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All posts for the month June, 2011

Pokemon: Best Wishes! Episode 26 (The one which didn’t air)

Posted by Alex on June 30, 2011
Posted in: Pokemon:Best Wishes. 1 comment

Fishing Sommelier – Dento Appears!

Alex: I really don’t see why this episode didn’t air in the Earthquake/Tsunami fuss. It’s just a harmless, fun filler about a fishing contest where Dento and Belle go wild like always. That said, this episode really confirmed my position on Dento: He’s the best companion Satoshi’s had so far. He’s erratic, he’s intellectual, funny, and he knows what he’s doing. The man of many talents, huh…He’s a detective, a fisherman, a gym leader, a Pokemon Sommelier, a chef, and god only knows what else >_> There should be more characters like him, he really brightens up the screen.

I also like Belle, surpisingly. Sure, she may be your standard airhead at first glance, but she’s got the personality of an overexcited youth who finally gets to start their journey. I actually think i’d be a little bit like her when i’d first start my Pokemon Journey, to be honest…it’s interesting how much thought has gone into the characters from behind the scenes. Also, Belle mentioned her family problems. Does that mean that we’ll have that touchingly beautiful moment from the game animated, where her father turns up to try to stop her from continuing, and Elisa, the gym leader, talks about growing up with Pokemon..? I hope so~:3

Anyway, thanks to Envy, I learnt that the Team Plasma episodes aren’t gonna be on American TV. I obviously wont give up hope until they don’t show up in TV guides, but…man, that’s just really frustrating. It must be some serious content…but judging from this episode, it might just be because they’re teasing everyone and are gonna release them as DVD specials or whatever. Siiighh.

Review: Fireball Charming

Posted by Alex on June 29, 2011
Posted in: Anime Reviews. 1 comment

Disney’s Fireball Charming

Alex: Being a direct sequel to the not-so-popular Fireball, which Disney created a while ago, Fireball Charming is almost exactly the same as the previous outing, but with one difference: it’s got a bigger budget.

This means…well, as you can tell from the above images, it looks completly stunning for modern CGI. But yeah. Lasting 38 minutes, it follows the misadventures of Lady Drossel and her guardian robot during the war between mankind and robots. But, you never really see the plot, so it doesn’t really matter…

To be short and to the point in comedy is something that’s really overlooked. Sure, Fireball will only get thirteen smirks or laughs out of you, but for something that’s so short, when compared to anime, that’s a real accomplishment. Every episode is fresh, funny, and has a different idea of what it wants to do, and it’s carried out and delivered with amazing style thanks to the talents of the voice actors.

But yeah…there isn’t much to say about such a short yet under-rated franchise. It’ll make you laugh and it looks great, but it’s not memorable and it doesn’t have a rollercoaster of events and plot-twists to enjoy. It’s just…good old fashioned slapstick comedy.

    

    

Review: Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera

Posted by Alex on June 29, 2011
Posted in: Anime Reviews. Leave a Comment

Dororon Enma-kun Meeramera

Alex: I’ve been dreading this review, because I never know what to say about anime like this. But anyway, i’ll try my best…xD

Enma-kun is an anime that can only really be compared to one other anime in existence, and that was the anime that took people by storm last year, Panty & Stocking. Whilst the animation is very different, they both have one theme which they’ve managed to do right, despite everything that plagues and ruins the genre. The genre? Fanservice.

The Japanese love fanservice, so you always have those big breasted tsundere loli’s in anime, and so forth, but it remains that the fanservice genre is a comedy genre that’s hardly been touched upon. It’s funny, it’s in your face, and it’s about naked girls, naked guys and generally naked people.

But Enma-Kun takes funny to a different scale. Nothing is too stupid, too taboo or too crazy for this series to touch on and make fun of. It’s full of wacky, crazy ideas and some of them are actually pretty good. To be blunt, if you can appreciate the juvenile sense of humour that the series rides on, it is a ridiculously entertaining series and something that you should watch.

Me? Well, Enma-Kun was something I watched when I was fed up, didn’t feel like a complex story or a complex plot, and just wanted something entertaining and amusing, and it did that. I guess. And I don’t actually have any idea what else to say about the series…it’s childish, amusing, funny, crazy, wacky, and mindless. And that’s a pretty good thing.

    

Steins;Gate Episode 13

Posted by Alex on June 28, 2011
Posted in: Steins;Gate. 3 comments

Spoiler Warning. This will ruin Steins for you if you havn’t watched this episode, so read at your own risk.

Necrosis of the Metaphysical

Alex: Wow. Steins comes along yet again and delivers an episode better than last week. But yeah, emphasis the spoiler warning from here on out, as it’s inevitable that i’m gonna be taking screenies of spoilerish moments.

That said, the time machine works. Part-Time-Warrior comes back because she left to turn the TV downstairs on so that they could do the Time Leap. And. Christina sacrifices herself so that Okabe gets to go back in time to solve everything. Turns out that he only has 3 hours. 3 hours to save the one you love…how romantic~ But yeah, in all seriousness…

With some amazing character development from Christina (being able to tell what’s going on just from how Okarin’s acting is a sign of deep affection), Okarin takes on the challenge to save Mayuri. Fate…is a fickle mistress.
Round 1- Mayuri gets shot by Shining Finger
Round 2- Mayuri gets run down by Shining Finger
Round 3- Nao accidentally pushes Mayuri in front of the subway

Just a random observation, but they all happened at 20:00 on the dot. Fate hates Mayuri~n.n

To be honest, after that, I think i’d have given up. But no. Okarin’s just getting started. Forgive the short post, but this is the kind of episode which needs to be experienced, rather than read about, as has been the case all along. All I can say is that Steins is batting a very good game so far, and it can really only get better from here on out. Now, where’s the preview for episode 14…

Review: X-Men

Posted by Alex on June 26, 2011
Posted in: Anime Reviews, X-Men. Leave a Comment

X-Men

Mimi: Like many, I’ve loved X-Men ever since I was a kid. I wasn’t exactly a diehard fan of the comics, but I watched the cartoons and saw all the movies. When I heard that it was getting an anime adaptation, I admit that I was doubtful of it being just as good because of the horrible Iron Man anime. We all know how badly Tony Stark got screwed up. But to my pleasant surprise, X-Men exceeded my expectations with its stunning visuals, dark atmosphere, majestic soundtrack, and nostalgic-feeling characters.

The anime is adventurous, as the X-Men investigate these mysterious incidences happening in a specific region. Mutants are going missing, and Charles is unable to detect any of them. It’s pretty straightforward and predictable. I can’t say that the story is the best part of the series, but when was it ever? It’s all about the super powers, action, and the characters we love so much. The X-Men are well-portrayed, bursting with personality, and develop great along the way. I particularly loved the playful sarcasm between Cyclops and Wolverine.

It’s unfortunate that I can’t say the same about the villains… Let’s just say that Mastermind and the U-Men are nothing compared to Magneto in the other adaptations. If there’s ever going to be a new X-Men anime, it should definitely include him and more mutants.

Alex: Because we decided to do a joint review here, i’m gonna butt in and have my two cents.X-Men is sadly a bit of a letdown when you think about what it should have been.Like Mimi said, the X-Men themselves are brilliant characters, but the anime makes a fatal mistake: it adds a teenager. I didn’t read the comics, I only watched the movies, but they were good movies. But, it’s almost like all the awesome has been toned down.

Like I mentioned, the teenager distracts the focus from the X-Men wayyyy too much, and is a general annoyance to have on the screen. I don’t get how she was accepted into the X-Men so quickly, to be honest. Yet, the worst part.

The villains in this series are terrible. The U-Men had no clue what they were doing or where they were trying to go, and appeared just to hinder the X-Men. Mastermind’s inclusion felt really rushed and really…stupid. He can do anything with hundreds of mutants, so he kidnaps a boy and acts all evil? Yeah…X-Men really lost the plot after Episode 10, and just became stupid and boring, like the other Madhouse anime’s to date.

That’s not to say it isn’t good, though. The first 10 episodes are really good, with amazing animation, characters and some great action scenes. It just…goes a little downhill at the conclusion, which makes it a hard recommendation for me.

Mimi’s Score: 7.5 Meeps out of 10 (Good)

Alex’s Score: 8 Meeps out of 10 (Very Good)

X-Men Episode 12 [Final]

Posted by Alex on June 26, 2011
Posted in: X-Men. Leave a Comment

Destiny

Mimi: A bittersweet, moralistic ending, as you’d expect. It all comes down to Xavier entering Takeo’s mind, and Hisako reaching out to control him. Once Takeo is calm, he disappears into the light with a smile. The power of love and friendship conquers all! Despite being predictable and a little clichéd, this was a decent ending. It was neat to see other familiar mutants chipping in to save people. Even Iron Man made an appearance, though he probably only did so because his own anime sucked, and this was his chance to look cool. =P

Overall, I enjoyed X-Men. It turned out to be a lot better than I thought it would be. Maybe next time, they can throw in Magneto, kick the story up a notch, and include more mutants. Now that would be even more awesome.

Hanasaku Iroha Episode 13

Posted by Alex on June 26, 2011
Posted in: Hanasaku Iroha. Leave a Comment

Broken Heart Mix

Alex: Annnnd the battlegrounds are drawn! It’s a match between Ohana’s mother and Ohana’s grandmother, with the Kissuiso Inn as the battleground.

However, going straight for the madam manager is the wrong thing to do. Instead, she simply destroys the confidence of everyone working at the inn, by criticizing the food in just the worst way, storming into the bath when it’s being cleaned to get the pervert in just the right way that his confidence is destroyed…what results is a funny episode, yet a serious and down to earth episode which finally lets the manager shine, when compared to everyone else.

The Child – Mother – Grandma bond really shines in this episode. And, I mean really shines. The three of them have a down to earth family talk, and it was both emotionally moving and charming to watch.Especially Ohana getting drunk over soda :d

Hanasaku Iroha Episode 12

Posted by Alex on June 26, 2011
Posted in: Hanasaku Iroha. Leave a Comment

See Ya.

Alex: Ohana, you seriously are the best. Ya know, what with elaboratly laying out plans to kidnap your own mother, whilst dragging your friends into the situation, and practically stalking Ko, only to reject him.

That aside, Ohana’s mother should win Mother of the Year. What a brilliant person. She might as well have been teasing Ohana for almost all of last episode. But…maybe it’s just Ohana’s family that’s a bunch of weirdos. They could fest up almost any event…for serious.

I also like how this episode pretty much smashed up the love triangle, and it might have even removed Ko from the picture for good. Minichi likes Tohru, Tohru probably likes Ohana’s mother, and Ohana likes Ko, but Ko and Ohana will never work out.

Tiger & Bunny Episode 12 & 13

Posted by Alex on June 26, 2011
Posted in: Tiger & Bunny. Leave a Comment

Take heed of the snake in the grass.

and

Confidence is a plant of small growth.

Alex: Ya know, if you’re going to god-mode somebody, this is the right way to do it. It’s still really boring, and it was really annoying to see all the heroes die one after one because they’d never even consider that Jake has two powers, but hey…it was the best god-moded fight scene i’ve seen for a while.

Secondly. What the hell was Lunatic up to? He calls himself the savoir of the city and all that lot, yet he just sits in his office watching the heroes fall one after another. After Sky High, Wild Tiger and Rock Bison had fallen, that would be the perfect time to burst in and save the day.

But. I figured out Jake was some sort of a mind-reader the moment he found out about Origami. The perfect disguise doesn’t get taken down easily…yet Jake figured it out in seconds. Big hint. Yet again, the fact that Jake blocks all attacks because he knows where to put his barriers is because he can read their minds, as proven by the fact that Wild Tiger’s accidental kick was the only one to make contact with him.

Tiger & Bunny was sadly at it’s weakest these last two episodes, because the villain was pointlessly god-moded due to the fact that everyone acted like an idiot, and they didn’t use the best part of the series: the characters. The characters are amazing to watch, and the characters were hardly used this episode, in favor of the lead duo. It looks like random episodes continue for a while, so yeah…hopefully this was a one off.

GOSICK Episode 23

Posted by Alex on June 25, 2011
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Announcing Checkmate at Dyed Grey Chess

Alex: We’ve had 22 episodes of poking pieces around the chessboard, and that’s caused several yawns here and there. It’s about time we actually started this game of chess, instead of just moving things.

I have to admit, the 22 episodes of nudging pieces around the chessboard payed off. I don’t think I could call it worthwhile sitting through all those worse-than-average episodes, but the payoff here was actually rather good.

It started as a political thriller, as the Marquis dethroned several high ranking officials, gathered public support for Monster Charming, and then it turned to Victorique revealing his motive and his scheme. It was…interesting to see that Leviathan was the cause of all this mess, and it tied everything up nicely.

Everything came together in the last 10 minutes. And more than anything, i’m surprised that Cordelia and Redhair were the hero’s who saved the world from the Marquis and stopped his treachery, at the cost of their own life. With one episode left, i’m more curious than ever as to what’s happening.