Mecha

Leave a comment Posted on September 17, 2015 Anime, Mecha

Gurren Lagann

When I started this blog I knew there was a lot of posts that I would have to do if I wanted to prove myself as a true fan of Kaiju and Mecha. There were a lot of reviews that I knew right off the top of my head I would have to do if I wanted to showcase that I had not only seen great shows but really taken the time to analyze them. This is one of those shows. A show that every Mecha fan needs to have seen and taken to heart.

Simon is a digger who lives in an underground city and is content with working the day away drilling holes. His best friend Kamina dreams of the surface world, saying their is more to life than what they have been told. Their lives are thrown for a loop when a giant robot crashes through the roof and exposes their is a world above and its filled with creatures called Beast Men that pilot giant robots. The pair is saved by a girl named Yoko, a sniper from the surface. Simon returns the favor by using an artifact he found earlier to operate a smaller robot and save the day. Afterward, the three set out on a quest to defeat the Beast Men and prove their worth.

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Gurren Lagann isn’t just a good Mecha show but a Mecha show that reminds everyone just how entertaining the genre can be. Those who are true fans of Mecha know that sometimes after watching show after show it can often get repetitive and sometimes dull. You need a show that re-energizes your love for watching giant robots kick the crap out of one another. That’s what this show offers. It showcases giant robots, combining with other robots and getting enormous weapons just by taping into the internal power of awesomeness that lies dormant in all of us.

There are a few points that I would like to talk about with this series but I fear dropping spoilers. I pride myself on doing my best not to give too many spoilers (after all Wikipedia is stock full of them). Still I will say that the colossal events that take place are shocking and will leave you questioning whether to keep going at a certain point in the series. I urge all who watch this to finish it until the end as it is worth the ride that you take. The ending does feel a bit off but again no spoilers here. Go watch it and come back to see if you agree or disagree with what I have to say.

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This show is fun. Sometimes that’s all an anime has to be. Yes there is more to it then that and the messages that its trying to convey such as believing in yourself and never giving up are very poignant. Still, sometimes a show just has to be fun and entertaining. And this show is that in spades. Ro, Ro fight the power.

RATING: A-

Leave a comment Posted on September 17, 2015 American Giant Monsters, Colossal News, Godzilla, Mecha

Colossal News: Shin America, Cancelled?!

I’ve got some news bits so its time for another, COLOSSAL NEWS!

First up more news on the King of the Monsters. Godzilla’s film from Toho Studios coming out in 2016 has a title. It will be called, SHIN GODZILLA (New Godziila). Not very impressive but still good to hear that things are moving ahead. There is also rumors that if things go well with King Kong’s new film, Skull Island, the two foes could go team up in the future. Fingers crossed on that one.

Next up, the kickstarter worked! Team America has reached the goal to outfit their robot for their fight with Japan. The Megabots new concept looks is like something out of G-Gundam. Not in a good way. Still, the giant robots will fight so we have that going for us.

Finally, Pacific Rim 2…is cancelled?! What mockery is this? Announced early this week, Pacific Rim is on indefinite delay which could become a cancellation. The reason? Money. Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are having a financial look at the film and fear it will not be feasible or a good idea to keep going. I couldn’t disagree more and think they should get off their butts and give me more Jaegers but that’s me. Hopefully this will be resolved in the near future and we won’t have to worry about this hiccup in the road to get more giant monsters from director, Guillermo Del Toro.

That’s it for now. As always people, LIVE LARGE!

Leave a comment Posted on August 17, 2015August 17, 2015 Anime, Mecha

Knights of Sidonia Season 2

It’s time again to return to the space colony of Sidonia as it traverses the heavens in search of a new home for all humanity. The entire time they find they must fight against the alien race known as the Gauna whose mission seems to be the destruction of all mankind. This is the plot behind the series Knights of Sidonia, a show that easily won me over with its first season. Now the second season has been released but does the story keep up with the intensity it had previously?

After the events of the first season, Nagate Tanikaze is now known through all of Sidonia as an Ace Pilot. Elsewhere his rival, Kunato becomes infected with a Gauna parasite in the lab of the legendary scientist Ochiai. Under its control Kunato kidnaps the Gauna recreated Hoshigino and begins running experiments on her. The pair soon emerge as a pilot and Gauna the size of a robot who now calls herself Tsumugi. Tanikazi must continue to fight against the enemies invading outside and the growing threat inside the colony of Sidonia while learning more about the incredibly friendly giant Tsumugi.

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The second season doesn’t waste time. That summary comes from only the first two episodes of this new season. The Gauna/Human hybrid who talks like a polite young lady is introduced in the first episode in the heat of battle. The ending of the second episode alone is jaw dropping and is so intense I dare not any spoilers talking about it. We also see Isane choose a gender but considering she was set up a long time ago to be Tanikazi’s love interest this should be no surprise to anyone. There is character growth here and I am all for it.

The newest cast member to be introduced, the Hybrid, Tsumugi really steals the show. She’s a sweetheart, innocent girl who happens to be as big as a giant robot and uses a penis shaped appendage to interact with others. I know how odd that sounds but trust me she really is a fascinating character. Her innocence adds to the charm of the show and allows a much needed break from the intensity of parasites plotting a conspiracy that will affect the future of all of Sidonia.

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The show does increase its comedy incidents but the drama increases as well. I mean the moments with the ever growing love triangle can be frustrating at time but then in the next scene the Gauna are attacking and people are getting destroyed because the menace is just too great. It does feel like a roller coaster at times though with all of the up and downs that you go on as the viewer which is a negative against it.

Unfortunately, the season finally doesn’t wrap up any thing and still hints that there is a lot of story with these characters left to be told. I’m looking forward to more but sadly I don’t know when the 3rd season is coming. The series is a lot of fun and with a solid finale it could very well be one of the greatest Mecha shows in the history of anime. For now though it still has some faults and gets the same rating as the previous season. Watch it but its still missing the bump needed to call it a masterpiece.
RATING: B

Leave a comment Posted on August 3, 2015August 2, 2015 Anime, Mecha

Macross II: Lovers Again

A bad sequel is nothing new to any franchise. A sequel that is so bad that people wish it isn’t exist at all isn’t uncommon at all. Few shows are so terrible that they are never referred back to again even when series set after it are made.

Hibiki Kanzaki is a reporter out to find the truth behind the next big scandal and tries to look into ace pilot Silvia Cena. Just as he thinks he’ll never find that one big story, a new race of aliens known as the Mardook invade earth. The new UN Spacy is quick to counter their invasion with their tried and true strategy, the Minmei defense. Unfortunately, these invaders have their own songstresses whose singing throws the pilots into chaos. As Hibiki gets lost in the battle he comes across one of the alien singers named Ishtar and takes her back to Earth. Will Hibiki be able to show Ishtar that human culture shouldn’t be exterminated?

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There are a lot of good reasons why this series is not popular with the Macross fanbase and Mecha fans in general. First off as a Macross sequel the show feels very sloppily pit together without much thought on world building (and you reader know I love my world building). This is evident in the fact that despite 8- years passing the Earth still seems to be centered around the decommissioned Macross fortress. Shouldn’t the humanity/zentrati society have redeveloped more of the earth by now? Silvia mentions that her grandmother was Zentrati so that means that it has been many years already but there isn’t many shots of other locations that would help the watcher to know that the world is bigger than the one city that the story take place.

Also can we talk about the the Minmei defense for a second. Why is this the only means of protecting the Earth? I know it can work for when a series has never experienced culture before for shock factor but is that really what they are banking on? Shouldn’t they have created some kind of high tech laser defense grid or something? Maybe had a few different Macross class cruisers on standby just in case the appearance of a malevolent alien fleet appears.

The movie/OVA (not like it matters, neither way of watching this things makes it any more salvageable) does introduce one interesting feature and that is a new Mecha. The VA-1SS Metal Siren is a one mech with the super mode which is cool but seems out of place.Still it is pretty interesting to watch this new machine tear through the battlefield destroying the enemy fleet.

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Also the love triangle feels rushed and not done properly. The entire series seems to be pointing to the idea that Ishtar and Hibiki should be together but then at the last minute they decide that he and Silvia should be together instead. If that had gone with the better love story of Ishtar and Hibiki then the show might have been saved. I said MIGHT.

Also to add a cherry atop this crap sundae, they also destroy the Macross. The Macross!? The original, unbeatable fortress is destroyed except for the bridge where Ishtar is singing to reach out to her fellow songstresses and get them to change sides. The power of music protected her and somehow keeps the floating head of the destroyed robot fortress together. Sure, whatever as long as it helps this anime end faster.

If it hasn’t become apparent by now, you should probably not watch this series. I cant even recommend it to the die hard Macross fan as they already have the less than interesting parts of Macross 7 to get through. I still have to sit down and watch that series myself. Might have to watch something else with jets that transform into robots to wash the taste of this out of my mouth.

RATING: D

Leave a comment Posted on July 27, 2015June 29, 2015 Mecha, Sentai

Tensou Sentai Goseiger

After Power Rangers was briefly cancelled in America I decided to break down and start watching the original Japanese Sentai series. I had already been watching Kamen Rider for a few years and I looked at it as an opportunity to keep my love of the franchise alive. My first show was Gosei Sentai Gosieger ,which looking back makes me wonder how I stayed a Sentai fan at all after watching this dreck.

As the gateway to Angel world is destroyed by the Alien Menace known as the Warstars, five Angels find themselves stuck in the mortal world. With the help of a young boy named Nozomu the five angels, Alata, Eri, Agri, Moune, and Hyde keep up their job of protecting humanity by becoming the newest sentai team: Gosei Sentai Goseigers.

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The best experience with any Sentai is enjoying the journey that they go on. How they constantly fight to protect the innocent helps to shape them and allows them to grow as characters. Watching some of the struggles they endure like Takeru’s identity crisis from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger or Uchii’s eternal vendetta with Dogold from Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger are truly moving movements that helps fans to bond with the characters. Sadly Goseiger lacks any of these moments and show no real growth of the individual team members. The five members of the team are angels from angel world and that’s all the character development they really get. Sure we get glimpses that shows their maybe more to them but these plot lines are never explored and the characters start bland and remain bland the entire series. I did enjoy Gosei Knight as a character but mostly the fact that he was a robotic sixth member of the team which is always great to see in a show. Unfortunately, a good team plays off of their wasn’t much for him to do.

The villains are some times the best part of the series. Sadly the series has such a high rotation of villains organizations, each of which could have been the main boss of the entire show if they had been written better. I personally though the main boss of the Warstars Mons Drake had the potential to be the ultimate enemy but he gets destroyed before Gosei Knight was introduced. Sure all the groups have the common member of Brajira who becomes a member of each of the evil organizations but I really get attached to him. Sadly just like the Goseigers his interest is surface level at best and you stop caring about hwy he is working these evil minion jobs after the second bit of team hopping.

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The Mecha are the only redeeming factor of this series. I enjoyed the different Gosei robots and the fact that Gosei Knight transformed into his own robot was also very interesting. Sadly this aspect isn’t without its faults as well as the show seems to introduce new robots almost every episode leaving you with no wiggle room to get accustomed to any of these machines.

Bottom line: This is a bland Sentai. I can’t recommend it even in the slightest and had to knuckle down just to finish it. Skip it entirely and go onto Gokaiger. Space Pirates? Who doesn’t love that? Unless you are a completionist stay away from this series. *Skick Power: Memoryfly* There! Your forgot it.

Rating: D

Leave a comment Posted on July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 Anime, Mecha

Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

Fish out of water stories in Mecha animes usually follow a specific formula. What happens is that a person from a “normal” world falls through a portal and arrives in a world where Giant Robots are more common place. This series is much different. In this show, the character brings his own Giant Robot to the party.

Ledo is an Ensign with the Galactic Alliance who is paired with the giant robot, Chamber. Together the two of them work to destroy the alien race called Hideauze who’s goal is to eliminate humanity. During a mission he is knocked into a wormhole and awakes up on Earth. Here, the people live a much different life and are at first hesitant on welcoming the strange visitor with a giant robot. A young messenger named Amy helps him to adapt to their way of existing and shows him that their is life outside of the battle field.

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The set up of this anime is the most interesting part of the series. Here we see a world this is basically a more pleasant version of Waterworld (Yes, the Kevin Costner flick). Unlike that film though everyone is very vibrant and full of energy and color instead of dirty, drab, and antisocial. The world also has kind of a steampunk feel to it which I know will get a lot of people interested in knowing more about

The characters in this series are very fun and offer a unique perspective. Ledo who only knows how to be a giant robot pilot for combat but for the most part such skills are not needed in this world. He now has to learn how to get along in this new world and be able to help the new friends that he makes. Amy is the energetic girl who helps Ledo to get accosted to this new world, teaches him compassion, and also thinks that he is pretty cute. There’s is a more sweet than passionate romance. Also, support characters like the feisty salvager Bellows helps to give support to our two main characters and are also interesting on their own. A viewer will easily walk away from this series with a favorite character.

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The robot of this series is a character himself. Chamber acts as a translator for Ledo as he gets used to the language on the planet. He also offers the whole, “AI learning about humans” aspect that is sweet in this case. He kicks a lot of butt but is sadly overpowered on this new planet. Its only later in the series that he actually gets a decent opponent but it takes a while to get to that point. One more fight where he actually had a challenge would have been nice.

What I really like most about this series is that its so self contained. Yes 2 OVAs have been created since but they aren’t necessary to fully enjoy this series. Its a simple 13 episode series that tells a good story about a young solider, his giant robot buddy, and the cute messenger girl that wants to be his special someone. Its the kind of mecha series that is approachable even to those who aren’t fans of giant robots. One of the biggest difficulties that anime fans (and more specifically mecha anime fans) face is being able to recommend a show or movie that isn’t heavy or requires explanations before watching. This one is easy to pick up, enjoy, and its currently on Netflix. Grab a friend and check it out.

RATING: B+

Leave a comment Posted on July 8, 2015July 16, 2015 Anime, Colossal News, Gundam, Mecha, Transformers

Colossal News: Adult Iron GX

Hmm. That title sounds like some kid of vitamin supplement. Anyways a lot of articles have surfaced for once again its time for COLASSAL NEWS.

First up, the cult film and childhood favorite of many, the Iron Giant will be returning to theaters this fall. Fathom events will be having special screenings of the film and this release will apparently include new scenes. I still have to review this movie for the blog but let’s be honest. This one is an automatic A.

Next up is information on the new Mobile Suit Gundam series has been released. The new show will be called Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans and is set to debut in October 4th of this year. There is also talks of streaming it here in America but I hope they figure out a better way then the YouTube channel of GundamInfo which won’t let me watch the English Subs of Reconquista in G here in the states. keyvisual01-144503

Also, if anyone was wondering about where the Gundam Review are on this site and how I can keep calling myself a Mecha fan without ever touching the Franchise I have good news. I am working on making “Gundam Month” where I will have an entry everyday covering a series or movie in the Franchise. I’m still working on getting all those review together so give me a bit. They are coming I promise.

News has also surfaced of a new Transformers cartoon that will be directed at adults. Gaming and media website Machinima will be helping to create the show which will air on their website. The cartoon is said to be based on the IDW comic series, which has helped to produce some of the best Transformer story lines ever. Trust me if your a Transformers fan and not reading those comics then you are missing out.

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Finally in a historical first Crunchyroll will be simultaneously broadcasting a Tokusatsu show as its running in Japan. The show is the latest entry into the Ultraman Franchise, called Ultraman X. Check out the Facebook for the usual small comments about the episodes as they come out.

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That`s all for now. Untiil next time, GO BIG OR GO HOME! Still working on my sign out.

Leave a comment Posted on July 6, 2015May 26, 2015 Anime, Mecha

Beast King Go-lion

I’m going to go retro on this review. I mean really retro to the point that this anime came out before a lot of people who read this were even born. This was one of the first animes I ever saw and it became a classic to many. Americans recognize it more under the name Voltron: Defender of the Universe. Though I’ve seen a great of the American adaptation I will instead be looking at the original anime, Beast King Golion.

After they return to Earth and find it destroyed, 5 explorers (who go by the nicknames Chief, Quiet, Moody, Shorty, and Hothead) get captured by the evil forces of the Galra Empire. Escaping to the planet Altea, the 5 five find a castle and the planet’s ruler, Princess Fala. Entrusted the keys to the five robot lions by the Princess, the explorers set out and fight against the invading forces of Galra. When they need more power, the lions combine into the ultimate warrior, The Beast King Golion.

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I’m taking a different approach with this show and I’m gonna focus more on the steps to adapt this show for an American Audience. On the plus side, the original has a few things going for it. First off there is death. Quiet (Sven in the original), that monster that Shorty (Pidge, who had the worst adaptation name ever) befriended, and even Lady Hys all buy the farm. This really raises the stakes of the battles they fight. Also there is no Galaxy Garrison as this was an added feature that would later be used to connect the series to the Vehicle Voltron Series (originally known as Armored Fleet Dairugger XV). The Garrison isn’t needed as the team was originally just explorers who came back to and found earth destroyed by the thermonuclear war. The human race destroyed itself and the bad guys just happened to show up to collect anyone alive for their entertainment. Also the team gets to watch Earth get destroyed. Sorry Earth. You had a good run.

The are some negative aspects that were changed by the shows conversion when it came to America though. For starters the company added some songs. The original anime used the opening song (which was lacking to say the least) over and over again, especially when the robots combine. meanwhile, Voltron was overflowing with 80s synthesizer goodness. Also, the voice over during the combination is not there and feels missing with it. I found myself saying “Form Feet and Legs” as the fusion took place. Its a small missing piece but give that it happens every episode it becomes very noticeable.

The robot is iconic even to this day. Made up of five lion robots each powered by a different element, these machines come together to form an impressive warrior. Seems like every other episode this combined machine is pulling out a new weapon or power. Still, to finish the monster of the week off, Golion forms the Juoken (10 Kings Sword) aka the Blazing Sword to slice the monster apart. This is cool but can get a bit old considering its the only finishing move used and it almost never fail.

The series does get a bit repetitive but still there is something to enjoy here as long as a person can get over the aging animation. Still, I can understand where people would be hesitant to come back to this show. Without my nostalgia for the series I found myself finding it difficult to keep watching. Somethings just aren’t as awesome as we remember them.

Rating: B

Leave a comment Posted on June 22, 2015May 13, 2015 Anime, Mecha

Space Dandy

With the way that anime is aired these days there are usually two seasons of a show with a break in between them (unless said show only gets 12-13 episodes). If a lot happens in both seasons then I will take the time to review the seasons individually (much like I’m doing with Valvrave the Liberator. Season 2 review comes later this year folks). If the story just continues to the point you can’t tell when the new season starts then I’ll simply review it as a whole. Today’s series fits right into the later category. A series that takes place…IN SPACE.

I’ll just let the opening narration do the job of summarizing the series.

Space Dandy. He’s a dandy guy in space. He combs the galaxy like his pompadour on the hunt for aliens. Planet after planet he search, discovering new creatures both friendly and not. These are the spectacular adventures of Space Dandy and his brave space crew in space.

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Space Dandy is best described as being random. Each episodes focuses on him with his pals QT (a cleaning robot) and Meow (a cat alien who loves his phone) looking for rare aliens. The characters experience a lot of random and often character changing events including being turned into zombies and destroying the universe they were residing in. These changes never stick though and the characters reset every episodes as if nothing happened at all. It makes it a series you don’t really appreciate as a whole but more appreciate for its individual parts. There are single episodes that are fun and memorable such as the one where Scarlet and Dandy go on a date or when the team meets alternate versions of themselves from different universes. 3984178-1123055438-72594

The series does fall under the category of mecha as Dandy does a space ship that turns into a giant robot wearing a Hawaiian shirt. You read that right. Of course thanks to the randomness that the series experiences it crosses the lines of a lot of different genres including high school life and time travel.

The series is the one of the latest (found out about the series Terror in Resonance as I was writing the review) from Shinichiro Watanabe the legendary director of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. Does Space Dandy measure up to the director’s previous work? Yes and No. No, it isn’t as ground breaking as Cowboy Bebop or as dramatic as parts of Samurai Champloo but that doesn’t mean its terrible. It seems like it has a purpose. Some of it feels like Watanabe was using Space Dandy as an experiment. As if he was trying to figure out which genre he liked most so he know what type of story he wants to tell next. Worst series have been produced by directors being experimental Let us not forget Shoji Kawamori’s Earth Maiden Arjuna. Wait, most of the fans already forgot about that.

Space Dandy is fun at the very least. It’s not a total failure from a great director or his finest hour but it is entertaining. We can only hope that this experiment has helped to train him to deliver another masterpiece that will be stored forever in the halls of anime fandom. Hopefully something with Giant Robots in it.

RATING: B

Leave a comment Posted on June 15, 2015May 12, 2015 Kaiju, Mecha

Pacific Rim

There are times when you see a trailer to movie that just speaks to you. You watch it, are utterly memorized, and say “I am there” to the person sitting next to you. When the time comes and find out the movie did fulfill its promises you feel even more satisfied that the film was exactly what you hoped it would be. This is the exact scenario I experienced with Pacific Rim, a film that was precisely what I wanted and more.

After a dimensional rift opens in the ocean and starts releasing giant monsters called Kaiju humanity is on the verge of being wiped out. In response, the world builds Jaegers, giant robots to fight them. Raleigh Becket is a former Jaeger pilot who wasn’t able to fighter again after losing his brother. Now as the Jaeger program is being forced into retirement, Raleigh is called back into service to fight one last battle: to deliver a bomb into the rift and kill the monsters on the other side. With the help of Mako Mori, a woman with a past deeply connected to the Kaiju, Raleigh will fight against the Kaiju and cancel the apocalypse. pacific-rim-jaeger-controls

Director Guillermo Del Toro delivered the ultimate love letter to fans of giants monsters and robots with this film. From the rocket punches to the Serizawa factor used to grade the Kaiju, this film was almost tailor made to be reviewed by a Giant Monster/Mecha fanatic such as myself. I’ve yet to see a movie that the director has made that I haven’t enjoyed immensely.

The monsters and robots are the real draw of this film. The monsters all look menacing and towering over every opponent they they take on. My personal favorite would have to be Otachi because of his ability to fly and spit acid at the same time. You would think that my favorite robot would be Gypsy Danger as its the main machine in the movie but I have a soft spot for Eureka Striker. Don’t know what it is about but it just calls to me. Really need to grab a figure of that character to add to my collection.

The characters are very interesting to say the least even though some might say they fit into such familiar categories. Raleigh is the guy brought by for one more mission. Mako is the newbie with a twinkle in her eye that’s eager to prove herself. Idris is the hardened commander that won’t put up with no back talk. Of course balancing out this ensemble are unique characters like Dr. Newton Geiszler who is a Kaiju fanatic and Hannibal Chau, who has a found a way to profit off the dead Kaiju corpses. All together they form a cast that is fantastic to watch over and over again.

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This film is epic, plain and simple. I am so glad that so many others found it to be just as amazing and we are eventually going to get a sequel to this film. I promise I’ll be there as soon as it opens to write up another review for others out there who are fans of Giant Robots using rocket elbows to deliver punches into the face of a Kaiju.

Also, they had a “Make a Jaeger” game on a website sponsored by the movie. I decided to make it the defender of my home state of Michigan. I present, Metro Renaissance. metro2

Rating: A

The Gigantic Project