A Black Falcon
Member
So yeah, I haven't been watching much anime recently. I should have some more free time now though (finally done...), for now, so maybe I will start doing so again... unless I decide to not watch bad harem shows? That'd sure limit by options!
OF course, I watched Saki Achiga-hen episode 16, the last episode. I'll have to do a longer review for that one eventually. It was great as always though of course. Now for the long wait until the next show, next year...
I also watched the Seitokai Yakuindomo OVA 6 after it released, but didn't write about it at the time. It was classic SYD, which means that it was pretty silly, entertaining stuff, even if the jokes mostly worked from the series' usual playbook. I really wish that they'd do a full second season, instead of OVA episodes every 4-6 months... ah well, at least it's something. But yes, it's funny. Watch SYD for sure. Good stuff, and the constant sexual humor is often entertaining, along with the other humor in the series too. Plus I like that it's a harem-setting show that actually definitely is not harem at all. It's great that it is not another harem series, comedy or no. Instead, it's "watch girls say risque stuff, the show". That's better.
Looking at movies, within the last few months I've also watched (both dubbed, on VHS) Sword for Truth and Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle. Sword for Truth is a mediocre at best, and unfinished, samurai/fantasy action movie. It's premodern Japan, with ninjas and magic and samurais and such. What's here was okay, but unfortunately, a lot of the major plot points simply go nowhere. Who were those female ninjas? What was that thing a bunch of them died to get? What is the main character guy going to do now? Why is just about anything in this movie actually happening? The movie doesn't bother answering any of these questions, and it has no sequel either. If this is based off of some longer source material that'd explain it, but otherwise... yeah, this is confusing, and not any good. Sure, it's got fights, and even a sex scene or two, but there's really nothing here that's any good. Only consider if you want to see how bad '90s OVAs got.
As for Fatal Fury 2, it was better. It wasn't actually GOOD, but it was better than that other thing at least. Fatal Fury 2, the anime, is a mediocre anime based off of the SNK videogame series of the same name. So, Terry Bogard has to defeat the evil villain and save the day. Mai and Andy show up too, though they're only of limited help. Mai, naturally, gets kidnapped once; can't have a female character without having a male character have to rescue her, even if she's a competent ninja, after all.
Some things about this movie made no sense, though. Like, Southtown is in the USA, right? But then they go to Europe, or I sure thought it was Europe (wasn't the villain's castle in Germany?), and I only ever remember seeing them go there... by motorcycle? What? Uh, what kind of geography does this movie's world HAVE, anyway? I was really confused. And as for the action, it's mediocre. The movie does have a decent character arc, as Terry goes from strong, to weak and dejected after a defeat, to a gradual rebuilding of his strength and confidence, but it's all pretty cliche. Still, seeing the main character of an anime based off of a popular game series, and one of the most-seen characters of his time (Terry was in something like 19 Neo-Geo games!), be a homeless drunken bum for a while... that was kind of interesting. Overall though, Fatal Fury 2 was bland. It was just average-ish enough that I don't regret watching it, at least.
I also watched Crime Edge 2 a while ago. I don't remember it well, but it was decently good. Surprisingly solid show, I need to get back to it.
More recently, I watched:
Karneval 2 - Okay episode. In this episode, the main pair (Nai and Gareki) are brought to Circus's ship. That circus performance looked fun, too bad he couldn't stay to watch it... but skipping to the end of the episode, So is the guy the MC is search for
? That'd be so not very surprising... and it's too bad that those two badguys got away, after killing people like that. That whole part with the MC managing to get tossed out of the ship so easily, and by 'accident', was kind of stupid. I mean, such a cliche scene, and I can't quite believe that it'd actually happen... but the whole point of his character is that he's overly credulous and knows absolutely nothing about just about anything, so I guess it's theoretically sort of possible. Anyway, I assume the goodguys will catch up to those villains later, to have more of a fight than the "disable and run" this episode had.
Overall though, solidly decent to good episode. So yeah, I'll keep watching.
Samurai Girls S2 (Samurai Brides) 3 - Yeah, after like two months I finally managed to force myself through the whole episode. It's not actually all that bad, it's just that this season of the show is interesting me even less than the first season did... still though, at least this episode dropped the maid stuff after the beginning section. The rest of the episode, about Kanetsugu running away and how she ends up
, was better. Of course it's generic -- she's tsun for Muneakira,
OF course, I watched Saki Achiga-hen episode 16, the last episode. I'll have to do a longer review for that one eventually. It was great as always though of course. Now for the long wait until the next show, next year...
I also watched the Seitokai Yakuindomo OVA 6 after it released, but didn't write about it at the time. It was classic SYD, which means that it was pretty silly, entertaining stuff, even if the jokes mostly worked from the series' usual playbook. I really wish that they'd do a full second season, instead of OVA episodes every 4-6 months... ah well, at least it's something. But yes, it's funny. Watch SYD for sure. Good stuff, and the constant sexual humor is often entertaining, along with the other humor in the series too. Plus I like that it's a harem-setting show that actually definitely is not harem at all. It's great that it is not another harem series, comedy or no. Instead, it's "watch girls say risque stuff, the show". That's better.
Looking at movies, within the last few months I've also watched (both dubbed, on VHS) Sword for Truth and Fatal Fury 2: The New Battle. Sword for Truth is a mediocre at best, and unfinished, samurai/fantasy action movie. It's premodern Japan, with ninjas and magic and samurais and such. What's here was okay, but unfortunately, a lot of the major plot points simply go nowhere. Who were those female ninjas? What was that thing a bunch of them died to get? What is the main character guy going to do now? Why is just about anything in this movie actually happening? The movie doesn't bother answering any of these questions, and it has no sequel either. If this is based off of some longer source material that'd explain it, but otherwise... yeah, this is confusing, and not any good. Sure, it's got fights, and even a sex scene or two, but there's really nothing here that's any good. Only consider if you want to see how bad '90s OVAs got.
As for Fatal Fury 2, it was better. It wasn't actually GOOD, but it was better than that other thing at least. Fatal Fury 2, the anime, is a mediocre anime based off of the SNK videogame series of the same name. So, Terry Bogard has to defeat the evil villain and save the day. Mai and Andy show up too, though they're only of limited help. Mai, naturally, gets kidnapped once; can't have a female character without having a male character have to rescue her, even if she's a competent ninja, after all.
Some things about this movie made no sense, though. Like, Southtown is in the USA, right? But then they go to Europe, or I sure thought it was Europe (wasn't the villain's castle in Germany?), and I only ever remember seeing them go there... by motorcycle? What? Uh, what kind of geography does this movie's world HAVE, anyway? I was really confused. And as for the action, it's mediocre. The movie does have a decent character arc, as Terry goes from strong, to weak and dejected after a defeat, to a gradual rebuilding of his strength and confidence, but it's all pretty cliche. Still, seeing the main character of an anime based off of a popular game series, and one of the most-seen characters of his time (Terry was in something like 19 Neo-Geo games!), be a homeless drunken bum for a while... that was kind of interesting. Overall though, Fatal Fury 2 was bland. It was just average-ish enough that I don't regret watching it, at least.I also watched Crime Edge 2 a while ago. I don't remember it well, but it was decently good. Surprisingly solid show, I need to get back to it.
More recently, I watched:
Karneval 2 - Okay episode. In this episode, the main pair (Nai and Gareki) are brought to Circus's ship. That circus performance looked fun, too bad he couldn't stay to watch it... but skipping to the end of the episode, So is the guy the MC is search for
actually a villain
That little ... thing... coming down and snatching away Nai just when all looked lost was pretty funny, though... but if those can do that, why didn't someone from the ship send one down earlier? Ah, convenient plot holes...
Samurai Girls S2 (Samurai Brides) 3 - Yeah, after like two months I finally managed to force myself through the whole episode. It's not actually all that bad, it's just that this season of the show is interesting me even less than the first season did... still though, at least this episode dropped the maid stuff after the beginning section. The rest of the episode, about Kanetsugu running away and how she ends up
as the next Master Samurai
the kiss only happened because she was drowning and he had to save her
, etc, but a show like this? Have very low expectations. So yeah, this might be the "best" episode of this show yet. The part where Kanetsugu gets depressed and runs off was about as well done as anything this season. Overall though, it's yet another bland and not particularly interesting harem action series. I'm not sure if I'll stick this through to the end or not... well, probably eventually. I doubt I'll catch up quickly though.
