I hope you got all the crying out of the way cause Wednesday is Halloween and it’s time for the Winchester boys to put their game faces on.  Check back Wednesday for the special two part Series Finale Review of Supernatural: The Anime Series as, as the episode title implies, All Hell Breaks Loose.  See ya then.