T5W#246-Top 5 Ghost in the Shell Entries

Ghost in the Shell is probably my second most favorite Anime franchise next to Gundam.  The world, the characters, the themes, the animation, the stories, the exploration of the far future where man and machine intersect and blend will forever be fascinating to me.  It’s been a little while since we’ve returned to this little universe and even longer since the last interation of the popular Stand Alone Complex saga.  Well, to celebrate the arrival of brand new Ghost in the Shell on Netflix, in the form of the SAC_2045 series, todays Top 5 Wednesday will see me count down my Top 5 Ghost in the Shell Entries.  There are at least three separate universes to choose from in this regard (The Movies, the TV Series and the OVAs).  And for those curious, I’ll probably do a series review of SAC_2045 at somepoint, probably when both parts are available to watch since it’s supposed to be 2 sets of 12 episodes each.  Anyway, lets look at what’s come before.

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 6 Episodes 21-24

The Dark Wizard Wagnard has seized Little Neese, the last component of his plan to resurrect the Goddess of Destruction, Kardiss.  Spark and his friends join Parn and Deedlit on a speedy mission to unite with their other allies only to run into an old enemy once more: Ashram.  But between the Black Knight, a demented Wizard and the demonic forces of Marmo, there is one other threat that has gone unnoticed: The Grey Witch Karla.  Determined to maintain the balance of power on Lodoss, what lengths will Karla go to prevent Kardiss’s resurrection herself?

I’ll admit, Chronicles of the Heroic Knight did try to make an effort to be better heading into the back stretch this week.  The usual problems persisted and I know theyre not going away this close to the end.  Still, I enjoyed more than my usual share of stuff this time around.  Let’s get into things, shall we?

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 5 Episodes 17-20

War erupts on every corner of Lodoss.  Kings Kashue and Etoh begin their counterattacks against the Marmo that invade their territory, looking to unite their forces for a final confrontation with Marmo itself.  With renewed spirits, Spark and his comrades set out to join the battle, taking on small Marmo forces along the way.  Along the way, Spark begins to grow closer to Neese, the Holy Maiden he has sworn to protect no matter what.  But will Spark be able to keep that promise when Wagnard the Wizard personally comes for Neese to complete his dark plans?

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, trudged along its merry way again this week and I don’t think much of what ive found wrong with this show is ever going to improve.  For every seeming attempt to improve, it either feels set to take a giant step backwards, or feels too little too late.  At this point a full series of thirty minute Welcome to Lodoss Island episodes feels preferable. 

Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective: A Gundam Anime Corner Special Miniseries Part 4

Part 4-Present Era (2009-Present)

 

 

 

Much like the Nintendo era, Final Fantasy saw immense success with Square partnering up with Sony for 6 increasingly successful and memorable entries.  With its next couple of chapters, the franchise moved beyond a single console to broaden the appeal.  The first of these many undertakings was Final Fantasy XIII in 2009, released for both the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.  Meant to be the launch bed of a new sub franchise (like the eventual Compilation of Final Fantasy VII that followed VII), XIII received praise for its breathtaking visuals but received criticism for a divisive cast, linearity and a less than Final Fantasy quality story.  Plans for its expanded universe including a PSP game (Final Fantasy Agito XIII) and a PS3 action game (Final Fantasy Versus XIII) hit several snags and both games went on to become other projects.  Agito emerged as Final Fantasy Type 0 in 2011 and Versus…well we’ll get back to that.  Still XIII’s divisive criticisms didn’t stop it from becoming a huge bestseller, enough to greenlight two direct sequels: Final Fantasy XIII-2 in 2011 and Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII in 2013 both of which improved on many of its parent games shortcomings.

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 4 Episodes 13-16

Spark’s search for the Soul Crystal Ball has found him gaining a new party member.  Little Neese is the granddaughter of one of the legendary Six Heroes from long ago and she very well may be the ultimate key to unlocking Wagnard’s dark plan to resurrect Kardiss, Goddess of Destruction.  Meanwhile, Parn and Deedlit continue their own journey to gather allies for the coming battle with the Marmo.  Little do they know, an old enemy watches over them, eager for revenge. 

I cant believe im having flashbacks to Silent Mobius.  Opening with a statement like that, am I really not enjoying Chronicles of the Heroic Knight that much?  I wont say its that bad yet but im finding it very hard to find enjoyment with this show right now.  The new cast isn’t making an impression, the plot is getting way to convoluted and trying to go beyond the original OVAs 13 episode run is hurting things as Chronicles pads things out for time.

T5W#245-Top 5 Final Fantasy Anime

In a way, its not hard to think of Final Fantasy Games as playable Anime features.  Enormous and exotic worlds, colorful characters, intricate plots and fight scenes, more epic Fantasy Anime have all of these and more.  It’s both no wonder and a shocker we haven’t seen a lot of Final Fantasy Anime.  That’s probably for good reason…the ones we do get range from passable to just plain terrible.  Since we’re finishing up the Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective this week, for todays Top 5 Wednesday we’re gonna take a look at the Top 5 Final Fantasy Anime.  Notice how I don’t have “Best” in the title.  That’s because, as I said, there aren’t a lot of truly good Final Fantasy Anime.  So one or two might be on the list that mostly suck but have at least one positive quality to earn a spot on a list that would otherwise be two or three selections shorter. 

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 3 Episodes 9-12

10 years have passed since the Battle of Fire Dragon Mountain.  The Heroes of that fight have become legend and peace has endured…until now.  Wagnard the Wizard, one of the last great leaders of Marmo, threatens the resurrection of Kardiss, Goddess of Destruction.  This time, however, it will take more than just Parn, Deedlit and their allies of the past.  A new generation of heroes must rise to the occasion, one of whom is a Knight in Training, personally taught by Parn himself.  At last, a new journey begins.

As much as I want to open this review saying “This is how Chronicles of the Heroic Knight should have started,” that comment is both right and not so right.  Sure we got a good reset start point for a new quest but it isn’t without its drawbacks (mainly the cast and pacing).  Sad to say, when Welcome to Lodoss Island, aka the continued parody of the series, continues to be the main highlight of every episode, you know you’re in trouble.

Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective: A Gundam Anime Corner Special Miniseries Part 3

Part 3-Playstation Era (1997-2006)

While Final Fantasy VI was a huge success for Square and Nintendo, Square had loftier aspirations for the next installment of the series.  This meant a pretty big change in more ways than one.  While Nintendo was prepping the launch of the Nintendo 64 console, Square found that the continued use of cartridges wouldn’t be able to hold all of the memory and data needed to make their next chapter reach its full potential.  While it was sad to see Square part ways with the studio that helped propel it to true success, it’s history with Sony would speak volumes, especially with that was coming next.  1997 saw the release of Final Fantasy VII for the Sony Playstation and history was made.  The visuals, courtesy of the PS1’s hardware and Compact Disc usage, were a huge step up from the SNES days and that was only the beginning of the praise sent the games way.  VII was the game that put Final Fantasy on the map for many fans of both Final Fantasy, RPGs and Video Games in general.  The cast of characters is still synonymous with the franchise from Cloud Strife to Sephiroth.  Filled with dazzling visuals, fun combat, a heartbreaking story and scope unlike any seen before, its not wonder that Final Fantasy VII was hailed as one of the greatest entries in the franchise and was one of the best selling games of the Playstations existence.  VII’s success and popularity is one of the strongest in the franchise, spawning a sub series all of its own in later years including three spin off games: Dirge of Cerberus, Crisis Core & Before Crisis, as well as a CG Feature film: Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and a short OVA: Last Order. 

Gundam Month Mark IV Announcement

Hey everyone.  I hope that on whatever level of Lockdown you’ve placed yourselves in, you’re doing ok.  Me, I’ve been sleeping in, gaming and churning away at a ton of Anime.  It made me think of the promise I made back in March, to try and do more for this blog so everyone can have something to chuckle at during this chaotic time.  Well…I’ve found one way to uphold that promise.  Recently, I’ve been watching a title I had planned for 2020 but moved away from it in favor of other titles.  I’ve actually got reviews written for it and before I wrapped them up, it dawned on me…and I made plans and those plans are getting an official annoucnment today.  First off, Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, is getting a new, accelerated schedule.  Part 3 will be posted on Monday, April 20 as usual.  Friday, April 24 will see Part 4 go live along the last chapter of the Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective.  Parts 5-7 will round out the series the week after on Monday, Wednesday and Friday respectively.

Why move everything up this quickly?  Because (if the article title didn’t already make it clear) GUNDAM MONTH MARK IV-THE GAUNTLET is A-GO!!! 

That’s right, I’m revisiting my original plan to review both entries of the Seed franchise at the beginning and end of 2020.  Instead, May 2020 will belong entirely to Kira Yamato and Athrun Zala and their big eyed, J-Pop loving crew of Gundam misfits.  This’ll be the biggest Gundam Anime Corner undertaking yet.  Each series will consist of 10 parts, covering 5 episodes each.  So…there’s gonna be a review EVERY MONDAY-FRIDAY FOR 4 WEEKS!!!   May 4-15 we’ll be looking at Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, followed by Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny from May 18-29.  Not only will I be working on new Gundam Top 5 lists for Top 5 Wednesday, my From Losers to Glory: A Gundam Wing Special series will return as well.

This will cut a little bit into the original start time for Fate/Apocrypha but I’ve taken that into account.  The Fate/Stay Night team deathmatch will start on May 31, with the second part coming the next day on June 1 before everything returns to normal, posts wise.  This is all going to be a little daunting to say the least, hence the subtitle “THE GAUNTLET”…but I’m pumped and excited and its important to be in that mindset when you’re enduring social distancing.  Get ready to “Suit Up” come may…cause Gundam Seed is coming.

T5W#244-Top 5 Reasons Everybody Hates Final Fantasy XIII

 

No franchise of any kind is perfect in anyway.  Even those universally adored like Star Wars, Game of Thornes, Dragon Ball or Gundam have their fair share of stinkers in their resume (The Rise of Skywalker, GoT Season 8, Dragon Ball GT, Gundam Seed Destiny).  Final Fantasy is no different.  Across 15 games and multiple spin offs, some succeed more than others.  One that many can nearly unanimously agree is pretty bad is Final Fantasy XIII.  I’ll admit it took me a couple of times to get the game started and though I finished it, the reasons why people despise this one were pretty clear to me before barely the ¼ mark.  I’ll also admit there were a couple of things I did like about the game too like the music, the visuals and actual character growth where it showed.  Overall though, this wasn’t the best of the Final Fantasy games by a long shot and I’m gonna go over my Top 5 Reasons Final Fantasy XIII Sucks today on Top 5 Wednesday.

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 2 Episodes 5-8

The Scepter of Domination.  It is said that whoever possesses this holy weapon will control the fate of all of Lodoss.  It is this relic that Ashram seeks to restore the glory of Marmo and he is willing to challenge two Dragons to attain it.  Parn, the Free Knight, enlists the aid of the Mercenary King Kashue to stop Ashram and his forces before all Hell breaks loose.  On the slopes of Fire Dragon Mountain, Knights, Wizards, Berserkers, Kings and Dragons square off in battle with the future of Lodoss at stake

If there’s one thing I cant fault this weeks second chapter of Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight, it’s that it wasn’t lacking in action.  After a fairly boring beginning, week two ended up being one big action sequence from beginning to end with a few scant moments of character development throughout.  It wasn’t a total improvement but it was something.

Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective: A Gundam Anime Corner Special Miniseries Part 2

Part 2-Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete

It’s been two years since Cloud Strife and his friends stopped Sephiroth from destroying the planet.  Midgar struggles to recover and now a deadly disease known as Geostigma tears through the population, affecting many but mostly the children.  A trio of brothers searching for their “Mother” show up to cause trouble and their arrival heralds the return of an enemy that was barely defeated two years ago.  Faced with his own demons and inner conflicts, Cloud must take up the sword once again.  Does he fight for a memory? For the Children? Or is he fighting to save himself?

Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children was a mega level event when it came out in 2005.  After the massive disappointment of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, this was the movie Final Fantasy fans had reasons to get excited about.  It was a return to one of the biggest entries in the franchise, one would argue the one that put it on the map in general, and a chance to reunite with characters forever associated with the title.  The trailers looked gorgeous, everyone looked better than ever and the action looked beyond compare.  And the movie…was just ok.  It was a definite improvement over The Spirits Within but it was still a very flawed film: amazing visuals and action but a lackluster story, irritating characters and a feeling of incompleteness.  Four years later in 2009, we got Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete, the sort of “Directors Cut” of the movie.  Now originally, I was going to review Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals for todays chapter of the Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective.  But seeing as how I had this title on my shelf and most of you are probably playing Final Fantasy VII Remake right now…well the change in plan was a no brainer.  So, was this version improved as well as new?  Does it make Advent Children a better movie?

Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective: A Gundam Anime Corner Special Miniseries Part 1.5

*Special note: Yes this was originally supposed to go up on Friday to coincide with the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake.  BUT I realized I had something a bit more…appropriate sitting on my shelf for that occasion.  So you’re gonna see that review as the official “Part 2” of the Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective.  Still, I didn’t want this review to go to waste.  So you’re getting Legend of the Crystals a couple of days early.  Enjoy everyone 😊* 

200 years have passed since The Valiant Ones saved Planet R from the darkness known as Exdeath.  Peace has flourished throughout the centuries.  But now a new evil threatens that peace.  The corrupt Wizard, Ra Devil has returned from the dark reaches of space to claim the power of Planet R’s four elemental crystals.  The descendants of The Valiant Ones, including a Priestess in training and a loud mouthed swordsman, must unite to push back Ra Devil’s forces before he becomes Deathgyunos, an evil God that cannot be stopped.

Released in 1994, Legend of the Crystals bears the honor of being the first Final Fantasy Anime.  It’s also a direct sequel to Final Fantasy V, originally released in 1992.  Granted Final Fantasy wasn’t the massive JRPG juggernaut it is today.  Still, this should have been a pretty big event level Anime to see.  And it’s an OVA and that usually means blending the best of TV and Movie productions together.  We did get Macross Plus in the same year mind you.  Annnnnd Macross Plus…this Anime is not, quite the opposite actually. 

T5W#243-Top 5 Hottest Resident Evil Heroines

When it comes to fighting the undead, you’d think such a job would be left in the hands of powerful men with loads of gadgets, guns and various other means of engaging in mass carnage.  Thankfully, we live in an age where both sexes are equally involved in the fight against evil.  And more often than not they look really damn good doing that.  Seeing as how last week saw the return of a Video Gaming Classic, Resident Evil 3, I figured this weeks Top 5 Wednesday should be a shout out to the lovely ladies who more often than not steal the show from Chris Redfield or Leon S. Kennedy throughout the franchise.  These are the Top 5 Hottest Resident Evil Heroines.

Record of Lodoss War: Chronicles of the Heroic Knight Part 1 Episodes 1-4

Five years have passed since the War of Heroes.  Lodoss, the accursed island, has enjoyed a relative peace with Knights free to roam the land while Dragons soar the skies.  However, one mans evil quest threatens that peace.  Ashram, the Black Knight, has returned to finish what his Emperor, Belge, started five years ago and bring all of Lodoss under his rule.  Parn, the Free Knight, and his beautiful Elven companion, Deedlit, are called upon once more to intercept Ashram and stop him from claiming the Scepter of Domination.  It will be a difficult task…but only the opening chapter for a new dark age for Lodoss.

The original Record of Lodoss War OVA was the second title I reviewed for this blog and still remains one of my all time favorite fantasy Anime.  I remember seeing adds for Chronicles of the Heroic Knight as part of Toonami Reactor, the short lived Toonami website that featured streaming Anime that included Lodoss, Patlabor and Star Blazers.  And though I was never able to catch the TV Series there, hearing the title led me to the OVA and Id hoped to see the Chronicles of the Heroic Knight series eventually.  Well that day has come…but honestly it could be off to a far better start.

Final Fantasy Friday Retrospective: A Gundam Anime Corner Special Miniseries Part 1

 

The Role Playing Game (or RPG) genre is filled with hundreds of gems including Dragon Quest, The Elder Scrolls and Xenosaga.  But one title is synonymous with the genre as a whole and is generally the first one that comes to mind: Final Fantasy.  Since 1987, the title has gotten more and more silly because we’re as far from “Final” as could possibly be.  Over three decades have passed and the little RPG that could has spawned a massive empire of sequels, spin offs, movies, Anime, and everything in between.  With the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake (about goddamn time too), this month at the Gundam Anime Corner, I’m going to be doing a special Final Fantasy retrospective.  I haven’t played all of these games but I am a big fan of the power of Final Fantasy, it’s ability to create so many vast worlds and countless stories to play through in each one.  It’s as close to Anime as a Video Game as I feel anything is.  I’ll be breaking it down by era over the next few weeks, going from its 8bit roots to the now almost lifelike visual powerhouse status.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Part 3 Episodes 5-6

Universal Century 0079.  The Principality of Zeon has declared war on the Earth Federation.  Following a devastating colony drop onto Earth, The Dutchy of Zeon and the Earth Federation face off at the Battle of Loum, where Char Aznable and many others will immortalize their names in the pages of history.  Across the stars, many star crossed youths, each with their own part in the battles to come, begin to gather at Side 7, where a special secret project might be the key to the Federations survival in this war.  This is where The Origin ends…and Mobile Suit Gundam begins.

When it was first being made, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin was commissioned for a 4 episode OVA run.  Not long after the completion of these episodes in 2016, two more were announced.  These two feature length additions would cover the Battle of Loum, one of the most important events of the Universal Century and serve as a direct lead in to the original Mobile Suit Gundam series.  Well, I’m really glad they decided on this course of action because otherwise The Origin might’ve just ended on a so-so note rather than the epic one it deserved.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Part 2 Episodes 3-4

Universal Century 0072.  Casval enters Zeon’s military academy under the alias Char Aznable and begins his meteoric rise through the ranks.  As he and another promising recruit, Garma, the youngest of the Zabi clan, enact a bold operation that will cement their names in history, other developments are progressing across the stars.  Zeon Mobile Suit development edges closer to completion and a lone Federation scientist, Tem Ray, begins a secret project to counter these advancements.  And elsewhere, Char meets Lalah Sune, a beautiful and ethereal girl with powers beyond his understanding.  The curtain soon rises on Universal Century 0078 and the final moments before the conflict that will change history forever.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin continued fairly strong with it’s second act.  We got tons of backstory tidbits, some impressive Mobile Suit action and the birth of the Char we all know and love.  Originally, this was only supposed to be a 4 Episode OVA but after watching Episode 4, I’m glad things didn’t end here.  Sure I’d love to see more but I also think that where these couple of episodes end might not have been a good stopping point.

T5W#242-Top 5 Katsucon 2020 Cosplays

Normally I’d hold off on doing Top 5’s on the cosplays ive seen this year until October (the month of Halloween).  Seeing how things have been going since the beginning of March and hearing about numerous reschedulings and cancellations of conventions nationwide, I have no clue what next con I’ll be attending in 2020 (my best hope is that Baltimore Comic Con is at least still happening in October).  Still, in my mission to keep things as sunny as possible here, I’m moving up a cosplay Top 5 to this very day.  It’s been a little over a month since Katsucon 2020 and it still ranks as one of the best Katsu’s ive ever been too.  And the cosplay was as strong as ever and I still think of it as the biggest Cosplay Con of the East Coast.  Naturally, picking 5 out of literally thousands was incredibly difficult and equally naturally, I did manage to pick them.  So to start off the first Top 5 Wednesday of Year 7, I give you my Top 5 Katsucon 2020 Cosplays.  As always, if I know who these cosplayers are, I’ll include links to their social media pages so you can follow their cosplay craft and adventures.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Part 1 Episodes 1-2

Universal Century 0068.  The assassination of Zeon Zum Deikun, spokesperson for the colony cluster Side 3, plunges relations between the Earth and Space Colonies into turmoil.  With Zeon’s passing, the Zabi family steps in to take his place and being stoking the flames of an inevitable war.  In the background, two young children, the scions of Zeon himself, begin their first steps to a larger destiny.  For Artesia, it is a time of innocence lost.  For Casval, it is a time for vengeance against the family that killed his father.  The road to the One Year War and the Rise of Char Aznable begins here.

“The beginning is a very delicate time.”  While David Lynch’s Dune movie isn’t very well thought of, I love it and I love that opening line a lot too.  Because it’s correct: beginnings are important, delicate matters because they establish everything that is to come.  There’s always been a ton of backstory leading to the Gundam franchise’s latest conflict that’s just been begging to be explored.  Well today, on the Gundam Anime Corner, you’ve got it.  To kick off the blogs 7^th year, I present to you Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin.  Finally, the history of the road to the One Year War is revealed and it’s both exactly what I expected with a few…embellishments I guess?