T5W#46-Top 5 Gundam Characters I Absolutely Hate

As a lot of you know, I love the hell out of the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise (COUGH COUGH it’s in my blogs title COUGH).  But I cant be a blind man and say it’s all perfect.  Not all entries are the best (G Gundam (yes deal with my dislike of it), Gundam Build Fighters Try).  But even the ones that work for me have their flaws.  Today, I’m looking at the characters who either bring down good stories or ruin really bad ones more than the writing already has.  Why am I doing this list?  Well, look let’s start with…

 

#5-Michel Ninorich (Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team)

Not only is Michel a spineless waste of a character, he’s also the reason I started this list in the first place.  Anyone who’s been keeping up with my 08^th MS Team reviews know I don’t have a lot of love for this guy, especially in recent reviews.  Whereas most of the 08^th Team has dealt with their inner demons and become stronger for it, Michel is still exactly where we found him at the beginning of the series, no growth, no progression.  Any sympathy I should feel for his love story (cause long distance relationships are tough) kind of fall to the wayside when he cant stop thinking about it for a second to help his teammates.  Doesn’t help he has no faith in Sanders to overcome his fears and that he rats out Shiro to Alice Miller in Miller’s Report cause put anything scary in his face and he gives away every secret plus his social security number.  For such a solid show so far, Michel is one of the more noticeable chinks in this Gundam’s armor.

 

#4-Mariemea Kushrenada (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz)

UGH this brat.  Just because you bear the name of a great man does not mean you’re going to automatically win a war you started.  Mariemea was a soulless puppet moved around and brainwashed by her grandfather, Dekim, and her lack of personality showed how much of a freaking tool she was more than an actual threat.  Leave it to the surprisingly effective double team of Heero and Relena to get this doll to show some emotion.  Heero put the fear of God into her, calling Mariemea’s God Mode Cheat bs by saying “yeah I’m Heero Yuy, this is my Gundam and this is it’s boom stick”.  But Relena…oh man no one, not even Lady Une, was going to steal her need to slap the mess out of Mariemea.  We’d all wanted to do that but Relena had been stuck with her the whole movie.  This is why little kids do not make good movie villains.

 

#3-Yuuma Kousaka (Gundam Build Fighters Try)

This @$$hole…oh so much hate.  There are a few reason why I detest Gundam Build Fighters Try and Yuuma might be at the top of the list.  His introduction was kind of sad, him losing in a nightmarish Gunpla Battle.  But he never tried to recover from that, even when joining Team Try Fighters.  All he ever did was mope and belittle a hobby that looked so awesome and fun, based on it’s predecessor series.  Everytime Yuuma opened his mouth I wanted to punch him.  He was always the nay sayer, always the negative nancy, always the most infuriating fraker in any episode.  There was a moment in the series where a news report once hailed him as the “Second Coming of Sei Iori” (the protagonist of the first series).  I pointed at my TV screen and shouted, “YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT THE F*** NOW!!!”  Sei and Reiji were awesome reps of how awesome Gunpla could be…Yuuma pretty much showed me how crappy it could be, and I’ll never forgive him for that.

 

#2-Riddhe Marcinist (Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn)

“I love you, I hate you.  I want to marry you, I want to kill you.”  That’s about the gist of Riddhe’s back and forth personality throughout the entire series.  Starting out as a cheerful series hotshot, he changes his tune when he finds out Audrey Byrne is actually Mineva Zabi and practically detests her…but then he breaks her out of confinement and takes her to Earth…and PROPOSES MARRIAGE!!!??  Now I’ll admit, Mineva’s draw sketches me out a bit.  Banagher was her loyal puppy after like five minutes so he might not be any better than Riddhe.  But still, Riddhe has no definitive drive and every excuse he comes up with to justify his actions or role in this series are just that, excuses.  I am really not happy he made it to the end of the series.  What’s even worse is that he becomes Banagher’s rival not because he’s a villain (more or less) or because he’s a freaking Newtype Xenophobe…it’s because Mineva chooses Banagher over him and Riddhe will be forever trapped in the friend zone…dammit.  Mineva’s a pretty cool character and she was always going to choose better than Riddhe, makes all his pouting and whinning worthless.

 

#1-Graham Acker (Mobile Suit Gundam 00)

Ohhhhh ho ho ho.  So last summer was a bit of an adventure on the Anime Corner.  As I rewatched Gundam 00 and reviewed all of the episodes, I discovered something: I hate this @$$ hat more than I thought.  Everytime Graham pops up on screen, you can see his boner whenever he sees a Gundam.  He practically wants to sleep with one and he treats them like girls on dates the way he talks.  I mean seriously, did he have a mecha fetish we weren’t aware of in the series?  I mean yeah Setsuna wanted to “be” a Gundam but Graham practically says he wants to “F***” a Gundam whenever he is near one.  AND THEN, Setsuna kicks his ass and Graham becomes a depressed d-bag who hides behind weak Bushido excuses that I don’t think even match up with the philosophy…he’s just looking for an excuse to mope and try to look important.  Even when his comrades are in danger, hell when a freaking orbital elevator is falling down over Africa, Graham says “eh” and just wants to fight Setsuna.  RAGE SO MUCH RAAAAAGE!!!!!  It was the best “F*** YEAH” moment when Setsuna did kick his ass and DIDN’T finish him off (cause Setsuna is a wise guy like that…and cause Graham’s not with slicing up with your Gundam).  And it’s funnier that Graham tries to make a sacrifice play in the 00 Movie, telling Setsuna to go on, only for Setsuna to have my reaction, “Uhhh…who was that guy?  Was he important?  Oh oh, moving on to finish the mission.”  Never have I hated a character in Gundam this much…and enjoyed ranting about him.  Keep your Gundam away from this guy…I fear the worst if he actually touches one.

 So next week we’re into July, holy crap.  And that means that not only are we starting the epic coverage of Code Geass in the reviews, we’re also in the COUNTDOWN TO OTAKON!!!  So the next few T5W’s leading up to the con will be my memories from each year prior to this one.  Six Otakons, six T5Ws.  And it all kicks off next week with my Top 5 Moments from Otakon 2010 (my very first one).  See ya then. 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team Part 3-Episodes 7-9 and Miller’s Report

Shiro and Aina, separated from their teams, fight for survival in the mountains.  As their love grows, Shiro’s heart begins to change.  This doesn’t make his rescue and return easy as he finds himself under investigation.  Even his team begins to share doubts about their commander.  The only hope of clearing the 08^th MS team falls to a near suicide mission behind enemy lines.  The mission: Locate the Apsalis testing base…or die trying.

Is it me or did Aina and Shiro get a bit of a Miyazaki treatment in their character designs this week?  I’m not saying that’s a bad thing but has it always been like that?  God would Miyazaki or Studio Ghibli even work on a Gundam feature?  That seems too far out of their zone for them.  Maybe one of Ghibli’s animators worked on this series for a bit?  I don’t know, it’s just an observation and there’s more to talk about this week besides that.

Shiro and Aina’s reunion was both sweet and thrilling as you might expect given how we left things last week.  Working together to survive in the mountains brought those little romantic feelings between both back to the forefront.  Again, Aina seems so chipper and un soldier like when not piloting.  She’s not the first Gundam female to be shown as such, i.e Lala Sune from Mobile Suit Gundam and Four Murasame from Zeta Gundam.  But Aina’s definitely a lot less scarred than those two examples.  Even if the romance still carries a bit of Disney to it with how fast it progresses, Shiro and Aina do make a clickable couple…too bad their respective forces had to pull them back to reality.

Once Shiro was back on base, well here’s where things get a little interesting, storyline wise.  As you saw above, I’m also merging in my thoughts on the 08^th MS Team movie, Miller’s Report.  Basically, Miller’s Report is both a compilation film/extended episode focusing on Shiro’s relationship with Aina and his subsequent investigation by the Federation.  Most of this is in the original version of Episode 8.  However, there’s the inclusion of the titular Alice Miller in the movie.  Really, this movie didn’t need to happen and could have just been merged into Episode 8 to clear up several events and provide a better impact for Shiro and the team…and also explain how Eledore was shipped back as he is simply there in Episode 9 with no explanation.  Alice Miller herself, was a fascinating character.  It’s clear she used to be a lot like Shiro and could be an example of what he might become if he loses hope in his beliefs.  She’s also a dirty investigator, using truth serum to get Shiro’s story about Aina out of him.  God only knows she didn’t have to do much to Michel to get any info out of him…God he needs to be punched again.

A quick fun fact about this:  When Toonami first aired Gundam 08^th MS Team, it actually did air an extended version of Episode 8 and merged it with some footage from Miller’s Report.  Shiro’s backstory with Aina is totally removed (since it’s all stock footage from earlier episodes) and Miller only has her key scenes still present.  There’s also her “resolution” with Shiro and Eledore’s return.  Given that this series is an OVA, I have to ask again, why wasn’t this done in the first place?  It almost makes Episode 8 kind of pointless to watch on it’s own.  But then again, the first half of Miller’s Report is kinda pointless cause it’s just a clip show rehash (particularly of the Episode 7 which preceeded it).  Shockingly, Toonami did it right in this case.  The changes made the transitions from Episode 8 to 9 much better.

All this rambling about one episode and there’s still a lot to talk about.  Shiro’s mindset following his reunion with Aina, that he doesn’t need to kill to win the war, is in very much keeping with the ideals of Gundam pilots who follow him in the Universal Century timeline.  Plus, there are some strong minded soldiers on the Zeon side as well.  Though introduced as kind of a lumbering brute last week, Admiral Yuri showed real concern for his soldiers escaping Odessa (our second shout out to the original series following a glimpse of Ghiren Zabi’s eulogy for his brother, Garma).  He just wants to get his men back into space and his men were just as willing to buy time with tanks against Mobile Suits to make this happen.  I get the feeling that Yuri and Ramba Ral from Gundam 0079 would have gotten along really well.  But leave it to Ginias to mess things up.  I don’t even know why he’s so obsessed with finishing the Apsilas at any cost.  He just seems insane for insane sake.  Chances are we’re just going to get an explanation at the last minute…and that’s never a good thing for any villain.  In another vein, we got to see the Federation top brass laughing off Shiro’s idealism…clearly hints of why the Federation will sort of become the bad guys in Zeta Gundam…douchebags on both sides of the war.

One last bit then I’ll wrap up.  The action and animation were on fire this week.  Shiro’s Ez8 Gundam is one of the coolest looking Gundam’s ever, even if it doesn’t look like one.  There were some good, dramatic shots of the unit charging, or falling from the sky, into battle.  The desperate sniper showdown in Kiki’s village was pretty impressive too.  Watching those Zaku’s go down were some of the best still shots in Gundam history.  That’s putting that OVA budget to good use there Studio Sunrise. 

Hard to believe but there’s only one more week left for the 08^th Team.  And let me tell you…they’ve saved the best for last…well more so…kind of…ah I’ll see ya next week and you can find out my thoughts there.

T5W#45-Top 5 Kenshin Himura Manga Moments

So, turns out the other day was a birthday of a particular fan favorite character of mine.  Kenshin Himura has been one of my main and personal Anime heroes ever since I first caught Rurouni Kenshin on Toonami back in high school.  Not long after that, the manga made it’s stateside debut and, to this day, it remains one of the few manga I’ve collected every single volume of (including the 2 part Restoration series that came out around the time of the live action movie).  Kenshin’s way of life, his tragic backstory and his penchant for amazing swordsman ship has awed me for a long time and I still think of him first when it comes to Anime Samurai.  While I haven’t seen all of the Anime, I’ve read the manga all the way through a couple of times.  So for this weeks T5W, im Manga-fying things this week and looking at my Top 5 Favorite Kenshin centered moments from the Manga.  There are a lot of moments not involving the legendary swordsman but this is his birthday week, so it’s all about him.

 

#5: The Wall

So…this has nothing to do with any wall.  I just love this moment when Kenshin finally corners Kanryu, who tries to beg his way out of what’s coming to him by throwing money at Kenshin.  The punishment Kenshin lays on him just reminds me of something out of Pink Floyd’s The Wall…that’s all nothing else...oh and Kenshin giving Kanryu the death glare later on to shut him up, priceless Kenshin justice.

 

#4: Kenshin vs Aoshi -Round 2(Volume 14)

The Kyoto Arc had some of the best action of the entire Rurouni Kenshin saga.  There were far too many to settle on one involving Kenshin.  But I really liked this one a lot.  The first showdown between these two was intense.  But the second round wasn’t about finding a victor, at least for Kenshin anyway.  It was about keeping a promise to Misao, to bring Aoshi back home.  Kenshin took a beating, and this was just the first of three battles leading him to the Arc Boss Shishio.  But he called Aoshi out on his BS and got him to see the error of his judgement.  We also got our first glimpse of Kenshin’s ultimate technique, the Amakeru Ryu no Hiromeki, and man does it just leave your mouth hanging open every time I see it.

 

#3: Battosai the Manslayer (Volume 19)

This was something we all had been waiting for: a detailed look into the past Kenshin had been trying to atone for.  The tragic love story between Kenshin and Tomoe, the historic Raid of Ikedya, the first encounter between Kenshin and Saito.  All of these were moments shown in this three volume arc.  But the best moment for me, was seeing Kenshin appear for the first time in full Battosai mode. In a span of a few pages, the normally light hearted tone was gone.  We were in the past, a different time and place, where blood flowed freely and Kenshin was, arguably, in his prime.  For the first time, we got to see a Kenshin not held back by ideals or a reverse blade sword…and it was scary.

 

#2: Kenshin vs Saito (Volume 7)

I talked about this fight a couple months back in another T5W.  But this is an example of the manga overtaking the Anime.  Don’t get me wrong, Kenshin and Saito’s long overdue reunion duel is pretty intense in the Anime.  In the Manga though, it’s downright brutal.  Grimy, bloody, full of anger, this was a good setup for the direction the Kyoto Arc was going to take.  And it still remains today, for me anyway, the best duel in all of Rurouni Kenshin.  No one, not even Shishio or Enishi, could bring out the Battosai like Saito could.  It’s just like Kaoru notes at one point…a battle from the Bakumatsu brought to modern times.

 

#1: This Little Scratch (Volume 6)

When anyone does something to piss Kenshin off, like say hurt his friends or innocent civilians, especially when theyre forcing BS philosophy as an excuse…you’d better run for the hills.  No further proof is needed than this moment.  Raijuta thinks he can take Kenshin while he’s recovering from a prior battle.  And he manages to get one little scratch on Kenshin’s arm.  Raijuta is estatic, he thinks he can take Kenshin and become the best swordsman of all.  But Kenshin…he’s not even amused.  “If a single scratch like this thrills you so much,” he lifts his arm to his lips and licks his wound, “You’re going to love the real blood.”  Chills…we all wish we could be this bad ass in our lifetime. 

 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team Part 2 Episodes 4-6

Shiro’s team is now a team…more or less.  There’s still the matter of Sanders’s curse and Eledore and Michel’s disastrous joy ride of base not making things easy.  Worse yet, the team stumbles upon a brand new Zeon mobile armor.  It’s called the Apsalis and it has enough firepower to take out Earth Federation HQ at Jaburo in only one shot.  On top of that, unknown to the team, is the identity of the pilot: Aina, the Zeon test pilot Shiro fell in love with in space.  It’s up to the 08^th MS Team, undermanned and outgunned to put this weapon down. 

The “true enemy” has revealed itself to the 08^th Team…kind of.  And she is a doozy.  No I’m not talking about Aina, I’m talking about the ginormous Mobile Armor cooked up by her brother.  What is it with Zeon and skyscraper sized mobile weapons?  I mean I’m sure the Apsilas could do some damage given its giant cannon but still…smaller and faster would be better right?  Anyway, moving on.

Shiro stepped up for everyone in a big way, multiple times this week.  He defended Sanders from physical and mental abuse because of his “third time jinx curse” and convinced Sanders to go for it, even against the Apsalis solo.  Actually, I really liked that moment a lot in particular.  The team hasn’t really been a team up until now, with initial friction and Shiro getting sidetracked by the Guerilla forces in the area twice.  Here, it felt like a team effort to back up Sanders and deal some damage to the Apsalis.  It was their first real victory as a unit.  Shiro also kept his cool better than most during the stellar desert episode.  Even in the heat, he still acted like a leader a guy could get behind…unless you were Michel and Kiki but I’ll get to them in a second.  And Shiro didn’t think twice to save Michel from the Apsalis’s second assault in the desert.  He’s a true Gundam pilot if there ever was one.

Onto Michel.  I mentioned last week how I was sure I wasn’t going to like him.  Well this week didn’t do him any favors to better him.  He’s a wuss, a liability and…oh for fraks sake why is he in this army?  He blows cover cause he’s scared of the Sanders curse.  Gets peer pressured into a trip that gets him captured.  And he calls out Shiro on being heartless when it’s clear Shiro isn’t into Kiki at all.  Rather than suck it up and improve, Michel just mopes and complains his way through every single episode.  It almost seems mean to say, but even though Eledore was being selfish this week, only thinking of himself and his music career, I was perfectly ok with him beating the crap out of Michel…the kid could use some sense being kicked into him.

A couple of nitpicks this week and they both had to do with animation more than the story, which continues to be tight and interesting.  Episode 5, Michel and Eledore’s disastrous trip off base seemed to take a dip in animation quality, or at least it didn’t measure up to the standard set by the first four episodes.  And while things looked back to normal in Episode 6, the use of CG decoy balloons seemed so out of place.  Was it a fluke, a last minute inclusion?  I don’t know but it definitely nags me.  Oh and as cute as Eledore’s song is, it still proves my point that he belongs in Macross more than here in Gundam.  Wonder if there will be a follow up masterpiece from Eledore.  He’s got time to kill now that he’s on medical leave.

Michel being the weakest link aside, this was a strong follow up week for the 08^th Team.  They got a good victory and strengthened their teamwork, thanks to some great writing and pacing.  This is easily, so far, one of the best entries in the Gundam franchise for me…and it’s only at the halfway mark. 

Next week, Shiro and Aina reunite and I give some insight into an episode what was given a special “extended” feature during it’s Toonami run.

First Impression Friday-Summer Hiatus

Hey everyone,

Well ive given things a lot of thought.  Ive got most of my reviews written up through Otakon and have a special set of Top 5 Wednesday’s planned.  But in truth, I do write for another job and it tends to take a lot out of me, it’s kind of a miracle I even write reviews sometimes.  But that’s why ive pushed myself to get all of 08^th MS Team and Code Geass so I can lighten that work load a bit.  Hence why, im announcing that the First Impression Fridays are going to be on a little break through probably Otakon.  I apologize for this, but there are goals I wish to meet and that means focusing on work quite a bit, a lot actually.  I must iterate, the FIFs are not cancelled.  I’ll keep an eye out for a boat load of shows I want to try and give my initial impressions on and come back stronger with them in August.  But for now, this is a small sacrifice im making and it sucks but it’s necessary.  Fridays will be a little quiet from now on…at least until I get to Code Geass.

So, sorry about this again.  I don’t know how much of a hit this little feature has been but I’ve enjoyed it and look forward to enjoying it again later this summer.

Thanks for understanding.

 

T5W#44-Top 5 Summer Anime

 

As the heat gets more irritable, the memories of when I first got into Anime come back.  Not being able to watch much TV during the school year save for the weekends…don’t ask, Summer was the time to catch all the second runnings of all the shows that had premiered on Toonami (Gundam Wing) while waiting for new shows to debut (Tenchi Muyo).  Naturally, my list of favorite Anime have grown past my Toonami days.  So figured id put together a little list of shows that I feel perfectly fit the summer season.  These are the shows (and movie in one case) that I feel offer the best mix of sun, surf, action and fan service that could keep any Anime fan cool no matter how hot the summers can get.

 

#5-Full Metal Panic Fumofuu

Sad as it is to admit, summer courses are a thing.  Sometimes you have a class to make up, sometimes you want to get ahead of the coming year, or you’re in a school activities camp.  Whatever the case, if you feel a bit down about that, then Full Metal Panic Fumofuu can take away the summer blues with a mix of action, comedy and a soldier pretending to be a student and failing horribly.  A spin off from the Full Metal Panic Anime series, this series still has great action but does focus more on the high school comedy element (that works far better here than in Code Geass).  There’s even a plushy mascot and a trip to the beach where Sosuke Sagara Solid Snake’s his way into a complex for an (unnecessary) rescue mission.  You’ll forget for a minute that summer school is going on and learn to relax a little.

 

#4-Love Hina

We’ll get to this one in a couple of months but trust me when I say, Hot Springs are a great vacation get away destination…at least that’s what ive always heard and thought.  Would love to go to one myself.  I just hope one is also a magnet for beautiful women of all walks of life…even if some of them have a tendency to punch before they listen.  Poor Keitaro, surrounded by so much hotness only to suffer on a daily basis…some men get all the luck (in a manner of speaking)

 

#3-Black Lagoon

I don’t think I could make a list like this without recommending a good summer action blockbuster.  And Black Lagoon is pretty much every action film cliché rolled into one solid package of blood soaked awesomeness.  The island of Roanapur is home to the deadliest pirates, killers, gangsters and guns for hire on the planet.  One of them wears short shorts and packs twin guns ready for action at any time.  Another…may not realize he’s actually good at setting up those kinds of killings.  For further info, you can look back at my reviews of the first two seasons of Black Lagoon (Season One and Season Two: The Second Barrage) and look forward to my coverage of the third season: Roberta’s Blood Trail, later this year.  This series is one of my absolute favorites and I garuntee you it’s possible to just two back to back marathons of all seasons in a short span of time…binge worthy summer quality.

 

#2-Summer Wars

Well duh…I mean Summer is in the title right.  On the hottest of summer weekends, Kenji Koizo is brought out to meet the Jinouchi clan by his high school crush, Natsuki.  The family reunion gets more interesting when a computer virus goes rogue and points the world in the direction of nuclear war.  This is a film I have reviewed in the past and praised to no end.  The family dynamics are amazing, the action is stellar and the feel good atmosphere has very few rivals.  The end still brings a tear to my eye and is a perfect night in movie that the family could enjoy…be it actual blood relatives or friends you think of as more than that…family is family right?

 

#1-Free

Yeah couldn’t really make this list up and not place an Anime that takes place in the pool at the top spot.  Haru and the Iwatobi swim team face off against their childhood teammate, Rin and the Samezuka High School Swim team, all the while learning what their real drive is to swim.  Is it for best times?  Is it to defeat rivals?  Or is it to just be…free?  Whatever the reason, the swim scenes are paced and animated damn near perfectly and, as the series is well known for, has enough manly men fan service that have made females around the world pass out (there’s even a character who is so attracted to male muscles it's a little unsettling).  Swim fast, swim hard, swim free…or at least watch a couple episodes then run right to the pool, no doubt the day is hot enough as is if youre watching.

The Summer of 2016

Hey everyone
Got a bit of a lull period at work right now so figured I’d type up a quick summer itinerary for the blog this summer.  It’s gonna be pretty mecha heavy, even though I know I promised I was gonna try and diversify a bit this year.  So, I’m adding out of the cheesiest romantic Anime comedies to the line up for right after Otakon.

Here’s the quick break down

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08^th MS Team (Currently ongoing-July)

To celebrate the 15^th Anniversary of it’s first airing on Toonami, im looking back at the Gundam I fell in love with right after Gundam Wing.  Those of you who think Gundam is all about Wing…well I’m trying to broaden horizons (though if I got my hands on Wing you’d better believe id review it).  08^th MS Team is a bit of a hidden gem amongst the fans and franchise.  There are no Newtypes, only one space battle, and a focus on the everyday joes who serve in the military, fighting just as hard as the crew of the White Base to defeat the Zeons.  I’ll be covering all 12 episodes plus the special Miller’s Report film.  Those of you who are Gundam fans like me will really look forward to this one.

 

Special Independence Day Triple Feature (July 4)

Besides wrapping up 08^th MS Team (if I follow the schedule), I’ve been sitting on three certain reviews Ive had no idea where to place.  So I figure, why not just go all out and post these little surprises on a very important day in US history…and trust me I think the films fit the holiday (helluva lot more than Appleseed, which I was debating reviewing instead of 08^th MS Team when I was planning months ago).  Wont spoil what the secret reviews will be…but I think you’ll all be pleased.

 

(And no it's got nothing to do with Free, that's just a place holder)

 

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion & Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 (July-Mid August)

Those of you who read my Gundam 00 coverage last summer knew I got a huge kick out of the rapid fire reviews I did of a straight through, 50 episode series watch.  While it’s not as dear to me as Gundam 00, I still think Code Geass is a very fun and very important series.  And it just so happens I was able to fit it all into one concise schedule for reviewing.  Once again, I’ll be doing reviews Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting the week after 08^th MS Team and, if ive calculated correctly, much like Gundam 00, the last review will be posted on Wednesday August 10, the day before Otakon 2016.  It’ll be hectic but that’s why I’m watching way in advance so I can have these reviews prepped and still work on regular features like Top 5 Wednesdays and First Impression Fridays.  Am I prepared for all the twists, turns and unnecessary characters?  I’m up to the challenge, just hope you all don’t mind the month and a half of Code Geass spam.

 

Love Hina (Late August-Mid September)

Taking a break from all the mecha, scifi, political action, I’ll be returning to the Hinata Hot Springs for the story of Keitaro, trying desperately to get into Tokyo U, who also happens to be the manager of a hot springs/apartment complex home to five beautiful women…one of whom he made a promise to as a child…and he doesn’t remember them.  Romance, a little bit of action, and some hilarious misunderstandings…it’s probably the most peaceful thing ive ever reviewed on this blog next to My Neighbor Totoro.  Plus it’s got some fun summer scenes, so you can enjoy reviews of beautiful women at the beach as Summer 2016 rolls to a close around then.

Still trying to workout what the Fall might look like (X is definitely on the docket after Love Hina, so’s the third season of Black Lagoon).  But this summer’s going to be a busy one for me with two jobs plus the stuff I want to keep doing here on this blog.  Just hoping I can keep at it and give people a nice distraction from things if they need it.  This is where I come to blow off steam and cool off.  Hope everyone can find some similar comfort at the Gundam Anime Corner.

 

Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team Part 1 Episodes 1-3

UC 0079.  The One Year War rages on, with combat being fought both in space and on Earth.  In the jungles of Southeast Asia, the Kojima Battalion of the Earth Federation is all that stands between a massive Zeon offensive.    Shiro Amada has just joined the battalion as leader of the newly reformed 08^th MS team, outfitted with new ground versions of the Mobile Suit Gundam.  They are as different as they come: a patched together crew of veterans and newbies.  Some are idealistic, others have jaded pasts.  If this team is to make a difference in the greatest war of all, Shiro will have to do the impossible and bring them together.

Gundams in the Jungle.  It’s not just the title of the second episode, it’s also the best way to sum up the start of this entry in the Gundam franchise.  We wont be seeing a lot of space combat, outside of the series opener.  And really, that’s ok.  With a setting as intense as a hot and humid Southeast Asia, you can feel the tension of fighting in such an environment.  What’s even better, the ground versions of the Gundam match the feel of the battlefields perfectly.  These aren’t shiny new mechs, they might’ve been once rolled out.  But this is down and dirty combat we’re seeing, so the wear and tear shows.  Hell, the first image we see is a pretty distressing sight, a Zaku slowly coming out of the woods over a fallen Gundam…nice little bit of “what if?” layered in that image alone.  It’s not a side of the One Year War we heard much about during the original Mobile Suit Gundam series and I really like that we get to see it play out without relying too much on Amuro Ray or Char Aznable to tie things together.

And who will be keeping us company during this war on Earth?  Mostly, the cast is pretty good.  Shiro is the wide eyed optimist that you see in most Gundam newcomers.  Karen is the warrior woman with red hair and a no nonsense attitude.  Sanders is the hardened veteran with a mysterious past and owes a life debt to Shiro after the first episode (in his mind anyway). Eledore seems like he belongs more in Macross than Gundam with his love for music but he’s fine.  Michel is the only member of the main team I haven’t really enjoyed much of in these first few episodes.  All he does is complain and worry about…well everything.  Why did this kid join the army and what does he expect will happen when he gets rolled out into combat?  I get the feeling this guy is going to end up being my Graham Acker for the 08^th MS Team (Btw that might be the basis of a T5W sometimes soon).

And then there’s Aina.  She’s not the first pretty Zeon pilot to grace the Gundam universe.  However, she doesn’t really strike me as a girl meant for the life of a soldier.  And that’s not because she’s pretty (man is she).  It’s because she seems so peaceful and gentle…when she isn’t shooting at Shiro when they first meet and that’s only for a couple of minutes.  There’s going to clearly be a key plot point with the star crossed romance between these two.  While Gundam has had romantic subplots before, I think this was one of the first entries ive seen where love is at the forefront of the plot rather than off to the side.  That being said, Shiro and Aina bonding over trying to survive during their encounter in space is one thing.  Shiro falling head over heels in love right away is a little too Disney in its execution.  Maybe it will get better when these two inevitably cross paths again but we’ll have to see.

I don’t really have a lot of negative things to say about this intro set of episodes.  The setting is unique for Gundam.  The cast is instantly likeable (save for Michel) and take a bit of time to get used to each other.  And the action is some of the best I’ve seen in Gundam.  The jungle warfare intensifies things quite a bit, especially during the nighttime sequences.  It’s a different battleground for the legendary Mobile Suit and the Gundams feel vulnerable and not so invincible, even in the hands of skilled pilots.  That means raised stakes, and that means this is going to be fun.

The battle continues next week.  See ya then.

FIF#16-Voltron: Legendary Defender

While investigating a mysterious energy signal, five young cadets are thrust to the other side of the universe.  On the distant planet of Ariss, they discover the last of a long gone civilization…and the Lions that served as their protectors.  With the forces of Zarkon bearing down upon the universe once again, these five young men: Shiro, Keith, Lance, Hunk and Pidge, become the next generation of defenders.  Armed with five mechanized Lions, they now hold they keys to forming the greatest champion of them all-Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Voltron may very well have been the first Anime I ever saw as a kid, before even knowing it was an Anime or what Anime actually was.  Either way, I would always pop in that old VHS tape that had the first five episodes as a singular movie and watch it over and over and over again.  How could I not?  I was 5 or 6 and in awe of giant robot lions forming one larger giant robot…huh I guess I kind of owe this series a bit for bringing me to Gundam eventually.  Voltron has been reimagined and relaunched a couple of times since it’s 80’s debut…but never really recaptured the magic of the initial phenomena.  Well leave it to some of the brains behind Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra to bring the magic to a new generation of viewers.

The new Voltron has the Avatar feel plastered all over it and I love it for that.  Not just in the character designs, but also in how the characters themselves feel, it’s like im watching a futuristic Last Airbender or Korra.  Lance, Pidge and Hunk have great chemistry together and lend some much needed humor that I cant ever recall being in the original series.  Lance and Keith’s rivalry was a lot of fun to watch as well, shades of Leonardo and Raphael from Ninja Turtles with their literally butting heads.  Shiro was the only odd one out for me.  I guess he’s supposed to be the Sven from the original series.  But he seemed too much like…idk not as unique as the other four members (and really Keith only worked whenever he was on screen with Lance getting into arguments). At this point im wondering when/if Shiro is going to get knocked off so the kick ass new Alura can take over as a pilot.  There’s a nice spunk to the Princess in this version, especially when she gets annoyed with Lance’s flirting or Koran’s over energetic behavior.  I could easily see her stepping up to pilot a lion at some point.  It was weird not seeing Keith in charge like he has been in previous incarnations.  That shook me up a bit too.  Oh and for those curious, yes the mice from the original series are here too…I shouldn’t be surprised given how these animators love to give Animals key roles in their series (Appa and Momo in Avater, Naga and Pabu in Korra).

I like the redesign of the Lions and of Voltron himself.  Now there’s probably never going to be an exact replica of his 80’s incarnation coming any time soon.  For this series though, his look will do.  Voltron still screams furious anger and great power whenever one of his lion limbs roars.  I do wish that we got to see the Voltron Force (no I am not calling them Team Voltron, another reason im not a Shiro fan) battle a Robeast in their first foray rather than just blowing up a battleship.  Just feels like a bit of a waste of such a long build up.  That’s another thing.  This first episode is basically the first three rolled into one hour long feature…and it kind of shows.  As much as I loved the character interactions and funny moments, I could feel how long this first story was.  The pacing could use a little work that’s all.

As far as intros go, the first episode of Voltron: Legendary Defender updates and honors its roots.  The animation and character energy is fresh while the music and mechs are both throwbacks to the heyday of 80’s mecha Anime.  Voltron is back for a new generation.  And it since it’s being run by members of the staff that gave us two of the greatest animated epics of all time, I’ve got no doubt that lessons will be learned quickly and this first season will be a blast right until the end.

Now…GO BREAK OUT YOUR FIVE LIONS ACTION FIGURE SET AND FORM VOLTRON!!!!  FORM BLAZING SWORD!!!!

T5W#43-Top 5 Things You Must Do at a Convention

Well Convention Season is well under way.  As the summer has just about kicked off, some of the bigger cons in the US (Momocon and Collosalcon) have already come and gone.  I personally am working on getting everything set for August when the last Otakon held in Baltimore happens (more on that at the end of this list).  I always get asked, “What do you do at these things?  If I went what would there be for me to do?”  The answer to both is, “A LOT”.  There are a lot of things to do at a convention but, more importantly, there a lot of things you SHOULD do, especially if it’s your first con.  Here are my five biggest “Must Do” activities any first time con attendee should get under their belts.

 

#5-Get to know the area

 

Even though ive lived in Baltimore my whole life, I never really got down to the Inner Harbor as much.  That all changed following my first Otakon.  As tempting as it is to stay within the confines of the convention center (definitely so at Katsucon cause of the cold), you’re missing out if you don’t take an hour to get some fresh air and wander around a little bit.  Restaurants, coffee shops, even city gift shops can catch your eye and give you incentive to visit the city again for more than just the Con.  Me personally, there are one or two big places I’ve always wanted to eat at here and still haven’t been able to.  So I intended to check them out this year.  Plus, the more you know an area, the faster it will be to show newbies around.

 

#4-Dealer’s Room

Make a list, check your budget, try not to bankrupt yourself.  If there’s that one item you’ve always wanted to find but has always eluded you, the Dealer’s Room will (more than likely) have it.  Naturally, these places vary in size due to the location of the convention.  It could be the size of a city or the size of a small strip mall.  Peruse, get to know the lay of the land and keep an eye on deals, most con based stores are offering them.  And focus on more than just the DVD’s.  Keep an eye out for costume materials, action figures, art works, plushies…everything really…and like I said, just try not to come home bankrupt.

 

#3-Photos

Never go to a Con without a camera.  Even if you don’t take thousands of photos like I have (and yes I have), you still want to snap a shot or hundred of all the cosplay, the convention building, the sights, the smiles, the memories.  These will stay with you forever but with a camera they are immortalized.  And who knows.  Maybe you’ll snap a shot of a cosplayer with a cool costume it might inspire you to take up the craft.  There’s another reason to take so many photos but I’ll get to that one in a couple of entries.

 

#2-Attend Screenings/Panels

Now between these two, screenings id place second.  It’s definitely a sight to see Anime on a ginormous screen (believe me, seeing Gundam 0083 my first year was mind blowing).  But that’s still something you can easily do from the comfort of your own couch.  So go see what the industry has to say about things, or how a voice actor prepares for his or her upcoming role…or go to the late night panels where they get raunchy and the 18+ panels come out to play.  Not that im discounting screenings either.  Sitting in a room jam packed with fans for any kind of special viewing of an Anime or feature film is such a great feeling and one well worth being crammed a bit.

 

#1-Make some friends

I cannot stress this enough.  You may not believe this right now but you are not the only Anime fan in the world.  There are literally thousands of fans walking alongside you at this convention.  And chances are by the end of the weekend, you will have made a life long friend out of one of them.  Having friends at a con gives you added incentive to come back year after year.  And even if they cant make it, you go FOR them still and you come across new friends that you’re sure would gel well with the others.  So when that grand reunion comes in a couple of years, the bonds of friendship are as strong as ever.  You don’t make friends at a convention so much as you create a family.  That kind of thing means a lot to me and I know there are others who feel the same.  That’s why you take all the photos…to know theyre out there and you’ll always have that convention with them.

So with all this being said, in a few weeks, the Top 5 Wednesdays will be strictly Otakon based as I begin the Countdown to Otakon 2016.  As you could guess, I’ll be doing Top 5 lists for my memories of all my Otakon experiences from 2010-2015.  This is going to be a big Otakon, the last one held in Baltimore possibly ever…which means it’s time for one last party to remember the good times.  Keep an eye out and see you guys soon.