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Lupin III Part V Episode 15 Review

Episode 15, “Her Relationship With Lupin”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  A badly injured Lupin is rescued by Fujiko, who wisks him and Ami away from the palace, pursued by the High Priest’s forces. Dolma has been working with the CIA and the High Priest to overthrow Padar’s government and take the throne as a puppet in exchange for the sparing of her father, the king’s, life. Her father, in the meantime, has cozied up to the Shake Hands tech corporation, run by a man with ambigious intentions. After removing the arrow from Lupin’s abdomen and running a ways with him and Ami, Fujiko seemingly abandons the two to draw the fire of the High Priest’s men, but Lupin springs back into action to help her. Will he get her out of danger in time? Fujiko’s fiercer than ever in this dash to safety as martial law is declared! read more

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ThunderCats 2011 Episodes 14 – 18 – An Emotional Rrrowr

So after seeing his adopted bro making out with his crush, we start this next batch of episodes with a fuming Lion-O. Yeah he seems to have gotten the hang of the Sword of Omens, and has gained enough respect from his fellow felines that herding them together so he can disparage Mumm-Ra as a loose woman is easier, but… that’s only before the cockblock. 3/5ths of this episode batch involve Lion-O coming to grips with Cheetara picking Tygra over him, and by god he tries. It’s actually a nice bit of development for him, since the show has him try to act above his heartbreak as possible, but once the big two-parter begins it shows he still has a lot to work with even with his team’s loyalty present. read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 14 Review

Episode 14, “How to Steal a Kingdom”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  After Dolma is taken back to Padar via CIA escort, Lupin and the gang make their way to her country to pursue their interests. Ami strikes an unsteady alliance with Fujiko to gain access to the palace Dolma is held in. The American government is assisting a conservative faction of Dolma’s government in a coup that will overthrow the reformers and taking possession of Dolma is part of that plan. Lupin infiltrates the palace disguised as Inspector Zenigata, and encounters Ami, the CIA agent who extracted the princess, and Dolma herself. But a lot of fancy footwork can’t prepare Lupin for the startling reaction of his target! Lupin takes on the half-modern utopia with a dark secret in his continuing efforts to obtain the Bloody Teardrop! read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 13 Review

Episode 13, “The Bow, the Princess, and the Terrorist”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Lupin and the gang are after The Bloody Teardrop, a gem possessed by Princess Dolma of the kingdom of Padar. Coincidentally, Dolma attends the same private school as Ami, and they make fast friends. When a group of terrorists occupy the school to ransom its wealthy clientele to their families, Ami teams up with Fujiko, under cover as a teacher, to throw a wrench in their plans. Will Fujiko snag the jewel before Lupin, or will it turn into a bloody mess? The bustiest burglar has a lot of skin in this game! read more

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Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Episode 12 Review (FINALE… kind of)

Episode 12, “The Verge of Death (Part 2)”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  As Siegfried Kircheis leads his forces to attack their forces’ supply contingent, the FPA’s fleets fall into disarray as they take on damage from a very aggressive Reinhard and his other admirals. Three fleets are destroyed and four have taken damage, but Yang Wen-li’s 13th Fleet has taken minimal infliction from the Empire. The Hyperion’s fighter squadron launches and engages the enemy’s Valkyrie crafts and there are casualties. Yang can barely make pull his forces away from the frontlines when Fleet Admiral Lobos orders the remaining ships to gather at the Amritsar Starzone to make a last effort before retreating. read more

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ThunderCats 2011 Episodes 10 – 13 – All the “Feel”ines.

The article title for this week’s watchthrough is not meant to be a disparagement towards the series, nor an implication it gets TOO sentimental. In fact… the introduction of further feeling into the show is welcome in ways I could not imagine back in the day.

So with this block of episodes, I’m halfway through the series, and I am beginning to see it invest more into the characters. Just at the start of this batch of episodes (“Sight Beyond Sight”), it begins with a race between Lion-O and Tygra, acting like rival brothers for once, which cascades into a group race between all ThunderCats to the main plot of the episode (and this further arc): one of the Stones of power seen in the episode “Legacy”. It is at their destination we meet another set of species seen in “Legacy”: The Elephants. Like the industrious Berbils or the adventurous Petalars, the Elephants imbue their own unique charm to Third Earth: what with their Buddhism-inspired motif, and their penchant to be forgetful alongside being wise. read more

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Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These Episode 11 Review

Episode 11, “The Verge of Death (Part 1)”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  The Free Planets Alliance forces enter Imperial territory, expecting to be greeted as liberators, but the citizens are more concerned about receiving food. This causes them to overextend their supplies to fulfill the needs of the masses, but when the expectations cannot be met, riots break out. The Alliance fleets become desperate for supplies of their own, and Yang surmises it was an intentional stroke to get them to run out of resources, breaking promises to the people (which earns them ill will) and leaving them vulnerable to an all-out attack in the meantime. He suggests to the other admirals that they should withdraw from the area. Admiral Bewcock attempts to inform Supreme Commander Lobos, but is forced to engage with Commodore Falk. Bewcock berates Falk’s casual attitude about the concerns on the front line, causing him to pass out from stress. While Kircheis goes to sortie against the FPA’s supply line, Reinhard assembles the rest of his admiralty to strike at the main forces. read more

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Lupin III Part V Episode 12 Review

Episode 12, “The Etravagance of Goemon Ishikawa XIII”

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis:  Goemon finds himself in a quaint village looking for the owner of a jewel Lupin wants. The jewel’s owner, Chloé, runs a struggling bistro and Goemon keeps surveillance on her, saving her from others wanting the treasure. But the more he gets to know the town and its people, especially Chloé, the harder it gets for him to snatch the item. Can Goemon overcome his feelings and pull the job off or will Lupin have to finish it for him? It’s con vs con during a con, as our favorite modern samurai walks among the cosplay crowd! read more

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ThunderCats 2011 Episode 09 – Build-A-Berbil Workshop

Man alive, I thought it would be a few episodes after what I had watched before I would be won over by the show. Yet about halfway through this one, I was already won over not just by the episode proper, but the whole show in general. Had I ONLY watched this after the previous episode, I would’ve probably finished this show earlier. Alas, that was not to be the case, but better late than never.

This week, we’re introduced to the Berbils, which are pretty much robot bears with a natural penchant for technological building. They are unaltered from the original series counterparts in both design and concept (although these ones have a more appealing face design), but the way they are handled makes for the most charming the series has ever been. Lion-O, Tygra, and Cheetara take these new creatures in stride and with much amusement; Wileykit and Wileykat are so hopped up on Candy Fruit they spend most of the episode in a trancelike state of hyperactivity as if they were Bart and Milhouse on a Full Syrup Squishie; and Panthro? read more

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ThunderCats 2011 Episodes 03 – 08 – Boring Vessels, Lively World

Some unexpected computer problems the last week created a delay in my rewatch of the ThunderCats 2011 I had already seen. Instead of going through with my plan of watching smaller chunks, I watched the whole cat and kiboodle instead. So let’s end this so we can get to what I think of the episodes I HAVEN’T seen.

In a strange bit of irony, SEVEN years after the first time, I find my position reversed. Once I loved the premiere and didn’t care for the rest of the episodes. Now, I don’t care for the premiere but have grown to enjoy (if not LOVE) what follows. This is bit of a boon to me since I was not sure how they would fare after my current lukewarm thoughts about the premiere. Then I ask myself… read more

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