MOGTV Anime Special Rundown.

Yesterday, MOGTV has its first anime special, to those who have missed it; here is a quick run on the show. The show kicks of with our duo, Diane and Sam imitating a team that uses a starry background and evil music background music. At first, I don’t get what they are doing, saying their own speech and that… until Diane revealed that it would be realistic if they wear a Team Rocket costume. Sam replied that they can’t because the show has NO BUDGET!

Opening credits starts to roll.

Note: I will only cover the anime related parts.

They kicked off with the news in which involves the sequel of Trauma Center, Trauma Team then news about the release of Pokemon Gold and Silver remake, HeartGold and SoulSilver.

The first segment was Interact in which they interview a group or an individual who made an impact related to the show, in this episode, the group was Mecha Pinoy, a group of Gundam aficionados which is now expanding to cover more mecha related franchises. Diane narrates their humble beginnings and what are they doing.

When I saw their Gundam collection, it made me drool. Seriously, it’s too many! The only Gundam figure I had is not the assemble ones, but a model one in which it has a stand and all you need to do is to combine the torso and the body in a click. It’s fixed. The model that I have by the way is Destiny Gundam from Gundam SEED Destiny. Because of the collection, it made me feel that I am not worthy to be called a Gundam fan. :(

Next, they featured their top 5 list. This week, top 5 anime villains. Here is the list!

5. Orochimaru from Naruto & Naruto Shippuden
4. Giant/Damulag from Doraemon
3. Prince Zardos of Voltes V & Prince Ulrich of Daimos
2. Majin Buu from DragonBall Z
1. Taguro from Yu Yu Hakusho/Ghost Fighter

Seeing the list… I. Was. Surprised. Damulag on the list, What the?! Because of the list, this made me conclude that the writers are only watching anime in their childhood years or they are certified 80’s to 90’s kids.

On their Wacky World Wide Web, they featured a funny Naruto Flash Animation which uses the opening theme from Season 5. Here it is.

On the Guru Reviews, when the Sam, using an Indian accent, he said, they will feature games that successfully crossed over to the anime world. At first, since they featured a retro villain list, maybe they will feature Ragnarok the Animation or Final Fantasy Unlimited, but lo, I was surprised, they featured Halo Legends! After learning that Bones, Production IG and other well known animation studios did it, I wish I had a DVD to watch it… and its 8 episodes!

Lastly, on their Tip and Trix, a segment which is about tips… and tricks, this week, they give tips on cosplaying.

That’s the quick rundown on MOGTV Anime Special. To be honest, this special was kinda lacking. It needs more anime juice! If it is an anime special on a gaming TV show, hope they featured anime games like FMA or Lost Colors. But overall, it’s a great episode. Oh, this episode is the finale of Season 2. See you on Season 3!

[UPDATED 8/1/10] TV5 Anime Rundown

Because of a commercial aired on TV5 about what are the new shows that will air on the station, I decided to create a rundown list of all the anime titles that aired on TV5 plus the Japanese Related Shows that aired.

Here's the list of shows aired on TV5:

2008
+ Shakugan no Shana
+ Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge
+ Transformers Armada
+ Duel Masters
+ Shakugan no Shana Second
+ Mai-HiME
+ Noein
+ Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
+ Black Blood Brothers
+ Coyote Ragtime Show
+ Azumanga Daioh

2009
+ Tokyo Maijin
+ Tokyo Maijin Second Act
+ DNAngel
+ Cowboy Bebop
+ Fushigi Yuugi
+ Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok
+ Special A
+ Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
+ Witchblade
+ Midori no Makibaoh
+ Ranma 1/2
+ Legendz: Tale of the Dragon Kings
+ Hero Tales
+ Fantastic Detective Labyrinth (Lovely Detective Labyrinth)
+ The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006)
+ Toradora!
+ Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Still on-going)

2010
+ Lucky Star
+ Golgo 13
+ Prince Mackaroo
+ Street Fighter II V
+ D. Gray-man
+ Clannad 
+ Yatteman
+ Casshern Sins
+ Clannad: Another World: Tomoyo Chapter OVA
+ Battle Spirits 
+ Hamtaro 
+ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 

Shows that haven’t finished its run:
+ Ranma ½ (Finished Seasons 1-2. Season 3 ended with episode 52. Still unknown if they will finish the said season and finally, end the show)
+ The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Aired episodes 00-8. Possible cause of unfinished run, Haruhi 2 has the same content with season 1 plus new episodes.)
+ Toradora! (Aired episodes 1-17. Possible cause of unfinished run, they haven’t finished dubbing the show.)
+ Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Aired episodes 1-7. Possible cause of unfinished run, it is still being aired on Japan.)
+ D. Gray-man (Completed the first season/First Stage but canceled the show after the earlier episodes of the second season aired due to experimental programming.)


Upcoming Shows As Seen on the TV5 Trade Launch:
+ Inuyasha
+ Inuyasha: The Final Act
+ Yatterman (2008)
+ Casshern Sins

Japanese related shows, here's the list:
+ Viking: The Ultimate Obstacle Course (Renamed Baikingu)
+ Water Boys
+ Masked Rider Blade
+ Masked Rider Hibiki

Since I am finished with the main anime list, I compiled the list of rumored titles to air on TV5. 
These shows are seen in a flyer distributed in a convention. Part of the list was Code Geass R2. Not sure if they will pursue on airing it.
+ Amatsuki
+ Nabari no Ou
+ Hatenkou Yugi (also known as Dazzle)

On the TV5 Tambay Thread, it is mentioned that in the launch of cosplay.ph, its staff conducted a survey about the future titles that will air in the station. Here is the link.

I repeat, all titles mentioned above are RUMORS. Let’s just wait for the official announcement.

Confirmed Rumors.
+ Lucky Star
+ Goglo 13
+ Casshern Sins 
+ Yatterman (2008)
+ Inuyasha
+ Inuyasha: The Final Act
+ Prince Mackaroo
+ Mobile Suit Gundam 00

Artist Spotlight: Stanley Lau

The focus of today's Artist Spotlight post is Stanley Lau.  Also known by the name "Artgerm," Lau is one of the founding members of Imaginary Friends Studios.  He's an incredible artist who most recently has done work for DC Comics, providing the cover artwork for series Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance, The Great Ten, and The Web.  He's also done promotional artwork for Sony's God of War video games and artwork for various trading cards among other stuff.

You can view more of his artwork at his DeviantArt page.

Image Archive (.zip)

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands is the latest game in the long-running series.  It features the same prince from Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.  It's set to come out in May, which is right around the time the Prince of Persia:  The Sands of Time movie comes out starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

There isn't any artwork out for the game yet but I took the liberty of making screencaps of the game's teaser trailer.  I've kept the screencaps in their original HD resolution since they aren't very big in terms of filesize.  Below, you'll find the best shots I could get of the prince.  Also, is it just me or did they make the prince look a little more like Jake Gyllenhaal?

 

Latest The Last Airberder Posters Are Out!

Yahoo! Movies just posted on their site the latest posters of the upcoming film adaptation of the popular cartoon, Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show was about a boy named Aang, the Avatar who has the ability to control all four elements and destined to save the world from the invading Fire Nation. 


Note: I do not own any of these posters.

Signs That You Are A Pinoy Watching Anime, The Sequel. (Toku Included)

The sequel from my original post, because of extreme boredom, I decided to think of other signs that you are a Pinoy Watching Anime… with a little Tokusatsu. With no further adieu, here is the sequel.

But first, I will define the terms used in this post.

+ Endless Eight - an 8 episode arc from the anime, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It is about the SOS Brigade stuck in an endless loop of events on their last day of summer. In terms of TV, it is an endless loop of reruns.

+ Henshin - Japanese word which means transform and is frequently used on the Kamen Rider franchise.It is a word first said by the hero before transforming into a Kamen Rider. Other variations include, "By the Power of Greyskull!" and "Ectophase, Activate!"

Now, it's SHOWTIME!

• You were surprised that Jeremiah (Genkai) of Ghost Fighter (Yu Yu Hakusho) is a girl after you watched the episode about her ability to change her appearance. Surprised because he I mean, she sounded like an old man and in another dub, an old Chinese man.

• You noticed that most bishounen characters in the Filipino dub sounded the same… you later on found out that they are voiced by JEFF UTANES!!! XDDD

• You at least know three dubbing companies here in the Philippines.

• You were surprised when you first found out that there is a Toei Animation Studio here in the Philippines.

• Speaking of Toei Studios, you kept on wondering why even though we have a Toei Studio here, we only aired one Pretty Cure show and One Piece is stuck on the Water 7 Arc for over 2 years.

• GMA is the only station that aired anime OVAs on free TV. 

• The first Animax block here in the Philippines didn’t air anime but aired Beast Machines, a Godzilla cartoon and *gasp* Jackie Chan Adventures.

• You were surprised on how big the promotion of Ragnarok the Animation. How big you ask? Its been featured on magazines, featured on a Showbiz talk show, a future 2NE1 member with 4 other celebrities sang the translated version of “We Are the Stars”, the opening theme of the show and its merchandise appear on instant noodles and chocolate milk brands. Oh, a local game manufacturing company made board games based on the anime.

• You are sick of reruns coming from one station (or stations). After the show had its fourth or fifth rerun, you lost count on how many times the show aired.

• Speaking of reruns, the shows that are on an Endless Eight are: Yu Yu Hakusho (aired 10-12 times), Flame of Recca (aired 8-10 times), Slam Dunk (aired 8-10 times), Duel Masters (Season 1 is on an extreme Endless Eight, lost track in counting). 

• On the new titles being aired on TV lately, the highest was Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge (Lost count. Stupid fan girls.). Followed by Toradora! (5 times before it took a rest).

• You were surprised that for the first time in Philippine Free TV Anime History, TV5 was able to air Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood while the anime is currently airing in Japan… and back then, it had a 2-3 weeks gap from Japan! Until it went on an Endless Eight after episode 7.

• For one station to fit 15 minutes worth of commercials, you noticed that the opening and ending credits are cut short and only 15 minutes of the episode is being aired... if watched with no commercials. It is evident on the first episode of Pokemon Master Quest. 

Now, for the tokusatsu part.

• All the Kamen/Masked Rider shows that aired here didn’t say “Henshin” as their Henshin phrase but… “RIDER CHANGE!”

• Speaking of Kamen Rider, the first KR show that aired here was Kamen Rider BLACK and you refer Kotaro Minami as Robert Akizuki. KUYA ROBERT!!!!

• So far, the maximum Kamen Rider shows being aired in one station is 2. To be exact, BLACK aired on IBC-13, Ryuki aired on ABS-CBN, Hero TV and Studio 23, 555 aired on GMA and Hero TV, Blade aired on GMA, Hero TV, Cartoon Network and TV5 and Hibiki aired on TV5. Recently, Kabuto aired on Cartoon Network.

• Most of the tokusatsu shows after Shaider didn’t finish its run on local TV.

• If you were a 90’s kid, you think that Jetman and Fiveman are Power Ranger rip-offs.

• If you were an 80’s-70’s kid, you might think that the Power Rangers are a Star Rangers, Bioman and Maskman rip-off.

It's Out! Yu-Gi-Oh! 10th Anniversary Single, makemagic by jealkb.

Here it is folks, Enjoy. All I have to do is wait for the DVD to be released and wait for a decent subber to sub it.

Kamen Rider Accel Has Arrived!

Here it is, ladies and gents, Kamen Rider Accel's first henshin and fight!

Comparing it to our duo, Ryu is way hardboiled. Thus, from the jerk type Riders that I saw in the past, he is my fave. Can't wait for the subs!

I found the video thanks to HJU. For the original post, here it is.

Dance in The Vampire Bund

Dance in The Vampire Bund is a manga series by Nozomu Tamaki.  It deals with Mina, the princess of vampires, and her attempts to have vampires live peacefully with humans after revealing their existence to the world.  The reason for this post, though, is Mina's hot werewolf servant Akira.

There's not really a whole lot of artwork yet for this series.  With the anime version recently premiering in Japan, there will hopefully be more out there soon.  If you're interested in checking it out, the manga is available in America from Seven Seas Entertainment.

Image Archive (.zip)

Time Trippin Ride. Kamen Rider Den-O Series Review.

Kamen Rider Den-O is the 8th series in the Heisei Era of the Kamen Rider franchise. Because of its comedy, it became one of the most successful Kamen Rider Series to be produced. The series spawned four feature films, an anime OVA, parodies, crossovers, name it! Den-O is about Ryotaro Nogami, a guy with extreme bad luck and was unluckily (or luckily I guess?) was possessed by creatures known as Imagin and transforms to Kamen Rider Den-O. Along with the time traveling train, the DenLiner, Ryotaro and Co. must stop the evil Imagins who will destroy the present.

The series kicks off with Ryotaro’s strain of extreme bad luck, to be exact, he got stucked on a tree, his bike ran into broken bottles, crashed, got beaten up by thugs. After being beaten up, he finds a pass and went to the police. After he entered the door, he was transported into a strange place with a train and woman who gave him coffee. Later, he found the one who lost the pass and returned it to her. He later met up with the same thugs who beat him up earlier. Because of a strange force, he was able to beat up the thugs easily. Later on we found out that the leader of the gang was also possessed by a similar force. Because of Ryotaro able to resist the force known as Imagin, Hana, the girl who lost her pass said that Ryotaro can transform into Den-O.

As the Imagin that possessed the leader appeared, at first confused, Ryotaro swipes the pass and transforms into Den-O Plat Form. As Plat Form, he was easily being beaten up by the Imagin. Because of this, the Imagin that possessed him said that to switch with him. Ryotaro pressed the red button and transformed into Den-O Sword Form. As Sword Form, he was able to defeat the Bat Imagin… or so they thought.

Ryotaro and co. entered the train that he saw earlier; we learned more about the Imagin. Imagins came from the future and plans to destroy the present. They will contract someone to the future in which whatever the person thinks of becomes their appearance. Once the contract is complete, the Imagin can go to the time which is strong in his mind and destroy it. That is why an Imagin possessed Ryotaro… took the shape of a red demon that Ryotaro thought. He said that he was based on his childhood hero, Momotaro.

As the series progressed, we learned about why Ryotaro was able to control the Imagin that possessed him in which he named Momotaros that is because he is a Singular Point, a person who has the ability to be not affected with the changes that happened in time. That is why Hana still exist even though her time was destroyed by the Imagin.

Along the way, Ryotaro was possessed by other Imagins. The first was Urataros who was named after Urashimataro. A flirt and a sweet talker, he transforms into Den-O Rod Form. Next was Kintaros who was named after Kintaro. A heavy sleeper and really strong, he was first contracted to a martial artist, he transforms into Den-O Axe Form. The third was Ryuutaros who was based after Ryotaro’s imagination of dragons (according to a source). The spoiled brat who loves drawing and a break dancer, he transforms into Den-O’s Gun Form. Lastly, Sieg who was found by RyuuRyotaro, he transforms into Den-O Wing Form which was rarely used.

As the series progressed, we learned about the disappearance of Airi Nogami, Ryotaro’s sister’s fiancé, Yuuto Sakurai and his connections with the Imagins and a mysterious entity known as the Junction Point. We later found out that the mysterious guy who likes popping out in various times that carries a pocket watch is Sakurai’s older self and his younger self, who transforms into Zeronos along with his Imagin partner, Deneb.

On to the review, if Decade in my opinion was an Idiot’s Guide on Everything About Kamen Rider, Den-O is in my own opinion, the first show that the newbie of the franchise should watch. Simply because its comedy and maybe, just maybe he can’t handle the other shows that’s darker compared to Den-O. One thing that I liked about the show is the comedy, especially those episodes that has slapstick comedy.

One good thing about the show is the use of trains as the time machines. We saw cars, weird gadgets as time machines, but trains… it’s a first for me!

Now to the bad side of the show, the only time the plot of the show starts kicking in is when Kai, the show’s main villain was introduce. After Kai was introduce, that is the only time the Junction Point plot was implemented. For older fans of the franchise, Den-O is the show that ruined what a Kamen Rider should be. Most Kamen Riders before Den-O are badass especially those in the Showa Era who fight alone (except for Ichigo and Nigo and V3 and Riderman in some instances), and has personality. Ryotaro Nogami has the attribute of a Kamen Rider but it seems that he is not the one fighting his Imagin partners are the one doing the fighting making Ryotaro an empty slate. The only time Ryotaro became a true Kamen Rider is when he obtain the Liner Form. Even the Imagins are involved somewhat in this form, Ryotaro is basically doing all the fighting especially in the last episode with all the Taros are out and only Momo and Ryuu are the ones left.

Overall, Den-O was an entertaining series to watch. If you want something weird and want to hear familiar voices coming from various anime shows (Shin Asuka is a spoiled brat in this series!), Den-O is the series for you.

Miracle Train

Miracle Train: Welcome to The Oedo Line is a recently ended anime series about a group of guys (who are actually personifications of Tokyo train stations) that help women with their problems aboard a magical train. 

It continues a trend that Hetalia Axis Powers helped make popular:  representing places (and other non-human things) as bishounen.  It may look a little familiar to HFG readers as I posted a couple pics from it in the last Misfits post.

The premise of this show may be ridiculous, but at least it's nice to look at.  If you're interested in checking it out, it's available to watch on Crunchyroll.  More pics are below.

Image Archive (.zip)

The Results Are Out! Otaku's Verdict 2009 Results are Out!

In their Twitter account, ZEN OTAKU HONBU has released the official results of the annual year end Anime poll, and with no further ado, here are the results.

LOCAL TV

Platinum Anime of the Year - The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (TV5)

Gold Anime of the Year - Katekyo Hitman Reborn (ABS-CBN 2)

Silver Anime of the Year - Hayate The Combat Butler (QTV 11)

Bronze Anime of the Year - Pokemon (GMA 7)

Local TV's Teen/Drama Anime of the Year - Special A (TV5)

Tokusatsu/Live Action Series of the Year - One Liter of Tears (GMA 7)

ABS-CBN 2 Rerun Anime - Naruto/Naruto Shippuden SEASON 1

TV5 Rerun Anime - Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R1

GMA 7 Rerun Anime - Hunter X Hunter

QTV 11 Rerun Anime - Initial D
Local TV Network of the Year - TV5

CABLE TV

Platinum Anime of the Year - Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Animax Philippines)

Gold Anime of the Year - Shakugan no Shana SEASON 2 (Animax Philippines)

Silver Anime of the Year - Katekyo Hitman Reborn (Hero TV)

Bronze Anime of the Year - Mirmo De Pon SEASON 4 (Hero TV)

Tokusatsu/Live Action Series of the Year - Masked Rider Kabuto (Cartoon Network Philippines)
Cable TV Network of the Year - Cartoon Network Philippines

MISCELLANEOUS

Japan'e Newest Anime Title - K-On!

Japan's Newest Tokusatsu/Live Action Title - Kamen Rider Decade

Philippine Anime Hall of Phail - Les Miserables: Ang Pangarap ni Cosette (ABS-CBN 2)

Most Improved Philippine Anime Record - Pokemon (GMA 7/Cartoon Network Philippines)

Male Anime Dubber of the Year - Jefferson Utanes

Female Anime Dubber of the Year - Rona Aguilar

Anime Dubbing Director of the Year - Jefferson Utanes (Black Blood Brothers, TV5) 

Pinoy Cosplayer of the Year - Sara Pezzini

Major Pinoy Anime Event/Convention of the Year - Ozine Fest 2009

Major Pinoy Online Gaming Event/Convention of the Year - Level Up! Live 2009

School-based Anime Event/Convention of the Year - AME no Jidai

Online Game of the Year - Grand Chase

Male Anime Character of the Year - Tsunayoshi Sawada (Katekyo Hitman Reborn)

Female Anime Character of the Year - TIE between Haruhi Suzumiya and Taiga Aisaka Anime Theme Song of the Year - O2 (Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2)

Japanese Music Video of the Year - Journey Through The Decade (Gackt)
Philippine Anime 2009 Rating - Good

To all the winners, congratulations! 

Note: Reposting of results must require permission to ZEN OTAKU HONBU. For more info, click this link.

Ukiya Was Bored: Cash Milking/Franchise Milking... Whatever.

Cash Milking, if defined per word, cash means money and milking means getting someone’s milk, put those definitions together, it means getting more money from a certain a franchise who has something more to milk. If you still don’t get it, here are three words for you: Final Fantasy VII.

First story, if I would rank the plots with the previous FF games, I would rank its story as third, the first being FFVI and second being FFIV. Why third? It is simply because the other two overpowered it. FFVI is about a rebellion against an empire who uses machines infused with magic as their weapons, while FFIV is about redemption of a knight. You would say, those plots are SOOO common. Here is my answer why FFVII is my third in terms of ranking. FFVII’s story took 2 games for you to better understand the story and one movie for you to have a proper conclusion. Plus, if I would put the file size of those three games, FFIV would size to 100+MB of space based on the NDS remake. If FFVI will be remade for the PSP (In which I wish would happen), its size would be about 1GB and if I add the total size of the 3 discs, 1 UMD and 1 DVD, that would be an estimated total of 4.1GB.

In short, you would spend a lot of money for you to appreciate FFVII not just that, because of the popularity of FFVII, they decided to make more games and have frequent appearances on Kingdom Hearts due to the popularity. Wow. This is madness considering the fact that Sakaguchi-sensei wants every FF game as a stand alone game per number.

Now the characters, I will only rant Cloud and Sephiroth. Cloud in some instances felt like an empty slate. There are instances that he is entertaining (Remember the scene were he dressed up as a girl?) but in some instances, he felt like ah, OK? So what he wields a giant sword? He lacks some personality! If you counter that he has personality, remember that he overdosed in Mako when Zack died and then, had some of Zack’s personality and memories. In short, Cloud was a sketchpad at the entire duration of FFVII. About Crisis Core, that is the only time we see Cloud as Cloud. Not Cloud as Zack’s clone or Zack’s memoir.

For Sephiroth or what most fangirls like to call him, Sephy. He is a lame villain. He just wields a long sword; has long silky silver hair and killed a flower girl. Wow. Part of his achievement as a villain is to kill a flower girl? His reason? So that he will be the last member of their race. How shallow. If I would compare it to the epitome of FF villains, Kefka, Seph is light-years away from Kefka. Why so? Because Kefka has no tragic past, and all he does is to destroy everything. He is sadistic and nihilistic and has god-like powers… and Seph wants to acquire those.

Now, why does Sqaure-Enix keep on creating more FFVII merchandise, games and even create an updated version of Advent Children? It is because of these two. Even though they are just shadows of the other known, badass characters of FF, because of their look, those rabid fans want more of them.

Because of the attempt to create another FFVII, it ended up with FFXIII and based on the reviews that I read on the internet, the gameplay sucks. Oh well, FF really got derailed after its creator left Square-Enix. I think they should give FFVII a rest and plans to FFXIII into an FFVII-ish game into rest.

Another famous cash milked franchise is the Star Wars franchise. After the success of the first three Star Wars films, they decided to create an Expanded Universe. Nuff said. Because of this, the younger generation became fans of this said franchise. In own opinion, the Star Wars franchise has more to give unlike FFVII.

For Kamen Rider fans, another well-known cash cow franchise is Kamen Rider Den-O. The story is a bit mediocre but because of the popularity of the Imagins, the show’s monsters, Toei continuously milks this show. Cho Den-O anyone? Most fans of the franchise disliked the show for its mileage and some fans think this show would never end.

Even though Den-O concept was great (possession by the Imagins, trains, etc.), but it ruined the very foundation of what Kamen Rider is all about, a hero who can stand on his own and has its own personality. The only time I consider Den-O a Kamen Rider is when Ryotaro is on his Liner Form. That is the only time I consider him as his own man. Another instant that Ryotaro is worthy to be called a Kamen Rider is when he says that even though he has bad luck and clumsy, he will still fight for the sake of others.

To the conclusion, why is cash milking good? It is because it is fan service to the loyal fans of the said franchise. It is bad because that those characters are getting old and definitely needs to rest.

Orends: Range V5.5!

Did major makeover to my blog, and modified the HTML codes of my blog. If someone can tell me where I can find decent layouts in which I can modify the header, I would love to listen.

The Bonds that Lead to Tomorrow. Valkyria Chronicles Anime Review.

Valkyria Chronicles was based on a tactical rope-playing game published by SEGA best known for the Sonic franchise and was exclusively released for the Playstation 3. Because of the success of the game, it was adapted into a manga, anime and a sequel of the said game. The anime is set in Europa, their own version of Europe in which the fight for the resource known as Ragnite is at rage and the neutral nation of Gallia, which is abundant of Ragnite was attacked by the Empire because of its resources, thus, forcing Gallia to be engaged in war.

The anime starts with introducing to us the legend of the Valkyria who saved the country form the greedy Darcsens who took all the food from the people. Fast forward to the present, Alicia Melchiott, a watch girl of the town of Bruhl mistaken Welkin Gunther, the son of the war hero, Belgen Gunther as an Imperial spy. As Alicia and Welkin walked for Alicia to take Welkin into custody when suddenly, they were attacked by Imperial soldiers causing them to evacuate to Welkin’s house and meeting up with Welkin’s step-sister, Isara who came from a Darcsen decent.

The trio, aboard their father’s tank, Edelweiss, they attacked the Imperial soldiers and later meeting up in the town proper in which they meet up with the militia and used the tank so that the rest of the citizens could escape. Later on, after the safety of the citizens is secured, Bruhl was captured. Alicia, with her friend Suzie decided to enlist in the Gallian Militia in which, in Alicia’s surprise, the calm and sorta carefree Welkin joined the Militia.

Because of Welkin’s experience during the siege in Bruhl, he was assigned by his superior, Captain Eleanor Varrot, as the squad leader of Squad 7 with Alicia as her supporting officer. At first, the members of Squad 7 have no confidence with Welkin due to the fact that he is a university student and the fact that he didn’t have a lot of experience on the battlefield. But after their first mission, the team had confidence on Welkin as their leader.

As the series progressed, we met Welkin’s classmate from the university, Faldio who is an Archeology student and is interested in some runes in Gallia which later lead to the awakening of one of our character’s hidden powers (Why is the shows title Valkyria Chronicles if there are no female warriors fighting? I think that’s the clue to those who are wondering who is this character). Also, we are introduced to the Empire and the leader of the invasion in Gallia and that is Prince Maximilian Gaius Von Reginrave and his loyal subordinate, Selvaria Bles, who is a decendant of the legendary Valkyria who drove away the Darcsens.

On to the review, since it’s a game based on a video game, I decided to check the gameplay videos and demos of the original PS3 game and so far, I was amazed that the anime is close from its game counterpart.

For the plot, the anime in own opinion is best divided into two parts, the Rise of Squad 7 and the Rise of the Valkyria. On the first part, it is concentrated on the Squad 7 and its members. It is where we see the members of the team at first, didn’t trust their leader, Welkin due to the fact that he lacked experience in battle. But as the series progress, the members of the team trusted Welkin. This part is more about the battles of Squad 7 and their achievements in battle under the leadership of Welkin. The second part is about Maximilian’s last option, to use Selveria’s ability as a Valkyria to defeat Gallia. Nuff said. Because of I say more, it would ruin the thrill of watching the show. Seriously, why is the show called Valkyria Chronicles if it doesn’t concern female warriors fighting? Get my point.

One of the important subplots in this anime is the love triangle between Welkin, Alicia and Faldio. Without this certain subplot, Valkyria Chronicles would lack juice. Another important subplot is the Darcsen discrimination. Because of this, when they learned that Isara is a Darcsen, some members of Squad 7 didn’t trust her because of the legend that if there is a Darcsen, that said Darcsen would bring misfortune.

On to the technical stuff, the artwork, based on the PS3 game videos that I saw, the characters are well translated into their anime counterpart. In terms of animation, there are some instances that the battle scenes lack explosion which is disappointing considering the fact that this is an anime with a military theme involved in it.

For the voice acting, since I haven’t played the game, I checked the videos and lo and behold, the original VA’s of the game also did the voice acting for the anime, a big bonus to those who played the game! Also, while watching one of the cutscenes involving Selveria, boy, her performance in the anime and in the game are in the same level.

For the finale, my wish of seeing more explosives and tanks came true. This is one of the finales that if I would describe it as, “Please, don’t die! Your love interest is still alive!”

Overall, Valkyria Chronicles is really a great show, and so far, one of two anime shows based on a video game that I like, the other one was Ragnarok the Animation. This show is best recommended to those who have watched Fullmetal Alchemist but want more military action, to those who played the game and to those people who can’t play the game because he/she doesn’t have enough money to buy a PS3 (or those people who suck in video games).

I love being bored! Found this!

Due to my extreme boredom, and... Yahoo! Philippines homepage section, I found this top vid. Enjoy.

What’s with the Final Fantasy Mode Banner?

In case you are wondering why I changed my banner, it is because I decided to continue playing my Final Fantasy game on my GBA emulator. Right now, I am eternally lost in Mt. Gulg and hunting the Fire Crystal.

Here are some shots before I entered the dungeon.

Meet Ukiya's party! Cloud, Locke, Rosa and... Wataru? Why did you name your Black Mage Wataru? Answer. KR Kiva. The rest, I named from various FF characters. The name just popped out.

Seriously, I am lost. Reeealy lost.

THUNDAGA!!!

Finally! I arrived in Mt. Gulg! More floors to go!

Mon-El

Mon-El, the current main character in Superman while the big guy's on New Krypton, has a nice new look to him.  His new costume is a bit Man of Steel-ish but with red as the predominant color instead of blue.  Check it out in these scans from Superman #694 and #695 featuring artwork by Javier Pina and Bernard Chang respectively.