T5W#20-Top 5 Titles Ive Reviewed this Year

This year hasn’t been easy for me on a number of levels.  In fact, id dare to say this has been one of the worst years of my life.  That’s not to say 2015 has been all bad.  Katsucon and Otakon delivered much needed relief and Star Wars returned triumphantly.  Through the good times and bad, I’ve still made it my mission to update this blog every Monday and Wednesday with new reviews and favorite lists.  I’m not sure how many are actually reading.  But for those who have stopped by and taken a minute to read a bit, I would like to express my thanks.  It’s small but this blog is still growing and no matter what will continue to do so.

With all that said, to close out 2015, I thought I’d take a look back at the library of titles I’ve covered this year and rank up what were my favorite series or movies to cover this year. 

 

#5-Live Action Movie Month (Death Note 1&2, Space Battleship Yamato and Shinobi)

Seeing Anime done right, or at all really, in live action is a treat.  Going against the norm of my usual reviews, I decided that I would branch out and tackle the few that I had/really enjoyed.  Look forward to more of these kind of reviews in the future, maybe even a comparison or two if I ever get around to it).  If I ever get some more live action titles ive been dying to see (Rurouni Kenshin-which I have seen and may post a review I wrote a while back, Attack on Titan, Gatchaman, Lupin III) look forward to another couple of visits to the realm of Live Action Anime.

 

#4-Escaflowne

Reviewing this series put some things in perspective for me.  Even if I loved a series a lot back in the day, time can change your perception.  Case in point, Escaflowne.  I never had a problem with this series when I first watched it (finally) several years ago.  I think watching it this time through was my first since Otakon 2010 when I bought it.  Seeing how really, REALLY rough the series gets in it’s second half made me wonder…why did I like Escaflowne to begin with?  Was it the nostalgia for watching it on Fox Kids?  Was it the Aurthurian Mecha involved?  I cant pinpoint anything exact.  Still I do hold this show in good regard, flaws and all.  It was just good to take a fresh look at it and point out some of the elements that are not so great…and still find a way to ignore them and enjoy the fun.

 

#3-Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie

It’s rare I get to review something more current than old school.  Seeing GITS in the movies again, a new iteration, was one of the best movie nights ive had all year.  Those of you who read here know that Ghost in the Shell has a healthy representation on this blog (I’ve covered all of Stand Alone Complex and am working on Arise slowly but surely).  To review brand spanking new GITS right after seeing it was a no brainer.  If I do end up seeing more Anime in theaters at special screenings, I’ll be sure to do more reviews on them as well.

 

#2-Mobile Suit Gundam 00

This was just plain fun.  When I was mapping out my review for this series, I knew there was no way I could go my normal pace of one volume a week and make it to Otakon.  There was also the risk of going several months with just this series and I didn’t want this blog to be soley Gundam focused (even though it’s in the blogs title).  The strategy was made and the execution, was a whole lot of fun.  Getting to relive this tradition again was great and so was finally voicing my thoughts on elements I found annoying or just dumb, Graham Acker jump off a building.  I loved reviewing a series this long at a more consistent pace and writing shorter reviews to cover the long time span.  Gundam 00 was an experiment that succeeded.  So much in fact, I’ll just announce here I’ll be repeating the same review process with Code Geass and Code Geass R2 around the same time next summer.  I cant wait.

#1-Gundam Build Fighters

Easy top choice.  Well not so easy really, I was seriously giving this spot to Gundam 00.  Build Fighters topped the list because of a couple of reasons.  First, this was one of the few times I did a full series review in one sitting rather than split it up.  To be honest, I never expected to do that.  I was just going to shout strong praises but ended up being so detailed it had to be counted as a review. (I might even go back and mark my Rants on Madoka Magica 3 and Gundam Build Fighters Try as full fledged reviews too).  The second has to deal with those strong praises.  I loved this show and it made me smile and laugh and go WHOA and WHAT on several occasions.  Granted that made the heart break of Build Fighters Try all the more worse BUT I still hold Gundam Build Fighters as one of my all time favorite Gundam entries.  Not bad for a show about Gunpla and not two armies trying to kill each other. 

I wonder what series I have yet to review will be the big winner of next year.  If you are reading this and have been following, any favorites of your own?  Shout out in the comments below and see you all in 2016.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Part 2-Episode 3 & 4

The search for Laplace’s Box takes Banagher and Audrey, revealed to be the sole heir to the Zabi family, Mineva Zabi, into the very history of the Universal Century itself.  Supported by the crew of the Nahel Argama and pursued by Neo Zeon, the two youngsters ponder the secrets of the box and who’s hands it would be better off in.  Soon, Banagher falls to Earth with a Neo Zeon crew.  As Banagher learns more about his “enemy”, the Earth bound remnants of Zeon begin to rise again under Full Frontal’s banner of revenge.  As new players enter the stage and the plot thickens, Banagher and Mineva must discover for themselves what they are fighting for. 

Reaching the mid point of Gundam Unicorn, I can say im both loving this series but also finding a lot of things that are just driving me crazy with frustration about it.  The production quality is there and the scope is definitely worthy of a Gundam title. But the characters and their motivations are just plain infuriating at times.

The animation keeps getting better and better with each new episode.  I can see why episodes were coming out six months to almost a year in between entries.  The action scenes in the Laplace Colony and the Battle of Torrington are some of the best looking Gundam battles I have ever seen.  There’s hardly even a bad fusion of the 3D and 2 D drawing styles.

These middle episodes were littered with call backs and shout outs to previous Gundam entries.  Last time we got the revelation that Audrey is Mineva Zabi.  This time we find out that Marita is actually a long lost clone of Puru from Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ with one of the most tragic histories of any character.  This was a sad toned but still fun reveal that helps tie this universe together.  We also got to revisit some familiar places on Earth such as Dakar, also from ZZ and Zeta, and we had an all out war in Torrington, the starting point of Gundam 0083.  In both episodes we visited two locations key to opening Lapalace’s Box.  The Laplace Colony is where it all started and Torrington is where the Colony drop that helped define the atrocities of the One Year War took place.  Guess the throw backs are meant to be here for a reason and I’m sure we’ll see more of them before the end.  The call backs were strongest in two points.  First, there was the call to arms amongst Zeon’s Earth trapped troops.  Seeing all of those ancient mecha rise up from their long time hiding places, some looking as old as the One Year War mobile suits, was a mecha fans dream come true.  It’s also great they could still kick a little ass. 

Second, we got the long awaited and welcome return of Bright Noa.  For those who don’t know, Bright has been around since the original series.  He’s fought in four different wars up til this point and in each has commanded that conflicts premiere Gundam pilots (Amuro Ray in the One Year War and Second Neo Zeon War, Kamille Bidan in the Titans War and Judau Ashita in the First Neo Zeon War).  Therefore, this guy knows a thing or two about battle and about Gundams.  We didn’t get to see much of his reaction to Banagher’s Unicorn Gundam (though like Episode 2, everyone freaked out when the new Gundam appeared) but I’m looking forward to Bright possibly mentoring another young Newtype Gundam pilot (let’s face it, Banagher might as well be a Newtype by this point).  I especially love that Bright has a picture of Amuro in his office.  As of this point, it’s unclear what truly happened to Amuro and Char at the end of Char’s Counterattack but it’s safe to assume they’re more or less dead.  It’s smile worthy seeing that photo, knowing where Bright and Amuro started in the original series with an antagonistic relationship.  Also, cudos to Bright for calling Riddhe out on his “special treatment” bs…yeah let me just get into that right now.

Riddhe is my Graham Acker of Gundam Unicorn.  He’s mind is swayed way too easily and he basically throws himself at Mineva just seconds after calling her out on her heritage to Zeon. He’s even asked her to marry him?  I think by this point Mineva is 16 (?) call me crazy but im sure Riddhe is a bit older and therefore, this is way too creepy.  I wont say I disagreed with Riddhe in that Loney needed to be stopped in her (METAL GEAR?!!!!) mobile armor even if Banagher got through to her at the last second.  But that doesn’t excuse that Riddhe has no direction, zero likeability, and seems like he is only getting worse with every moment he shows up on screen.  “The only person giving you special treatment here is you,” Words by Bright Noa, get over yourself Riddhe.  At least he doesn’t want to f*** a Gundam like Graham did…ewww.  Speaking of Mineva, she got some good moments in Episode 4.  Her diner chat with an old Earther was well done and sold Mineva as the leader Zeon deserves, more than Char, more than her previous generation Zabi family.  I can see why everyone is so taken with her…just not sure why theyre willing to throw everything away without a second thought like Banagher and Riddhe…l’amour I guess?

Banagher id say is getting a little better and I cant help but wonder if Amuro was as whiny and indecisive at this point in his early Gundam career.  I get that the Gundam is meant to be a symbol or peace and hope for whichever side has it.  But it’s also got a helluva lot of power to it.  Banagher could have easily crippled the Metal Gear Mobile Armor without killing Loney when it was OBVIOUS she was way too gone to be talked down.  Banageher’s been in a couple of fights already with casualties.  You’d think he’d be dealing with that better considering he bounced back between Otto and Daguza in on the Nahel Argama and then to Zimmerman on Earth.  He’s got a ton of positive idealists to listen too.  My thoughts of Zimmerman being the Ramba Ral of this series aren’t too far off.  He’s a soldier who follows order but not without remorse or resentment in what he knows isn’t right.  His and Banagher’s mini scuffle was fun, especially when Zimmerman’s crew just sat there and watched it happen.  Who knows maybe it opened the eyes of both men a bit. 

And so we close 2015 out with Banagher at his new low point, unable to save a cursed Zeon pilot and with a Black and Gold Gundam Unicorn descending upon him.  Did the Laplace program kick in with a new clue amongst the chaos of the Torrington fight or did I miss it?  Either way, we’re left at one helluva cliffhanger until early February when I return with the second half of the series.

Thanks all for understanding this little break in Gundam and Ghost in the Shell Arise reviews.  2015’s been a great year for this little blog, but I’ll get more into that in a little while.  See ya in 2016 everyone.

Mobile Suit Gundam 00: The Movie-A Wakening of the Trailblazer

2314 AD. Two years have passed since the defeat of Ribbons Almark and his Innovates.  This brief era of peace is shattered by the reappearance of an age old ship sent out on a mission to Jupiter.  And it hasn’t come back alone.  All across the world, potential Innovators cry out in pain, heralding the coming of something powerful.  The time Aeolia Schenberg predicted has come and much sooner than anyone could have predicted.  Once again, Celestial Being and it’s Gundam Meisters reunite to commence “the dialogues that are to come”.  But when talking turns to violence, Earth faces a threat from the stars it may not be able to defeat.  It’s the final battle that will change everything, the future is now.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!! As it turns out I found this movie in a DVD bin at Otakon this past summer and seeing as how I had just reviewed the series in it’s entirety, it thought it only right to pick it up.  I ended up watching it over two nights there and while I still have reservations about the movie, I don’t think it was bad as I originally thought when I saw it at Otakon 2011.

The real deciding factor for most fans is the fact this this is the first Gundam entry to introduce Extraterrestrial life into the equation.  The series had been all building to this moment but managed to keep the main conflict human vs. sort of advanced human.  So it’s a draw for sure but is it worth it or does it make Gundam seem like all those other giant robot anime that feature mecha fighting aliens?  Well I actually think that it does stand out.  There’s always that paranoia of something new being brought into our lives, something life changing.  We’re not sure how to handle this new equation factor and more often than not, it scares the crap out of us and we want to push against it rather than let it in.  The Gundam 00 Movie hits this nail right on the head.  In a way, it’s a lot like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: The enemy isn’t really an enemy.  It’s just a vast collection of scared and alone life forms that doesn’t know how to talk to us.  Learning how to talk to each other has been a staple of many Gundam entries.  So merging this in with shapeless, Borg like aliens isn’t a stretch but is still fascinating.

That being said, the story does have a lot within it that kind of derails things a bit.  Firstly, it’s good to see everyone again but still EVERYONE IS HERE!!!!   A story with this much scope and direness could have benefited from keeping the number of players to a minimum outside of the obviously needed Celestial Being (and even not all of them are needed, ahem Alleluia).  And even then, Setsuna himself is pretty much rendered useless when the Aliens begin to screw with his Innovator abilities. I don’t get handicapping your star until the very end of the movie (if only to give him a bad ass entrance when he does get in the game with his Gundam).  Sidelining Setsuna didn’t work for me and I have to agree with some of his teammates that isolating himself during the film felt like a step backwards.

The movie tries to even the character overload out in my eyes by only having Saji and Louise pop up for one second then pushing them off to the side.  Their brief inclusion helped illustrate the threat.  But having characters like Andre Smirnov and F-ing Graham Acker back just seems unnecessary.  Andre got good closure in the series even if his character was a waste.  As for Graham…well he was just bored and wanted attention.  The funny thing is, I don’t even think Setsuna remembered him at the end of the movie, that made me chuckle a little bit.  Mannequin returns as leader of the military and Patrick is there too as her supportive husband.  They actually had one of my favorite scenes of the movie: where Kati is worried about the threat and Patrick comes THIISSSSS close to calming her fears with his lovable optimism and a kiss.  Seriously, we need a side series exploring the romance between these two.

We also get a couple of new faces introduced.  Mehna Carmine is a Nena Trinity lookalike who is supposed to be a very intelligent scientist.  And while she does get some good moments of intellectual exposition, she’s mostly there to flirt with Billy Kategiri like a horny school girl.  And then there’s Descartes Shaman.  He’s supposed to be “the worlds first Innovator” (since Setsuna’s keeping his new life status on the down lo).  Descartes is arrogant, full of himself and totally not a team player.  When the ELS (the aliens) take over his mobile armor, I fully expected him to become the face of the enemy in this movie.  But sadly such potential is wasted and Descartes just becomes another expendable pilot who thinks he’s more…kind of like the Innovates back in Season 2. 

All focus on the story and characters aside, the movie is a pretty solid scifi action fest like most Gundam features.  Still, for this being the first original Gundam movie in 19 years (this came out in 2010.  The last OG Gundam movie that wasn’t a compilation movie was 1991’s Gundam F91), the animation doesn’t look any better than it did in the TV series.  Was this to keep budget costs down?  At least the Gundam’s themselves look pretty impressive, with the Gundam 00-Quanta stealing the show just by being unveiled.  Even a lot of the music from the series is reused.  That’s not all bad since Kenji Kawai updates a few tracks but also adds a couple of haunting new ones, especially in regards to the ELS. 

For better or worse, this is the final chapter of the Gundam 00 saga.  The conflict is big enough for a finale and the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been.  I don’t think it will fully satisfy everyone.  When I first saw it back in 2011, the film didn’t do that for me.  I guess having reviewed the series on my own this past summer was a good primer for looking at “Awakening of the Trailblazer” in a different light.  As a finale, it kind of works.  It gets it’s point across eventually and closes the book, unless someone wants to do a sequel based on the post credits epilogue (yes like Season 2 it has one of those).  It’s got some story beat issues and too many characters trying to get their five minutes in for the grand finale.  But I’m glad I went back and revisited this film.  It’s an adequate farewell for a cast of characters ive grown to love (or hate as you know from my reviews).  Say what you will about it, Mobile Suit Gundam 00 will always have a special place in my heart.

7/10

 

 

T5W#18-Top 5 Holiday Themed Anime Features

It may not feel like it given the warm temps on the East Coast, but Christmas is a couple of days away.  So lets face it, had to do a Holiday themed Top 5 Wednesday this week.  Here are five titles to enjoy with your Otaku family while doing normal Christmas things like gift giving, cocoa drinking, tree watching, or just general hanging out with the people you love the most.

 

#5-Tokyo Godfathers

In one of the most traditional of holiday tales, three homeless runaways discover an abandoned newborn on Christmas Eve and seek to return it to it’s parents.  Isn’t that just the holidays right there?  You wouldn’t expect an alcoholic, a trans gender and a runaway to bond over such an event but man they do.  This is the time of year when differences and dark pasts can be set aside for a brief moment and love can form among the most unexpected of circumstances.  Who knows if it will last but for one night, it really is the best time of the year.  That’s quite a thing coming from the director of Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent, two not so cheerful stories (RIP Satoshi Kon).  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll…appreciate the little things a bit more.

 

#4-Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

Who doesn’t want an army of Giant Robots on Christmas?  That depends, do you want to look at them in awe or fear them as they take over the world?  Honestly, there’s only a small bit of Christmas talk in this special.  Endless Waltz is all about Gundams fighting in the snow.  It’s a nice little family gathering for Heero, Duo, Trowa and Quatre (with Wufei feeling left out so he fights everybody).  There’s also some nice extended family moments with Relena, Zechs, Noin, Sally Po and Lady Une.  But let’s face it, I’m only adding this to the list really because Christmas is the time of Angels. There’s an Angel Gundam in the form of Wing Gundam Zero Custom…so there.

 

#3-Sailor Moon S The Movie: Hearts in Ice

I honestly don’t remember if this actually takes place during summer or winter but in either case, it’s Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi fighting evil Anime Elsa to save the world.  I’ll take that as a holiday special sure.  As fun as it is to see the complete Senshi kicking ass and looking good like they do best, this special is nice because of Luna.  She gets a nice subplot where she falls for a Doctor connected to Evil Ice Elsa (yes she has a name but I’m running with that.).  And for once she gets a special moment where she gets to become human to show her affections for this young man.  Not only did this subplot inspire a fun new cosplay but also gave Luna some of her strongest material in all of Sailor Moon.  It was a nice Christmas gift for everyones favorite talking cat.

 

#2-The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya

This one’s a bit more on the dramatic side.  When Kyon wakes up one morning before Christmas and discovers Haruhi no longer exists, the world spirals.  The film follows Kyon’s race to find out what happened and at the same time, do some deep inner examinations.  For me, this isn’t just a great movie all around.  Relating it to the holiday, it’s a reminder to look at the people around me, think about how much I value them and how, in many cases, I wouldn’t change anything about those friendships, even for a whole new world.  The ending of this movie is one of the best Christmas messages ever: don’t let a day go by you don’t tell the people you care about most how you really feel.

 

#1-Dragon Ball Z Abridged: Tree of Might

Yeah I’m cheating on this one and I don’t care.  DBZA’s first abridged movie provides all the joy and laughter of the season with a little bit of action we all know from the Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might movie.  From Goku singing carols while Chi Chi scolds Gohan, to the introduction of Turles’s much more threatening minions (Dibs on not fighting the one who rapped Rudolph), even the true reward for the “Gift of Yamcha”, you cant really pass up the season anymore without giving this one a watch.  Best of all, it’s been a few years since this one came out and it can still get in a good laugh.

Find it on Youtube and give it a watch.

Happy Holidays everyone from the Gundam Anime Corner.

 

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Part 1-Episode 1 & 2

UC 0096.  Three years after Char’s rebellion, the remnants of Zeon, now known as the Sleeves, are preparing for their last gamble for independence.  Legend speaks of Laplace’s Box.  No one knows what this box is or what its exact contents are.  Two things are known: first, it’s mystery dates back as far as UC 0001, the beginning of the Universal Century Calendar; and second, it has the power to change the balance of power in space forever.  A race is on to retrieve this item.  On one side, the Sleeves.  On the other the Earth Federation under pressure from the mysterious Vist Foundation.  In the middle, two young wayward souls: Banagher Links and Audrey Byrne, and the key to finding the box: a special one of a kind mobile suit: The RX-0 Unicorn Gundam.

The giant robot that changed the genre forever is back.  Once again, the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise returns to the Universal Century where it all began.  This is a brand new story set in the 30 year gap between Gundam: Char’s Counterattack and Gundam F91.  That’s a good swath of history to insert a new story.  But Unicorn goes for big right off the bat, giving us not just any mystery.  This is directly related to the origin of the Universal Century, a period thus far unexplored in Gundam.  That’s the clincher right there.

I don’t know how many times I’m going to ask it during the course of these reviews…so I’ll just get it out of the way.  In the immortal words of Brad Pitt from the movie Seven, “WHAT’S IN THE BOX?  COME ON, WHAT’S IN THE BOOOOOOOOOOX?  WHAT’S IN THE F***ING BOX?”  Ok, done.  The secret of Laplace’s Box is hyped up a lot and I mean a lot, especially in the first episode.  Those of you expecting a lot of Gundam centered action right off the bat may be a little disappointed as we don’t see much of the Unicorn save for one minor test run and it’s full blown, amazing appearance at the end.  Episode 1 is all about set up, reestablishing this universe while catching us up to speed on what’s happened since Char’s Counterattack.  It’s almost funny hearing Banagher’s classmates talk about Zaku’s from the one year war.  To them, these are just stories in history and none can ever expect the hell the Box mystery is about to rain down upon them.  The box’s contents are so important, what little that’s left of Zeon is ready to go to war again…must be big.  For long time fans of the Universal Century, it’s great to see a welcome return and advancement of the era.  For newcomers, you may not get all the answers you want about the world.  But there’s enough to keep you interested.

In our cast of characters, we’ve got three that need definite mentioning.  First off is our Gundam Pilot, Banagher Links.  He reminds me a lot of Gundam youth of the past.  His thoughts on the horror of war and the stupidity of adults makes him a hybrid of Gundam protagonists Amuro Ray, Kamille Bidan and Judo Ashita.  Where he suddenly loses me is after meeting Audrey, er Mineva Zabi.  Yeah she’s a pretty big surprise for the story.  The last we saw the little Zabi princess was back during Zeta Gundam (if she was in ZZ please correct me).  This girl has gone through all kinds of rough times bouncing back and forth between failed Zeon campaigns over the years.  Still, Mineva gives off that nice idealistic vibe that could be beneficial to Zeon.  Banagher helps her think a bit clearer about actions that might seem suicidal.  But Banagher’s instant and blind loyalty to Mineva never clicks with me.  I don’t know, it’s just not the most convincing of arguments coming from Banagher that he’s talked with Mineva for five seconds and immediately wants to stay with her forever.  Hearing him beg her to tell him she needs him took Banagher down several pegs.  As for our series “Char Clone”, I’m not too sold on Full Frontal being anything other than that.  He even accepts that he runs with the “Second Coming of Char Aznable” moniker to give hope to Zeon.  I’m sure more will be learned in later episodes.  For me though, no one will ever match Char’s character in the Gundam franchise, though Zechs from Gundam Wing is a personal fav.  And to be honest, Frontal’s subordinate, Angelo, treating the masked captain as a God isn’t doing him any favors.  What is it with blind followings in this story?

There are side characters littered everywhere and they all leave a great, or not so great, mark on the story so far.  Zeon freighter Captain Zimmerman could turn out to be the Rambal Ral of this series and that’s never a bad thing.  His beautiful pilot, Marida, is one helluva pilot…and Gundam hater apparently based on her rage fit when the Unicorn went into NTD mode.  The command crew of the Nahel Argama is a lot of fun.  Captain Otto might be one of my favorite Captains in the Gundam Franchise.  His frustration at everything is understandable and I loved he needed to leave a terrible briefing to vent in the elevator.  Daguza of the black ops (?) ECOAS team seemed pretty cool.  Characters who didn’t leave the best impression?  Alberto has potential when he mortally wounds Cardeas Vist in the first episode but is reduced to a whining suit that you have no problem blotting from your mind.  Also, there’s Riddhe, who seems to suffer from the same “Mineva Infulence” that Banagher suffers from.  At first he’s happy go lucky.  Then he gets mad cause Mineva is Zeon.  THEN he decides to break her out and take her to Earth…im so confused. 

Yeah the characters may be all over the map.  The OVA production quality is all here and on point though.  This is no doubt how Gundam was always meant to be seen, a beautiful fusion of hand drawn and computer animation that blends great.  And what of the title Unicorn itself?  Well it’s regular design is unique, much like the Turn A Gundam and it’s “Gundam Moustache”.  But when it transforms into it’s NTD mode and looks more like a traditional Gundam?  Damn it’s a think of beauty and a beast in combat.  Can’t lie though, I also use it as my Gundam of choice in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3 and I can make that baby dance. 

The first episode offers backstory and build up before the second episode gets right into the action first with story second.  That’s really not a bad start to a new Gundam series.  And because this is an OVA, time isn’t really against it.  The hour long run times on each episode do quite a service to flesh everything out.  There are a lot of kinks to be worked out, especially with the bouncing loyalties and mindset of Banager and Riddhe.  Gundam is still back, still flying, and still better looking than ever.  It’s a shame we gotta leave it at the halfway point next week.  Will it make for a good end of the year, mid series cliffhanger?  You’ll know when I do.  See you next week everyone and have a Happy Holiday.

T5W#18-Top 5 Star Wars Themed Anime

I know I shouldn’t be that guy pushing more Star Wars at this point.  This is an Anime blog.  So why dip into the hype of one of the biggest movies of the year?  Because there’s a lot of Star Wars to find in many Anime titles.  So if you get to see The Force Awakens this opening weekend, good for you, I’ll be right there with you.  If you don’t or do, still keep an eye out for these titles to enrich your scifi/anime knowledge.  And May the Force be With You.

 

#5-Galaxy Express 999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999

It’s kind of funny this starts the list as the original 999 came out only a couple of years after the first Star Wars. And the influences are EVERYWHERE!!! A Luke Skywalker type young hero on a quest.  A wise mentor figure, though Maetel is also the love interest.  A space battle against a doomsday machine the size of a planet.  Hell in Adieu we even got a Darth Vader type with a Darth Vader revelation in his back pocket (handled poorly btw).  To say 999 is the Millennium Falcon of Anime is a bit of a stretch.  Galaxy Express 999 was the first Anime to show signs of Star War inspiration and for one film it worked.  The other one…could have been done better.  But still theyre both worth a look.

 

#4-Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ

Normally Gundam is closely associated with Star Trek (given it’s history of cancellation, resurrection and continued legacy).  Zeta Gundam, however, I think has a very Star Wars feel to it.  A small rebellion is struggling against an world controlling Empire, er Federation.  The main hero is a boy who lost his mother and is a special kind of chosen one.  He’s got TWO Obi Wan type mentors in Char Aznable and Amuro Ray.  You’ve even got the R2 type with everyones favorite Gundam mascot, Haro.  Not to mention, Kamille’s X-Wing is basically a giant robot.  ZZ would continue this struggle but not as successfully as the dark and winding road Zeta Gundam went down.  This is what Star Wars could’ve been if Lucas didn’t hold back the dark turns that began in Empire Strikes Back.

 

#3-Outlaw Star

What if Star Wars was more Han Solo’s story than Luke and the Millennium Falcon could literally punch the crap out of people?  Boom you’ve got Outlaw Star.  There are rumors that a Han Solo film is in the works as part of the Star Wars Anthology series.  If it comes to fruition, it should be mapped out a lot like Outlaw Star: A treasure hunt with deadly assassins, beautiful women and kick ass action from beginning to end.  Gene is very much the Han type, a gun for hire full of charm and swag.  Oh and his Wookie is a female Cat Girl who could do worse than pull your arms from their socket.

 

#2-Star Wars: Tie Fighter

Yes this is a thing and I will link it below

This wasn’t done by an animation studio so much as an aspiring animator and man does it look INCREDIBLE.  The Imperial pilots are not to be messed with here.  In this short film, we get a savoring taste of a true Star Wars anime…and a sense of just how terrifying the Empire can be.  Don’t believe me, watch til the end.  I did not see that ending coming.

 

#1-Tenchi Muyo

Ok, why give my #1 pick to this series when there’s clearly something resembling an actual Star Wars Anime?  Because it’s Tenchi Muyo that’s why.  Swords of light, space pirates full of swag, a dark lord of evil, an old man mentor.  Everything that you’d recognize in Star Wars is here…and then some.  Yes it is full of beautiful women in various states of undress and one of them is the Han Solo of the series (here’s looking at you Ryoko).  But it’s still the same heroes journey with lots of space battles and sword duels to sate your intergalactic conflict needs. 

Plus come on, look at that pic above and tell me that’s not the poster for Return of the Jedi?

Nuff said.  Wait but does that mean Ryoko hooks up with Sasami? Not sure how I feel about that.

Ghost in the Shell: Arise Part 2

Part 2-Border 2-Ghost Whispers

A decorated Colonel faces trial for horrific war crimes.  Desperate to reveal the truth, that he was set up, he prepares to unleash a threat upon Japan that will send it back to the stone age.  Now free from her commitment to Unit 501, Motoko is recruited by Aramaki as an outside liaison for Section 9.  Her first mission: investigate the hacking of a Section 9 Logicoma, who may or may not be connected to this plot.  Finding herself up against a military unit of familiar faces, Motoko teams up with a beautiful American agent and some old allies to crack the mystery.

Moving into Episode 2 of GITS: Arise, I knew we still had some building up to do.  We hadn’t seen the rest of the team yet nor had we seen Motoko even start to make her unit a reality.  Hearing her be a bit picky about how she was going to form her team was interesting.  “It’s got to be perfect,” she says.  We;; she def learned her lesson this time around with not one but two betrayals.  But I’ll get more into that momentarily. 

Whereas Episode 1 was more of a mystery story with action elements, Episode 2 was a straight up action fest from beginning to end.  And it was some good action at that.  Motoko teaming up with Logicoma for several fights was straight out of the Manga drawings of Shirow Masamune.  The first battle on the highway was my personal favorite, if only because Motoko drove a bike through a truck.  Paz even got some good action in with his knives.  Who would’ve thought the fight between him and Ishikawa wouldn’t be so one sided. Everyone’s favorite old timer tech made his appearance and was a mouthy bad ass.  Plus Batou gets to use some big guns at one point in a definite Batou Scene Stealing moment.

The story had potential but I was a little disappointed we jumped back to fake memories again.  Especially since they were the focal point of Episode 1 I was hoping for something different behind the mass hack of the traffic control units.  There’s definite gravity to the situation that brings other players like Saito, Borma and Ishikawa into Motoko’s orbit.  But overall, the plot could have been a bit better and felt short changed for sake of the action. And about one of those betrayals, how does Saito survive the wrath of Motoko when he backstabs her?  Last I checked, Sniper Rifle and chopper do not beat a pissed off/hot cyborg on a motorcycle with a rocket launcher.

The new players (or familiar ones for many of us) are also hit and miss.  Whereas I loved the new personalities given to Saito and Ishikawa, Borma is once again left as the odd guy out.  He doesn’t have as defined a role as the former two, even in Batou’s unit.  He’s just…kind of there, much like he was in Stand Alone Complex.  And then there’s V.V., the guest star of this tale.  She’s beautiful, flirty and at glance of her skills a good match for Motoko.  Had things gone another way, I could have seen her joining the Proto-Section 9.  However, you cant help but feel there’s more to her in her look that gives off an untrustworthy vibe.  Besides being hot, the only real credit I can give V.V. is that she does tells us where Motoko’s infamous “my ghost is whispering to me” quote came from.  Also, no Togusa this time around and I suppose that’s a good thing with such a jammed cast and plot as is.  I guess we’ll see more of him in Episode 3.

If you like your Ghost in the Shell action packed, then Episode 2 is for you.  If you like your mystery and action well balanced…this wasn’t the best.  And the animation still has its less than polished moments.  Arise is working out it’s kinks and will hopefully learn from some of the missteps here.  Though something tells me we wont see the Section 9 we know and love all together until the last episode, shame.

 

Ghost in the Shell: Arise will return February 2016 with it’s final two episodes.

See you all next week for the first part of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.

December Announcement

Hey everyone

I felt that rather than tell you guys in the next review, I should just give a head up now.  I’m not going to be able to review the entirety of Ghost in the Shell: Arise this month.  I really thought I’d have the other two episodes in my collection last month but that never came to be.  However, there was another option I had in mind to cover the end of 2015.  So a compromise has been reached.  Rather than unsuccessfully review a partially complete series, I’m going to do something a bit more radical.  This upcoming Monday (December 14) look for the review of Ghost in the Shell: Arise Border 2 as scheduled.  On Monday December 21 and December 28, I’m ending 2015 on a bit of a cliffhanger as I review the first 4 episodes of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, which was the original title I thought id review to end 2015 but then chanced Arise.

Now, here’s where things get a little interesting.  Miyazaki Month is going to be January, that’s not changing no matter what.  So what about the rest of Arise and Unicorn?  Well that’s going to be February’s baby.  On February 1 and February 8 look for the conclusion of Gundam Unicorn while February 22 and February 29 will feature the final two episodes of Ghost in the Shell: Arise.  Katsucon weekend is February 11-14 so I’ll be taking a break on February 15.  So think of this as a mid season finale for both Ghost in the Shell and Gundam.  And hope that if I don’t get the rest of Arise by Christmas that I can grab it at Katsucon. 

I’m sorry if anyone’s a little let down by me not finishing Ghost in the Shell: Arise and finishing 2015 with one more completed series.  But I hope you’ll stick around and continue to enjoy the coming ride.  I’ve almost got a full schedule planned for the first half of 2016 and I’ll reveal some titles, outside of Miyazaki Month, closer to the end of the year. 

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season and I’ll see you guys for more reviews and T5W’s in the coming weeks.

T5W#17-Top 5 Anime on Netflix id like to Review

 

Not sure if I ever said this in my opening articles on this blog, but most of the Anime I review is from my own personal collection.  Not that that’s all I watch.  You’ve seen reviews for shows (and rants) on series that ive seen on Official Youtube Channels and in the theaters.  I watch a lot of Anime on Netflix and always wondered what titles id tackle when/if I ever run out of my own personal collection to cover.  So with that in mind, here’s a list of 5 series I’d really like to cover on Netflix sometime in the future.  Might even consider one for 2016, that schedule is still being planned out.

 

#5-Durarara

A part of Tokyo where the normal tries its best to live alongside the strange, powerful and amazing.  Ikebukero has never had the best travel brochure than Durarara.  The story telling structure may be a bit jarring at first (several stand alone episodes to cover EACH of the lead cast before telling a story through multiple episodes showing going on at the same time).  But once you get into it, Durarara never lets go of your attention.  It’s got some of the best cliffhangers that make it a binge worthy Anime, you gotta know what happens next.  Plus it’s got some of the most complex and memorable characters like Celty, Mikado and Izaya, one of my most hated yet credit where credit is due bad guys in Anime history.  I think some review time in Ikebukero is in order.

 

#4-Kill La Kill

When I first saw this series, I had no clue what to expect besides cute girls in skimpy outfits.  What I got at the end of Kill La Kill was all of that and more.  Amazing action, a great cast (including Mako and Guts), some of my favorite opening and ending themes, and the rush of watching something so bizzare and special that I had not felt since FLCL.  Way too often does Kill La Kill take a turn into crazy town.  And I think it’s a kind of series I haven’t covered much on this page.  Need to change that sometime.

 

#3-Aldnoah Zero

I’ve only seen the first half of this series on Netflix (all that’s available right now).  But what I both like what I’ve seen and am also way too confused and befuddled by characters and their motivations.  Inaho is an emotionless Anime Sherlock type.  Slain is trapped in the friend zone by a princess and constantly beat on by Mars Orbital Knights who seem to have a fetish for this thing.  There’s a Mars Princess with a Sailor Moon complex and a daughter of a Mars assassin who is never without her hoody.  Oh and there’s giant robots straight out of Zone of the Enders.  If it sounds like im ragging on this one a bit, im not believe me.  If anything I’m very curious how this will all play out and would love to cover it all sometime.  I can see why many hailed this as a must see for Mobile Suit Gundam fans.

#2-Puella Magica Madoka Magica

One of the most tragic Anime I have ever seen.  Whether it’s watching the movies (except for Rebellion) or the series, you cant get through the whole thing without a boat load of tears and feels.  I really cant think of many flaws Madoka Magica has and the highs are too numerous to layout in one simple summary.  This could be as close an Anime has come to being perfect and it def deserves coverage at some point.  Maybe the one thing holding me back is the amount of feels…you just really wanna hug someone after you finish a watch…oh Homura, sniff.

#1-Fate/Zero and Fate/Stay Night: Unlimited Blade Works

 

This could easily be a summer project for me.  Fate/Zero being the prequel to Fate/Stay Night and Unlimited Blade Works being a particular route of the Fate/Stay series, these two transition well from one into the other.  Seeing two generations of mages duke it out for the Holy Grail while embroiled in their own personal wars of ideology and greed would make for great compares and contrasts.  Plus both series have some of the best animation quality and action scenes I have ever seen in an Anime.  On top of that, both have two of my favorite new Anime heroines: Saber and Rin (even as a kid she kicks all kinds of ass).  It’s got highs and lows but id love watching and covering them all.

 

Anyone got any suggestions for shows I haven’t seen yet or think would make for good review on this blog?  Leave a comment and I’ll check em out.