Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love?

Months after being flung to the other end of the galaxy, the Super Dimension Fortress Macross makes its way home to Earth, endlessly by the war like race of giants known as The Zentradi.  In the midst of battle, the discovery of the remnants of a long lost civilization brings together three different souls:  Hikaru Ichijo-an up and coming ace pilot; Misa Hayase-one of the leaders of the Macross; and Lynn Minmei-the popstar idol of the people.  Together, these three will form a story that will shake the galaxy and be the determining factor in a war that has raged for hundreds of thousands of years.


One could argue that the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross series did for the 80’s what Mobile Suit Gundam did for the late 70’s, changing things up for the Giant Robot genre.  In effect, one could equally argue that Do You Remember Love, the first feature length film in the Macross franchise, took those changes and perfected them.  That’s both true and not quite true.  It has problems, glaring ones, but Macross: Do You Remember Love is still a fondly remembered title that has been hailed as one of the greatest pieces of animation of the 1980s.  And in the end, it can live up to that claim despite its flaws.


Do You Remember Love could have been a straight forward compilation film of the original 37 episode run of the TV Series.  However, it opts for a different approach and ends up being quite different and for the better.  For starters, the origins of the Macross saga are skipped over and we’re thrown a few months into the titular ships return home.  It allows the story to kick off guns blazing, especially in a spectacular opening sequence that has so much quality put into it.  No one was kidding when theyre were talking about how good this film looks.  Do You Remember Love’s animation stands right up there with Akira and most Ghibli films of the decade (I dare say it even looks better than Naussica).  The Valkyrie fighters and the Macross itself look more pristine than they ever did in the series (and they already looked good then).  I often say that a film version of a TV Series greatest test will be right away spotting if the animation is the same as it normally is.  Here Do You Remember Love passes the test: not once did I feel like I was watching an overlong and overblown episode of Macross, this was an event with the art to match it. It’s also a helluva lot blooder, made clear by when Max flat out blows off the head of a Zentradi pilot in the films opening and later on during a bloody skirmish inside a Zentradi battlecruiser.  This is definitely a motion picture level project.


While the action and the war between humans and Zentradi is important, the meat of the movie is the infamous love triangle between Hikaru, Misa and Minmei, one that is still among the most remembered in Anime fandom today.  Nothing about this important plot element is ever rushed and everything feels natural, from Hikaru’s infatuation with Minmei to his growing feelings for Misa during a perilous situation.  Both girls actually have a bit to offer in terms of who would be the better fit and also have their flaws, as does Hikaru trying to occassinally balance where he wants his heart to side with.  None of this ever kills the films momentum and never detracts from the excitement.  This love story is important, it’s one that defined the 80s and the Macross franchise as a whole (the love triangle element being used to just as good effect in Macross Plus and Macross Frontier).  Kind of like Rahxephon: The Motion Picture, doing an entire feature focused solely on the romance works even better than it did on the show.

However, the focus on Love (and if we remember it haha) comes at a cost.  The rest of the story focusing on the human/Zentradi conflict takes a back seat at times and suddenly becomes confusing.  The motivations of the “villainous” Zentradi sort of appear out of nowhere, especially when characters higher up than Bretai and Exedore are brought in.  In fact, a character basically designated the “big bad” kind of comes out of nowhere in the last act of the film as if it suddenly dawned on the staff, “Crap…the Macross crew needs a clear enemy to fight now”.  Also, the extensive focus on the core trio means most of the cast is kind of in the background a lot.  Fan favorite characters like Captain Global, Claudia, Max and Kagazaki barely have five minutes of meaningful screen time when compared to Hikaru, Misa and Minmei.  Even Max and his important romance with Zentradi female pilot Miriya is largely glossed over after a brilliantly animated duel between the two.  Bretai and Exedore, their Zentradi pursuers, get some nice moments together as they ponder the quirks of the human race.  And, just like the TV series, Roy Focker steals the show in what little time he is around.  After all, “You cant go to war without a little alcohol in ya”, this said after a drunken Roy tries to get frisky with Claudia without a care for whose watching…what a guy.

I should also take a moment to talk about the music.  Macross’ big contribution to the giant robot genre besides the love triangle was the soundtrack.  Every song by Minmei resounds across time, even further down in the universes history.  In this film we get one of the franchises most definitive tracks, the titular “Do You Remember Love?”  That song itself feels like icing on a cake filled with head jamming jpop tunes and the familiar battle and love themes from the Macross TV series.  The love theme for Hikaru and Misa especially had me tearing up a couple of times when its used in several important scenes.  If you want to know why the songs of Sharon Apple, Fire Bomber, Sheryl Nomme, Ranka Lee and Walkure are so important, watch Do You Remember Love.

Even with its flaws, its hard not to see why Macross: Do You Remember Love is hailed as legendary and a title that deserves greater respect.  The spectacle and animation are some of the best of the 1980’s.  The characters are still charming and lovable.  The music, action and messages of unity still resonate and inspire today, both in new Macross entries like Macross Delta or other giant robot epics (in a way Macross’ emphasis on music bringing about peace played a big role in Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny).  I am so glad I got a chance to see this movie and hope that, if youre a fan of Macross, you get  chance to see it one day too.  Once you do, no matter how much time goes by, You’ll Always Remember Love.


8.5/10

T5W#172-Top 5 Gundam Ending Theme Songs

A couple weeks ago, we took a look at the tunes that were best suited to open an action packed episode of Gundam.  Today we look at the equally amazing sounds that close them out.  No need for more of an intro than that besides the reminder that im limiting one entry per series/movie like I did last week (and you can check out that list here if you missed it: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2018/11/t5w169-top-5-gundam-opening-theme-songs.html)   So here we go, behold my Top 5 Gundam Ending Theme Songs.


#5-Beyond the Time (Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack)

Char’s Counterattack is the epic conclusion to the first era of Gundam (which began in Mobile Suit Gundam and ran through Zeta Gundam and Gundam ZZ).  Beyond the Time invokes memories of all of those stories in addition to the one just witnessed.  And even when the drums and main beats get going, the chorus never gets super bombastic or over the top.  It’s rather calming actually despite being action packed.  Given how Char’s Counterattack concludes, it feels like a needed theme in order to decompress.


#4-Evergreen (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory)

This end theme holds a special place in my heart for a single moment in time: my first Otakon.  In 2010, one of the first things I did was visit an all day marathon screening of Gundam 0083 and caught the tail end of a random episode.  It was in the second half, so Evergreen was playing rather than Magic (the first end theme).  The combination of the rooms acoustics, the fact I was looking at Gundam on a big screen…and it being Gundam and my first convention combined nearly made me cry tears of joy.  Otherwise, it’s a very nice song, probably one 0083 doesn’t fully deserve but still fine nonetheless.


#3-Reason (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny)

For me, the only redeeming factor for the existence of Gundam Seed Destiny is the music.  Like it’s predecessor, Gundam Seed, Destiny is chalk full of catchy Jpop tunes, many of which come from both Lacus Clyne and Meer Campbell.  However, it’s the first end theme by Nami Tamaki, Reason, that always has a special place in my heart, it was one of my most listened to songs on my music library at one point if I read the stats correctly..  It’s an easily danceable tune that is full of action, nice vocals and is a good way to forget that you had to waste 22 minutes of crappy Anime to get to it.  Gundam Seed Destiny doesn’t deserve this kind of goodness. 


#2-Moons Cocoon (Turn A Gundam)

Moons Cocoon had the distinction of being Loran Cehack’s theme throughout much of Turn A Gundam before it was promoted to second end theme near the very end of the show.  It’s a shame they held off on that because I wouldn’t mind hearing this one at the end of every episode of Turn A Gundam.  It’s definitely the most beautiful of the end themes, with a soft female chorus soothing you in every moment.  But it cant all be calming as the drums march deliver an epic sense that this is just a temporary break and the journey is going to continue…and it’s going to be a great one.  Which is the kind of feels id expect from a song composed by the Anime Music Goddess herself, Yoko Kanno.


#1-Last Impression (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz-Special Edition)

Created for the feature film version of the Endless Waltz OVA, Last Impression feels like the absolute last word on Gundam Wing.  It starts off soft and quiet in the first half before it explodes in the second half, almost like activating a Gundam for battle after a long nap.  Last Impression is a long one, probably the longest end theme in the entire franchise.  But it’s worth listening to every single second to enjoy and reminisce about Wings awesomness and how it will never be forgotten.

First Impression Friday-GundamCember 2

Hey there dear readers.  Hope everyones Thanksgiving was amazing and I hope you enjoyed my coverage of Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory.  As previously announced, December 2018 is going to be a pretty busy month for the Gundam Anime Corner with two series (Fate/Extra: Last Encore and Psycho Pass 2) and a few surprise bonus reviews thrown in for fun.  Well ive decided to step things up a little bit more.  Looking back on 2018, this might be the first year where I haven’t had a major Gundam series or movie in the review cue.  Not that Gundam hasn’t bee repped in Top 5 Wednesdays.  But ive decided im gonna give my favorite mecha franchise a bit more love for the years end.  Since it was a success last year (I think), im bringing back GundamCember.  Four Friday in December will see First Impression Friday covering 4 Gundam shows (three I haven’t seen and one I haven’t seen in a long time and is due for a second opinion).  Like last December, I’ll leave the titles as a surprise, but I will reveal that these four episodes will lead into an extra year end present and some future Gundam announcements for 2019 (2019 will still be the Year of Slayers…but they might be sharing the spotlight too).  So get ready.  Like I said, it’s going to busy but with all the presents incoming, Gundam and all, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory Part 4 Episodes 10-12

After barely surviving his clash with Kurama, Sousuke hurries to heal and prepare for the final push to his objective: his class rep Kaname Chidori.  It all comes to a head as all eyes converge on one fortress beset on all sides.  Even when he reunites with his old friends, Sousuke finds the impossible waiting before him: his rival-Leonard Testarossa, who defeated him soundly six months ago; his mentor-Andre Kalladin, who has turned his back on Mithril for unknown reasons; and Kaname Chidori, the girl he swore to protect with his life.  All roads, all blood soaked battles have led to this point.  For victory, for revenge, for love, Sousuke Sagara presses on.  God help whoever gets in his way.

The season finale of Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory had some serious expectations to meet.  And, for a moment, even though things had been on a good roll, I’ll admit, I had some doubts.  For all the time Sousuke spent in Namsac, there was still a lot of story that could have be explored elsewhere, such as the whereabouts of Kaname, Tessa and the rest of Mirthril.  No matter what the finale had in store, I had a feeling everything wasn’t going to be tied up as nicely as in The Second Raid.  And while some of that is true, Invisible Victory’s last episodes offered a tremendous amount of payoff not just for sticking around for the whole season but from Episode One of Full Metal Panic Season One as well.

The beginning of the end is where I feel this set was at its weakest and the cracks were hard to ignore.  Part of that was it was hard to gauge the passage of time.  It isn’t mentioned until Sousuke is back with Mithril that it’s been six months since the season began.  I guess that tracks right.  Considering the state Sousuke was in at the end of last week, he wasn’t going to heal instantly (even if he did manage to pull a MacGuyver and protect himself from an assassination team).  There was also the rather murky and less fleshed out storylines of Kaname, Kalladin and Leonard.  It’s clear Leonard has his own plans for Kaname that the rest of Amalgam isn’t onboard with.  What are those plans and why?  We don’t know.  And what about Kaname?  It looks like she’s been unharmed during her imprisonment but could we have seen more than one episode of her in captivity since we last saw her being abducted by Leonard?  Then there’s Kalladin, who’s betrayal comes so out of left field that his excuse of “this happens all the time in this business,” feels lazy and unworthy a motivation of someone who is supposed to be Sousuke’s mentor.  My only hope is that any and all of these lingering questions are given some answers in Season 5…if/when that ever comes around.

However, all of my season story structure concerns aside, Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory still managed to deliver on pretty much every other front.  The best action was saved for last as Sousuke not only reunited with Mao, Kurtz, and Clouseau but also got a sweet new AS upgrade: The Laevatein, complete with the return of his trust AI, AL.  Holy crap, Sousuke has the equivalent of a Gundam now as he stormed the worst Amalgam had to offer with a suit that match and surpassed their most powerful mechs.  Seeing it’s massive cannon tear through all three Behemoths made my jaw drop…remember in Season One when bringing down just one of these things was almost impossible?  Looks like Mithril isn’t ready to quit the fight yet and Sousuke has a new toy to bring the pain.  Not to be outshined (though they kind of were), Mao, Kurtz and Clouseau got to kick their fair share of ass too, especially Mao, who’s intro to the battle was as sweet and sexy as her character.

And then came the moment everyone had been waiting for all season long.  Would Sousuke be able to reach Kaname?  What would they say to each other?  Could Sousuke make good on his promise to bring her back home to her school and her friends?  Well, in what started as a very Empire Strikes Back way of ending things, Sousuke failed to get Kaname and it felt like a true loss.  Seeing Kaname taken away was like losing a Carbonite Frozen Han to Boba Fett while Leia watched helplessly as her love was flown away.  After all the mess we’ve seen Sousuke go through this season, was that really it?  Would we have to wait til Season 5 to exist for better closure?  Well it was here where Invisible Victory truly delivered.  As the classic Season One end theme began to play, Kaname at first shared her wish not to return home for fear of bringing more harm to her friends…and then said screw it.  I cant tell you how satisfying it was to finally hear Kaname and Sousuke share those three little words with each other before Kaname told Sousuke to never stop until he got her back.    What’s more, the very first opening theme of Full Metal Panic “Tomorrow” was an inspired choice to close everything out for now, putting Sousuke back where he belongs with Tessa and his A-Team, with renewed promise that they would work together to get their Kaname back.  For a season ending on a cliffhanger, this made everything feel worth it and more.  I’m going to just say it, the last fifteen minutes of the season finale managed to top the beautiful end of The Second Raid. 

Time to close it out.  It might not have been as perfect, but Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory was a very worthy successor to Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid.  The sudden shift in tone and atmosphere made you worry about pretty much everyone, from the soldiers to the civilians.  It was a bold move to inflict harm on characters who felt safe like Kiyoko but I dare say it worked.  Sousuke was pushed beyond any limits he ever thought he had as his mission was never unclear: save the woman he loves and tell her how he feels.  As such, this felt like mostly Sousuke’s story and the lack of Kaname was a bit bothersome.  After all, she’s as much the heart of this whole series as Sousuke, so why didn’t we get more time with her after the opening arc?  Same goes for Mithril, whose fate was left somewhat ambiguous after the opening, though it was a safe bet they were mostly ok. Thinking of this makes me focus on the middle portion of the Namsac arc, that probably could have been jettisoned, along with new character Nami, in favor of expanding those other untouched plot threads (same with Lemon, who felt more like a means to an end than a truly important character).  Still, where the storylines didn’t balance themselves out well, the character drama and the action were stronger than ever.  The CG animation on the Arm Slaves got better as the season went on and it was notable to see Sousuke engage in more modern warfare outside a mech, showing us a truly unleashed Sousuke for the first time.  Every other main character was given just as much attention.  Tessa had some of her best moments yet as Commander, as did Mao, Kurtz and Clouseau as they and the rest of Mithril were pushed to their own limits trying to survive an enemy that was holding back all this time.  Each episode was well paced and ended on a great cliffhanger, leaving me wanting more.  One big problem though, momentum was derailed a lot by the inclusion of two recap episodes that felt thrown in for no real reason.  They just weren’t needed at all.

In summary, im giving Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory an 8.5/10. 

It’s a teeny step down from The Second Raid because of some misteps prioritizing one storyline over many others.  But in the end, the heart pumping action and intensity from the bold new direction kept things going right up until the end.  Not bad for a show continuing more than a decade after its last season.  I suppose that’s all going to make the wait for Season 5 of Full Metal Panic all the more aggravating.  While you knew more story could be told after the end of The Second Raid, everything still felt adequately concluded in an almost perfect way.  Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory leaves so many threads dangling it almost feels confident that we wont have to wait 13 years for the next chapter of this universe that has only gotten better with each entry.  And hopefully, Sousuke and Kaname will get that kiss and that happy ending they have deserved for a very, very long time.

T5W#171-Top 5 Anime Things Im Thankful For in 2018

Every year, family and friends come together for a day of togetherness that reflects the bonds of love we all share with each other.  If you think about it, Thanksgiving could be considered a prelude to Christmas, sharing the same themes only one holiday involves actual gift giving.  In any case, I actually like Thanksgiving, gives me time to reflect on a long year and think about the many things im grateful for in an otherwise hectic year (in more ways than one).  Naturally, since this is an Anime Blog, I of course have a few things in the world of Anime im very thankful for.  I know I did one of these last year and chances are it will just become an Anime Corner staple for years to come.  So here we go folks, the Top 5 Anime Things Im Thankful For in 2018. 

#5-The Amazing Spiral Anime Club and the Baltimore Anime Denizens

Althroughout my life, my father always told me that, despite my thinking I was alone in the world as an Anime fan, there were certainly people out there who enjoyed the same stuff I did, I just needed to find them.  Well conventions got me started on that but this year I have to give a shout out to two Baltimore based groups that I can never wait to see every chance I get.  The first is the Amazing Spiral Anime Club, of which I am one of the four original founders.  We don’t really have a structure or a plan for any kind of meeting…we just wing it, a small collection of Otaku that meets the first Saturday of every month just to hang out and chat about Anime, Manga, Video Games, personal projects, it’s kind of a convention on the tiniest scale that still delivers all the feels.  Then there are the Baltimore Anime Denizens, who I met late last year.  These guys hold various events throughout the year but their biggest is arguably their two sets of Anime screenings during the year at The Charles Theater.  Thanks to these guys, I got to see films like Ranma ½ The Movie and Ponyo and got to see classics like Evangelion 1.11, Jin Roh and Memories again for the first time in a long time (those last two were late last year but hey still mean something).  I never thought id find a community of otaku in Baltimore.  These two groups are proof that they can exist and ill always encourage anyone to seek them out, you might find a place to belong and feel welcome in too.

#4-The Return of Old Anime Friends

I’ll have a Top 5 in a few weeks about the plethora of Anime sequels we’ll be getting next year.  This year, however, saw the return of a couple of old friends with new seasons.  I’ll save my final praises for Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory for the finale next week but the short version: damn it can still deliver the goods after 13 years of silence.  A personal favorite crew also resurfaced from the water in the Summer of 2018.  Free: Dive to the Future saw the worlds of the Iwatobi Boys growing beyond anything that’s come before…and ill actually get more into that later on this year (secret-ish project).  Point is, characters ive grown to love over a long time got a new lease on life this year and it was always exciting to tune into a new episode every week…speaking of which.

#3-My Hero Academia

If 2017 was the year My Hero Academia punched a hole in the Anime stratosphere, 2018 was the year where it declared to the world it wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.  Not only did we get a stellar third season that somehow managed to be just as strong (if not stronger at times) than Season Two but we also got the series first feature film, Two Heroes (which actually did very well in a limited US release too).  It didn’t matter if you were watching Class 1-A on the big screen or on your cell phone, Hero Aca delivered more feels than any of us knew what to do with for several months straight with no breaks.  Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki, Ida, Uraraka, Tsuya, Kirishima and all the students, God I love them all and All Might might be one of the most inspiring heavy hitters of all time.  If anyone is having a bad day, pull up this series however you can.  I garuntee you, somehow…you’ll feel better by the end of an episode…and ready to binge the rest right away (I recommend a lot of soda).

#2-Gundam is here to stay

It is a pretty big time to be a Gundam fan this year.  As we count down to the franchises big 40^th birthday, we got two new Gundam stories in the form of Gundam Build Divers and Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative.  Not only that, we’ve got a new Anime film trilogy based on the popular side story, Hathaway’s Flash, starting next year AND the confirmation from Sunrise itself about a live action Gundam movie in development with Legendary Pictures (the studio behind US Godzilla films and Pacific Rim).  Did I also mention we’re getting more Gundam brought over here stateside than ever?  We had Gundam Wing on Blu Ray late last year and this year we’ve had Gundam 00, G Gundam and eventually we’ll even have Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny with brand new dubs (I doubt that could save Seed Destiny but I wont get into that).  For a series going on 40, im glad ive been able to geek out about it for the last…18 years (jesus im old).

#1-The Year of the Convention

Ive tried my hardest to keep Katsucon and Otakon in my year round rotation of must do events every year.  Not only do I love being in their respective environments, I love being around the friends ive made throughout the years.  Not being able to go to Otakon 2017 hurt a lot and there was a very good chance I wouldntve been able to go to 2018 either.  However, as I say regularly about the crew I travel with, “I don’t have friends, ive got family.”  And for both conventions, they came through.  As a result, I got to enjoy two conventions that are pretty much at the top of my list of favorite conventions ive ever been to.  Katsucon 2018 pretty much surpassed my all time favorite, Katsucon 2015, and Otakon 2018 showed me that the move from Baltimore to Washington DC is well worth the extra travel.  Not only that but I got to go to 3 other smaller conventions over the course of the year (Animore, Baltimore Comic Con and Four State Comic Con), seeing other geek culture attractions and meeting new friends in the process.  This wasn’t just “The Year of the Convention”, it was a chance for me to be thankful that evens like these are always around, big or small, and I can always find a reason to be happy when I visit an Anime Convention.

 

Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory Part 3 Episodes 7-9

Sousuke’s mission in Namsac comes to a bloody conclusion as he wages a one man war against Kurama and Amalgam’s army of mercs and Arm Slaves.  Will he find the woman he loves at the end of his bloodrage or will Sousuke’s quest for revenge mean the end of the Serious Sergant?  Meanwhile Tessa and what’s left of Mithril resurface and declare their intentions to strike back at Leonard Testarossa and Amalgam.  It seems the enemy has the upper hand and is slowly pushing Mithril into a corner.  That is a decision they may come to regret.  To save Kaname Chidori, everything is work the risk.

Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory both amped up the exciement and stumbled a bit this week.  However, flaws and all, every week has always ended with me clutching my chest and fists in anticipation of what comes next.  This week is no different, especially now that the stage is being set for the biggest finale yet.

The conclusion of the Namsac Arc was both bloody and entertaining and showcased that for all we’ve heard, and what’s been parodied by Full Metal Panic as a whole, Sousuke truly is an Army of One.  It’s hard to peg which situation he was in was the best.  The Arm Slave duel was creative and proved Sousuke knows his mecha, leading his rivals better equipped AS into a choke point he could use to achieve his victory…oh and his foe has cloaking so the “Invisible Victory” subtitle makes sense now eh? (bad joke moving on).  But then there’s Sousuke running literally guns blazing against a gauntlet of AS units and footsoldiers just to reach Kurama (the Leon the Professional looking Amalgam agent).  Sousuke pulled no punches, showed no quarter.  If you were in his way, he wasn’t worrying about your life and if it would be spared.  This meant a lot of blood being spilled.  This has not been a Full Metal Panic for the feint of heart, that is for sure.

And while Sousuke did get his revenge against Kurama, it was satisfying but it couldn’t mask a couple of big reveals and tragic ends.  Like I said in last weeks review, it’s not like I didn’t like Nami, I just wasn’t sure what her overall being in the series did for Sousuke.  Seeing her gunned down so suddenly…it’s sad, yes and it fueled Sousuke’s vengeance filled murderfest of Kurama and his men.  But it feels like they just set Nami up to be killed and remind Sousuke of someone else he lost in similar fashion…and that feels kind of wasteful to me.  Likewise, Lemon suddenly being revealed as some French Special Forces agent doesn’t really do anything for me either.  He wasn’t an interesting character to begin with and he isn’t anymore special now.  Seeing how Sousuke finally subcumbed to a gut wound he sustained (and still managed to kill Kurama, damn), I only see Lemon as a way to get Sousuke to the next stage of his mission to rescue Kaname, nothing more or less.

Speaking of Kaname, this weeks set closed out with a great check in on the rest of the FMP cast.  I was a little thrown off by Tessa’s amnesia game to lure in Amalgam but the jig was kind of up when I saw the assistant of the shrink who was tending to Tessa.  I love Melissa…but I saw through the disguise pretty easily.  Still, Mithril is alive and kicking and it’s one huge sigh of relief to still see them fighting the good fight.  Still, no action or sound off of the cast will ever top Tessa’s foul mouthed declaration of war to her brother and his organization…I wont lie, it made me clap.  Yes, four seasons in and I am clapping and cheering for Teletha “Tessa” Testarossa (granted I was doing that by the end of The Second Raid too).  As for Kaname, we didn’t see much of her this week, other than just a brief appearance to let us know she was ok and still holding out hope for Sousuke to save her.  It feels strange we’ve spent so much time with Sousuke recently.  With only a few episodes left, apparently, it’s going to be a challenge to bring us up to full speed on Kaname and Mithril’s whereabouts before closing out the season.  Will there even be a proper finale or will this be a “to be continued” two part season?  Given how Sousuke does have a bullet wound in his gut to recover from, I feel things might be headed in that direction.

The finish line is in sight and I do have some concerns and reservations about wrapping everything up.  It was more than a decade between Seasons Three and Four of Full Metal Panic, so it would be kind of a cheap shot to end on a cliffhanger that goes unresolved for the same amount of time.  BUT those are concerns that can wait for next week.  This week, however, was action packed with Sousuke taking the lead and we got to see Tessa, Kaname, Melissa and Kurtz all alive and well.  Now if only the finale can stick the landing.  So far, it’s been great, even when it’s stumbled.  Come on Full Metal Panic, you’ve got this.

Evangelion 2.22-You Can (Not) Advance

As humanities war against the Angels intensifies, Shinji and Rei find themselves joined in battle by two additional Eva pilots: the fiery red head Asuka and the battle loving Mari.  With new pilots and new weapons on their side, NERV is set for any Angel threat.  But new and far more chilling conspiracies and revelations lay deep within the organization that threaten to destroy everything NERV has worked so hard to achieve.  Soon Shinji and his allies are fighting not just to save humanity, but their own souls as well.  The question now is: how far is Shinji willing to go to protect those he loves?

Even though the first chapter of the Rebuild of Evangelion saga didn’t start introducing new elements to the saga until the tail end of the film, I was impressed by it and eager for the continuation.  And the wait was worth it.  Not only did You Can (Not) Advance deliver on the promise of bold new direction for the legacy of Evangelion, it also delivered an epic so fun and amazing it might kind of rival The End of Evangelion…that isn’t easy.

The new story begins to breathe a bit more and while there are still plenty of scenes from the original series present (and beautifully updated animation wise), the movie still feels like an original work rather than the almost beat for beat retread that the first film was.  Those new story beats also gives us new character beats.  The biggest winner in this regard is Shinji, who continues to evolve from his isolated and alone predecessor into a young man with something to fight for and the drive to get the job done.  It’s ok to root for him now.  Same goes for close second Asuka, who seems to be able to open up to people more than her original incarnation.  This is evidence enough in the films update of the infamous elevator scene with Rei and Asuka, a definite improvement over the original.  Plus, Asuka’s original English Voice Actress Tiffany Grant joins fellow US Eva alums Spike Spencer and Alison Keith in reprising her original role as the fiery red head of Eva fame.

It should be noted that the original release schedule of the Rebuild Saga hasn’t gone according to plan.  However, the unexpected extra wait times between movies is evident in the films animation.  This is above and beyond the original series and the old movies and is probably what Evangelion was always meant to look like from the get go.  The mechs move faster, the Angels look fiercer and scarier, and the city of Tokyo-3 can be shifted into one big Eva playground, it’s astounding how much everything has changed from the mid 90’s when Neon Genesis Evangelion first appeared.  For me, it was worth it to get to the stellar final act of the film, which looks amazing, feels genuine and vastly improved from the original series, breathing a bit of hope absent from that iteration.  Maybe the is the result of a less depressed Anno?  Whatever the case, I love it.

There is one big disappointment in this piece and it unfortunately lies with the films biggest anticipation: the newcomer Mari.  While she is impressive as a pilot, pushing her Eva’s farther than anyone has before, she is only in the film for a short (an I mean short) period of time and only for action sequences.  I get that this is only the second of four movies but still a little character development would have been appreciated for a character made specifically for the new Evangelion.  From an action standpoint, Mari impresses.  From a character development standpoint, she leaves much to be desired and I really hope we see more from her in the future.

Evangelion 2.0-You Can (Not) Advance may be the half point of the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy, but it many ways it’s just getting started.  The setting, the characters and the Evas themselves all look like new life and new direction has been given to them.  And if the final scenes of the film are any indication, the series is set to move farther away from the original than ever before.  This is an Evangelion for a new age and it is well working its way above the original in every way.  And yet it still manages to stand tall alongside the original...and like I said when youre as good as The End of Evangelion, that is far from easy but man…somehow it did it.

9/10

BTW let’s just say Chapter 3 was not quite as good as the first two entries.  How bad was it?  Here, you can check out my review of Evangelion 3.33-You Can (Not) Redo from 2016 when I saw it at Katsucon right here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2016/02/evangelion-333-you-can-not-redo.html

Evangelion 1.11-You Are (Not) Alone

2015 AD. Fifteen years ago, a cataclysmic event known as the Second Impact wiped out half of the human race and devastated the planet.  Now, The Angels have returned to finish the job.  But humanity is ready.  The military organization known as NERV has produced a next generation weapon capable of dealing with these towering harbingers of death: The Evangelions.  Only a certain chosen few can pilot these machines.  One of them is Shinji Ikari, whose father, the leader of NERV Gendo Ikari, abandoned him as a child.  The other is Rei Ayanami, a lonely, quiet girl who will follow any order without question.  Shinji and Rei must confront their inner demons and take control of these giant robots if humanity is to survive its greatest ordeal.  For failure means the coming of Third Impact…and the end of all life on Earth.

Neon Genesis Evangelion is an Anime that has withstood the test of time since its creation in 1995.  Created by Hideaki Anno, this series changed the way we looked at the giant robot genre in arguably a greater way than either Gundam or Macross did in the 70’s and 80’s.  Larger than life monster battles, deeply personal and heartwrenching character conflicts, twists and turns and unanswered questions, the pros of Eva far outweigh any cons, especially when you have as amazing a finale as The End of Evangelion.  It cant be ignored, however, that Anno himself was not a well man back when the show was originally made.  More than a decade after End of Eva, he now has a chance to retool and retell his story the way he originally envisioned it.  Which brings us here to the first chapter of the intended 4 part “Rebuild of Evangelion” saga.  While it might not be what fans might’ve hoped, You Are (Not) Alone is a solid entry point for new and returning fans.

You Are (Not) Alone covers roughly the first six episodes of the Anime.  And it does so incredibly faithfully in the process.  A huge chunk of the movie is almost a shot for shot remake of those episodes, right down to the positioning, movement and even sound effects.  There are some minor changes here and there but for the most part this is the same Evangelion we fell in love with brought into a new age of Anime.  And I can see how that would be a downside for some coming into this movie.  The Rebuild of Evangelion is being built on doing some major changes to the classic story.  Yet in the first film, we don’t get any major differences until the beginning of the last act. 

And you know what, there’s nothing wrong with that.  Sure viewers are anxious for new stuff, that’s why they came into this little adventure.  But You Are (Not) Alone is equally an introduction for new fans as well as a hug to old fans who might not have seen Evangelion in a while.  It’s familiar but that’s to ease everyone into the setting a couple of decades old by this point.  There’s hand holding but once the end arrives, you know that by the second film they might very well be running with new updates and additions.  From what’s covered in the movie, it also means that some popular fan favorites like Asuka and Kaji wont be around until Chapter 2.  There is plenty of everyone else to go around, like the troubled Shinji, the silent Rei and the still sexy Misato.  Big props to the English dub of the movie for being able to bring back Spike Spencer and Alison Keith, who have been the voices of Shinji and Misato since the day Evangelion first came to the US and I cant wait to see if other classic voice actors from Eva history follow suit.

Evangelion 1.11-You Are (Not) Alone might look like a simple HD Remaster of the beloved giant robot classic.  But there’s both more to it and a lot to enjoy that’s familiar.  The action is still some of the best, especially with the new animation.  The character drama is as fresh as ever, and even might have some people sympathizing with Shinji more than ever before (shocking I know).  And there’s plenty of classic nods and tunes and ferocious sounds to please die hard fans and get new ones engaged in the story as well.  This isn’t the running at the starter gun beginning some might’ve expected from the Rebuild of Evangelion series.  It is, however, a warm embrace from an old friend, a quick catch up on things from the past…before no doubt heading full speed into some brand new territory.

8/10

And we’ll see if the second chapter can live up to those expectations.  Check back for my review of Evangelion 2.22-You Can (Not) Advance right her on the Gundam Anime Corner.

T5W#170-Top 5 Marvel Heroes Who Need An Anime Adaptation

It’s hard to believe that one of the greatest legends in all of history is no longer with us.  Stan “The Man” Lee gave us so much more than just Marvel Comics.  He gave us our childhoods and introduced us to the power of imagination through hundreds of stories and double the amount of amazing characters.  This weeks Top 5 was going to be the second half of my Gundam Theme Song Two Parter.  However, I cant ignore such a big loss to the nerd fan community.  So this weeks Top 5 is dedicated especially to the memory of Stan Lee as I count down my Top 5 Marvel Heroes Who Need An Anime Adaptation…Excelsior dear sir. Couple of quick rules: I wont be including any heroes from Marvel ive had on prior lists superhero themed Top 5s.  Also, any hero who’s already had an official Marvel adaptation (Blade, Iron Man, Wolverine and the X Men) wont be included as well.  For more Stan Lee appretiation, also feel free to check out my (very) old Top 5 list of the Top 5 X Men Who Need Their Own Anime right here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2016/05/t5w41-top-5-x-men-who-need-their-own.html

#5-Luke Cage

The recent (and sudden) cancellation of Luke Cage on Netflix has not sat well with anyone.  Even if the show was a bit uneven, it still had a lot of power and charm to its storytelling and Mike Colter rocked it as the Hero of Harlem.  While a surprise return isn’t ever out of the realm of possibility, what about an Anime approach?  Luke Cage’s Harlem battles against supervillains to keep the community together feel like it could work well with the kind of Anime/Hip Hop formula that made Afro Samurai and even The Boondocks so popular with Anime fans.  Heck throw in a soundtrack akin to Samurai Champloo and it’s a Sweet Christmas for everyone…even more so if you could get Mike Colter back to do the voice of Luke.

#4-Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange’s big screen debut a couple of years back sported some of the trippiest visuals in the MCU to date.  Such on screen magic could be replicated by the right Anime studio.  And what better one to recommend than the studio that brought us Madoka Magica and the Monogatari series.  Studio Shaft has a penchant for animating the hell out of everything, so much that there isn’t a single thing on a screen standing still.  Considering the good Doctor Strange likes to jump through realms and other dimensions with many moving parts, I think Shaft is more than up to the challenge of giving us the best Doctor Strange Anime of all time.

#3-Silk

Silk has been one of my favorite Marvel heroines since her inception and I think she is woefully underused in the Marvel universe.  This Korean American beauty, Cindy Moon, was bitten by the same radioactive spider who bit Peter Parker, aka your friendly neighborhood Spider Man.  Cindy was locked in a cell for 10 years to keep her safe from an army of interdimensional Spider Power feeding Vampires (yep that was a thing) before she was discovered by Peter and brought into the fight to stop them.  One of the things I liked about Silk’s criminally brief solo comics run was the artwork.  It always felt very Manga inspired, ergo it would be cool to see it in Anime form.  Plus Cindy is a huuuuuge Pokemon fan, always a plus.

#2-Captain Marvel

Carol Danvers was one of the first Marvel heroines I ever read about and she’s been the best forever.  Once Ms. Marvel, the now proud standing Captain Marvel is the strongest heroine in the Marvel Universe.  She cant quite take Thanos out with “one punch” a la Saitama but her power could rival that of a Super Saiyan warrior (possibly as high as 3 but im not here to compare power levels across different mediums).  This mean a Captain Marvel Anime could sport some serious action scenes with Dragon Ball Z or One Punch Man levels of awesome.  The fact that we’ll finally be getting Carol on the big screen next year as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe makes this seem a bit more timely.  We all need a bit more Carol Danvers in our lives.

#1-Ms Marvel

Kamala Kahn is the quintessential superheroine otaku we never thought we ever wanted but are so glad we got anyway.  This Pakistani American teen living in Jersey City is the biggest Avengers nerd like ever, she even writes her own fan fiction.  When she gains powers through her dormant Inhuman genes, Kamala decides to take up the former namesake of her greatest idol, the aforementioned Carol Danvers, and becomes the new Ms. Marvel.  Besides being a pop culture spouting goof ball with the ability to regulate the size of her body, Kamala is the kindest girl who embodies the true ideology of what it means to be a hero (especially in recent years when her idols have been punching each other more than bad guys).  Kamala would fit right in with the likes of Deku and Class 1-A over in the world of My Hero Academia…actually could we make that a surprise America/Japan co-production please (maybe throw in Silk and Supergirl but im getting into my own fan fictions now lol).  The world needs Kamala Kahn, more so the world needs a Kamala Kahn Ms Marvel Anime…make this happen Japan.


For Stan...

Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory Part 2 Episodes 4-6

In the blink of an eye, the peaceful life Sousuke Sagara had come to find shattered.  Amalgam’s devastating attack on both Jin Dai and Mithril HQ ended in disaster and now the Serious Sergant is on his own, separated from both his team and his beloved Kaname Chidori.  A new mission begins, one that will take Sousuke to a world where AS’s are used for sport and victory in the ring could bring him closer to the men who destroyed his peace.  But Amalgam messed with the wrong Specialist and Sousuke Sagara is coming for them all.

Ahhhhhhhhh!!! That was my reaction when the 4^th episode of the new season reached its conclusion.  The Second Raid dialed up the intensity quite a bit but Invisible Victory has taken Full Metal Panic’s status quo and chucked it out the window.   The school became a battlefield, Kyoko was nearly killed (but she’s still in scary bad shape), Sousuke lost Arbalest…man these first four episodes have been one thing after another.  But credit where it’s due, Full Metal Panic had to make a big impression after such a long break and Episode 4 capatalized on it big time.  

Suffice to say Mithril is all but crippled at this point and Sousuke and Kaname’s ideal life has been shattered.  It takes a lot of guts to make changes like this but they’ve all been for the better.  It opens the door for bold new possibilities while also asking some big questions that will hopefully be answered by seasons end.  That said, it is scary as hell to see Sousuke lose in such a one sided match against Leonard Testarossa.  It almost makes me want to go back to my third season review and take back everything I said about him not being a credible threat.  Granted, he didn’t have much to do besides posture but Leonard has lived up to the quiet menace he’s presented.  Had it not been for Kaname’s surrender, he might have very well killed Sousuke and annihilated Jin Dai High School.  These are the strongest opponents Sousuke and Mithril (what’s left of it) have faced so far and it’s equally scary to think that Amalgam could have set these monsters on them at any time and the outcome would have been very much like this.

Which led us to a three month time jump (after a pointless recap “intermission” episode), which changed the scenery (from Japan to the country of Namsac) and dropped Sousuke right into the thick of his new mission.  I had a feeling that the AS Robo Thunderdome death matches had some way of getting him in contact with Amalgam.  One could ponder that, given Sousuke’s high profile status on their list that Amalgam would have an easier way of getting in touch with him (Kurama, the guy who looks like Jean Reno from Leon: The Professional, is still keeping tabs on him).  Still the fights look good and it’s a good way for Sousuke to stretch his feet a bit and show that his combat skills can be used in a more “recreational” kind of way.  A couple of things surprised me on this front: first that Sousuke is still so calm and his usual military maniac self after three months without Kaname; and two, he likes the AS League.  It’s a new way of putting his piloting skills to good use in a non lethal way (at the moment).  I bet, in another life, he would have been happier hanging around here.  But it’s clear Sousuke isn’t going to stick around for long and neither will we.

The jump to Namsac did put a damper in the no holds barred momentum that kicked the season off.  Yes, we had to establish the new arena and some of the ground rules but it was also a breather I didn’t expect.  It was cool to see Sousuke start fitting in but I was never on the edge of my seat as I was during the first four episodes.  Also, theres the addition of two new characters: Nami and Lemon.  Both aren’t really grabbing me, Lemon more so because he looks like a carbon copy of Benny from Black Lagoon…which did make me wonder if those two shows shared the same universe and that would open a whole can of worms honestly.  As for Nami, she’s cute but is kind of just the female substitute and would be love interest for Sousuke (he’s not interested but she is) until Kaname comes back.  Nami isn’t doing anything wrong, she just hasn’t done much to stand out to me as much as the rest of Full Metal Panics bevy of bad ass beauties like Kaname, Mao and Tessa.  That could always change. I don’t hate Nami, I just want her to do a little more.

But as Week 2 closes, the lull in momentum does bring up more dire questions: What has Kaname been doing in Amalgam’s care for three months?  What about Tessa and the De Danaan and what’s left of Mirhtirl?  Why do I still have the nagging feeling Kalinin (last seen securing Tessa’s escape) might have sold Mithril out in some way (he’s been acting sketchy since the first episode of the season)?  I hope another pointless “intermission” doesn’t slow things down either.  I want to know more and despite a respite from all the chaos, it is still damn good to have Full Metal Panic back.  Man do I hope Sousuke is going to kick Leonard’s ass at the end of all of this.  He and Kaname finally held hands…I want that to continue.  See ya next week for more Full Metal Panic: Invisible Victory.