FIF#253-Gachiakuta

In a world where a wall separates the wealthy from the degenerates, there’s a punishment for those who even the dirtiest fear to live alongside: the Pit.  No one knows what it is, only that’s its where human are discarded with all the worlds trash.  When he’s wrongfully accused of a crime, Rudo Surebrec is sent to this Hell.  Once there he learns the Pit isnt all that it seems, a realm where Monsters made of pure trash roam and the only force against them is the mysteriously powered Cleaners.  Despite this, Rudo only has one single goal in mind: return to the society that wronged him and bring all the trash they fear back with him.

 
When I first saw the trailer for Gachiakuta earlier this year, I assumed we might be looking at another Chainsaw Man, another high octane, uber violent dystopian Anime that excites the senses and pulverizes the soul at the same time.  Wouldn’t you know it, the first couple of episodes proved me wrong in a couple of ways, good ways.  Not only do we have a very proven Anime studio handling another Shonen Anime adaptation in Studio Bones (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood), but the premise of a vengeful boy seeing only red…well by the end of the first episode I kinda sympathize with Rudo and man do I want to see his vengeance come to fruition…oh and the rest of what I saw is cool too.
 

Slayers 30th Anniversary Celebration Announcement

Way back in 2019 (well starting with Season 1 in mid 2018), I took on the epic challenge of reviewing every season of the legendary Fantasy Action Comedy: Slayers.  Back then, I only had the entire series plus the very first movie to look at and I’d hoped beyond hope I’d find the remainder of the films and OVAs in time to make it for the year long project.  Obviously, that didn’t happen.  However, this year, I finally found them.  Thanks to a dearly departed friend which this upcoming event is partly dedicated to, I managed to do something I thought impossible years ago.  And after accomplishing that…the inevitable was set in motion.

 
That’s right folks, LINA INVERSE AND NAGA THE SERPENT ARE BACK BABY!!!!
 

T5W#537-Top 6 Millenium Era Godzilla Movies

Been doing Godzilla Month events for the last couple of years now, they’ve become sort of an annual Anime Corner tradition since I revived it back in 2023 for the arrival of the franchises 70^th Anniversary.   Well Godzilla Month IV has just concluded on a major milestone.  With the review of Godzilla vs. Megagirus, I’ve finally reviewed all six movies in the Godzilla Millenium Era Series.  That’s one series down, two to go (the Reiwa Era that began with 2016’s Shin Godzilla is still ongoing so I don’t count that yet…even though I am technically caught up on that one too).  Anyway, what better time to do a ranking than now at the conclusion of Godzilla Month IV.  So, onto today’s Special Top 6 list for Top 5 Wendesday, the Top 6 Millenium Era Godzilla Movies.

 

Godzilla vs. Megagirus

In order to stop Godzilla’s recurring rampages, the Godzilla Defense Force, G Grasper, develops an experimental and dangerous Black Hole Cannon.  However, a test firing of this weapon opens a dimensional hole that unleashes a new kind of enemy on Japan: the Meganula.  As the G Graspers scramble to deal with both threats, Godzilla soon comes face to face with the Meganula Queen, Megagirus, and only one of these royal titans will be left standing when the dust settles.

With Godzilla 2000 kicking off a brand new era for the franchise in 1999, Godzilla vs. Megagirus at first looks to emulate the creative strategies of Hesei Era, at least when it comes to inventing an original new foe for Godzilla to face (granted Orga also filled that role in Godzilla 2000).  But while Godzilla vs. Biollante had the advantages of continuity and a thought provoking central plot, GvM doesn’t have nearly as much going for it from a lack luster monster to one note humans to the plain simple fact that its just boring.
 

FIF#252-The Mighty Nein

The theft of a powerful relic called The Beacon sends sparks across two kingdoms.  A long simmering war is about to burst if the wrong is not rectified.  To stop the escalating conflict, a team of adventures, thieves, wizards and warriors is assembled to find the Beacon.  They’re hardly the stuff of legends: down on their luck scoundrels with sordid pasts and not so bright futures.  But the fate of several nations rests on their shoulders.  This is where the legend of the Mighty Nein begins.

 
With The Legend of Vox Machina starting to wind down (Season 4 starts early next year and Season 5 has been confirmed as the Final Season), it seems like the right time for Critical Role to launch an animated adaptation of the groups second campaign, The Mighty Nein.  Like Vox Machina, I had no idea what to expect going in outside of recognizing a couple of very often cosplayed characters and that this was done by the same group of table top gaming Voice Actors, who like Vox Machina take on the roles of their real game characters once again.  What I wasn’t expecting was, well a lot.  The Mighty Nein is a very different campaign and story from Vox Machina, in both positive and negative ways, as I took away from the first episode.
 

T5W#536-Top 5 Favorite Cristina Vee Roles

From the moment I first met her during my first Otakon back in 2010, doing the Hare Hare Yuki Dance from Haruhi Suzumiya, Cristina Valenzuela, aka Cristina Vee, has been one of my all time favorite Voice Actresses.  I’ve had the pleasure of getting to meet her a few times over the last fifteen years, including this past weekend at Stellar Con and I even got to show her a pic of us from Otakon 2011 and she asked me if I could send it to her.  Cristina is such a ball of energy and positivity and she brings all of that and more to all the roles she takes on and man does she have a resume from bubbly to dramatic to totally insane.  Seeing as how, as I said, I’ve gotten to meet her once more (trying to think of when I did last see her before this, my first Katsu back in 2015?  Anyway not important atm.), we’re pausing our Godzilla Month IV Top 5’s so I can share my Top 5 Favorite Cristina Vee Roles.

 

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

A mysterious ship flies to Tokyo, revealing a crew of Humans from the future who hope to save the past from the threat of Godzilla once and for all.  It seems too good to be true…and it is.  While it seems as if Godzilla is at last gone, a new menace has been birthed to take his place: the three headed Dragon, King Ghidorah.  Against this unstoppable foe, Humanity has only one chance: it must find a way to resurrect the King of the Monsters, it must find a way to bring back Godzilla. 

 
While Godzilla vs. Biollante is hailed as one of the best Godzilla films ever made, when it was released in 1989 it suffered low box office due to the release of another highly anticipated sequel: Back to the Future Part II.  Apparently Toho decided that if time travel worked for one hugely successful franchise, it could work for theirs.  Hence, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, a wacky Showa Era style romp with an excellent Hesei Era coat of paint.  Does the return of Godzilla’s arch nemesis for an epic rematch make it better than his last bout with a plant creature no one cared about? (Box office wise anyway).
 

FIF#251-Last Samurai Standing

950 years after the first Samurai appeared in Japan, their time has come to a brutal end with the dawn of the Meiji Era.  Former Samurai warrior, Shujiro Saga, agrees to join a secret tournament with 292 other participants for the chance of an enormous cash prize.  To get said prize, Shujiro and his fellow combatants must seize each others wooden tags…by any means necessary, and make it safely to Tokyo.  For Shujiro, this prize could save his wife, child and entire village from a deadly illness.  But he’ll have to slice his way through almost 300 desperate and dangerous warriors to see his wish come true.

 
The trailers for this new Netflix Series looked cool as heck from the get go.  I mean if you’re a fan of the fast paced action of the Rurouni Kenshin films and some possible slow burn political intrigue featured in FX’s Shogun, then Last Samurai Standing should be a slam dunk right?  Well after checking out the first episode, not sure I’d go that far but there’s definitely more than enough of the aforementioned high octane/bloody action and shadowy mystery that got me locked in.  Is this really the Hunger Games/Battle Royale with Samurai that the trailers promised?
 

T5W#535-Top 5 Monsterverse Fights

While we’re focusing on Godzilla’s home movies from Japan for Godzilla Month IV, today’s Top 5 Wednesday is looking at some of the big moments from Godzilla’s American adventures in the Monsterverse.  Last year, the little Kaiju Universe that could celebrated its 10^th Anniversary with Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, the 5^th entry in a series that includes Godzilla (2014), Kong: Skull Island (2017), Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) and Godzilla vs. Kong (2021), plus the ongoing Monarch: Legacy of Monsters TV Series.  The Monsterverse has come a long way from the original plans for an American Godzilla Saga that crashed and burned with Godzilla ’98.  But from those ashes rose a franchise that’s delivering all the goods of Kaiju throwdowns and out of this world adventures. And you know what we always come to any of these flicks for, the fights.  So today we’re counting down the Top 5 Monsterverse Fights. 

 
Special Note: To qualify, these have to be clashes that we see play out on screen for extended periods of time.  Yes there’s cutting to human characters but most of the focus is on the Kaiju throwdowns.  That said, I know this might upset some people, but don’t expect to see anything from the 2014 Godzilla on this list.  Yes the atomic breath is a crowd pleaser but I also didn’t pay to see a movie where Aaron Taylor Johnson runs from all the cool stuff we really wanna see.  Anyway, that little tirade out of the way, onto the Top 5.
 

Godzilla vs. Biollante

Five years after Godzilla’s return, a grieving scientist uses some of the Kaiju’s cells to prolong the last living gift from his daughter.  To his and the rest of the worlds horror, this gives birth to a new breed of plant like monster, Biollante.  And this couldn’t come at a worse time as Godzilla finally awakens to resume his relentless assault on Japan.  But Biollante calls to the King of the Monsters, born of the same cells.  An battle is imminent and the fate of the world hangs in the balance once more.

1985’s Return of Godzilla reminded the world just what kind of a force of destructive nature the King of the Monsters can really be.  For his second adventure in the Hesei Era, it’s time to remind the world of the other thing he does best: kicking fellow Kaiju ass.  Godzilla vs. Biollante actually goes a bit beyond that with a story that actually continues on from Return of Godzilla, building the world up and actually using Human characters who aren’t annoying when on screen.  Many Godzilla fans cite this one as one of the very best in the series…but is it really?
 

FIF#250-Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop

Over two decades after mankind began it’s expansion to the planet Mars, Martian Leader Zechs Merquise is assassinated, leading to a surge in uprisings across the Red Planet.  In response, the Earth Sphere Unified Nations Preventors revives legendary Gundam Pilot Heero Yuy from suspended animation.  His newest mission takes him to Mars where he reunites with old comrades and joins a new generation of Gundam Pilots against this rebellion.  The real reason for Heero’s reawakening is soon revealed as the Mars Resistances newest figurehead reveals themselves as the woman Heero has sworn to but never been able to kill: Relena Peacecraft.

 
It’s crazy to think about the kind of year Mobile Suit Gundam Wing has had.  2025 has marked it’s 30^th Anniversary and it’s gotten so much love all across the world from rereleases of the Theatrical Cut of Endless Waltz to a crazy good panel at this years San Diego Comic Con featuring the English Voice Actors of Heero, Duo and Quatre.  Oh and we got that wickedly good anniversary video that featured the first ever Anime footage of what we’re looking at today for our 250^th Episode of First Impression Friday.  Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop is an odd entry to the Wing subseries and was originally released as a novel series between 2010 and 2015 and is the more or less official sequel to the original series.  So far, it’s only ever seen the light of day in those novels (and more recently the aforementioned 30^th Anniversary Video).  However, that’s not entirely true.  As part of the Gundam Wing Ultimate Blu Ray set, a Picture Drama of Frozen Teardrop, titled “The Next War: Epyon Ares” was released as a bonus feature available only to that box set.  It’s a bit odd to look at something like this for a First Impression.  But with the very thin chance this sequel could get an Anime adaptation one day, I figured it’s worth a look.  So, how is this follow up to one of the still most popular entries in the entire Gundam Saga?
 

T5W#534-Top 5 Theories about Godzilla Minus Zero

It’s fitting we’ve kicked off Godzilla Month right after this years Godzilla Day Celebrations, which brought big news for the Godzilla fandom. The highly anticipated sequel to Godzilla Minus One finally has a title: Godzilla Minus Zero.  It’s not much but it’s huge nonetheless and there’s plenty to speculate on until we get more intel, not to mention a potential release date.  And on todays Top 5 Wednesday, I’m gonna share my own Top 5 Theories about Godzilla Minus Zero.  Is this a title that can at least match it’s Award Winning predecessor?  Man, Toho couldntve given us a release window too?  I digress, let’s get to it.

Godzilla vs. Hedorah

The massive pollution of Tokyo Bay gives birth to a new kind of horror: Herdorah, the Smog Monster.  Born of mankinds negligence, this beast begins to turn the city and waters around it into a toxic paradise lethal to humans.  Only one force stands in his way: Godzilla.  But can the King of the Monsters withstand a seemingly deadlier force of nature greater than himself?

Godzilla vs. Hedorah is a special movie as it’s the very first Godzilla movie I ever saw a kid on the SciFi Channel.  A lot of the deeper themes, messages and even grosser elements were kind of lost on me at that age.  Cause let’s face it, when your under 10 seeing Godzilla fight a rival Kaiju for the first time, it’s all you care about.  Rewatching this movie as both an adult and seasoned Godzilla veteran, has my opinion changed about this kind of divisive entry in the franchise or is it as awe inspiring as I remember?
 

Star Wars: Visions 3

The Animated adventures of souls all across a Galaxy Far, Far Away return with 9 brand new tales from the most prominent powers in the world of Japanese Animation.  New chapters in the ongoing sagas of familiar tales are written alongside the beginnings of a new generation of heroes across the stars.  From youthful pilots to jaded Bounty Hunters to the never ending war between Jedi and Sith, the Visions grow stronger than ever before as Star Wars and Anime join forces once again.

For it’s third outing, the Star Wars Visions Anthology Series returns to its roots with the concept that started it all: Star Wars plus Anime.  Not that this is ever a bad thing but it has to be said that returning to a strictly Anime line up of shorts does immediately lessen to substantial impact made to the series by opening the doors to the rest of the Animation world for Visions 2.  Not only that but several of these new offerings feel either underwhelming, incomplete, or just inferior to what’s come before.  Not that there isnt plenty to enjoy but Visions 3 is nevertheless the weakest of the three seasons thus far.