Anime Review #7: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

Holy crap, I've been waiting to do this one for a long time. And at lucky number 7, this one's gonna be the best.
This is Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. What a cool name to go with a cool anime. But before I get on with my reviewing, I have some questions I want to ask.
Well, imagine an animal piloting a robot mecha. What the hell can be cooler than that? How about a human stealing it and using it as his own weapon to fight. What's cooler than that? Using a smaller mecha to combine with the bigger, stolen mecha to create a huge combination mecha. What's cooler than that? Having even more people steal robots and join the orignal stealer to fight against the animals. What's cooler than that? Taking over a battleship-sized mecha with that same team and using it as your base. What's cooler than that? Flying with it, sailing with it, and taking down four other ships of the same size with that same battleship. What's cooler than that? A city bigger than 1000 of your battleship-sized mechas shaped like a tornado. What's cooler than that? The city transforms into a gigantic robot. What's cooler than that? Kicking ass and destroying the pilot and the robot. What's cooler than that? A person piloting a mecha piloting another, bigger mecha. What's cooler than that? The bigger mecha piloting an even bigger mecha. What's cooler than that? Using a drill bigger than yourself to bust a hole through the enemy. What's cooler than that? Being big enough to throw galaxies at your opponent as weapons. What's cooler than that? An explosion that stretches lightyears across.

So that, in a nutshell, is TTGL. This anime is from Gainax, the same people that produced FLCL. So it's bound to be good. At 27 episodes, this series delivers hours of excitement and fun times. So let's dig into this.

Before I go into character roll call, it would only make sense to talk about the story first, otherwise roll call would get kind of confusing. This anime can be split up into two sections. To my knowledge, each part does not have a distinct name. So I'll call the first one Surface Arc and the second one Future Arc.
Ok, now we can do roll call for the Surface Arc. Oh by the way, as far as I know, the characters don't have last names.
ROLL CALL:
Simon - A boy from Jeeha Village, an underground settlement. He enjoys digging to find treasure and one day he does. A tiny robot mecha, which is later named Lagann. He then travels out of the village and out onto the surface with his "bro", Kamina, and sharpshooter Yoko. Simon's character is pretty wimpy in the beginning, but through the experiences he has with Kamina and everyone else, he mans up and takes on the responsibility of a leader.
Kamina - This is Simon's "bro". I'm not sure if they're blood related, but they seem to be. He is the one that pushes Simon from behind (By the say you pronounce "Simon" as SEE MOHN). He encourages Simon to do the impossible and work all the way to the top. He helps Simon break through Jeeha Village and out onto the surface. He hates being in the village and that's why he went with Simon to the top. He is way older than Simon but probably just as immature as a kid. He steals a mecha, which are called Ganmen in this anime, from an beastman, and uses it to fight. He names his Ganmen: Gurren. Hence, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Gurren and Lagann can combine to form Gurren Lagann. Which is way more kickass. It's a shame that Kamina died early in the series though. Oops, spoiler.
Yoko - A woman from the village next door to Kamina's and Simon's. She uses a rifle as her weapon and is a sharpshooter. She meets with Simon and Kamina and travels with them on their journey on the surface. She also provides lots of fanservice. If you don't know what that is, look it up.
Roshiu - Roshiu is a boy about Simon's age that comes from a religious type village that worships Ganmen as gods. Kamina recruits him for his team and he also travels on the surface with the rest of them. He looks like a girl, and I think he's gay.
Leeron - I'm positive that this guy is gay. But he's a very important character in the series, as he serves as the mechanic for Kamina's group, giving the Ganmen upgrades and repairs. Without him, the whole group would be in ruins. He is also recruited for Kamina's group pretty early, or rather, he joins himself. He does not have his own Ganmen (neither does Yoko), but he is an important person nevertheless.
Kittan - He has the same personality as Kamina. He and his 3 sisters make up the Black Kinsmen and also fight against beastmen. All 4 of them join Kamina's group.
Dayakka - A person from the same village as Yoko, and is kind of like second in command to Kamina because he gets to steer the big ship they steal later on in the series. He is a nice man. Yep. Not much to say here.
Gimmy and Dari - Two little children from the same village as Roshiu. Gimmy is a little boy and Dari is a little girl. They go with Roshiu and travel along with Kamina's brigade to fight beastmen.
Boota - You'd think that he wouldn't be that important. Because he's actually a small rat. Yep. Kinda like Simon's pet, he travels with him and Simon treats him just like any other member of the brigade. But he more important than you think.
Attenborough - This guy looks like a trigger happy clown. Trigger happy is right. All he does is fire at anything that moves. He's always ready to aim the ship's cannons and fire at the enemy. Which sometimes is useful, and sometimes it gets them in trouble.
Viral - The main enemy in the first part of the anime. He is a beastman and is out to destroy all humans that come up to the surface world. He first meets Kamina and they immediately become rivals and fight intensely whenever they meet.
Lordgenome - I'm not sure if it's Lord Genome or Lordgenome, because I see both ways in the anime. Whatever. This is the helix king that Kamina's brigade is out to get and destroy. Later it is Simon and Lordgenome that have the final battle.

Ok, I know there are a lot more characters, but there are way too many to describe. That's why I only listed out the important/semi-important ones. And that's why this anime is so great. So many damn characters. You will love most of them, if not all of them. So this is the story of the Surface Arc. Simon is from Jeeha Village. He is digging and he finds this small Ganmen and uses it to fight a huge Ganmen that breaks into the village. He and Kamina and Yoko help fight it off and in the process, they make it up to the surface. From then, Kamina steals a Ganmen for himself and fights beastmen like that. He then establishes the Gurren Brigade and picks up whoever wants to fight for their right to stay on the surface. Most of these new additions also have their own Ganmen because they heard of Kamina and copied him by taking Ganmen for themselves. This way, they can fight against whatever comes after them. They also find a huge ass ship Ganmen that is big enough to have people live in, store their Ganmen, and travel around at the same time. Kamina's Gurren Brigade steals the ship, and head off to the Spiral Capital, Tepperin, where they will face the Helix King, Lord Genome.

And now for the Surface Arc Roll Call.
ROLL CALL:
Nia - She actually appears in the Surface Arc, but it's so late that it doesn't count. In the Surface Arc, she meets Simon because he finds her in a box. She also travels with Simon's group, because Kamina died, and sort of does Kamina's job by helping along Simon. Other than that, she's the cook of the entire ship. In the future, she is abducted by the enemies, the Anti-Spirals, and Simon and his crew are out to save her.
Simon - He's not new, but many major changes in him take place in the Future Arc. He is now the Supreme Commander of Kamina City, the city that was created after the defeat of Lord Genome. And I can't describe him any better than the words of Ryan Ruan can: "Simon becomes such a badass." That's perfect. Because that's what he is in the future. A badass. He becomes the leader after Kamina dies in the beginning, but he wasn't that confident. He later becomes more confident, and then in the future, he virtually replaces Kamina.
Roshiu - Roshiu plays a much bigger role in the future. Your first impression of "future Roshiu" is that he is a giant dick. Big enough to F a whale. Because he is the one that orders Simon's arrest and excecution. Wow what an asshole. But later you'll see that he is actually a good person, and helps Simon in the final fight with the Anti-Spirals.
Viral - Viral becomes Simon's cellmate after Simon is arrested, and Viral still has a grudge against him. But when the Earth is in danger, he then combines powers with Simon and works together with him to pilot the Gurren Lagann to save humanity.

So that's pretty much it...the rest of the characters are pretty much the same, just older. Especially Gimmy and Dari; they're teenagers now. Ok, so in the future, a new enemy appears, the Anti-Spiral. They oppose Simon and his people, who are the Spirals. Get it? LOL. This part of the story is about Simon's fight against the Anti-Spirals, his rescue of Nia, and saving all the people on Earth. Because the MOON IS GOING TO CRASH INTO THE EARTH.

Now more of an overall review. This anime revolves around two symbols: spirals and faces. The spiral is a symbol of evolution and the shape implies improvement and progression. The most important version of the spiral is the drill, Simon's weapon. The drill itself is also an important symbol, as it represents the will to fight and the will to reach the heavens with a blazing soul. The second symbol is the face. This is commonly seen in the Ganmen. Ganmen are just faces with arms, legs, and guns. The word Ganmen is derived from the word face. Somehow. The face represents looking forward and never looking back. Always seeing the future and looking towards what you are going to achieve.
I really liked this anime for its different use in symbolism. Another thing I liked is that in almost every episode, there are at least 3 memorable quotes. There are so many manly quotes out there that I even have a wallpaper with all of those slapped together with a picture of Gurren Lagann. It's awesome. It just shows that you can have a kickass show that teaches you lessons on life.
The music is pretty awesome too. This anime gets bonus points for having good opening and ending songs. Especially the second ending song. But the music almost always fits the mood and just enhances the experience. I love it.
But where this anime really shines is the storyline itself. Every part of the story is just exciting and awesome. Even though I already watched this one other time before, I kept watching because it was that gripping. The fights are always awesome, the characters are really moving and funny, and the cinematic effects are off the charts. The best way I can put this anime is...a combination of Code Geass and FLCL. YES, IT'S EXACTLY LIKE THAT. Probably because it's from Gainax.

Overall, this anime is just plain awesome. I love everything about it and is a possible candidate for 2nd favorite anime of all time. For me. If you like mecha anime, watch this. If you like Gundam, watch this. If you like FLCL, watch this. If you like Clannad, watch this. If you like Death Note, watch this. If you like Elfen Lied, watch this. If you like Pokemon, watch this. It doesn't matter what you like or don't like. This anime will satisfy all. And I guarantee it. Or your time back. Just kidding. But watch it, it's definitely a keeper.

Storyline: 10/10
Characters: 9/10
Mood: 10/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall: 9.5/10

VG Review #4: Kirby 64 - The Crystal Shards

I'm gonna try to make this quick. But it's probably not going to be. I like to write a lot. I mean type. I hate writing, but love typing. Anyways, this is Kirby 64. Right off the bat, you might be thinking, "Another Kirby game...they're all the same." Well you're wrong. DEAD wrong.
Kirby 64 is a great game although I've never heard it receive the good comments that it deserves. And today, I'm going to be talking about why it's so good.

Obviously, Kirby 64 is on the Nintendo 64 and is the first game I'm review that isn't on the NES. WOW! This game has several elements that set it apart from most Kirby games. In the Kirby games before this, you pretty much wander around different worlds, eating enemies, copying abilities, fighting bosses, and getting items. In Kirby 64, you pretty much do all that, but with one main difference. YOU CAN FUCKING COMBINE ABILITIES. That is the best thing that can happen to Kirby. Also, it's the first game in the Kirby franchise to have this element. And the only one, besides Squeak Squad for the DS to have this feature. Why the hell didn't they have this in other Kirby games. I guess some DS or GBA or SNES or NES games just couldn't handle that much win. With about 20 different copy abilities, if you can combine any two, the possibilities are endless. Combine spike and electricity, you get lightning rod. Combine rock and fire, get volcano. My personal 3 favorites are Super Big Jaws (shown in the picture above and made by combining cutter with spike), Fireworks (fire and bomb), and Shuriken (bomb and spike). The whole point of the game is like most other Kirby games: you get to the end of the level, you keep going till you get to a boss, you fight it, and on to the next world until you beat the game. And I love it. The difficulty isn't that hard, but it's not too easy that you're bored. Throughout the game, food is placed everywhere for you to heal up. Also there are these stars that build up your star meter. When it's full, I think you get an extra life. And that's kinda cool.
The music is pretty awesome. I enjoy playing kickass games, and when I have some kickass music to go along with it, it's on. Like Diddy Kong. Diddy-fucking-Kong. I'm pretty sure that these will be among the most memorable tunes from my childhood.
I'm pretty much giving this game good comments right now, but it wasn't ALL good. I had a few problems with it. First of all, Kirby moves awfully slowly. Even when he's running. Compare him to any other Kirby in any other game. He'd get his ass kicked in a race. If he moved faster, I could have been done with the game more quickly, but maybe that's what the game designers had in mind: to take in all the scenery.
Which is also pretty nice. The graphics are pretty nice for 64 bit. Nice and colorful areas, unique backgrounds, and just crazy settings for a Kirby game.
The story is also...kinda...more developed than in any other Kirby game. In pretty much any other Kirby game, the story is on the box. Like in a paragraph. This one actually has cinematics. Which are entertaining to watch. Yay.

So overall, I would say that Kirby 64 is definitely a game to pick up if you're bored. I find myself just combining things together just to see what I get. And that's the fun of Kirby 64. Just running around eating things and getting powers. Actually, that pretty much describes all Kirby games. Why do I keep talking about "other Kirby games"?

Gameplay: 9/10
Controls: 7/10
Difficulty: 4/10
Graphics: 8/10
Music/Sound: 8/10
Overall: 8/10

Freehand

Today, I'm just gonna take it easy. No talking about anime or games. Just writing whatever comes to my mind. Although, if I write whatever comes to my mind, it's probably gonna go to anime or games. Whatever, we'll see.
Ready,,,GO

So today I went to Cerritos College. But Blue Yoshi isn't about me. It's about anything else. So...A Link to the Past is hard (I KNEW IT). Yeah, I'm a nerd. But whatever.

Ok, on to something else.

You know what always interests me? How teachers always praise the good students but never acknowledge the ones that don't do as well. It's like, "Hey good job, you're gonna do great, just fantastic." And maybe to the ones that don't do well, they might say, "Try harder." Kinda like...eh never mind. But let's take a different perspective. Let's say each student put in the same amount of effort, it's just one got a better result, and the other didn't. Teachers never acknowledge that. They don't care if you put in effort. Which is a big problem for me; I know, I had it happen. They're like, fuck them dude. And I know I might sound kinda bitchy, but that's what happens. That's what happens when this shit just flies into your face. IN YOUR FACE. Ew.

Ok, on to something else.

I got a new wallpaper. It's so damn bad ass, but only if you know what it is. It's a Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann wallpaper with quotes from Kamina pasted all over. I love it. I'm never gonna take it down.

Ok, on to something else.

Back to A Link to the Past, now that I'm playing it again, I just realized that I've never ever played a Zelda game without going to the Internet for help. It's that hard. And if someone here is reading this and they HAVE completed a Zelda game without the help of an Internet FAQ/Walkthrough...no...no that's impossible. Every person who has played a Zelda game HAS TO have had to go to the Internet for help. And I'm pretty sure that last sentence was grammatically incorrect.

Ok, on to something else.

Why are dolphins the only animal besides humans that get it on just for fun?
...
Maybe I shouldn't talk about that.

Ok, on to something else.

I left my initials on a beam support holding up the roof of the line area in Ghostrider at Knotts. I wonder if they're still there.

Ok, on to something else.

I remember watching a Pokemon episode. It was one of the earlier ones where Ash met Charmander for the first time. I disticntly remember that the Pokedex told Ash that if the flame on the tail goes out, it dies. But wait. Pokemon never die. Pokemon just faint. Even in the Pokemon GAMES, if you submerge a Charmander in a Surf attack, it just faints. What the ass?

Ok, on to something else.

Speaking of Pokemon, I'm hungry.

Ok, on to something else.

Next year, if I don't go to Anime Expo, man I'm gonna be pissed. I really have to go at least once. I don't know about cosplaying though. People told me to go cosplay for next years. Yeah, already. Seems you can cosplay as anything, even non-anime things. Such as...video games. LOL there's no escape.

Ok, on to something else.

Ok, I should probably wrap this freehand up. Just cuz I'm getting all over the place, and I don't want to make this too long. So stay tuned for more posts. Here's what might be coming up: Death Note, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, A Link to the Past, Kirby 64, XXXHolic.

Why is the term "all nighter" always associated with the verb "pull"?

VG Review #3: Balloon Fight

This game is a butt kicker. I love it. So much fun.
If you couldn't already tell from the picture above, this game is for the NES.
Also, if you couldn't tell from the picture above, you're a dude wearing a helmet with 2 balloons tied to him.
Yep. That's only the start of the awesomeness.
As the cover implies, this game is 2 players, but even playing alone is a bunch of fun. Your mission is to kill all other people in the game. If you're playing 2 players, you can even kill your partner, but all you need to do is obliterate all enemies. Each stage layout is different, but the main goal is the same: pop all balloons. You yourself have 2 balloons on your back, but all enemies have one, which makes your job a whole lot easier. Fly around with the A and B buttons. You can take 1 hit before you die. Once one of your balloons is popped, you need to keep your guard up. Another hit will kill you. But that's ok because you have 2 extra lives. But anything past that, and the game has no mercy. You start all over.
During each stage, the game gives you a head start and the enemies just sit there for a while. You can use this opportunity to kick some enemies off the screen to increase chances of survival. Don't wait too long though, or they'll pump up their balloons and fly around trying to pop your balloons with their noses. Yeah, by the way, the enemies in this game look like mosquitoes. Speaking of which, I got 2 bites. Ow.
To kill an enemy, just pop a balloon. Oh wait, that's not enough. Once you pop the enemy's balloon, they float down on a parachute. Stomp on the parachute to deliver the death blow. If they reach solid ground, they will sit there for a few seconds. If you wait too long, they pump up their balloon again and pursue yours.
As far as I know, this game is endless, meaning, it will loop as long as you play. Once you reach the last stage, you'll go back to the first. Also, in between several stages, you get this bonus round or something. There are 4 pipes that spit out balloons randomly. Just pop them for extra points.
This game really kicked my ass. It shouldn't be that difficult right? Just popping balloons? But really, this is one of the most challenging mothers I've ever played. Even though the AI looks kinda dumb, they will gang up on you if you don't start getting rid of stuff. I haven't gotten that far in the game and it's the first game I've reviewed that I haven't finished. But it kicks so much ass that I don't care.
The music kicks ass too. Classic sounds from the NES time.
Definitely play this if you are bored, it'll give you plenty of entertainment for hours.

Gameplay: 8/10
Controls: 8/10
Difficulty: 9/10
Graphics: 6/10
Music/Sound: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Anime Review #6: Air

It feels kinda weird to be already writing a review right when I get back from a trip. Like I should be doing something better with my life. I dunno if I'm just wasting time here or whatever.
...
Nah, fuck it. Blogging is the best.

Now before I talk about Air, there's one other thing I want to talk about that's anime related. (Deep breath) I FUCKING MISSED ANIME EXPO. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. DAMN YOU RYAN RUAN FOR NOT REMINDING ME. WELL IT'S NOT LIKE I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GO ANYWAYS, BUT I REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE I FORGOT ALL ABOUT IT. I BETTER BE ABLE TO GO NEXT YEAR. Actually, lemme check to see where and when it is next year.
...(checking)...
Nope, I guess it's not decided. But the when is still the same. Just...not the where.


Ok. Enough of my gripes. On to Air.

Air. Also known as Air TV, apparently. It's 13 episodes long, the last of the 13 being a summary. It has its own summer specials (2 of them) and a movie. I only watched the first 12 episodes because that's all I needed to write this review.
I really don't want to say this, but this anime has pretty much been a waste of my time. And it pains me to say that about any anime that has a lot of potential, but somehow they F it up.
But before I say any more, you know what time it is -
ROLL CALL:
Kunisaki Yukito - Male protagonist of the series. Silver haired puppeteer that freeloads off the next character on the roll call, Kamio Misuzu. He befriends Misuzu and vows to stay at her side forever. He also meets several other characters that make his stay at the town interesting.
Kamio Misuzu - One of the girls that Yukito meets, but is the main girl character. She is a very lively, but sickly, girl that travels around with Yukito. She tries to befriend him during this whole series and eventually succeeds. She lives with her aunt, who she calls "mom", and is a very childish person in general.
Kirishima Kano - Another girl that Yukito meets. She is pretty random and unpredictable and takes care of this one dog named Potato. At least I think it's a dog. She has fantasies about flying in the sky and using magic and sometimes asks Yukito's opinion on her thoughts. She is the younger sister of the only doctor in the town. I don't even know what the town's name is, so I'm just gonna call it "the town."
Tohno Minagi - A quiet, calm, collected girl that also meets Yukito. She usually hangs out with a younger girl by the name of Michiru. She is almost always serious, but seems to be fun to talk to. Sometimes though, she gets very emotional.

So those are the characters. Sounds familiar right? Wait. It does sound familiar. Haven't we seen this kind of character setup before? YEAH WE HAVE. Let's recap. If you remember before, I talked about Clannad. I didn't talk about each character back then, but now I can.

So here are the Clannad characters:
Okazaki Tomoya - The male protagonist that meets a bunch of girls.
Furukawa Nagisa - Okazaki's closest girl friend.
Fujibayashi Kyou - Okazaki's lively friend.
Ichinose Kotomi - A quiet, intelligent girl.

And here are the characters of Air:
Kunisaki Yukito - The male protagonist that meets a bunch of girls.
Kamio Misuzu - Yukito's closest girl friend.
Kirishima Kano - A lively girl with a good imagination.
Tohno Minagi - A quiet, intelligent girl.

There are other characters in Air that resemble those of Clannad. Like Michiru (Air) is like Sunohara Mei (Clannad). Potato even has a counterpart in Clannad. Potato is a small, white dog that runs around saying, "Piko Piko." In Clannad, a small, brown pig named Botan runs around saying, "Puhi Puhi." I'm not trying to say they copied. All I'm saying is that the similarity of the characters was only the start of my disappointment.
This anime, like Clannad, came from a visual novel, which is kind of like a manga that you go through in an game-like fashion. The choices you make determine the ending.
The story is about Yukito stopping by the town in order to try and make a living there with his puppet show. He seems to have little success. During his stay, he meets several characters that make it sort of an adventure to stay there. The main story is interupted, however, by a flashback that takes about 3 episodes, which is way too long. But I'll talk about that later. During this flashback, you're introduced to what seems like the ancestors of the main characters in medieval Japan, I THINK. I don't know my history that well so don't criticize me please. Then it cuts back to the main story, which seems to have started over with a minor difference, that I won't spoil for you.

Ok, now on to the editorials. The biggest problem I had with the story is that there is little or no continuity. Things just seem to happen whenever they want, however they want, to whoever they want. The effect it had on me was that it left me confused and really hesitant to continue watching. In fact, the reason this review was so delayed was probably because I was so reluctant to keep watching. IN FACT...even though I have all 13 episodes, 2 summer specials, and a movie, I only watched 12 episodes because I really didn't want to watch the others. Not a keeper for me. Knowing that I have precious space being taken up by this make me nervous. I gotta delete this to make room for more things. The other problem I had, if you remember from my last post, was the damn flashback scene. When I'm watching an anime, I expect maybe a few flashback scenes. And of those, I expect them to be, maybe, 10 minutes, or the whole episode at max. NOT 3 whole episodes. And that's where this anime really kicked me in the balls. I waited forever to get back to the main story, because the flashback was as boring as shit. And after that, it was like getting flicked in the balls. The main story wasn't much better after that. It was painful to watch; not because the characters were struggling, but the anime was just...bad.
The characters weren't bad, but like I said before, they were repetitive. Nevertheless, it was entertaining to see each of them live out their lives and have their own little adventures. The ending was also cheesy as all hell.
Overall, I don't recommend this to you if you're a casual anime watcher. Hell, I don't even recommend this to you if you're a hardcore anime fan. I recommend this to people who play visual novels and like this kind of weird, mediocre stuff. This is similar to things like Clannad and Kanon, which are also visual novels. So if you like those, watch this.

Storyline: 6/10
Characters: 7/10
Mood: 4/10
Uniqueness: 2/10
Overall: 5/10

Top 10 things I DON'T like about ANIME

You've heard me talk about how much I like certain animes and some of their features. Now it's time to turn the tables around and talk about what I don't like. Hate is a strong word, and I really wouldn't use it toward anime, but even in good things, there's a bunch of poopy shit.
So here it is: the 10 things I don't like about anime~

10) Bad opening/ending songs
Some people might not agree with me here, but I think that an opening pretty much defines the anime and its style. It's kinda like a first impression. And you want it to be good so you can feel comfortable about watching the series. If it sucks, sometimes you don't feel like watching. I'll give you a perfect example. Probably 80% of you reading this has seen Naruto. I thought the first opening was crappy. I almost quit right at the first minute of episode one, but people kept telling me to just get through the first season. It did pay off, but they shouldn't have to tell me that. The SHOW should have a better introduction. Ending songs people don't usually watch. I like to watch them because there's a preview right after and sometimes a little extra. Ending songs aren't as big of a deal because you can pretty much stop watching right when it starts. When it's bad though, it's really a pain to fast forward to the preview.

9) Bad story
After listening to me talk about how much I like a good story, you may be surprised to find this pretty low on the list. But trust me, some real shit is coming your way. Anyways, story is always a big part of ANY anime series. It's what keeps you interested and wanting more episodes. So if it sucks, you stop watching. Simple as that. A bad story is really sucky, but not as sucky as these next few things.

8) A stupid-ass catch phrase
There are good catch phrases and bad ones. It's something a character says that gives them personality and gives the whole series a certain flavor. A good one is like Kamina's "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?" from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. But that was in moderation. If you keep saying something over and over again, it's going to suck. Going back to Naruto, remember how cool it was when he kept saying "dattebayo"? It was kinda like some kind of hope emerging from him and almost always signaled victory. But then, episode 100 comes along, and he's still saying that. Goddamn. Shut up. It was nice the first time, but geez, limit yourself.

7) Corny events
This is in no way limited to anime at all. Movies have this, other TV shows have this. But anime has it too, unfortunately, which is why it's on this list. Awkward moments are the worst. Personally, I can't stand em. I would rather speed up ahead, but then I might miss something important. So I have to sit through them. It's alright if they're at the VERY END of a series, like the last episode, but sometimes, they're scattered everywhere in the middle, and that ruins it for me.

6) Predictability
If a series has this, it's not necessarily a bad thing, but it doesn't help make it better. It's like, if you've seen the first episode, you've seen the whole anime. That should NEVER happen. Seeing something that you didn't expect brightens up the anime, thus, you become addicted to it, waiting to see what happens next. That's why series should keep this down to a minimum today.

5) Annoying characters
Annoying characters are awful, especially if you have to see them every episode because they're a main character. This alone doesn't stop you from watching a series, but can help contribute to it. Every time you see them you cringe and you just wait for it to be over, like getting a shot. And when it IS over, you feel relieved. That's how annoying they are. No series should have this, and if they do, it's either to balance the characters or the anime just sucks. Just kidding.

4) Long flashback scenes
If you can put up with this, you're the man. I can't. It's a horrible way to continue a story, or rather, discontinue it and replace it with a new setting. I've seen two animes that do this: Tenjou Tenge, and Air (I think). These two in particular could have had a lot of potential, but as for Tenjou Tenge, I didn't like it only because of the long flashback (it took like 10 episodes). Air I haven't finished watching, but I remember a long flashback from when I tried to watch it earlier. And yes I do mean tried. Long flashback scenes...ew.

3) Killing off a good character
Although I have never cried while watching an anime, it's still sad to say goodbye. Many series I watched do this, and although it does make the series better in a way, it's hard on me, and I wish they didn't have to do this. Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Mahou Sensei Negima, Kanon 2006, Clannad After Story, and many others do this in some way, shape, form, size, or color. Every time it happens, my view isn't the same anymore. Which is why this is number 3.

2) Guys who are too pussified to cash in
This annoys the hell out of me. And I'll explain what I mean by this. In my previous post about Rosario + Vampire, I talked about Aono Tsukune and all the girls that were in love with him. What I forgot to mention is what a pussy Tsukune is. He has like 4 girls after him and he is always hesitating. It's ridiculous beyond belief. I mean, the first time I saw an anime like this, I couldn't believe that they weren't taking action. Another anime that does this is Maburaho (which I might be doing later this summer). I know there are others, but I just can't think of them right now because it pisses me off that much.

Oh, God, are you ready for number 1? I'm just gonna include a bunch of empty space down here just in case you change your mind and decide to turn back. If you think you want to hear about this, go ahead and scroll down.













It's not too late, you know.












You got your whole life ahead of you.











Heh, you're brave.










Yeah, I'm just kidding, it's not that bad, but it's the worst thing ever, and I think many people will agree with me.

The number 1 worst thing about anime is....

1) Fillers
You just knew this was gonna be on number 1. Fillers are even worse than long flashback scenes because at least the flashback scenes had something to do with the actual story. Fillers don't do shit. For those of you who don't know what a filler is, imagine this: You have a tray of brownies, and there's a square in the middle that someone ate and now there's an empty space there. Someone uses a piece of dog shit to fill up that space. Yup, that's a filler. There is absolutely no point to it. Actually, there is. The point of a filler is to trick you into thinking that it's actually the real story and then later realizing that you've wasted your time watching some fuck. I remember back when I watched Bleach, I sat through this horrible section called the Bounto Arc. Yeah I know some of you cringed when you just read that. I was actually tricked into thinking it was the story from the manga. But then I wasted my time because it was actually just some shit to tide you over until the arrancars kicked in. I was actually glad that it was a filler because if the Bounto Arc was the actual story, Bleach would have sucked. Hard. Naruto is famous for its fillers and sometimes loses fans through them. Many other long term series include this to wait for the manga to make more chapters, but I tell you this: I would rather wait for years and years without an episode than to watch this crap ooze out of the series that I used to love. It's just shit. It deserves the #1 spot. I can't even talk about this anymore. I'm out.

Anime Review #5: Rosario + Vampire

I meant to talk about this one earlier, but didn't get around to it. Anyways, this is Rosario + Vampire. I don't know what "+" is all about, but I guess it means "and" from the way they use it in each episode title.

It's not the most original anime, but it's pretty damn unique. So this guy, Aono Tsukune, is regular old boy who sucks at life. Recently, he failed his last year in middle school and could not continue to high school. However, his dad finds an admission to Youkai Academy (Youkai means monster, I think. Hint, hint) and Tsukune can now continue to high school at this Youkai Academy. However, just like the title of the school, the people at this school are not normal. Every single one of them is some kind of monster, whether it be werewolf, mermaid, humanoid bugs and spiders, etc. Regular human beings are not admitted into this school, or rather, it is impossible for a human to enter Youkai, due to some protective barrier. Tsukune is able to get in though. And nobody suspects him of being a human...yet.
He thinks that he won't be able to fit in, but most importantly, he is scared to shit of all these monsters surrounding him. however, along the way Tsukune meets other students that help him cope with life in Youkai. What's weird about the people he meets (with the exception of Akashiya Moka) is that each one first appears to him as an enemy and attacks him, but after Moka defeats them, they become nice to Tsukune and start to fall in love with him. Kinda like Pokemon. Catching friends in Pokeballs...WHATEVER

ROLL CALL:
Akashiya Moka - This is the first person that Tsukune meets and is the pink haired girl on the photo above. She will be Tsukune's closest friend at Youkai, always tagging along with him and protecting him from other monsters (I'll get to that later). She has a crush on Tsukune almost instantly and is obsessed with his blood. Why? Because she is actually a vampire. Going to Youkai. No surprise there. Vampires love human blood the most and almost every day she sucks his blood. Even though that might seem mean, she supports him and helps him get around the fact that he's surrounded by other monsters.
Kurono Kurumu - This is the second person that Tsukune meets and is the light blue haired girl on the far left in the photo. She is a succubus. For those of you who don't know what a succubus is, it's a monster that seduces men to become their love slaves. Yeah. Oh, she can also fly with her huge bat wings, grab things with her tail, and extend her nails to slice things. She is probably the most sexual thing on the show. LOL. She also falls in love with Tsukune and wants him to be her "chosen one."
Sendo Yukari - The 3rd person that Tsukune meets is a witch. You can guess which one she is in the photo. She is a genius so she skipped several grades to get to Youkai. She gets around mostly by using spells, as witches do and usually causes trouble for people. She initially falls in love with Moka (YURI ALERT), but then later goes after Tsukune. She and Kurumu become rivals for Tsukune's love. I mean, there are other people who like Tsukune, but they have the biggest rivalry.
Shirayuki Mizore - My personal favorite and the 4th person that Tsukune meets to join the Newspaper Club. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, all the people above are in the Newspaper Club. Including Tsukune. Anyways, on to Mizore. She is a very shy, and quiet person that never attended class. Until she met Tsukune. Her monster identity is a snow lady. That is, she has the power of ice at her fingertips. She befriends Tsukune thinking that he is a loner like she is, but later discovers that he cannot understand her feelings. Tsukune comforts her and invites her to the Newspaper Club. And she falls in love with Tsukune, too. Of course.
Toujo Ruby - She is the last main girl character that Tsukune meets and is not pictured in the photo above. She is the same species as Yukari, which is a witch. The Newspaper Club meets her in a field of sunflowers and after a big fight, she befriends them later in the anime. She is rarely seen in the series, however, and makes only 2 or 3 appearances.

Away from the characters now and more about the anime. It's classified as an ecchi genre. If you don't know what ecchi is, imagine hentai (if you don't know what hentai is, you're the cleanest person ever). Ecchi is the midpoint of normal anime and hentai. Which means there's fanservice up the ass. Frequent upskirts, cleavage shots, swimsuits, changing rooms...yeah. Watch this if you're a perv. Just kidding, there are other reasons to watch.

For example, the storyline, although picaresque, is pretty decent. The characters are either really likeable or annoying to you. For the most part I liked most of the main characters. This anime is only 13 episodes long, so you won't spend that much time on it. Which is probably a good thing, because if it was any longer I think I would crack.

Which brings me to the bad points. There were some things that I didn't like about Rosario + Vampire. One of the things is that the episodes usually followed a pattern. Like House. But this is anime. This made the series really predictable and sometimes not fun to watch. Every episode, Moka makes the super transformation into the mega vampire (or, almost every episode) which was cool and all, but I wish it was more suspenseful and kept for other times. Also, there was this one scene that really annoyed me. In nearly every episode, Moka and Tsukune's eyes would meet, the screen would go all flashy, and they would say each other's names until Moka couldn't resist it and then she would suck Tsukune's blood. It was funny the first few times, but then after the 4th episode, man, fuck that. I thought the last episodes were kind of rushed, but yeah, you gotta fit this in 13 episodes, so I guess they tried their best.

The good side greatly outweighs the bad side. I mean, I just found out that a second series from Rosario + Vampire is out, called Rosario + Vampire Capu2. Just the fact that I want to see the second series, pretty much proves to me that this was a good enough anime. I really liked the variety of each show, seeing different kinds of monsters and a new story in pretty much every episode. From what I've heard, the manga is better than the anime. Since this anime was good, I'd really like to see the manga. But then again, I haven't read manga in a while so probably not now. I also like the opening and ending songs.

It was a great series.

Storyline: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Mood: 5/10
Uniqueness: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10

Charlie Chen requested reviews on Code Geass (for anime) and Battletoads (for VG). Which reminds me to tell all you readers: if you want something reviewed - a video game, an anime, a movie, whatever - request it, and if I find it reasonable, or possible, I will attempt to.

Here's what you can expect later this summer:
ANIME - Air, and maybe Death Note
VG - I'm looking around. Nothing so far.

By the way, I've been looking into some GameCube stuff, so if you're willing to let me borrow some games, let me know =]