Psycho Pass Part 5 Episodes 18-22

For a brief moment, Shinya Kogame and his team had Shogo Makashima in custody, an act that cost them the life of a teammate.  But now he’s escaped and Kogame is done playing by Sybils rules.  Unbeknownst to the rogue enforcer, Sybil wants Makashima’s brain added to its collection of brilliant minds and will kill Kogame to ensure Makashima’s survival.  As CID Unit 01 is forced to hunt down one of their own, Akane comes face to face with Sybil itself, leading to a showdown that will change her life and maybe the world forever.

Of the last few shows ive reviewed here on the blog, I can honestly say that the end of Psycho Pass Season One has no complaints from me.  Sure I enjoyed the finales of One Punch Man and Panty and Stocking just fine but even they had some faults.  Psycho Pass, however, even if some of its dialogue went over my head, did all the right things to end the season on as strong a note as it began.

 

It was only a matter of time before Kogame went rogue but it was more interesting watching how everyone handled it.  It’s here where Akane and Ginoza really shined in this light as both of these characters have undergone the most change in the season.  Gino is a troubled soul who lost his best friend and his father to the system, watching them both become Enforcers under his command.  And yet he’s still desperate to keep Masaoka and Kogame alive and Akane in the right frame of mind.  This team of his is Gino’s family, even if he wont flat out say it, and he’s trying to protect it while still doing his job.  So it’s fitting that his story concludes with the loss of Masaoka, who sacrificed himself to save his son Gino, as well as, ironically, Gino’s right arm.  He’s now become like his father in a way but also seems a bit more lighter.  Gino’s chat with Akane in the car after they visit Masaoka’s grave is very different from how they’ve interacted throughout the show.  Gino’s eyes have been opened by everyone around him as well as the events of the season.  And despite the pain it took to get him here, Gino’s going to be a better person now than he ever was.

 

As for Akane, man she really is the “Dark Knight” of this series.  Rather than seek revenge for all Makashima and Sybil have done for her, she still wants to bring them down the right way.  That means arresting, trials and exposure by jury.  It’s strange to see Sybil put so much faith in Akane to keep its secret, and a little surprising to hear about its wish to eventually be revealed and accepted by all.  Still, Akane hasn’t lost the spark she’s gotten over the course of the season.  When she proclaims someone will bring Sybil down one day, even if it isn’t her outright, I believe her.  This is a girl who sticks to her beliefs no matter what they might end up costing her in the end.  In this case, she lost her best friend, a beloved subordinate and Kogame.  Well Kogame didn’t die but he did break his promise to Akane.  And really, was there any other way Kogame and Makashima’s game was ever going to end?

I could honestly listen to Kogame play detective all day and never get tired of it.  Likewise, his cat and mouse game with Makashima was every bit Sherlock Holmes vs. Moriarty as the old story gets.  I did like Kogame’s analysis that Makashima didn’t see his gift of not being judged by Sybil as a blessing but more as a curse.  It makes him a little tragic despite the atrocities he’s committed.  In another lifetime, Kogame and Makashima could have easily been friends: two well spoken, well read, highly intelligent bad asses.  But in this world, it was never meant to be.  Makashima was a monster who had to be stopped and Kogame did just that, even if it cost him the faith Akane had always placed in him. Still, it is reassuring to know that Kogame has never lost his own faith in his Inspector.  He’s watched Akane grow from wide eyed rookie into the ideal citizen Sybil cant corrupt and could be the ideal face of humanity going into the future.  I’ll miss the teamwork between these two as its definitely the heart and soul of this series.

 

All of this was seen in a rapid fire but well paced and well written finale that gave higher stakes and even better payoffs.  What’s more, every character was involved in some way.  I especially liked Masaoka and Gino’s final moments of bonding and Yayoi revealing she has come to trust Akane with her life.  For a character who hasn’t had as much to do this season as others, that still felt very genuine and earned.  Seriously, I cant think of anything to really complain about with this ending.  Even leaving the fate of Sybil open ended didn’t bother me as im sure its inevitable downfall would make a much longer follow up series.  But Psycho Pass has always presented itself as a criminal procedural that could go on with new cases and new threats, as illustrated by Akane’s similarly styled new rookie showing up for work in the rain, just like Akane’s first day.  A new cycle begins and I can only wonder where things will go from here.

 

Man, as insane and terrifying as its depiction of human darkness can be, Psycho Pass never let up on its intensity for one moment.  The mysteries were very “real world” and fit nicely into a cyberpunk filled future.  The characters were all memorable, even if some had way more screentime than others.  The action was pure Anime craziness, in a good way (man I want a Dominator).  And the writing and social commentary were sharp as a tac, not surprising as the writer behind such game changers as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero scored another win yet again.  Even knowing there’s a second season and a movie that follow, I wouldn’t have a problem with Psycho Pass wrapping things up here and not continuing.  It’s not perfect but it gets a lot of things right in its first season run.  And that ending, man, easily one of the best endings ive ever watched.  I really liked this show, pure and simple and am happy I can start the first series of the new Gundam Anime Corner year with a win.

 

9/10

Well we’ve spent a month in darkness so it’s time for something a bit more light hearted and fun, don’t ya think.  With Bleach finally getting a live action adaptation later this summer, it’s time to give its own Anime theatrical releases some attention.  A Month of Bleach Movies starts next week on the Gundam Anime Corner with Bleach: The Movie-Memories of Nobody.  See ya then.

FIF#48-Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online

Sword Art Online.  Years ago that MMO became infamous for the tragedy that befell its enormous playerbase.  By rights, the event that claimed the lives of hundreds inside a virtual reality should have killed VR Gameplay altogether.  However, the genre has flourished in recent years and Gun Gale Online has become one of the most prominent hotbed titles out there.  Here, you can wield guns instead of swords and become the warrior you always wanted to be.  Such is the case for college student Karen Kohiruimaki, a 6 foot tall college student who operates as the tiny speed demon of GGO, LLENN.  As she enters a new arena filled with danger and excitement, what does Karen seek to find in a world where anything seems possible so long as youre quick on the draw and have plenty of ammo?

 

Hello one and all and welcome back to First Impression Friday.  Here is where I take a look at the first couple of episodes of a random title and settle on whether or not I might keep up with them or just drop them and probably never look back.  I’ve got a good batch of ten new First Impressions to go through over the next couple of months and several of these are more recent titles (one or two coming just after their initial debuts).  And this week, we’re kicking things off with the next chapter of one of the biggest Isekai franchises of all time: Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online.

 

Sword Art Online.  It was, and to a degree still is, a very important title in the world of Anime.  When it first debuted it took the world by storm with its premise and overall reintroduction of the Issekai Genre, aka Another World.  Like so many others, I checked out the first series and, like many as well, I thought the first half of season one was good but the second half was…tough to get through.  Ironically, the same could be said for Sword Art Online II.  The first half, which introduced Gun Gale Online, was great but I never finished the second half of the series, which of course leads to the correct assumption that I never saw the movie, Ordinal Scale, either.  And yet, SAO still continues to hang in there despite its popularity nowhere near what it was years ago.  I had heard rumors after Ordinal Scale that a third season was in the works, and heard whispers Ordinal Scale also laid some of the groundwork for said season.  That all being said…is this it?  Is this the grand third season continuation of the legendary (for better or worse) series?  If so…im not impressed.

 

To be honest, im surprised a spin off title of SAO wasn’t done sooner.  There are multiple VR worlds in this little universe and all offer a vast amount of possible stories and adventures to be told.  Gun Gale Online had a lot of promise and it worked because of a very tightly paced story and a very mature but fun attitude.  Starting off your series with a tiny, pink outfitted girl with a P90 she nicknames PP is not the best way to continue the tone of your parent series.  Granted it SAOAGGO (wow that’s long) might be going for a different feel altogether but any attempt to take what’s going on seriously is kind of ruined when this would be Umaru Chan looking Anime Sprite is bouncing back and forth between not knowing how to play the game strategically to being a Kiroto level speedster who can take out professional shooters with near ease.  I will admit that I did like the idea of real life soldiers partaking in a VR experience.  It reminded me of an old commercial for SOCOM Navy Seals 2 where a group of friends were eliminated by superior players…who turned out to be Army men playing on a base overseas, it’s hilarious.

 

I was never the biggest SAO fan to begin with but I was curious how this new series wanted to start off.  Would it work without Kirito, Asuna and the familiar cast of SAO thus far, not to mention a different animation studio too?  I’d say if youre a die hard fan of the franchise then you might like this regardless.  Me? I think im going to steer clear unless someone does a good job of selling me on Pink Umaru and her exploits.  The humor wasn’t funny.  Wayyyyy too much time was spent on LLENN and her superior sniper partner, M, playing a very long tutorial on how to properly not just rush into battle and observe things from a distance.  And it lacks any real instant draw that SAO and SAO2 both had in their opening arcs.  Im not saying every series needs to have life or death stakes or Kirito and Asuna to function.  But there have to be more exciting ways of starting a new chapter of Sword Art Online than this.  Also…Sword Art Online: Alternative Gun Gale Online, damn that’s a long title (they really couldn’t shorten it a bit?)

T5W#141-Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Episodes

Twenty years ago, Shinichiro Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop came along and redefined the Anime genre.  With a clever fusion of scifi/western storytelling littered with western media influences from science fiction to crime noir to Blaxploitation and beyond, the little series that could became a title that could be enjoyed by not just average Anime fans but casual viewers unfamiliar with Anime as well.  It’s a legacy that has lasted two decades, one of those decades thanks to Bebop’s nearly uninterrupted airing on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim Block.  Hence why we’ve been looking at various aspects of it all this month on Top 5 Wednesday.  And now, as we close out Cowboy Bebop Month, there’s only one more logical list to do.  Out of a stellar, and almost flawless, list of 26 episodes, which 5 stand above them all?  Let’s get right to it and finish this event off strong with my Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Episodes.

 

 

#5-Black Dog Serenade (Episode 16)

Jet Black, the black dog who bites and never lets go.  If any episodes of the series were not as strong as others, it was mostly from Jet’s side.  That certainly isn’t the case with Black Dog Serenade, Jet’s big time to be the star of the show.  The film noir flashbacks are great thanks to Jet’s sense of style and Yoko Kanno’s tunes.  And the battle on the prison vessel is a no hold barred slug fest between Jet and the man who apparently blew his arm off.  This episode closed out an important chapter in Jet’s life and did so in a tragic yet satisfying way that only Cowboy Bebop is capable of doing.

 

 

#4-Toys in the Attic (Episode 11)

For all it’s dark and gritty storytelling, Cowboy Bebop knew how to have fun too.  Case in point, Toys in the Attic should feel eerie and suspenseful, and it is…but it’s also a very clever Alien parody as only Bebop could spin it.  I mean yeah, you know everyone’s going to live cause it’s only Episode 11 and there’s more than half a show to go.  That doesn’t stop the episode from being an entertaining and funny horror romp as Spike has to contend with a creature of unknown origin with any weapon he can coble together.  Plus it’s all worth it for the hilarious ending involving Ed and “more pudding”.

 

 

#3-The Real Folk Blues Part 2 (Episode 26)

As far as finales go, Cowboy Bebop pretty much set the standard (along with the standard for series premieres but we’ll get to that in a second).  The Real Folk Blues Part 2 accomplishes so much in its 23-25minute runtime that most shows would struggle with.  Spike faces his worst defeat and also his greatest victory.  Jet and Faye both have tear jerking final goodbyes with the man they’ve called friend and more.  Spike and Vicious’ second duel somehow manages to be just as good as their first.  And then theres the final fate of Spike himself, something that director Shinichiro Watanabe has been oddly coy about.  Is he alive or dead, the world may never know.  But when “Blue”, the final track of the series, starts playing, you get all the feels that remind you, whether Spike lived or not, Cowboy Bebop has finished…on the most beautiful note it possibly could.

 

 

#2-Asteroid Blues (Episode 1)

Nowadays in the Anime community, you have The Three Episode Rule: basically if you’re not hooked by Episode 3 then you wont stick around for the rest.  Luckilly, one of Cowboy Bebops strengths is it WILL have you hooked by the end of Asteroid Blues.  In my mind, this is one of the most perfect first episode pilots ever conceived in any medium.  The introduction of the coolness that is Spike Spiegel is flawless and he steals every moment of screentime by just being that damn cool.  Asteroid Blues could just be a thirty minute mini movie and id be content.  The action, the music, every single frame is a thing of beauty.  Honestly, if youre not hooked by the end of Asteroid Blues, you should just not watch the rest of Bebop cause this is the perfect primer of things to come.

 

 

#1-Ballad of Fallen Angels (Episode 5)

Much like Asteroid Blues above, this isn’t the first time this legendary Cowboy Bebop episode has appeared on a Top 5 list.  I cant help but include it whenever I can.  The episode is beyond perfect.  Great pacing, the sense that something big is about to happen, the cryptic but still intriguing dialogue.  And then there’s that epic build up that begins when “Rain” starts playing during Spikes march to meet Vicious.  When the music stops BOOM we get one of the best gun fights in all of Anime, leading to a climax containing an image of sword and gun ready at the hands of Vicious and Spike respectively.  I said Bebop had a nearly flawless set of episodes for its run…but this will always be the high point of the entire series for me.  If there is one episode of this show you ever watch (besides Asteroid Blues) make sure it’s this one.

See you Space Cowboy…Bang

Psycho Pass Part 4 Episodes 13-17

Kogame and Akane survived their first encounter with Makashima, beaten and demoralized but alive.  However, this is only the beginning.  When a mask wearing criminal whose Psycho Pass reads as normal brutally murders a woman in a crowded area, paranoia sweeps the city and soon full on riots have broken out.  As the entire CID is mobilized to quell the violence, Kogame and Akane deduce Makashima’s involvement and his true target.  All eyes fall on Nona Tower, where Makashima anxiously awaits his rival Kogame.  And one team member will discover the ultimate truth about Sybil…but a terrible price will be paid for that knowledge.

Well…that escalated quickly.  If Makashima was ever out to make his mark on this series, he’s certainly left it.  A lot of things happened in this weeks set of episodes that brought things to a climax and then changed the game one more time.  Cause now it seems that as dangerous as Makashima is, he is hardly the true threat in Psycho Pass.

 

Ive said before that sometimes this show can be tough to watch.  The darkness in peoples hearts and the monsters that murder for their own reasons isn’t an easy subject to broach.  Once again, Psycho Pass proves itself not for the feint of heart when a masked madman brutally kills a woman in the middle of a crowded city hotspot.  Honestly, yes seeing such an act is monstrous.  But seeing how everyone just stands there and practically does nothing is even worse.  Scratch that, what came afterwards was worse.  In a society that has known relative peace for a certain time, ripping that away brought about a doomsday level event.  That feeling of helplessness that Akane felt when her Dominator couldn’t kill Makashima was amplified here as the CID was all at a loss of what to do.  Seeing the city tear itself apart trying to determine whos a killer behind the mask and not made me think of Heath Ledger’s Joker from The Dark Knight: “When the chips are down, these civilized people will eat each other.”  It’s a scary thought but effective for the kind of show Psycho Pass is.  It never holds back, especially with the squeamish.

 

Thankfully, Kogame’s almost Sherlock Holmes level intelligence was able to pick up on Makashima’s true motives, or at least his intended target.  Finally, we got brought full circle to the scene that began the series, even if it wasn’t the final episode as one would suspect it was.  Kogame vs Makashima was every bit as satisfying as its been built up to be.  Not only can these two match classical literature interests but Makashima was on equal, if not superior, footing when it came to hand to hand combat.  Shouldn’t be surprised that even this puppet master was a capable fighter.  Nor was I surprised that Akane decided not to kill Makashima as Kogame asked.  This man caused a riot, this man orchestrated grizzly murders AND he killed Akane’s best friend…and yet she lets him live (though they did have orders to do that anyway). Akane truly is incorruptible, so much its freaking scary.

 

And yet we couldn’t just end this set there without one last big bombshell.  The Sybil System was revealed and…wow I keep using the word “scary” but this is some next level stuff.  I doubt anyone expected a supercomputer powered by the brains of dozens of psychopathic minds looking to bring their version of order to the world…at least its not Skynet?  Probably one of my favorite series moments so far is when Chief Kasei tried to sell Makashima on joining this literal Think Tank, only for Makashima to bash the heck out of her cyborg brain and refuse.  He’s not interested in the “Godhood” that this collection of minds thinks it has.  He wants to observe but he wants to be involved as well and being part of Sybil takes away that freedom.  Its one of the few times you can say “go Makashima”, maybe the only time.  Sybil was sketchy from the get go but this clinches it…and sadly it cost poor Kageri his life in the process.

 

Whew, that’s a lot to process but at the end of the day, its satisfying entertainment that’s hard to look away from.  Psycho Pass, so far, has had everything for everyone: fans of criminal procedural dramas, fans of action scifi and the existential/societal analysis crowd.  One wouldn’t think such a mixture could work out.  But it has.  The question is, can it finish on as strong a note as it began?  We’ll find that out next week as we wrap up the first season of Psycho Pass. 

Gundam Anime Corner Custom Toonami Line Up

Well this was a surprise development.  It has been a really long time since ive watched Toonami/Adult Swim.  It saddens me to think that considering how important that block was to building my Anime experience.  Well, after prepping my upcoming return of First Impression Friday, ive done the next best thing, something im excited about: im doing my own Custom Toonami Block.  Late night Saturday im going to be checking out 4 new shows that have popped up on Crunchyroll and keep up with them all on a weekly basis until their completion.  Who knows, maybe ill end up reviewing one of these titles down the line.  Anyway, here’s the lineup.

Gundam Build Drivers

 

The Legend of the Galactic Heroes-The New Thesis

 

Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory

 

My Hero Academia

Im going to get caught up with everything asap so I can start weekly watching at brand new episodes.  Im also doing Saturday as a watch date cause everything will be updated by then (Hero Aca is the last to air while Build Drivers is first so ill be going in chronological order).  I’ll probably start doing this in May, around the time FIF comes back cause 3 out of those 4 titles are going to be featured.  Im really excited for this.  Only wish good old Tom was there to be my announcer, Sara too.  Oh well, I can imagine the lines in my head.  I’ll keep everyone posted on this as I continue on and let you all know how it goes.

 

T5W#140-Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Adult Swim Edits

Cowboy Bebop Month continues and this week im focusing on a subject I find fascinating.  Cowboy Bebop debuted in early September 2001 on Cartoon Network’s then recently established Adult Swim block.  However, while that particular block definitely provided entertainment not suitable for children, there were a few edits made to the first run of Bebop episodes, some minor and others were pretty substantial.  Now, while I know it’s been more than a decade since Bebop first arrived on Adult Swim and im sure some of these changes have been negated.  But as far as clever trivia goes, these 5 edits are the ones I find the most interesting.  So here we go, I present the Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Adult Swim Edits.

#5-The Small Stuff (Standard Stuff)

Like I said, some changes early on were minor and probably still are in effect even today.  Not that Bebop has a ton of swearing (fair amount but not a lot) but this is the real basic stuff like bleeping out “s***” and what not.  Also some bloodshed got toned down, especially in the later half of the series when some of the violence got upped.  There will be a couple of more in depth examples later on the list.  But I needed a 5^th option for this list…so ill admit I kind of winged this one.

#4-No Gay Couple in “Waltz for Venus”

Back in 2001 representation of gay couples in any medium was still criminally unrepresented…at least in the US.  During “Waltz for Venus” Faye’s own investigation into the whereabouts of the bounty head of the week leads her to an apartment where she interrupts a romantic rendezvous between two lovers.  Since we couldn’t even have two guys seen paused awkwardly in the middle of sex, one of the men was digitally taken out, making an already awkward situation all the more awkward.  I wonder if this has been fixed for broadcast after all this time.

#3-No Gren Boobs

Now this one probably hasn’t been and probably never will be fixed.  While Adult Swim has come a long way (frak it even has Black Lagoon relatively intact), one thing I know is probably still at a bare minimum (no pun intended) is nudity.  During the two part Jupiter Jazz, Faye discovers her new friend Gren is in league of series antagonist Vicious.  She confronts him in the shower only to discover…Gren has boobs, the result of an addictive drug he was on while in prison.  Faye’s blink and you’ll miss wide eyed reaction is still in but everytime we get to this moment we always see a major close up of Gren from the neck up. 

#2-Darkening of “The Real Folk Blues Part 2”

The series finale of Cowboy Bebop is one of the shows best episodes, an ending befitting the term “legendary”…I just wish when it first aired on Adult Swim that I could see it all clearly.  Given how violent Part 2 of The Real Folk Blues is from start to finish, it would probably cost a lot to edit out all of that blood.  So Cartoon Network took another approach, they just dimmed the crap out of the entire episode.  I mean the story and the feels are all intact but not being able to see the grand finale of Cowboy Bebop in all of its glory felt like a bit of a cheat.  Like I said above, if we can get away with having half of the chaos Black Lagoon is allowed to unleash on Toonami now, I hope The Real Folk Blues Part 2 can do the same outside of its excellent Blu Ray release.

#1-Initial Removal of Episodes 6, 8 and 22

This is probably the darkest of them all.  As unfortunate as circumstances were, Cowboy Bebop began its run a week before the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Cartoon Network immedietley began a reworking of its content schedule trying to tone down any images or sights that would remind us of the tragedy befalling the nation.  Toonami at the time had to remove anything Mobile Suit Gundam related in addition to a couple of other shows.  Cowboy Bebop, as a result, had to omit 3 episodes from its premiere run: “Sympathy for the Devil” was cut for use of a child as a terrorist (even though he was actually an ancient old man who had stopped aging) as well as Spike killing the kid with a headshot; “Waltz for Venus” was cut because the episode opens with a shuttle getting hijacked by terrorists before theyre stopped by the Bebop crew; and “Cowboy Funk” was taken out because of the main bounty head did manage to blow up a couple of skyscrapers as per his MO.  It was a very tough but understandable choice to leave this trio out at the beginning.  However, after the first run was completed, all three episodes did return to the roster and have not left since. 

Psycho Pass Part 3 Episodes 9-12

After three long years of investigating, Kogame has finally confirmed the existence of Shogo Makashima.  But this discovery could lead to his downfall as Kogame finds himself led into a deadly hunt with one of Makashima’s associates.  What’s worse, Makashima has also kidnapped one of Akane’s best friends.  It’s a race against time that brings CID Unit One directly into the line of fire.  However, the real trial comes when Akane confronts Makashima herself…and discovers he might be the one man who could bring the Sybil System and their whole society crashing down around them.

This week an immortal cyborg hunter tried to kill Kogame, Akane came face to face with a man the Dominator cant work against, and Yayoi got an episode to herself…for some reason.  All in all though, it was a very strong conclusion happening for the first half of Psycho Pass’ first season.

Im not sure about how much ive touched on how much I enjoy the world building aspect of this series.  Both Kogame’s mentor, Professor Saiga, and Makashima’s cyborg hunter Senguji, along with Yayoi in a way, all touched on some very familiar scifi dystopia tropes that are nonetheless interesting.  For Saiga and Yayoi, it’s a matter of what Sybill deems worth to be heard and enjoyed.  Saiga’s criminal profiling courses would be perfect at helping the enforcers of peace of tomorrow better understand the criminals theyre trying to put away.  But then again, delving into such deep psyches could turn people into latent criminals ripe for Sybill Judgement.  Likewise, Yayoi’s enjoyment of the underground rock movement had similar potential consequences, so much so Yayoi was in a correctional facility before Ginoza and  then Inspector Kogame came to recruit her.  It’s a very strict future for sure and the cost of personal choice and freedom is pretty clear too.  But then you have people like Senguji who seem to enjoy the future as long as it benefits himself.  In his case, he’s an indeterminately aged man who’s literally more machine now than human.  His outlook on man slowly becoming machine thanks to its dependence on technology to get through everyday life is scary when you think about it because its not that far off from total truth looking at society today.

But for once the existentialism managed to ride side by side with the action.  Senguji’s twisted hunt of Kogame had some of the best moments of Season One.  The similar style hunt might’ve gone poorly for poor Rikako (whose bones were used by Senguji to make smoking pipes…ewwwwww), but Kogame was a whole different kind of beast and hunter.  He effectively played the old man, read him almost perfectly and, despite getting seriously injured, managed to “retire” the old tin can in some stellar gunplay.  However, this was just a warm up, believe it or not, for the true showdown…one that was way more one sided.  At last, Akane came face to face with Makashima…and the Dominator will not judge him.  This scene gave me chills.  Earlier, Akane showed her inner strength by standing up to Ginoza and reprimanding him for always looking down on her and the Enforcers (though Masaoka would just go onto say Gino’s trying to make sure Akane doesn’t end up like Kogame).  Here, Makashima berated Akane and Sybill and while doing so, his Psycho Pass just kept getting lower and lower, virtually robbing Akane of any and all power to stop him from killing her best friend.  Is his faith in his course and inability to show any signs of madness beyond his calm persona what makes Makashima invincible?  Will this end up bringing to light the true flaws of the Sybill system?  And will Akane and Kogame be able to recover from this ordeal, injured physically as well as emotionally?

The answer to that will have to wait til next week cause this week closed out with a flashback episode to Yayoi joining the team.  I liked the world building aspect but I have to wonder why Yayoi of all people got an episode to flesh out her character.  Granted she hasn’t really done a lot to stand out besides offer random investigative points and establish she’s shacking up with Karanomori.  There was a decent arc for her in this episode, watching her grow from would be anarchist to full fledged Enforcer.  And we got to see Kogame as an Inspector alongside Gino and see his Enforcer partner Sasayama in action.  Still, this derailed the good momentum from the previous few episodes.  But I guess this is just a small breather after all that went down with Makashima.  When the series resumes proper next week, im sure we’re going to be running a lot with few stand alone stories. 

Til then, I cant wait to see if Kogame and Akane are on the same page now with Makashima.  Cause not only has he killed Kogame’s partner, he killed Akane’s best friend.  We’ll see if Akane truly is as incorupptible as they all say (and yes ill go back to that Dark Knight reference im sure).  See ya next week.

First Impression Friday-Season 3 Announcement

Yep, it’s happening once again.  First Impression Fridays is coming back.  For those new to this (and I understand that since I take wicked long hiatuses with this one), FIF features my initial thoughts on the first 1-3 episodes of random titles of my choosing.  On rare occasion, these might lead to full series reviews (like with Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Fate/Stay Night and Free: Eternal Summer).  But these will largely be stand alone pieces that ill either continue with or just leave them at their initial watch.  Now as to WHEN FIF will be back…I haven’t settled on a date yet.  If I was on my A-Game and I was still watching Toonami on Saturday Nights, I would have done a surprise return with a feature on FLCL: Alternative after its surprise airing on April Fools Day.  Sadly, that’s wasn’t the case but wanting to do initial thoughts on both FLCL: Progressive and FLCL: Alternative lead to me bringing FIF back in the first place.  Ideally, id want to start things up again when FLCL: Progressive begins in June but I don’t think I want to wait that long.  Also id probably only want to do a small batch of FIFs before going into my big summer series and maybe bringing FIF back again in September when FLCL: Alternative is set to debut.  You what…ok…ok ive got it.  Here and now: FRIDAY MAY THE 4TH…FIRST IMPRESSION FRIDAY SEASON 3 BEGINS!!!  I guess rather then debuting it at the start, FLCL 2 will fall somewhere in the middle.  No biggie.  Cant wait to bring this one back and I hope everyone else is excited too.  Ive seen a few new titles (to me anyway) that id like to talk about and who knows, maybe some of them will turn into full series reviews one day.  Thanks for reading and see ya around.

(Side note: I just found out FLCL: Progressive will debut on June 2, 2018 so it’ll be the 6^th FIF feature of this new season…so yeah like I said, it’ll fall somewhere in the middle lol). 

T5W#139-Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Side Characters

Cowboy Bebop has one of the most expansive and lively worlds in all of Anime.  More to its credit, it isn’t just left to Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed and Ein to populate the galaxy with awesome.  Bebop has an equally memorable an diverse supporting cast of characters.  Some are there simply for one off episodes while others have popped up multiple times, either for comic relief or to be of actual help to the crew of the Bebop.  It’s just one of the many aspects of Bebop that makes it a title that can stand the test of time.  So this week as we continue Cowboy Bebop Month on T5W, im looking at the Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Side Characters.  And just to note: while they don’t appear as regularly as the main five, Julia and Vicious are more major players to the Spike central plot of Cowboy Bebop for me to consider them secondary, so they wont be included on this list.  The same goes for Vincent and Elektra in Cowboy Bebop: Knockin on Heaven’s Door as theyre both major players to the plot of that film.

#5-V.T.

Few space truckers can be as cool as V.T.  She was once the wife of one of the galaxys most notorious bounty hunters.  After he passed, this cool chick took up driving the Heavy Metal Queen along with her adorable cat, Zeros.  V.T. only appears once in Episode 7 “Heavy Metal Queen” but she and Spike had some good moments, both as friends and as opposite once we found out V.T. didn’t look kindly on Bounty Hunters, I guess she blamed the profession for the death of her husband.  Plus there was that fun mini game she had where people had to pay her a small sum of money (into a larger stack of bills) and if you guessed her name right, you’d get the whole stack.  Naturally, Spike got it right but he’s a nice guy and he let V.T. keep the game going and only taking the money he contributed to the pile.

#4-Punch and Judy

The ever lovable hosts of “Big Shots for the Bounty Hunters”, Punch and Judy drop frequent intel on different Bounty Heads…or just their names.  Yeah these two rarely ever have any helpful information and kind of flounder about whenever their on screen.  Still, their costumes and chemistry are nice, definitely making good use of the wild west motif.  And yeah…Judy’s pretty hot in her costume too.  It’s a shame that the crew never met these guys in their on screen personalities, though Faye did glimpse Punch at an airport picking up his mom just after he lost his job.

#3-Andy von de Oniyate

Ah Andy.  He’s dumb as a rock but man is he entertaining.  The central guest star of Episode 22 “Cowboy Funk” Andy’s oblivious attitude to his destructive aloofness finds him constantly compared to Spike.  Though I beg to differ cause Spike is at least possessing a brain full of Zen compared to Andy, who’s really mostly cosplaying a cowboy for the hell of it.  Still his showdowns with Spike are a lot of fun and in the end, Andy may be a goof but he’s an easy going guy.  Hell he even trades his cowboy persona for that of a Samurai, even changing his name to Musashi.  And seeing as how he has a brief cameo in the movie, it looks like he and his trusted steed are still going strong.  Ride on Space Samurai

#2-Bob

Like everyone on this show, Jet Black could have his own prequel series.  His rise and fall from the ISSP is a tragic tale and Jet has few friends left from that era.  Bob was seemingly a one and done character, first appearing in Episode 4 “Gateway Shuffle” and having to be bribed by Jet to get some intel.  Yet Bob makes a couple more returns throughout the series and even in the movie to help Jet by passing on some helpful info.  Guys like that don’t just do things without good reason.  Bob always seems like one of the few honest(ish) ISSP cops who hasn’t been corrupted by the Syndicates and he does have some faith in Jet…not a lot though since Jet has to remind him that whatever trouble he gets into wont come back to bite Bob in the ass one day.

#1-The 3 Old Men (Antonio, Carlos, and Jobim)

Just who the hell are these guys?  It is never really made clear who these card playing geezers actually are.  They are, however, the most recurring side characters in all of Cowboy Bebop.  Their appearances are sporadic, often theyre found at a table playing cards and bickering about being cheated out of their money.  Really, theres hardly ever a purpose to this trios appearances but they always make you smile when they appear.  Theyre a constant throughout Cowboy Bebop that will produce some unexpected chuckles.  Equally funny is that Spike and Crew spot these guys all the time, and vise versa, and yet no party ever remembers one another.  Heck, Antonio, Carlos and Jobim are so popular they even end up helping to save the day in The Movie…though before they do they cant decide if theyre flying to Saturn or heading out to sink a World War II battleship…classic.

Psycho Pass Part 2 Episodes 5-8

When a series of grotesque art pieces which utilize dead young girls surface across the city, CID Unit One finds itself facing the return of a ghost from three years ago.  Either the killer or a copycat is preying on students from a Girls boarding school and the number of victims is rising.  As the team works to find the killer, Kogame is benched by Gino.  During their last run with this kind of crime, Kogame lost his Enforcer partner and his own status as an Investigator.  Kogame’s been trying to get justice for his friend for three years and now he has his chance.  Will Akane follow his lead or will she be forced to take extreme measures again to keep the Wolf like Enforcer in check?

Whew, this is not a series for the feint of heart or those with bad stomachs.  Psycho Pass’ second week dialed up the intensity ten fold, especially in the second big case of the season.  Much like Kakegurui, the darkness that is presented in this twisted utopia of a future can be really hard to watch.  Unlike Kakegurui though, this isn’t played for laughs.  This is serious stuff and it can make for good drama.  Just know what you’ve signed up for because Psycho Pass isn’t letting up on the grim any time soon, if ever.

I will say, for all the “eh-ness” I got from the Avatar case last week, the wrap up that kicked off this week was pretty well done.  This is probably because, much like other moments this week, it benefited from seeing the CID Unit One team fully insync with theories and their investigative powers.  For all of Gino’s boasting that Enforcers aren’t human beings, he seemed alright with following Kogame’s lead and through that trust, they found the perp responsible for all the Avatar killings and got involved in an exciting chase involving psychotropic holograms, a bottle of booze and a lighter.  It was kind of scary to think of the real life social commentary that comes from such a case: not knowing that the avatars your speaking with are the true people who made them.  Are they fakes, can they be trusted?  Such is the risk we all take on the net and such risk is highlighted here.

Things got especially darker with the return of the “Specimen Case”.  I hope viewers have strong stomachs when wandering into this little section of the series cause the “art pieces” on display are truly terrifying.  It’s really hard to believe such darkness is capable of existing.  It’s worse to think that it can be appretiated or even nurtured.  But that’s what we get when Shogo Makashima makes his grander appearance in this weeks set.  I will say, the man does have a way with words, even if he does like to hear himself talk.  They often say the most dangerous adversaries are the ones who both believe what theyre doing is right and are also the ones who make the most sense.  Makashima is definitely both of those as he saw guiding Rikako’s twisted talents as a way of liberating her true self.  It’s hard to tell who was scarier between the two during this small arc, Makashima for his calm zen-ness, or Rikako who smiled while slashing up her classmates…probably the latter so I had no problem seeing Makashima double cross her and leave her to die via another one of his allies with a big ass rifle.

Through the Specimen Case we also got backstory on Kogame from all across the unit.  Kagari trying to get Akane drunk before spilling what he knew about Kou’s past was fun, as was Yayoi’s dead pan reaction to seeing the Specimen Case artwork (maybe I could grow to like her after all, especially when she comforted a student at the end of a case).  But, of course, the biggest surprise was Gino discretely sending Akane Kogame’s file to look into.  Though they’re no longer partners of equal standing, Gino does still have a level of trust in Kogame’s abilities, though he still blames himself for Kogame’s Psycho Pass getting as bad as it did.  The question is, for all of Kogame’s Zen wisdom and ability to ravage Cyborgs in training (without a shirt, which is problematic for poor Akane), what is it going to take for him to snap now that Makashima’s back on the scene?  Kogame says he’s still trying to get justice for his dead partner.  But we all know that’s bound to end in trouble for the Wolf Enforcer (im just gonna occasionally call him that from now on).

I do wonder if we’re going to get anymore stand alone cases now with Makashima on the board.  Granted, he could slink back into the darkness for a bit.  Personally, this world is sick, twisted and dark as hell.  The unique cases and the comraderie of the main cast keeps things interesting and even a bit lighthearted at times.  Im not saying focusing on one bigger case for the rest of the season could eliminate those pros.  Diversity in storytelling and case investigation isn’t a bad thing either.  Whatever the case, Psycho Pass is proving one scary but addictive show to watch.  We’ll continue down this dark rabbit hole next week.  See ya then.

T5W#138-Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Tracks

Welcome to Cowboy Bebop Month on Top 5 Wednesday.  This year, one of Anime’s greatest legendary titles turns 20 freaking years old.  Seeing as how both the series and the movie we’re both titles I reviewed early on in this blog, I still wanted to do something to celebrate this momentous occasion.  Hence a month of four special lists ive compiled pertaining to several aspects of Cowboy Bebop.  To kick things off, Ive decided to look at one of Bebop’s most infamous aspects.  Even if, for whatever reason, you don’t like the story or the characters (if not then shame on you) everyone always remembers Yoko Kanno’s brilliant soundtrack.  From film noir to rock to the series’ main bread and butter of Jazz and Blues, Yoko Kanno gave us a soundtrack that can be enjoyed by everyone and still withstands the test of time.  In hindsight, choosing 5 tracks that stand out in an epic list of dozens is one of the toughest tasks ive undertaken for a Top 5 Wednesday.  Nevertheless, the list has been made.  I’ll include youtube links to the songs themselves.  However, much like in the past, there’s no garuntee that the videos will be around for long…so just search them again if you cant find them.  Anyway, onto my Top 5 Cowboy Bebop Tracks.  Or as the single line of lyrics from the infamous intro goes, “I think it’s time we blow this scene, get everybody and their stuff together…ok 3, 2, 1 Let’s Jam.”

#5-Live From Baghdad

As I said above, Cowboy Bebop may be known for it’s Blues and Jazz infused tunes but Yoko Kanno delves into all manner of music for this universe.  Live From Baghdad is one of the few, if only, pure rock tunes in the whole saga (besides the one they use in the Bebop Movie for the final battle) and it quickly caught my ear.  So what I couldn’t understand the lyrics.  The guitar is epic and every scene in Heavy Metal Queen the song is set to works perfectly.  Best of all, the Jazz and Blues loving Spike and Faye cant stand the music, which makes its predominant use in the episode all the more fun.

#4-Too Good Too Bad

One thing that helps any song from Bebop is where it is placed.  In the fourth episode, Gateway Shuffle, Spike and Faye have to stop a bio weapon from hitting Ganymede which leads to a pretty cool chase scene through one of the hyperspace gateways.  As soon as Spike launches and Too Good Too Bad kicks off, the scene redefines awesome.  Everytime it gets underway and the drums build up to Spike entering the gateway itself, I get pumped.  It starts big and it ends just as big, especially when youre cutting an escape from the chase to the last second.

#3-Tank

The tune that started it all…well not quite (there is one tune that plays in Episode 1’s prelude).  But still, I remember before Cowboy Bebop was even brought to Adult Swim.  I was watching the previews on a Gundam Wing VHS tape and when the Cowboy Bebop trailer played (my first discovery of the title), the theme song played with it and it has never left my mind since.  Mixing all parts adventure, crime drama, even some seductive undertones, Tank is one of the greatest openings in Anime history and a song that you cant ignore when discussing Bebop.  Long before Attack on Titan or One Punch Man’s theme songs, Tank was the definitive intro you NEVER SKIPPED whenever a new episode of Bebop got started.

#2-Rush

The first time we hear this song is during Spike’s duel with Asimov towards the end of Episode 1.  Spike shoots Asimovs vile of Red Eye out of the sky, twirls his gun away, cue the drums and bing bang boom.  There are a lot of tracks that can sum up Spike’s character, especially Spokey Dokey’s harmonica driven sadness filled vibes.  But Rush is Spike’s battle theme, for me anyway.  Again, the way it’s mixed into Episode 1, perfectly with every punch, kick, dodge, even Spike’s witty quips, it makes me believe that Yoko Kanno was watching every scene intently and mixing song to image on screen in her head and wouldn’t settle for less than perfection.

#1-Rain

Speaking of no less than perfection, this song got me to watch Ballad of Fallen Angels endlessly.  It is the perfect build up song.  An organ piano plays only a few small notes as Spike begins his walk to the church where his duel with Vicious is to take place.  The song is softly sung by Mai Yamane all the way through and by the time the guitar plays and the organ goes nuts with its keys, you know you are in for the most epic freaking battle scene you’ve ever seen in your life.  And as the song ends with a long pause on one note of the organ, it’s basically the tumbleweed blown across the field before Spike pulls the trigger and gets the party started.