Reviews:
Dragon Ball Z: Kai - Did anyone else think Freeza looked and sounded a bit like Mark Hamill's Joker from Batman the Animated Series? He’s got the same creepy vibe in his smile. Gohon's fierce attack was awesome and I loved when Freeza said, "That actually hurt." Damn! When Krillin reappeared I was legitimately surprised and it made for a funny moment even if that Namekian healing technique did come out of nowhere. Now that Piccolo has finally arrived, we'll get see if all the buildup pays off. Rating: Another good episode
Akame ga Kill - The exposition scene about the Imperial Arms, while still cliche, was at least somewhat interesting in this otherwise bland show and it finally explains how all their powers work. However, I think this information would have fit much better in an earlier episode. The crazy dude was mildly fun to watch even though he was equally cliche. I laughed at how he used his x-ray vision to fill the show’s per-episode pantsu quota. Overall, not deplorable but still weak and amateur as all get-out and the writing continues to make my eyes roll constantly. Rating: This show 'NEEDS TO GET STRONGER'
Michiko & Hatchin - Flashback upon flashback of boring. At least all these characters who were never properly introduced are now explained. It was still confusing and made worse by having two different characters named “Satoshi” and “Hiroshi”! Thankfully, the episode actually got good towards the end when the double-cross happened. I also liked how kid Hiroshi looked just like Hanna. Still, I'm tired of watching this show shovel depressing scene after depressing scene at the screen. As much as I admire and respect this show’s production values, its tone just isn’t for me. Rating: Full Out Bushy
Sword Art Online II - I hate Kirito so damn much. Thankfully, we only saw that beater but for a brief moment. Klien bringing up the rear was kinda funny and the animation throughout this episode was as stellar as usual. Yuuki is just great. Not only does she have the best smile in all of Toonami, her character has single handedly made SAO watchable for me. Granted, the story is still stupidly pedestrian I none-the-less find myself caring about Yuuki and whatever her newly revealed issues might be. A really good episode. Rating: Major damage
Naruto: Shippuden - Were those ninja skyscrapers I saw? That place looked really cool. Hopefully the story will go there some day. They dragged out Asuma’s death with a lot of cringeworthy and frankly dumb flashbacks but overall it wasn't bad. I liked his character but not nearly enough to get emotional about it. I just hope they don’t keep lingering on his death going forward and get back to the battles. Rating: Hitchcock no Jutsu
One Piece - Revelation upon revelation is revealed! For as little of One Piece I’ve seen, I actually remember some of these early characters! With a series this long, it’s commendable how they still have references to those early episodes. I don’t get why Luffy’s grand-dad is being so nice if he’s the enemy but whatever. He’s funny. This single episode seems to have done more to progress the over-arching story than entire arcs have. Great stuff! Rating: Monkey D. Awesome
