Monday, March 30, 2009

gundam 00 s2 - 25 (END)

Summary: TBA

Reaction: I have to admit im pretty disappointed in the end. I felt it was rather weak and forced. Firstly, the Ribbons and Setsuna fight made little sense. If the original drive is so important to Ribbions, how did he lose the 0 Gundam in the first place? Secondly, While the R2 was a shiny upgraded Exia, it made little sense. Why was it in perfect condition awaiting a GN drive? Wouldn't make more sense to have it attached with a GN condenser like the 0 Gundam was if they wanted to keep it as backup? Why would Ribbons put the GN drive in the 0 Gundam anyways? It sets up an epic showdown but the 0 Gundam is so out of date it would make more sense to use a Gadessa or Garrazo. Aside from the fight, CB essentially didn't accomplish what they wanted by eliminating all wars, hence why they are still around. Louise ends up living, but i can let that slide. Andrei essentially learns nothing and doesn't change despite all that has happened.

That is not to say all of the ending was horrible. It allows a movie which, if as epic as Endless Waltz was, can really redeem this ending. Fight scenes were really well coordinated. Kati and Patrick getting married was a great ending for the two. Alleujah and Marie backpacking is also sweet.

So overall, a weak ending, but i was relatively happy with the series overall.

7.5/10
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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Spring 2009 Preview

This is my preview, and possible blog list, for 2009 spring. Like last season, i will probably be doing one show, but maybe 2 or 3 if there are a lot of gems this season.

Well, im going to be doing my initial reactions based solely on the story provided and screenshots for now. I'll have an update after Random Curiosity puts up his to get a better opinion. To save time i will be grouping similar responses together, and try to post a link to myanimelist when available. Order is how likely i will watch/blog it.

Updates after Random Curiosity's post will be in blue.

For a more detailed preview i direct you to:
http://that.animeblogger.net/2009/03/08/that-spring-2009-anime-preview/
http://animehistory.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/spring-2009-series-preview-no-funny-business/


Hayate no Gotoku!!:

One of my most anticipated animes this season. First season was amazing and while comedies often have a hard time following up a success *cough* minami-ke *cough* this one has a long successful manga to follow so im optimistic. I hope to blog this and have any readers out there point out the cultural jokes i miss. You know i'll be looking for a lot of Hina love :P.
Upon further review, it seems outside of well... me, many people are starting to get bored after a 52 ep season of hayate.
I also agree that the series is quite long, but i have yet to have my fill of Hina so i will watch on until that day, which is never. While this wont deter me from watching, im wondering if the subbers will be putting any effort into this, if any good groups pick it up at all. Im praying on SS-Eclipes right now.

watch: 110%
blog: yes


Fullmetal Alchemist:

A remake of a classic that promises to follow closer to the manga. Very highly anticipated. Blogging will depend on my time.
The interesting thing about this is the new cast. Besides Ed, Al, Bradley the entire cast has been replaced. Mustang is now played by Lockon, Risa Hawkeye is Rukia(bleach)/Shirley(Geass), ironically Huges(Mustangs second in command) is played by Ali Al Sachez(gundam 00), and Lust played by Sanae(Clannad). Plus a relative newcommer for Winry and a mainly supporting actor for Scar(D-gray man, Chaos head, Hayate, Shakugan no shana. He does seem to love playing the villian).

Watch:90%
blog: high ~ 90%

Spice and Wolf 2:

Loved the first season. Its not high paced, and a little hard to understand, but it was enjoyable. Time constraints will be the only factor. (P.S. i know this is closer to summer release, but everyone else is adding it now)

Watch: 75%
blog: low


Looks interesting. I'll give the first ep a chance and see if it wows me.

watch: 70%
blog: low


Asura Cryin’:60%
Tayutama -Kiss on my Diety-: 60%
K-ON: 50%
Pandora Hearts: 50%
Senjou no Valkyria -Gallian Chronicles-: 40%

Sounds good, and looks good, but i doubt it will be my cup of tea or that i will have the time. We'll see if it gets a good recommendation.

watch: see above
blog: no


Queens Blade Rurou no Senshi:
Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!!:

Looks like a mindless ecchi fighting anime. While Sekirei wasn't half bad, i dont think i want to watch another one.
Queens blade is actually i lot worse/inappropriate than i thought. I definitely wont be watching this.

watch: 30%
blog: no


Hatsukoi Gentei:

At first i though, Minami-ke. But this doesn't look very interesting like minami-ke was. Will need a strong recommendation to watch.

watch: low
blog: no


Guin Saga:
Natsu no Arashi!:
Basquash!:
Saki:

Story sounds uninteresting. Has to really Wow me and have an incredible recommendation.

Watch: 10%
blog: no


Gokujou!! Mecha Mote Iinchou:
Hanasakeru Seishounen:

Shojo love story. No thanks.

watch: very low
blog: no

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Friday, March 27, 2009

D. Grey-Man Episode 01

What you have all been waiting for! Finally I get on D. Grey-Man. This has taken me forever to write and I'm sorry to make everyone wait.

Recap:

Now we find out that exorcists are the ones watched over by god to bury the evil ominous things in our world. This anime takes place in the 19th century, and we start off with the arrival of a boy to a riverside town with his flying, gold ball of a companion Timcanpy. In this town a female police officer named Moore is checking out an old abandoned church which is rumored to be cursed. If only she knew the half of it. Another officer enters the church with Moore, and at first they only find a ruins. At first it seems as if the officers had disturbed a colony of bats, which sweeps Moore away, however she sees that there is actually another person holding her arm. The white haired boy who grabs Moore expresses his shock and surprise at seeing another human and claims that a cat ate something that was very important to him. Soon after the two hear a scream coming from the main room and Moore rushes back to find the other office backed up against a wall with a black pentacle pattern that gradually engulfs his body. After his body is totally consumed by the black marks he explodes into smoke. Moore chokes on the smoke until the white haired boy covers her mouth and explains that her companion was killed by and Akuma (devil in Japanese), but we will learn about these a little later.

Moore passes out due to the poisonous smoke and wakes up in the police station some time later. She finds one of the detectives is interrogating the boy who brought her back to the station. We find that this boy's name is Allen Walker, and he has a green cross embedded into his disfigured left hand. Allen reveals that the crime had been committed by an Akuma and the cross in his hand is actually an anti-akuma weapon. Allen also explains that he is an Exorcist, but the detective isn't sure about this so he puts Allen in Moore's care. While this is going on at the station a large person with an umbrella shows up in Moore's home and he refers to Moore's brother as an Akuma. This person disappears before Moore comes into the room to check on her brother Mark, and Mark seems normal to her. Later in the night Moore wonders if the crime was actually committed by an Akuma. She does not believe in such things for she takes Akuma as it's literal meaning of Devil, and she thinks that they are only a fantasy created by the human mind out of fear. Moore who doesn't believe in Akuma hates and curses them. Allen corrects her however, because the Akuma he knows isn't what she is referring to. While she refers to the devil of hell, he refers to weapons that take a human form. It is at this point where things get interesting. Mark comes into the room and Allen realizes that he is an akuma. Mark then transforms into a large, floating, egg-like creature. The creature shoots it's guns at Moore, but fortunately Allen saves her and they get pushed into the church next door. Allen actually catches one of the Akuma's bullets but warns Moore not to touch it for it carries the Akuma's blood virus. The effects of this virus can be seen in the cat which Allen fails to save. The poor feline's body is slowly engulfed in black pentacles before it shatters into itty bitty pieces. Allen explains to the tired police officer that the person they saw was not her brother Mark, but the thing that killed him and took him over. The Akuma interrupts their conversation by bursting through the wall. The detective we saw earlier and some officers try to confront the Akuma however it slaughters them quite quickly.

Allen explains how the Akuma are weapons programmed to kill and evolve and that they are living and hold a soul. The frustration of the soul that is locked inside is what creates the power for the Akuma. Allen can see that the soul of the Akuma is a woman's soul and he suspects that it was someone who was close to Mark. It seems that the ingredients for the akuma include soul, machine, and tragedy. Moore remembers that on the wedding day of Mark and her sister Crea, Crea had been worried about her joining the police force. Mark on the other hand encouraged it because he felt that Moore was not out for revenge for their parents, but for the protection of others. Still, even with Mark's belief in god, since he was a pastor, a chandelier of a cross fell and killed Crea, sending Mark into a deep sense of despair. This was the tragedy the Millennium Earl needed to create his Akuma. Now there is a whole scene where the Millennium Earl, a round creature in a top hat, with a talking umbrella, asks Mark if he wants Crea back and of course Mark agrees. This is when the Akuma is created.

It is Crea who took over Mark's body and is the Akuma in front of Allen and Moore. With his arm and cross glowing, Allen powers up to destroy the darkness. He uses his enlarged arm to rip through the Akuma's hard skin and rips away the chains that hold down the soul. After the battle is finished Allen tells Moore about the creator of the Akuma, the Millennium Earl. The Earl is trying to create a scenario with the demise of mankind and bringing that plan to an end is the job of exorcists. With his job done, Allen leaves town with Timcanpy in search of the Black Order's headquarters.

Reactions:

I love this Anime with all my heart. There is plenty of action and the animation really shows off each battle scene. This first episode was definitely a hook into the rest of the series. The whole plot is confusing at first but after around 6 episodes you start to understand the whole fight between the exorcists and the Earl and the whole role of Innocence. Also there is a whole host of crazy and outrageous characters that capture your heart and sometimes can annoy you to death. There is surely a little bit of some thing from everyone. Whether you enjoy action, or romance, or just plain insanity D. Grey-Man has something to appeal to you.

In this first episode it really opened my eyes to their world. You really realize how much trouble and suffering is within the life of an exorcist. I also found the whole premise of having the Innocence trapped within a body. Allen I found a little weak and naive for the world that he is now in. His attitude towards saving Akuma and that eye of his can either be seen as a curse or a blessing. I also liked that Allen can see the souls of Akuma but I just have to wonder if it will make him overpowered in the future.

The first starting is Innocent Sorrow by Abingdon Boys School, and the lead singer is Takanori Nishikawa, also known as T.M. Revolution. This song was totally different from any of his songs as T.M. Rev and that really interested me. It fit really well with the beginning and the opening sequence was something I would totally endorse. Not only was the song amazing but it really showed off the large range of characters, their different abilities, and a few of their back stories, even though it mostly focused on Allen since he is the main character. I can't wait to see what this Anime will bring in the future.
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Monday, March 23, 2009

Gundam 00 s2 - 24

Reaction: I cant say I'm disappointed in the episode. I mean we do have Ali biting the dust, Veda back in Tieria's control, Arios with some nice saving. However i cant help but feel some parts aren't as good as i want them to be. Louise, Andrei, Billy all being redeemed by understanding feels a little corny to me. I guess i never hated Billy much, but i don't think any 0f them really deserved any redemption. Tieria's consciousness is alive in Veda and seeing Ribbions cloning ability i doubt he's gone for good. The whole thing about them being Inovades was pretty weak. I mean now do we have to start calling them Innovades? Why couldn't they just call Setsuna an innovade instead and save us the headache? Regene seems more alive than i thought. Although i still think hes dead once the GN dust is gone, hes still kinda conscious. Ribbons final suit being the Guncannon is quite a surprise. However given that the 0 gundam was a RX-78 copy, i should have seen it comming. Thank god it seems Lyle has made it thorough and will survive the series. One episode left, lets see how they do.


Funny little side note, im going to copy over a portion of my post from AnimeSuki Fourms


Going back to watch the chibi "fake" spoiler from the beginning of the second season, only three things haven't come true so far. Cats will dance, aliens will attack, and Alleujah's third mind. I guess some of the aliens things have already been mentioned, but i doubt we'll see aliens in the last ep. We also havent seen any signs of a third personality for Alleujah.

What has come true is Tieria being a robot, Setsuna changing (only into an innovator not a gundam), Zombie lockon, "industrial complex" (elevator) falls, maids (wei lu ming) will be assulted. Read more!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

gundam 00 s2 ep 23

Summary: TBA

Reaction:


Wow, what an action packed episode. We have all the gundams pretty much fighting the whole episode. I must say the Seravee looked the most impressive, doing what the Cherudim did without trans-am.

Speaking of trans-am and Lyle, it looks like everything will end soon. I doubt the animatiors are so sadistic as to kill off Lockon twice, but i worry. Especially since their now close range. Heres hoping Cherudim pulls off something amazing and finishes that asshole once and for all.

As for Setsuna, hes now become even more hax, being the only one to not take damage this episode. As well, his precognition and perhaps link to ribbons makes me think that will be the final fight.

Billy needs to die, or switch sides. If they kill off Sumeragi i will rage.

Kinda tired so consider this review a work in progress.
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Monday, March 9, 2009

Gundam 00 s2 ep 22

Recap:
We start with a conclusion to the fight from last week. Setsuna is standing off against bushido in the alternate world. It is here we see the past of Bushido. Where he walked the path of a samurai and seeked revenge against the gundams. The fight does not last too long and Setsuna manages to disable the Susanoo. Bushido asks Setsuna to finish him, but Setsuna mearly said he is changing and leaves. He asks Saji about Louise, but she is long gone. Back on the Plotemy the gang rendezvous with Linda and picks up the new equipment for the gundams and the 0 gundam itself.

The innovators are returning with Lousie and Andrei in tow. Ribbons has called them all back to prepare for the final fight. Captain fatso and the Alaws are planning a huge fight with 21 ships and 108 mobile suits. With these numbers he is confident there is no way they can lose.

Back on Ptolemy they discover that Veda is hiding on the dark side of the moon. The entire area is cloaked. They all state their reasons for fighting and decide to retake Veda. At the innovator base, we see Ribbons and a clone army of Divines (or Brings). Bushido contemplates suicide, but hearing Setsuna's words does not. On Ptolemy Feldt gives Setsuna a flower and wonders if Marina would be mad. Setsuna states they do not have that relationship. Feldt tells him to come back alive as he is leaving.

The gundam and their shiny new toys launch. At first the fight seems in their favor, when three ships head for a kamakaze towards Ptolemy. Setsuna destroys the ships with a trans-am riser sword, but the ships were decoys. They were filled with anti-particle field"dust" and soon all beam weaponry is near useless. Meanwhile the main A-laws fleet arrives using rockets. obviously unprepared and outarmed, the gundams are soon in a difficult position. However the kataron fleet makes it just in time and saves them all. Kataron, led by kati, manages to drive away the attack force and commander fatso finally dies.

At the innovators HQ, Ribbons informs Regene that he is aware of his plans, and always was thanks to the quantaum brain waves. Regene knowing he is found out quickly shoot ribbons in the head, declaring that he will lead the world

Reaction:

Very awesome episode. Shinny new toys for all the gundams (which kind of makes me sad as my cherudim model kit does not have the side shield/gun)

On the Level of hax, 00 is starting to separate itself from the others like how wing zero made the other gundams look like Zaku I.

Cherudim: a new shield/gun attached where the rifle would dock. I don't know where its rifle goes now, but the new gun definitely is nice. looks to have the same range as the sniper rifle itself. Aesthetically it looks a lot like the old full shield Dynames had. Also to note the bits on his back are now on his shoulder and something new is on his GN drive. Tailbooster maybe?

Arios: two new missle pods on the sides that transform into what is reminicent of the missle pods that Kyrios had. A new much more powerful liner rifle that require two hands. Note it does look like he wins the upgrade wars, but we will have to wait and see. No upgrades to the Archer of note.

Seravee: huge GN condensers to up its max firing abilities. Also looks like it got a few more cannons, but i couldn't tell for sure.

00: Gn-sword III. Looks amazing as the Gn-sword was what made the exia stand out. With trans-am riser its just hax.

The actual episode itself brought some interesting developments. Feldt fanboys (me included) are going crazy about the flower scene. Realistically i dont believe Setsuna x Feldt has a chance, but it was a nice scene. Bushido seems to be almost wrapped up only leaving Ali from the old guard. Can't wait to see who gets the honors of tearing him limb from limb. Kati is offically with Kataron, but not much of a storyline left for this. Im still a little worried about Lyle devotion to destroying the federation, something CB is against. We'll have to see how this pans out. On the point of Ribbons seeing his clone army and the fact he is in the preview for the next episode, he is definitely not dead, so all of you haters will have to wait to call trainwreck like Geass.
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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

gundam 00 s2 ep 21

Recap:
Saji is talking to Setsuna and asks him if there was any other way. Setsuna replies that if he hadn't shot down Anew Lyle would be dead. He mentions he feels Louise is in the same position. Soon after the bridge turns off the power to conduct some test. When this happens however, Setsuna's eyes glow like an innovator. Back at the bridge, Alleujah is still trying to prevent Soma from fighting, but she refuses. Setsuna meanwhile runs into Lyle. Lyle mentions he shouldn't be mad and knows Setsuna wouldn't kill Anew if he didn't believe it was needed. As Setsuna turns, Lyle points his gun at Setsuna, but doesn't shoot.

At the A-Laws base, the innovators are discussing the last battle and we see the continuation of that in flashbacks. Bushido meanwhile meets up with Lousie who is with Andrei. Louise is becoming cold to Andrei however and wont listen to him. Bushido mentions they have a mission. When Andrei asks to join, Bushido says he will not keep up.

At yet another place we find Wang and Hong. They are alive and escaped Nena. We find out Wang's back story of how she was forced to take the head of the family due to Hong's indecisive nature. This moment is short lived however as Nena arrives to finish them off. Hong shields Wang and she escapes, but Hong dies to a head shot. Nena lets Wang go however as Regene in the back is directing the events. Wang manages to meet up with Setsuna and the 00 and passes on the location of Veda. Setsuna asks her to come, but she doesn't. This proves to be her last mistake as Nena catches her shuttle and kills her. Ribbons says through Haro it is time she was judged. Nena thinks he is talking about Ali, but is surprised when Lousie, in her new transformable Regeant demolishes Nena with ease. She then proceeds to loose her mind. While all of this is happening, Setsuna returns to the 00 to see it hostage by Bushido. Bushido demands a challenge and Setsuna accepts. When the both enter trans-am, Setsuna says that innovation is the true goal of Shoenberg, and he has been trying to change this whole time.

Reaction:

Very action packed episode and nice to see Nena bite the dust. Wang's death was neither satisfying nor painful, but i think too much time was devoted to her character that practically did nothing. Susanoo looks nice, but did a mobile suit that only appears in one episode really need a custom version? i mean couldn't they have started with Susanoo? Seems like a marketing ploy to build another suit people will have to buy. Interesting to see what this new weaponry for the gundams will be. If they rumors are true, 00 will become more epic than ever.

My "Needs a gundam dropped on them" club:


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