Some Quick First Impressions: Zesshou Symphogear GX, Charlotte and Dragon Ball Super

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Zesshou Symphogear GX

Short Synopsis: Three idol wannabes with mech suits are trying to be the thunderbirds.

Good god how can a show get more progressively awful with each new season and to make matters worse it get more budget with each season. It just fills my heart with pity for the animators putting their hard work and talent to such a bankrupt story. Well here it is, the fact that the character sing while in battle is still as terrible and distracting as ever. The comedy is even worse as well as the clear lesbian undertones. The anime episode has a pretty blatant music video pasted in the middle of it to advertise a single that’s likely to come on sale after the show. Also I don’t exactly understand why it was decided that girls with mech suits clearly designed for combat was the perfect group to handle global natural disasters and accidents. I mean wasn’t there some creatures called Noise which these girls were supposed to combat or something? Or did they wipe those out in the last seasons? That’s a genuine question because while I did watch those seasons, I fear(Or am glad) I have forgotten everything about them. Look I understand the joy of watching something stupid sometimes but I at least would like it to have some merit of entertaining through its stupidity. Symphogears third season is shameless to it’s core and shows the reason why it exists with every minute. That reason being made out of paper and commonly exchanged for services and goods.

Potential: 0%

 

Charlotte

Short Synopsis: A guy who can possess other people is forced to attend a high school that has superpowered students.

This started off as quite interesting at first as the main character is interesting seeing as he uses his ability for his own selfish benefit. It even made me laugh hard as the main character started manically laughing in class only to suddenly become embarrassed as everyone started looking at him weird. But then it turns out this isn’t the real setting and the real cast shows up to drag the main into the age old Maeda sitcom portain. It all went downhill from there as they introduced the main characters little sister who acts like that period of childhood where the kid is not cute anymore but continues to try to act cute only to end up ungodly annoying. Sure some may find her cute but people remember, she’s been engineered for suffering. Like giving a child a puppy and then once they have grown attached, infect it with a fatal disease. It’s all part of the plan for maximum tears. Maeda’s written female characters do act like they are ten years younger than they are supposed to be in general. The skits are already starting up and  it’s clear that these rather useless superpowers will be mainly used for comic effect. Then comes the dramatic second half, likely to do with people losing their powers and the mains missing brother(I am guessing he’s dead but used his magic powers to erase himself from their memories so they wouldn’t be sad.) used to wind up the drama to “cry now damnit” levels. I am giving it half potential as it could still surprise but my friends, it’s the same old story, same old song and dance.

Potential: 50%

 

Dragon Ball Super

Short Synopsis: …Do I even need to s ummarize this? It’s Dragonball people. Dragonball. Vegeta, a beloved character from Dragon Ball Z, has a plethora of powerful and thought-provoking quotes. If you’re curious to discover the essence of his character, read more here and experience the true depth of Vegeta’s wisdom and emotions.

Nostalgia is definitely the main positive factor here and this episode plays that card hard. It’s a lighthearted start to the series which brings in all the old characters and hijinks. But my initial concerns with the series still remain. For one they seem to have placed this before the battle of gods movie and are setting up Beerus as the main villain which is just screwing up the timeline completely. Another is that the characters seem to have gone down in power seeing as Goten and Trunks fought a giant snake in this episode and actually had trouble with it when by all accounts they should have smashed it to pieces with a single punch. Overall while it’s nice to see Goku and the gang again, I just don’t see how we can make a credible threat to them when they should be on the level of unbeatable gods at this point. In Dragonball z it was clear the idea’s were running dry by the end of the series and I don’t think the man can come up with anything new in the years past since it’s end. Nostalgia may carry this for half a cour but if something new isn’t presented then I think this will lose favor soon.

Potential: 60%

Little Witch Academia The Enchanted Parade – 81/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Reviews by AidanAK47

I wonder when it was that a film being childish became a flaw. As a medium grows it takes steps to aim to mature itself and seek a more intellectual level of presenting entertainment. Animation did it as Anime aimed to explore terrontry that cartoons refuse to explore and video games only recently broke away from the stigma of being children’s entertainment. However in doing so I believe a fear was born. A fear to return to making “childish” media or to attempt to step down from creating something that could be considered for kids only. It’s a shame really as some of the most fondly remembered games and shows are those “childish” material.  The Crash’s, Spyro’s, Sly Cooper’s, Dexers laboritories, powerpuff girls, Samurai Jack’s and many more do seem absent in current times. When you get down to it, sometimes you don’t want an intellectual thriller, a political commentary, a satire or philosophical exploration. Sometimes you just want something simple and fun. Trigger have provided exactly that with with the second OVA/movie for Little Witch Academia.

For those who don’t already know, this anime is a result of studio trigger putting up a Kickstarter to help extend a planned second episode for their 2013 animated short made for Anime Mirai 2013. They asked for $150,000 and with the help of 7,938 backers they got $625,518 instead, over three times what they asked for. Thanks to that we have an hour long, wonderfully animated episode that never overstays it’s welcome and is just downright enjoyable from beginning to end. The story is fairly simplistic and is predictable from the get go, as well as the characters being straightforward. Through that really just adds to the charm, for you see to those who grew up watching saturday morning cartoons this anime brings back that nostalgic feeling. You can really tell that this was made with a lot of heart and soul with the animation which is more cartoon than anime styled. On that note many of triggers works tend to go in that direction and it is their strongest suit in my opinion. When you think of a trigger work it’s not for it’s story or deep thought provoking characters but instead for it’s seer energy and lively atmosphere. In that regard it’s hard to judge a Trigger work on a critical standpoint when the real value is just in how it makes you feel. When watching this I knew exactly what was going to happen, I knew Akko would have a falling out with her friends and this would end up with them making up at the climax to help defeat the villain. I seen all the chekhov’s guns get fired and there were no twists and ends that surprised me but I just didn’t care. The journey and characters were so entertaining that I honestly didn’t want it to end.

I think that if this anime deserves real merit it would be in how contained the story is. Often in anime I find that Japanese works seem to have trouble with a small time frame, anime movies in particular are guilty of this. It always seems like they can never wrap up the story in the movies time frame, pacing can just become too slow or go too fast and endings don’t feel like an ending. It’s like a large story crushed into a short time frame but with this the story doesn’t waste a single moment. It went on exactly as long as it should and ended where it needed to end thus creating a solid satisfying experience. I understand that this might not be the kind anime for everyone as I am certain people will get turned off by its simple nature but if you find the character interactions as amusing as I do I say this will give you entertainment that is harder to find in the current market. I can safely say that the backers of this project got their moneys worth which is rarer than you think with Kickstarter projects. Studio Trigger, I missed the Kickstarter for this episode but if you are planning a new kickstarter for the third episode then you can count on me being a backer.

Some Quick First Impressions: Gangsta, Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace and Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There

by AidanAK47, posted in Some Quick First Impressions

Gangsta

Short Synopsis: A deaf man and a gigolo take on a job to wipe out a small time crook getting too cocky

If it’s one thing this show has got, it’s style. Mangalobe always had a talent for great openings and this anime is no exception with a opening with a catchy theme and a very manga style colour scheme. But the music throughout the first episode was just as catchy and sleek which is good as I found that the music never really stopped playing throughout the episode. At times it was somewhat overbearing. Art and animation are good though some far away shots of people had some bad faces and a small bit of animation looked off during the sword fighting near the end. But all things considered this is a very strong start to the season and everything here was more or less a perfect adaption of the manga. We already have an unconventional cast of characters and an amoral setting so all things considered we have all the ingredients for a very good anime. The only reason the potential rating isn’t 90% is because I don’t have much faith in Mangalobe for this. There is high probability of the animation getting limited at this rate and whether they can stop themselves from adding their own material to a story that doesn’t need it. It’s a good start, keep it up.

Potential: 80%

 

Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace

Short Synopsis: A Student wakes up in a classroom with his dead teacher and now must work to prove his innocence.

Well now that’s one way to start an anime. The opening was unique to say the least and after that we are greeted with a feminine like boy waking up in a classroom to see his teacher dismembered into a meditation pose. I did a double take when this character who looks like a girl in every aspect was in fact a boy. But at least from research, Kobayashi was said to be adept at posing as young women so it’s accurate to the character at least. What isn’t accurate is the title of this episode which was called the human chair. Now Ranpo did write a story called “The Human Chair” but that story was about a crazed carpenter who build a compartment inside a chair and hid himself inside it so he could rob the hotel the chair was sold to. The story eventually led to the chair getting sold to a rich couple and the carpenter growing obsessed about the man’s wife. It was a disturbing story that had no murder in it though this episode looks to have just taken the title and ran with it. The main character is interesting to say the least, seeing as he reacts to his teachers death with an unnerving calm and proves to be a highly observant. Akechi looks to be a good detective, already channeling a more depressed and somber Sherlock Holmes. I am still at odds with making the characters high school students and the show itself seems to be going out of it’s way to excuse it with Akechi’s ridiculous exposition on why he can solve crimes for the police while still being a student. I also cringed at the sight of a teacher who dressed herself up and had cat ears with a try hard cute act. They made her a little more interesting by showing her scars from cutting herself in a handshake but I don’t understand why she had to be so….peppy. Another thing was that all background characters were represented as gradient silhouettes which I understand what they are going for but I don’t think it works. Still those things aside we have the ingredients for an interesting anime, one I plan to keep an eye on.

Potential: 85%

 

Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There

Short Synopsis: A medieval fantasy world attacks the modern day world.

It’s a solid start to the series but admittedly not the most engaging. In the manga the attack on Ginza was only covered briefly whereas here it was made into a full episode. This may be because the light novel put more detail in the event or simply because the anime wanted an exciting pilot episode. My opinion is fairly mixed at the moment. I really like the fantasy vs technology aspect of the story and the real worlds reaction to the Gate. But I find the comedy to be pretty terrible and the main characters Otaku traits to be rather irritating. There are definite positives such as the absence of a school setting and that the cast is well over their teenage years. Music is not the best with the opening and ending themes being out of place in their bubbly J-Pop and the soundtrack rather mundane. Animation and art are passable, nothing really special. The big question is how close the adaption is to the original work and whether they can keep a good pace going. So far it’s promising.

Potential: 70%

Knights of Sidonia S2: Battle for Planet Nine review – 73/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:

The second season of Sidonia makes a number of mistakes that a lot of second seasons do. That namely being that the anime slows down and introduces characters and conflicts that are often resolved in a undetermined to exist, third season. A new antagonist is introduced, whom does very little in the season and only foreshadows a future conflict. A war is started and the season ends when Sidonia takes a planet as a base of operations for future conflicts in the war. This season is really just a build up to a third season which may or may not come to be. So it can be said, undeniably, that this season is much weaker than it’s first. The biggest detractor to its enjoyment is the sudden increase of slice of life harem antics which strangely enough was started with the introduction of an inhuman character. A chimera called Tsumugi is introduced to the cast and with her introduction the plot of the series takes a massive backseat. The story puts her directly into the spotlight where more or less all events for a large amount of screentime have to do with her. Previously her role looked to be the start of a conflict with the use of Gauna based weapons and the people’s rejection of Tsumugi but this conflict is wrapped up very fast. Then she’s treated as another girl around Tanikaze despite being in no way human, in some ways it comes across as alien just how accepting these people are of a giant pink tentacle squid that talks with a cutesy girls voice.

Art for the series remains consistent and can look great but animation can take some time to get used to. There are still some uncanny valley moments with the stiffness of human characters that even went gotten used to can be distracting. It is a shame, as with just a small improvement in movement would make this a non issue. The mecha battles are fantastic and remain a highlight of the series but are more sparse in this season. Which brings me to what I consider to be the biggest failing here, that being the increase of harem antics. Sidonia’s first season also had these moments but they were broken up a lot more due to more action set pieces. The pace of the first season kept moving, never letting characters sit too long for the viewer to notice the lack of depth to them. But here the pacing comes down and when the story begins to focus on the characters it really comes to light that there isn’t much there. Tanikaze remains a typical anime protagonist, who has a huge talent for piloting and attracting female companionship despite having a lack of charisma. Izana has potential for grown but remains a role who is defined by her love for Tanikaze. Yahata has her role as a commander during action but out of that she serves the same role as Izana. Tsumugi you would think would have a much more defined role, but despite how disturbing it is, also plays mainly as love interest after her initial introduction. So it’s not hard to see that the story has veered off course when you are watching an episode dedicated to teasing a potential romantic relationship between Izana and Tanikaze. Almost as if the writer has been pushed out of his role and replaced with a shipper.

Despite now there being less of them, the action scenes are still a joy to watch and the series does have a great ending battle. Though predictably it ends with a tease for a another season and could leave viewers unsatisfied. Overall it’s a decent season held down by its slow moments. Provided you can put up with some age old harem scenarios it can be enjoyed and it never gets to the point of being insufferable to get through. What plot there is, is engaging and it does hold promise for a future season. If that comes to be. But I know this season will likely be a breaking point for some and I can see why. I just hold out hope that if there is another season, it’s doesn’t make the same mistakes this one did.

Knights of Sidonia S2 – 12

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:

Tanikaze’s rendezvous with Benizumie looks to have been cut short as Izana interrupted with some hacker magic. The entire sequence being as uncomfortable and disturbing as you could imagine. I still wonder just what was her goal in doing all this to Tanikaze. Was it some method of killing him or just some really kinky reproduction? Probably both. I did really like that moment before Tanikaze dove the knife in for the killing blow, like he was breaking her heart. The Hayakaze bombardment was also a great highlight, being mesmerising in how each unit locked in together and blasted everything to kingdom come. From what I hear this was an anime original addition and if so it was a great way to conclude the final battle. After this was just a few call backs to the start of the series and a montage ending with the first opening theme. One thing that really proves this was a weaker season than the first was that in the montage there was an abundance of great action when montaging the first season but when it jumped to the second it suddenly was showing scenes such as Izana bursting out of her pilot suit and a bath scene. That really speaks for this season as a whole.

The ending scenes acted more as a makeshift live goes on ending for the series and there seems to be no sight of a third season so far. I think the probability of another season is actually quite high and I would be interested in seeing how things develop with the Benizumie placenta, the parasite controlling Kunato and the second Chimera. However I also dread the thought of having to go through another number of slice of life harem antics such as this season was.  My overall impression of the season is positive but I think the middle section of the cour did drag a bit. If this is the last of the Sidonia universe in animated form then as an ending to the series this is deeply unsatisfying. There are far too many loose threads and foreshadowing to a conclusion that viewers would need to read the manga to see. A filler ending would be a bad way to end things as they can never find a way to tie things up without seeming forced but to have it end this way is also a shame. I at least want to see them do something with Kunato as he does feel like a villain who was introduced only to dwell in the background, looking menacing.  I had fun watching this show and to see it reach a half baked conclusion is disheartening.

Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks Review – 85/100

by AidanAK47, posted in Anime Reviews, Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks, Reviews by AidanAK47

For a long time now this adaption has been the dreams of many a Fate fan with many believing it would never come to pass, but now that it is here is it everything that we dreamed? Short answer to this is no, long answer is nearly. I feel this show will have many divided on what to think of it, some will claim it’s overhyped garbage, others will think it’s the greatest thing on the face of the planet and few such as myself will see it as good but short of what it could have been. Let me give two pointers on things which could help your enjoyment. One, do not walk into this expecting Fate/Zero 2, many did and naturally they were disappointed. Basically what you should expect here is not a mature thriller but rather a shounen action. This isn’t Fate/Zero and it isn’t trying to be. Second, marathon it. The pacing of this series is dead slow and it’s better experienced in binge sessions rather than sporadically. For those who have no idea on wherther to start from here or watch Fate/Zero first you can start from either and there is no real proper order to watch these shows.

The characters and their interactions are enjoyable though some characters basically disappear in it’s second half. Shirou and Rin make a enjoyable partnership thats a joy to watch and the charisma of Lancer and Archer makes it just impossible to dislike them. The plot has interesting themes though at times they can feel forced down your throat but overall the presentation of a selfless hero’s flaws is interesting. Your enjoyment of the series may depend on your knowledge of the source material as the anime does a poor job of conveying some things which can make certain parts of the story seem like deus ex machina or cheap developments. That aside there are also weaknesses in the original text that carry over to the anime such as excessive monologuing and exposition which becomes tedious in the second half of the series when the fights become much shorter due to either a waning budget or poor decision making.

Regardless of whether people love it or hate it, this anime has set a new standard in animation and art for anime to strive for. The fight scenes only are the kind of thing that action anime dream of. I mean just look at the screenshots for these reviews, this anime is beautifully drawn and beautifully animated. This kind of quality is unimaginable for anime years before and if studios each strive for it we could be seeing an upsurge of truly visually stunning anime. Perhaps then the best animated fights in action anime will not be in the opening of the series. Music for the series is excellent but sadly not quite as noticeable, while scenes are enhanced by it there are a bit too many points of silence in episodes. The pacing of the series is it’s biggest flaw, ranging from hot and cold periods before entering into a snail’s pace for it’s second half. The second half of the series is were the main problems come in as the amount of material left in the game was not enough for a full one cour season. Things begin to get dragged out as dialogues stretch on and less and less happens each episode but if you can get through it you will receive an excellent climax with a resolute satisfying ending.

Despite it having many flaws I do believe this is an anime that anime fans should make a must watch even if only for the visuals. The first half of the series truly is excellent and for all the problems of the second half there are still standout moments such as internal visualization of Shirou coming to terms with his answer to the battle of berserker and Gilgamesh. There is definitely things to love in this adaption and hopefully for new fans it can birth an interest in the series as a whole. Now there’s only the hope that maybe the blu-rays will add more action scenes to the second half and that the upcoming Heaven’s feel movie can be as great as it can be.

Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks – 25

by AidanAK47, posted in Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks

And so it ends. Surprisingly the majority of this episode is anime original content as the true end of the visual novel is shown in a flashback. Overall I like it more than the original ending as I did wonder just what happened when Shirou went to the Clock tower with Rin. Fans will noticed the appearances of Luvia and Waver who show up briefly. I really love that Waver showed up to talk with Shirou about him turning down the offer but it would have been good if he mentioned his experience with the fourth holy grail war. One thing that annoys me is that part of the episode was dedicated to a fight between Luvia and Rin because now I know that part of the budget was put aside for this fight when it could have been better put to the Assassin fight or other fights that really needed it. While it is disappointing that we didn’t get to see Shirou and Rin kiss, it is great to see their love which looks to me that Rins wearing the pants in the relationship. The visit to Sabers potential grave was a nice touch as well, giving Shirou time to say goodbye. This episode was a very good conclusion, tied up the loose ends and gave us a peek into what lies ahead. Whether Shirou does become Archer or not is up to the viewer to decide though canon wise, officially he doesn’t. It was stated that Shirou’s chances of becoming Archer in any of the three routes is rather small. The route where Shirou does become Archer has been assumed to be in the Illya route which sadly never came to be. Take note that you can take that with a grain of salt as it seems this adaption is supposed to be it’s own thing so if you believe that Shirou does become Archer in the future then by all accounts you aren’t wrong.

I cannot say enough how glad I am that they didn’t decide to animate the good ending of the route. For you see this route has two endings, the true ending and the good ending. The true ending is pretty much what you saw in the flashback, Rin inviting Shirou to come to the clock tower with her after graduation and does what an ending should, tie up everything. The good ending on the other hand basically has Saber still remain in the world, Shirou still rather oblivious to Rins affections and Rin telling him that to keep Saber in the world there is going to have to be a lot of….shall we say…mana refueling? It’s stupid and only exists for the Saber fans to enjoy. I knew that the chances of it getting animated was unlikely but well there’s always a small doubt.

As the credits roll on the episode I took the time to lay back and question when was the last time I saw a genuine satisfying ending such as this to an anime series. It’s strange that with so many anime being made that a great conclusion is actually a rare thing. Too many series end with a life goes on or a to be continued for another season which may never come to be. In that regard this episode is something special, because it caps off the series. While it is certainly not the last time we will see Fate/Stay night again(After all, Heaven’s feel is coming.) at least for this incarnation of the heroes this is the end. It’s good that this series has a ending it deserves to wash away some of my discontent with some of the last episodes. But sadly let’s talk about that. Many people seem to be pointing the finger at Miura for the flaws of this second season and it is true that he shouldn’t have been given the director’s seat for this project. He was far too inexperienced with directing a series and his only real credit was what is universally agreed to be the worst Kara no Kyoukai movie. Honestly considering that this may be his first major project it’s a commendable effort but the fact of the matter is that in someone else’s hands this good series, could have been great. Other faults at hand was a lack of material for the second season causing the pacing to slow to crawl, new anime only material being mostly inconsequential, an underutilized great soundtrack, a significant reduction of action sequences and too much focus on redundant dialogue. Still with all my problems with the series aside, this is likely the best, and only, adaption of this route that we are going to get. All things considered this is very far from a failure and I feel as when time comes to rewatch the series with my expectations more grounded, I think I will regard it more highly.

Knights of Sidonia S2 – 11

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:

It’s quite the coincidence that both shows I am covering have decided to use their last episodes to make up for the season’s shortcomings. This will be a short post as while action packed episodes are great to watch, they make it hard to bring up topics to talk about. Guana look to be imitating humans more and more with the appearance of a human shaped Gauna encountered by Izana and another pilot. Kunato remarked about superior organisms while watching Tsumugi and Benizumie fight so it could be possible that they are seeking a new path of evolution through human imitation. Though why is the Hoshijiro inside Benizumie is well made while the monster encountered by Izana malformed. Maybe its that they haven’t figured out Male anatomy yet.

I worried a little when Tsumugi was about to put an end to Benizumie making her to be the monster of the week but Benizumie came right back and destroyed Tsumugi. Also Benizumie using the same words that Tsumugi said to her as she was about to shoot the finishing blow, perfect. Menacing while remaining alien in action. There is also a certain level of cunning in letting Tsumugi see her human form and thus causing her to be put off guard but that could have been unintentional. The fight itself was excellent and I am still loving Benizumies design with the insect like wings and arm blades. I really could sit and watch Benizumie and Tsumugi jet around and clash all day.

One part of the episode that made me sigh was went Tanikaze set down his gun and managed to take out all the Gauna surrounding him. Mainly because this was followed by a number of people saying how amazing that was. This might not bother me so much if I was more invested in Tanikaze’s character but it really does feel as though he has leap frogged up in experience when the audience wasn’t looking. He was always a good pilot but I think I missed the point where he became an amazing one. It’s a minor detail though because after this he’s put in a tight spot so at least he isn’t overpowered. The end of the episode has Tanikaze in the tight fix and from the looks of things his love affairs are about to get a whole lot stranger.

Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks – 24

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:, Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Bladeworks

Now this is more like it. Well as they say, better late than never and this was at least the best moment to bring back the quality. All I ask is where this was three episodes ago which it could have made all the difference in the world. Admittedly this episode has made me a lot less bitter about this second season as at least now it has a great finale. At first my expectations were set to low as once again dialogue was giving more presence with Gilgamesh rehashing what Archer was saying to Shirou having a good but unnecessary monologue. But what followed has been everything I have been waiting for in this adaption. It’s true that Shirou was showing a level of power that was beyond a human and that by realistic standards he should have been shredded to bits. (There are some explanations for this like UBW being able to copy the abilities of the owners welder but it’s only feasible at best.) But I honestly don’t care as it was exhilarating, beautiful and exciting being the fight I was long promised but not delivered till now. I am sad that other fights up till now were not given this treatment and I hold a vain hope that maybe Ufotable will add more to them for the blu-ray discs. For a fan it’s a real treat as we have, not one, not two, not three but four new remixes of songs from the visual novel. (There may be others that I missed) Those being Last Strength, Sword of promised victory, New Dawn and Disillusions piano version with Emiya played again at the climax for absolute perfection. Disillusions piano version is as emotionally sombre as ever and I feel that Sword of promised victory was done better here than Yuki’s Fate/Zero version where the choirs drained some of the impact of the song. Nostalgia may be making a fool out of me in how I am getting so excited about these songs but more than anything this show was made for the fans and this is fanservice I can get behind.

Previously I stated that even though Archer used UBW twice that it doesn’t really explain his strange mana levels. This episode shows exactly why that is the case as Archer shows up for one last attack on both Gilgamesh and the grail. Whether it is  in the visual novel or the anime this moment has always been a pretty poor deus ex machina because the only explanation for Archer still being alive is independent action. He faked his death? Can’t be done, servants can sense other servants, except for Assassin who has presence concealment, so even if he tried to fake his death both Gilgamesh and Saber should have noticed he was still around. Independent action? This only allows the servant to stay in the world two days and that estimate is based on avoiding fighting and using the absolute minimum of mana, which Archer was clearly not doing. The best excuse for this that I have gotten was that while he was Castors servant, he stockpiled on mana but this has issues as well. There is also an argument that Archer was brought back as a counter guardian seeing as the world was in peril and while I like this explaination I am afraid it doesn’t work out either as if Archer was summoned as a counter guardian then he wouldn’t remember the events of this holy grail war.  All and all Archer coming back for the final fight should be impossible but while it is cheap, at least it gives Rin a moment to say a last goodbye to him and wrap up his arc. Whether Archer used UBW once or twice doesn’t matter as this moment is still not justified and this is one of the things that shows that the source material wasn’t perfect. Archers final smile at least showed that Shirou wasn’t the only one who gained something from all this, at least now he has regained some of the optimism that put him on this path in the first place despite what awaits him.

This final fight does make me recall the fact that I only started liking Gilgamesh once I read Fate/zero as it is true that he and Kirei are fairly one dimensional in this route and the Fate route. But this fight does show the genius of Gilgameshs character. Put frankly, Gilgamesh is unbeatable. He is such a powerful opponent that if he went all out he could win the Holy Grail war within a day or even less. In terms of ability he trumps everyone so it is just so perfectly suitable that his only weakness lies in his personality. Gilgamesh is so egotistical that to go all out against someone who he seems not worty is an insult of the highest caliber. Throughout this fight he was constantly handicapping himself what from the fact that he didn’t wear armour, his limited usage of Gate of Babylon and his reluctance to use Ea. One moment I adore is the point where Shirou is about to land the killing blow and Gilgamesh is preparing to draw Ea but before he grips the handle, he hesitates. It was that moment of hesitation that sealed his doom and what truly made this a win for Shirou. Archer may have stuck the killing blow but Shirou made him take him seriously as a fighter and as the king said so himself, the moment he does that would be the the moment he truly lost. The story is essentially complete now and all that remains is the epilogue but I wonder just what will they put in to fill a episode. At worse it will just be them going to school and time wasting and at best it could elaborate on just what awaits Rin and Shirou in the future. Well let’s just wrap it up and start the long excruciating wait for Heavens Feel.

Knights of Sidonia S2 – 10

by AidanAK47, posted in Currently Watching:

Unfortunately this wasn’t the time for Izana to become an ace pilot though she did at least show some ingenuity in her escape from gauna. Instead the spotlight falls once again to Tsugumi and Tanikaze. A lot of the fight scenes before the challenger appeared was to shown that Tsugumi and Tanikaze have great teamwork which admittedly isn’t all that strange seeing as they go into battle often. While it is a shame that Izana didn’t get a moment to shine, I am glad that Sidonia has returned to the elements that make it good. Those harem antics went on for far too long and now that it’s back to the plot that matters, I am starting to see that spark that made the first season so good. A bit late into the game but as they say better late than never. The CGI animation really looks its best in the mecha battle scenes. While human characters tend to have levels of uncanny valley syndrome, the robot battles are fast and fluid with little awkward movement. Any stiffness in the animation can be just attributed to the robot’s mechanical movements and easily ignored. The battles are really a symbol of this shows strengths, it’s at it’s best at a fast pace and events are constantly happening. When the show takes the time to slow down it’s flaws become more apparent. In a way, it’s similar to attack on titan in this regard. Attack on titan was also at it’s best when everything was in chaos and the situation was dire. But when things slow down and it moves away from the main threat then that’s when the weaknesses in the characters and story become more visible. So the key to this kind of story is to keep things moving and never dwell too long on a cooling down period.

The big reveal of this episode was the return of Tanikazes ex-girlfriends robot turned psycho killing machine, Benisuzume. This reveal is what makes Gauna an effective threat as just as Sidonia is improving their forces with Gauna technology, Gauna in turn are improving their forces through Sidonia technology. Each side is becoming more and more dangerous thus insuring that nobody has the upper hand for long. With the addition of Tsumgi, it felt like Sidonia had drawn the winning card but with the re-appearance of Benisuzume, she now has worthy opposition. Her existence however has me wondering as to just where is the real hoshijero? Is Benisuzume the real Hoshijero or is she the floating body lying in Kunatos workshop or is she Tsumugi? There seems to be some level of cloning going on as all three clearly have a connection to Hoshijiro. I really like Benizumies design as a melded mecha chimira, especially the 101 left from the robot printed on her right forehead. It’s…cool. For lack of a more professional word. Actually if I can segway into another topic, I must ask a question if manga readers have an answer. What exactly is the role of Tsumugi’s pilot? I mean from what I have seen, it looks like Tsumugi has full control over her functions as Kunato couldn’t stop her from rampaging in an earlier episode. So is the pilot some kind of advisor or a fail safe? I also find it amusing that after Tsumugi nearly killed herself to save Sidonia, Kunato has stopped acting as pilot and left it up to his assistant instead.Too much of a close call for him I guess. As things look now, this could be a pretty good wrap up for what has been a weak season for Sidonia. Assuming of course that this is a twelve episode season like it’s predecessor.