T5W#185-Top 5 Reasons Alita: Battle Angel is Better Than Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Last week I got a chance to see Alita: Battle Angel and was surprised to see that it wasn’t the disappointment I thought it would be.  It wasn’t perfect but it was a much better live action Anime than many we’ve gotten in the last couple of years.  My opinion and hopes of good Live Action Anime were kind of dashed back in 2017 after Netflix’s Death Note and Ghost in the Shell dropped back to back.  The latter film hurt me more because, if you’ve read my blog a long time, you know I love Ghost in the Shell (besides the Stand Alone Complex compilation movies and Arise Alternate Architecture ive reviewed every single GitS title out there).  If the 2017 bomb starring Scarlet Johannson as Not Motoko Kusinagi was an example of all the wrong things to do with a Live Action Anime adaptation, Alita was the better example…by like a mile.  And today im gonna highlight five reasons why it does so in this Top 5 Wednesday cage match.  Agree with me or not, these are my Top 5 Reasons Alita: Battle Angel is better than Ghost in the Shell (2017)

 

#5-Fun Factor (Did I have a good time?)

For all the wrong live action adaptations can do, they can still be a little fun to watch.  Death Note 2017 is a terrible film but you cant help but cringe and laugh at how bad it is sometimes (its ripe for a good Rifftrax).  Ghost in the Shell 2017 is an absolute snoozefst.  It brings nothing new to the table.  In fact it borrows so much from 80’s scifi action films and does absolutely nothing with any of those classic elements.  It’s pretty paint by numbers and nothing thrills, nothing excites, me personally it only infuriates.  Alita: Battle Angel had just as much to prove and it brought its game face.  Even if you weren’t a fan of the story changes, there was still plenty of creative action and the heartfelt story of Alita herself to instill a feeling of fun while watching the film.  I was never bored to death by Alita and I was curious how it would all play out.  Ghost in the Shell…I couldn’t wait for it to end and was even more mad when they played the classic theme song from the Oshii films at the end…it didn’t deserve that greatness.

 

#4-Supporting Cast (who’s got who’s back better?)

Beyond Scarlet Johannson, there aren’t a lot of truly recognizable faces in Ghost in the Shell.  One or two might stand out in some circles like legendary Japanese actor “Beat” Takeshi as Aramaki and Pilou Asbeak from Game of Thrones as Batou.  Other than those two, I couldn’t identify any other actors nor did their characters have much to do in terms of anything in Ghost in the Shell.  To be fair, Alita has the same issue but the supporting cast is a far greater caliber.  Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connely and Mahershala Ali all have some of their best scenes bouncing off of Alita herself and do get one or two good moments to shine in their own right.  I cant really say the same of any actor who interacting with ScarJo’s NOT MOTOKO throughout the entirety of Ghost in the Shell.

 

#3-Visual Effects (Which is prettier?)

To the credit of both, Alita: Battle Angel and Ghost in the Shell are very nice to look at.  Both of their respective environments are very colorful and highly detailed.  While both visual effects teams should be proud of their work, Alita takes this one simply for how nearly flawless the fusion of real actor with heavy duty CG cyborg bodies looks.  Looking at Ed Skrein’s Zapan stands out in particular.  You’d be hard pressed to believe that only his face is the real deal when his characters body looks that good.  Then again, I expect nothing less but the best from WETA Digital, the wizards who gave us Avatar and The Lord of the Rings.

 

#2-Action Sequences (Who actually knows Kung Fu?)

Alita wins this category hands down for embracing its Anime roots and going full on nuts with its cyborg combat.  The Motorball sequence and Alita’s first battle with Grewishka stand out the most for their intensity and pushing the envelope of how much violence you can get away with in a PG13 rated action film.  Ghost in the Shell is so by the numbers it isn’t even amusing.  Even the intro scene that tries to mirror the 1995’s famous intro falls flat.  Everything else after that never takes advantage of the fact that the Major is a combat cyborg who can do some seriously amazing feats besides some simple kicks and punches.  Put 2017’s Major against Alita and there is no contest in who would kick who’s ass in a fight…and since we’re on the subject.

 

#1-Lead Characters (MORTAL KOMBAT!!!)

In my review of Ghost in the Shell 2017, I cited Scarlet Johannson’s portrayal of The Major as one of the worst parts of the movie.  I get that each iteration of Motoko is supposed to be different, personality wise as we see in the Oshii Films, Stand Alone Complex and Arise.  Johannson being a white girl aside, her “Motoko” is bland, boring and more like the Terminator than her more emotive Anime counterparts (from the angsty to the super serious to the hot head with something to prove).  Alita, on the other hand, is full of so much heart (literally) and wonder from her very first moments and we get to see her grow as a person throughout the entire movie.  I could care less what happened to The Major at the end of Ghost in the Shell.  But I cared a great deal about Alita’s future, especially when she literally gets cut up in battle and still manages to come out on top.  Alita: Battle Angel gave us a lead we could give a damn about.  Ghost in the Shell just further tarnished the good name of one of the best Anime franchises in history with the worst portrayal of its signature heroine.

Death Note: Light Up the New World

Ten years have passed since the end of Kira’s reign of terror.  Inspired by Light Yagami’s use of the Death Note, the King of Death orders his Shinigami to search for a successor by depositing six Death Note’s across the Earth.  As a new wave of chaos and madness spreads, three players come to the forefront of the game: Mishima, a member of a next generation Kira Taskforce; Ryuzaki, the successor to the famous detective L; and Shien, a cyberterrorist zealot who believes he has been chosen by Light himself to carry on his work.  Which of these three will claim the six Death Notes…and which of them will claim the mantle of “Neo Kira”? 

Before I saw Rurouni Kenshin in 2013, the two part adaptation of Death Note (Death Note and Death Note II: The Last Name) was my gold standard in live action Anime adaptations.  The movies got so much right from the fun of Death Note’s mystery, cool and memorable characters, intense pacing, some nice visual work on Ryuk and the perfect casting of Tatsuya Fujiwara as Light and Kenichi Matsuyama as L. The films ended on a pretty definitive note (no pun intended) much like the Anime and the Manga.  So when I heard that a third film was coming, set 10 years after the 2006 films, I was worried…but also intrigued, especially by the premise.  And the previews looked like something fun could come out of the whole affair.  Needless to say, I was pretty pumped to check this film out.

 

The premise of the film is what grabbed me right away: six Death Notes placed across the globe; the prospect of a worldwide race to reclaim them; an emphasis on a more digital approach to investigations; and three potentially interesting new leads working alongside returning favorites.  For the most part, the movie does hold onto a lot of that promise throughout…though it is a little disappointing we see so little of the world wide action other Death Note users take in their parts of the world before everything returns to Japan.  Of the three main leads, Ryuzaki is the big winner of best character.  Sousuke Ikamatsu didn’t attempt to recreate L in any way.  He’s more eccentric, whimsical, a bit cocky and way more active than his sit back and think everything out predecessor.  His back and forth with lead Kira Taskforce detective, Mishima isn’t bad either.  They butt heads often though it does lead to them working well together despite their different approaches to the Kira case.  Mishima himself is alright.  He’s proclaimed “Death Note Otaku” who wants to solve the case for sure but is also eagerly collecting info on the Death Note lore like an obsessed fan.  Sitting in the back of the race, sadly, is Shien.  Touted in the previews as the ultimate Kira successor, we hardly spend any time with him and what time he is on screen, he never measures up to Light in any way.  In effect, Light Up the New World loses the one thing that made the first two films so memorable: the intellectual battle and on screen acting spars between Light and L.  Ryuzaki has more of that in common with Mishima than Shien, who eventually feels like he doesn’t really matter in the long run despite the skillset he brings to the table.

 

We do get to see several returning characters and they aren’t just in cameos (not everyone that is).  The big two are Misa and Ryuk.  Ryuk is still a hit.  Plus he gets to be more part of the action this time around and he looks better than ever after ten years.  The visual effects department actually does such a great job with Ryuk and a couple of his Shinigami buddies that you wish we could see more of them and other Shinigami as well.  As for Misa, it was an interesting choice to bring her back considering how her story was concluded in the previous films.  Even with the massive tease of a plot twist thrown her way, it feels like Misa does serve a role…but that role perhaps could have gone to someone else?  Maybe if id seen Misa interact with other characters besides Shien and her criminally all to brief reunion with Ryuk, id feel stronger about her being around.  I did like how her character had changed over the years.  No longer is she the ditzy TV idol but a seasoned model who feels the wear of years despite her good looks, that was a good route to go with her.  Regardless, Erika Toda is a very welcome face to connect these two eras together (same with Ryuk).  We also see the return of Detective Matsuda from the original Kira Taskforce, and he’s just as gullible and lovable as ever, though he does bring Death Note expertise with him too.

 

There’s a lot going on in Light Up the New World and not all of it ends up being positive.  For all my like of the new cast, there’s something missing from their battle for the Death Notes…mostly the Light and L rivalry like I said.  But to make up for that, the movie tends to toss out a couple of very, very, very out there twist reveals that are hard to swallow or comprehend.  Just what kind of contingencies could Light have had in place before his demise?  Is Ryuzaki playing a game intending to double cross the Taskforce?  Why is Shien so convinced Light somehow survived getting Death Note’d ten years ago?  All of these questions and more are asked and are given answers and I couldn’t accept a lot of them.  While I was shaky about a few things by the halfway mark, it’s the finale where things get truly crazy.  I lightened up (again no pun intended) about a couple of reveals but one in particular makes just ask “How was that ever an idea?”  I feel like the writers were hoping these twists and turns could make up for some underdeveloped storylines, mostly revolving around Shien’s lack of interesting story or Misa’s involvement.  Like I said, I could accept some things, just not everything like did with the first two movies.

 

A third film to make a “Death Note Trilogy” was unnecessary.  Heck they even tried an L spin off film, “L: Change the World” and it didn’t work for the same reasons Light Up the New World doesn’t fully succeed: you set the bar to high with L battling Light.  Take one or both out of the equation and your film just isn’t going to have the same magic.  Light Up the New World tries to compensate for this with mostly fun new characters and a bold new premise.  But the premise never meets its potential, some of the characters aren’t memorable and the lack of a solid dynamic like Fujiwara and Matsuyama’s Light and L all work against the films chances at standing on the same pedestal I hold its predecessors.  I didn’t dislike Light Up the New World as a whole, it is way, way, WAYYYYYY better than that trash Netflix film from 2017.  But you have to bring your A-Game to try and match the success of a pair of legends that translated one of Animes greatest stories into a live action format.  Light Up the New World tries to bring the same game…but more or less ends up with a B.  Seriously, if a couple of the big twists made more sense and Shien had more to do than play Kira poser, this could have really worked and I wish it had.  It aint Kira worthy but it doesn’t deserve an entry in the Death Note either.

7/10

FIF#79-Todays Menu for the Emiya Family

In other universes, Shiro Emiya and his heroic servant, Saber, are locked in mortal combat with six other masters and spirits for control of the Holy Grail.  This…is not one of those universes.  Familiar faces are everywhere but battle is not the order of the day.  That…is whatever delicious meal Shiro Emiya decides to cook for anyone who steps through his door.  No matter the day or the season, everyones always garunteed a laugh, a good time, and a hearty meal at the right time.  Leave your troubles at the door and prepare to be amazed at the choice of dish on Todays Menu for the Emiya Family, itadakimasu!!!

 

When you run out of ways to adapt the three central routes of the Fate/Stay Night visual novel (Fate, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel), and yet the franchise is one of the King of Kings of Anime, someone will find a way to renew interest, for better or worse.  We’ve already gotten the Magical Girl spin off (Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Illya), the Sword Art Online spin off (Fate/Extra: Last Encore), the prequel (Fate/Zero) and the overloaded epic spinoff (Fate/Apocrypha).  Seriously, what’s left?  Well…now there’s a spin off about cooking and it may very well be the best of these side stories in the grand Fate/Stay Night mythology.

 

Todays Menu for the Emiya Family takes the bare, bare bones of the franchise (so just the characters) and doesn’t stray to far from the feel good premise the title implies.  There are Heroic Spirits like Saber, Lancer and Rider, but there’s no Holy Grail War.  The rest of the Fate gang is around too including the titular Shiro Emiya, Illya, Fujimura, Shinji, Sakura and my favorite waifu Rin, but no ones trying to kill each other.  And from the looks of the premiere, it looks like its just going to be everyone coming to either Shiros or maybe someone elses place to just chill out and get a bite to eat.  And man will they eat.  The one thing that caught me right away is how good the food looks in this show (so much it kind of leaves the character designs a little unpolished, but they do look cute (God especially Rin) so it’s forgivable).  This show is basically the food porn spin off of Fate/Stay Night.  It goes all in too as most of the very short run time is dedicated to Shiro going through a full blown tutorial of how to cook a Shimp Tempeura Soba New Years Eve meal.  There might be a couple of season long subplots such as the possibility that Shiro might have a crush on Saber.  But overall, this is meant to be a show to kick back and enjoy without the emotional/violent/psychological baggage that comes with every other Fate/Stay Night series on the planet…and im weirdly ok with that.  This is the kind of show you put on in the background at a party or just to chillax too and we all need a show like that (heh, it kind of reminds me of K-On in a way).

With episodes running at about half the length of a normal TV episode, at least judging from the premiere alone, Todays Menu for the Emiya Family could either be a super quick watch (complete with a future full series review perhaps?) or a show to watch slowly and let simmer.  I feel like I could smell the meal Shiro was cooking and…well I was actually pretty hungry by the time the episode was finished.  Anyway, this is a feel good Anime, one of the many textbook definitions.  I don’t even think you need to be well versed in the Fate/Stay Night universe to enjoy watching a bunch of friends goof off and eat some of the best damn food ever seen on an Anime screen.  I could do with more Anime like this in my life right now.  I know this came out last year but Todays Menu for the Emiya Family is the kind of Anime I hope to see more of in 2019.

Alita: Battle Angel

2563.  300 years have passed since “The Fall”, a war that devastated the Earth.  The lower classes of humanity struggle to survive on the ground while those who prosper dwell on Earth’s last floating city, Zalem.  One day, a kind inventor, Doctor Ido, uncovers the remains of a cyborg girl and restores her to life.  Taking the name “Alita”, this young woman quickly learns there is more to her than at first glance.  She possesses great strength and combat abilities, far above normal cyborgs.  The quest for the truth brings Alita into the crosshairs of the most dangerous organizations in Iron City and even those in Zalem above.  As Alita heads towards her destiny, she’ll find the true meaning of her existence…and her mission to save the world from an ancient enemy.

Battle Angel Alita is a classic Anime/Manga title that has long been in the sights of live action film development for as long as Akira, Ghost in the Shell and Dragon Ball Z.  For just as long a time, it was a passion project for director James Cameron and he always kept saying Alita was at the top of his to do list.  But since Cameron is busy with Avatar sequels for the next decade, he took on a producing role (and co wrote the screenplay) and handed the directorial reigns to Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Sin City).  But enough factoid trivia, I all know what you’re asking: is Alita: Battle Angel any good?  If you’ll recall, I did a Top 5 list with a good friend who’s read the manga about how neither of us thought adapting Alita was a good idea (you can find it here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2017/12/t5w123-top-5-reasons-i-think-live.html)  Well…I think a lot of those fears have been surprisingly alleviated while others are about what I expected.  Still, I think it’s safe to say this is far from the worst live action adaptation ive ever seen, in fact, at its best, it’s a very fun flick to enjoy.

 

One of my primary concerns going in was Alita’s infamous big eyed design that drew a lot of curiosity and ire from the community.  Well, ill be honest, a few minutes in and I wasn’t really paying attention to the size of Alita’s eyes because Rosa Salazar is doing such an amazing job proving why she is the shiniest gem in the movie.  Salazar plays Alita equal parts innocent, naieve, battle hardened, clever and even vengeful.  There are times when you just want to give her a hug and let her know everything will be alright and there are times when you just go “DAMN” when she tears through a cyborg like they were nothing (which she does a lot).  Alita certainly grows from beginning to end of the movie and Salazar portrays that evolution flawless from curious reactivated cyborg to battle ready bad ass.  And her design is pretty cool too.  Both of her cyborg bodies are beautifully designed.  Her first one is more artsy but has some good detail in the limbs.  And then there’s her more recognizable black and steeled Battle Angel look that feels perfectly pulled from the Manga or the OVAs.  In short, Rosa Salazar seems better suited to her role than Scarlet Johannson (or half the cast) in Ghost in the Shell and might be worth the price of admission alone.

 

Visually, yeah this does feel like a James Cameron vision if he wasn’t too busy spending the rest of his lifeforce on Avatar (ok ill stop that now and keep better focused).  One part Blade Runner, one part Thunderdome, Iron City may not really stand out other than it looks really pretty…but it is really pretty and feels very much alive.  The inhabitants are all well designed as well.  As you’d expect, lots of cyborgs in this flick and they’re all dressed to kill (that’s more literal than you think).  Im amazed at just how well the faces of Ed Sekrin or other actors fit on their cyborg bodies but the rest of their forms sometimes doesn’t even look CG.  It’s been a while since ive seen a near flawless combination like that.  And boy does that mean the action is incredible.  Watching Alita kick ass is the kind of action we’ve long wanted from a scifi Anime in live action.  She moves so quick and so graceful you’re drawn in and don’t want to look away.  Probably the best of this action isn’t even a one on one battle but the Motorball segment…yeah if you like the Pod Racing sequence from Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace, I think Alita battling every single angry cyborg bounty hunter out to get her on the track kind of blows it away (also maybe its just me but I think this is perfect test footage for a potential live action IGPX movie…just saying). 

 

Well, I suppose you know what’s coming next.  Yes the movie is very pretty and very action packed.  But Alita: Battle Angel still isn’t anywhere near the perfect live action Anime heights as the 2006 Death Note duology or the first Rurouni Kenshin.  Alita’s central story of finding her identity and her place in the world is good, but I felt like we’re watching a compilation movie of an Anime season sometimes.  Some scenes are over before we know it and are thrown into the next action set piece, while others are just there to set things up for sequels that may or may never happen.  This is very much an Alita Begins movie but seems to want to stretch things out and prep a franchise rather than tell a self contained story.  It also takes the film a little bit to get going.  I wasn’t bored by Alita herself, I was just hoping the action would have kicked in a bit sooner.  Then there’s the supporting cast which is a solid dream team including Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connely, Mahershala Ali and Ed Sekrin.  Only Waltz and Keean Johnson get the better material due to their more direct involvement with Alita as her father figure, Ido and her love interest, Hugo, respectively.  You felt the emotional connection between these three in their separate scenes, especially between Alita and Ido.  Everyone else doesn’t really get a lot to work with.  While Sekrin does get to chew some scenery as a villain, Connely and Ali both seem like they just don’t have much to do than deliver standard, shadowy villain dialogue that just sounds tired.  I hate to say it but unless either was interacting with Alita (and Alita herself was more engaging) I was bored when either of their characters was on screen.  Come on, these guys deserve better than this. 

 

At the very least, Alita: Battle Angel is doing more to give a damn about its existence than Ghost in the Shell.  There’s more heart and emotion in Alita herself to power the whole movie and the action is a ton of fun if you’re just looking for two hours of escapism.  While pretty to look it, you cant ignore that the film has ambitious beyond its runtime and wants to do more when it should lessen its focus to the here and now instead of the future.  Not everything has to have a franchise built in from the start and one day live action Anime adaptations will get that.  Still, Alita: Battle Angel isn’t a total train wreck and id put on par with the middle ground of live action Anime like the Bleach or Space Battleship Yamato movies.  It’s a far cry from the two 2017 dumpster fires that were Death Note and Ghost in the Shell (btw I might end up doing a Top 5 talking about how much better Alita is than that later film, just fyi).  As a guy who didn’t know anything about Alita outside of the name, face and the fact it was Anime, I was entertained but id love to know what fans themselves thought of the film.  For now, id say this was the more better win live action Anime have needed for a while, far from perfect but very far from the worst of the worst.

 

7/10

T5W#184-Top 5 Katsucon 2019 Moments

Katsucon 2019 has come and gone and…while it wasn’t quite as good as the game changer that was Katsucon 2018, I still had an incredibly awesome time.  Being back in National Harbor is always a treat, as is getting experience one of the best Anime gatherings ever with new friends and close family.  It’s actually a miracle I was able to pick 5 moments that stood out in a sea of many.  But here they are, what you’ve all been waiting for-Todays Top 5 Wednesday: My Top 5 Favorite Katsucon 2019 Moments.

 

#5-Meeting Sombra

When it comes to big name guests at Katsucon, im usually keeping an eye out for cosplay celebs.  This year though, I saw on the guest list that the voice of Sombra from Overwatch, Carolina Ravassa.  Those of you whove followed my blog a long time know that Sombra is my Overwatch main and I love her to death.  In a way running into Ms. Ravasa in transit between panels reminded me of how I lucked into meeting Katie Griffith (Sailor Mars from the old Sailor Moon dub).  Nervous as I was, I took a chance, asked if she really was Sombras voice actress and managed to get a quick selfie in.  I almost go tin trouble for it cause running into a guest like that could result in her getting stopped by many others.  But it was worth it, especially when she tapped my nose for Sombra’s signature “boop” before she left.

 

#4-Let it Go Billie Jean

This one requires a little backstory: im a fan of late night 18+ anime panels.  These are the panels to bring out the Hentai, the violence, the stuff that you don’t dare show to any innocent minded otaku.  I always try my best to attend at least one every night im at a con.  Saturday night was no exception and it turned out to be a sequel to Bizzare Hentai Theater 20XX from a year prior.  However…while I do have a strong stomach, even this panel was too much for me.  I can never unsee what ive seen and others agreed…a lot of people actually.  The constant returns to one particular clip resulted in massive chunks of audience members exiting the panel.  I wonder if anyone stuck with that panel til the end.

Cut to about half an hour later.  My mind was mud and I needed to regain my sanity.  So I wandered back to the Gazebo, which had become party central for the penultimate evening of Katsucon 2019.  Groups all around were chilling, dancing, drinking or a combo of all three.  In the process of wandering, I fell into a group belting out “Let it Go” from Frozen.  All of a sudden, my mind reconstructed itself and I joined in cause…well yeah I like Let it Go when it’s not on repeat 50,000,000 times.  And the energy I got off of it was incredible. The DJ behind the song choice offered me next dibs…and I decided to pull out a classic.  Turns out Billie Jean is still a solid choice to play at any dance gathering and it will get me in there to dance myself, joined by the girl who was belting Elsa lyrics prior.  It was awkward, it was stylish, it reminded me why Saturday nights at Katsu are worth staying up til almost dawn even though you def should be packing to avoid a Sunday crowd lol

 

#3-K-ON Panel hosted by the Baltimore Anime Denizens

The Baltimore Anime Denizens (B.A.D.) are a local Anime group in Baltimore comprised of long time fans who want to extend the reach of Anime to the community.  Theyre a fun crew and host regular hangouts and Anime screening series in the spring and fall.  Back at the beginning of the year, I learned they are going to be doing a panel about the history of one of my all time favorite shows, K-ON, with an emphasis on the music, at Katsucon.  I thought it was awesome to see Rob, Daryl, Adam and Jessie in the main auditorium hall and realized why that was a good idea later on.  Rob, Daryl and Jessie (who was cosplaying as series character Yui) performed two songs from the series (one from season one and one from season two).  I was sitting in the front so my eardrums were utterly destroyed…but let me tell you it was one of the best panels ive ever been too.  It reminded me of the KON Concert from Otakon 2011 which first got me introduced to the show.  Im pretty sure I was tearing up listening to Fudepen ~Ballpen being played live again.  KON has a soundtrack that screams “feel good” and its even more awesome that there are people out there who can actually play this magic live…and give a good rundown of a series I really need to finish one of these years.  Rob, Daryl, Adam, Jessie…you guys did so damn good and you should be proud.

 

#2-Cosplay Avengers

 

 

  

 

 

  

 

Katsucon has always attracted a ton of cosplay coverage, it really is one of the biggest cosplay hotspots on the East Coast.  Thanks to that, ive been able to meet so many famous cosplayers ive followed on social media for a long time.  Several of them have become good friends while I just feel honored to meet others just for a moment.  2019 brought the best experiences with cosplay so far.  Old friends like Kayley Marie Cosplay, GC-Chan Cosplay, Ghostiemuffin Cosplay and Canary Cry Cosplay all returned with stronger works than ever (especially GC Chan, I had to do a double take to see that it was her under some very impressive red make up, man shes come so far since Sailor Moon at Katsu 2015…I mean she was always good lol).  In addition, I got to meet West Coast cosplay legend Hendo Art (she does a lot of Spider themed cosplays) and up and coming cosplayer Penberly.  It was a tremendous honor to see everyone, get a selfie if I could, and give them proper praise for the work they do and the inspiration they all give to the community, even those like me who don’t cosplay.  Cosplayers are all rockstars in my book and Katsu is my Woodstock (that makes sense right?)

 

#1-That Shouldn’t Fit in There-STFU Edition

This might be a first, an actual Hentai Panel has topped my Top 5 Convention Centered list.  Unlike the one that followed the next evening, this Friday night 18+ Panel, titled That Shouldn’t Fit in There-STFU Edition, was filled with all of the best qualities one of these panels can bring to a large audience: disgusting, but tasteful, bizzare Anime clips and a hostess who knows how to keep you engaged while its all going down.  Best part absolutely goes to the Manga and digital comic segments that required audience participation.  Those champions of the 18+ Panel made history that night, becoming champs who can make the most disturbing imagery utterly hilarious.  Youre not supposed to record anything from these panels but I wish I could hear the audio from this panel.  But the thing about this panel that makes me place it at the top of this list is a more special reason: the hostess.  The hostess of this panel was the same woman who hosted my first Katsucon 18+ Panel back in 2015.  Let’s just say I wasn’t full of energy that Friday night 4 years ago.  But the second I stumbled into her panel and saw what I saw…I was reenergized. (you can actually read about that particular panel on my Top 5 Katsucon 2015 Moments here- )>  To know that this same girl who have me one of my favorite highlights from 4 years ago just gave me my all time favorite Hentai panel…im glad I got to thank her in person and hope I get to see another panel done by her at Katsucon in the future.  Cause this disturbing stuff that gets the best reactions from armies of crowds is the reason why 18+ are the best parts of coming to any Anime Convention.

Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative

Universal Century 0097.  A year has passed since the Laplace Incident and little has changed in the Earth Sphere.  Though the Unicorn and it’s brother Gundam, the Banshee, were sealed away, a third Unicorn unit appears: The RX03 Phenex.  Pursued by both the Federation and remnant Neo Zeon, the fate of the Phenex is tied to three former friends once known as “The Miracle Children,” whos shared vision of the greatest calamity of The One Year War saved hundreds of lives.  As the “Phoenix Hunt” begins, the age of Newtypes enters a new phase which will determine the very future of the Universal Century.

Ever since it’s conclusion, ive always wanted a follow up to Gundam Unicorn.  The big reveal of Laplace’s Box was huge and I wanted to know the lasting effects it would have on the rest of the Universal Century, especially since we were closing in on UC0100.  So yeah, I was excited to learn that Gundam Narrative would be a direct follow up to Unicorn.  With high expectations, I sat down to watch it at a special screening and was left both impressed but also kind of letdown.  Im happy I saw the film, im always happy to watch (most) Gundam.  But I think I was left wanting more than what I was given.

While we do get to see the brief return of several Unicorn characters like Mineva Zabi, the focus of Narrative shifts to a trio of new characters: Jona, Michele and Rita.  To the films credit, we do spend equal amounts time with their backstory as well as their present ordeals.  Their biggest contribution is the fact that they foresaw the infamous colony drop on Australia by Zeon and thus became the first recognized Newtypes.  Much like Unicorn before it, Narrative is keen to take a look back at the history of the Universal Century, particularly the horrors that have come from it.  Through this we revisit Zeta Gundam in particular and just how far the villainous Titans were willing to go to unlock the secrets of Newtypes, even if they had to make them their own way.  What happens to Jona, Michele and Rita as kids, as a result, is tough to watch and the pain the three of them share as their friendship shatters in various ways is very much felt.  I don’t know if we needed a love triangle included but hey it’s not the worst thing about the movie. 

Seeing as how Gundam Narrative is the first entry of Sunrise’s UC NexT 0100 project, the film takes an even deeper look into the Newtype theory that has dominated the Universal Century so far and set up how it will evolve over the next 100 years of the era.  If you thought some of the Newtype abilities seen in Unicorn were hard to believe, you might find it hard to swallow some of the feats accomplished in Narrative by the core trio.  If you do enjoy anything Gundam and Newtype combined, im curious what others will think about their more elaborated abilities.  There’s a lot of literal soul searching here, some characters even desperate to find light to hold onto when the chaos of war threatens to drown you.  We saw what the cost of forcing Newtype powers upon kids in Zeta Gundam and Gundam ZZ.  Narrative does shine a ray of hope that once proper Newtypes emerge, things are going to change for the better everywhere…eventually.  It’s kind of a leap of faith to be honest but I like those messages in Gundam.

So the new themes and main characters are fine, what about everything else?  Well for a feature film, the first feature length Gundam film that isn’t a compilation feature since Gundam 00: The Movie, Narrative’s production quality is very back and forth.  The mecha designs and the action are really great.  The zig zagging across the screen by the titular Narrative and the Gundam Phenex are dazzling, very Macross but always feeling like this kind of action is Gundam for sure.  The Phenex is a solid successor to one of my favorite Gundam units, the Unicorn.  With it’s long hair like trains and golden armor, it makes me think of a Gundam if it went Super Saiyan 3 from Dragon Ball Z (does that make the Banshee Super Saiyan 2?).  The Gundam Narrative itself is also fascinating, especially when it’s pilot has to wear a ton of gear just to survive riding around in it.  One of the most memorable scenes in the film is the strip down of both the Gundam and the pilots suit gear once a battle is completed.  You’ve never seen such a simple scaled down Gundam before (even more than the OG RX-78-2 Gundam from the original series).  When it comes to character animations, things kind of dip in quality.  It just doesn’t look as polished or pretty as Gundam Unicorn did, granted that OVA set a very high bar for how good anything Gundam should look: TV series, movie or OVA.  Nothing ever look so unappealing that it took me out of the story or action, ive just seen better Gundam Feature Films.

While I enjoyed the main conflict between our three protagonists, the inclusion of an extra Zeon villain feels too much.  This is especially when the bad guy is an over the top whinny “sempai notice me” type who is probably one of the most obnoxious foes ever brought into the Gundam franchise (and that’s saying a lot).  The story was fine with the race to find the Phenex and how it reunited Jona, Michele and Rita and their shared history.  That was enough, that was perfect serviceable.  The need to shoehorn in Zeon was the wrong move.  Or at the very least their presence could have been minimized, even if it was just Mineva setting a small mission in motion for a not so surprise reveal (depending on how you look at it).  On final criticism is that Narrative feels like it wanted to be a stand alone story but it carries on enough of Unicorns themes and leaves the door open for more that it ends up feeling like a second chapter in a trilogy.  I mean, Unicorn’s ending was definitely open ended but it also closed the book on the story it wanted to tell.  Narrative doesn’t feel unfinished, it just feels like a lead in for something bigger to come.  Maybe it’s another chapter of the UC NexT 0100 project but who knows (and we probably wont know more about that til after the next big Gundam project: Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway’s Flash, gets underway next Fall or Winter.

Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative feels like a decent follow up to Gundam Unicorn but mostly serves as a stage setter for the next age of Gundam now that the franchise has turned 40.  Ideas are debated before being tabled for the moment.  The characters are good additions who might have more to do down the line.  The continued visitation of past Gundam stories is both fun and curious, will humanity ever learn from what’s come before to pave the way for the future?  I wonder if Narrative would have worked better as an OVA series like Unicorn.  Like I said, it’s a tough call.  Im happy I saw the movie and I was entertained at the very least.  It just didn’t have the big game changing reveal of Laplace’s Box or the more polished style of Unicorn.  It was…ok.  Ive seen worse Gundam features, trust me (this is far, far better than Gundam F91).  But it’s clear Narrative has the future in sight as well as the here and now…it just chose to focus on the former more than the latter.  Where does the Universal Century go from here?  Only time will tell. 

7/10

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku (Full Series Review)

Narumi Momose is a cute office girl with a secret: She’s an Otaku of the highest caliber.  Though she’s desperate to keep this a secret from her coworkers, fate has other plans…like having Naru run into her childhood friend Hirotaka Nifuji on her first day.  Hirotaka also happens to be an Otaku as well…an unapologetic Gamer with no equal.  Thrust back into each others lives, the pair reflect on their lack of love in life because theyre Otaku.  Hirotaka births an idea, the two of them becoming a couple.  One is into Yaoi love and the next episode of her favorite show.  The other will spend weekends leveling up in dungeons and slaughtering digital monsters.  Even with two very feisty but caring Otaku looking over them, is there a chance Naru and Hirotaka can make things workout?  No one ever said love is easy when it comes to Otaku.

Like many shows not related to the mecha/scifi/fantasy/action genre, Wotakoi is a show I would not have approached so quickly or easily.  It’s a romance and nothing blows up (not in the usual action manner anyway).  However, besides whispers of its actual goodness ill admit, the concept of an Otaku based romance did intrigue me.  After all, ive heard of love blossoming at Conventions everywhere with varied results.  How would an Anime capture that?  Would it play it all for laughs or end up taking itself seriously?  The answer by the end of the series is more the former but the latter is very much part of it’s successful formula too.

Contrary to what the promos might say, yes Narumi and Hirotaka are the “central couple”, I believe that Wotakoi actually does a good job highlighting both of the two main couplings in the series.  There’s Naru and Hirotaka, long time friends who are giving romance a try cause they aren’t getting lucky anywhere else.  And then there’s Hanako and Kabakura, high school sweethearts who act more like they want to kill each other than love each other.  Both couplings learn a great deal bouncing back and forth between the workplace, the bar, their own homes and beyond.  And both groups never, EVER got boring…that was the wild thing.  Much like K-On, Wotakoi could dole on with this core quartet for hours and I would never get tired of watching them chat and find ways to poke at their hidden weaknesses.  The character writing here is on point and never runs out of gas…mostly but ill get to that.

 

But I should talk about Naru and Hirotaka a bit.  Naru is the Yaoi fangirl who is the quintessential definition of Otaku (a lover of all things Manga and Anime).  Hirotaka is an Otaku of a different guy, having sold his mind, body and soul to Video Games at a very young age.  What initially surprised me about this pairing was: A. they already knew each other and had a long history and B. there wasn’t a season long attempt to keep their Otaku sides secret a la Himouto Umaru Chan.  Everything is out in the open between Naru, Hirotaka and their two friends by the end of the first episode.  Heck by the end of the first episode, Hirotaka proposes dating Naru after he listens to her rant about her lack of love life.  It defies expectations and is stronger for it.  All of the subsequent humor and growth comes through natural interactions (in an Anime style) and genuine emotion.  Despite his quiet and seemingly bored demeanor, Hirotaka is the stronger between him and Naru.  He seems more willing to admit to Naru how he really feels and often wonders about going the next step to utter those three little words.  Naru may show this from time to time…but tends to unleash an unexpected joke to dodge the subject all together, like remembering an Anime title or suddenly forgetting there was a convention the following day.  That’s not to say Naru isn’t likeable…Hirotaka just impressed me more that’s all.

 

As for Kabakura and Hanako, their bit never got old either.  If Naru and Hirotaka are trying to find out how to like each other despite their differences, Kanakura and Hanako are often times left wondering why they even fell in love to begin with.  Their bickering produces some great humor, particularly with Hana teasing Kabakura about interests he’s yet to reveal to everyone else.  But true to Wotakoi’s powers of storytelling, it knows when it’s time to let the humor take a break and allow those two a moment to look and behave like a pair that have been in love for a long time and will continue to be that way even when one drives the other crazy (personally Hanako is so hot and whenever she triggers a reaction out of Kabakura, I could watch her be wicked and evil all day).  Pair them up with Naru and Hirotaka as their guides and guardians and you’ve got one of Anime strongest lead groups since the boys of Iwatobi High School in Free.

 

The way Wotakoi plays out reminds me very much of a US Sitcom not unlike Friends or The Big Bang Theory.  In that regard, this series is one I could definitely recommend to both casual fans who rarely watch Anime and die hard fans who watch far more than I do.  The show surprisingly explore multiple facets of many fandoms: from being at an Anime convention, to cosplaying, to joining friends in an MMORPG, and just being a general nerd talking shop about a Manga or Anime that was just released.  It makes Wotakoi both educational and open to all watchers.  Kind of like FLCL though, I feel like you’ll be better off as an Otaku cause you’ll spot most if not all of the references (some definitely flew over my head but otherwise I was entertained enough I didn’t really care).

 

As much as I praise it, Wotakoi isn’t perfect, though it does come damn near close sometimes.  The problems are three fold.  First is Hirotaka’s normal brother Naoya…he never did anything for me.  Yeah I get that he’s supposed to be a normal human being compared to his forever gamer brother, so he should be here as a representation of Non Otaku…but I just never found a reason to like him like the rest of the main characters.  Heck, I did think Kabakura was a little stiff in the beginning until his relationship with Hanako was revealed and he started hanging out with the gang.  I guess that’s a nitpick then cause, like I said, Nao is here for a reason.  The second is Ko, a gamer that Nao meets towards the end of the series…and is actually a shy girl who looks very boyish (Ouran High School Host Club inspiration?).  Ko was a good fit for Nao and gradually began to ease him into gaming fandom (it even pissed off Hirotaka when his brother rolled in on his gaming time).  However, Ko comes in super late in the show and is never given a good deal to do or grow.  What scenes she does have are great (she’s so shy it’s adorable…and admittedly so is Nao’s obliviousness to Ko being a girl), I just wish there were more.  And that brings us to the third and biggest problem: The series length.  Now, for 11 episodes where the story feels stagnant but develops a lot as well, all of them are great.  But the series just ends for no reason and without a proper finale.  It looks like Hirotaka will finally confess his feelings for Naru…and then they just run off to catch an interview with a voice actor before joining their friends at Nao’s café the next day.  Shows like Pilot Candidate and Silent Mobius both had the ultimate flaw of ending with the story unfinished in a very frustrating way.  The only reason I don’t lump Wotakoi with those two is because this was a damn good series overall compared to those train wrecks.  That said…are we getting a Season Two? I hope this show was popular enough to warrant one.

 

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku is not a lie of a title.  If Naru, Hirotaka, Hanako and Kabakura taught us anything it was THAT exactly.  Pairing up with your fellow nerd for romance isn’t as easy or magical as one might think.  However, that’s where the fun and adventure comes into play and there’s plenty of that in these 11 amazing episodes.  I was never bored, always anxious to see what happened next and definitely nodded in approval when something did go right for both couples.  And I want more…yeah did I imagine saying that before watching this series, no way.  So yes, I hope Season 2 or some kind of continuation does come along.  Because love may be hard for Otaku.  But if Naru, Hirotaka, Hanako and Kabakura are any example…it can be fun as hell…and not impossible.

 

9/10