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Last edited by Blak3 Nikos on Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:06 pm; edited 1 time in total

Originally posted August 2, 2018

Please note I watched the Blu-Ray Version.

What would happen if studio Sunrise and Chiaki J. Konaka (the writer for Serial Experiment Lain and Hellsing) decided to team up and create an anime that not only has action, mystery, and noir, but also mecha too (because that was one of the most popular genre during the time.) You get one of the most underrated anime that debuted in the late 90's: The Big O. The first time I've heard about this show was thanks to a certain anime reviewer Bennett The Sage and his show Anime Abandon. During the time I was watching the review I was quickly drawn in by the amazing stuff that happen in there. I got so excited and curious that I decided to watch all the episodes myself in order to determine if it was any good or not. I remember loving and enjoying every good moment that this show had to provide and thought that this was amazing. I also remember the garbage review that I made for it as well; including that stupid inappropriate joke that I put in the beginning of my review (it was a sort of subtle orgasm joke. I was 18 at the time.) But hey this is why the revamp reviews exist. To fix the mistakes I made in the past and make them better now. So grab your popcorn, soda, or whatever food or drink you can find and enjoy my real and better review of the Big O (minus the ridiculous sex puns.)

" Paradigm City is a place without a past. 40 years ago, something happened that wiped the memories of everyone in it. Unfortunately, the people of Paradigm City were very busy before then, making Megadueses(giant robots) and monsters. People who were born after the memory wipe are gaining/recovering memories of the past and using them to build newer threats. Roger Smith keeps Paradigm City safe with the help of The Big O (a faithful giant robot), his butler Norman and the android Dorothy, Roger keeps Paradigm City safe. As problems mount and more memories surface, Roger's past and Paradigm's future begin to become suspect... " (Info by Anime News Network)

After revisiting the series I realized that this anime was just pretty good. It may not be a 10 or 11/10 good and may have some flaws (to which I'll talk about later) I still believe it's definitely worth the watch and pay. It feels like both Batman, James Bond, and sort of Cowboy Bebop gave a birth to a baby and decided to call it The Big O. But even though it shares some influence from those franchises and a few others (mainly talking about the mecha part.) It does a great job of showing and reminding the audience who watch this that even though it maybe inspired by some or less notable media's. It still going to have faith in and stick to their own original ideas. That something that I still wish Darling In The Franxx could've done, but sadly (if you read my review on it) they didn't.

One of the things that I liked about this anime would have to be the style. Big O has two different styles that help make the show enthralling. On one hand it's sometimes a pretty cool and fun show with some good action scenes and on the other it has and intriguing storyplot with a lot of mysteries behind it and you hope that all of them will get solved in the end. The anime also does a good job of keeping both of them balance so that way the audience won't feel confused by what the show wants to be and still stay invested with what happens next.

The second would have to be the the past. Not only does it a play a vital key role, but it also has to do with the 2 main themes behind the series. Which is 1. Remembering the past is important so that way we won't have to repeat what had happen in the future and 2. Reflecting is good, but don't reflect too much or else you'll lead a sad and miserable life. I have never watched an anime that uses the theme past as both a positive and negative lesson until I watched Big O. An I gotta say, they did a good job presenting it and showing some examples of what their trying to teach (and for those who feel like it's going to be preachy or that it 's going to ham-fist the message down your throat, don't worry it doesn't.)

The third is relationship between Roger and Angel. In season one whenever the two of them are together it just felt like a Batman and Catwoman encounter, but ever since season 2 that feeling has change. It becomes more original, nice, beautiful, and genuine. Whenever the two of them are alone in a specific area, they always give off a wonderful chemistry that makes me feel happy for them and hope that nothing bad ever happens to them or their precious moments (majority of the time they don't.) An you know I'm actually glad Angel had those moments and some character development. Because through out the 1st and a little bit of the 2nd not only did she felt like a Catwoman clone, but Fujiko and Faye one as well.

One of my favorite characters in this show would have to be R. Dorothy Wayneright. She's a pretty cool android that has super speed, strength, agility, does a good job of assisting Norman around the house, and is superb at the piano. In the beginning of the series she started having both no emotion and some, but ever since she spend time with Norman and Roger (especially Roger) her emotions started to slowly expand to the point where not only did she understood how humans felt, but she also began to have some feelings toward Roger himself. Even though she has a hard time to expressing them she always does her best to show Roger how she truly feels about him (on a unrelated note: she's also capable of having a sense of humor as well.) In summery Dorothy to me is one of the most important characters in this show. Without her this anime would definitely wouldn't be the same.

The other few things that I liked about this show would have to be the characters (aside from Alex Rosewater (I will explain later) the rest of the characters were alright.) The music ( was very enjoyable to listened to, but my number 1 favorite song on there would have to be the Roger The Negotiator theme. Whenever I hear that tune play I always feel relax, at peace, and good. It also fits perfectly whenever he's driving to his next job or when he's by himself.) The voice acting (the English VO's did a excellent job with playing their assign roles especially Steven Blum and Wendee Lee. I'm really glad the English casting got these 2 to play as Roger and Angel. Not just because their perfect to play as them, but because the 2 of them have a certain spark and voice that helps any character be seen as notable, recognizable, and maybe likable.) An the artwork/animation (I really like it. I admire the artist and animators for going for a batman/anime type of artstyle. I also like some of the improvements they made in season 2, so that way it can fit in the early times of the 2000's. In addition I also like some of the interesting details that they put in there as well. From that one moment when Roger was looking at the blinds to the gloss and shine of he's car whenever he's driving fast.)

The Downsides:
1. (Episode 3) When Roger arrives at Electric City he is surround by a group of residents that live there. Instead of questioning why he's here or tell him to leave, they instead let Roger rome around the town (by the way when Roger and the townspeople 1st interact, the scene was cut short for some random reason. I don't understand why the director would do something like that. He or the writer could've add something to that scene, but sadly they didn't)

2. (Episode 3) I feel there should've been more interactions with the old man and Roger. Like have them both try to get along with one another and maybe have some fun or clever scenes together (no I'm not trying to ship them.) I'm just saying these could've helped episode 3 be a lot more interesting (it's still an alright episode, but this is just one of the good things that's it's missing.)

3. (Episode 16) I feel like Roger's conversation with Jim (the owner of an old rundown hotel) ended in a inappropriate way (it looked liked he left after Jim got upset about living in unstable and terrible home.) If the conversation kept going until there was a resolution, then I wouldn't have a problem with their talk in the 1st place.

4. (Episode 16) How did Roger get inside Big O? The megadeus was outside in the city and he was inside of Alex Rosewater's HQ (the main antigonist.) There is no way he is that fast to get from Alex's HQ to where Big O is at, so how?

5. (Episode 20 and 21) for some weird reason Dorothy wasn't acting like her usual self. When she was going up against Alan Gabriel (a spy for the Union) she didn't really do much. She pretty much let Alan take the upper hand against her. At 1st I thought her systems got hacked or maybe she was feeling afraid of him, but she didn't show any signs or hints of both.

6. Alex Rosewater. Ever since season 2 Alex went from a clever and smart villain to a manbaby that was greedy for power and control. Don't get me wrong he still has some smarts, but he's not as clever as the anime originally depicts him. Which is disappointing because imagine if he didn't have that manbaby side to him, he would've been a more better and respectable villain.

7. Episode 20-24. To me those episodes weren't that great in my opinion. It feels like they were lacking something important that would've made them good or likable. I may not know what they are, but I bet it would've help make this episodes more enjoyable.

In conclusion like I said before this show may not be a 10 or 11/10 worthy, but I'm still grateful that I bought and watch this show again. It has a pretty intriguing storyplot, some alright characters, enjoyable music, excellent VO's, a fascinating twist, and a pretty cool artwork/animation. If your a fan of Batman, noir, and mecha than I really recommend you give this one a try. I'm giving Big O a 8.8/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted August 7, 2018

OOOh boy ladies and gentlemen this topic is going to be something. Why you may probably ask. Because today I'm going to be reviewing something SAO related. Oh SAO, I really don't like this show. The reason why is because it sucks. After season 1 the show decided to go on a different direction (and look there's nothing wrong with a popular show doing that. As long it's good and likable, there won't be any problems.) But the direction that Sword Art decided to take was very much the opposite of good. A few prime examples would be that 1. Kirito is now an OP main protagonist (and not even a likable one.) 2. The show decided to start doing this harem thing with him as well. One of the girls in his little harem is his cousin (It's not even the good kind of incest.) 3. Season 2 in general (I'm not going to go in full details because 1. I would be spoiling everything to anyone who hasn't seen season 2 and 2. I don't want to make this intro too long. So I will give you 3 prime examples of why I didn't like this season. A. The main antagonist of the 1st arc is some edgy loser that goes by the nickname Death Gun (that's also the name of his gun too, how cute.) B. One of the new characters in that season is playing GGO even though she has PTSD. C. Asuna was a complete idiot and a terrible daughter in season 2.)

And I know what some of you are probably going to say. "Well Blake if that's the case then why in the world are watching this show?" Elementary my dear reader, 1. This is a spin-off show. Which mean the main characters and their current storyline have nothing to do with this show's storyline/plot. 2. I heard some positive things about this anime, especially from some people who hated SAO. So as usually I got curious and decided to check this spin-off out. And was it any good? Well let's find out, here is my review of SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online.

" Karen Kohiruimaki is a 183-centimeter-tall (6-foot-tall) college student who's insecure her height, and is bad at dealing with people in the real world. She enters the world of Gun Gale Online with her avatar, Llenn, who is less than 150 centimeters (5 feet) tall and wears all pink. She meets a beautiful, brown-skinned female player who goes by Pitohui. They hit it off, but one day Pitohui pressures her to participate in "Squad Jam," a team Battle Royale variation of the Bullet of Bullets tournament." (Info by Anime News Network)

This spin-off was both fine and good. Even though it had some stupid and lazy moments, I thought that it was alright in the end. On one hand I'm shocked because I thought I would never see anything positive from SAO ever again, glad this anime tried it's best to prove me wrong. But on the other hand it's not too surprising considering the fact that the main writer for this anime is non other than Yosuke Kuroda. If you don't know who he is or need a refresher course on what this guy is notable for, then allow to explain (he is the main writer for notable shows like Drifters, Excel Saga, High School Of The Dead, Jormungand, Hellsing Ultimate (Episodes 1,3,6, and 7), and is currently (and has been since the 1st season) the head writer for Boku No Hero Academia.) And I got say he and the rest of the people who worked on this show did a pretty good job of making this show likable. I wish they would've try a little bit better, but you know what the show is already over and I'll just take what I can get from this anime.

One of things that I like about Alternative is the world of GGO. I like how the makers expand a little bit of the world. Instead of just doing Bullets of Bullets like what Kirito and Sinon did in season 2. You can also fight dangerous creatures and other users in a desert land or you can participate in a Squad Jam match ( a 2 to 6 team free for all tournament were each team fights each other to claim first place and get a special random prize.) There's also a main difference between Squad Jam and BoB (I'm only going to tell you 4 of them.) 1. Only 2-6 teams can participate and have to sign up before the day of the tournament starts. 2. You can communicate with others, but you cannot talk to any dead players or anyone outside of the field. 3. The satellite scan (which helps you track other players, but in this game it only tracks the leaders) only takes 10 minutes to update you were your at or where your enemies are hiding. ) 4. Once someone is dead their bodies will stay in the battlefield for 10 minutes (You can also use their bodies as shields to protect you from getting hurt as well.)

However there's one rule that I really don't like, which is this. If a team leaders resigns, than their team has to do the same. That both sucks and doesn't seem fair at all. What if the rest or some of the team wanted to keep playing? Couldn't someone else take over as leader (bonus note: By the way the only time the game will allow another team member be leader is if the previous leader was shot dead.)

The 2nd would have to be the team of Llenn and M (Pito's friend). The first time when I saw these two in action I thought that the both of them made a great team. With M's geographic memory, being an excellent strategist, and his knowledge of guns and knowing how to use them (he also doesn't need a bullet line to aim at his opponents) and with Llenn's luck and expertise at fighting up close and personal. The two of them make an unstoppable partnership. Even though it was temporary, I still appreciate seeing both of them cooperate as a unit.

The third would have to be my number 1 favorite character on this show Pito (the character not her IRL self.) When I first saw Pito I didn't really think much about her nor did I care. I also didn't care about the things that the other characters were saying about her either because I didn't believe till I saw it (they talked about how crazy and insane she is in the game.) But when I got to episode 9 to 12 I started to believe in what they said about her. Not only is she insane, but she's also relentless, brutal, sometimes shows mercy, and takes any advantage (except for this one time) and does whatever she can to kill her opponents. A prime example of how dangerous she can be is this one time in episode 10 and a little bit of 11 (spoilers): when she easily took down a pro team that was surrounding a room that she was hiding in. She shot every body part of this one guy with one shot, she sliced a different guy's torso from his legs with a red lasersword like she was Kylo Ren, she used a gun that not only blast a hole in the wall she was hiding in but some of her enemies as well, and lastly she used her lasersword to put a hole in in her last two enemies's heads.

The last few things that I liked about this show was the storyline (it was ok, even though it has some flaws.) The characters ( some were alright, the rest I didn't give a crap about.) The action scenes (not only do I consider this to be one of the good/best parts of GGO, but also thought it was pretty cool. The battle scenes sometimes go from normal to pretty intense. Either way I had a good time watching them.) And lastly the artwork/animation (It was both beautiful and clean. I really like the details of the bullets (whenever you see them up close that is.)

Another non surprising thing that I found out about this anime is that they have some flaws. Thankful, but sadly there were only a few.

1. Episode 1-3 felt a bit quick. I understand that this spin-off last for about 12 episodes, but that doesn’t excuse the people who were working on this to rush everything that happens in those episodes.

2. (Episode 7) One of the guys that’s participating in SJ2 explains who Pito (the character not the one in real life) is and why she’s so insane. Here’s the thing, just like what I said in my FLCL season 2 review I don’t appreciate other characters explaining to me who or why a certain character is the way they are currently. He could’ve explain it in a more subtle way and I could’ve figured out the rest by watching and following Pito while she was in battle. In summary the anime should’ve showed instead of telling.

3. (Episode 5) after playing one game of Squad Jam, Karen decides to abandon her height complex and get a new haircut. Look it’s nice that she got over her complex, but I feel like this was a quick, stupid, and short way of getting over it. Maybe if this problem was resolved at the last episode with both Pito and Llenn solving both of their issues together, then I wouldn’t be talking about this problem in the 1st place.

4. The show never explains why Pito is such a suicidal person in real life. Considering the fact that it was suppose to be build up to be an important plot. I'm shocked and upset that they never gave a good explanation as of why Pito IRL likes putting her life on the line. To any future show creators take note, if your going to have a character that does something ridiculous. You better have a good explanation as of why their like this and if you can't, then make the character so likable that the audience wouldn't careless why he or she does these specific things, but just want to see more scenes of their favorite character (if it can work for Hellsing, then it can work for any show. But only if you play your cards right.)

In conclusion even though this spin-off could've been a little more better than how it is now, I still like it. It has an ok storyline, some alright characters and one cool character, very cool action scenes, the expansion of the world GGO is kind of interesting, and a beautiful and clean artwork/animation. If your one of the some that doesn't like the current state of SAO, then I think you might like this one. Maybe not who knows, but only you. To those that still like SAO despite the flaws and love the world of GGO, then I recommend you give this one a look. With that said I'm giving SAO Alternative: Gun Gale Online a 7.9/10. Let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted August 14, 2018

Humans and machines in anime. There are some difference, but there are also some similarities to us as well. 4 Anime's that I can think of that do an excellent job discussing this type of topic would have to be Ghost In The Shell, Armitage III, The Big O, and Ergo Proxy. When I look at these 4 medias not only do I see a bunch of great anime's, but I also see many directors and writers give their own interpretation of a machine learning and understanding what it's like to be human. Lately these days you don't see a lot of those anime's anymore mostly because a lot of people are into different things. And even if there were it's probably because they weren't even good enough to be recognizable. But there seems to be a certain 2018 anime that is so popular and not only wants to join the elite 4, but it also does something completely different. The show that I'm talking about is called Violet Evergarden.

"The story revolves around Auto Memory Dolls (自動手記人形 Jidō Shuki Ningyō): people initially employed by a scientist named Dr. Orland to assist his blind wife Mollie in writing her novels, and later rented out to other people who needed their services. In the present time, the term refers to the industry of writing for others. The story follows Violet Evergarden's journey of reintegrating back into society after the war is over and her search for her life's purpose now that she is no longer a soldier." (info by wiki)

Violet Evergarden is truly a wonderful coming of age story. It can pretty much be described as an emotional roller coaster. Where majority of the feels/tone is heartwarming and heart crushing. After watching all 13 episodes I can definitely see why so many people enjoy this show and why Netflix bought the rights to stream it on their platform (they made a good call.) I'm really glad I decided to get curious again and check this show out. I also want to give a lot of respect and appreciation to the staff that work so hard on this show. They both did a magnificent job with making this show look great (to which I'll talk more on that later) and pushing the right buttons, especially episode 7 (I can't say why, but all I can say is this. No matter how hard I try to hold it in, the waterworks found a way to come out.)

One of the things that I love about this anime would have to be the artwork/animation. The both them looked fantastic and amazing. The effort and details that the animators put into the characters, visuals, area, and background are worth giving major props and praise. One of my favorite animation moments from this show would have to be this one part in episode one where the anchor drops down to the ocean and you see water splashing. When I was looking at the splash it blew my freakin mind because it looked so real to me. Like I was seeing real life water being splashed. Not only does this prove that animation in Japan is getting better, but there could probably (hence the word probably) be a chance were they can take it to a different level that makes their designs look too realistic. On one hand that sounds kind of scary, but on the other sounds very interesting and I would love to see that happen one day.

The second thing would have to be the show's main protagonist. Violet to me is a beautiful, cute, elegant, very smart/skilled, caring, and capable woman that can pretty much adapt to any environment and is able to do any task that she is given. But she's not that perfect. In the beginning of the series she had a hard time understanding human emotions and didn't know how to type up the right appropriate emotional letters. But later on she fixed those flaws by listening and understanding the stories from the clients that she worked with (I appreciate that the anime took it's time with showing her process.) I also feel sorry for the terrible struggles she had to deal with through out the series. I'm just glad she was able to resolve them all in the end. In summary (for this part) Violet is truly a remarkable lady (I would even consider her to be one of my favorite anime characters of all time.)

The last few would have to be the storyline (it was really good, had a good time following the series to the very end.) The characters (in my opinion they were pretty appealing in their own way.) The music (was both soft, melodic, and sometimes maleficent.) An the English voice actors (All them did an awesome job with their performance especially Erika Harlacher (the voice of Violet.)

Unfortunately there were 3 problems that I really didn't enjoy from this show.

1. (Episode 1) during the time when Bennett (one of Claudia’s workers) was giving Claudia some lip (being rude.) Claudia (the president of CH Postal Company and former Lieutenant) randomly transports behind him and wacks him in the head (he was originally standing across from where Ben was at.)

2. Now as much as I enjoy watching heart crushing moments, I don't appreciate the fact that all of the episodes had that same tone (there were different tones aside from that, but you got remember what I said in the 3rd paragraph.) I understand what the show's creators is trying to do, but it feels like their trying too hard to get anyone who watches this show to always have the feels. An there's nothing wrong with making your audience cry, but if your going to do a sad episode then only do a few (3 or less is good) and make sure to show them at the right time and at the right moment. Bonus note: I didn't hate those episodes just the over used heart crushing tones that was always in them.

3. (Episode 13) I can't tell you what happens in this episode because that is a major spoiler. But the only thing I can say is that I hate that ending. If you seen this show then you know what I'm talking about.

In conclusion even though I had some problems with this show especially 2 and 3, I still consider Violet Evergarden one of the best anime's that has debuted in 2018 and a contender for anime of the year. It has a really good storyline, appealing characters, beautiful music, a fantastic and amazing artwork, great English VO's and a remarkable main protagonist. If your looking for another wonderful romantic and heartfelt anime to watch. Then look no further than this lovely piece of work. I'm giving Violet Evergarden a 9.5/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted August 23, 2018

Through out many years Japanese Animation Studios have made a lot of popular shows based on inhuman creatures. Prime examples such as hybrids, aliens, demons, vampires, machines, zombies, and etc. But one of the creatures that they have never used was of course a ghoul. However that all changed during the middle of summer 2014 when a certain ongoing series debuted. That series was name Tokyo Ghoul.

" Tokyo has become a cruel and merciless city—a place where vicious creatures called “ghouls” exist alongside humans. The citizens of this once great metropolis live in constant fear of these bloodthirsty savages and their thirst for human flesh. However, the greatest threat these ghouls pose is their dangerous ability to masquerade as humans and blend in with society.

Based on the best-selling supernatural horror manga by Sui Ishida, Tokyo Ghoul follows Ken Kaneki, a shy, bookish college student, who is instantly drawn to Rize Kamishiro, an avid reader like himself. However, Rize is not exactly who she seems, and this unfortunate meeting pushes Kaneki into the dark depths of the ghouls' inhuman world. In a twist of fate, Kaneki is saved by the enigmatic waitress Touka Kirishima, and thus begins his new, secret life as a half-ghoul/half-human who must find a way to integrate into both societies." (Info by My Anime List)

Tokyo Ghoul in my opinion is both a dark, strange, beautiful, and above all a really good show. Even though some parts in √A was pretty stale and bland and that one specific fight that was suppose to happen in the last episode of √A was sadly cut out. It made up for all that with some nice, sweet, and genuine moments and that big epic fight that lasted between episode 9-11. I'm really enjoying following this series so far and Kaneki's journey as half ghoul/half human. Also the show does a way better job at doing the whole "not every abnormal person is evil" theme than Crybaby every did. Don't get me wrong that anime had a good message, but the way how they executed it was extremely forced (in other words they hamfisted the message to the max.)

One of things that I love about this show would have to be the ghouls themselves. Not only do I find these creatures fascinating, but the info that you slowly learn about them is really interesting as well. In both parts you get to learn their strengths and weakness, what they can or can't eat or drink, how they blend in society, the type of kagunes each ghoul has and what they can do , and you also get to learn some info about the famous one eye ghoul creatures as well (If you want my advice, it's best to keep an eye out them. They play an important part through out the series.)

The second thing would have to be one of my favorite characters in this series, Kaneki Ken. Not only is smart, has a good heart, and is a very strong/skilled fighter (even though he still has a lot to learn.) He's still one of the most tragic characters in anime history. (Spoilers) in part 1 he goes through a lot of struggles with transitioning into the world of the ghouls and accepting he's half ghoul self. An in part 2 even when he final accepts both he'll later on have to make some tough choices which will eventually lead to some bad consequences. In summary fate has been a cruel and sicken mistress toward dear old Ken and sadly she's not done with him yet.

The rest would have to be the storyline (aside from some of the flaws I'm going to be talking about later, it was actually pretty good.) The characters (Most of them were compelling, while some of them were both intriguing and fun to watch.) The music (was both lovely and perfect to listen. They definitely go well with whatever mood this show will be in. Whether it's a good moment, a messed up moment, or a sad moment. But my favorite one would have to be TG's 1st ending theme (Saints), that song kicked butt. The great vocals and the awesome rhythm the guitar gives out was not only perfect, but was definitely the MVM (most valuable music) of the OST. My only complaint is that only appeared in part 1. I really wished it would've appeared at the last episode of √A in the end credits one more time.) An lastly the artwork/animation (It was both well done and amazing. One of the 2 things that I liked from it would have to the weird facial expressions that some of the characters gave in part 1. You can definitely tell how much effort and fun the workers had while making them. The 2nd would have to be the many Kagunes that you see in part 1 and 2. The design and color of them look gorgeous and impressive that it kind of makes me wish I had my own Kagune (But we all know that will never.)

The downsides (I'm not going to repeat the 2 I said earlier, I'm only going to give you the rest):

1. (Episode 1) After getting flinged toward a construction site wall. Kaneki gets up and tries to limp away from where Rize is at. Here’s the problem I have with this. There is no way Kaneki would be able to limp away or be conscious after getting thrown that fast and hard through a construction site wall unless he was a ghoul himself (but at this moment he wasn’t.)

2. (Episode 5) instead of showing the full fight scene between Kaneki and these group of thugs that was beating up Nishiki (a fellow ghoul that goes to the same college Ken goes to.) The anime decides to skip it and cuts to a scene where Kaneki takes Nishiki home.

3. (Episode 2) (this happen during the beginning) For some particular reason Kaneki decides to have a flashback to the time when he and Hide (his best friend) where having the same conversation (but different) that they were having now. This is completely unnecessary and has nothing to do with the main plot for part 1. Which is Kaneki slowly transitioning into the world of the Ghouls. I understand that this show is try to tell me that him and Hide go way back and have a brother type relationship, but there are better ways of showing that. A random moment isn’t one of them.

4. (Episode 11-12) For some unknown reason the anime decides to censor most of Kaneki’s torture scenes. Which is very hypocritical to the people who made this show considering the fact that in earlier episodes they had no problem showing gore, nudity, broken bones, blood or people getting stabbed.

In conclusion Tokyo Ghoul and √A is still worth checking out in my opinion. It has a pretty good storyline, some compelling and some intriguing and fun characters, lovely and perfect music (including the awesome Saints song), and a well done and an amazing artwork/animation. If your a ghoul fan and you want find a great anime that does them justice and more, then you should definitely give TG a look, I also recommend you read the manga version, because it goes into more detail than the show ever did (the show gave plenty, but not enough like the manga did.) With that said I'm giving Tokyo Ghoul and √A a 9/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted August 27, 2018

Oh Japan. While it's no doubt that their one of the best countries on planet Earth. That doesn't mean they don't have to deal with any negatives. A few prime examples of stuff that they have to deal with would have to be Tsunamis, Earthquakes, Overworking, Suicide, and sometimes their treated like a test site for whenever North Korea wanted to practice on sending nuclear missiles to various countries. But what if they lived in alternate universe where the main threat that they had to deal with the most where dangerous people who were from their own country?

"In an alternate iteration of the present, Tokyo has been hit by a terrorist attack that has devastated the city. The only evidence of the culprits is a cryptic video uploaded to the Internet, which sparks paranoia across Japan. Unbeknownst to the authorities is that the terrorist masterminds—who call themselves "Sphinx" (スピンクス Supinkusu)—are two teenaged boys who go by the names Nine and Twelve. Though they apparently should not exist, they have nonetheless decided to "wake up the world" with their heinous plans of destruction, with their fingers on the trigger." (info by wiki)

Terror In Resonance without a shadow of a doubt was a pretty interesting anime to watch. Shinichiro Watanabe has definitely hit another one out of the park. And Yoko Kanno has once again proved why she is a boss when it comes to making music. But then again it shouldn't be surprising. Because whenever these 2 work together, you know your going to get something good from them. The show that they and the rest of the TIR production team worked did a good job with keeping me (the viewer) engaged with what was going on in the story. And has kept me guessing with what Sphinx's true motives was.

One of things that I liked about the show would have to be the cat and mouse game. It's been a long time since I watched a good anime that used this type of concept. The latest one that has ever done that was Death Note. But there are some major difference between Terror In Resonance and that show. One of them would have to be the third genius that gets involved and messes with the good guys and bad guys plans. I actually like this idea. Not just because it's one of the differences between TIR and Death Note, but it helps make the feud between the good genius and the bad geniuses even more intriguing than it already was.

There are two characters that I liked from this show the most. And that would be Sphinx themselves. Even though the actions that they have committed are bad and unforgivable, but I will admit they are very smart duo. Their able to create specific types of bombs that helps them out with their plans, create challenging puzzles for the police to solve, and their good at leaving no traces of who or where they are. And if they did leave some evidence 1. They usually leave a calling card and 2. The evidence that they usually leave behind is so useless that the police wouldn't be able to use it to help solve their Sphinx case.

Also when you get to know them a little bit more, their actually not that bad. Their just nice guys that lived a bad life and just want to send a good message to not only Japan, but the world too. They know that what their doing is wrong, but this is something that feel like they need to do. As long as the message that they want to send goes out, then their okay with committing a crime that will get them arrested (as long as no dies that is.)

The last few would have to be the storyline (I thought it was really good. I also liked the inspiring theme behind the show as well. It's something that everyone around the world needs to hear. ) The characters (three of them were alright, the rest no offense were not that much to talk about.) The music (was absolutely great. There are times when the show will play graceful and riveting songs and then there are times when it can play cool and dark ones as well. My favorite one would have to be this one song that plays in Nine's flashback. I don't know what it's called, but I consider it as one of my favorite songs from this anime. Whenever you hear that sick guitar play you will instantly know that your going to see a dark scene.) And the artwork/animation (aside from the 3D CGI parts (because this was during the time Japanese studios sucked at making those) it was well made. My favorite part would have to be the times whenever they show a female character up close (before you say anything let me explain.) When your seeing them at a regular distance they look fine, but when you look at their faces closely, they look very pretty. I don't mean to come off as creep (I guarantee you I'm not), but if you were to watch this yourself, you will understand where I'm coming from.

So you know how some great directors will have their off days. Well Shinichiro just had one with this show. Thankfully it wasn't a lot.

1. (Episode 1) During the time the power was out, Kenjiro and Mukasa (the 2 office guys that you see in the beginning of this episode) rewatched this certain YouTube video in order to confirm their suspension of why the power went off. Here is the thing. Considering the fact that the power/tower is shut down in their area that means they can’t use any of their phones to watch that video they saw earlier.
2. (Episode 2) Twelve tells Lisa that if she went behind his or nine’s back he would kill her. And he said this during the time they were outside with a group of people. The very fact that no one heard him say that is pretty baffling.
3. (Episode 5) While Nine was trying to get some random girl off the train that he and Twelve set a bomb in. The bomb explodes. After the explosion you found out that Nine and the rest of the people that were there survived. That is a load of bull. There is no way they could’ve survived that.
4. (Episode 12) I can't reveal what happens in this episode, but I will say this. It’s something that Nine shouldn’t be able to do.

In conclusion TIR (despite it's flaws) was still a pretty interesting anime to watch. The storyline was really good, the theme was very inspiring, some of the characters were alright, the rest (again) were eh, the music was absolutely great especially the flashback song, and the artwork/animation (aside from the 3D CGI) was well made. If your a fan of Shinichiro and Yoko's work and are fan of mystery thriller anime's then I really recommend you check this one out. I'm giving Terror In Resonance or Terror Of The Echo a 9/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Bonus note: Even though some of the Japanese voice actors's English speaking is sometimes good and off. I still enjoy hearing them talk in our language sometimes.

Last edited by Blak3 Nikos on Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:05 pm; edited 1 time in total

Originally posted September 6, 2018

Please note I watched the Blu-Ray Version.

Greetings readers and welcome to technically Revamp Review Month. During the whole month of September I'm going to be re-reviewing 3 specific anime's that I already reviewed back in 2015. And if you followed me since the beginning you know that most of my 2015 reviews are both very bad and not very appealing to look at. But I bet many of you are probably wondering why I call this "technically Revamp Review Month." Well that's because next week I'm going to be reviewing an anime that I both haven't finished nor have I reviewed it yet (and I really can't wait to get started on it.) But for now let's focus on this weeks anime, which is about a young, crazy, and mostly happy go lucky arms dealer and a child solider (who works for the arms dealer) who hates arm dealers and weapons. What a wonderful combination.

"Brought up in a conflict-ridden environment, child soldier Jonathan "Jonah" Mar hates weapons and those who deal them. But when Koko Hekmatyar, an international arms dealer, takes on Jonah as one of her bodyguards, he has little choice but to take up arms. Along with Koko's other bodyguards, composed mostly of former special-ops soldiers, Jonah is now tasked with protecting Koko and her overly idealistic goal of world peace from the countless dangers that come from her line of work." (Info by My Anime List)

Jormungand is truly a treasure to watch. To me it's one of the most underrated 2010s anime's I have ever seen (I know it was popular during the time it was out, but lately these days if you ever ask someone what their favorite anime was. Jormungand would be the least mention.) It's kind of like Black Lagoon, but with a little light tone to it. Plus just like Gangsta, it majorly relies it's own formula and sticks with it. It's also one of the few non-stop fun/entertainment anime's that not only keeps you invested and leave a smile on your face, but it could persuade you to watch it again and again whenever your in the mood.

One of things that I like about this anime would have to be the main characters themselves. Let's start off with Koko Hekmatyar first. Like I said before in the beginning (but with more info this time) she's a young, crazy, and mostly happy go lucky arms dealer, who can be pretty funny when she wants to be, a master strategist, and a very intelligent person who always has a smile on her face wherever she goes. She's also a really cool boss to her team and treats them like they were her own beloved family. She always supports, loves, and help them however she can (a prime example is that she found out that Jonah was lacking on education, so she and her team decided to help him out from time to time.) She also deeply cares about them as well. If anything bad were to happen to them (especially Jonah), she would make sure to payback the people who hurt or kill them tenfold. In summary Koko is one of the best anime bosses out there. If she was a real person I would definitely be friends with her.

Bonus note: Another interesting info about Koko is that you never know what her true intentions or ulterior motive is. She always keeps it under lock and key until you reach the final arc. But while your in the beginning and middle arc your left confused and suspicious on what she's up to and does she know the risk that will come with her secret plan.

The second would have to be Koko's Bodyguards. Lehm, Wiley, Valmet, Tojo, Mao, Lutz, Ugo, and R. These guys are one of the best side characters in anime history (right next them would have to be the cast of My Hero and Attack On Titan.) I really enjoy watching them through out the series, following them with their side stories, and getting to know them down to a personal level. I also love the relationship and chemistry that they have with their boss and each other and that they have a good sense of humor. One of my favorites would have to be Sofia Valmer aka Valmet. I like how on one hand whenever she's in a battle she takes it very seriously and is a superb fighter, but on the other if she's around Koko she starts to act like a lovestruck over protective dog (who once took advantage of her when she was drunk. And to those who ask no you don't get to see if she succeed or not. Your going to have to use your imag-i-nation (Hardy Boyz reference.) She's also a very good combat teacher to those who need it.

Bonus Note 2: Another thing that I love is that artists let Val have a very strong and well tone body. Not only does it definitely fit for her character, but she also looks hot with it. Usually some anime artist would stay away from that body type because half or some of the people who love anime are not for that type of female. But I'm glad they did it anyway, so props to them.

The third would have to be Jonathan "Jonah" Mar. This kid is one of the best fictional child solider characters I have ever seen (right next to Tanya of course.) You give him a kill order and he'll make sure to execute it quickly as soon as possible. He may act like a serious kid all the time, but thanks to Koko she not only slowly take away he's hatred for arms dealers and weapons, but she also helped him act like his own age (and to those who ask "if he hates arms dealers and weapons so much why doesn't he just quit?" Simple, he doesn't have a choice. If he did quit he would be going behind a certain person's back. Another reason is that no person could never escape from violence. One way or another your going to have to deal with someone dangerous in your life. And your going to have to defend yourself no matter what the cost is.) Whenever you see him acting like a kid or having a sense of humor you hope that those feelings never go away for him.

The last few things would have to be the storyline ( It was fantastic to watch from start to finish. I really enjoyed following both Jonah and Koko's story and their little brother/older sister relationship (at least I think that's the type of relationship they have.) The rest of the characters (they were both great and memorable. I'm glad this show gave majority of them interesting personalities that makes them likable to anyone who watches this show.) The music score (was actually pretty cool. I love the different types of genres the Jormungand crew played through out the anime (some of it was hip-hop/rap, electronic, orchestra, and native music.) One of my favorites would have to be Time To Attack. To some people who have or will probably watch this would probably see this as one of the most overused song through out series. And to an extent their right, but to me I really love this song too much to hate it. It has a good lyrics and a great rhythm to going along with the artist words. In short I can acknowledge that it's been used way too much and should be used at the right time and moment, but at the same time I find it way to addicting to listen.

The action scenes ( can be described in the 3 words; bloody, brutal, and nasty. Most of the show's characters show no mercy to anyone that stands in there and will do anything in their power to achieve their goal.) The English VO's (all of them have done a splendid job voicing their assign roles including Anastasia Munoz the voice of Koko. You can definitely tell by the tone of her voice that she really enjoyed voicing this character, she probably would even consider her to be one of her favorites.) And last, but certainly not least the artwork/animation (both were very nice and lovely. There are 2 main things that I liked from it. One would have to be Koko's raccoon eyes. Whenever she gets frustrated the artists will sometimes give her this type of eyes that almost looks similar of a raccoon's, except she has zero pupils whenever she shows off that look. It makes her look funny and more likable character with them. The second would have to be the female characters. Kind of similar to what I said about the female characters of Terror In Resonance (but with a few differences.) Whenever you look at the female characters up close they look very beautiful and well detailed. Whether their nude (there's no censorship by the way) or if your looking at their lips. They always leave you in awe or impressed. One particular feature that I found intriguing was from Koko's eyes. In episode 20 you got a chance to see what her eyes looked like closely. When you stare at them they look fantastic, but at the same time they kind of creep me out (which is the main intention that the artists were going for.)

The downsides:

1. (Episode 1) During the beginning of the episode Koko and her team were attacked by a group of subordinates from reaching to her destination (keep in mind it was daytime.) A few minutes later and it’s already night. How in the world are they still able to drive around without refilling any gas?

2. I don’t like the fact that episode 16 was a half recap episode (that was only showing some parts of ep 1 and 5) while the other half was focusing on with the current arc. I understand that the writers were trying to pad time, but I feel like they could’ve replace those scenes with something different.

In conclusion I had great time watching Jormungand. It's still one of the best underrated 2010s anime out there. It has a fantastic storyline, great and memorable characters, pretty cool music, awesome action scenes, a splendid English VO cast, and a very nice and lovely artwork/animation. If your looking for anime that will entertain you non-stop, then strongly recommend you go and check this show out. Trust me it's worth it. With all that said I'm giving Jormungand a 9.8/10, let me know what you guys think the comments.

Originally posted October 2, 2018

October has once again made it's presence here on planet Earth Ladies and Gents. So you know that means, right? If you guessed Horror Anime Review Month, then you are correct. Just like last year, through out the weeks I'll be reviewing anime's that contains horror, thiller, psychological, any random dark genre, and etc. We kick off this month by reviewing an anime that has something to do with my favorite horror manga author, Junji Ito. To those who don't know Junji Ito is a famous horror author who is famous for creating notable stories such as Tomie, Uzumaki, and Gyo. He was also notable for helping out the currently cancelled Silent Hills game that Hideo Kojima and Guillermo Del Toro was working on (thanks a lot Konami.) A couple years after the cancellation, Studio Deen decided to create a 12 episode anime (with 2 OVA's) based off of Junji Ito's works. That anime would later on be called "Junji Ito Collection."

"In the light of day and in the dead of night, mysterious horrors await in the darkest shadows of every corner. They are unexplainable, inescapable, and undefeatable. Be prepared, or you may become their next victim.

Sit back in terror as traumatizing tales of unparalleled terror unfold. Tales, such as that of a cursed jade carving that opens holes all over its victims' bodies; deep nightmares that span decades; an attractive spirit at a misty crossroad that grants cursed advice; and a slug that grows inside a girl's mouth. Tread carefully, for the horrifying supernatural tales of the Ito Junji: Collection are not for the faint of heart." (Info by My Anime List)

As interesting as that explanation of what this show is about, I'm afraid I got some bad news especially for the Junji fans. This show was sadly a mixbag. On one hand Studio Deen did a somewhat of a good job of understanding and recreating his stories in anime form. But on the other they were both not as interesting and horrifying like how Junji makes them. But before I can explain the reason why that is so and the other downsides I have with this show, I wanna get the positives out of the way first.

One of things that I liked about this anime would have to be some of the hits. Believe or not there were some pretty/regular good stories that the studio did a good job adapting. A few examples would have to be Painter, Slug Girl, and Gentle Goodbye (please note that these are one of my few top favorites. There are other stories that I liked from this anime as well.) The 4 reasons why I love the Painter episode is because 1. This story features one of my favorite Junji Ito characters of all time, Tomie, 2. The show did a great job showing some of the abilities that Tomie can do to people and herself (which is both A. getting men to fall madly in love with her and do whatever she says, B. have this random strange urge to kill her, and C. Be able to make clones of herself after getting dismembered.) 3. This is also the same chapter that features the famous painting that best describes who Tomie is. I call it "The Beauty and The Beast" (Watch or read the story in order to know why I called it that.) 4. This is only Tomie story that not only does it justice, but also shows her getting dismembered ( I will explain what I mean later on in the review.)

I can't fully explain why I like the Slug Girl episode without spoiling it, but I can tell you some of the feels this episode had. Those 3 things were disturbed/disgusted and tragic. The tragic part in the end kind of hit home for me. Because it made feel very sorry for what happen to the victim. Especially at the part where she looks at anyone who watches her with a sad look in her eyes.

The are 2 reasons as of why Gentle Goodbye was one of my favorites. Even though the strange and weird vibes it gave off was pretty weak, I still like the surprising twist in the end ( I didn't really see it coming and I consider it as one of the saving graces of this story.) The 2nd would have to be the happy ending. Aside from it being sweet it's very rare for Junji to create a horror story that ends on a happy note. Majority of the time his stories consist of characters experiencing horrible/ terrible tragedies with a 0% chance of a happy ending. But this and technically Twisted Souls from the Uzumaki book are one of the only stories that ends with something nice happening for a change (to my knowledge at the time I'm making this review.)

Another thing that I liked from this anime would have to be the artwork style. Every comic, manga, cartoon/anime, video game, and Indie artists has a certain type of artstyle that not only gets people intrigued by them, but they can also be able to identify who made it. And the artists who helped make this show did a good job replicating Mr. Ito's. When you watch this show it almost looks like Junji actually drew the artwork himself (except he didn't.) The animation team also did a good job bring the art to life as well. If this anime had been way better than it originally was then this would've been the best Junji Ito anime adaption that anyone has ever seen. Alas, it sadly wasn't.

Which is too bad because I was hoping for this anime to turn out so successful. So that way I would've had no choice, but to consider it as the number 1 best horror anime out there. Unfortunately it was not only average, but also contain some issues.

Before I get to the other problems that I had with this show I want to talk about the main reasons as of why this anime turn out half bad. The first was that they chose to adapt some of Junji's weakest works. As much as I like his stories, I will not deny that some of the ones that Deen picked (The boy at the crossroads, Window Next Door, and the Supernatural Transfer Student for a couple of prime examples) were not only bad, but they weren't even interesting or horrifying enough. They were just pretty boring. My guess as of why they picked these titles instead of something with more oomph. Is that they read a little bit of these stories and said something like this "Wow this actually looks pretty spooky. Hey let's choose these specific titles and adapt them into an anime. The teens and young adults would love this."

The 2nd and last main reason is that they didn't try hard enough to make some of the bad/mix ones (that includes Gentle Goodbye, even though I still like it) actually look horrifying, terrifying, disturbing, and etc. I get that Junji made some stories that weren't really good, but that doesn't excuse Deen and the rest of the writers to not try to come up with an original idea that would both make the stories they turn into an episode investing to watch, but actually be better than it's original adaption. Take the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist for a prime example. There are still some people out there (including me and my little brother) who like this version despite it being different from it's original adaption. And that's mostly because of the good writing and original ideas that the writers/director came up with. If they can make the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist look good and still get praised, then so can this show. And before you say "But the main reason why they created those original ideas in the 1st place was because the manga wasn't complete at the time." I know that, but that shouldn't stop Deen from creating something better. This is their adaption and they can do whatever they want with it as long as they keep some stuff that was apart of the original story.

The other downsides:
1. (Episode 5) At the near end of part B Ep 5 you see Souichi’s cloth puppet spitting nails toward Souichi’s butt. The one thing that came to mind aside from how uncomfortable that must feel is this. Why isn’t their blood coming out of his bum? I know I know that’s a weird question to ask, but here’s the thing. We as human beings have blood everywhere in our body, right? So if we were to get stabbed or shot anywhere in our body, wouldn’t we start bleeding? An don’t do you dare say, “but that would be disgusting.” Cause that didn’t stop Deen from showing many other disgusting episodes before and after this episode.

2. Supernatural Transfer Student pacing was quick. I understand that this was a short story and they had to make room for the next one, but just like I always say about an episode that has pacing issues. That doesn't excuse the makers of this episode for rushing it. It not only makes it look bad, but it also gives the viewer another reason to skip a story and hopefully find one that is good.

3. (Episode 13) (Spoilers) Before Yamamoto can call the ambulance, the teacher stops him by asking if he was going to tell them that he pushed Tomie off that cliff. Which doesn’t make any sense because he never did push her off. But for some weird reason him, his classmates, his teacher, and this anime actually believed that he did.

4. (Episode 13) The anime for some stupid unknown reason decides to censor the parts where Tomie is being chopped up to pieces. 1. This. Is. The Junji Ito Collection. You shouldn’t shy away from showing this type of content. 2. Studio Deen are a bunch of hypocrites. They had no problem showing her being cut up into pieces in the Painter episode. But when it comes to her beginning (aka Tomie part 1) they decided to not show it again.

Bonus note: They even censored the part where she gets stabbed in the side in episode 14.

In conclusion this anime was a big mixbag. Even though there were some stories I really enjoyed watching. There were still someones that were not only bad, but had some problems as well. If Studio Deen had some balls and actually hired a director and writer that were fans of Junji Ito and if they gave them the ability to go all out with the stories or even hire Junji Ito to be both the writer and director and let him do whatever he wants this anime. Then this would've been the best (probably the number 1#) horror anime out there. Alas it sadly isn't. Instead we get a half baked horror anime that doesn't have the guts to show no mercy to it's audience. If your a fan of Mr. Ito's works, I would say that a few of you will probably enjoy this. As for the rest, you would probably be better off reading Junji's best works instead of watching this. I'm giving the Ito Collection a 6.6/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted October 9, 2018. This was coincidence. Didn't know a reviewer from here reviewed this show today.

Madoka Magica (even though it's not the first) is one of the best dark magical girl anime's out there. It's known for doing things no modern magical girl show would ever do, it has a messed up twist, and it's also know for creating the most evilest, curliest, sickest, and horrible magical cat that mankind has ever witness. The myth, legend, the one and only Kyubey (who in my opinion did nothing wrong.) Looking back that show wasn't all that awesome that I or anybody else hyped it up to be. It was no doubt an alright good show, it just had a few problems. One of them would have to be it's logic and the infamous problem that I always hate running into, loli-fanservice (bonus note: look if your into to that type of thing, good for you. It's just not my cup of tea. And before you say anything, no it does not count as pedophilia because your not actually falling in love with a IRL kid.)

Luckily, I'm not reviewing this anime. Instead I will be giving my honest opinion on a different show that both came out this year and what looks like it wants to replace Madoka as one of the top best dark magical girl anime's of all time. The contender's name is Magical Girl Site.

"Aya Asagiri is a middle school girl who has problems both at school with bullying, and at home from physical abuse by her brother. One day after getting abused by her brother, a website pops up on her computer screen featuring a creepy-looking person. This person appears to take pity on her, and announces that she will grant Asagiri magical powers. Later at school, she is cornered by bullies, and with nothing to lose fires a gun that had mysteriously appeared in her locker earlier that day at them. The shot causes the bullies to disappear, but to her horror she finds out that they somehow had been hit by a train nearby. Asagiri feels as though she had killed them somehow, and is confused to find herself with longer red hair with eyes that flow with blood. She later finds that she is not alone, when a classmate reveals that she is also a magical girl. Asagiri learns about magical girls, and the power she has acquired, from her new friend who has offered to help her. The two girls, though, can't explain why there is something that looks like a countdown clock on the website, and fear it might be something bad." (info by wiki)

Folks, our contender didn't just regularly fail. It was doing so well at first, but then it showed it's questionable and spastic side. Say whatever you want about Madoka Magica, but at least that show had lot more merit and less problems than this anime does. Which is too bad because when I first heard about this show and read it's main plot (thanks again to wiki) I got instantly hooked and couldn't wait to watch it. But after watching everything it had to provide. I was mostly disappointed. But just because it has a lot of problems doesn't mean there aren't any bright sides to them. Allow me to elaborate.

One of things that I liked about this show would have to be the main pivotal part of the storyline. The show's version of magical girls (Spoilers.) In the world of MGS if any girl lives in total misery and despair, the King (the main antagonist) gets one of her Admen's to turn the unfortunate girl into a magical one and gives them a "magical stick" (the stick that they are given can be ANY item.) The upside is that they can kill whoever is a problem in their life. The few downsides is that 1. whenever you use the "magical stick" you start bleeding in a specific part of your body. 2. the more you use it, the more you use up your life span, and if you use every drop of your life span. You will automatically get killed off and reincarnate into one of the King's Admen (you find out about this part at the last episode.) 3. There is a random chance you'll encounter a magical hunter girl and if you come across one and if they kill you, that's it. Also they or any other magical girl can take anyone's "magical stick" and use it as their own (I'll talk about the magical hunter girls in just a few moments.)

There's also this thing called the Tempest (which is another pivotal part of the show.) The Tempest was created by the King herself. It's goal is to destroy all evil around the world and make the world a better and peace place. But in order for it to be fully complete, the King will have to absorb a lot of negative energy, thus the reason why she gave every miserable girl the ability to kill anyone they like. But when Rina (Yatsumura's friend and fellow magical girl) first found out about the Tempest, she just saw this as an Apocalypse that will destroy mankind. One of the admen's decided to take advantage of this and tells her an "alternative" way for her to not be killed by it. If she went around killing every magical girl that exist, steal all of the sticks, and bring them to her (the Admen). Then she will have "total immunity" from the Tempest destruction. If something bad were to happen to her, then the admen will just find another girl who wants "total immunity" from the Tempest.

Another thing that I liked about this show would have to be Aya Asagiri and Tsuyuno Yatsumura. These 2 were my only favorite characters from this anime. Mostly for 2 reasons. A. The show portrays them pretty well and likable. I actually felt sorry for them whenever they went through a lot crap before and after they became magical girls (especially Aya, even though it was sometimes shown in a ridiculous way.) B. The two them have a good chemistry with each other. The both of them love, care, and protect one another and anyone else that's important to their lives no matter how dangerous the situation is. Whenever I see the two of them have a sweet and nice moment with each other, it actually warms my heart. And it makes me hope that they will be able to survive this mess and achieve their goals. Even if it does look and sound impossible.

The last thing that I liked would have to be the artwork/animation. I thought it was alright. My favorite part is when Aya's brother Kaname showed the most strangest sour looking face I have ever seen. It was weird, but I was strangely interested with it's design.

And now we move on to the list of problems I have with this show (Which is a lot.) But before I begin, I just want to let you know that there is one specific problem that I will address in my YouTube video today. You check it out now if you like (same name, no gimmicks.)

A problem I never thought I would ever encounter again, yet here it is. In a show that I thought was going to be really good. The problem I’m referring to is the loli-fanservice.

At the end of episode 3 the show decides to pan back to Nijimi (smiling like a retarded manic) stabbing a picture of her friend’s killer and then a few seconds later pans back to what looks like is going to be her stalker (You see him in the beginning of episode 3 by the way. And before you say anything, no I don’t know why he was shown in the beginning either and neither does this show.) Why the director or writer or both thought that this was a good idea to show the audience is beyond me. Your guess is as good as mine.

3. (Episode 4) the explanation to why Sarina and her cronies bully Aya has finally been revealed and it is ridiculous. The main reason why she tortures Aya everyday is because she never told Sarina thanks for helping her out during the time she was new. Granted she should’ve said thanks, but she was too nervous to say anything to her and Sarina could clearly see that. She could’ve automatically guess that Aya was going through some personally issues of her own. But nope, she doesn’t care about that. She only cared about herself and herself only.

4. Why doesn’t Kaname go to the police or the principal or a student counselor about his abusive troubles? It would’ve made more sense instead of dealing with the bull crap he puts up with. Plus he's not super shy or suicidal like how his sister was in the beginning of the show.

5. In the end of episode 5 you see Nijimi at Aya’s house trying to look for her. Here’s something that doesn’t make any sense. How in the world does she know where Aya lives? She never told Nijimi where she lived, so how?

6. There are times when the show can be over dramatic and stupid. A prime example would have to be the ridiculous poses that Sarina pulls in episode 4 and at the near end of episode 5. I understand she’s super determined to reach her goal, but is it really necessary to do that.

7. In the almost near end of episode 8 you find out that Kaname stole Nijimi’s underwear (her magical stick) and uses it (he wears it and you also get to see him wearing it. Isn’t that awesome?) to fulfill he’s stupid purposes. This doesn’t make any sense. How is he able to use her abilities? Granted Nana (one of the site administrators) never said that only a girl can only use it. But here’s the thing. The site that Nana and her associates host is called Magical Girl Site, right? Right. And isn’t the purpose of the site is to give magical abilities to girls (and girls only) who going through misfortune? So how in the world can Kaname (a BOY) be able to use a GIRL’s magical stick?

8. In the near end of episode 9 Nijimi dies and the show tries to get me (the viewer) to feel sympathy for her death by showing her tragic life before she became a magical girl. There are 2 problems with scene. First of all Hallefreakinlujah, second Nijimi was never a great character to follow. She was stupid, annoying, and very stubborn (kind of like Kaname, but she comes in 2nd place.) Lastly I bet that the writer knew this, so he tried his best to come up with a sad backstory that would not only give the audience a reason to feel sorry for her, but to also get her over as good character.

But here’s the thing. Once you have a terrible character and you kill them off. That’s it for them. You can try to get me or anyone else to feel sorry them, but it’s not going to work. They lived as garbage and they will die as garbage.

9. The show is not very consistent on showing us how much lifespan the girl's are using up. You rarely see how much there using which is very bad. Because how are we (the audience) suppose to know how much is left. But I have a feeling the creators did this on purpose so that way they will have a good excuse to make this show last for about 12 episodes. If that's actually so, then that is both the most lazy and worst excuse I have ever heard.

10. The show ends with few Admens that are still left planning to not only proceed with the King's wishes, but also plan to take care of the defiant magical girls. Now this can both be seen as a positive and negative. The positive is that I or anybody else doesn't have to see any more of this schlock fest. The negative is that this isn't really a happy ending for the girls because they only took out 3 of the King's Admens and we won't know how they'll take care of the rest (including the King.)

In conclusion Magical Girl Site bombed pretty hard. It had a few highs which was the main pivotal points of the storyline (it's version of magical girls and the tempest), Aya and Tsuyuno, and the artwork. But they also had so many lows that prevented this from becoming a great show to check out. If these problems never existed in the first place and if the writing and directing was way better than what they had before. Then maybe it would've taken Madoka Magica's spot as one of the top best dark magical girl anime's of all time. But that my friends will forever be a fictional dream. I'm giving this anime a 4.9/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Bonus note 2: For some stupid reason there are some people who say that this show was too edgy. Here's the thing, to those who say that. Screw off. You clearly don't know what edgy is. If you want to watch an anime that tries way too hard to be cool watch Akame Ga Kill or Gantz. Now those shows are a representation of an edgy anime.

Last edited by Blak3 Nikos on Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:04 pm; edited 1 time in total

Originally posted October 16, 2018

Please note I watched the Blu-Ray Version.

Folks I'm not gonna lie to you. We've been off to a bad start as of lately. On the first week I reviewed a show that I thought was going to be good, but actually turn out to be a mixbag. Then on the next week I reviewed a show that was doing good so far, but then it decided to fail all the way to the end. Ya know for once I would like to watch a good horror anime. Is that too much to ask? I just want to watch a show that has less downsides and more positives. Hopefully this week's review or should I say revamp review will be the one to answer my and your prayers too. So with no delay here is my revamp review of HighSchool Of The Dead.

"Takashi Komuro is a normal high school boy, until an infection breaks out that turns people into zombie-like creatures. Along with his friends & the school nurse, they fight their way out and continue their journey to find out what exactly has happened to the world." (Info By Anime News Network)

When I first watched this show I thought it was awesome. To me it was one of the best violet TV-MA anime's I have ever seen. I enjoyed every good moment that it could ever provide for me. But after watching all 12 episodes again I can definitely say..... that my feelings for this anime still hold up to this very day (and ya know what, I'm glad.) At first I thought that this show was just going to be pretty good and that I would have to give it a B+ grading, but it was episode 6-12 that reminded me why I really liked this anime in the first place (especially 5,8, and 12) . Even though it can be ridiculous at times, that still hasn't hinder my love and the fun times I had watching this show. An besides some of those ridiculous moments helped make the show looked better (a prime example would have to be this one part in episode 8 where Takashi used Rei (one of his friends and possible lover) as a place holder for his sniper gun (It was to get a good spot to shoot the zombies and yes this hurt her back a lot.) And during the time he was shooting the zombies, you could see 2 bullets (one of them flying underneath her crotch and one flying in between her boobs) going past Saeko (a classmate and maybe possible lover) without even hitting or scratching her.) I wanna thank Tetsurō Araki (director of Death Note and Attack On Titan) and Yōsuke Kuroda (My Hero, Drifters, Trigun, and Jormungand). Without them this show wouldn't be as great or remembered to this very day.

One of things that I liked about this show would have to be the story of HOTD. I enjoyed watching a series that starts off normal at first, but then a few minutes later turns into crazy hectic zombie apocalypse that appeared out of nowhere. No one knows how all this happen or who started it. All they know is that they don't want any part of it. Some of have gone into a panic (which increases their chances of getting bitten and turn into zombies), some have lost their minds, some hide in fear, and some (which is what our main characters did) decided to fully accept this apocalypse, throw any moral code they had, and try their very best to not only survive against the zombies, but any crazy or corrupted survivors that tries to get in their way of total safety. In summary (of this paragraph) it's kind of like watching an anime version of the Walking Dead, but with fanservice (and if your worried that the fanservice will ruin the mood of this show, trust me it won't. Unless your new to anime and your not used to seeing this type of content then it might ruin your like for it a little bit (depending on what type of person you are.)

The 2nd thing would have to be the main 5 protagonist. All of them were really great characters with good personalities and important talents that has helped them to survive the Zombie apocalypse. Takashi Komuro: he can use any weapon that is given to him with no problems at all. He is also the main positive influence to his friends whenever they need it the most. Even though he sometimes has a hesitant problem, he eventually conquers them whenever a serious moment occurs. Rei Miyamoto: a spear martial artist who can stab or slice any zombies that gets near her (1. she gets better after episode 1 though. 2. Even though she is sometimes seen doing this, I still enjoy the moments when she is active.) Saeko Busujima (who by the way the English dub voice actors including the actor who plays as her mispronounces her name every single time): a kendo stick master who can take out her opponents with a single blow to the head or chest (she also secretly gets off on it. Hot.) Saya Takagi: a self certified genius and is the most person to drop logic at any given moment she can. She helps the group out by coming up with some ideas on how to stay alive. Even though she can be very stubborn to deal with, there are 2 reasons as of why she's like this. 1. To look confident around herself and others and 2. Because her family wasn't around through out most of her life. Kind of makes me feel sorry for her even though their are times when she can be an ignorant (pardon my french) bitch (bonus note: Whenever you hear her yell, it almost sounds like Revy from Black Lagoon. And no, this isn't the same person who voiced her. It's surprisingly someone else.) Lastly Kohato Hirano: The teams number 1# gun expert. He knows everything about them, how to put them together, how to use them (and boy is he good at using them), and is able to create his own original gun. Give him the right equipment and he can be able to make a weapon that can help defend himself and others.

I also love it whenever the group works together as a unit. Because when they do, it is truly amazing. a prime example would have to be this one part in episode 5 where all 4 of them (excluding Saya) took out every zombie that were on a bridge. An the best part is that this wasn't plan at all.

The third would have to be the individual special moments that Saeko and Rei have with Takashi. The scenes that they share with him can both be seen as beautiful and touching. Mostly because it helps build character and also deepen the relationship that they already have. Becoming more than just friends, but something more important. The way how show portrays each scene is taken seriously, you can actually get something out of it, and it will be remembered as one of the best moments of the series. I wish more female harem anime's would do the same thing HOTD did, but with some differences. Maybe then I could tolerate harem animes like I did before. The last time I saw something as close to the same level of beauty that HOTD has would have to be with Tenchi and Ryoko from Tenchi Muyo (except theirs were a little bit better than HOTD.)

The last few things would have to be the music (I thought it was very well put together. I also have to give props to the people in charge of the music department for coming with 12 (including the OVA) different ending themes. It's pretty rare to see a show (especially a horror one) have a different ending theme for each of their episodes. Last time I saw anime that did the same exact thing was Hellsing Ultimate.) The English dub VO's (All of them were really good at their roles, especially the person who played as Mr. Shido (the show's primary antigonist). Whenever he talks it sounds like I'm listening to a slimy snake that I wish gets his comeuppance soon.) The action scenes (were both pretty cool and brutal to watch. Loved every moment of it.) Finally the artwork/animation (both of them looked terrific. 2 of my favorite parts would have to be this one scene in episode 1 where all the zombies are walking around the school, while the cherry blossoms fall down during their presence. To me I see this as both an interesting scene and also a metaphor (a representation of the normal life that the people were living in is coming to a slow fall.) The second would have to be this one scene in episode 4 where Rei and Takashi drive around a desolate town. The only thing or person you can hear is this beautiful opera singer's voice and her voice alone. Watching this scene again makes me want to applaud the HOTD crew (including the writer and director) for making such another notable scene.)

Now as much as like this show doesn't mean their a perfect series that deserves a 10/10. It has a few bumps and bruises that I need to expose to you guys:

1. For some bizarre reason the anime has a problem with showing gore. That doesn’t make any sense. A. This is a TV-MA show. B. The creator has no problem with showing extreme violence, zombies getting stab, shot, or getting hit on the head, zombies eating human beings (but you don’t see the flesh being ripped off), and a lot of blood.) There is no excuse for the makers to not show gore unless this was a children show (which it isn't.)

2. I didn’t really like episode 4. The reason why is because half of the episode was a recap of what happen in episode 1-3. While the other half focused on what was going on in this episode. I would’ve preferred if they didn’t have a recap episode and just mostly focus on what’s going now. I understand they did this to both pad time and recap everyone who might’ve missed 1-3, but we live in a world where DVDs, Blu-Ray, and streaming service exist.

3. It’s 2018 and Madhouse still hasn’t provided season 2. At the end of episode 13 aka the OVA. The show had announce that there was going to be another season. When I found out about it during the first time I watch this. I was excited. I really couldn’t wait for it to happen. But to this very day Madhouse still didn’t make it and left all of us fans on a cliffhanger.

I understand that 1. The director and writer are busy with AOT and MHA and 2. The author of HOTD didn’t get the chance to finish the manga series and is currently dead. At first I was thinking maybe MadHouse could try to come up with something original. Get permission from the author’s publisher, get the original director and writer, and have them come up with something good. But looking back, that probably isn’t a good idea. Maybe one day when the director and writer are done with those 2 ongoing series, then hopefully one day they’ll come back to this show and give it the proper ending it truly deserves. Who knows?

In conclusion HighSchool Of The Dead still kicks butt to this very day. It maybe ridiculous and may have it's flaws, but I still love it regardless of what it contains. It has a great storyline (that I hope one day continues), really great main protagonists, a very well put together OST, good VO's, some pretty cool and brutal action scenes, and a terrific artwork/animation. If you wanna see an awesome zombie anime with the occasion of fanservice here and there, then strongly recommend you give this show a chance. Trust me, you'll have a blast watching this. With that said I'm giving HOTD a 9/10. Let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted October 23, 2018

This week is going to be very very interesting. Because I have decided to review a certain summer 2018 anime called Happy Sugar Life. And I know what some people who have never seen this show is probably going to say. "Aw what the heck Blake? I thought this was horror anime review month. Where you only review shows that has dark themes, regular horror, thriller, psychological, and etc. Besides I bet this show isn't even that good, it's probably on the same level as Magical Girl Site." Well let's find out if it's like that or not.

"Beautiful high school girl Satō Matsuzaka believes she has finally found the meaning of love when she begins living with a younger girl. Previously, Satō never refused the advances of any guy around her, but that changes when she meets the girl Shio. The background and age of the mysterious girl are unclear. When Satō is with Shio, she experiences a very sweet feeling, which she understands as love. In order to protect that feeling, Satō is willing to do anything, even if it means committing murder." (Info by Anime News Network)

This anime is truly something else. At the same time it can be both sweet and heartwarming, sad and tragic, and also pretty dark and messed up. It's kind of like getting on an intriguing roller coaster that fuels you with different emotions. That's something I haven't said nor have I felt in a long time. I would've never guess I would feel this way again until now. When I watch the first 5 episodes of HSL I thought it was alright. But I had strange gut feeling that if I watched the rest of the episodes, it was going to lead me to a path of disappointment. Luckily it didn't turn out like that at all. It showed me the main character and 3 other characters as well going through a lot of trials and tribulations, it had a good (but not that surprising) twist during the middle of the series, and it provided me a sad and beautiful ending. While it might not be the number 1 best psychological horror anime out there, it still does it's best to both entertain and invest in the audience's time until it's epic finale.

One of my favorite character's on this show would have to be Satō. She is very cute, sweet, kind (mostly to Shio), clever, very smart, and a strategical teenage girl. Whenever she is around Shio she makes sure to love, care, provide a lot for her, and makes sure that no danger comes to her. Her relationship with Shio is not only both sweet and adorable, but it is also important as well. Because thanks to her love Satō step by step learns and understands what it truly means to love someone. Both in a positive way and in a negative. Even though she's done a lot terrible deeds in order to prevent Sato from getting hurt or kidnap, I still both like and sympathize her. Mostly because at the end of the day Satō (whether she realizes this or not) is still a human being with feelings. She cries whenever Shio is in pain, she feels sick and uncomfortable whenever she's around terrible adults, and she has shown to care for some people other than Shio (just depends on who it is.) When you think about it she's only half Yandere (which is something I never thought I would ever see in anime.)
(Spoilers on this part)

The 2nd thing that I like about this anime is that it takes the topic abuse mostly seriously. Through out the series the anime has done a somewhat good job of handling the subject abuse correctly and shows what happens after a character is abuse. A prime one would have to be Yūna Kōbe (Shio's mother.) Through out her daily life she is constantly abuse by her husband. She's been abuse so much that she tries to escape her original home with her youngest child Shio (while her oldest Asahi stays and distracts his father.) After escaping her husband's wrath, Yuna is slowly seen about to mentally crack. She becomes extremely paranoid and worried about her daughter safety and has once slapped her on the face when she didn't follow her orders. Realizing that she's not fully well to take care of Shio, she decides to abandoned her out in the streets, goes out to kill her husband, and tries to cope with herself.

Now I know what your thinking. Why in the world would I say "the anime has done a somewhat good job of handling the subject abuse correctly?" Don't worry I'll get to that in just a few moments. For now let me finish up the rest of the positive things that I like about this show.

The 3rd would have to be episode 9. I can't exactly say why because I don't want spoil too much of this show for you. The only thing that I can say is that it explains why some certain things were censor. Because it all leads up to something important happening. I know this sounds confusing, but it's the only way I can explain without giving to much away. If your going to watch this show and especially this episode, just be ready.

The rest of things that I liked about this show would have to be the music (I thought it was very good. The people in charge definitely did a good job playing the right song for each specific scene. Whether the tone is happy, sad, or serious, they always play the perfect song for it and it always sounds good. But if there's a very serious scene, they won't play anything. They just let the scene play out for it self. Which was a smart idea because it definitely works.) And the artwork/animation (I thought it looked fine. While most of background look natural, I feel the one that stands/pops out the most would have to be with character designs. Mostly because some of them look either cute, mature, or insane. Another reason would have to be Satō's eyes. Whenever you look at them closely (when she's in serious mood) it looks like your looking at an endless swirling pool of emptiness. It's like if you dive right in you would fine nothing, but a cold and hollow abyss waiting to be fulfilled.

And now the moment you have been waiting for. The answer to why I said "the anime has done a somewhat good job of handling the subject abuse correctly" aka the 1 downside that I have with this show. (Spoilers again) There's this one character name Taiyō who in the beginning of the series gets sexual harassed and held against his will by an adult woman. After he is free from her clutches he begins to have a fear of older women. Now before you go feeling bad for him, this is where it both gets screwed up and will most likely piss you off (especially those who have been in the same position as Taiyō.) Later on he finds a temporary cure that helps him forget about his trauma/pain. Do you wanna know what it is? The answer (and I'm not messing around) is little girls, most specifically Shio.

I don't think I have to explain why I didn't like this concept. Because his feelings and actions (no he doesn't rape her) pretty much say it themselves. Which is too bad because I wanted to see a side story of him slowly recovering from his trauma. I would've recognize this as another positive thing from this anime. But the writer and director had to keep the original characteristic that the manga's author wrote for him. Probably because they wanted to be fully faithful to the original adaption and also thought it was a good idea (if so then they were wrong.)

In conclusion aside from that one problem I still love HSL. It has a great storyline, it can be pretty dark and messed up sometimes, it has a few good characters, the music was well done, it has a good (but not to shocking) twist, a sad and beautiful ending, and the artwork/animation was fine. If your curious or don't believe that this show is worth the watch, then check it out yourself and let me know what you guys think. With that said I'm giving Happy Sugar Life a 8.9/10.

Originally posted October 29, 2018

To those who have been following my reviewing career for a long time, this shouldn't be a surprise to you. I'm pretty sure you all saw this one coming. Castlevania has come to Netflix with new content. It's the finale week of October. It's practically 2017 all over again. Except for 2 things, I'm reviewing the second season and I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22. The last time I watched Castlevania's 1st season I remembered being impressed with the storyline so far, the cool and well made fight scene between Alucard (Adrian Tepes) and Trevor Belmont, the awesome death scene that happen to the Bishop, and the very well drawn artwork/animation (I will talk more about that later in the review by the way.) But while the 1st had some good upsides, it also had 4 bad ones as well. The most notable problem was that it lasted for about 4 episodes (this is also one of the reasons why I gave it a 7.9/10.) Any who let's shift our focus to the now current season and see if it has gotten better than it's predecessor one.
"Returning to Netflix for a second season, Castlevania, inspired by the classic video game series, is a dark medieval fantasy following the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepes himself. Trevor Belmont, last survivor of his house, is no longer alone, and he and his misfit comrades race to find a way to save humanity from extinction at the hands of the grief-maddened Dracula and his sinister vampire war council." (Info by Anime News Network)
Castlevania season 2 not only did amazing job, but it also made season 1 look like child's play. They have really improved a lot since then. The storyline has gotten even more interesting and exciting, some of the characters both old and new have become both investing and intriguing to follow, and there are some good notable moments in the show that I can't wait to talk about in this review. And it's all thanks to the Castlevania production team, the artist/animators, the director, the writer, the VA's, and especially some of the Madhouse crew members. Without them season 2 wouldn't have been as great as it is now.
One of things that I like about this show would have to be Hector and Issac. The 2 of them are both human Forgemasters (they can bring dead creatures back to life and resurrect human beings either as zombies or otherworldly creatures to serve Dracula's night horde) and the only 2 leaders that govern Dracula's army as they go to war with humanity. And before you say "But Blake, that doesn't make any sense. I thought Dracula hated all of humanity. Why is he trusting two random human beings?" I have the answer to that puzzling question of yours (spoiler on this part.) Before his wife was murdered these were the only 2 humans that Drac has both found, had faith, and trusted during his travels around the world. He has both helped and saved them from the darkest parts of humanity and in return they promise to help and be loyal to him whenever he needs it. (Bonus note: Out of the 2 of them Issac has to my favorite. Mostly because he can 100% defend himself in a fight thanks to his trusty sword and spike whip (he can be very nasty to his opponents whenever he uses it.) Also he is the most dedicated and trusted servant to Dracula. He's not only there to protect and serve him, but to also be his best friend whenever Vlad needs it.)
Speaking of the King of all vampires, he is also another one of my favorite characters in the series. Even though he's mostly seen as a cruel and unforgiving monster who wants to put in end to humanity. You can also see that there is still some good in him. He cares and respects his loyal forgemasters, he feels bad that he's going to have to fight his son soon, and you see him getting sick and tired of his war against humanity. He so completely drain that he refuses to drink human blood and is willing to take his mission against humanity into a suicide one. Whenever you see him like this you can't help, but to feel sympathy for not only Alucard (who again is going to war against his own father), but Vlad as well. Another thing that I like about Dracula would have to be his voice. Graham McTavish does a superb job when voice the King of the Night. Whenever he speaks it sounds calm, very mature, and sophisticated. And whenever he gets mad, he mostly has this type of soft, but menacing tone. The type of tone that not only demands your respect, attention, and fear, but also kind of gives you the chills.
My third favorite would have to be Carmilla. She is a very beautiful, cunning, and very smart vampire who definitely knows how to persuade people and get what she wants. She was successful getting Dracula's generals to question him even more, she was able to persuade Hector to join her side, thanks to Hector she was able to convince Drac to move the castle to Braila (so that way her plan to stab him in the back will fully go into motion), and was almost close to defeating Dracula's army. The woman is definitely a formidable enemy and can be very cruel when she needs to be. Even though this is the second time she was portrayed differently (first being Lords of Shadow), however that still hasn't stopped me from liking her.
The last few characters would have to be Vector, Alucard, and Sypha. Even though the 3 of them will sometimes argue amongst themselves (especially both Vector and Alucard.) They mostly make up/get over it by trying to get along with each other. Usually thanks to some good humor, Sypha, their main goal, or whenever trouble comes to them. An when they work together as a unite, it is perfect and amazing.
One of my favorite moments with Trevor would have to be this one scene that he had with Sypha in episode 4. In this scene it's just the two of them having a conversation about Alucard, but mostly about loneliness and how it has effect each of the three's lives. The main reason why I like this scene is not just because you get to know these characters even more than you did before. But this is one of the most calming and chill scenes I have ever saw between these two. No arguments or silly banter, just a normal conversation between 2 people who share the same feelings.
The next would have to be the action scenes. They can be described as both brutal, fantastic, crazy, and sadistic. Whenever I see these scenes I'm always left shocked and satisfied with what I'm given. Castlevania's violence still to this very day shows no mercy and is always entertaining when comes to showing bloody, gory, and thrilling violent scenes. One of my favorites would have to be this of this part in episode 4 when Godbrand and the rest of Drac's generals went to a local town, drinked, and massacred a bunch of local innocent group of townspeople. The way how that scene was portrayed was very ruthless and simply delightful.
My second and number one favorite scene or should I say episode would have to be 7. Because in this episode not only did the three main protagonist went up against Dracula's generals and minions, but they also got a chance to fight with Drac himself. The best way how I can describe this episode is that it was pretty epic, it was absolutely well made, it was very rough, and in the end it was very sad and important. If you don't believe me, then go check the episode out for yourself.
The last would have to be the artwork/animation. I haven't really gone into full details as of why I liked this back in the 1st season review, so let me make up for it now. They are both great and wonderful. I like how the art style was heavily inspired by Ayami Kojima's (no relation to Hideo) artwork for some of the Castlevania series that she worked on in the past. The area and background kind of reminded me of classical artworks that you normal see in a art museum and the character's design looked very unique. I'm also glad they took inspiration to Satoshi Kon's character expression. You can easily describe what type of reaction a specific character gives off just by simply looking at them closely (just take Carmilla for example. When she's calm she looks beautiful, but when gets angry she looks a little disgusting and very cruel.) In addition I loved the fact that the crew got some of the people who worked on Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust to help with the series animation and artwork (That does explain why Alucard looks almost like D.)
Now as much as I love this season, it sadly doesn't shy away from exposing a couple of downsides. Luckily it was only two:
1. (Except for Godbrand and Carmilla) the rest of Dracula's crew had zero character. Which is really sad because they were set up to be the most important people to his plan of exterminating the human race. But the show's writer has done a terrible job at making them both likable or notable. They should've take notes from Hellsing Ultimate. That anime's main antagonists isn't just the Major and his army of vampire Nazis. He's also got the Captain, the Doctor, Major Blitz, Schrodinger, the Dandy Man, Van Winkle, and the Valentine Bros. You know who they are, what they sound like, you know what type of personalities they have, and how deadly they can be.
What do you get with Drac's Vampire General's (aside from the good violent scenes they have in episode 4 and 7.) They have great designs, they argue, and their really good at killing. Wooooow, how exciting. I'm pissing in my pants and shaking at my feet right now.
2. (Major spoilers) So at the end of episode 7 Dracula dies at the hands of his own son and to make sure he doesn't come back. Sypha burns his ashes away. Leaving nothing, but a bunch of dark smoke escaping the castle and his wedding ring on the floor. Here's the thing as much as I love that scene. Some part me feels like his death came a little too early. I'm kind hoping that this is only a temporary victory for Alucard, Vector, and Sypha. So that way when Season 3 comes Dracula can come back better, stronger, and more dangerous than before. An the reason why I say that is because in the next season. The crew will have to face off against both Carmilla, Issac, and their forces. Now even though these two are great characters and will no doubt be a major problem to the 3 main protags. They won't have the same type of feeling that Dracula gave off in episode 7. The battle between the 2 will probably look good, but will mostly likely feel lukewarm (and that is not good.) So here's hoping Vlad comes back as a surprising twist.
In conclusion Castlevania season 2 was no doubt worth the watch. It has a great storyline, some investing characters, awesome and memorable moments, a bunch of brutal, crazy, sadistic, fantastic, and epic action scenes, and a wonderful artwork/animation. Even though they had 2 big problems, that isn't going to stop me from giving this show a good and appropriate grade. I also really recommend you go and check this season out (depending if you're already caught up and hope that the next season will be better than it's 1st.) I'm giving Castlevania II a 9.4/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted November 15, 2018

Well would look at this folks. I'm actually reviewing the latest season of My Hero on the same year it came out. Instead of just waiting the next year to finally releasing it. Sarcasm aside, I'm going to try my best to review the latest season's of show's that I really like on the same year it came out. Hence the word TRY. Because there are going to be times (AOT Season 3 and Tokyo Ghoul Re for example) when I'm going to have to complete them the next year. It just mainly depends on my schedule or the timing.
With that being said, previously on the My Hero Academia review saga. I reviewed season 2, which was really good. I remembered liking the Sports Festival Arc (where you got to meet the rest of the students of UA and see them go all out to reach 1st place.) The four highlight characters, who were Katsuki, Ochako, Shōto, and Stain. And I got to know some valuable info about the One For All quirk. I also remember that 2 had one specific negative and that was episode 25. Mostly because not much happen in that episode and that it ended on a dry note (which is pretty sad for a season that was doing so well.) But let's hope and see if season 3 can not only be better than it's predecessor, but also have a more acceptable ending too.
"In a world where superpowers known as “Quirks” grant great power to their bearers, Midoriya has risen from being a Quirkless young boy to a resilient hero-in-training, working alongside his peers at U.A. High School in hopes of one day becoming a true superhero. Having clashed with actual villains like Shigaraki and his League of Villains, Midoriya understands the fragility of his world and the speed with which he must rise to defend it. In the wake of his recent encounter with Shigaraki, Midoriya and his fellow 1-A classmates will now be forced to undergo summer training, all to prepare them for the day when their guardians' protection isn't enough. But the League of Villains is also preparing, and the repercussions of their next strike will shake this peaceful society to its core." (Info by Anime News Network)
As much as I want say season 3 was absolutely amazing, it's the best season so far, it has zero flaws, and that it deserves a solid 10/10. I can't, because then I would be deceiving you (the reader) from the real truth. That's not to say that season 3 was better than season 2 on most levels; because it was. It has so many great and notable moments and characters that I really enjoyed following. But that still doesn't mean that it's perfect. On the contrary it was a triple mix (both great, bad, and good.) During the review I will explain fully what I meant by this quote. For now I would like to shift your focus on the many positive that I liked from 3.
The first would have to be the fight between Midoriya and Muscular. The reason is because it not only shows that Midoriya can save innocent people's lives from danger, but that he can also be a big influence in their life as well. Especially people like Kota (who originally hated both heroes and quirks.) Even though the fight was short and Midoriya once again over did it with using he's quirk. I still loved it in the ended. I didn't feel bored nor was it hateable. It was mostly a short intense battle that ended in a nice heartwarming way.
The second was the battle between All Might and All For One. This specific fight wasn't just awesome, it was also important (for 4 specific reasons.) 1. It was an intense fight between a legendary hero and a notorious villain. Both have made a major impact in not only the world, but made people's lives as well. Even though they've taken a lot of damage over the years, they still have plenty of strength and power to do a lot of damage to each other and anyone around them. And to make it even more dramatic everyone in Japan (probably the world as well) is watching their brawl to see who will become victorious in the end. The iconic warrior or the dastardly convict.
2. The back and forth dialogue between the two was well written that it actually made feel like I was watching an epic and notable fight between a comic book superhero and villain. 3. During the middle of their fight a secret twist was revealed. I can't say what is, but the only things I can say is that it gave All For One both a short upperhand in their fight and possibly (for now) an edge. 4. The last reason why I love this fight is because the whole thing felt like inspiring message to not only the characters, but to the viewers as well. A lesson to always strive for the things that you want to accomplish no matter what type of obstacle gets in your way (and yes the ending was so moving that it made me tear up a bit.)
The third was the 2nd fight between Midoriya and Katsuki. This brawl was not only close to the same level of brillance like the All For One and All Might fight, but it too was important and fantastic for 2 reason. 1. I really love the flow and movement between the 2 characters. It was both pretty breathtaking and really showed how strong the two have gotten ever since their first fight (and I got say they definitely made some excellent process.) 2. Their fight was more than just expressing their feelings through battle or to fully ignite their already rivalry. It was mostly (to me) a slow return to form. In other words the both of them are slowly rekindling the friendship that they use to have when they were kids. I hope at the end of the series they become both rivals and friends.
The fourth would have to be the debut of the Big Three and Overhaul. I really like how the anime has set these 4 up in episode 24 and 25, especially Mirio and Overhaul. Not only will they play a major role in season 4, but also for the lives of both Midoriya and Tomura. Even though they have nothing to do with these 2 guys, both Nejire and Tamaki (the other Big Three) will also be playing a major role in season 4 and to other characters in the series as well.
There were 4 characters that really did a good job of impressing. Those 4 would have to be Mei, Toga, Twice, and All For One. When comes to making equipment (or in other words her babies) Mei is a total genius and is awesome at it. The girl is always coming up with random smart ideas for stuff that can be useful to her. Even when she hits a bump in the road, she never gives up. She just starts over or tries to come up with a better idea that will impress other people to try out her babies. She's also a hard worker and is always energetic when it comes to making gadgets (I can most certainly see her playing important in the future.) Even though she appears less than what she did in the previous season. It was great to see her and her enthusiastic personality again.
Toga Himiko. I truly truly love this character. In fact back when she debuted in season 2 I had a theory that I was going to have the same feeling that I do now. The girl is so precious and adorable that no matter what she says or does, it always ends up looking or sounding cute. Two of those things would mostly have something to do with her lovely design and the person who voices her Misato Fukuen. Misato not only does the character justice, but she also gets what makes Toga so likable (which is her adorable and crazy personality.) Another reason why I love Toga (aside from her defensive skills) would have to be her quirk Transform. Can't say anything about this one without spoiling anything. The only thing I can say is that it plays an important role for League of Villains.
Twice. Aside from his strange personality and his Deadpool-esque like attire, the guy is actually a pretty interesting character. (Spoiler on this part because I gotta explain in full detail why I like him.) Now in the beginning of the season there wasn't much going on for him aside from his impressive quirk (he can make a bunch of clones of himself or anyone. The clone can also replicate their abilities as well.) But when you watch episode 24 you get to know the dude in more personal level. It turns out he's a regular guy both questioning his role in the world and struggling with controlling his other personality (in which he gain after his clones tied him and killed each other right in front him. Leaving him messed up and confused.) After seeing this episode it made me hope that I get to see more of Twice. I want to see how far he goes in his role as a villain and in life.
And last but never least All For One. One of the strongest first generation quirk users, the creator of One For All, excellent mentor, technically immortal (thanks to the longevity quirk), is All Might and the previous One For All users arch-nemesis, and is one of the greatest villains of all time. The guy is also a mastermind, calculative, clever, calm and collected (no matter the situation) emotional manipulator, and no matter what happens. He is always one step ahead of the heroes. His goal and mission in life is to steal One For All and use it for world domination. But in order for his plan to become fruition he would need assistance from not only other villains, but his quirk One For All too. With this ability he can give or take any amount of quirks as he wants. He can also use multiple amount of them at once whenever he has to fight an enemy like All Might. And with help of his fingers, he can control a person's quirk by force. The man is truly a force to be reckoned with and should never be underestimated at any circumstances.
Now that I explain both the great and good parts of season 3. It's time that I tell you the downsides aka the bad parts about the latest season. Sadly I had 5 issues this time.

1. I really hate the fact the show has to constantly remind me and the people who watches this series who the characters are and what their quirk is. Look I understand that it might be difficult to remember some of the character’s name and abilities, but here’s the thing. 1. It’s not hard to forget about the ones that keep showing up each episode and 2. Even if a person forgets; that is what Wikipedia, the manga, or having a character say their name or showing off their quirk is for.
2. The show will sometimes dim down the lighting in some unnecessary scenes. Like the one time in episode 18 where Lida and Can't Stop Twinkling where just moving around or in the beginning of episode 19 where Midorya and the others were running to rescue civilians.

3. (Episode 21) The show decides to starts the episode by explaining how this training test came to be instead of just going back to where Episode 19 left. No offense to the writers, but this part was completely unnecessary nor was it important. It was just here to pander time.

4. (Episode 21) Inasa’s reason to hate Shota is absolutely stupid. According to him the main reason why he has beef with him and his old man was because they were both rude to him, that’s it. The very fact that he would have a grudge over that (especially during their test) is very baffling. I thought it was because his Dad hurt someone he loved or probably forgot to save someone important to him. But nope, apparently it was just nothing. Freakin wow.
And finally 5. Episode 18-21. Through out these episodes the anime suffered a little drop in quality (I'm talking about the storyline not the animation or artwork.) It started from looking alright in episode 18 to okay when you continue on to episode 21 (except for episode 20. That episode was both boring, dry, and had nothing to do with the main storyline.) I'm not saying not a lot was going on in those episode (there were some things.) Is just that it wasn't as impressive like the Summer Arc or on the level of good that episode 12-17 had (luckily episode 22-25 was there to pick the anime back up again.)

In conclusion Season 3 was both great, good, and is way better than season 2 on most levels even though it had some issues. It also has an appreciable storyline, fantastic characters, awesome moments, and the artwork and animation have really done a grand job when it come to portraying the fight scene between All Might and All For One and Katsuki and Midoriya. Hopefully the next season will have less or no flaws at all and that it tries it's best to blow my mind. I'm giving season 3 a 9.6/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Originally posted November 20, 2018

Back when I was in school one of my least favorite classes was Science. I was never full interested in the subject nor did I see why it was so important to my future career. But there were two specific things that help me get into the subject even more than I usually did. Field trips and most importantly fun educational shows (Shows that provide both education and entertainment to the young masses.) Magic School Bus, Blake Hosley High, Grossology, and Growing Up Creepie. Without these 4 I and many others wouldn't be able to fully get into Science nor would we be able to get a more simplified version of some of the difficult topics that it would go over. Sadly you don't see shows like these anymore. Now a days you get the boring bland educational shows that's only loved by those who are really interested by it's content. But in 2018 David Productions (the geniuses behind the reboot JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) decided to create an anime that not only contain action, comedy, and education, but it was also based of a manga that debuted in 2015. The title of the series was name Cells At Work or Hataraku Saibō.

"This is a story about you. A tale about the inside of your body... According to a new study, the human body consists of approximately 37 trillion cells. These cells are hard at work every day within a world that is your body. From the oxygen-carrying red blood cells to the bacteria-fighting white blood cells, get to know the unsung heroes and the drama that unfolds inside of you! It's the oddly relatable and interesting story that is the life of cells!" (Info by My Anime List)

There's no shear doubt in my mind when I say this. Cells At Work is truly an excellent anime. It does a wonderful job explaining many of the positives and negatives of what goes on inside the human body (while being entertaining at the same time.) The show is so good that a doctor from a University in Atlanta, Georgia praised the show's 7th episode of it's portrayal of cancer cells. Bio teachers from a high school (who were also associated with China's Southwest University) was so impressed by the anime that they had assign their students to do homework on the whole series (I don't know about you, but being assign to do homework on an anime series is not only cool, but it shows how much ground anime has been breaking these days.)

(Bonus note: I highly suggest you go check episode 7 out by the way. Not only does it do a great job of showing what NK and Cancer cells can really do inside the body. But it also manage to make me feel sympathy for one specific character I thought I would never feel in a million years.That character was the cancer cell. Something that does a lot of harm to the body actually got me to feel bad for him. It's best for you to go check the episode out for yourself in order to know why. I am not going to be giving away any spoilers in this review.)

Another reason why I respect CAW is that there's never a dull moment moment when your watching this show. I'm always so intrigued and learn a lot about the many different regular cells, helper cells, fighter cells, diseases, foreign species, and random facts (Bonus note 2: Speaking of which, there are some facts that pop in some episodes that last for about a short few seconds. I strongly recommend you pause your video if you ever encounter one. So that way you know fully what's going on.) that appear in each episode. Also seeing the fighter cells in action is always a joy to watch.

One of my favorite characters or should I say cells would have to be White Blood Cell (U-1146). He's job is to kill of any foreign substances that come from outside the body (bacteria and viruses for a prime example.) He can also absorb bacteria and foreign substances and break them down until there's nothing left (many different white blood cells can do the same as well.) When it comes to his job, he is a relentless maniac. He never stops doing he's work until every last target has been eliminate.

But just because he's super passionate about his job doesn't mean he can't be normal. When he's doing he's work he can be a pretty cool and gentle cell. Especially toward Red Blood Cell (AE3803). Bonus note 3: I really love the relationship between these two. It's always so heartwarming and endearing seeing a moment between U-1146 and AE3803. Kind makes me wish they get together in the end.

Speaking of AE3803, she's my second favorite cell. Her job as Red Blood Cell is to deliver Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and Nutrients everywhere in the human body. Even though she can be an idiot and a scatterbrain at times. She still doesn't give up on doing her job. No matter how difficult the job is or how clumsy she gets (I respect characters who have that kind of attitude.) Plus it's kind of cute seeing her mess up or freak out sometimes.

My third favorite would have to be NK Cell aka Natural Killer Cell. Beautiful, smug, tough, and is one of the strongest cells in the human body (She's a lot stronger than White Blood and Killer T Cells.) Her job is to patrol around the system and make sure that no viruses or cancer cells do any damage or invade the body (unlike White Blood and Killer T, she can sense whenever a cancer cell is near by or is in disguise.) Another interesting fact about her is that she gains strength through laughter. I am not joking. Whenever you laugh, you are also strengthening your NK Cell (I guess laughter really is the best medicine.) The stronger she gets the more damage she can do to tough viruses or cancer cells (And if you seen the show and follow me on Twitter, yes I like how well built she is too.)

My last favorite would have to be the Macrophages. These lovely and motherly maids are one of THE most important cells in the body. "Why are they" you may probably ask. Well just like their cousins (the White Blood Cells) their duty is to kill any foreign substances that enter the body (whenever their in the bloodstream they turn into Monocytes. So that way they can do their job with no issues at all.) Find any antigens and immunity info and send them to a Dendritic Cell. Clean up any dead cells or bacteria they find or killed. Finally act as a teacher and caretaker to all Erythroblasts until they graduate as full fledged grown Red Blood Cells. Without them the inside of the human body would have a lot of problems. Bonus note 4: Their also the most strongest cells in the human body as well. So strong that they were able to take down a giant Staphylococcus aureus (creatures that can cause pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome, bacteremia, sepsis, and etc.)

Another thing that like about this show would have to be the artwork and animation. They both look colorful and creative. One of my favorite artstyle moments would have to be the times whenever AE3803 freaks out. The design the artists give her always look interesting, weird, and pretty dramatic. Like this one time when you see her pupils crack into a shape of a lightning bolt. Another moment would have to be the times whenever you see some characters look like JoJo ones. I think the designs both work and go along perfectly with any scene. Plus they make a good reference to their most notable ongoing series.

Before I end this review there's one thing I want to discuss that I feel like didn't make any sense (This isn't a downside by the way. Just wondering about something. If you have the answers, please let me know in the comments or on my Twitter page) Aside from the Red Blood Cells and the Allergens (cause they bleed yellow.) Why do every cell and germ bleed the color red? Is it to make the show look cool? If so, then that doesn't seem plausible. Considering the fact that their not regular cells or Red Blood ones as well.

In conclusion Cells At Work is both an excellent and fun anime to watch. David Productions has once again created another anime that just about anyone in their middle teens or older can really get into. If your interested in watching a show that's both educational and entertaining to watch or if your fan of Dave Productions. Than I really suggest you go check this anime out. Trust me, this show does not disappoint (I can also seeing this anime being in the category of Anime Of The Year as well.) With all that being said I'm giving Cells At Work a 10/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Last edited by Blak3 Nikos on Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:04 pm; edited 1 time in total

Originally posted December 6, 2018

Please note I watched the Blu-Ray Version.

Starting now every December through out each week. Excluding Christmas and New Years week (until further notice.) I will be reviewing a bunch of anime's that fall under this genre. It is both one of my top and personal favorites of mine. The genre is called Girls with Guns. Some of you who read this probably already know what this is, but to those who don't. "Girls with guns is a subgenre of action films and animation—often Asian films and anime—that portray a female protagonist who makes use of firearms to defend against or attack a group of antagonists. The genre typically involves gun-play, stunts and martial arts action." (Info by wiki) The first media to ever show this type of genre was the legendary Dirty Pair. Once the series became popular other shows, movies, and especially video games have decided to take on the genre as well. A couple of prime examples would have to be Metroid, Ghost In The Shell, Bubblegum Crisis, BloodRayne, Black Lagoon, Bayonetta, and etc. Now that you get the just of what this category is; it is time to shift our focus to week one's review. Or should I say revamp review: Noir.

"NOIR...It is the name of an ancient fate, two maidens govern death. The peace of the newly born, their black hands protect." (Quote by Kirika Yuumara)

"The main character in this series is a highly skilled assassin named Mireille Bouquet who is based out of France. One day, she receives a mysterious email from a girl named Kirika. Following up on the message, Mireille goes to meet this girl and discovers that not only does the girl have no idea who she really is, but she also has no idea why she is so skilled at killing people and why she feels no remorse when she does. Realizing that their lives are linked somehow, Mireille and Kirika team up and begin traveling the world together as they seek out the answers to their shared histories, while avoiding the grip of an organization known as Les Soldats. Will the two find the answers they are looking for? And will that truth free them, or ruin them?" (Info by My Anime List)

Noir was not only one of the few anime's I watched on Netflix that helped me fully get into anime back in 2012, but it was also the first GWG anime I have ever witness. I remember being interested by the characters, the action, and some of the storyline as well. But the sad and true part of my first time viewing this series was that I never made the choice of watching all of the episodes (I only watched some.) Which was very stupid of me to do because a few months later Netflix would take Noir off of it's platform. Only to be replaced by something else. Fast foward 6 years later December 2-6 I had decided to choose this show as the 1st anime I would both fully watch and Re:Review for GWG month. And after re-watching this series as a whole I can definitely say with confidence. That this show after 17 years is still very good and underrated.

The reason I say underrated is because if you were to ask someone what their favorite anime (underrated or not) would be, only a few would say the name Noir. I can definitely understand why. The show is not exactly top tier underrated or one of the most legendary anime's of all time (even in the early 2000s.) But to me and I bet to the some who saw this would still consider this anime both a treasure and one of our personal favorites.

One of things that I love about this anime would have to be storyline. I truly love the idea that the director and writer have came up with for this series. Two women from different countries find out that they both share an unknown past with each other. So they decided to go on this long pilgrimage to find out what that is, who is out to kill them, and why. Through out the beginning of the series (episodes 1-10) the anime gives it's audience bit by bit answers as to what is truly going on behind the scenes. Then once the audience makes it to the middle part of the series (episode 11-18) the size of the answers go from bit to some to regular. Until you reach the last part (episode 19-25) where everything that the girls were looking for plus more will be revealed. This is the
2nd thing that I love about this anime. That it takes time with what it's showing and only gives little answers to what is truly going on. It helps anyone who is new to watching a show like this to get invested and be surprised by the sudden twist that they didn't see coming. I just wish that more anime's with mystery plot would do the same.

The second would have to be episode 1. There are 2 reasons as of why I love this episode. The 1st would have to be the time where Kirika and Mireille first meet. This is one of the most iconic moments from the series. (spoilers on this part) It starts off when Mireille receives an email from a high schooler name Kirka Yuumara who wants Mireille to join her on a "Pilgrimage to their past." Mireille at first sees this as a joke until a familiar tune that she hasn't hear in a long time plays in the email. Later on she meets Kirika at the rendezvous point where she told her to go (It's at a unfinished construction building). Suspicious by all of this Mireille points her gun at Kirika asking what is going on and how does she know her. But before Mireille could do anything else Kirika opens a certain pocket watch, which starts playing the same familiar tune. A few seconds later (for some random reason) Kirika runs inside the construction building. Mireille follows her, but takes a while to catch up because Kirika is pretty much faster than her. A few minutes later Mireille finds Kirika setting on top of a beam silently looking at the mysterious pocket watch with the sunset shining right next to the side of her.

If you pause at that very moment, not only will you see why this scene is so amazing. But you could actually picture it being held at a art museum. You also would probably be asking these following questions: What is going on in this scene? Who are these girls? And what are they thinking about? My 2nd reason is the first time where you get to see Kirika in action. Seeing her taking out these strange men in black with no hesitation or problem was pretty cool to watch. Especially the part where she jump over a guy, grabs him by his necktie, and used him as safety rope while dropping down to the next floor (while at the same time choking him to death in the process.)

But that is only one of the reasons why I love Kirika and why I consider to be one of my favorite characters. Another cool thing that she can do is that no matter how far or how close her target is. As long as she can see and hear them, she always hits her mark. Even if she does make some mistakes or misses them. She later on makes up for it thanks to her smart skills as an assassin. And she never stops until her job is completed. I also like the moments whenever she's being sweet and innocent. It's the only time where she gets to feel happy, live a normal life, and not have to stress about who she was in the past or have to worry about her not being able to show any emotion when she kills her targets.

Another character that I like from the series would have to be Chloe. Worker for the Les Soldats and is very loyal to her mistress Altena. Her talents as an assassin is very superb. She's smart, quick, cunning, observant, and is always one step ahead of her victims. She's pretty much a close superior version of Kirika. Whenever she does her job she always takes it seriously, but whenever she isn't it mainly depends. When she is around Kirika and Mireille and if nothing is going on, she is calm and relaxed, but is always on guard. When she's around her mistress or with the person she is inspired by, she shows her true self (a happy and sweet kid.) Another thing that I like about Chloe would have to be her theme song. Her theme definitely fits perfectly with her character. A sweet and deadly mysterious enigma.

My 3rd favorite would have to be Mireille Bouquet. She might not be as great as Kirika or Chloe, but she most certainly can hold her on own in a fight and is really good with a gun too. I also like her relationship with her Kirika. Even though she can sometimes be cold around her doesn't mean she's always like that. There are time when she can be nice and does good things for her as well. She's also a great and helpful partner to Kirika whenever she needs it. (Bonus note 1: One thing that I personal dislike is that the people in charge of the English dub (ADV Films) didn't want Mireille's voice actor to have a Corsican accent. Because according to them "it would've been confusing to the people who will be watching this because their not familiar with the language." Bullcrap. Just because we never heard of it doesn't mean you shouldn't let the voice actor have that accent. We all know where Corsica is and we know it's a part of France. I wish they wouldn't treat the audience like they were idiots and actually treat them like have some intelligence. Plus this would've been a great way to introduce people who have never heard of this country or their language.)

The next thing that I liked about this anime would have to be the action scenes. I thought that half of them were really good, while the rest were alright. Now don't get me wrong as much as thought that half of them were alright. I wish they were a little bit better than what the show has presented. If they were on the same level as the other half or on the same level or higher than Black Lagoon, then my feelings for them would've been different.

The 5th would have to be the music. Noir's original soundtrack is absolutely fantastic. I love how the show plays many different music types that would fit perfectly for a specific scene. Some examples of what they would play would have to be electronic music, soft electronic, French/Corsican folk, soft, random/weird, dark chant/choir, and sometimes they'll actually mix some of them together. There are 2 songs that I really cannot get enough of and that's Salva Nos and Canta Per Me. The reason why I love Salva is because I love the mixture of upbeat electronic music, saxophones, violins, and the operatic vocals of the artists. Whenever you hear this song, you will instantly know when a showdown is about to go down. As for Canta Per me I love it for 2 reasons. Even though it too has the same reasons why I love Salva Nos (violins and operatic vocals from the same artists) there are, however some difference between these two aside from not having an exciting upbeat electronic music and saxophones. Instead of sounding like a plea for help, the rhythm and vocals sound both lovely and riveting. Like something you would play on a vacation trip to France. Yuki Kajiura and the rest of the music team have done a splendid job with making Noir's OST memorable and loved by it's fans, future fans, and of course me.

The final thing that I love would have to be the art/animation. It is both great and beautiful at the same time. The show's whole design kind makes me me feel like I'm watching a late 90's anime. The area and background always look so fascinating. I love how they combine landscape and anime style so perfectly together (some of you might not be impressed by it, but if you were to look at in a artistic vision. You could definitely see the genius that it contains. The facial expressions that they give Kirika was very intriguing to look at. When ever you see her being sweet and fragile, you mostly see an innocent and cute teenage girl. But whenever she's angry or is very serious. You will either see the darkness covering her eyes, while having a blank and cold emotional look or she'll show this furious demonic look that says "I will kill you with no mercy and make sure you stay dead permanently."

I also like the many different water designs that they show off through the series. Sometimes they'll show a painted ocean in the background, but add something to it to make it look like it's glistening off of the sun's rays, sometimes they'll show regularly animated splashing water, sometimes whenever the characters are in the catacombs and if you look at the stream right next to them. It looks like pure liquid, and one time at the park the animators made the river look very shiny to the point where it almost looks blindly to look at. The last would have to be the commercial transition cards. Aside from the 80's vibe that it gives off. I like how the name Noir and the Mireille's Walther P99 have two different color schemes, but when it does a "come back from commercial" transition card both the color's, the name Noir, and the gun switch sides. Except instead of Mireille's gun showing up, it's Kirika's Beretta M1934. Even this isn't the first time I've seen an anime do something like that (Cowboy Bebop and Trigun for example.) I still find it very visual to look at.

The negatives:

In episode 2 Mireille shoots 3 bullets in this one guy’s chest, but when you look closely at him you don’t see any bulletholes on him (he’s still dead, but for some reason the artistes who drew him didn’t add any bulletholes on his body.) This error continues again through out the series except 10, 14, and 26.

2. In episode 3 After Kirika shot all 3 men that was guarding Dux’s door. Mireille (I don’t even know how, but the anime never shows her doing it) escapes Dux’s room, meets up with Kirika, and they move toward a different part of Dux’s abounded hotel.

3. Sometimes (note: I only watched the English dub version) whenever Kirika and Mireille talk to each other. They always sound so quiet that I have to raise the volume up in order to hear what their saying. I would rather turn on the subtitles than do that, but FUNimation never provided any subtitles in the Blu-Ray version.

4. The anime really loves showing its audience the same past scene from an episode or Kirika and Mireille’s (mostly Mireille’s) past a lot. Look unless their adding something new to that scene (to which they do, sometimes) or if their doing a reflective episode. THEY NEED TO STOP DOING THAT. It’s annoying and completely unnecessary.

5. There are 2 episodes where the flow of the structure feels a little off. And that’s 1 and 14. For 1 at the near end you see the girls on a flight to Paris and then a few milliseconds later their at Mireille’s apartment. Then there’s 14 (spoiler) where after Mireille killed her uncle. She sat by his side, but the moment only lasted the same amount of time the 2 girls headed toward Paris and then Mireille’s apartment.

In conclusion this show might have some flaws, but I still consider this underrated and very good. It has an investing storyline, Notable and wonderful characters, Really good and alright action scenes, fascinating music, and a great and beautiful art/animation. I'm glad I was able to make up for not watching this show fully before and to make a better and superior version of my old review of this anime. I hope I was able to persuade you to check this special gem out. It is truly worth the watch and will not disappoint you at all. With being said I'm giving Noir a 8.9/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

Bonus note: Believe it or not Starz Inc was almost going to make a live action version of Noir. While Sam Rami and Rob Tapert would've been the Executive Producers of the show. But in 2013 Starz CEO Chris Albrecht said "the project remained at a standstill citing difficulty to get the project creatively to a good place." (Info by wiki) In other words it's never gonna happen, which is good thing. Look I like Spider-Man 2 and Xena: The Warrior Princess, but that doesn't mean I have faith in these guys or Starz, or the writers they almost hired to make that show look good. Aside from Speed Racer, there will never be a good live action Hollywood anime adaptive series or movie. Because as long as majority of Hollywood's workers number 1 priority is money, the movie or TV show that you think will be good will always turn out to be crap.

Last edited by Blak3 Nikos on Tue Dec 25, 2018 5:03 pm; edited 1 time in total

Originally posted December 12, 2018

Please note I watched the Blu-Ray Version.

This weeks anime is another underrated gem that I really love. It stars the English dub voice actors who play as Mireille and Chole from Noir. It is the continuation of the video game 428: Shibuya Scramble (which came out this year for the U.S.) Lastly next year in a couple of months or so it is going to be celebrating it's 10th anniversary. The series that I am referring to is called Canaan. It's a show that revolves around two highly trained killer assassins, revenge, terrorism, tragedy, a deadly virus, the past, and people with superhuman abilities.

"A sequel to the 428: Shibuya Scramble, it centers on three women and their connections to one-another and an upcoming anti-terrorism summit in Shanghai, China. One of them is Canaan, a Middle Eastern assassin and mercenary. Another is Alphard, Canaan's rival and also a skilled assassin and mercenary who heads a terrorist organization called Snake. The final girl is Maria Ōsawa, a victim of an attempted biological terrorist attack in the streets of Shibuya two years previous. Their encounters lead to armed interventions between Canaan and Alphard with a deep and tragic history in common." (Info by wiki)

There is more to Canaan than just the ones I listed on the 1st paragraph. To me it is also a really cool show with high grade action that will keep you to the edge of your seat, surprising twist that no will see coming, good and sad notable moments that will likely touch your heart, and so much more. Even if you haven't played 428 and you still want to check this series out, you still can. The anime mainly focuses on it's own storyline and sometimes show prior events that has happen before the game. You'll never feel confused, you'll still be able to understand what's going on, and you'll always be invested by whatever intriguing moment the anime throws at you.

One of things that I liked about this series would have to be the 2nd generation Ua Virus. The 1st was originally the world's most dangerous biological weapon with no cure until (spoilers) Maria's father found a cure for it. The 2nd version of the virus still works like the previous one (it can be able to kill anyone within 12 hours causing any of the victim's body parts to bleed out.) But there is a huge difference between the original and the current. The 2nd one can create either borners or the Unbloom.

Speaking of which they are reason number two why I like this show. Borners are people who are given specific superhuman abilities thanks to a certain part of the inside of their body being replicated. While they may look and seem invincible they have only one weakness. They must always take a particular type of medicine that helps keep the virus's poisonous effects at bay. Without it they would die in 12 hours (bonus note 1: Some Borners don't have special abilities, but do keep the extra specific inside body part that the virus gave them.) As for the Unbloom, they are quite the opposite. Instead of getting an extra inside body part or special talent. They cannot come in contact with sunlight or noise. If they do, the poisonous effect of the virus will immediately activate instead of waiting 12 hours. Bonus note 2: one thing that these 2 have in common and how you can tell a Borner and an Unbloom from a regular human being. Is that they have a flower shape blood vessel mark that can appear anywhere on their body.

One of my favorite characters in this anime would have to be Canaan. She's both nice, kind-hearted, odd (but in a good way), smart, and an impressive fighter. When it comes to doing her job and taking down her enemies, she is a bonafide expert. Whenever she's not working she's either waiting for her next mission or is off having fun by herself or with her friend Maria (I really love the relationship between these two. It always comes off sweet and almost realistic to the point that you wish that these two will hopefully get together in the end.)

Even though she's not perfect and sometimes let's hate and 2 other specific things (that I will talk about later) get the best of her. She later on finds away to conquer all 3 of them and becomes not only a better person, but also a fighter as well. Bonus Note 3: One other additional fact that you should know about her is that she has a special type of synesthesia ability. With it she can be able to tell the difference between her targets, regular citizens, and a specific person that she's looking for thanks to the certain type of color they give off. She can also tell whatever a person is feeling at the moment and is able to understand a little bit of what type of person any human being is.

My 2nd favorite is the anime's main antagonist Alphard Al Sheya. Confident, clever, persuasive, usually cool even under pressure, leader of the terrorist organization known as Snake, and is Canaan's arch-nemesis. Like Canaan (but a little more advanced plus one difference) she too is very smart, a skilled fighter, and is always 100% focused on her goal. She never let's anyone or anything interrupt it. Even if it's her own associates. The woman is so dangerous that (spoilers) she was able to persuade the Vice-President of America to pay her in order to convince the other world leaders to work with the President to prevent anti-terrorism. But that is only one of the things that makes her dangerous threat. The rest will have to remained unknown due to obvious reason.

The last few reason would have to be the storyline (I thought it was fascinating. One of the main reasons was because there where 4 notable theme arcs that each individual character had to go through. For Canaan and Alphard it was confronting the past and fully understanding human beings and their emotions. For Maria it was accepting one's self. And finally for Santana it was atonement.) The characters ( there were some characters like YunYun and Jin the Taxi Driver that I found to be both entertaining and good characters, some like Maria, Minoru, Santana, and Hakko that I believed were both great and memorable ones, and some like Yuri Natsume (Canaan's employer) that I thought was just ok.)

The music (I thought it was very good, especially the main theme song. The fast pace action combine with the adrenaline sound of that guitar has made me feel ecstatic. Definitely would consider this to be one of my personal favorite anime openers of all time.) The action scenes (they are both brutal, pretty graphic, and very violent. This is something that I wish Noir had. If it did I would've loved it just as much as I do for Canaan's.)

Last, but not least the artwork/animation (it was both great and regularly captivating. I really love the details that the artists put into the area that the characters go to or some of the objects (like Canaan's gun for example) that the characters hold or own. I also love seeing Canaan and Alphard's abilities. The way how they move and fight has a great flow and well balanced fast pace that has really intrigued me and definitely anyone else who watches this as well.)

In conclusion this show is still really cool. It has a fascinating storyline, some great/entertaining/interesting characters, brutal/pretty graphic/ very violent action scenes, a very good OST, and a great and regular captivating artwork/animation. I highly recommend you give this series a shot. It's truly an AWESOME show to watch. I'm giving Canaan a 10/10, let me know what you guys think in the comments.

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