Oh, Corvo's going to be watching Kai? Hmm. I expect the crazy impressions to rapidly drop then. I really wish I could have stopped watching after the first series. At least the OP and ED songs were great.
Strike Witches - 1-12 END
The main reason why I even checked this out to begin with was because I found its weird attention to historic detail coupled with the machinery angle across its expanded universe strangely appealing.
That's an odd way of writing "I was entranced by all the Shirley art Zach was tweeting"
I agree that there could have easily been some great world building in the show, as ridiculous a concept this entire franchise is. But said ridiculousness combined with this being the ultimate in Zach pandering easily makes most disappointing things easy to write off, now watch the rest of the show plus the movie so you can wait for SW3 and then give me your witch rankings!
Also, Girls und Panzer and Strike Witches are very different shows that just happen to be designed by Humikane DA GAWD and fall into the "moe warfare" genre. You'll more than likely enjoy it far more.
Yes, there was fire. Tsukuyo is a terrible drunk. Damn you Decade. That was quite a fight, even if it was short in comparison to other fights. That just made things sweeter.
Redemption is just a reminder that there are reasons why people do the things they do, and what caused them to do things.
I think the interesting parts were the flashbacks to Gintoki's early life, where he was apparently a badass still.
Then again, so was MAN-a
Apparently the next arc is the fabled Popularity Poll arc. This should be fun.
Yeah, I actually prefer Hermes' voice in the dub. I think they filtered it to sound more mechanical, and it also felt like it had a slightly more naive sound to it if that makes sense.
Yes, there was fire. Tsukuyo is a terrible drunk. Damn you Decade. That was quite a fight, even if it was short in comparison to other fights. That just made things sweeter.
Redemption is just a reminder that there are reasons why people do the things they do, and what caused them to do things.
I think the interesting parts were the flashbacks to Gintoki's early life, where he was apparently a badass still.
Then again, so was MAN-a
Apparently the next arc is the fabled Popularity Poll arc. This should be fun.
That's an odd way of writing "I was entranced by all the Shirley art Zach was tweeting"
I agree that there could have easily been some great world building in the show, as ridiculous a concept this entire franchise is. But said ridiculousness combined with this being the ultimate in Zach pandering easily makes most disappointing things easy to write off, now watch the rest of the show plus the movie so you can wait for SW3 and then give me your witch rankings!
Also, Girls und Panzer and Strike Witches are very different shows that just happen to be designed by Humikane DA GAWD and fall into the "moe warfare" genre. You'll more than likely enjoy it far more.
I swear there was more to me starting it than just that, though you got me there! It was shit like this, Cecilia's tank legs, and those detailed character profiles that won me over. Hoping to see some Witches in Africa stuff soon. Rankings will come in due time I assure you.
And even some established females hate her because
Gintama 182 Popularity Poll Arc
Tsukuyo is in 9th, despite having little appearances, being groped, and other things. Popularity polls are serious business apparently. Beware of females that haven't gotten much time!
19 episodes left until I'm done with the first run of Gintama.
There was lots of Onpu standing alone in windy spots this episode thinking about the events that got her to where she is now and whether being a child idol will do anything for her in the future. This episode had a far more sombre tone than the other episodes so far although it still had a few funny bits like Doremi almost drooling over a book with a picture of a steak in it.
Where Flamenco's gone we don't need questions...because they could never be answered. Seriously. It's really gone beyond just about any other show I can think of, especially considering where it started (remember when it was a character drama guys? Good times.)
And even some established females hate her because
Gintama 182 Popularity Poll Arc
Tsukuyo is in 9th, despite having little appearances, being groped, and other things. Popularity polls are serious business apparently. Beware of females that haven't gotten much time!
19 episodes left until I'm done with the first run of Gintama.
Where Flamenco's gone we don't need questions...because they could never be answered. Seriously. It's really gone beyond just about any other show I can think of, especially considering where it started (remember when it was a character drama guys? Good times.)
The scary part is this has never stopped being a character drama, the continuity contained within Samurai Flamenco may be the most maddening thing of all.
Where Flamenco's gone we don't need questions...because they could never be answered. Seriously. It's really gone beyond just about any other show I can think of, especially considering where it started (remember when it was a character drama guys? Good times.)
Yeah, okay, this is living up to the hype already, it has charm dripping out of every orifice. Wait, that sounds vaguely disgusting. Does a show even have orifices? Ah heck, I don't care, the point is this shit is GOOD.
Tsubomi may be the first Precure main protag I've met who I don't want to waifu, but that's not a slight on her in the, er, slightest. She may not be quite my type, but she's super relatable and feels like the perfect MC for this show. The dynamic between her and Erika was delicious starting from about two milliseconds after they first laid eyes on each other. I may have talked about the whole "strength in diversity" thing falling out of focus lately in my impressions of the first All-Stars movie, but consider that a thing of the past. Tsubomi and Erika are such diametric opposites they make the likes of Nagisa and Honoka look like identical twins, and it works beautifully.
And then there was that opening scene. In medias res probably isn't quite the right term for it, but it was certainly a new and interesting twist to open the show with a battle between an existing veteran Cure and a dark Cure. That's like, two exciting new concepts introduced within ten seconds of the series starting. Not bad going, Heartcatch, not bad at all!
Sadly I'm already aware of the spoiler that
this isn't the last we'll see of Cure Moonlight, as she'll be returning in a somewhat...older form
, but that just makes the whole thing more interesting if anything. I must confess that
this knowledge is making me look at any and all elderly women with intense suspicion, though. That grandmother...hmmmm...
Speaking of suspicion, after what happened in Fresh I find myself looking at every female villain with a certain amount of suspicion too, though I can't say the one who showed up in this episode seems like the type for a heel-face turn. Perhaps I should be more suspicious of the "dark Cure" from the intro, since, you know, already a Precure and everything.
The monster-of-the-week mechanic for this series seems pretty damn interesting already, though - they seem to be created from a random object and the heart of a human, with that human's worries and troubles being reflected in the monster's behaviour. This concept has a lot of potential, and makes the MOTWs immediately infinitely more interesting than those in previous series, which have really been just dumb monsters.
If I have one complaint about the show after this first episode, it's that the mascots don't seem very cute, and do seem rather insufferable. But hey, they fit in with the high-energy comedic feel that the show has got going on, so I'll, uh, reserve judgement for now.
The OP is nice, and certainly a step up from Fresh's. A little understated perhaps, but it feels like an old friend already (and not just because I was listening to a medley of all Precure OPs the other day...) The ED is pretty catchy too - I don't think it seems quite as good as the Fresh EDs, but those are a difficult act to follow. The CG dancing is definitely a step down from Fresh's, but that's an impossible act to follow. I do wish the Heartcatch girls' CG heads seemed to fit a little better on their CG bodies, though. I'm getting a bit of a kigurumi-ish Uncanny Valley vibe from them... *shivers*
Butyeah, definitely looking forward to watching more of this.
The scary part is this has never stopped being a character drama, the continuity contained within Samurai Flamenco may be the most maddening thing of all.
The amount of character development that happened during the Team arc was roughly zero. The only characters who have had some development recently are the Flamenco girls and their development exists purely as a result of the King Torture arc. The Team arc brought forward a bunch of paper thin characters who we never really learnt anything about or cared about. It (seemingly) existed solely to showcase a bunch of wacky character designs.
I think one of the things I like most about Persona 4 is that well after the characters' dungeons are wrapped up, they're still struggling with their problems. It really shows how you don't just climb Mt. Ordeals, fight your Shadow, and come down a Paladin who never again feels the way he did when he was a Dark Knight. Ordinary people face their problems and then fight their battles on a daily basis.
I'm biased toward Rise anyway, but I really like that about her arc. She can't just let go of who and what she was, and her arc helps her to become someone else in addition to that. It also shows some very rare positives to being an idol in addition to showing what's wrong with idols in the first place.
And I'm so glad they chose to make Yu say the most insane stuff ever. Just wish I could get me some more Yu and Rise time. There's always P4D, I guess.
Now I'm imagining that guy standing next to a troll corpse with a look of reminiscence on his face, as he thinks to himself "Arigatou, Oba-sama" while fireworks explode overhead.
This is like... Gintama. The Gintama we know and love, during a time when it's not completely serious. Its 4th wall brand humor playing a role for this particular arc.
The OP was also changed to reflect who was ranked where. Hell, the second OP was
made entirely of MS Paint drawings. Good lord the 4th wall breaking
Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha 6 - Shows you how much I payed attention to the non Uka/Touma parts of the manga. I'd forgotten about both Inari almost granting a wish to Sumizome as well as Sumizome crushing on Keiko.
Also...yay. A Uka/Touma scene. So wish the balance was more even.
Watching this episode caused me great despair. This is because I realised there are only five more episodes left after this one. Why can this show not go on for all eternity?
Ojamajo Doremi Na-i-sho - Episode 5: Pop and Hana's Secret
My favourite episode so far for this series. Body-swapping episodes can have the potential to be really fun and this one is no exception. Pop as Hana led to some great moments with Majo Rika, especially when
she ran a bath for them with bath salts. Majo Rika's facial impressions when 'Hana' was doing all this was amazing!
Hana as Pop led to the tension of this episode with a race against time to stop her
from peeing herself in class and embarrassing Pop in front of everyone
.
It even had a heartwarming scene where Doremi noticed that Hana was actually Pop
from when Pop was a baby from the fact that she curls up when she starts crying.
The amount of character development that happened during the Team arc was roughly zero. The only characters who have had some development recently are the Flamenco girls and their development exists purely as a result of the King Torture arc. The Team arc brought forward a bunch of paper thin characters who we never really learnt anything about or cared about. It (seemingly) existed solely to showcase a bunch of wacky character designs.
at this point existed more for satirization purposes more then anything else, but that arc was also a new chapter in the core thesis of this production. what does it mean to be a hero? What does it take to be a hero? Hazama has gotten quite a bit in the way of character development.
Watching this episode caused me great despair. This is because I realised there are only five more episodes left after this one. Why can this show not go on for all eternity?
Death City Robo was pretty awesome. I can always appreciate a giant robot battle, even in shows where they're otherwise not a thing. The final battle against Medusa was also pretty nicely done, and also introduced something I'll have to consider once I get the full context of it tomorrow.
The return of Excalibur was sudden, but if he wasn't being spontaneous, he wouldn't be Excalibur.
Asura and Death's battle, also pretty neat. While Black Star's probably my least favorite of the main three (do love Tsubaki, though), I can appreciate what went into his own final battle.
The action's been consistent, it's never felt like the story is dragging, and the humor continues to persist with odd little interjections even as things become more serious. Should be wrapping this up by tomorrow.
Mamoruuuuu.....You were an awesome character back in the series. I would REALLY appreciate it if you didn't become the villain of this OVA. Okaaay???
Okay 3G, I know President Dan Green has moved on to bigger and better things, but couldn't you hire somebody that's at least a little enthusiastic about approving final fusion? That should be a requirement for the job application. "Must be able point and yell dramatically while approving."
GaoFighGar? Yeah sorry, without the Lion Head, it's just not as good as the original.
Oh lord. It's really happening isn't it? J is imprisoned somewhere telling Arma to hurry, and the preview says they're going to fight. Good lord no.
Mamoruuuuu.....You were an awesome character back in the series. I would REALLY appreciate it if you didn't become the villain of this OVA. Okaaay???
Okay 3G, I know President Dan Green has moved on to bigger and better things, but couldn't you hire somebody that's at least a little enthusiastic about approving final fusion? That should be a requirement for the job application. "Must be able point and yell dramatically while approving."
GaoFighGar? Yeah sorry, without the Lion Head, it's just not as good as the original.
Oh lord. It's really happening isn't it? J is imprisoned somewhere telling Arma to hurry, and the preview says they're going to fight. Good lord no.
Oh god I'd heard about the whole mascot-pooping-seeds thing, but that was still more disturbing than I expected. The mascots are definitely the most worrying thing about this series >.>
So it turns out I was right to
suspect Tsubomi's grandmother of being a (former) Precure, but she's Cure Flower, not Cure Moonlight. I'm actually starting to wonder if I might have got my wires crossed with the vague spoilers I've picked up - I know I've heard that there's an old woman Cure in this series, and I know I've heard about Cure Moonlight being an active part of the series as the main girls' senpai, but come to think of it I'm not 100% on the old Cure and Cure Moonlight being one and the same. Hmmm. Well, I guess uncertainty is the best cure for spoilers, at any rate!
Cure Blossom's initial utter failure to get the hang of her new abilities and complete lack of any natural inclination to fight was quite hilarious, and just made it all the more satisfying when she finally did work up the determination to face down the monster that was endangering her newfound friend.
...Seriously, though, Blossom, did you just get distracted by pretty flowers while a giant monster was chasing you around with a hammer bigger than you are?! That's actually kind of impressive...
