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Three Episodes In – Last Exile – Fam, The Silver Wing

Last Exile – Fam, The Silver Wing is a sequel to the 2003 series Last Exile. Featuring Gonzo’s terrible CGI and Range Murata’s iconic character designs, the original went onto become beloved by many. Fam, The Silver Wing takes place after the original with a few direct ties. The synopsis from the Last Exile wiki, To the Sky…

Set as a sequel to the original Last Exile that aired in 2003, Last Exile -Fam, The Silver Wing- (ラストエグザイル～銀翼のファム～, Rasuto Eguzairu Ginyoku no Famu) is a story about great air battles with flying machines, powerful armies, and mysterious organizations. The main character is Fam Fan Fan, a fifteen-year-old girl who gets caught up in a war between two nations. Ades, the antagonist, wants the princess of Turan dead. With the help of Dio Eraclea, Fam and her friend Giselle Collette try to thwart the efforts of Ades.

So how does Fam look after three episodes?

It’s been a long while since I’ve watched the original Last Exile, Fam may be the catalyst that gets me to dust off the box set. One thing I remember is that the story wasn’t exactly the simplest things to follow. As I understand it, the series takes place on a giant space colony meant to house the inhabitants of Earth while it rejuvenates. Certain elements on the colony seek access to Exile, which turns out to be a large spaceship meant to ferry folks from this space colony back to Earth. Fam, as far as I can tell, takes place further in the future where Earth has once again become populated by those who left (and they’re at war with those who stayed). Up in the night sky they can see five crescent shaped moons, which are apparently other exiles, including the original (which is apparently still making round trips). read more

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Three Episodes In – Guilty Crown

I wanted to take some time to talk about the new anime series, Guilty Crown, whose third episode just aired in Japan. While this little review doesn’t contain much in the way of spoilers, I suppose it’s geared toward those who have already seen an episode or two. For those who haven’t, here’s the synopsis, straight from Wikipedia…

Guilty Crown’s setting begins in 2029 when an unidentified "Apocalypse Virus" spreads and plunges Japan into a state of emergency in an chaos known as the "Lost Christmas". An international organization known as the GHQ intervenes with martial law and restores order to Japan at the cost of its independence.
Ten years later in 2039, Shu Ouma, a 17-year-old high school student who keeps to himself in school, meets Inori Yuzuriha, the lead singer for Egoist, while visiting one of his favourite places on his way home from school. Shu is a big fan of Inori, a singer who has taken the Internet world by storm. However, he also discovers the other side of her, which is that she is a member of "Undertakers", a resistance group that aims to liberate Japan from the GHQ. Shu starts taking a part in the actions of "Undertakers" and the "king’s mark" appears on his right hand. This "mark" bestows on him the power to reach inside another person’s body and extract and materialize a weapon from it.

Watching the first couple episodes I felt that the show had a Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex feel to it, and no wonder. Guilty Crown is another beautiful looking series by Production I.G. Thus far the episodes have been featured incredibly detailed designs, most noticeably the backdrops. It’s almost oppressive and distracting in a sense. While Tiger & Bunny’s detailed backdrops faded into the background those in Guilty Crown seem to lack that same sort of depth.
Thought beautiful, the potential for overwhelming is not my main concern when it comes to the animation. Instead, it’s the sustainability. The third episode seems to show the structure crumble just a bit. Random shots here and there come off as pretty plain in comparison to highly detailed shots just few seconds prior. Maybe it’s just me, but I wonder how long it can last (Tiger & Bunny hasn’t left a good mark). read more

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Gundam AGE Episode 03 Review

 Episode  03, "The Twisted Colony"

    *****SPOILERS*****   Synopsis:  The crew of the Diva begin to tow the colony core filled with evacuated citizens while Flit takes on more UE mobile suits. While taking on the enemy, Flit notices Yurin’s strange abilities. When the core is pinned down, with no options left, Command Bruzar sacrifices himself to save the colonists. The final UE MS retreats. While the ship tows the colony core, a mysterious figure wakes up on board from cold sleep.    Comments:    As expected, the Nora colony is a goner, much in the same way Side 7 and Heliopolis. Well, they were creative in the saving of colonists, using the colony core. I had thought they would be doomed before the end of the episode, but it looks like they’re out of danger for the time being. The colony still exploded, though.    I’m sure this has come up before, but Yurin seems very similar to Tiffa in Gundam X. Sort of shy and a little detached seeming, and has special intuition. Tiffa is a Newtype, so maybe Yurin is one, too. The way he seems unafraid to take on the UE mobile suit, Flit seems to be taking after Garrod or Judau Ashta. The captain already dresses like Jamil Neate. Im guessing Yurin will be Flit’s love interest, but it’s a little early to call it. I still think Emily will be in the Friend Zone, or else end up with the chubby kid.    Flit has a history of looking to the Gundam as being a savior, and he was determined to protect the colonists. I think a bit more of his personality is emerging, but he still hasn’t quite stepped out of the shadows of the truly iconic Gundam characters. It feels like we’re only getting development as flashbacks, so instead of forward development, we’re given his past to add dimension to him. It’s working right now, but they’ll have to follow it up in the present situation, or he’ll remain just "okay" as a lead.    I liked the core towing idea used here. It was certainly the first of its kind in a Gundam show. Just when I was thinking there wouldn’t be much new. However, based on some rumored spoilers, I may end up disliking developments that are a little too creative for their own good.        Overall Score:   3.5 out of 5
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Some Thoughts On: Dragon Ball Kai (English Dub) Episodes 53-66

 

As Goku’s fight with Freeza wraps up and the coming of the Artificial Humans begins, the script accuracy begins to falter here and there. In episode 55, there’s a scene in which, in Japanese, Bulma wonders if Vegeta has ever worn the type of clothing they (she and other Earthlings) wear. In English, Bulma instead asks if it’s possible Vegeta would hold her and her friends hostage to get Goku to return from space. The change irks me for two reasons. One, that’s not what Bulma said in the Japanese version, or even close to it. And two, it doesn’t make any sense. Vegeta would have to know where Goku is to inform him that he’s taken his friends hostage, and she knows he doesn’t. The only way Goku would know is if he returned from space, which would negate his need to take hostages. Bulma isn’t stupid, and you would have to be to say something like she said in English. read more

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Batman: Year One Review

Batman: Year One
 

****SPOILERS*****

Synopsis: Billionare Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City after being gone for years. Meanwhile, Jim Gordon arrives in Gotham, becoming a police lieutenant in the corrupt force. Wayne trains himself to fight crime, donning a bat suit to strike fear in criminals. When Gordon is blackmailed for having an affair, he has to admit it to his wife. Mobsters and policemen alike try to take down the Batman, but he avails, and Wayne even saves Gordon’s son. Batman forms a bond with Gordon.
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MG Delta Plus – WIP Update 01

It’s been quite the while since I’ve posted anything Gunpla related around these parts. Part of that has been due the frustratingly slow progress on my MG Delta Plus.

I’ve been working on her since I finished up my review of the kit. The first bit of trouble was September. It rained for most of the month and whatever free time I did have wasn’t conducive to painting. Things picked up a bit recently but I ran into trouble on several of the parts. Initially I had intended to give this a WWII German inspired night bomber scheme. Black, gray, and a bit of yellow. While the general scheme is still going forward a large aspect, the camo, has been giving me nothing but trouble. Initially squiggly, the tests weren’t good enough and I figured I would go with sharp angles instead. Following some mighty frustrating paint issues I’m back at square one on a lot of parts. They’re getting sanded back down and primed for a new, solid coat. I’m probably going to use a slightly different shade on them as well to add another level to the project. It probably won’t be very noticeable on camera though. I still haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to proceed forward with my German theme as a whole, namely the decals I ordered. read more

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