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Gundam AGE Episode 25 Review

Episode 25, "The Terrifying Mu-szell"

  *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: Asemu overhears his father speak with Dique about the Veigan MS head/cockpit and the pilot’s helmet, which bring out X-Rounder potential. He immediately wants the helmet. However, Flit turns down his request to use it. The Veigan Magicians Eight unit is having difficulty following orders from Zeheart. Desil overhears their conversation and tells them he’s going out with them. They close in on the Diva. Asemu attempts to take the helmet, but Dique stops him, only for him to take it after Dique leaves. In battle, Asemu takes down another of the Magicians Eight. Woolf takes another of them down. The Veigan soldiers retreat. Later, Veigan ships appear near Earth.    Comments:   So… wait. There’s absolutely no fallout from the characters to the death of Grodek? Not only does Flit seem to be over it, but no reaction from Milias, Woolf, or Dique? Does anybody but Flit even know about Grodek’s death? Is Flit having it investigated? I would have thought that for sure there’d be a funeral scene with some of the old Diva crew in attendance, like Largan, or that one guy that piloted the ship, the dude who wanted to get home to his mother. Nothing. Nobody says boo about it for the entire episode. It’s almost like it didn’t happen at all. It’s really unsettling. Grodek deserves better than this.    The writers seem to be pushing the relationship between the red head and the glasses girl, and I still couldn’t be bothered to care (even about their names). Well, it was pretty retarded that he actually proposed to her. I’m surprised he didn’t die in this episode, because proposals are death flags. Maybe it’s only a death flag if she accepts, though. When this guy dies, I’m just going to laugh at the predictability of the show. If he lives and they marry, I’m not going to care, because these characters only have shadows of personalities.    I don’t know who the biggest bunch of jobbers are in Gundam: the druggies in Gundam SEED, the Skittle Squad in Gundam 00, or the Magicians Eight (Four now) in this show. They’re supposed to be the top elite X-Rounder soldiers. But nope, they just lose and lose and lose. What a bunch of failures. Even Woolf, who isn’t even an X-Rounder, took one down. It seems like they are entirely wastes of character designs. Sunrise easily could have just made a bunch of faceless X-Rounder soldiers, not these also-rans.    And Desil, jeez, Flit doesn’t even need to be in a mobile suit to beat him. He is a loser’s loser, like Jerid Messa in Zeta Gundam, but worse. Even Jerid came close to killing Kamille at times. He’s no competition to Flit at all.    I like the point Woolf makes about just being a really badass normal, that you don’t need to be a X-Rounder to be a good pilot. He’s proof of that.      Overall Score:

3.5 out of 5

P.S. What the hell is a Mu-szell? Is that one of the Veigan mobile suits? 

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Lupin III: A Woman Named Fujiko Mine Episode 01 Review

 Episode 01, "Great Thief vs Lady Phantom Thief"

  *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis:  Master thief Lupin III crashes a marriage ceremony between a cult leader and his mistress. However, he soon finds out that the bride, a woman named Fujiko Mine, is after the same treasure that he is: the secret to a powerful drug the cult uses. The cult leader imprisons them both, intending to execute them. However they both manage a way out of their situation. Lupin suggests they compete for the prize. The two of them both find their way to where a giant statue made of the drug is. The police, led by Inspector Zenigata arrive thanks to a note Lupin sent. The island begins to fall apart, but Lupin has a plan, rocketing out on the statue, with Fujiko close behind. Ultimately, the statue falls into the ocean and dissolves, leaving traces of the drug on the surface of the water.      Comments:   I love me some Lupin III!   I have to applaud this episode for doing what any other Lupin III TV series has done before: that is, do an episode that establishes Lupin. The first series’ first episode was about some criminal organization that had something vague against Lupin and he seemed more like a secret agent in that episode. The second series did a first episode that was a callback to the first series first episode, no heists there. The third series did a pretty mediocre "here we go again" kind of first episode. But this, this has a first encounter, that is the one between Lupin and Fujiko, establishes Lupin and Fujiko as thieves, establishes Lupin’s reputation, have an actual incident of stealing, and gives a pretty good view of what the franchise is as a whole. They even throw in the classic Lupin "I’m going to steal X" note.    You’ve just got to love both Lupin and Fujiko in this episode. Fujiko is not ashamed to use her feminine charm (TITS) and cleverness to get what she wants, but Lupin is also very crafty and gets the better of her on occasion. They’re a great match for each other. But the way this episode plays out, Lupin seems very much the main character of this show that supposedly revolves around Fujiko. He’s got all the answers, all the moves, and he’s the one who comes the closest to claiming the treasure.    There’s full-frontal nudity up the wazzoo in this. Even the opening credits depict nipple pinching. It tries to come off as classy and artsy, but it doesn’t quite make it. On the other hand, it doesn’t seem cheap and tawdry, either. It’s not exaggerated much and it seems more seductive, a means to an end.    And just look at the art and animation of Takeshi Koike, the driving (lol) force behind Redline. The character art is very unique, but brings to mind the classic Lupin III manga by Monkey Punch. Lupin has a wealth of expressions, both subtle and wacky, and is rendered in a way that reveals his supreme confidence. They don’t shy away from Fujiko’s dangrous sexuality, either. Inspector Zenigata, who doesn’t do a lot in this episode, looks somewhat intimidating and hardboiled. I love the flare of the animation’s movements and how the art changes to reflect the action in it.    The voice acting is rather excellent. I think this is some of Kanichi Kurita’s best work as Lupin. He can sound very cool and smooth, but also very silly, and expresses all of that very well. I didn’t think he could do this type of Lupin as well as Yasuo Yamada did in the first TV series, but he pulls it off rather well. And Miyuki Sawashiro, still fairly new to the part of Fujiko, came off youthful, vibrant, and sexy. I’m still waiting to hear more of Koichi Yamadera’s Inspector Zenigata.    The music is, well, jazzy, but understated. It does help illuminate the mood of the actions, and gives it a classy atmosphere, but it’s not really remarkable in any way. I know it’s too early to say this, but I kind of miss Yuji Ono. Still, it’s not bad music in the slightest. Though it might disappoint those waiting to hear the second TV series theme music.    The whole thing definitely feels a bit like the original manga, or the first TV series. It’s got a bit of a sternness to it, a feel of danger. I like it.      Overall Score:   4.5 out of 5    
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Toonami Renaissance?

I owe a great deal of credit to Cartoon Network for making me the anime fan I am today. Of course, I also owe Sci-Fi (SYFY, or whatever they’re calling it this second) and Encore Action Channel as well, but let’s put them aside. When I was still a burgeoning anime fan, with only Ronin Warriors and the first two seasons of the Dragon Ball Z dub under my belt, Cartoon Network entered my life, and so did a programming block called Toonami (like a tsunami of cartoons!). It didn’t just affect me, but an entire generation of anime fans, and cartoon fans in general. read more

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Gundam AGE Episode 24 Review

Episode 24, "X-Rounder"

  *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: Flit meets with Grodek in a bar. Grodek tells Flit that there’s a traitor in the Federation. On the Diva, Flit gets out of the brig. While out in the colony, he encounters Zeheart. Asemu admits that without fighting he won’t be acknowledged by anyone.  Zeheart pulls a gun but Romary arrives and distracts him. Asemu takes Zeheart’s gun and turns it on him, but Romary puts herself in between them. Zeheart escapes in his mobile suit. Asemu sorties in the Gundam, engaging Zeheart in battle. Flit arrives on the scene in the AGE-1 and Asemu is told to back up the other units in the fight with the Magician Eight units. Flit engages Zeheart and the two match each other’s abilities. Dique sends the AGE-2 a new part, the Double Bullet. Asemu devestates the Magicians Eight, killing two of them. Zeheart the others retreat. At the same bar, Flit waits for Grodek, but Grodek is followed by a man who stabs him. Before Grodek dies he erases the data he had with me. The man is also killed.     Comments:   NOOOOOOOOO, GRODEK! Why’d they have to kill of one of the best characters (probably the best character from Gen 1)? Though, I have to admit, I kind of had a feeling this would happen, especially when meeting with Flit and telling him he had important information that he would get to him the next time. Why not give him the information right away, if it was that important? And now that information is gone because Grodek deleted it, so now all Flit has to go on is a hunch that something fishy’s going on.    Blue Desil, Yark Dole’s son, being the person to kill Grodek, fit well. I mean, Grodek totally rubbed it in his face after he killed his father. But then Blue Desil himself gets shot by a bunch of guys in trenchcoats, so it seems kind of a waste to bring him back just for that. Why didn’t Blue Desil become a Veigan pilot like Desil? And who are those guys in the trenchcoat working for? I’m guessing it’s that somebody who Grodek was suspicious of. But if the trenchcoat guys wanted Grodek dead, why not just shoot him themselves? The middle man seems kind of pointless.    Man, is Milias going to be depressed.    But let’s get to Romary. Romary Romary Romary. They actually went in the direction I wanted them to, with Romary defending Zeheart. Nevermind that Zeheart and his lackies have been trying to kill the crew of the Diva, it looks as though Romary has stronger feelings for him than she does Flit. Could it be that she’s in love with him instead of Asemu? Asemu now views her as a traitor. Interesting. Though predictably, I still fully expect a full reconciliation, because the third gen kid looks like he’s Romary’s son. It would be interesting if it were somebody else’s, though. Like Dique’s daughter, Arisa. She’s pretty awesome.    Well, the Magicians Eight- or should I call them the Magicians Six?- is a unit of X-Rounder jobbers. I guess they’re following in the footsteps of the druggies from SEED and the Skittle Squad from 00. We know almost nothing about them except that they seem to be intended to be a special squadron and they’re really cocky. But as soon as Asemu got that Double Bullet part, they were out of luck and jolly well fucked. Kind of a waste.    Overall, though, it was a good episode. A lot of good drama. I expect quite a bit of fallout in the next episode.     

Overall Score:

4 out of 5

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Gundam AGE Episode 23 Review

 Episode 23, "The Suspicious Colony"

  *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: Grodek Aiona is finally released from Federation military prison. After the defeat at the Big Ring, Zeheart hears the complaints of the ace Magicians Eight unit. The Diva arrives at the Solon City colony, with Flit accompanying them, to investigate the Techno Solon company.  While Milias speaks with a representative, Woolf goes undercover and discovers a hanger with Veigan mobile suits. Flit intends to launch mobile suits, but Asemu objects on the grounds that there could be civilian casualties. Flit orders a launch and they arrive just in time to save Milias and Woolf. However, the city is damaged in the battle. After a while, Asemu decides to go into action with the AGE-2 and takes down the enemy MS. The secret Veigan base self-destructs. Asemu is put in the brig for his actions. Flit meets with Grodek.      Comments:   It must really get on Milias’ nerves, having to take orders from Flit. I mean, he was just a little brat and now he’s utterly bypassed her in rank, for no good reason. Just because somebody’s a great pilot doesn’t necessarily mean they have what it takes to command. Did Flit just suddenly become command material after that battle with the Veigans years ago? If I were Milias I’d have quit the Federation in disgust. It’s bad enough they railroaded Grodek, but it seems like Flit only became a commander because he was a talented pilot. I haven’t seen anything that points in another direction.    Am I missing something here, or is the show trying to make us care about the redheaded guy and the girl with the glasses that works with Dique? Is this some sort of subplot that will lead to something relevant to the work as a whole? Because so far I’m not really getting into it. I really don’t care if redhead gets with glasses girl. You can tell, because I have no idea what the names of those characters are and I’m watching the show. They both just seem like flat, bland characters who the viewer is supposed to find cute because of their awkwardness. But I’ll give this a little time to see what blossoms.    Flit’s kind of a jerk. I don’t like his attitude. I know they’re at war with the Veigans but he seems pretty stringent. Grodek seemed to be a bit more flexible and had a warmer feel to him, even if he was out for revenge just like Flit. Though I have to admit, Flit was probably right to do what he did in this episode, and his reasoning was pretty sound. If they don’t act an even greater tragedy could occur. If Flit hadn’t ordered the MS deployment, it was very likely that Milias and Woolf would have been captured or killed. Asemu volunteered for the military, so his little tantrum was a bit hypocritical. Especially since he went out in the AGE-1 on his home colony a bunch of times and could have put civilians at risk.    I really like that the grunt suits are using Titus parts. I wonder if they’ll be using Spallow soon.    Oh, and Grodek is back! So Flit outranks him too, probably! Shit.    

Overall Score:

3.5 out of 5

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MG Banshee – Unboxing Impressions

 

I just wanted to take a quick minute to share my early impressions of the latest member of my MG Gundam Unicorn collection, the Master Grade Banshee. P.S. Be forewarned, it’s incredibly late after a long day at work and this article is probably full of incoherent sentences and half finished thoughts.

The kit itself appears to have been built off the MG Unicorn OVA version kit. I have to dive into it a bit more but it looks like it has the shorter leg pieces (to facilitate a tad more poseability) and the non-vulcan head (though the head pieces are different, apparently to facilitate the Banshee’s antlers. read more

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Gundam AGE Episode 22 Review

 Episode 22, "Big Ring Absolute Defense Line"

  *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: The battle for the Big Ring begins. The Diva launches and soon after, it’s mobile suit forces. The Veigan MS move forward too, and the battle begins. Flit commands maneuvers from the Big Ring. Asemu and Woolf engage X-Rouders in combat. Zeheart decides to go out to fight and Desil joins him. Asemu fights Zeheart while Woolf takes on Desil. They struggle until Flit appears in the AGE-1. Flit battles Desil, who wants revenge for his humiliation years earlier. Asemu continues to fight Zeheart. Back up arrives to support the father and son. Zeheart is frustrated that the Veigan troops are being pushed back and retreats with an uncooperative Desil. The Federation wins the day, but Asemu is upset at his father’s attitude.     Comments:   I see that Federation normal suits have not evolved in the passing years. They still look like weird pajamas. I guess if they work as-is, there’s no reason to change the design, but it just bothers me to look at them.    It’s interesting the dual roles that Flit plays in this episode. As a commander, he uses strategies to get the most out of troop deployment. You don’t see a lot of this in Gundam. Most of the time it’s some random combat with little order to it. I’m glad that, at least for a few moments, they’re going a little Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Of course, after those few moments, Flit takes off in the AGE-1 to be part of the fight. It’s neat to see Flit still pilots well, not having rusted at all over time, but it’s kind of stupid in some ways. Why did Flit become a commander if he’s just going to pilot a MS? Trying to do both is just ridiculous. Who does he think he is, Beecha Oleg?    All the jokes about Yurin being Flit’s true love and his marriage to Emily being a loveless marriage of convenience seem to have some stripe of validity. Here years later, he’s still thinking about her. I mean, okay, it’s natural to remember a tragedy in the past, but it feels like he gets a special jolt of rage, as if the wound was still fresh. It seems like Flit himself believes he was meant to be with Yurin and he’s never gotten over it. It’s an interesting element and look forward to seeing where (if anywhere) it goes.      Overall Score:

4 out of 5

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Gundam AGE Episode 21 Review

 Episode 21, "Phantoms in the Way"

      *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis: Asemu tries to distract himself from thoughts of Zeheart. The Diva docks at the EFF command center, the Big Ring. Flit tells the crew that they’re to help defend Big Ring from a Veigan attack. Asemu decides to take advanced piloting training. His grade for X-Rounder potential is a "D" so Woolf decides to cheer him up by taking him to see Madorna’s Workshop. Asemu meets Madorna’s son Rody who created a battle simulation machine. Asemu gets in and holds out for a few minutes against simulations of his father and Zeheart. He requests to try again. Both the Veigans and Federation prepare for the upcoming battle.      Comments:   So Flit really outranks Milias. Really? I mean, he certainly had a lot to do with the initial victory over the UE/Veigans, but you don’t make him a commander just because he was a great pilot. What kind of leadership skills does Flit have? Milias makes sense because she probably worked her way through the ranks the normal way. At what point did Flit bypass her? If I were Milias, I would be absolutely humiliated. I can see Flit outranking Woolf, and even that’s a little stretch, but fuck, Milias was second-in-command on the Diva, not Flit. Maybe she didn’t get promoted that much because she was loyal to Grodek.    Speaking of Flit, he’s a bit of an asshole. When Asemu is down, Flit says, "As long as you have my blood you’ll be fine." Yeah, thanks a lot, Dad. "As long as you have my blood" is such an arrogant thing to say.    Wouldn’t it be cool if Asemu really isn’t a X-Rounder? I mean, we see his "D" grade in X-Rounder perception, but I’m sure the story is going to go to him being one after all, just in a way that makes it difficult to measure out of combat. But it would be neat if he just became a really badass normal like Woolf and yet still takes down Zeheart.    Speaking of Zeheart, what is with Romary being so jealous that Flit got to see him again? He’s the enemy and instead of being concerned for Asemu, Romary wishes she can see Zeheart again. I guess she wanted Zeheart more than Asemu. But nah, they probably won’t go in that direction. That would be too interesting.     

Overall Score:

3.5 out of 5

 
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