Reviews

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Batman Eternal #2 Review

 

When we last left our hero, he was reeling from the apparent guilt of his friend, Comissoner Gordon, in the collision of two subway trains, which cost massive casualties. GCPD newcomer Jason Bard came into town just in time to be in on the arrest of Gordon for the crime. As we join Batman and Gordon in this issue, the former is visiting the latter in a holding cell and things are looking increasingly troubled.

 

News travels fast, and every one of the current Bat Family soon learns of the crash and the arrest of Gordon. Batgirl, Barbara Gordon, is of course the most shocked. Harper Row reads about it on the internet. Red Robin, now free of the clutches of “writer” Scott Lobdell, books a flight from New York to Gotham. Jason Todd is picking up the news in a bar as far as Hong Kong. And… Batwoman and Batwing are also in this issue (who cares?). read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 100 Review

Episode 100, "Found Out! The New Hero is Son Gohan"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Gohan is enjoying his double life as high school student and superhero Great Saiyaman, but his heroics catch the attention of Mr. Satan’s daughter, Videl. After the rescue of a baby dinosaur from a cruel circus trainer has them on opposing sides, Videl figures out who Great Saiyaman really is and blackmails Gohan into joining the Tenkaichi Budoukai, At Capsule Corporatation, Gohan replaces his helmet with a scarf and tells Bulma about his situation. Vegeta wants to compete in the tournament, as well. Surprisingly, so does Son Goku, who talks from the afterlife through Kaio. Goku says that he’ll be given a special one-day permission to return to the living world and looks forward to competing in the Budoukai. Gohan is overjoyed by the news. read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
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Batman Eternal #1 Review

 

I know this blog of mine is mostly for reviewing Japanese animation, and frankly I don’t even review Japanese comics much, but we all know how much I love Batman (don’t we?), and I figured I’d start giving reviewing some comics a chance. I bided time until I could review something Batman-related from the beginning of a story arc or a new book, but with Snyder’s Batman still on “Zero Year” and Tomasi’s book doing something I want to wait to see pan out, I was a little concerned when I would have a chance. read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
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Dragon Ball Kai – Episode 99 Review

 

 

Episode 99, "7 Years Since That Event! Starting Today, Gohan’s a High Schooler"

*****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Seven years have passed since the defeat of Cell, a feat that was credited to Mr. Satan, whose city of residence is now named after him. Son Gohan, now sixteen years old, begins attending Orange Star High School in Satan City. There he meets Videl, Mr. Satan’s inquisitive daughter. While he tries to stay inconspicious, his habit of stopping criminals leaves him looking for a way to disguise himself to avoid attracting attention. Bulma constructs a uniform he can transform into at the push of the button and he begins a crimefighting career as Great Saiyaman. read more

Penguin Truthby Penguin Truth•
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Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods Review

 "Battle of Gods"

Spoiler-Free Synopsis: After a thirty-nine year sleep, Beerus, the God of Destruction, has awoken, and is seeking the "Super Saiyan God" he saw in his dream. He and his attendant Whis sense the remaining Saiyans, first questioning Son Goku as he trains on Kaio’s planet. Goku is soundly beaten in battle with Beerus, even at Super Saiyan 3 level, and the God of Destruction goes to Earth to inquire of Vegeta. On Earth, Bulma’s birthday party is interrupted by Beerus, Whis, and the Pilaf gang (who are looking to make money). Beerus is accomodated by Vegeta, but soon loses his temper when denied pudding from Buu, and a battle breaks out. When Goku himself is no match for the God of Destruction, what chance do the others have? Beerus demands the Super Saiyan God to appear or he’ll destroy the planet Earth! read more

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The Best of 2013

(Note: This post is spoiler-free)

2013 was my first year watching anime simulcasts, and I really dove in with both feet. I watched upwards of 40 shows this year (including retroactively watching a few of the carryovers from Fall 2012), and had a blast experiencing the new shows as they aired and discussing them with fellow fans. Watching a show as it airs certainly has a different dynamic than marathoning one from several years ago, both in the fact that the discussion it is more current and ongoing, and in the fact that the surprises held in store (especially with regards to original shows) are still unknown. Having watched shows like Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica retroactively, I was aware of the tonal turn the show took (even though I didn’t know exactly what would happen). Other shows that I watched retroactively, such as the 2012 carryover Zetsuen no Tempest, were spoiled for me entirely (by accident), which definitely took some of the edge off the surprise (and boy does Tempest have a couple of big surprises in store). read more

neontasterby neontaster•
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Three reasons why Kill la Kill isn’t living up to its potential

We’re 12 episodes into the latest series from Studio Trigger and ex-Gainax icon Hiroyuki Imaishi, Kill la Kill. While this ride started off wild and exciting it has slowly wondered into a by-the-numbers snooze fest. You know it’s bad when the latest Valvrave episode is more anticipated. Kill la Kill has quite a lot going for it though, and with a bit of fine tuning, it could still develop into something great. While it may not surpass Imaishi’s directorial debut, Gurren Lagann, it can at least save itself a mere flicker in the annals of anime history. To get there, though, a few things need to be cleaned up which are holding the series back. read more

Falldogby Falldog•
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Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica 3: Hangyaku no Monogatari – Explanations And Thoughts

(Note: This post contains HEAVY spoilers and is mostly intended for people who have seen the movie, especially those who are confused about it.)

 

When I first heard that the third Madoka movie was going to have "all five girls together for the first time" I got worried. Quite a bit worried, actually. See, the thing about Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica the show (and also the first two movies) was that it forewent many things you would expect to see in a magical girl franchise, most notably the main character as a magical girl. I was afraid that instead of trying to further explore the story they laid out (a task that I saw as nearly impossible, but more on that later) they would opt for a more standard narrative. Something like a separate timeline where all 5 girls are living happily together fighting witches or wraiths or something similar. read more

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Capital Confusion – A Guide to Kyousougiga

(Note: This post contains spoilers from the 2011 and 2012 ONAs, as well as the current run of episodes 0, 1, and 2)

Kyousougiga (Capital Craze)started its life as a single ONA in 2011, followed by a series of five shorts in 2012. It was confusing and unclear, but had some terrific visual storytelling and art, and left people wanting more. Finally, Kyousougiga comes back as a full TV show, and incorporates parts of those previous ONAs to tell the story more coherently. However, there still seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the story and characters, especially since things are told very nonlinearly, and because there are many characters who share the same name (there is a reason for this). In my attempts to figure everything out I came up with a pretty good explanation of where things stand thus far, using those previous ONAs and the currently aired episodes – Episode 0, which is a slight rework of the original 2011 ONA, and episodes 1 and 2 of the new TV show. read more

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Attack on Titan Part V (Episodes 23-25): Wrap Up

 

Titan, but since these posts were less about describing and commenting on the actual plot and more about my personal impressions, I figured I would attempt some sort of wrap up and general thoughts  on the show.

First off, the final arc was actually pretty damned good (aside from containing one of the least surprising reveals in recent memory), and in most aspects it harkened back to the show’s first several episodes, which were probably the strongest. The level of drama and action really reached a crescendo at the end, which is a positive thing. You never want a show like this to peak too soon and then meander its way to the finish line. It started strong and ended strong, and I think that left a good final impression on people (myself included) and began the painstaking countdown to season 2, which, as manga readers have informed me, could take quite a while. Isayama’s manga doesn’t rush the story – which is also clearly evident by the pacing of the anime – so there simply isn’t enough source material at this point. The only problem is that the show’s massive popularity could lead to an anime that departs from the manga plot and proceeds down its own path. While this tactic could work, it often doesn’t, and the show has been so faithful to the original story that taking a different path could really change it in a fundamental way. read more

neontasterby neontaster•