FIF#227-Love After World Domination

When the evil Secret Society Gekko threatens the world with fiery destruction, an elite fighting force of five young warriors is assembled to combat them: Freezing Sentai Gelato 5.  Unbeknownst to both teams, the unthinkable has happened.  Reaper Princess Desumi Magahara and Gelato Red Fudo Aikawa have fallen in love.  Determined to make their blossoming romance work, Fudo and Desumi enter a forbidden relationship where they spend their private time trying to navigate being a couple and their public time staying mortal enemies on the battlefield.

 
I’ve been on a bit of a Super Sentai kick lately, so this is a pretty timely Anime to get brought to my attention.  Being a casual Power Rangers fan, I know it’s not uncommon for series to have a subplot similar to Love After World Domination’s premise.  However, I’m pretty certain none of them have been played for laughs quite like this.  LAWD is a full blown Rom Com offering with a side of Super Sentai action, tropes and gags…and a pretty adorable couple to lead the way it seems.
 

T5W#492-Top 5 Macross Plus Songs

Well they overshot it by a couple of weeks into 2025, as opposed to the promised 2024, but we finally have what we’ve been long promised: a whole plethora of Macross titles making their US debut on Disney+.  So where did I start?  Macross 7?  Macross Delta?  Well I might have plans for those later this year so, no.  Nope, I started with an old friend: Macross Plus.  While the subtitles might be a bit of an issue, there’s no denying this legendary OVA looks more amazing than ever in high definition.  I could talk about my favorite scenes but how about we talk about the one part of this Anime whose power no one can deny: the OST by Yoko Kanno.  This mix of sweeping orchestral composures and future techno tunes could be considered Kanno’s Magnum Opus (or maybe a very close second behind Cowboy Bebop).  Today on Top 5 Wednesday I’ll be counting down my picks for the Top 5 Macross Plus Songs.  No orchestral stuff, just the lyrical melodies sung by digital songstress Sharon Apple or Myung Fang Long.

 

Shimoeta: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist-Part 2 Episodes 4-6

To further her plans for a social sexual awakening across the city, Ayame Kajou targets a mythical buried treasure in Yotsuga Forest.  But there’s more than just the Decency Police standing in SOX’s way.  The Student Council President, Anna Nishikinomiya, has had an awakening and Tanukichi is not prepared for what he’s unintentionally unleashed.  And with a new breed of Peace Makers about to be rolled out, keeping ones dirty little thoughts and urges secret is about to become a lot harder.  That wont stop Blue Snow and SOX, not when the world deserves to let its freak flags fly without shame.

Just when I thought I knew what I was getting into with Shimoneta, along comes this newest set of episodes that proves I have no idea at all.  This show continues to make the case of it being just a straight up Hentai but for mainstream audiences, especially in the case of one character (and it isnt Blue Snow).  It can make me feel uncomfortable (FYI wear headphones when watching this so the neighbors don’t ask questions), but Shimoneta is still nailing its hilarious social commentary and dialogue that’s snappy and continually creative with its sexual innuendos and work arounds. 
 

FIF#226-Terminator Zero

2022.  Mankinds war against Skynet continues with no end in sight.  1997. Scientist Malcom Lee, plaguged by apocalyptic visions, conceives a specialized computer that could avert the future.  Skynet sends a new Terminator back to the past in order to stop Lee and ensure it’s own existence.  A lone resistance fighter named Eiko has fought against this type of monster before and volunteers to stop another from destroying the future.  With mere days before Judgement Day arrives, the final battle for the future begins.

 
Are we really in need of a Terminator Anime at this point?  Ask anyone and they’ll say the franchise rightfully so topped out at T2: Judgement Day.  Except maybe for The Sarah Connor Chronicles TV Series, any subsequent sequel afterwards has failed to reach the heights of the first two legendary films and the failure of Terminator: Dark Fate seems enough to put the franchise out to pasture for good.  Yet we now have a Terminator Anime to try and redeem the franchise one more time.  It’s a new story, new cast, as of the first episode no ties to John Connor or Arnold Schwarzzenegers’s iconic T-800.  It’s completely fresh.  So is it enough to get invested in the Terminator one more time?
 

T5W#491-Top 5 Story Ideas for Star Wars Visions 3

Depending on who you ask, Star Wars is in an overall interesting state at the moment.  People either love the expanding universe TV Series or think theyre as bad (if not worse) than The Rise of Skywalker.  One thing we can all agree on is that Star Wars Visions is an awesome anthology series and it’s about time we got news that a third volume has been announced for release sometime in 2025.  Unlike the more worldwide offerings of Volume 2, Volume 3 will be returning to Visions original Anime roots with 9 new stories from a plethora of studios including Studio Wit, Trigger and Production I.G.  My one fear of this approach is that while Anime and Jedi go hand in hand, Volume 1’s biggest shortcoming was it was all lightsaber duels and little else (as cool as those were).  Volume 2 mostly looked past that with tales involving some Jedi but a lot of everyday people in various adventures across the galaxy.  I really want Volume 3 to continue in this direction so for todays Top 5 Wednesday I’m sharing my Top 5 Story Ideas for Star Wars Visions 3.