T5W#200-Top 5 Reactions to the Final Fantasy VII Remake E3 2019

The world erupted in unified cheers of joy across the world last night when Square Enix took the stage at E3.  After years of waiting and years of teasing little by little at other E3s, it was time, finally time (pun fully intended).  Final Fantasy VII Remake was unveiled once again with a slew of new amazing cutscenes and gameplay sequences…AND AN ACTUAL RELEASE DATE!!!  That’s right folks.  Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Barret and Sephiroth return to consoles on March 3, 2020 (27 years after the original Final Fantasy dropped on the first Playstation).  Since today is my 200^th Top 5 Wednesday, I did have something else in mind to commemorate this milestone.  However, the more I watch this trailer, the more I want to talk about it.  And besides, this is a big deal for the Anime community so I have no problem giving Final Fantasy some time to shine and share this big day for my blog.  So here it is ladies and gents, Top 5 Wednesday #200-my Top 5 Reactions to the Final Fantasy VII Remake E3 2019 Trailer.

#5-Still Going Episodic I See

It was a longshot to think we’d get otherwise this point but I guess its happening whether we like it or not.  Judging from actual reports and what footage we’ve seen in all of the trailers, Final Fantasy VII Remake is going to be released in an episodic manner (kind of like what Square has been doing for the rebooted Hitman series).  So what does this mean?  It means that when the game launches in March 2020, we’re probably only going to get the Midgar heavy opening act, maybe even as far as the escape from the city and the introduction of Red XIII.  Am I ok with this?  Ehhh…nooooo? But at the same time, it’s better to be getting this game at some point rather than waiting another decade to actually play it.  We’re also still not sure as to the release schedule of other parts or if it will need to be paid for.  The game is launching with a $60 price tag so maybe the additional episodes will be free?  Who knows, who knows. 

#4-I Wanna Play Final Fantasy XV Again

Much like how Resident Evil 2’s return this year was updated with a gaming engine akin to Resident Evil 4, Final Fantasy VII Remake looks to be drawing gameplay inspiration from the most recent entry in the franchise, Final Fantasy XV.  We’ve got more free roaming options, a bike chase featuring Cloud and Avalanche member Jesse, and what looks like button mashing combat akin to Noctis and the crew of the Regalia.  We’ve still got months to go until Remake arrives but that just makes me want to load up FFXV again and do some free roaming with Noctis and the boys.  Not much to do at this point besides travel the country side, do some camping, eat good food and hunt monsters…aka the best parts of Final Fantasy XV.

 

#3-15 years Ago…

A year before the launch of the Playstation 3 back in 2006, a tech demo appeared to show off the infamous opening sequence of Final Fantasy VII.  Featuring appearances by Aeris and Cloud, this was just meant to be a simple demonstration of what the next gen Playstation console was capable of, graphics wise at least.  And yet, as soon as this dropped, the rumor mill began to spin as to whether or not we might get a remastered version of Final Fantasy VII.  Sure the true word came in 2005 that the project was real and forthcoming.  But for me, the possibility of getting a chance to play a graphically juiced up version of one of the most celebrated Final Fantasy titles has been a pipe dream 15 years in the wait, for the record that’s long than the wait for Final Fantasy XV by about 5 years.

 

#2-That Beautiful Opening

Speaking of demos featuring the intro, The Final Fantasy VII Remake E3 trailer opened with an infamous shot from the original intro: a slow pull back from a kneeling Aeris to show off the teched out city of Midgard.  These first few seconds alone made Final Fantasy VII feel larger than ever.  Compare the opening paused shot of Midgard from the PS1 days to what we’re getting next year, its no wonder its taken nearly a decade and change to get this delivered to us.  Accompanied by some classic Final Fantasy tunes (might have to do a Top 5 on that later this year), this isn’t just an above average update, this is a love letter to the game that put Final Fantasy on the map for a great many Otaku and it’s gonna get the care it deserves getting to us by March 3, 2020.

#1-Tifa, Tifa, Tifa

One of the hardest hitting and sexiest women in all of Final Fantasy returned with a vengeance in the new trailer.  I thought that Tifa’s look in Advent Children was the pinnacle of her skill and beauty, boy was I wrong.  Rocking an updated look of her classic threads (complete with Rin Tohsaka esque thigh highs) and bringing the pain like never before, Tifa’s reveal during the E3 2019 Trailer arguably stole the show, met with cheers so loud you could barely hear any of her dialogue during the presentation.  And that shot of her and Cloud back to back, ready to kick some ass…dammit Square Enix SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!

K-ON! Part 2 Episodes 5-8

The Light Music Club might be four members strong…buuuuut theyre still not recognized as an “official club.”  It’s a race against time as Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi set out to gain a Club Advisor before the school festival, where they plan to debut their first song together.  Could the answer to their prayers lie in Ms. Sawako Yamanaka, the beautiful teacher who is trying to hide a dark and sinister past?  And when the time comes to perform, can our four heroines pull off the show of a lifetime?  Get ready to rock and enjoy some tea and maybe meet a few new inspired faces along the way.

Week Two of K-ON was filled with everything that made the premiere work so well, with a few important additions.  New characters (some already introduced but taking on bigger roles) and, most importantly, MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC!!!!

I suppose I cant really discuss much else before getting it out of my system: these girls are one of the best rock bands ever. If you felt let down that last week yielded very little in the musical department, the debuts of Fuwa Fuwa Time and Watashi no Koi wa Hocchikisuwere both stellar.  Fuwa Fuwa Time is the big winner between those two however.  Not only did Mio step up to perform some beautiful vocals, the entire song feels like the proper kind of “feel good” tune that the Light Music Club gang exudes whenever theyre in the same room together.  And while we didn’t get to see the full on live performance during the school festival, we did get a Music Video sequence during Fuwa Fuwa Time with the girls playing a peace concert in the desert, it was great.  We’d been waiting a bit to hear the Light Music Club rock some jams and rock they most certainly did. 

And yet, while we did get great music, the characters still continue to be the strongest reason to stick around K-ON.  This week, supporting characters introduced during the debut got to rise in the ranks and have some fun times alongside the core group.  Yui and her little sister, Ui, are freaking adorable together, especially during the flashbacks of the two of them as toddlers at Christmas.  Ui does feel like the true “older sister” of the duo but has so much love for her scatterbrained but big hearted sister.  Nadoka got to pull some strings to get the gang their first school gig and got to have some fun with Yui’s new friends as well, even ending up in the same second year classroom as Mio.  However, the MVP this week is Sawako Yamanaka, the beautiful advisor to the club.  She quickly shed her kind teacher persona when the girls discovered she used to be the Johan Krauser II (Detroit Metal City Reference) of their high school once upon a time.  The demon was unleashed and Yamanaka brought the comedy out too, not just playing a kick ass mentor who’s master of the guitar, but also coming up with increasingly silly and risqué costumes for the girls to wear.  Yamanaka fits right in.

There was still plenty of room for Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi to continue shining too.  I loved Mugi’s little crush on Yamanaka, when there teacher was being kind and not crazy.  Yui and Ritsu are becoming quite the comedic duo of the quartet, especially their sumo impersonations when Yui had a sore throat and couldn’t sing.  Once again, however, Mio won the week for me.  Not only did she put in real hard work to learn how to face her fear in front of crowds and sing, but she also got on the tail end of some of the best comedy.  From haunted house frights to a disastrous wardrobe malfunction, Mio’s reactions to every little hiccup in life were priceless.  Even if Ritsu loves stoking that fire, Mio can always depend on her friends to be there.  Also, it looks like Yui will be backing her up on vocals like they did during the freshman orientation number.  The girls are coming along as a team and as individuals.  K-ON’s kind of subtle about it but character growth is there.

I feel so bad for the group that the school enjoys their performances but no one really wants to sign up.  Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi are four great gals who know how to have fun even at their most unfocused.  No day would ever be wasted hanging out with them.  Yet their inability to attract more attention than just Ui and a mysterious newcomer, Azuya, can be a bit disheartening.  Speaking of, Azuya could have used a bit more attention during her introductory episodes.  Now that she’s joined the club im sure we’ll see what kind of energy she brings to the group to help her stand out.  Until that point, she was just another girl wandering around the halls, uncertain of whether or not she wanted to take a chance.  I’m surprised Ui isn’t signing up with the group since she’s their strongest supporter.  Maybe when she becomes a second year she might?  The friend she brought to the club room didn’t seem jazzed about the gang, which again kind of sucks when someone doesn’t immeidetly bond to the likeable charms of the Light Music Club.  Still, one new club member is a win.

K-ON’s second week delivered on the promise of good music and good times with four great friends who just want to do their own thing and have fun.  Even at some of its slower moments, I’m always having fun with this crew of misfits who just so happen to be a kick ass band with kick ass tunes.  Now let’s see how their second year gets going with Azusa joining their ranks.  Til next week everyone.

T5W#199-Top 5 Personal AMV’s Ive Worked On

In the past, we’ve talked about how Music in Anime can help shape and even define certain stories.  K-ON, FLCL, Cowboy Bebop and Your Name are just a few examples of Anime that would entirely change if their soundtracks were radically different.  The same notion of musical importance can be applied to AMVs (Anime Music Videos).  Mixing and matching different Anime to different audio tracks either from music or trailer audio is an art and one many can do very well, earning them entries into various competitions are many conventions.  Believe it or not, I used to dabble a lot in the realm of AMV and made a fair amount of my own (most of which weren’t posted cause of fear of copyrighting strikes getting them taken down or muted on YouTube).  So for todays Top 5 Wednesday, sadly I wont be including the actual videos ive done themselves but I will have lengthy descriptions of AMV projects ive done in the past im still very proud of.  Here are my Top 5 Personal AMV’s Ive Worked On.

#5-Ninja Scroll/Samurai X-No Church in the Wild

Video: Ninja Scroll and Rurouni Kenshin-Trust and Betrayal

Audio: No Church in the Wild by Jay-Z and Kanye West

I heard this song hundreds of times at work while listening to the trailer for Safe House.  I liked it more and more and wanted to use it in a video so badly.  I started to think that a warrior themed video would work and slowly veered towards a Samurai themed video.  The dangerous lives of Jubei Kimagami and Kenshin Himura came to mind since they’re the only ones I have.  I strongly considered buying Samurai Champloo and doing a video based on the phenomenal last three episodes, but I like the way this video turned out with the fusion of these Anime classics.  There really is no church for these wayward warriors and the demons they face, both human and monster…or at least that what I thought about while making this vid.  On a side note, I did pick a couple of spots to ease up on the overall seriousness of these separate stories.  Some are dead giveaways, but there is one I got a good laugh setting up.  It’s my favorite shot of the vid and if anyone can spot it besides me, more power to ya.

#4-Kenshin Bond Begins

Video: Rurouni Kenshin-Trust and Betrayal

Audio: Casino Royale Teaser Trailer

This was my first trailer after my return to editing as a hobby following a lengthy hiatus after graduation from college.  It is also the first where I would regularly start keeping track of my editing projects after their completion.  I always felt there were plenty of comparisons between the rise of Mr. Bond and the Hitokiri Batosai a.k.a Kenshin Himura.  From their first kills to their tragic encounters with love, all are highlighted in this trailer.  The second half of the trailer is a bit of a jumble in terms of action and sound synching.  But really, I just wanted to mix Kenshin’s earlier exploits with Judi Dench’s speech to Bond at the beginning of the trailer, which is one of the best in the Bond series.  In that respect, I think this trailer was pretty good at doing that speech justice.

#3-Ghost in the Shell-Desolation Path

Video: Ghost in the Shell 2.0 and Ghost in the Shell 2-Innocence

Audio: Desolation Path by Vangelis

Without Blade Runner there would be no Ghost in the Shell, pure and simple.  Both films draw heavily on each other with their plots and subject matter and could be very distant cousins when you think about it.  So why shouldn’t they meld together at some point.  I wanted to keep this AMV strictly Ghost in the Shell 2, but ended up using certain clips from the original film.  And that turned out to be the best decision I ever made.  With both films I was able to weave together a very sad narrative about two of the films main characters.  What was always essential and never changed was that song to be used.  Desolation Path was heard only in the Workprint preview of Blade Runner but it is my favorite track from any version of the film, so sad but so memorable.  I wouldn’t want to do a Ghost in the Shell video without it.  This is a very beautiful AMV and I am happy I was the one to create it. 

#2-Halo-We Don’t Need Another Hero

Video: Halo Legends

Audio: We Don’t’ Need Another Hero by Tina Turner

I am very VERY happy I didn’t put this video off.  I was tempted to sleep right after I finished a prior AMV, but if I had, this video would not have been nearly as good as I rave it is.  This was the first time I worked on one video immediately following another.  Sure I came THIS close to sacrificing a good nights sleep, but it was worth it.  I love the Halo franchise and the Anime feature it spawned begged a video from me.  It wasn’t until I had just recently listened to Tina Turner’s We Don’t Need Another Hero from the film Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, that I found a song that could do the Master Chief and the Spartans justice.  The song is very powerful and one of the best Tina Turner has ever done and I found a whole new respect for it as I went about crafting this video.  Halo-WDNAH also contains what I feel is one of the best bits of editing I have ever done (the spot where the Arbiter takes down two soldiers, takes their weapons and stands ready for combat hit all the right notes at all the right times).  If I can clean up the video quality, I would love to submit this video to an Anime convention for competition, I am THAT happy with this video. 

#1-Haruhi Suzumiya: The Streets of Philadelphia

Video: The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

Audio: Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen

Streets of Philadelphia was a song I had been wanting to use for a long time, ever since my Dad first introduced me to it.  The sad and lonely journey of Kyon through the events of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya seemed to fit the lyrics of the song perfectly; and actually there were plenty of scenes that synced up with the lyrics perfectly.  However, what makes this AMV a new personal favorite of mine is the fact that I showed this one to my Dad when I finished it and he gave it very high praise, which is the greatest feeling in the world.  I’m seriously considering touching this one up to prep it for entry into Otakon 2012’s AMV contest.  Not since my Halo-We Don’t Need Another Hero video have I felt THIS good about an AMV I’ve done.  This wasn’t the first time I turned to Haruhi Suzumiya for project inspiration and it wouldn’t be the last (considering all the late 90s/early 2000s tracks I used for the Hare Hare Yukai dance alone).  But this was my all time fav.

 

K-ON! Part 1 Episodes 1-4

Yui Hirasawa has just started high school.  But the loveable airheads attempts to join an after school club are failing.  However, one club is in dire need of a fourth member to stay afloat: the Light Music Club.  Though she’s never truly played an instrument in her life, Yui is lured to the club with the promise of snacks and good company.  Soon, Yui finds herself teamed up with bass player Mio Akiyama, drummer Ritsu Tainaka and keyboardist Tsumugi “Mugi” Kotobuki.  Together, these four will take the school by storm with a sound never heard before…if they can find time to stop eating tasty snacks, study and practice a little bit.

Every once in a while, I like to take a break from the hardcore action, scifi and fantasy shows or movies I’d usually cover here at the Gundam Anime Corner.  That kind of Anime is still my favorite (especially scifi).  However, I do like to dabble in territories where something doesn’t go “boom” (as my Dad would put it).  In the past here on the blog ive ventured into shows like Bamboo Blade and Love Hina with varied levels of success (loved Bamboo Blade but not as loving of Love Hina like I once was).  Which brings us to today, the start of K-ON!.  It’s a show about four cute high school girls who come together to form an after school band…and that’s kind of it, at least coming off of the first four episodes.  Basic, yes.  Deep?  Not really.  Promising? Despite a very glaring issue (depending), absolutely. 

 

For a show that is advertised heavily in regards to the kick ass jams associated with it, the debut set of episodes of K-ON! Actually feature very little of the core group playing music together.  Sure we get Mio, Ritsu and Mugi putting on a very short demo for Yui but other than that there’s the practically blink and you’ll miss it moment of Yui strumming her guitar…and that’s kind of it.  Based on that observation alone…yeah, id believe it would be tough to sell you on reasons to stick with K-ON!.  BUT there are reasons in those first four episodes.  There’s not a lot of music, yes.  However, if you look past that and focus on what the show wants you to focus on, you might just see that this has the potential to be the most “feel good” Anime of all time.

 

Let’s meet our players, shall we?  K-ON!’s core quartet of high school girls is diverse, loveable and offered plenty of time to shine alone as well as together.  From Yui’s aloofness and clumsiness to Mio’s mature but delicate mannerisms to Mugi’s humbleness and Ritsu’s ball of highly caffeinated energy, this is a combo that works on so many levels.  The bond between these four is instantaneous, going from complete strangers (almost.  Ritsu and Mio knew each other well before now) to putting everything on the line to help Yui pass her midterms and earn money for a guitar.  It might move a bit rapid fire but you grow to love these girls all the same for their individual quirks as well as the team they become over the course of a few short episodes.  Mio is my favorite, partly because she’s voiced by Cristina Vee in the English Dub.  She’s also the most mature but prone to freak outs of various kinds, either due to social anxieties or Ritsu poking her fear of anything terrifying.  But like I said, everyone gets to shine.  Yui’s a bit of an airhead but determined to play guitar and keep spending time with her friends.  Ritsu is the beating heart of the team, never stopping in her quest for…well anything she sets her mind to.  And Mugi, I love her humble nature.  She’s uber rich and influential even if she doesn’t realize it or wants to make a big deal about it (like I said, humble).  Her successful attempt to “haggle” for Yui’s guitar was one of the biggest highlights of the opening set.  Feel like I’ve rambled.  Short version: I love this crew and I’m gonna love every moment of their adventures.  I also liked that supporting cast members Nadoka and Ui, both Yui’s best friend and little sister respectively, got ample time to stand out.

 

Adventure is a good way to describe each episode thus far.  The lack of music can be seen as disconcerting but we’ll get there.  K-ON makes it clear that the music numbers are the destination but it’s the journey to get to them that it wants to focus on.  And no, that doesn’t involve practice (much to poor Mio’s disappointment at times).  It involves…a lot of other things.  There’s the aforementioned quest to get Yui’s guitar that results in a brief part time job stint.  There’s a cram session to make sure Yui doesn’t touch her guitar in order to pass an exam that will keep her with the club.  And there’s the beach episode cause this is an Anime with an all female cast.  Thanks to the undeniable likeable chemistry between Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi, none of these premises’ ever feel stale and I never felt like time was ever wasted.  It was fun getting to know the girls a little but while also establishing some long term goals: Ritsu’s wish to play during a huge rock concert and Mio wanting to see the group play at their own school festival.  Point is, if you’re not just enjoying chilling out while watching these girls get into some wacky situations this might not be the Anime for you.  K-ON! Is living in the moment and there are plenty of good moments.

That’s not to say that the premiere is totally devoid of jamming tunes.  The opening and ending themes for this season are some of the best I have ever heard in Anime.  “Cagayake Girls” is the blood pumper and the announcer of good times to come in a thirty minute episode and “Don’t Say Lazy” is the more mature and signs of potential in the girls ability to play together as a true band (signs of the future maybe?).  If the OP and ED sound this good, and they’re played by a band that never practices in the first four episodes, just imagine what theyre going to sound like when we do get to see them play live.  Two songs in and I already feel like K-ON!’s soundtrack deserves a spot up there with the best of them like Akira and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

Though devoid of tunes to practice, the debut adventures of the Light Music Club placed K-ON! Immediately in the category of “Anime for a Rainy Day” category.  A colorful and fun cast and a positive energy that cant be denied dominated a set of episodes where very little happens to advance the plot but at the same time, I didn’t care.  This is the club id want to sign up for in high school if I wanted to play an instrument (and not because of the four pretty girls that run it).  I’d love to hear an actual song from Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi at some point this season and I’m sure we’ll get to that sooner than I think.  For now, the journey of K-ON! has begun and already I wanna give the series a 10/10…cant say that often about a show but damn this beginning was promising.  See ya next week.

Fist of the North Star: The Movie

In the year 199X, the world fell into chaos and nuclear fire.  The survivors live at the mercy of a desolate land and the savages who roam it.  Kenshiro is the master of the Hokudo Shinken and he wanders the wasteland in search of his lost fiancée Yuria.  When he stumbles upon a town under siege and a mute girl with an aura similar to his own, Kenshiro finds himself hurtling fist first into a showdown with those he used to call family with the lives of not just Yuria on the line, but possibly the last of humanity as well.

Fist of the North Star was a wildly popular Anime in the mid 80s.  No doubt inspired by the vision and success of the Mad Max series, the Anime replaced guns with martial arts but kept the road warrior aesthetic.  Oh and it offered a ton of off the wall action and all the guts and glory that made Anime pop up on the radars of action junkies in the mid 80s.  Fist of the North Star: The Movie, offers the same kind of entertainment as the TV Series but without restraint or shackles of network broadcast.  The end result is one of the goriest and unsettling Anime experiences you’ll ever have and depending on how strong of a stomach you have…you might enjoy it?

Any myths or rumors you might’ve heard about Fist of the North Star’s lead character, Kenshiro, and his ability to pop heads like balloons with a single finger aren’t exaggerated in this feature film.  Not only is he capable of doing that, a lot of people seem skilled at dismembering anyone and everyone in variously nightmarish ways.  There’s a point where the violence level in the film stops being about “ohs and ahs” and more about how gross and unsettling the movie can make things.  There’s a difference between stylized violence like in Akira or Ninja Scroll, where its done for both a cool factor and an important plot point.  Fist of the North Star feels more focused with being gratuitous and unrelenting whenever possible without reason besides…life sucks in the wasteland?  There’s one random scene where a band of road warriors mercilessly attack and dismember a helpless caravan of civilians and I was just wondering, “Why?  What purpose did that scene serve in the film?”  The answer is “nothing”.  And soon Fist of the North Star just becomes a series of unrelenting bloodbaths with small snippits of story here and there too so it isn’t just about the bloody action…well about 10% of the time it’s not about that. 

The story feels cobbled together from bits and pieces of either original Anime or Manga chapters and doesn’t really have a structure beyond go from Point A to Point B and pop more heads like grapefruit.  The simple version is Kenshiro is out for revenge against the brothers who wronged him and stole his girl and…really nothing more is necessary if youre just doing a straight up non stop action flick, which Fist of the North Star is.  In a way, this movie knows what it is and isn’t going to apologize for being so.  Ergo, character development is rare or non existent, everyone is around to either die or get seriously injured.  And I was left wondering what had been accomplished by the films finale…which wasn’t really much even though the movie felt longer than it’s just under two hour run time.  No story, all action, that is Fist of the North Stars game.

For all my gripes about the mean spirited violence, the movie does boast some good production values.  The character designs and overall animation look like they have been touched up for a movie level project: similar to Cowboy Bebop: Knockin on Heaven’s Door and Evangelion: Death and Rebirth.  There’s no denying this is a good looking flick.  And when we aren’t focused on how many hordes of bad guys we can turn into strawberry jam, the one on one battles are interesting and unique.  I can see why this Anime’s fight style gained it it’s notoriety and legions of fans.  Kenshiro’s Bruce Lee inspired cries and rapid fire fist strikes, along with his signature line, “Youre already dead”, made him an Anime icon for a reason and it’s hard not to argue with him blowing up the brains of some seriously demented bad guys.   He was the “One Punch Man” before Saitama ever arrived on the scene.

Fist of the North Star: The Movie offers fans of the series everything they enjoy about the show but on a larger and unhindered scale.  If youre a fan of gory Anime action with no story and just characters beating the literal bloody mess out of each other for two hours, you’ll be right at home.  For me?  I couldn’t get past how brutally depressing and overly violent the movie was.  Sure the film looks pretty and Kenshiro lives up to his reputation.  I guess I wasn’t expecting that level or gore or how messy (no pun intended) the movie feels overall.  I wasn’t a big Fist of the North Star fan to begin with and this movie didn’t convert me.  It’s just not my thing.

5/10