FIF#232-Wistoria: Wand and Sword

In a world where Magic determines and governs all, Rigarden Magical Academy trains the next generations of Wizards and Mages.  Will Serfort is a student with no talent for magic and is looked down upon by all for being allowed to attend Rigarden.  But Will has a secret.  What he lacks in magical power he makes up for with sharp and deadly skills with a sword.  Able to defeat high level monsters even his peers have trouble with, Will’s determined to rise above his standing and reach the top of his worlds protective tower, the Mercedes Caulis, and reunite with his childhood best friend, who sits as one of the five most powerful mages alive.

 
Until recently, I’ve been a fan of Harry Potter and while I’m sure the Wands and Sorcery genre of Anime is still attempting to ride what inspirational power that franchise has left, none have really been stand out hits.  Wistoria’s been one I’ve been hearing about here and there and the premise alone sounds interesting enough.  Though I have more questions than anything else by the end of the first episode, this  “What if Harry Potter had no magical potential and instead had to tough his way through Hogwarts with a sword instead?” does have promise (even though Hermione is the one who didn’t hail from a magical family and was kind of the outcast amongst the snobbish…and i’d totally watch an Anime about Hermione slicing through monsters in a Dungeon).
 

T5W#498-Top 5 Johnny Yong Bosch Anime Roles

So while I was at Stellar Con last weekend, I got to once again meet one of my favorite Anime Voice Actor heroes: the man, the myth, the Power Ranger himself, Johnny Yong Bosch.  I could gush over how huge of an honor and opportunity it was to chat with him again after meeting him for the first time at Otakon 2011.  But instead we’re gonna take a look at his extensive Anime filmography and trust me, this is definitely not an easy one.  Ever since Trigun and Akira, Johnny has had a very long and illustrious career in Anime that’s still going strong with a lengthy list of iconic characters in equally iconic series.  So which are my favs?  Well we’re gonna answer that on todays Top 5 Wednesday with my picks for the Top 5 Johnny Yong Bosch Anime Roles.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance Part 2 Episodes 4-6

While continuing to avoid pursuit by the Gundam, Iria and her remaining Squad are given an impossible mission: infiitrate a Federation Base and steal their GM Mobile Suits for research.  When the mission goes horribly wrong, the survivors have no choice but to flee the planet as Zeon lines continue to crumble.  At the Battle of Odessa, Iria faces her fate, and the Gundam, in one final showdown.

I cant believe how excited I was to keep going with Requiem for Vengeance after the first three episodes.  I was worried the fully 3DCG animation would be its downfall and while I’ve still got issues, the shows overcoming those shortfalls thanks to an intense story headed by a great lead heroine and some of the best and most realistic action in the Gundam franchise in a long time.  So, does Part 2 live up to the surprising heights of Part 1?
 

Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance Part 1 Episodes 1-3

Universal Century 0079.  Eleven Months into the One Year War, the Red Wolves Mobile Suit Squadron is deployed to reinforce the Zeon defense of their European territories.  But the mission quickly turns into a nightmare as a new state of the art Federation Mobile Suit appears and begins to decimate the Zeon without mercy.  A small band of survivors led by Red Wolves leader Iria Solari flees but despite their best efforts cannot seem to escape from this new monster of war called “Gundam”.

I think it’s safe to say at this point I am a lifelong Gundam fan and anytime I hear a new entry is in the works, I get excited…except for Reqiuem for Vengeance.  Somethings always bothered me about 3DCG Anime projects, even the better ones helmed by Shinji Aramaki.  Call me old fashioned but I kind of prefer my Gundam Anime more Anime than computer Animated.  However, the few sneak peaks I did see did catch my interest and I’m happy to say that Mobile Suit Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance has a very solid start that alone makes it a worthwhile entry into the franchise.  Not only is it taking us back to the war that started it all, it’s taking us back to the point when everything changed for the Principality of Zeon and it isnt pretty for them at all.
 

FIF#231-Invincible Fight Girl

In a world where Wrestling is everything, Andy Davis has dreamed of becoming one since she saw her first live match.  However, as the child of Accountants, Andy’s future seems set in stone.  But when she proves herself defending her town from egotistical Wrestlers, Andy finds the courage to make her dream into reality.  Armed with nothing but her determination, Andy ventures into the world to find a mentor who will train her to become the Greatest Wrestler of All Time.  Can this smaller, inexperienced young girl succeed where others have failed?

 
Anime is a quintessential part of the many successes of Cartoon Network.  One need look no further than the expansive Anime legacies of Toonami and Adult Swim to see why the Networks become a gateway entry point for new fans around the world.  So it makes sense Adult Swim would want to come up with their own original animation concept that has a lot of Anime DNA spliced within.  Does Invincible Fight Girl have the potential to show off the passion and respect AS has learned from its go to genre for almost 25 years?
 

T5W#497-Top 5 Katsucon 2025 Moments

This past weekend marked the 10^th Anniversary of my very first Katsucon back in 2015.  And man did it end up being one for the ages, marked by meeting new friends, some of the best photoshoots I’ve ever attended, and more than a few pratfalls that made everyone feel like this Katsu was “cursed” (from breaking pipes to a boiling water warning for the area to a limit cap being imposed for 2026? Oh now they wanna do that?).  Personally, I loved this weekend and like always, the Wednesday after a con is where I choose my reasons why it was so awesome.  So, without further ado, my Top 5 Katsucon 2025 Moments.

Ah! My Goddess: The Movie

A dangerous prisoner is freed from a prison on the Moon.  He has a plan to change the world to his own ends but to do so, he needs one critical element: Belldandy.  Attacked by her mentor, Celestine, Belldandy loses her memory of Keiichi.  Stalked by powerful enemies and with the Goddess Network in chaos, Keiichi, Urd and Skuld must find a way to restore Belldandy’s memory and find out why she is so essential to Celestine’s plans before her cherished feelings for Keiichi fade away forever.

I’d like to start by say for the record that I do like Ah! My Goddess as a concept.  The idea of one hapless guy who becomes the luckiest man on the planet living with three bonefied Goddesses, one of which is his girlfriend, is a neat idea that lends itself to all kinds of wacky possibilities.  However, the back half of the original 5 episode Oh! My Goddess OVA ditched any humorous schenanigans in favor of a very somber and joyless love story with needlessly excessive stakes.  My fear going into the Ah! My Goddess movie was that the story would continue down that humourless, dour pathway and wow, it actually did more than that.  Suddenly out of nowhere we have a plot, villain, and action that feels like it was meant to be a Tenchi Muyo movie instead.  There’s a way I think Ah! My Goddess should operate as an Anime, and Ah! My Goddess: The Movie does not line up with that mindset.
 

T5W#496-Top 10 Katsucon Highlights (2015-2024)

Tomorrow, the next pilgrimage to National Harbor begins.  This is a pretty big year for me and Katsucon as it marks the 10^th Anniversary of my first one in 2015.  Like Otakon, this Convention has come to mean a lot to me, giving me a whole new area to explore when it comes to Anime fandom, cosplay, Dealers Room finds, etc.  To commemorate such an occasion, I’m digging back through 9 years and 8 conventions (we all missed out on 2021 cause of the Pandemic and I skipped 2022) to pick my special, double sized Top 10 Katsucon Highlights (2015-2024).  Will any from 2025 make it onto a future redux of this list?  Only time will tell.  Til then, let’s get to reflecting on some of the greatest hits and adventures at the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center. 

 

Oh! My Goddess Part 2 Episodes 4-5

When Keiichi Morisato summoned his very own Goddess, Belldandy, he thought their romance would last forever.  But when a serious disruption in the Goddess Network damages their connection, Forever becomes Three Days Left.  As Kei and Bell come to terms with their inevitable departure, Urd and Skuld have to pull together to find the source of this chaos and find a way to keep Belldandy and Keiichi from being parted forever.

It can be hard to tell a story in a short length OVA.  It’s not impossible though.  Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket and Macross Plus both tell near perfect tales in 4-6 episodes.  However, they are paced well, don’t time jump significantly between episodes and maintain a consistent tone throughout.  While Oh! My Goddess started out strong with slice of life infused with fantasy, the final two episodes are the polar opposite, instead delivering an incredibly depressing and mostly heart wrenching final act that has had no build up and, in the end, is resolved as if the problem didn’t need to happen at all.  Does it ruin the series as a whole, short as it may be?
 

FIF#230-Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Alisa “Alya” Mikhailovna Kujou isnt just the top student in her class, she’s the most popular and beautiful student in her entire school.  She also has a penchant for speaking in fluent Russian when she seems irritated.  Unfortunately for Alya, the one person she directs most of these words to is Masachika Kuze…and he happens to understand Russian just fine.  Totally unaware of this, Alya taunts her would be suitor in secret while Kuze tries to navigate the minefield of beratement and adoration from the girl everyone wants a shot with.

 
Anime slice of life rom coms are a dime a dozen, almost as common as Isekai.  There’s little to have one stand out from the other.  Most have the same premise or are just a variation on what’s come before with nothing new added to the mix.  So along comes Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian and I wonder what exactly has made this one stand out amongst so many others in 2024?  The answer doesn’t lie in the show itself, most of the debut episode is standard fare.  What might help this stand out from its fellow slice of life rom coms is the main duo itself, and Alya’s gimmick.  You’d think the main joke of the series might get old quick by the end of the episode.  Surprisingly, it hasn’t.
 

T5W#495-Top 5 Raunchiest/Naughtiest Anime I’ve Seen

As much as we love Anime for bringing our greatest fantasies to life, not all fantasies involve action packed Ninja fights or flying on Dragons across mythical lands.  No, we also love Anime for it’s ability to push the envelope on what’s indecent, moral, and just plain crazy when it comes to certain explicit topics.  Sex, nudity, sensuality, skimpy outfits, there’s plenty of this in modern day Anime, barely relegated to the level of just in front of the Hentai section.  Seeing as how I just got finished looking at a particular entry on this list, let’s see who else made it to my Top 5 Raunchiest/Naughtiest Anime I’ve Seen

 

Oh! My Goddess Part 1 Episodes 1-3

Keiichi Morisato has just landed the ultimate dream girl.  Summoned by an accidental call, the Goddess Belldandy has come to aid the hapless repair man and ends up becoming joined to him for eternity.  This means nothing can split them apart no matter how hard anyone tries.  It might look like the beginning of a blossoming romance but when Belldandy’s sisters come searching for their missing sibling, heavenly havoc is bound to ensue.  But hey no one said dating a Goddess was going to be easy.

The tales of the battles over who is “Best Girl” are as old as time began.  Many, myself included, proclaim many of these beauties to be on a Goddess level of quality, i.e. Rin Tohsaka from Fate/Stay Night or Marin Kitagawa from My Dress Up Darling.  But what if the candidates for Best Girl were actual Goddesses themselves?  Feels like a long winded opening already, point is, today we’re kicking off our required Romantic themed Anime for the month of February today with the OVA classic Oh! My Goddess.  But seriously though, the battle for Best Girl in this show is gonna get pretty intense so buckle up.  Anyway, onto Part 1 of our 2 Part stay with this sort of forgotten 90’s gem.