T5W#446-Top 5 Hottest Female Fighters in Tekken 8

On a whim, I got Tekken 8 during its launch weekend back in January.  I haven’t played Tekken in ages but am well aware of its popularity and its rich cast of bad ass fighters from around the world.  Not to mention, Tekken has had its share of appearances here at the Gundam Anime Corner in both Anime and Live Action features.  I’ve been having a blast with Tekken 8 with the combat, post game content and all the customization and I wanted to talk a bit about it today.  Specifically I wanted to focus on the nice collection of femme fatales to grace this title and whose beauty and figures give the girls of Dead or Alive a run for their money.  So to close out the month of Love and Romance, aka February, I’m showing my appreciation for the Top 5 Hottest Female Fighters in Tekken 8 on todays Top 5 Wednesday.

 

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII

Five years after the disaster at Nibelheim, two survivors, both members of SOLDIER escape captivity.  Now wanted fugitives and sought after by both the Military and Shinra’s elite Turks unit, Zack Fair and Cloud Strife are in for the fight of their lives.  Meanwhile, Turk leader Tseng reflects on the Nibelheim incident, where one of SOLDIERs best, Sephiroth, turned his back on Humanity and slaughtered a village.  It was a nightmare that no one could predict and one that is still shaping the future.  Nibelheim was only just the beginning.  The battle for the Planet is about to begin…and one brave soul will not be there to see it.

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII was a released as part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII media project in the mid 2000s, alongside Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and video games Dirge of Cerberus, Before Crisis and Crisis Core.  Despite its brevity and oddly structured story, this is actually a very entertaining outing for a Final Fantasy Anime, you know from other reviews they don’t have the best track record in my eyes.  In fact, probably the most disappointing aspect of this OVA is that it has so much promise that could be seen in full with a complete Final Fantasy VII TV Anime or OVA.  Still, what we have is what we have.  So let’s take a quick look.
 

FIF#207-Tokyo Vice (Season 2)

Three months after his crusade to take down the Tozawa Syndicate was crushed, Jake Adelstein continues his work for the Tokyo Meicho as a Crime Reporter.  Trying to steer away from Yakuza activity, Jake begins investigating other crimes in the city of Tokyo.  But while he and Detective Katagiri recover from their soul crushing defeat, their enemies are regrouping and new threats are emerging within the still present gangs looking to push tensions to all out war.  If they are to be stopped, Jake and Katagiri will have to bide their time and investigate every angle to assure no one escapes justice once again.

 
It's been two long years since that moment where a beaten, battered and repentant Jake showed up at an equally defeated Katagiri’s doorstep, looking to reignite their partnership to take down Tozawa.  I just rewatched Tokyo Vice’s fantastic First Season with a friend and damn I forgot how awesome and captivating this show was.  The tremendous talent of the cast, the sharpness of the writing and the generally attention seizing intrigue of the early 2000’s Tokyo setting all added up to one of my new favorite shows to watch.  Now, at long last, Season Two is upon us and my expectations are high as heck.  So it’s a good thing two years hasn’t dulled the shows luster or any of those aforementioned elements that made the First Season a must watch, so much so I did a First Impression on it back in 2022 (which you can check out here: http://gundamanimeblog.blogspot.com/2022/04/fif156-tokyo-vice.html)
 

Beyond the Boundary: I’ll Be Here (Past & Future)

Mirai Kuriyama and Akihito Kanbara, two cursed souls who should never have met.  Together, these two defied the odds and stopped one of the most powerful entities on the planet…but not without cost.  Mirai has lost her memories and Akihito is desperate to keep his distance to make sure she isn’t consumed by her own cursed powers.  That might prove difficult when a new yet familiar evil appears and starts tearing its way through Spirit World Warriors, searching for Mirai.  For more than the world and for the woman he loves, Akihito must head into battle once again and this time he’s going to bring Mirai back home for good

Beyond the Boundary was such a huge letdown for me from a studio I adore tremendously.  Sure it has a good core romance and some decent action but overall, the show felt lacking in world building, storytelling and, most of all, it had one of the most unlikeable supporting casts I’ve ever seen.  Given my disappointment with the series, I wasn’t sure the films would do much to improve that opinion.  And…well I wasn’t entirely wrong.  The I’ll Be Here double feature certainly maintains a lot of what made Beyond the Boundary an at times infuriating watch to sit through.  However, that core romance is still a good one and it comes together big time in the final act of Future.  Does it save the entire story?  No, but I will give Beyond the Boundary credit where it is do and admit I was moved at a couple of parts. 
 

GBT#20-XVX-016RN Gundam Aerial Rebuild

It shouldn’t surprise me that given the popularity of The Witch from Mercury that its Gunpla are some of the most easy to find and readily available of the entire Gunpla catalogue.  It’s funny because back in early 2023, I remember being determined to find the Aerial at Katsucon and it was gone from every vendor in less than a day.  I guess Bandai got the message cause it was pretty easy to spot G Witch models on the shelf and I nabbed two for my birthday last year.  The one I’m focusing on today is the Aerial’s retrofitted form, the Aerial Rebuild. Does it surpass it’s predecessor’s Gunpla build that we looked at last year?

 

T5W#445-Top 5 Katsucon 2024 Moments

Another Katsucon has come and gone and like many before it, it was an absolute blast.  There’s just something special about being back in the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center that just makes me feel so at peace and at home.  And there’s so much to see and do in such a small space (compared to other larger places to host a con) that it does live up to its rep as a 3-4 long day party (even longer since I know some extend their stays to the day after Katsu ends, something I might aim to do next year).  Plus all the fun I had this year came with the reminder that next year, 2025, will mark the 10^th Anniversary of my very first Katsucon.  So anything that happened this year, I cant wait to see how much bigger and eventful it can get for next years landmark.  Anyway, enough about the future.  We’re here to talk about the Top 5 Katsucon 2024 Moments aka my traditional post con report here at the Gundam Anime Corner.

 

T5W#444-Top 5 Photoshoot Spots at Katsucon

Katsucon is coming…tomorrow actually.  I’ve gotta tell ya, after being away from it for three years due to the Pandemic, it was one of the best feelings of 2023 to get back to the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center and breathe in that con air life again.  For me, Katsucon, like Otakon, is a home away from home for celebrating being an Anime fan with like minded Anime fans.  For a lot of people, however, it’s one of the biggest Cosplay celebrations on the East Coast.  Thousands of Otaku flock to National Harbor every February, bringing cosplays old and new to show off and have photos taken throughout the majestic Gaylord itself.  And who can blame them?  The Gaylord was built for photography.  So to celebrate tomorrows epic return to one of my favorite conventions, todays Top 5 Wednesday will be looking at the Top 5 Photoshoot Spots at Katsucon. 

Beyond the Boundary Part 3 Episodes 9-12

Two outcasts born with two very different curses-Mirai Kuriyama and Akihito Kanbara.  Fate turns out to be their shared curse as the Youmu within Akihito is revealed to be one of the most dangerous in all of existence…and it’s Mirai’s assignment to eliminate it.  Faced with an unthinkable task, Mirai risks everything to protect the young man she’s come to adore.  In equal measure, Akihito risks the wrath and fate of the world to make sure Mirai comes back to the family she’s gained.  As manipulators play their final hands, a love between two cursed souls dares to break free of destiny and see what is Beyond the Boundary.

Throughout my watch of Beyond the Boundary, I’ve been getting very unpleasant (shout out to Mirai’s catchphrase there) feelings of déjà vu.  It was October one year ago I covered a series that played out similarly to this one, except on a much more violent level.  Blood-C had potential with a cute female lead and some good animation from Production I.G. but came up woefully short delivering on the promise of its mystery, resulting in an infuriating finale that made the entire series feel like a waste of time.  Even without knowing there’s two feature films coming up, I still feel like Beyond the Boundary itself wasted a lot of its time with pointless cryptic musings and a world that hardly felt explored or properly defined.  A lot of that blame falls to the supporting cast for just being unbearably boring, with many just existing to look cool and pretty and act like their upper echelon tier awesome when theyre anything but…mostly looking at the Nase family in that regard.  Huh, feels like I’m starting my final thoughts at the beginning of the review, rather than the end.  Let’s backtrack and go over what I figured out, what still needs explaining, and whether or not this show was or wasn’t a waste of time in the end.
 

Beyond the Boundary Part 2 Episodes 5-8

One of the most dangerous Youmu in existence has been vanquished by two societal outcasts.  The victory opens new doors for Mirai Kuriyama and Akihito Kanbara.  Still see as dangerous individuals, they begin to develop genuine friendships, especially Mirai.  However, this newfound happiness can only last for so long.  A Youmu more powerful than the Hollow Shadow is closing in, one with the power to bring even Youmu to their knees.  As Mirai seeks to settle a personal matter from her past, Akihito finds his future in jeopardy from unseen forces that threaten to unleash his inner Youmu once again.

Sitting through this second set of episodes for Beyond the Boundary, something kept bothering me for a good chunk of the first half.  When these concerns lessened in the second half, I realized why the feelings I was experiencing were so familiar.  Beyond the Boundary is trying to blend together a couple of popular genres, one of which is more Kyoto Animations bread and butter than the other.  Typically, KyoAni is renowned for its slice of life/school life Anime like Free, K-On and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya.  The far latter of those examples has a lot of what Beyond the Boundary has, a supernatural element that was blended into the school theme dynamic.  I bring this up because while Haruhi Suzumiya struck a decent balance between classroom humor and scifi/supernatural mysteries, Beyond the Boundary isn’t blending quite as well.  Part of this comes from the lowbrow and sometimes downright cringy humor.  Another part is the bulk of the cast isn’t that compelling.  For the most part though, the drama works far better, even if that is marred by an overabundance of crypticness that annoys the hell out of me.  With all that said, does this mean I like or disliked Beyond the Boundaries second act?
 

FIF#206-Saiyuki

The land of Shangri-La is in turmoil.  A dark force spreads all over, turning peaceful Demons into ravaneous beasts, unleashing their fury upon Humans.  As the Demons begin gathering under the banner of the Demon God Gyumao, the powers that be assign a unlikely team to stop them.  One is a bitter Priest with a ton of attitude.  His three Companions are three Humanoid Demons with immense power and combat skills.  Together, they venture to a distant land in the West.  The Mission:  Save the World…if they don’t tear each other apart first.

 
Dragon Ball may be one of, if not the, biggest name in Anime.  But most tend to ignore or forget the fact that it was inspired by a Chinese Novel called “Journey to the West”.  A lot of Dragon Ball elements stem from this classic from the character of Goku, to the Nimbus Cloud he rides and the Power Pole he wields in the original series…plus the whole grand adventure/quest.  While Dragon Ball tends to be a straight forward adventure romp for all ages, there is another Journey to the West inspired Anime…probably a few but we’re talking about the one here today on First Impression Friday.  Enter Saiyuki: The edgier cousin of Dragon Ball in the Journey to the West adaptation family. 
 

GBT#19-MSN 04 Sazabi

Now that I’m thinking about it, I think Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack has some of my favorite Mobile Suits in the entire Gundam franchise.  Neo Zeon’s suits are the epitome of Zeon design and I’ve stated my love for Amuro’s Nu Gundam and the Londo Bell Jegan’s many times.  But if those two are in my Top 3 suits from this movie, you better believe Char Aznable’s final Mobile Suit, the Sazabi is there too.  The dude has sat in the pilots seat of many an impressive and bad ass Mobile Suit but this just feels like the culmination of all of Char’s past suits thrown into one and then some.  So yeah, I really wanted to build it and have it square off with Nu Gundam on a shelf somewhere.

 

T5W#443-Top 5 (Happy) Romances in Gundam

When it comes to the subject of “Love” in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, it’s rarely a happy topic.  In fact, in keeping with the “War is Hell” message, most potential or official romances are ruined by tragedy, usually involving one or both members of the couple perishing at the hands of a giant robot: Amuro Ray and Lalah Sune; Kamille Bidan and Four Muramase; Chris Mackenzie and Bernie Wiseman (ok those two never officially hooked up but they were into each other).  Point is, Love and Gundam don’t exactly mix.  Which is why it’s always refreshing to see romance blossom and somehow make it to the end of a brutal conflict.  Todays Top 5 Wednesday is going to highlight those pairings that don’t end up meeting a tearjerking fate in a Gundam story.  These are my Top 5 (Happy) Romances in Gundam.  Quick note: having conflict in a relationship comes with any tale of true love.  The point is, these couples reach the end of their respective show or movie intact and still very much in love.

 

Beyond the Boundary Part 1 Episodes 1-4

Akihito Kanbara is a child of two worlds, the offspring of a Human Woman and a Youmu.  Mirai Kuriyama is a Hunter of Youmu, known as a Spirit World Warrior.  She’s the last of her clan and cannot bring herself to kill anyone, even Youmu.  Both outcasts in their own way, fate has brought these two young hearts together.  As the world around them grows increasingly concerned over their friendship, Akihito begins dedicating his time to strengthening Mirai’s combat skills while Mirai tries to figure out why Akihito cares so much for her well being.  In a battle with one of the deadliest Youmu imaginable, both truths emerge that will change their lives forever.

Boy meets Girl.  Boy thinks Girl is about to jump off a building.  Boy admits he likes Girls with Glasses.  Girl in Glasses leaps over a fence, in front of Boy…and stabs Boy right through the chest with a sword…clearly this is the stuff beginnings of romantic tales should begin.  Beyond the Boundary is another Anime that’s been on my radar for a while mostly because, like Akihito, I do think Mirai’s character design is incredibly cute.  Plus this is a Kyoto Animation piece, which means if nothing else, it’s going to be a beautiful show to watch.  Considering the show seems to center on warriors of varying skills taking on Monsters born out of human fears, this almost seems like a nice pick for a Halloween season title (and originally it was but I opted to move it up a few months to Spring).  Though, given the two leads and how the show begins, this could be the first time I tackle a supernatural romance that trumps any scares or bloody action (though this intro has plenty of the latter).
 

FIF#205-Gatchaman Crowds

High School Girl Hajime Ichinose has been chosen by a high power to join an elite team of protectors.  Their mission: to safeguard Tachikawa city from a mysterious alien menace codenamed MESS.  Their weapons: NOTEs, magical notebooks with the power to change Hajime and her teammates into the next generation of powerful guardians known as Gatchaman.  It’s a dream come true for Hajime, even if she doesn’t seem the most qualified to be part of such a serious mission.  However, it could be her presence that turns the tide in Gatchaman’s favor as the MESS grow more powerful, manipulated from the shadows by a dangerous force hellbent on the conquest of their world.

 
Gatchaman.  If you were an Anime fan growing up in the 70s, 80s or 90s, you’ve seen these guys in action under various names: Battle of the Planets, G-Force: Guardians of Space (my first exposure) or Eagle Riders.  Since their debut in 1972, this five manned Power Rangers esque team has been defending the Earth as “Science Ninjas” complete with Bird like costumes that allow them to fly and perform other special feats.  Up until the launch of Gatahaman Crowds in 2013, not much had been seen of this influential super team since an OVA in the mid 90s (there was an attempt at a CGI movie from the same studio that did a similarly styled Ninja Turtles movie in 2007 but that project was eventually scrapped).  With super powered Japanese heroes like the Super Sentai, Kamen Rider and Ultraman still going strong, there should be more than enough room for more Gatchaman.  Like this though…yeah it’s not what I’d call a strong case.
 

GBT#18- XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe

Way back in the year 2000 when Gundam Wing first debuted on Toonami, all of the Gundams had my attention from the get go.  But there was one every kid in school wanted to pilot.  It wasn’t the one that could transform.  It wasn’t the one with all the big guns.  No it was the one with the giant green beam scythe with armor that looked like a true bringer of death…cause you know the name.  Point is, Duo Maxwell’s Gundam Deathscythe was my very first favorite Gundam and it still holds a special place in my heart.  Honestly I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to do a Gunpla build of it but the time has come to give it a go.  As a life long Deathscythe fan, the pressure could not be greater…but once I got to actually building this one, I felt like I was 13 again getting into Gundam Wing for the first time.  So how’d this turn out?