Category: Finished Series: Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction

Magia Record – 05/06 [There’s No Place for You Here/ I’ll Do Anything]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

At this point, Magia Record’s mobile game root becomes more and more apparent, as we encounter brand new characters with brand new rumors. Episode 5 closes off the Shrine Wish arc to a decent effect, with many intriguing ideas along the lines. Iroha and the after credit scene reveal that our little magical girls can transform into something dangerous. It becomes more apparent to me that these girls are the cause of these mysteries around Kamihama city. And maybe, like the original series, it speaks the core ugly truth about our magical girls: they can never grow up. As long as they have to fight these witches in ongoing battles, is there time for them to grow up to be an adult at all? 

Continue reading “Magia Record – 05/06 [There’s No Place for You Here/ I’ll Do Anything]” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 17/18 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

There were a lot of directions Neon Genesis Evangelion could have gone this week. But I have to say, this one was one of the more unexpected ones. As this week we meet the Fourth Child, get another EVA unit and have Gendo destroy any chance of reconciling with Shinji. Sounds like a good time right? Let’s dive in!

Starting off, I want to give credit where credit is due. Evangelion had some fantastic English dub across these episodes. So much so I actually had to stop at the start of 18 to check that I wasn’t watching an English dub. They got legitimately full english speakers to deliver those lines, and I love that. I love the willingness to go the extra mile for just a few lines, when most anime would give us Engrish. And that isn’t to knock against Engrish much, it’s not their native language and they do what they can. Limitations of a localized production, I get that. It’s just when I do see the extra mile attempted, it’s something I think is worth pointing out. Evangelion could easily have just had Japanese there, and I wouldn’t have notice. Instead I got this, and it makes me happy. Now, onto the meat!

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 17/18 – Throwback Thursday” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 15/16 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

It only took 16 episodes, a couple of close calls and an odd recap, but Neon Genesis Evangelion has finally entered weird territory. There really is no other way to put it without getting into the nitty gritty. So let’s just jump straight into this weeks double feature.

Starting off we have Episode 15, Lies and Silence. This was largely a more Slice of Life style episode, really focusing in on Evangelion’s characters. The problem with this though is that without any major conflict, it really showed just how weak some of its characters are. Rei for instance was always and continues to be just lifeless. Devoid of almost any purpose or emotion behind what she does. I have suspicions for why this is that we will get into later. But regardless of if they are true or not, she simply isn’t particularly interesting nor can she hold a scene on her own. Similarly this week also shows us the worst parts of Asuka’s character and just how annoying she can be. Episode 16 continued this, with a tad more context yes, but she wasn’t particularly enjoyable to put up with.

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 15/16 – Throwback Thursday” →

Magia Record – 04 [This Isn’t the Past]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

I can certainly see the game mechanics in new episode: a whole new cast, a new rumor/ mystery, with Iroha’s quest to find Ui as a central plot. This is not a bad episode by any means, but I feel largely indifferent when the EP rolls. To Magia Record credits, the visual Shaft displays this week is a stunner. Magia Record looks on par with Madoka Magica, and this week the visual is benefited from the gorgeous art designs of last minute event. The story, however, is not as neat. While I really like the rumor behind it – the “Seance Shrine” can grant you the wish of meeting your lost one – and how it ties up with another urban legend of a woman who does everything to bring her dead husband back, it’s the new set of characters who doesn’t appear as memorable and the plot does meander at times. I’m talking about Yachiyo suddenly goes shopping in the middle of the quest and somehow that advances the story?

Continue reading “Magia Record – 04 [This Isn’t the Past]” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 13/14 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

Another week, another double feature of Neon Genesis Evangelion. This was an odd pair, as our lead 3 actually take backseat for the most part. Being largely irrelevant to the goings on and events up until the end of episode 14. Meanwhile the Angels figure out a new way to attack, Ritsuko gets some backstory and Rei goes on an acid trip. So lets dive in!

Starting off, lets just hop right in to episode 13, An Angel’s Invasion. This was pretty interesting actually, as Evangelion introduces us to a new kind of Angel. One that works like a computer, or a series of small nanobots. It really calls into question exactly what the Angels are. As up until now, we have only seen them as giant monsters, something an Eva unit is required to fight. Yet here we see something that the Eva units couldn’t hope to defeat, something that attacks computers and code. Of course it’s not perfect, there are a lot of questions about whether or not such a thing would even work. After all, its apparently some sort of airborne replicating virus, evolving to deal with whatever is attacking it. If it were made just to kill humans, it would have won easily. But instead it somehow knew about the Magi. How?

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 13/14 – Throwback Thursday” →

Magia Record – 02/03 [It’s Proof of the End of a Friendship/ Sorry For Making You My Friend]

by SuperMario, posted in Currently Watching:, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Magia Record sure has a pretty big hurdle to pass: for everything it does there will be a comparison to its original – which for me is both fair and unfair at the same time. Every product should be judged on its own merits, but Magia Record gains its attention for being a Madoka’s spinoff (or else no one would be willing to watch it), so that it’s a show’s responsibility to justify why it needs to be here in the first place. As far as the first three episodes concern, they (mostly) manage to stand on its own terms. It keeps the spirits of the original – the sense of there is something wrong in this world is clear, and several mysteries remain in support for that uneasy feeling. What is the deal with this Kamihama city, for example? The magical girls there are more powerful than the rest, the witches don’t have Greed seed (which implies that they might not be witches in the first place), and Kyubei can’t enter the area. Then we have the mystery regarding Iroha’s little sister Ui, as she dreams of her sisters’ best friends while she was living in the hospital. What did she wish for that single handedly wipe out Ui’s existence from everyone’s memory, Kyubei included? I’m sure that wish is not for the faint of heart.

Continue reading “Magia Record – 02/03 [It’s Proof of the End of a Friendship/ Sorry For Making You My Friend]” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 11/12 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

You know, I’m normally pretty critical of Neon Genesis Evangelion, it has a long and storied history to live up to. But this week’s double feature lived up to that. Focusing in on Misato and Shinji, giving Gendo some much needed characterization with some good fights on the side. So without further ado, let’s jump in.

Starting off, Evangelion continues to look pretty good. We got some more of Anno’s weird longing stills in certain places. But either they worked better or I am getting used to them. Like a weird sort of Stockholm Syndrome. That said, the fights we got this week looked pretty freakin great. I will always love the fluid movements of the Eva units, making them more like living beings than machines. And the Angels lead to some pretty novel “fights”. Meanwhile, I am starting to get in to the VA work. Kotono Mitsuishi is doing some great work as Misato, and Shinji is starting to let Megumi Ogata show some more emotion. Meanwhile Asuka is also toning down the “Tsun” part of her “Dere”. The only real issue I have is Rei, who is just flat and lifeless. Sort of the point, but not pleasant when she talks.

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 11/12 – Throwback Thursday” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 9/10 – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

Welcome to the first double feature for Neon Genesis Evangelion! A momentous day I know, but its nothing compared to what our cast went through. Evangelion threw everything from DDR to T&A to a fatsuit for whatever reason. Does it make sense? No. Are we gonna talk about it anyways? Hell yeah, lets jump in!

Starting off, in general these episode’s were a bit weird for me, in a number of ways. The most polite way to put it of course would be that the episodes were “problematic”. As both in terms of production and subject matter I were concerning. For the first, it’s not that it was bad per-se. The… performance, as I would call it, was actually well made. I never imagined I would watch multi-ton robots move that way. However I don’t think it worked as Anno intended, and actually took me out of the moment/point of the episode. Meanwhile laden through were a number of really concerning things in regards to Evangelion’s treatment of its female characters. There is a time and a place for these sorts of things, and in a serious character drama they can have weight. But serious is not how I would describe Evangelion.

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 9/10 – Throwback Thursday” →

Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These – 21-24

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These

I am certainly late with this post but my excuses are christmas and just having more important things to do. But we come to the end of the second season of Legend of the Galactic Heroes and with this end comes the end of the two rebellions within the stories societies. The parallel remains for both with the two main character winning a bittersweet victory. Reinhard got what he wanted but lost something truly irreplaceable while Yang restored order only for the corrupt democracy to take charge and begin plotting against him. The death of the National Salvation Military Council was truly poetic as they set out to stop corruption, fell to it themselves and then tore itself apart when it was discovered that they truly were nothing but a pawn for the enemy. The final testament to their mistaken actions being the remaining soldiers still believing that they did nothing wrong. Meanwhile the Lippstadt alliance falling apart from their own arrogance as they rush into a defeat seeking glorious death only to find that no one wants to entertain such a notion and with some even shot and killed by their own soldiers on the ship who were not too keen on following the glorious death of some brat. The death of Braunschweig is a thing of beautiful dramatic irony with him being force fed poisoned wine, drowning in his own decadence. Beforehand you even wished that for once, just once, he could conduct himself with dignity now that his death was decided but alas when the time came to bite the bullet he went out like the manchild he always was. The thing I must ask though is despite knowing of Braunschweig’s character, his subordinate still went through with fulfilling his last request. Maybe like Merkatz he was just a man sworn to duty even when that duty pushes him to serve the selfish and greedy but it just seems like such weak modivation for a suicide attack. It certainly wasn’t to uphold a promise as Braunschweig broke his end of the deal hereby making anything he swore invaild. Perhaps at the end of this foolish journey he saw no real way out and just decided to follow through on his role to the very end.
Continue reading “Legend of the Galactic Heroes Die Neue These – 21-24” →

Neon Genesis Evangelion – 8 [Asuka’s Arrival in Japan/Asuka Strikes] – Throwback Thursday

by Lenlo, posted in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Throwback Thursday

Last week, Neon Genesis Evangelion had a bit of a hump, as it tried to tell 2 stories at once. As if to spite me, this week it jumps right back into everything I enjoy about it. Giant robots, sci-fi action and some cast-based comedy. Lets jump in!

Starting off, things actually looked really good this week. Now, they usually do from just a background/stills perspective. As a fellow author, Wooper, pointed out in the comments last week. The cell backgrounds standout every time they get the focus, and Evangelion is so consistent with them it’s easy to forget them. Meanwhile the animation this week also took a step back up, no doubt for Asuka’s introduction. Both the underwater segments and the EVA unit jumping from ship to ship looked great. Not to mention a lot of the expressive character acting during numerous gags across the episode. It was one of those episodes that reminds you “Oh yeah, Neon Genesis Evangelion can move”. I rib on Anno a bit here for his… odd directorial decisions up until now, but it really did look good. As for the story? Well let’s take a look.

Continue reading “Neon Genesis Evangelion – 8 [Asuka’s Arrival in Japan/Asuka Strikes] – Throwback Thursday” →