FIF#57-The Ancient Magus Bride

Chise Hatori is a 15 year old girl from Japan who has been sold into the service of a mysterious mage named Elias.  When she was younger, Chise was abandoned by her family and felt cursed with the sight of supposed otherworldly beings.  Elias, a magus with the skulled head of a horned beast, can sense great potential in Chise and accepts her as both his servant and as his student in the art of all things magical.  In his home in the English Countryside, Chise will find her sights welcome and the hole in her life filled…even if that might mean becoming the bride of the ancient magus.

As far as fantasy Anime series go, The Ancient Magus Bride seems to have set a new high bar with the one and only episode ive seen so far…and also I just found out this wasn’t even part of the main TV series but a prequel OVA (is that even better?)  I knew very little going into it besides the title, the look of the supposed Magus and the bride herself.  I also gathered that the series has some Beauty and the Beast vibes to it and I can see why.  Even though Elias cant really project facial emotions…cause his head is a skull, his voice actor does a great job at conveying those underlying feelings.  You can tell something about Chise, besides her being really cute, stirs things inside of him.  Same goes vice versa for Chise, who is clearly the true star of the series.  Even without the later knowledge that she can see the supernatural, she can sense when Elias is in a bad mood or holding something back.  Granted, the series begins years after she and Elias probably met so there’s history there still to be explored.  I felt so bad for little Chise in the flashbacks of the first episode.  Why was she abandoned?  How did she get her supernatural sight?  Why wouldn’t she let anyone give her a hug?  Granted her foster family seemed a bit shady so it’s probably good she didn’t stick around them.  But there was a nice girl who offered her water, only for a pesky spirit to break things up (which only Chise could see).  Man, Chise is a world of hurt and I only ever wanted to see good things happen to her.  Will that happen in this series?  Me giving a damn only one episode in almost compels me to watch to find out.  And even if that wasn’t the case, crap is this show gorgeous as heck.  There’s a very Miyazaki/Ghibli feel to Magus Bride’s art style and story execution.  Much like Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle, the world feels lively with magical possibilities and creatures to populate it.  God only knows that there are more than fairies and moving books in Elias’s mansion and I want to know what else is in there.

Huh, all that praise I guess I should find a way to continue watching this series.  I might even add it to my Custom Toonami Line Up with Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Gundam Build Drivers, Full Metal Panic and My Hero Academia.  Very rarely can a first episode alone snag my attention for a series.  The Ancient Magus Bride was hailed as one of the biggest hits of the fall season last year and im inclined to believe the hype.  Once I clear through the OVA’s other two episodes ill be into this series and hopefully ill be ready for one helluva ride.

Pacific Rim Uprising

Ten years have passed since The Battle of the Breach.  The war with the Kaiju is long over but humanity remains diligent, anticipating the return of the monsters who nearly destroyed their planet.  Jake Pentacost, son of the Kaiju Wars greatest hero, is summoned back into service to train the next generation of Jaeger pilots.  And it looks like they’ll all get their chance to prove their worth sooner than later as the overlords of the Kaiju, the Precursors, begin their latest attack, using our own technology against us.  We thought the war was over, but the true battle is only just beginning.

Pacific Rim was a rare feat for the world of movies.  After years of begging, pleading and praying, we finally got the giant robot vs giant monster rumble fest we’d always wanted since we’d seen our first Godzilla movie.  It wasn’t a perfect flick (the story could have been better) but where the visuals and action were concerned, Pacific Rim did its job beautifully.  Best of all, it felt very self contained.  After all, the good guys won in the end, right?  No more Kaiju coming to Earth…so what were they going to do for the sequel?  Apparently they decided to focus mostly on everything that didn’t work in the first film…and make that worse, although some of Uprising does work when it wants too. 

One thing that sets Uprising apart from its predecessor immedietley is the visual effects.  Under the direction of Guillermo del Toro, the original Pacific Rim’s mechs were detailed to a T.  You felt the size, scale and intimacy of each mecha, right down to all the moving gears when it took a single step.  You felt the power of each punch it threw, the impact it took from a Kaiju hit.  Whether he wants to admit where he borrowed some inspirations from or not, Del Toro watched a lot of giant robot anime and knew what parts of it he wanted to look at the deepest and it showed.  Pacific Rim Uprising takes less cues from Anime and more from Michael Bay’s Transformers travesty…that alone should speak volumes as to how not as great a visual film Uprising is compared to it’s predecessor.  Sure some of the action is kind of flashy and im happy the Jaegers move a bit faster and have some neat abilities.  But at the end of the day, the action moves too fast to keep up with and you have a hard time making out who is hitting what and why you should even care.  You know it’s something when Godzilla Final Wars has better battles of titans (mecha, Kaiju or otherwise) compared to a big budget blockbuster Hollywood sequel.  Which is a shame because I do like the director.  Steven S. DeKnight has shown he can do some great action, being the showrunner of both Spartacus and the first season of Daredevil.  Here, he’s missing his magic a bit and any semblance of magic that made the first Pacific Rims epic battles so magical. 

Whereas the first Pacific Rim had a so-so story with some good world elements to build upon, Uprising feels like a case of throwing darts at the dart board and seeing what sticks: the return of the Kaiju, rival Jaeger building companies, the next generation of Top Gun Jaeger Pilots, further exploring the psyches of the Kaiju and their masters.  All of those and more get thrown into a blender to churn out a story that is pretty boring, hardly engaging and entirely forgettable.  The fact that that same lack of energy sometimes carries into the fights is a bad thing as well.  Most films you can forgive a bad story that just serves as a way of getting from one fight to the next, if the action is good and as I mentioned above…it’s just meh.  Then there’s the main cast.   Only three characters return from the first film, one of whom isn’t around that long.  There are beefed up roles for scientists Newt and Herman but theyre not as great as they were before.  The new generation isn’t very memorable and isn’t really given enough time to stand out.  The only ones who do are John Boyega’s Jake Pentacost and Callie Spaeny’s Amara Namani.  Boyega’s star continues to shine beyond Star Wars and he’s got the charm and chops to be a good leading man, making his scenes stand out even when the movie feels low on gas.  Spaeny is a good pair up, bringing spunk and humor as a Jaeger junkie who knows her facts and how to build them and she bounces off Jake perfectly.  They’re a good successor duo to Raleigh and Mako.  BTW Mako does return and her scenes with Jake (her step brother) are pretty good too, so it’s criminal they don’t have a lot of time together. 

While Pacific Rim Uprising ends on the promise of the fight continuing, I cant really see any reason to come back to this universe besides a random visit to the better made first film.  Visually Uprising isn’t quite Transformers leftovers like Battleship but it is nowhere near as majestic and deep as the first film.  John Boyega is the hero this franchise deserves but he can only do so much on his own (though he rises to the occasion).  In the end, I didn’t think Pacific Rim needed a sequel and I still don’t even after watching Pacific Rim Uprising.  For certain, I know we don’t need a third film.  Could we just get Del Toro back in the directors chair and have him make Voltron vs. Godzilla and bring along John Boyega and Callie Spaeny along for the ride?  That would be better time spent. 

5/10

T5W#150-Top 5 Reasons Gundam Build Divers Defeats Gundam Build Fighters Try

Wow.  Can anyone, much less me, believe it?  Top 5 Wednesday # 150!!!!  Man.  Achievement Unlocked…or whatever lol, yay me.  150 of these random lists and let me tell ya, it aint easy coming up with topics from week to week.  Sometimes, I haven’t been able to think of topics until the actual morning I work on these lists.  Well ive been getting better about that and when I was trying to think of a good topic for this momentous occasion, I decided that id waited on one thing long enough.  As you might know, Gundam Build Fighters Try is one of my least favorite Gundam shows of all time, so much so the very thought can send me into a rage.  So behold my surprise when a new “Build” series comes along and manages to recapture the spirit and fun of the original Gundam Build Fighters.  Gundam Build Divers has been a win from Episode 1 and with the finale (series or season im not sure) around the corner, I’d say it’s a safe bet ill do a full series review right afterwards.  Right now, though, I want to talk about 5 reasons why Build Divers kicks Build Fighters Try’s ass big time.  Welcome to T5W#150-Top 5 Reasons Gundam Build Divers Defeats Gundam Build Fighters Try.

 

#5-A True Next Level Setting

Not that more couldn’t be done with the way Gunpla Battle was handled in Gundam Build Fighters, but Build Divers presents us with a grander stage befitting any kind of sequel.  In Gundam Battle Nexus, anything feels possible from the mecha combinations to the character skins that can be accessed to the location you can visit.  Sword Art Online and .hack//sign pioneered such a digital playground setting.  Build Divers isn’t what I’d say perfect (compared to those two cause that would be presumptuous), but it fits right in with those two titans of the MMO Anime Genre…and yeah it’s more fun than either of them, come at me world.

 

#4-Better Leads

Sei Iori and Reiji were the perfect pair in Gundam Build Fighters.  Sei loved Gundam his whole life and was a great builder but not a great fighter.  Reiji had never heard of the hobby (he’s also from another dimension but we’re not getting into that atm), but proved he was a natural pilot.  Together these two could do the impossible in any battle.  Riku and Yuki are very much their spiritual successors.  Both have their strengths in building and battle and compliment each other by wanting to learn more about both.  It is a far cry from Build Fighters Try where Sekai was an obnoxious battle hungry Naruto-esque hothead and Yuuma was a depressing **** who refused to have fun.  Hoshino tried to be the better balance of both but sadly the show refused to give the Try Fighters captain her proper due.  And while Riku and Yuki could carry Build Divers on their own, there have their own team with their own talents to bring to the table that just make things more enjoyable and I’ll be getting into a couple of those characters later on in this list.

 

#3-Bigger Battles

This kind of ties into my #5 selection but the five on five battles of Gundam Build Divers blow Build Fighters Try out of the water.  There’s a grander sense of scale that comes with it and some added difficulty too.  Riku, Yuki, Momo, Koichi and Akame each have their own skill sets that need to be coordinated properly to defeat teams with far more experience.  On top of that, even the one on one battles are more entertaining.  No longer are we seeing Sekai scream his would be Naruto lungs out in a battle cry or Yuuma whining about his own insecurities.  Nope, now we have characters like Riku, Kyoya and Rommel belting out how much they love Gunpla for the hell of it, whether its in one on one duels like Kyoya vs Rommel in Episode 0, or Riku vs Team Seed Destiny (theyre cute so ill forgive them), when Riku tries to remind a distressed player that she’s valued by her team…a lesson she learns far faster and more satisfyingly than Yuuma ever did…speaking of whom.

 

#2-Koichi’s Story vs. Yuuma’s BS

It’s no mystery of my hatred for Yuuma Kousaka from Gundam Build Fighters Try.  He was once praised as the true successor to Sei Iori…until his Gunpla was violently defeated and he decided to exit the hobby altogether.  Ok, that was a traumatic event and it would shake anyone up, I get that.  But Yuuma is the most difficult fraking character of the whole show and I still don’t believe that by series end he had recaptured the heart of a true Gunpla enthusiast.  He was stagnant, irritating and a waste of screentime when it was clear he’d never get his act together.  NOW, his better counterpart from Gundam Build Divers is Koichi.  Koichi once led a small Gunpla team when Gunpla Battle was still the way to play.  When Gundam Battle Nexus arrived, his team one by one left to sign up, leaving Koichi behind.  Koichi continued to build models for the Gunpla Museum but couldn’t bring himself to battle…because he missed his friends.  Enter Riku, Yuki and Momo, who discovers Koichi’s work and tirelessy (and hilariously) try to get him on their team.  The final stroke to do so…show Koichi that they want to spiff up his models and learn how he made them so good.  It’s enough to make Koichi cry, me too for that matter, and he’s on board with Riku and his team.

Tell me…which is the more inspiring story and why?

 

#1-Makes Gunpla Fun Again

Gundam Build Fighters made Gunpla building and battling one of the most epicly fun sports known to man and I wanted to be in this world that made such an event out of it.  Build Fighters Try…made Gunpla the most depressing thing ever and battles came to feel more like matters of life and death and pride rather than fun.  Build Divers yanks Build Fighters Try up by the collar and smacks the frak out of it, asking WTF MAN!!!???  The energy that Riku, Yuki, Momo and their allies bring to the table makes you want to form your own team, build some models and test them out on a digital setting.  There isn’t anything depressing about it like with Build Fighters Try (helped by the absence of a funless asshat like Yuuma).  This is the true sequel Gundam Build Fighters deserved from the get go.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 4 Episodes 20-24

As the new term begins, Haruhi concocts another outrageous plan: the SOS Brigade is going to make a movie.  Asahnia stars as a bunny girl dressed superheroine and Yuki is set to play the villain.  As her most ambitious project to date, Haruhi will settle for nothing less than perfection.  For the first time, Kyon is forced to step in the resulting fight might be one he and Haruhi might never recover from.  We all know what happens when Haruhi gets pissed off.  But is Kyon willing to take the risk to show Haruhi even she can takes things too far?

So Haruhi Suzumiya attempted to direct The Room…with potentially big consequences…why am I not surprised. (And now I wonder how warped reality would become if Tommy Weiseu had Haruhi’s abilities while making The Room…I don’t think I want to wonder).  In any case, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya needed to bounce back big time after last weeks Endless Eight Hell.  It took a bit, longer than I would have wanted, but the series did earn back some points.  There was a slow build to a big explosion that might’ve ended up changing things forever…surprisingly for the better.

Since we’re getting closer to the end of the show, it seemed time to test just how much overbearing overlording Haruhi we could handle at once.  Over the span of four episodes, we saw her selfishness hit multiple zeniths.  She pushed the SOS Brigade to shoot a movie with next to no script, with only her brain and “Brilliance” to guide them.  If it felt like a slough to sit through, I guess that was on purpose because Kyon, Koizumi and Nagato all showed signs of wear and tear at different points.  Poor Mikuru got the worst of it as she was pushed, groped, dropped in a dirty river and at one point FREAKING DRUGGED by Haruhi to get the acting she wanted in her film.  It all got super uncomfortable and it’s a miracle that everything Haruhi has done til this point has been tame by comparison.

 

Which led us to one of the best moments of the series.  Now I wouldn’t condone Kyon actually hitting Haruhi but he did take a stand against her and flat out say, “THIS IS WRONG!!!”  It felt like the whole mood had changed.  In Haruhi’s mind, it’s whatever she wants and if its fun for her and not fun for others then it doesn’t matter.  This was the first time Kyon got into a verbal fight from acts that pissed him off.  In fact, what kind of pissed me off was, again, Koizumi, who insisted that the shoot go on no matter what it took so that Haruhi would be forever happy so that the world wouldn’t fall into disaster.  But how far would Koizumi go himself?  Would he let Haruhi insult and abuse Mikuru constantly even if things got too dark?  I know Kyon ends up back by Haruhi’s side a lot but for Koizumi, I have to paraphrase Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, cause he is truly, “Haruhi’s bitch forever.”

 

For a moment I wondered how would things go after Kyon’s outburst.  The movie was going to get finished one way or another but would his shakey friendship (at best) with Haruhi overcome their “first fight”?  The answer is yes, don’t ask me how, I don’t get it.  But let’s just say both learned their lessons because things did improve, particularly in Haruhi’s mood.  Maybe too much.  I haven’t even talked about how reality was really bending itself to Haruhi’s will during the movie shoot.  If she wanted good weather, done.  Talking cat, yep that happened. Eye lasers shooting out of Mikuru’s eye?  You name it, Haruhi subconsciously made it her lucky day.  And honestly, im getting tired of Koizumi trying to explain anything when Mikuru or even Yuki could do it in two minutes compared to his ten minute ramblings.

 

One of the last thing I’ll cover from this set is one of the bigger revelations of the series so far.  Yuki, Mikuru and Koizumi truly all have different opinions of the SOS Brigade Leader.  God, Anomaly, Data Hive.  They all have different answers they’ve been trying to feed Kyon and, in the end, maybe none of them have the right answer.  Still, they all want Kyon to believe them and some are more desperate than others.  I was actually onboard for this shake up in the formula as I am a firm supporter of DON’T TRUST KOIZUMI!!!  I’m still not sure why Mikuru turns out alright in the future because of all of Haruhi’s abuse to her throughout the series.  But if I had to choose between believing her or Koizumi, Mikuru without a second thought.  Yuki though seems the one to trust the most because she has gone out of her way to protect Kyon several times throughout the series.  And I don’t think it’s because he helps steady Haruhi’s ever active personality.  I think she truly cares about Kyon in a way she cant express.  That has to count for something.  Who’d thought this show was capable of getting dark and serious all of a sudden and it would have some good payoff?  Even Haruhi seemed to benefit.  As I mentioned, she turned around her directorial attitude and seemed to be trying to keep Kyon with her by actually listening to his ideas.  True Haruhi still acts like Haruhi.  But the moment Kyon walked into the clubroom and Haruhi was briefly trying to tie her hair in a ponytail though proves that as much as she wants to show the world she exists, she really wants Kyon to notice her too.

 

While the pacing didn’t start off with the best push, this weeks “The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya” arc was a good return to form for the series and also shook up the ever changing status quo in a solid way.  My one mini nitpick is because of the way im watching it in the DVD set, the final episode of this arc feels like a season ender…because it is.  This closed out the second season of the show and probably explains the sudden tonal shift that would play a big part of the movie but we’ll get to that next week (yes next week).  So it feels like a grand finale…but there’s still four episodes left to watch.  It could fool someone unaccustomed to the episode layout of Haruhi Suzumiya if theyre not informed.  Still, next week is the true grand finale of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya…how is it going to end?  That’s a good question.  You’ll all find out next Monday and check in next Wednesday too as we close out our time with Miss Suzumiya on July 4^th with my review of The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya.  See ya then.

FIF#56-Aggretsuko

Retsuko is a 25 year old red panda who is ready to take on the world…or so she thought.  Leaping head first into the workforce, Retsuko finds the sunshine and rainbows she hoped for are non existent.  Her job is a pain, her bosses are criminally cruel and everyone relies on her to get the job done because she’s dependable.  Retsuko has but one escape from it all…DEATH METAL KARAOKE!!! Cause let’s face it, the only way to confront your feelings is to put them into songs containing death and destruction against all that offend you.  The question is: will Retsuko ever find the courage to stand up for herself and make her life better or will she snap under pressure?

Aggretsuko, behind the cutesy animated look has all the basic elements of an NBC work comedy that might last half a season or more if it’s lucky.  That does sound a bit mean but it is a premise ive heard about for…well forever.  Only this time it isn’t a live action office place comedy, it’s an Anime with adorable animals substituted for humans and a rather hilarious amount of all too brief death metal numbers reminiscent of Detroit Metal City.  I do feel for Retsuko.  She definitely seems the kind of girl who deserves a lot better than the hell hole job shes landed in.  Crappy Boss (who really shouldn’t run anything given that how he treats women in the workplace is criminal), some crappy coworkers and no sign of peace anywhere to be found.  It’s a struggle for Retsuko to get from waking up and back to bed.  Her only salvation, and anger therapy in the process, are the death metal lyrics she belts to describe how she REALLY feels about her life and the ones who make it a living Hell.  If I didn’t know any better id say that Retsuko was a spiritual cousin to Johannes Krauser II from the aforementioned Detroit Metal City.  Much of what Retsuko sings is…well yeah anyone with a crappy work life would want fire and brimstone to reign down on mass.  And yet watching a tiny red panda scream this at the top of her lungs is equally cute as it is relatable.  It definitely all rings true to the Anime’s proper title “Aggressive Retsuko”.

I kind of just wanted to check this one out because it was advertised in my Netflix feed and im not sorry I did.  For anyone interested, the episodes are only 15mins long and there’s only 10 of them so the show can be knocked out in a couple of hours.  I’d love to see Retsuko succeed.  But reality is everywhere in Aggretsuko, even if it is talking chibi animals and even I need most of my Anime to be pure escapism from life.  That said, I’d love to get all of Retsuko’s death metal numbers into a playlist.  She really should just become Johannes Krauser III…yeah are we sure this isn’t a secret DMC spinoff waiting to be fully revealed?

T5W#149-Top 5 Favorite Gundam 00 Moments

Almost 8 years ago, I stumbled across Gundam 00 and out of sheer curiosity and not much knowledge of plot, characters or anything other than the legendary Gundam name itself, decided to check it out.  While there are other Gundam entries I hold in higher regard, Gundam 00 is still a very special show to me, one I hold as equally close to my heart as Gundam Wing (if not a little bit closer).  Every summer since the first year I watched it, ive tried to set aside time to do another watch of the series as a whole (whether or not I include the movie is up in the air, my feelings on it are mixed compared to the TV series).  Seeing as how I just recently finished another run through, this time showing it to a friend who had never seen it before but really enjoyed it, I thought id dedicate this weeks Top 5 Wednesday to my Top 5 Favorite Gundam 00 Moments.  Sticking to the TV Show for this one…mostly because I cant really think of anything from The Movie that would fit on this list at all.

 

#5-Setsuna and Marina’s first meeting

I love this scene.  While it may not have the cool factor of Heero and Relena’s first big interaction from Gundam Wing, this first encounter between Gundam Meister and Middle Easter Princess is the reason I think that (overall) these two have the better relationship (fight me everybody).  At first, it starts out as an innocent discussion about life in the Middle East and how to make things better.  But when Setsuna’s heard enough, he declares who he is and how he’ll deal with Marina and her country if they try to start conflict.  Marina doesn’t fall into a Twilight obsessed fan girl over such a threat.  She falls to her knees and has the most normal, human reaction to such a threat, “That…that wasn’t a very funny joke.”

 

And if im honest, I would like to have put Setsuna and Mariana dead pan and funny reaction to the question “Are you two lovers?” (theyre not).  But this list is mostly Season 2 stuff and I didn’t want it to seem like I didn’t love Season 1 as much as Season 2 sooooo…

 

#4-All of my least favorite characters get dealt with in 1.5 episodes

Gundam 00 is chalk full of characters to love and more of them to hate.  For every Setsuna, Tierria and Lockon, there’s Nena Trinity, Wang Lieu Mei and Graham Acker.  However, one of the reasons I love this show is because there is payoff for putting up with the smug arrogance of certain characters.  It’s like towards the end of the Second Season, Gundam 00 said “Ok Arschel, it’s time to finally give you what you want.”  In the span of about an episode and a half, Wang Lieu Mei and Nena Trinity are killed within a minute of each other (Nena in the cruelest but justified kind of irony).  And while Graham doenst die (until the movie as kind of an afterthought…which is what he deserves), Setsuna does kick his ass quickly and leave him alone without killing him because Setsuna has better things to do than listen to Graham’s bullshit.

 

#3-Any Setsuna and Tierria moment in Season 2

In Season 1, Tierria Erde was kind of an asshole.  He had a smug superiority to him that left him needing to be punched more than once.  More often than not, he and Setsuna clashed the most with Setsuna’s impulsiveness impeding Tierria’s need for a smoothly run, Veda approved plan of attack.  However, once the two start seeing eye to eye, the seeds of the ultimate friendship begin to form and in Season 2, it becomes one of the stronger points of both characters.  They aren’t bickering anymore and Tierria, trying to grapple with his own identity, even confides things to Setsuna he wouldn’t have in Season 1.  Heck, Tierria even “jokes” that if Setsuna wants to stay in Azadestan with Marina, he should.  Clearly, these two have become good, if not best friends, something that was a much welcome source of character growth for both Meisters.

 

#2-Anews Death

One of Season 2’s weakest points was setting up the “shocking” betrayal of Anew Returner.  It was way too obvious she was somehow connected to Ribbons and the Innovates.  So color me impressed when her death had such a huge impact regardless of that.  To me, it all boils down to Lockon, the heart and soul of Celestial Being whether he’s Neil or Lyle Delandy.  He tries his hardest to save the woman he loves, only for Setsuna to make the tough call and kill her.  The post credits scene of that follows has Lockon beating the mess out of Setsuna in anguish and the performance his voice actor gives is incredible.  And Setsuna lets it happen.  He knows what he’s done and he knows Lockon is going to hate him for a little bit for it.  It’s a rough but amazing scene to watch.

 

#1-“You don’t have what it takes to beat us anymore!!!”

The final showdown between Celestial Being and Ribbons Almark was as intense as you thought it would be.  But it wasn’t just Setsuna getting all the action.  With the Gundam’s in rough shape, Lockon and Alleluia enter the fray to take out Ribbons’ last two lackeys.  But this time things are a bit different and it can all be summed up by the only line Alleluia has that justifies his wasted time in Season 2 as a whole, “Youre all so dependent on Veda.  YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BEAT US ANYMORE!!!”  And with that, those two smug Innovates get wasted in grand fashion by Alleluia and Lockon, leaving Setsuna to do what he does best…in the Gundam that started it all for him.  Until the movie came along and shook things up, this ending for the 00 story delivered for me in big ways and if theres ever one episode I must watch during a viewing, it’s the series finale, just for that one line.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 3 Episodes 12-19

It’s Summer Vacation and Haruhi wants to make every second of it count…literally.  Kyon slowly discovers that he and the SOS Bridage have become locked in an endless loop of the last two weeks, with Haruhi seemingly refusing to let the good times end.  The number of repititions is growing and its beginning to get out of control.  If Kyon cant find a way to sever the loop, there’s a chance he, Yuki, Mikuru and Koizumi will be trapped in it forever…and Haruhi might not have it any other way.

 

I was dreading this.  From the moment I decided to add this series to my cue, I knew it was coming.  There was no way to just skip it.  No, I had to go the distance…and I did and UUUUUUGHHHHH!!!!  Ok, I should explain.  While many hold Haruhi Suzumiya as one of the biggest Anime series of the 2000’s there is one part of its legacy that is an eternal black mark on its record…and that’s the Endless Eight Arc.

 

Before I go any further, let me tell you about one of my favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes: Cause and Effect.  In this episode, the crew of the Enterprise are trapped in a time loop where they repeat the same day over and over again, beginning with the crews weekly poker game and ending with the disastrous destruction of the Enterprise.  Each run lasted about the length of a segment between commercial breaks.  By the end, we’d seen the same day about 3 or 4 times.  The crew had been getting hints of “déjà vu” throughout the continuing loops and eventually managed to break the loop thanks to one critical detail being changed to avoid destruction.  All of that was done in the span of 45 minutes and is still considered to be one of the best TNG if not overall Star Trek episodes of all time.

 

Why bring this up?  Because the Endless Eight is Haruhi Suzumiya’s answer to Cause and Effect AND WE HAVE TO WATCH THE SAME EVENTS PLAY OUT FOR EIGHT STRAIGHT EPISODES!!!!  Yes, there are subtle differences with clothing choices, different camera angles on events, an odd sentence changed in a conversation or added dialogue.  But it doesn’t change the fact that after the first episode of this arc, the same beats continue seven more times until Kyon finally figures out what the hell needs to be done to get Haruhi to break this loop.  

 

Oh yeah, like everything else in this series, this is all Haruhi’s fault.  And it is easy to be angry with her more than ever.  After all, the same eight episodes back to back to back (etc.) can piss anyone off really.  At the same time, however, I also try to look a bit deeper into the madness of Haruhi Suzumiya.  Despite everyone being told about the loop (except Haruhi of course), the SOS Brigade is having an absolute blast right up until the last moment.  In a way, one could sympathize with Haruhi.  I’ve often shared dreams of having Otakon or Katsucon weekends repeating themselves because they were just that freaking amazing.  Having witnessed the Endless Eight, im glad that’s not the case because it would not only ruin how special those weekends are to me, id probably go insane too.

 

Seeing the loop continue for so long, I also have to gripe at pretty much every special person in the SOS Brigade, especially Koizumi.  He has the answers, he knows how the loop is working, so why cant he just break the loop himself?  Nope, he has to leave it to Kyon, who’s as lost as the rest of us trying to piece together the answer.  The closest to providing any help Koizumi gives is suggesting Kyon professing his love to Haruhi…and then volunteering to do it himself but chickening out.  Koizumi’s got the fox face for a reason.  He’s way too devious and it’s more obvious than ever, he’s competing with/jealous of Kyon’s closeness with Haruhi.  Maybe he’s miffed that all of these occurances with Haruhi could be settled quickly if he himself were the object of Haruhi’s secret affections. Then again, Koizumi seems content to let things play out like they always do, consequences be damned…and it pisses me off.  Mikuru didn’t really do much more either other than constantly cry at every interval and that got annoying more than usual.  Yuki was the only one I sympathized with.  Even her cold detachment from everything was being tested during this nightmare and she was only becoming more and more out of sorts with each loop.  It might explain why something happens down the line…but ill table that theory for that time being and talk about it when the time is right.

 

Honestly, this wouldn’t have been as bad of a marathon had the characters or even the production staff done anything to spice up each playthrough.  And yeah, yeah their minds kept getting reset each time but come on.  It would have been great for there to have been an episode where Kyon sat out the time loop for once or went nuts and did things he’d never get away with regularly…within good reason of course.  But no, the production staff merely changes the colors and clothes that everyone wears…and that’s about it.  I heard a rumor that the directors of the English Dub wanted to try swapping everyones voices during one of the episodes, which would have been pretty fun but that idea, for whatever reason, was abandoned.

 

One last thing of note, this entire Arc takes place during the shows second season.  The animation looks good (albiet we’re watching the same damn thing…yeah yeah yeah).  But I bring this up because while we did see a Season Two episode last week with Kyon meeting young Haruhi, this week we got the Opening and Ending themes for that season in full.  Personally, I like the Season Two opener “Super Driver” more than the opening from Season One.  The ending is cool too…but it does rob us of the always entertaining Hare Hare Yuki Dance as a result.

 

Well…that dismal summer from hell is finally over and done with and YES it will probably impact the score for the series as a whole.  If that’s the case then dammit, everything else needs to be way beyond solid to make up for the lost time we spent in the Hellscape that is…the Endless Eight.  See you all next week.

FIF#55-The Garden of Sinners

Shiki Ryougi is a beautiful girl with no memory and the skills of a seasoned demon hunter.  She also has the “Mystic Eyes of Death Perception”, allowing Shiki to walk the fine line between two worlds of the living and the dead.  In search of her lost memories, Shiki finds herself drawn into a series of grizzly inverstigations, all involving powerful supernatural phenomena.  Her only ally in these endevors is Mikiya Kobuto, a classmate who has always wanted to be close to Shiki.  Life.  Death.  Love.  Hate.  Heaven and Hell all collide in this supernatural thriller from the creators of Fate/Stay Night.

The Garden of Sinners first came to my attention via a Youtube trailer while looking up Fate/Stay Night stuff.  Immedietly, I was hooked by the mix of bizzare but beautiful images, an equally beautiful musical track from the always amazing Kalafina, and the focus on a beautiful lead protagonist.  It made me wonder if this might’ve been Animes answer to Constantine of DC Comics.  Still, I wanted to give Sinners a try one day and that day has finally come.  Whether I finish the series or not, that’s going to be a tough call.

 

Right away, what was promised in the trailer is present.  Thanks to this being a work by Studio Ufotable, the artists behind most of the Fate franchise (Zero, UBW and Heaven’s Feel), The Garden of Sinners continues their trend of giving movie level quality to any kind of animation…and if its already a movie production it just becomes next level.  There’s an eeriness to every image of the first episode.  It provokes feelings of wonder and mystery but also a very unsettling danger.  This is as far from kids ghost stories as you can get, especially when suicides are at the front of these supernatural perils.  This is aided by Yuki Kaijura and Kalafina bringing their A-Game to the proceedings.  Seriously, I could purchase and listen to their entire lineup of soundtracks from Fate/Zero to .hack//Sign to Madoka Magica and Id never get tired of Ms. Kaijura and her group.  Then there’s Shiki.  Being the first episode, of course we’re not going to get the full deal with her situation but that doesn’t mean she isn’t interesting to watch.  Save for the lack of cigarettes, my comparison of her to DC’s Constantine isn’t too far off, I think.  Shiki is devil may care, rushing into face monsters without second thought.  With her powers, her investigative skills are amazing.  Plus, she is beautiful, and easily to be drawn to much like Kobuto.

 

Where things are a little iffy despite all these being the makings of a solid show is the pacing and storytelling.  Even without all the immediate facts present, there’s a lot of jumping around with events and cryptic dialogue that makes you wonder why we didn’t just start at the beginning and endure a ten minute world building tutorial.  I suppose The Garden of Sinners could be considered an exercise in silent storytelling.  The art itself could tell the story without dialogue I think but it could move at a slightly brisker pace.  Also, I should mention that this is actually a film series, not a TV one.  So each episode looks to clock in at anywhere between 45mins to an hour and there were times I felt the drag and was looking at the video timeline to see where I was.  It could pick up in later episodes but maybe starting slow wasn’t the best move.

 

In the end, I guess I could pick at this series little by little.  Granted that means it could take a while to finish.  But The Garden of Sinners seems like it would be worth the time and effort to do so.  It is definitely one of the most beautiful Anime titles ive ever seen, pacing be damned.  It’s mature themes and intense action prove it isn’t planning on pulling any punches.  And Shiki…well her silent but attractive way of carrying herself could win me over completely in the end.  So yeah, I’ll keep at it.  Just don’t be surprised if I don’t finish this series any time soon.

T5W#148-Top 5 FLCL Songs from The Pillows

In the world of Anime, music is always a very important factor in bringing any show to life.  There are a few exceptions that belong to a higher echelon though, soundtracks who absence would make a story incomplete and ones that are so powerful that if you cant watch the show or movie, all you need to do is listen to the soundtrack and you’d get the whole story anyway.  Cowboy Bebop and Macross Plus are pioneers in this field (same goes for Yoko Kanno, who did both scores).  And then there’s FLCL.  Oh how much would be lost if The Pillows and their J-Rock tracks were removed entirely.  If you’re trying to analyze the inner thoughts of an adolescent teen or headbanging while battling advanced robots from another world or are just out for a casual drive around the seaside, there’s a song in FLCL for just such an occasion.  With FLCL: Progressive in full swing, containing the return of The Pillows and brand new songs, its time to look back at Season One and figure out which tunes id put on my own Top 5 playlist.  So grab your Rickenbacker Guitar and rev up your Vespa scooter, these are my Top 5 FLCL Songs from The Pillows.

 

#5-Come Down

Come Down perfectly matches the energy of both of the special “Manga” scenes from FLCL.  It’s starts off like you’re waking up from a long nap and are just wandering around aimlessly throughout the house.  And then suddenly…BOOM the strange, the unexpected and the kind of things that totally come out of left field and freak you the frak out happen all at once.  People are acting more out of character than usual and everyones trying to make sense of everything…yeah that’s kind of the heart of FLCL as a whole when you think about it.  You’ll be trying to catch your breath big time when the song finally calms the heck down.

 

 

#4-Stalker Goes to Babylon

Sometimes FLCL can be as surreal as it is hilarious and it’ll take you down some occasional dark roads.  Stalker Goes to Babylon captures the very effective change in tone that is all throughout FLCL Episode 4 “Full Swing”.  To label this one as the “theme of the bad place” I don’t think would be very far off.  It’s a  kind of chaos that most people in a fit of combined confusion and despair would feel.  All in all, this is one of the more darker tracks of the soundtrack and for some reason I was thinking about it a lot during the nightmare opening sequence of FLCL: Progressive’s premiere…could that season be heading down a darker road of its own?

 

#3-One Life

This was the first song we ever heard in FLCL and it’s kind of a high bar to set right out the gate for everything else to follow (thankfully every song matches it blow for blow).  I think you could call One Life “Naota’s Theme” in a way.  After the first minute of the song you can get a feel for a character who is more lost than chill like the emotions the song invokes.  Which is kind of sad because I think One Life is a great, start of the morning kind of song and Naota should appreciate it more.  How can you say “nothing amazing ever happens here” when you have this song to start the soundtrack of your life?

 

#2-Hybrid Rainbow

This is the song I was referring to when I said in my intro that there are songs to jam to while driving by the sea.  Hybrid Rainbow is very chillax and reflective in a way I wish I could describe better.  What’s more, not only does this song play when Haruko is riding Naota past said sea, it’s also when Mamimi sees Conti floating in the sky like an angel.  Not that Hybrid Rainbow gives off a spiritual vibe but it does give off an epic build up kind of vibe to a reveal like that for Naota’s oddball girl who’s his friend who wants to make out with him. 

 

#1-Bran New Love Song

Adolescence and love summed up in two short minutes.  This definitely feels like a song that instantly calls to mind first romances, first crushes, first experiences with those pesky feelings that drive us crazy and, when the moment is right, make us remember how magical they were and how we try to hold on to the good they made us feel.  This song is played during two such moments: when Mamimi holds Naota and tells him about how his brother makes her feel and when Naota breaks down when Haruko asks him to come with her (after being away for a short period of time).  I wouldn’t classify FLCL as a romance but young love is a key component of the grander story…and Bran New Love Song is one of the best “love themes” ever made for any Anime, EVER.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Part 2 Episodes 7-11

The SOS Brigade has officially been recognized as an after school group.  Kyon now sits in a room with a Time Traveler, an Alien and an Esper and the girl they all gravitate toward: Haruhi Suzumiya.  Mikuru Asahina and Yuki Nagato see Haruhi as a source of data manipulation.  Itsuki Koizumi calls her a deity.  Only Haruhi remains oblivious to the fact that everything she has ever wanted to encounter in life is right in front of her face.  This leaves Kyon to engage in some unexpected adventures in her stead.  From time traveling antics to new battles with extradimensional bug creatures to a murder mansion, Kyon may seem eager to hang onto an ordinary life.  But life around Haruhi Suzumiya is anything but ordinary.  It might just be the most amazing adventure anyone could ever experience.

It’s kind of ironic that this series is titled “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.”  Haruhi may seem down, being unable to see or participate in any of the amazing mishaps Kyon finds himself in…but man can they be fun.  Sometimes, it’s easy to just ignore the whole “Haurhi is God, just accept it,” philosophy that Koizumi is determined to drive into everyones ears and just appretiate how nice and entertaining this series can be. 

A couple of quick notes before I go further.  Like I said last week, I’m watching the series in chronological order as it is on the DVD.  So that means im jumping back and forth between the two seasons of the series.  There was a three year gap between the airings of Season One and Two.  So if you ever watch it the way I am and you wonder why the heck some episodes look way better than others…that’s why.  Should also note that I’ve spilt up the episode loads by arcs in a way.  Last week was the six part “Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Arc” and this weeks is more…well it’s more stand alone compared to the next couple of sets (particularly next week but ill talk more about that towards the end).  Anyway, enough trivia, onto the review.

This week started out with two surprisingly chill but nonetheless engaging episodes that proved either a lot can happen or little can happen and things will always fun to watch.  The baseball match provided some good laughs, especially from Yuki both not getting the concept of baseball and still providing the team with the ultimate cheat code bat to win the game.  Probably my favorite episode of this set though was Kyon being sent back in time three years by Mikuru to a pivotal moment in Haruhi’s life.  It is a bit hard to swallow that Kyon’s face was concealed by darkness so Young Haruhi couldn’t see him.  And even so, wouldn’t she recognize his voice in the present day?  Still, Kyon ended up helping Haruhi draw a symbol that she got credit for creating, while also inadvertedly placing seeds in her head as to where she might attend school and who she might try to seek out in the future.  Young Haruhi is just as much a brat as her present day self but there’s something to be said about this unexpected beginning to a dysfunctional friendship that is the driving force of this show.  Also, cudos to Kyon for the Doctor Who reference (John Smith is a name The Doctor uses as a cover quite often). 

The Island Murder Mystery two parter took a little bit to get going, even if watching everyone having fun on the beach did give a relaxing vibe.  Still, Haruhi wanted a mystery to solve and her “powers” gave it to her.  Surprisingly, this also showed us a really good side to Haruhi.  She was shaken by the “death” of the house owner and her scenes with Kyon showcased her vulnerability that can make her a little likeable when she isn’t trying to be the Overlord.  As Kyon deduces, Haruhi wants a mystery to solve but she doesn’t want anyone to die, even to satisfy her own wishes.  It shows that for all of Haruhi’s frustrating qualities, there’s actually a kind girl hidden away that comes out only when Kyon is around.  Though I have to dock Kyon some points for his creepy Mikuru fixation.  Seriously dude, there’s a line between trying to keep the shy time traveler safe from Haruhi’s antics and actually enjoying the outfits that Haruhi forces her into.  It makes Kyon a bit of a creeper.

Let’s talk a little bit more about the other SOS Brigade members.  If I’m honest, my only favorite of the three special class students is Yuki.  Not only is her deadpan delivery great, especially during the scene when she refuses to open a door because Haruhi told her not too, but in the action scenes she really shines.  Last week she took out the out of control Asakura.  This week, Yuki faced down giant bug on a plain of existence that looked like Rider’s Reality Marble from Fate/Zero.  More importantly, I really think Yuki has the most potential to grow as a character.  She may be there to observe the data from Haruhi’s reality warping abilities.  But even Kyon seems to believe that Yuki enjoys the adventures the group gets into on some level.  “Do you ever feel lonely?” Kyon asks himself when looking at Yuki.  I do think there’s a deeper connection between Kyon and Yuki that might dwarf Haruhi and Kyon.  The same I don’t think can be said for Kyon’s relationships with Mikuru and Koizumi.  Mikuru’s aloofness (in both present and future versions) gets pretty annoying at times and Kyon’s creepy ogling of her in his mind isn’t helping her much.  Then there’s Koizimi, who I think is the most annoying character of the series.  His “I happen to know everything” attitude comes off as more arrogant and sometimes snobbish than even Haruhi.  It’s hard to tell if he’s trying to give Kyon serious warnings about keeping Haruhi as content as possible, or if he’s hitting on Kyon, either can be open to interpretation.  I did like the hints that Koizumi might be competing with Kyon for Haruhi’s attention.  At one point, he was appointed “Vice Commander” by Haruhi.  But later Koizumi noted Kyon’s trust in Haruhi during their stay on the island.  Is he jealous of their closeness?

Some slower moments aside, this was a rather solid follow up week for Haruhi Suzumiya.  Though it gets wordy from time to time thanks to Koizumi, each episode is different from the last, offering new adventures, new perspectives and some fun Easter eggs to keep an eye out for (like the use of live action during the murder speculations or Haruhi’s Phoenix Wright esque delivery of how the crime was committed).  All in all, this was a fun batch of stand alone stories.  Next week, however, I attempt one of the more infamous and grueling arcs of the series.  And yes, I’m going to go through it all.  Pray for me…for next week…I attempt the ENDLESS EIGHT ARC…crap.