Demotivator of the week #28

Man, I’m struggling every week to make one nowadays -___-” Fingers crossed next week will have more material to work with XP

Have a good weekend everyone and stay tuned for more~ And for those Starcraft II fans out there – take it easy dewds.

Ippius

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi – impressions so far

“They say one night with her and whether you’re male or female, she’ll take you down.”

Maid in heaven~

While I pretty much bagged Ookami-san out the first time I wrote about it, admittedly I’ve somewhat enjoyed the latest few eps. Though the series is definitely far from excellent, it does have its moments.

Ryouko's getting ready for Christmas in July

What’s definitely been a double-edged sword has been the adaptation of fairtale characters and elements into the anime series. While I chuckled at the very Japanime transition of Hansel and Gretel into this twisted incestuous couple, other elements seemed like they were merely tossed in for the sake of doing so. I for one, find Ringo’s Little Red Riding Hood character pretty out of place. The only link between Ringo and her fairytale persona is the appearance.

Some dirty old geezer

The humour, while pretty predictable with its mostly fanservice-based gags, I still manage to get a few laughs here and there. Ep 5 was actually pretty funny with the whole millet dumplings joke. I sometimes wonder whether my sense of humour has been wonktarded because of watching too much anime >_>

Thunder punch!

The general concept of Ookami-san is pretty weak, but I guess that’s to be expected in your semi-generic rom-com series. The parts that really peeve me off are the lame, “we’re bff’s for life” and “I’ve got your back” moments that seem to appear in every ep. They’re just corny to the max, and the soundtrack doesn’t help.

Breaking the fourth wall

Overall, I’ll still continue watching Ookami-san as I’m vaguely interested in Ryouko’s past with the all too convenient bad guy Hitsujikai. Plus Majo is awesome XP

Who doesn't like Majo?

Black * Rock Shooter OVA – review

“Storyline: Person 1 meets person 2. They become friends. Person 3 enters equation, person 1 and 3 become friends and person 2 feels left out. Person 1 and 2 make up, person three feels left out… We have entered an endless recursion of fail.” – Daldaren from AnimeTake

That's a mighty huge gun

The Black * Rock Shooter OVA wasn’t necessarily poor entertainment. It has some pretty strong elements. However what it lacked was fluid cohesion and a solid story.

PEW PEW LAZURZ

I’ve never really understood Hatsune Miku’s popularity, and thus Black * Rock Shooter’s. The artificiality of their voices just doesn’t strike such a deep chord within me, and I’ve been accustomed to think that the sole reason they’re so big in Japan is because of expert marketing, advertising and merchandise aimed at the anime industry.

PEW PEW PEW M04R LAEZUURZZ

However I must admit that the sound in this OVA was pretty good (although a far cry from the synthesised stuff BRS is known for). It was also nice to recognise a tune or two from the BRS single too.

Homework - a silent killer.

Animation was pretty solid. I liked the character models, but there was a little lack in texture and detail. Never before have I seen such a plain slice of bread/toast. The fightscenes were great, albeit rather disjointed by the slice-of-life component of the OVA which FAR overweighed this alternate world…..

Sometimes the best protection is no protection at all.

….. which forms the exact crux of the problem that Black * Rock Shooter suffers from. There’s simply no damn explanation why this other world exists. The evil girl from the start Black Gold Saw simply never appears again. We have no idea whether the opening fight scene is prior to or after the events of the OVA proper.

For some reason Yuu's head reminds me of a pumpkin.

The slice-of-life element to the OVA was also fairly straightforward, and something we hear time and again. Essentially it’s about friendship, and the pitfalls of having more than one friend. Morale of the story: don’t get more than one friend. It ruins lives.

"Why do I suck so much?"

I think most fans were expecting 50 minutes of semi-naked chicks duking it out with huge guns and blades in weird and wacky locales. I certainly was expecting that, and that would have made an infinitely more entertaining OVA. However the S-o-L stuff really interrupted our dosage of fanservice the fanservice interrupted the S-o-L component. I’m not sure whether I’d watch a BRS anime series, but I guess I’m kinda up for it, as long they decrease the high-school girly moments and ramp up the alternate world.

Animation: 8.5/10

Sound: 8.5/10

Story: 6.5/10

Characters: 7/10

Enjoyment: 6.75/10

Overall : 7.45/10

Mmmmm.... kinky...!

Marvel vs Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds – further impressions

“Insert suitable quotation from or about the game here”

Some of the Marvel characters

MvC3 is looking great after what we’ve seen at SDCC. With a roster of already 16 playable characters, and at least 14 more characters to be announced, it is no wonder that MvC3 is definitely next year’s most hyped fighter (besides Tekken vs Street Fighter, of course).

Dr Doom, Super-Skrull and the Hulk

For those who haven’t been keeping up, the roster now includes:

Marvel: Captain America, Deadpool, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, Super-Skrull (replacing the Fantastic Four), Doctor Doom and Wolverine

Capcom: Chun-Li, Amaterasu (from Ookami), Chris Redfield, Dante, Trish, Morrigan, Ryu and Felicia

Everyone loves their buns hot and steaming

I must admit, I really dig the comic book styled effects that pop up in the gameplay trailers, obviously inspired by classic Marvel art. The 3D models also look gorgeous.

Trish and her large... scythe.

Gameplay looks fast and hectic. Effects seem to splatter and cover most of the screen, especially in heated moments, and while this can be a little distracting, for onlookers, it must be quite a marvel (pun not intended). This game is definitely NOT for epileptics.

Amaterasu's take down

Despite using 3D character models, MvC3 will still remain as a 2D fighter, with players only able to move forwards and backwards, and up and down. Like previous installments that there will be also a three-on-three tag team mode, where players choose 3 characters which can be switched in-game at any time. This obviously offers a lot of tactical potential to already robust gameplay.

More Amaterasu action

Like Tatsunoko vs Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars, MvC3 will use a simplified 3-button representing low, medium and high attacks. The aim is to “knock down the wall of complicated controls and open up the field of strategic fighting to all comers”. While seasoned players may be a little disappointed, I for one am pretty glad, seeing that I’ve relatively new to the fighter genre.

The power of THOR!

Single player will apparantly be ‘robust’ with a story mode which has unique endings for each character. There will also be online multiplayer.

Shaken, not stirred.

I have never been a fan of fighters, but this game might just break that mold. Here’s to more interesting characters and gameplay modes to be announced~!

"You shall not pass!!!!!12183428one"

Darker Than Black: Gaiden – OVA review

“The chosen child will become the flesh and blood of what will be known as ‘Izanami’, and it will erase the stars in the skies, and stand in front of the Door.”

Hei and his iconic mask

It aaalllll makes sense now. Who knew that Izanami actually had an utopia-esque aim to create a world where dolls and contractors wouldn’t be abused (as resulted in Ryuseii no Gemini)! The fourth episode in the DTB Gaiden OVA miniseries was definitely the best as it combined the fast-paced ‘realistic’ action we’ve come to expect from DTB, as well as a couple of very poignant Hei x Yin moments.

He's a little stuck due to the emotion

You don’t need to be a genius to realise that Gaiden is well animated. Bones once again shows that it knows the ins and outs of its business. Movements are fluid, and the fights are well-choreographed.

Izanami awakened

It’s no suprise that Gaiden borrowed most of its music from Ryuusei no Gemini. Ishii Yasushii proved to be a more than capable composer. His style is clearly different to Kanno’s music in DTB 1, with a lot of focus on bass, but it was on par with her soundtrack.

A couple of familiar faces.

My only problem with Gaiden is that Ryuusei no Gemini would have made a LOT more sense if we had seen Gaiden first. Clearly the producers only had a budget for 12 episodes, and as a result, couldn’t cram these episodes in, resulting in the pretty strong reaction to Ryuusei no Gemini’s once-inexplicable ending.

This guy's power is hilarious~

It goes without saying that if you watched Ryuusei no Gemini, you simply must watch Gaiden to understand what happens in the end. This is what the second season should have been: a brilliant mix between action and emotion.

Animation: 9/10

Sound: 9/10

Story: 8.75/10

Characters: 8.5/10

Enjoyment: 8.5/10

Overall : 8.75/10

Asians and their martial arts...

EDIT: Here’s your complementery Yin image folks

Screw you all XP

Demotivator of the week #27

UNI HOLIDAYS DON’T GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Geh back to uni soon, so updates will once again return to alternate days. At least my timetable looks semi-demi-decent. Here’s a demotivator that is very special to me, seeing that it’s what I often do best 😛

Cheers and thanx for tuning in~

Ippius

Amagami SS – Morishima Haruka arc review

“I don’t know which caucasian would give their kid ‘Lovely’ as a name, but who gives… ”

Late night blogging = this 😛

So the first arc of Amagami SS has finished, and boy, has it been an interesting ride. With 2 confessions, some kissing behind the knee, some unusual role playing involving salty ramen, and pool and bath segments, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought it was a little bit fast-paced.

"Is it weird?" No Morishima-senpai, it's not weird. Now bend over more.

The result just gives me the impression that the arc is a bit forced at times. Encounters and events are very coincidental, even if it is a small city Amagami SS is set in.

Shut down!

Admittedly, Tachibana was being a douche at times, and Morishima was a little over-dramatic at the end. Also, I see no reason whatsoever why Tachibana mentioned his vertigo in episode 4. That was pretty stupid, since he first met Morishima in a park with a huge view overlooking all the city. It must have been at least a relatively big drop. In addition in the hotel he was pretty fine with the view. Stupid inconsistencies like these are pretty inexcusable, especially when they’re easily omitted.

Another nose bleed moment

In addition, where did the whole angry Miya-Jun’ichi-Morishima plot go????? I was expecting some sort of exploration of that. Turns out 4-episodes isn’t long enough.

Nii-nii's gone a little crazy~

Animation was pretty decent at the start, but was noticeably worse in later episodes. I agree that the female character models in this series are very gorgeous and appealing (and they should be), but to say that the animation is awesome, is a totally different thing. There was definitely some distortion here and there.

School - 'nuff said.

With all this being said, I must confess that I actually enjoyed the first arc. While I thought the whole ‘reset’ thingy would be lame, it turns out that it works out quite well. We saw a lot of Morishima and her development without much getting in the way. She’s a pretty interesting and intriguing character too, as she turns out to be not your usual pretty and popular high school idol. I know I won’t be alone when I say that I’ll miss the significant presence of her in the rest of the series, seeing that she’ll only be secondary cast.

Ai, Sae and Miya... events to come...

Amagami SS ensnares its audience with some very surprising (and kinky) moments, combined with a little drama you’d expect in a soapy. The strength of each arc is solely dependent on its female lead, and no doubt Morishima was shown first, seeing she has a very quirky yet strong character. Let’s hope Kaoru keeps the Amagami SS engine revved up.

The thumbs up? Perhaps...

Seikimatsu Occult Gakuin – 02-03

“It’s the first time someone praised my hair. The students call then ‘the two dumpling brothers’…”

You've encountered Bug Catcher Kozue

What I enjoy about Occult Academy is the fact it isnt overdone in any particular area. The humour is great, and a far cry from the generic fanservice gags we see commonly today. Comedic moments are generally spaced apart, so we’re never force-fed sh!ts and giggles.

Dango dango!

Occult Academy also has a very interesting cast which begs to be explored in the coming episodes. Abe Minoru/Fumiaki the time traveller on one hand is a complete tool, yet we know that there’s a darker side  to him, seeing that he’s already witnessed the eventual result of failure.

Your existence makes Maya angry

JK is very funny, and while on one hand I’d like to see more of him, it’s good that his presence doesn’t distract the course of the episode.

The only things I thought that had such big eyes were those weird goldfish

One thing that’s certain is that the director really knows how to build things up. Tomohiko clearly knows how to use foreshadowing well, and I cannot wait to see what twists and turns he delivers in this series. Here’s to some more aliens, espers and time travellers~

You tell that spoon to ROCK ON!

Seitokai Yakuidomo – 02-03

“Another Kodak moment…”

You cannot escape.

There  is a noticeable lack of solid comedies this season. However, I am enjoying Seitokai Yakuidomo immensely, whether it be for the simply outrageous jokes, or the ridiculous characters.

BEAR BLASTIN'

My favourite character has got to be Hata Ranko, the president of the journalism club. While she was a mere side-character in episode 1, she really shone in episode 3. I have to take my hat off to Arai Satomi: I find her rather annoying in her roles as Kuroko in Railgun, and the narrator in Ookami-san, she’s great as the slightly obsessed Ranko.

Excess in all its glory.

I really like the humour in Seitokai Yakuindomo. It’s kinda nice to see something different to the forced and fanservice-related gags in Asobi and Seikirei. Possibly one weakness in this series is its lacklustre male lead, who is unsurprisingly, just a nice guy.

It's all about the sex(es)

It’s annoying to blog about series that essentially never move. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the show’s bad. Seitokai Yakuindomo is a very entertaining, adults-only gag series, where we don’t really expect major development or some plot device, so let’s leave it at that.

"That looks heavy"

Cat Shit One – first impressions

“Well, that’s one hell of an angel that came to help us.”

THERE IS SPY IN BASE!

One statement sums it all up: Packy is the Captain Price (from Modern Warfare fame) of animated entertainment. I found Cat Shit One surprisingly good, and this should be watched by all action anime fanatics (even though this strictly speaking, isn’t anime).

Bunnies... with sniper rifles - what could be better?

The CGI used is wonderful. The backgrounds are rendered beautifully, and the effects are really nice to watch. However, I’m a little curious why there’s no blood. There are some pretty good instances to show off the red splash, but it’s simply not there, and its absence is rather missed.

Bring in the rain.

Action is key to the show, and this is where Cat Shit One (lol I can’t say the name with a straight face) delivers. The dialogue is short and snappy, yet it’s generally realistic. Great use of military gestures! The enemies (camels of course) lack any sense of the word ‘skill’, and often it looks like Packy and Botasky are farming noobs. They’re also pretty faceless, and it’d be great if we saw some sort of background in the next few episodes regarding the situation the Cat Shit One recon team is in.

Captain Packy = Captain Price

Overall, action-junkies will find this show pretty entertaining. There’s significant attention to detail regarding the guns used, as well as the weather effects. Tension and atmosphere is developed well, and as long as you don’t pay full attention to the clichés you find in any action flick, you’ll enjoy Cat Shit immensely 😛

Just another day at work...