Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel I-Presage Flower

A decade has passed since Fuyuki City was engulfed in a sea of fire, the end result of a secret war with no victor.  Shiro Emiya is the adopted son of one of that wars participants and has lived a peaceful life since his life was saved.  But now The Holy Grail War is about to pick up where it left off and Shiro will not be the only unfortunate soul dragged into it.  A girl he holds very close to his heart, the lovely Sakura Matou, will become a focal point of a battle that will drive all participants to the brink of insanity and despair and back again.  It might seem like the Fate/Stay Night tale you know…but there’s one version yet to be told, the darkest route of them all.

 

Well we had to reach this point eventually.  For those unaware, the original Fate/Stay Night visual novel consists of three separate yet slightly interconnected routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel.  The first two of these three routes have already been adapted into Anime: Fate in 2006 with Studio Deen’s Fate/Stay Night; and UBW twice, once as a movie by Deen in 2010 and later in 2014 as a TV Series by Ufotable, the same studio that also did the prequel Fate/Zero in 2011.  We were bound to get to Heaven’s Feel, the final unadapted route, eventually.  And now the reigns of that undertaking have again fallen to the supremely amazing Studio Ufotable, which has decided to skip another TV Series approach and instead adapt Heaven’s Feel into trilogy of films.  It’s not the worst approach to make and I’m kind of surprised to be saying this, but unlike Fate and UBW, from the get go I think we might be in for the best Fate/Stay Night story ever told if the latter two films can match the majesty and WOW of Part 1.

 

I guess the obvious should be pointed out first: this is definitely the best looking Fate/Stay Night ever put to Anime.  No real shock there.  As I constantly say about Ufotable, they somehow manage to give their TV Series a feature film like feel with their production values.  So there’s no reason their actual feature films would look any worse but they bring their A++ game to Heaven’s Feel’s first chapter.  Adding more icing to this delicious cake is the return of Yuki Kaijura, who did the scores for both Zero and UBW and man is she definitely the equal of Anime OST Queen Yoko Kanno.  Because Heaven’s Feel is focusing more on an, until now, relatively unexplored character, she’s delivering more quiet and beautiful melodies, both inspiring and saddening.  That doesn’t mean Kaijura isn’t slacking on the action sequences though.  This woman knows how to make even small skirmishes the most epic of affairs with her OSTs.  Production wise, what worked for Zero and UBW is definitely working here, if not better than before.

 

Things do start off kind of slow and more serene but there’s a reason for that.  Seeing the actual peaceful lives of Shiro and Sakura before the war begins is necessary, enough for a good 20 minute intro.  It isn’t bad stuff either.  Beautifully animated, nicely paced, I wasn’t bored at all.  In fact I was very happy we were getting to finally get to what is essentially Sakura’s story (though Shiro dominates much of the plot…and is actually bearable for a change, go figure).  I was disappointed that Sakura’s role in the other routes was so little after the set up for her in Fate/Zero (she’s barely in UBW).  Heaven’s Feel takes a good long look at Sakura and Shiro’s bond and spends more time with it as the film goes on.  We also get to see the rest of the Matou Clan play a more proactive role in the Holy Grail War this time around, further exploring their sinister plans first seen in Fate/Zero (but never further explored in other routes).  Sakura may get shuffled off to the side from time to time but the moments she spends with Shiro are some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful moments in the whole franchise.  Things are going to go to hell for both characters if this film is any indication of the rest of the trilogies offerings.  So it’s good and smart to get the important moments that tether these two together explored quickly cause they will be important.  Also, while it looks like Heaven’s Feel will see Sakura as the main love interest for Shiro (compared to Saber in Fate and Rin in UBW), it does still look like the series is going to further tease Shiro and Rin (and why not, it’s Rin, you’re going to fall for her no matter who else is involved even if youre not ending up with her…ahem ok moving on.)

 

I was surprised by how deceitful Heaven’s Feel began.  It may look like it has the makings of all that came before it but holy crap is this a whole new ball game of a Holy Grail War.  For once, I felt like I was watching a conflict that seemed to rival Fate/Zero’s in terms of intensity and overall enjoyment.  Yes, some characters are either on screen too little or taken out of play wayyyyy to quickly.  Also, some events we’ve seen in other routes that are still important are either sped up or glossed over, compilation movie style.  But circumventing expectations (and trying something new) seems to be Heaven’s Feels true goal.  In my mind, Fate and UBW had very similar plotlines though they both had different outcomes.  Heaven’s Feel tears the rug out from under that notion and asserts itself as a beast all its own.  And the viciousness speaks for itself.  Coming from a guy who watched Gilgamesh tear out Illya’s heart in UBW, Heaven’s Feel is still the bloodiest and most violent story in the Fate franchise so far (God only knows how much more is in store later on).  One character even literally bursts from anothers chest and we get to see the bloody aftermath as well.  This aint a film, or probably a series for that matter, for the squeamish.

 

Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel I-Presage Flower is the Fate story I truly wanted to see after Fate/Zero.  The story’s intensity is extreme and matches the stakes from that prequel and sometimes surpasses it.  New surprises and new (full pun intended) fates await pretty much everyone in addition to beautiful storytelling and spellbinding visual quality.  All of your favorites are back, even if the time for some is far too brief and some are even given some major character upgrades and fans of the English Dub will be happy to know that many long time Fate voice actors are back as well including Cristina Vee as Sakura, Mela Lee as Rin, Bryce Papenbrook as Shiro and Kari Wahlgren as Saber.  Sakura fans will rejoice that she finally gets the time to shine she deserves and will be a driving force going forward.  To be honest im kind of freaking out over how much im freaking out over how much I enjoyed this movie.  And this is just the opening salvo.  There are still two films left (Lost Butterfly was released in Japan earlier this year and the final chapter, Spring Song, is due out in 2020) and I really hope they take all the good that came from this film and run with it full speed ahead.  This is the Fate/Stay Night ive wanted to see for years, better late than never huh?

 

9/10

 

T5W#186-Top 5 Devil May Cry Weapons

Hey, hey, guess what? DEVIL MAY CRY IS BACK BITCHES!!!  It’s been 11 long years since the introduction of Nero and the return of everyones trench coated giant sword wielding demon bad ass Dante.  Don’t think the time gap has dulled my interest, or the interest of others.  Cue the hard pounding music and trippy action visuals in any trailer with the true Dante (not his DmC: Devil May Cry incarnation) and you’ll get action loving gamers ready for more.  But today, we’re here to talk about the one thing Devil May Cry has always tried to top itself in beyond the insane action: the weapons.  Guns, swords, armor, demonic possessions, you name it and it’s been used to massacare poor demons before sending them back to Hell.  Choosing 5 of these bad boys (and girls in some cases) is tough since Dante and Nero have the ultimate monster slaying armory.  Let’s give it a try anyway, here are my Top 5 Devil May Cry Weapons

 

#5-Cavaliere (Devil May Cry 5)

It’s a motorcycle that can split itself into two buzzsaw swords…F’ING WHAT!!!!!????  Ive only glimpsed this beauty in a couple of promo clips for DMC5, hence why it isn’t higher on the list but come on…who doesn’t want a ride like this in their lives?  I cannot wait to test it out when the game finally drops.

 

 

#4-Blue Rose (Devil May Cry 4, Devil May Cry 5)

A solid follow up sidearm to differentiate Nero from Dante, Blue Rose is a double barrel revolver that, much likes its dual wielded cousins, can mow down legions of demons without the need for reloading.  Blue Rose can also charge its shots for maximum damage and, tbh, it just looks like a really, really cool gun.  Imagine if Dirty Harry and Hellboys weapons somehow conceived an offspring: Blue Rose would be said offspring.  Sure it might not have the rapid firepower of Ebony and Ivory but Blue Rose is still a gun no normal human could ever handle.

 

 

#3-Ebony and Ivory (Devil May Cry Series)

You cant have a demon hunting video game without a pair of trusty pistols at your side.  The second Dante pulled these babies out to take out Trish’s motorcycle, I knew I was gonna have a literal blast.  Ebony and Ivory are always the handiest pistols for keeping enemies at bay before moving in for the kill.  They also never run out of ammo (then again I don’t think any gun in Devil May Cry ever does). With a bottomless clip and so many stylish ways to use them, Ebony and Ivory are the signature guns of devil hunter Dante and weapons befitting anyone who wants to call themselves the King of Kicking Demon Ass.

 

 

#2-Yamato (Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, Devil May Cry 4)

Dante’s brother Virgil is one of the coolest villains in gaming.  His cold, calm yet ruthless demeanor; his slick character design, anyone who looks this awesome deserves a weapon to compliment them.  Enter Yamato: a sick Japanese katanna that once belonged to Dante and Virgils father, Sparda.  This is one of the single greatest blades in history period.  Long, sharp and capable of cutting down the mightiest of demons to ribbons in a couple of quick and unseen slashes.  Though this sword is used by both Dante and Nero in the series as well, the best experience with Yamato is still using it in Virgil’s campaign in Devil May Cry 3.  So freaking cool.

 

 

#1-Agni and Rudra (Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening)

The moment I got to see these blades in action the first time, I didn’t want to use any other weapon in DMC3, even if I ended up getting more later on.  The curved with spikes design is cool enough.  But watching Dante dances firey circles around his enemies wielding these bad boys and being able to connect them together for some quick double bladed weapon action is still something I could watch on repeat in any game til the end of time.  As much as I hope we get to see these two blades again down the line, I feel like theyre exclusively tied to Devil May Cry 3…which is fine cause that’s still my favorite entry so far (at least until I give Devil May Cry 5 a shot) and I’ll return every once in a while to play that game just to weild Agni and Rudra one more time.

Gundam Evolve

Prepare to experience Mobile Suit Gundam like never before.  From Sunrise, the studio that brought the legendary Giant Robot into the world of Anime comes 15 animated shorts from all corners of the Gundam Multiverse.  Experience the return of many of Gundam’s most famous time periods and heroes through a mix of handrawn and 3D animation.  Amuro Ray and the RX-78-2 Gundam, Heero Yuy and the Wing Gundam, Domon Kasshu and the God Gundam and more appear in this, the ultimate celebration of all things Gundam, paving the way for the future while fondly paying tribute to the past.

 

It’s strange to think that there haven’t been more anthologies like Gundam Evolve in the history of the Gundam franchise.  By now, the world of Gundam is about to turn 40 (yikes).  Between the Universal Century where it all began and the half dozen plus alternate realities, there’s a lot to both explore and celebrate.  Gundam Evolve might not be the definitive celebration of the franchise but it does have some good eggs in this basket of shorts.

 

Contrary to how the description at the top sounds, there isn’t really a proper balance of 2D and 3D artstyles.  Gundam Evolve is about 10% 2D and 90% 3D and that’s kind of unfair.  Is it cool to see 3D Mobile Suits battling the heck out of each other, yes and no.  Yes because there are some stand outs and they absolutely rock or do something very right.  No because it does feel like your watching a bunch of tech demos for an upcoming Gundam video game more than half the time.  About half of the 15 collected shorts tend to follow the same pattern of establish the series you’re covering, insert Gundam or Mobile Suit into space and let them battle a small squadron, then wash, rinse and repeat.  There is added dialogue to focus on characters of certain shorts like Heero Yuy or Char Aznable.  But even those feel secondary compared to making the 3D animation look presentable.  It’s a double edged sword cause you have winners like the Strike Gundam short which has Kira putting the titular Gundam through some cool Matrix like maneuvers and the Domon vs. Rain match up.  Other times though, the Mobile Suits look clunky and move rather stiffly. 

 

My other main complaint is the lack of variety in a regard.  Every short focuses on one particular Mobile Suit from a Gundam to a Rick Dias and even a Ball.  No the variety lacking complaint stems from the fact that out of 15 shorts: 10 are set in the Universal Century and out of those 5 about half of them are Zeta Gundam centered.  Even though I haven’t seen it beyond the compilation films, I know Zeta Gundam is a very, VERY popular entry in the franchise.  But Gundam is more than just Zeta or the Universal Century really.  Even though these shorts came out between 2001 and 2007, there’s the fact that Gundam X and Turn A Gundam don’t have any time on screen and there are a couple of notable UC era Gundam titles that should’ve gotten some spotlight if you were going all out.  Truth be told, if I were doing this, every Gundam title from Mobile Suit Gundam to…I guess Gundam Seed, should have gotten an animated short…I think that tracks about evenly (maybe you could skip F91 and Victory idk).  Plus there’s the aforementioned lack of more hand drawn animation.  Only the first short, which is a clip show of the original Gundam series, is fully 2D and there’s barely anything else sprinkled throughout.  Gundam Evolve blows it on the 3D I’ll just say it and it needed to be toned down a bit.

 

I feel like ive complained a lot but did I like anything about Gundam Evolve?  Well…yeah.  Even with the problems I voiced above, the shorts did plenty I never expected.  Save for the aforementioned 0079 recap, there was some thought given as to what kind of stories should be told in these 5-10 episodes.  A lot of that time is spent expanding pre existing stories and even continuing some of them.  The Gundam 0083 short got to show us the GP03 Stamen in action minus the heavy armament containers Kou Uraki uses towards the end of the series, and its even piloted by a more competent pilot than he ever could be (not that hard though).  The Nu Gundam short even gave an alternate ending for pain in the ass character Quess from Char’s Counterattack, which was pretty sweet actually.  The Gundam Seed one I talked about was the most bad ass short but the best one by far…the SD Musha Gundam short if only because the kid Gundam characters he’s protecting are so damn adorable and the short itself is played fully for good laughs (unlike that BS CG SD Gundam Series from forever ago).  The ZZ continuation was a surprise and it’s always cool to see Char get a short all to himself, and is even forced to fight a simulation of his old Red Comet Zaku.  So…yeah id say I enjoyed about half of the shorts if I had to give a rough estimate.

 

In the end, it’s a pretty even round out for Gundam Evolve.  Half of the animated shorts are fun and respectable outings that shine lights on both Mobile Suits and pilots from the last few decades of Gundam.  The other half are either boring or unnecessary or make the CG animation overstay its welcome more than it already has.  Still, I think there should be more anthologies like this out there for Gundam.  There so much to appreciate about the franchise, especially since its grown much more since these shorts came out.  I think that the staff thought too highly of the CG and forgot that we still love the old school artwork of the 70s, 80s and 90s chapters and that should be rectified in the next attempt.  You’ll definitely find a couple of shorts you’ll love and a few you wont like.  Either way, this was an uneven project but there’s something for everyone if you love Gundam as much as I do.

 

6/10

 

FIF#80-In Another World With My Smartphone

Touya Mochizuki finds himself at a table with God in Heaven.  Turns out, God didn’t mean for Touya to get struck by lightning and wishes to make amends by restoring him into a new world.  Touya only asks one minor amendment: he wants to bring his Smartphone along with him.  God allows this and imbunes the device with magical power.  He also grants Touya augmented abilities to enable him to survive in this fantasy realm.  With a fresh start ahead of him, Touya begins his travels with a team of beautiful women, all with a different skill sent.  It’s not everyday one gets a second chance.  And Touya’s gonna use it, and his cellphone, to change the world and have a good time in the process.

 

Issekai (Another World) has been one of the most dominating genres in Anime in the last decade (id say its pretty close to rivaling Shonen or maybe its surpassed it idk).  Each year, any studio will try to churn out the next big light novel turned Anime hit that will strike that same kind of popular luck as eternal Issekai King, Sword Art Online.  In the process, the market becomes oversaturated and titles tend to blend together more often than not, so much so that it’s hard to stand out (I think I said something similar about Mecha Anime in the 80’s that weren’t Gundam or Macross).  Which brings us to In Another World With My Smartphone.  And despite the title promising just that…besides the opening scene (and a catchy opening tune), it’s pretty boring unless youre a huge fan of Issekai.

 

In Another World With My Smartphone begins with nothing more than a 25 minute tutorial of the world in which main character Touya Mochizuki has been reborn into.  There is a little bit of action, a whole lot of God granted luck (courtesy of the titular Smartphone) and a legion of girls who all would like to take Touya to their bedrooms.  Oh and Touya bears a striking resemblance to Issekai legend Kirito from Sword Art Online.  Absolutley nothing grabbed me as soon as he got to the new fantasy realm that might as well be another JRPG inspired setting.  The most fascinating part of the premiere was the very beginning.  It’s not everyday you kick off your show with your main character getting a personal apology from God for accidentally killing him with a bolt of lighting.  I’ll admit, it was a nifty idea.  I don’t get why God chose a fantasy realm, probably because it’s Issekai’s go to choice setting.  And I get that Touya needs to get accustomed to the new world and he does have some difficulties…but he is given a literal God Cheat that enables him to defeat enemies in battle and master magic in seconds.  God only knows (no pun intended) what’s going to happen once Touya starts using his Smartphone more frequently.

 

It’s hard not to watch the first episode of In Another World With My Smartphone and not think about That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime (What the hell is up with these lengthy titles?).  Slime felt like a breath of fresh air for the genre courtesy of a fun lead, the adorable squishy form he found himself in and a fascinating mindset of exploration that didn’t feel like it was read straight out of a textbook.  Smartphone is the opposite.  Touya is pretty bland and everyone in the world is basically reading out an entire chapter of JRPG 101 to him in a way that isn’t exciting, doesn’t grab me and left me pretty bored by the end.  Needless to say, I don’t think ill be keeping up with this one.  Maybe it gets better down the line but right now, there isn’t enough uniqueness to make this show stand out in a genre that continues to churn out new titles every year (or month it feels like). 

 

The March to Year 6

Hey everyone.  Now that January and February are in the rear view (along with Slayers Next and a couple of other surprise reviews), it’s time to look ahead to the end of Year 5 and the beginning of Year 6 of the Gundam Anime Corner.  For a while I was thinking about what series I should cover for March and couldn’t make up my mind.  Then I realized, “Hey I have a backlog of films on my shelf and on my Netflix/Amazon cue I could review instead of a show…pick out 5 of them and have at it.”  So that’s going to be March.  It’ll be a bit of a roulette cause the films ive chosen are pretty random.  There’s no common theme, no connection of any kind.  They’re all Anime movies and that’s that.  I think ive chosen five good ones (well some of them aren’t that great, gotta mix it up a little).  Here’s what’s ahead for the month of March:

 

Gundam Evolve-March 4, 2019

15 CG Animated shorts from across the Gundam multiverse with appearances from every Gundam era from UC 0079 to Gundam Seed.

 

 

Napping Princess-March 11, 2019

A fantasy adventure from Kenji Kamiyama, the director of Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East.  One girls dreams may seem fantasy but they might hold the key to unlocking the future.

 

 

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie-March 18, 2019

The 90’s action classic based on one of the greatest video game franchises of all time, Street Fighters Ryu, Chun Li and Guile are all on separate quests but headed for the same collision course with the villainous M. Bison.

 

 

Arcadia of My Youth-March 25, 2019

The origin of one of Anime’s most bad ass scifi heroes is revealed.  Follow the journey of one Captain Harlock as he goes from soldier to fugitive to legend in his quest to free his people from a powerful empire.

 

 

Halo: The Fall of Reach-March 29, 2019

Before Requiem, before The Covenant, before Halo, there was Reach.  It’s not only one of the most heavily protected bases in the UNSC, it’s the birthplace of one of the galaxies greatest legends.  This is where the story of John 117, the Master Chief begins.

And a couple of days after that, we arrive at the Gundam Anime Corner’s 5^th Birthday (March 31) and the annual Special Review that comes with it.  This year my choice of film is…

Slayers: The Motion Picture-March 31, 2019

In a prequel to the TV Series, Lina Inverse and her on again/off again frenemy, Naga the Serpent, take a vacation to a distant island that may or may not be in need of an exorcism after an eternity of darkness.

 

Plus we’ve got the usual Top 5 Wednesday lists.  And First Impression Friday will be continuing on until the end of March before taking a break and returning later this summer (probably after Otakon).  Hope everyones looking forward to this slate and thanks for stopping by the Gundam Anime Corner.  See ya around.