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Code Geass

code_geass_01 Just like when I talked about Burst Angel there are times when a show has a strong opening but then goes absolutely nowhere with its story. This is far too common and much rarer are occasions when a show has a strong first episode and episodes that follow are jut as incredible. This is the case of Code Geass, a mecha series that is incredible powerful through the its entire run.

In the conquered former country of Japan now called Area 11, the exiled prince Lelouch of the conquering army of Britannia wishes to change the world. In the middle of a war zone he meets a mysterious woman named C.C., who grants him the ability of Geass which allows him to give someone one absolute command that the victim must follow. With his new power Leloouch takes the disguise of Zero and sets forth to take down Britannia and discovers the secrets behind his mother`s death.

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The world and characters of Code Geass is what really makes the show stand on its own. Lelouch is an incredibly motivated and intriguing character who does some very underhanded moves but does it in a way that keeps people watching. On the other idea of the conflict is Suzaku a Japanese man who has enrolled in the Britannia Army who was childhood friend of Lelouch, the conflict between these two former friends is one of the center themes of the show and keeps people watching episode after episode. I would also re-missed if I didn’t mention Kallen, who beings an equal measure of epic mecha piloting skill and fanservice eye candy for the male watchers. Some shows just offer a female character that gives nothing except breast jiggling but a attribute nothing to the show. Code Geass is a show that makes itself a cut amongest the rest.

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The mecha of the series are very unique in there own right. Each nation of the series has a different suit and offers a unique visual style about it. The standard mecha of both sides are very distinct but the prototype and specially built models are incredibly distinct. Suzaku’s Lancelot is a fast mecha with its launchers moves from the hips like other suits moves to its Arms. Also Kallen’s Guren Mark II has a devastatingly powerful attack that totally microwave her opponents robot. Just thinking about the Guren makes me want to pull up youtube and watch it again.

Code Geass is an intense series with a lot of great action and immersive characters. Yes, its not without its faults but personally none of them truly annoy me to the point that I cant give the series such a glowing review. Why are you still reading this? You need to track down this series and watch it. If i had the Geass I’d use it to command you to go watch this anime.

RATING: A-

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Burst Angel


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There are times when a series has a great premiere and a great reception only to fade away like dust in the wind. If a series is lucky it’s just that the response wasn’t what the studio or network was hoping for and it was cancelled before truly achieving glory. If the series was at least halfway entertaining then a fandom will grow around theses series and continue to sing its praise. Unfortunately as most are aware, Anime for the most part has a planned out length and get map of the story they are hoping to tell. This means that if a series has a great opening or start to it and their isn’t’ a huge group of followers discussing it and demanding that sequels be made then there is a good chance the series was just not every good in the long run. This was my experience with Burst angel.

My first exposure with the series took place at Acen 2005. I was at my hotel room and a friend of mine had returned from the dealer room with the first disc that Funimation had just put on sale that weekend. My friend popped it in and I will admit the first few minutes of the first episode are nothing but awesome. Before we even meet any characters we watch as a giant root gets into a fight with a giant monstrosity. The battle is intense as we watch the mecha, Django, defeat the creature with a pair of rapid fire pistols. It is probably one of the best first few minutes in anime history. Sadly it’s all downhill from here.

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As the series begins we are introduced to Kyohei (you can just feel free to call him chef as his job is to cook for the rest of the characters and he has little character developments.). Anyways, Chef is hired to cook for a team of Mercenary girls all who are named after characters from the book little women. Unfortunately, none of the girls are nearly as developed as their classic literature counterparts and are instead bland enough to be downgraded to their job title. Sei is the business side of the operation, Jo is the muscle and pilot of Django, Amy is the hacker, and Meg is the hostage. No seriously she gets captured during almost every story line she’s involved in. More on this in a moment. Basically, chef is the normal one finding the operations the girls undertake to be too intense, but does little but sits on the sideline and watch as things explode around him. If you think I’m underselling the series you’re sadly mistaken.

One of the problems with the show is Meg. Like I said she gets captured every story line and despite having a real cool gun, she doesn’t do anything cool with it or defeat any of the enemies. She also doesn’t grow as a character, which makes the ending that much more frustrating. The biggest and most frustrating moments is the very end of the series, (YES, I am giving you spoilers as its for your own good), as it appears that Jo is gone, Meg says she will keep up the fight with the final scene being her wearing Jo’s jacket, Jo’s pistols, and a repainted Django. There was not enough development for the character for this ending to make any sense and the character is just plain annoying.

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The mecha in the series Django is a pretty impressive robot with a nice cowboy look. Sadly it after the first fight in the opening things quickly goes downhill. Basically the impressive looking robot fights against a bunch of crappy generic monster of the week mechanical animals and poorly put together robots. Also, Django has no close combat weapons, which is a major flaw I see in all giant robots as close quarters weapons is a basic mainstay with all robotic arsenals.

When I did finally get around to watching this series was incredibly disappointing, especially after I had such a fond feeling from the first episode. I can’t tell fans enough that its just for the their best interest to stay far away from this series. I need to go watch a Gundam series just to watch the taste out of my mouth from writing this review.

Rating: D

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Gamera: Guardian of the Universe

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I almost feel bad at times when I tell others about the Gamera 90s trilogy. I mean I have proudly proclaimed in more than one occasion to be a huge Godzilla fan but I can’t help but say that these three movies are the best Kaiju films that came out of the 90s. I just can’t help but want to praise these three films for being a cut above the traditional Kaiju genre.  Especially when you take a moment to look back at the comically campy movies the giant turtle was in during the Showa period. Despite that I have a yearly tradition of watching the trilogy and seeing its flaws and problems repeatedly it still holds up as some of my favorite Kaiju movies. Sorry Godzilla.

The film opens with a Japanese Plutonium ship hitting a mysterious atoll while at almost the same time an entire village is destroyed with only cryptic message that “it’s a bird” over the radio. As investigation teams set out to discover the truth behind these events and only to realize that the atoll is the monster Gamera and the “bird” on the island is the deadly creature Gyaos. Believing the Gyaos to be a lost race that needs protection the humans try to capture them whole exterminating Gamera. Meanwhile young Asagi Kusinagi is given a relic that allows her to connect to Gamera’s heart and feel his pain. Together the two most overcome the government’s efforts to protect the wrong monster and stop the world from falling under Gyaos’ shadow.

The modernization to Gamera makes nods to his origins by presenting him as both a destructive force and a defender all in the same movie. By showcasing that he just happens to destroy everything that’s in his way on his path to kill the Gyaos even though he has the best intentions in mind. A recent fact that has been pointed out about this trilogy us that no one ever calls Gamera a turtle. In fact the director has apparently gone on record saying that the idea us that in the movie universe there are no turtles and that is why he is never referee to as such. Interesting little tidbit there.04gamera3
The star of the movie is young Ayako Fujitani in her first acting role shows a lot of devotion for the giant Kaiju. Her devotion puts her on the list of some of the best females in Kaiju series if not one of the best human characters in all of Giant Monster Movies. Also, another interesting fat, she is Steven Segals daughter.

The Gyaos new look for the trilogy is incredibly more menacing then most other evil Kaiju can be. Sure bad guys like King Ghidora or Megalon will fly around and destroy buildings with their blasts but they isn’t nearly as intimidating as a gluttonous monster who has pieces of its victims falling out of its mouth as it struggles to chew. This cupped with the fact the creature can asexually reproduce much like the 90s Godzilla makes them a force to truly be afraid of.

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Probably one of my favorite moments in this film is the atmospheric reentry struggle between Gamera and Gyaos. The measures that Gyaos takes to escape from his eminent demise is truly impressive. If you can’t tell by now I highly recommend this film and it’s two sequels which I’ll work on writing up the reviews on soon. Basically if you take anything away from this review know that this blog highly endorses that you see these movie s to call yourself a true Kaiju fan.

Rating: A

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Invasion of Astro Monster a.k.a. Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
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One of the first question people ask when selecting a Kaiju movie is “Would you show this to a newbie to the genre?’ The answer that I give an enthusiastic yes! Why am I so passionate about newbies seeing this movie? Simple. This was my first Godzilla movie.

I still remember like it was yesterday. I was Twelve but had already heard about Godzilla from different shows and cartoons growing up. I was curious and wanted to know more about this legendary creature. On a weekend at my grandmother’s place, she took me to the video store, Grand Video and let me rent movies to watch at her house. That’s where I found it, Godzilla vs. Monster X a.k.a. Invasion of Astro Monster. Once I rented that movie there was no turning back. I was a Kaiju fan.

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From the beginning with astronauts Fuji and Glen landing on Planet X and finding the Xians, a mysterious alien race being plagued by a being they know call Monster Zero, but the earth knows as King Ghidorah. Wishing to vanquish the threat of the three headed beast, the Xian’s request that Earth allows them the service of two other monsters, Rodan and Godzilla with the reward of a universal cure if the planet is willing to cooperate. What follows is series of events that include betrayal, epic monster battles and a rape prevention device being turned into an alien inventions prevention device. If that doesn’t get you interested in watching this movie then just walk away from the giant monster genre as there is nothing here that will interest you.

Watching this movie as an adult allows a person to have a different appreciations then I did now. Back in the day I found myself enjoying it because it was awesome watching Godzilla shoot at King Ghidora with his nuclear breath. In this day in age…I find it awesome watching Godzilla shoot at King Ghidora with his nuclear breath. That and the mysterious Namikaze played by the incredible beautiful Kumi Mizuno.

It also gave us one of the most iconic moments in Godzilla history, the Godzilla Victory Dance. Sure people give it a bad press and think it’s the start of the series losing its edge. A better way to look at it is that it helps to solidify the Godzilla’s new role as a protector of the people. Together with his buddy Rodan, they won’t let any three headed chumps tear apart their plant earth. Once they break away from alien mind control of course.

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Perhaps the real major problem is that the true intention of the Xian’s are incredible obvious to everyone. Why are humans in sci-fi movies so stupid and trusting? Shouldn’t we have found a way to ensure we had some type of incentive to ensure that the Xian’s didn’t be total screw Earth over? Maybe sneak a bomb on their spaceship when they had their initial suspicions that the controller was up to something? For that matter, what did Glen and Fuji think Godzilla and Rodan were going to do on Planet X? Buy a time share and wait for cable guy to come on Wednesday.

To reiterate this movie is a must watch for Godzilla fans and those who are new to the Genre. The only thing that could have made it better would be if Glen had stumbled into the Xian lady’s Onsen. An entire hotspring of Kumi Mizunos, yes please!

Rating: B+

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Neon Genesis Evangelion

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I was kind of hesitating to write this review. I mean this is Neon Genesis Evangelion we are talking about. What could I possibly say about a series that has had such praise for close to twenty years? But I know it’s my duty as a reviewer specializing in Mecha to talk about the series that was a turning point in the genre.

Taking place in the future city of Tokyo 3 the story focuses on a young man named Shinji Ikari. Called home by his father Shinji finds the city under attack by a mysterious creature called an Angel. Rescued by a member of the organization NERV run by his father Gendo, young Shinji is tasked with piloting the EVA 01 a robot specially designed to fight the angels. As Shinji begins to fight against these monsters he eventually discovers there are more forces at play even with the robot he has been assigned to use in battle.
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There have literally been novels discussing the different aspects of this series. Instead of looking at them in an effort to dissect the series (so this review doesn’t go on for an entire month) I am instead going to go over how I viewed and enjoyed the series over the years. I started watching this series at the end of high school where I found it enjoyable as a giant robot series. That was for must of the first run. The second time I researched it I started looking into it for the deeper meanings of the series and asking some of the bigger questions like “What was Seele really planning?”. Then I eventually watched End the Evangelion and didn’t really know what to think about the whole thing. Man that movie was a trip but that’s a review for another day. Then came the disenchantment with the series. I eventually got a roommate that obsessed over the series to the point of collecting Rei Ayanami figures and basically helped the End of Evangelion to leave an even worse taste in my mouth. I haven’t re-watched the series since then. The shine of the series was gone and I wonder if there is any way to bring it back. I mean I still appreciate the series for what it is. This was a game changer to the mecha genre much like Puella Magi Madoka Magica shook up the magical girl genre. My relationship with Neon Genesis Evangelion is much like a real relationship complete with its ups and downs.
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Basically this is a series I had great devotion and has stood the test of time but since it has been around for so long I have fallen out of love with it but reflect on the memories we had fondly. I guess the best way to renew the feelings I only certain held for it would be to finally break down and watch the new movies. I just have been having trouble breaking down to watch them. I mean I have been burned before.

RATING: B

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Knights of Sidonia

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Keeping up with the many different series that keep coming out in anime can be a bit difficult. I mean on top of consuming all the media, I have writing to do about it in both blogging and creative writing aspects. Still, when a great Mecha comes around, I can’t help but want to check it out. Unfortunately, there are so many titles with Giant Robots, that this is not always an easy task. Luckily I took the time to check out this new Netflix exclusive series as it was worth it.

In the bowels of the future space colony of Sidonia, Nagate Tanikaze has been in intense training. When his food supply runs out, he has no choice but to venture above and become reintroduced to society. Entered into the Guardian piloting program, it soon appears as if his training was for nothing. It is not until he is given the legendary Tsugumori robot that his skills are truly uncovered and he is able to become the hope that Sidonia needs to survive the alien menace known as the Gauna.

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One of the more appealing aspects of this anime is that it has a lot of good world building in terms of the scientific aspects of the story. Humans in this world have been altered to allow themselves to photosynthesize so they require less food and nutrients. This is a very reasonable explanation on how a space colony is able to survive despite how many people are in its population. There also was the very amusing scene with characters putting on their space suits and feeling uncomfortable as they have to adjust to the feeling of having a catheter in is just another piece of good world building.

I can’t help but point out one of the aspects of the show that I found a bit disconcerting. The character designs for Hoshijiro and Shinatose are too alike. I mean I know they say that Shinatose is some kind of Hermaphrodite that will later choose her gender but that doesn’t change the fact that the two have similar physical features and hair cuts to the point I didn’t realize they weren’t the same person until they were standing next to one another. Points off for not making the two characters stand out more from one another.

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Still, the series was addicting and I found myself binge watching it in less than a week. I’m half tempted to break down and run out and buy the manga for it. This is a lot of praise for a series as I usually don’t read much Mecha manga as I don’t think they capture the action as intensely as well as the animation does. Still, I’m trying to watch my spending so I’ll have to wait for more episodes to appear on Netflix. Unless someone out there wanted to make a sizeable donation so I can go grab some copies of the manga. HINT, HINT!

Rating: B

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Transformers: The movie
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There are some movies that you have seen so many times that you can regurgitate the dialog up word for word. Yet at the drop of hat or with a simple suggestion from a friend you will gladly rewatch that film. This is the case with Transformers the movie. I’ve watch it a hundred times and I’ll watch it a hundred times more.

The film opens with the Decepticons having the upper hand in their war against the Autobots. Attacking a ship bound for earth and using it to sneak into the Autobots base an epic battle ensues resulting in the lose of many a fan favorite character. Elsewhere an evil force known as Unicron is watching and waiting ready to make his move and change the history of the Transformers forever.

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Considering I could gush over and over for hours about this movie I should probably look at the negative side of it. For starters I can agree with the critics who have stated that the film’s plot is very similar to Star Wars. Hot Rod (Luke Skywalker) is aided by Kup (Obiwan Kenobi) to help stop a mighty nemesis Galvatron (Darth Vader) who is being aided by the unspeakable power of Unicron (The Death Star). True as that might be the fact is that the story is still fun and entertaining despite these similarities. Besides there are worst films to copy.

The movie also successes in making sure to take a step that every good film based on a TV series needs to take. This step is enacting change. If it don’t have change that actually effects the main story from the series and shakes up the established stasis quo then it’ll be criticized for just being a long episode. Sadly this change comes in the form of losing a lot of great characters including Ironhide, Prowl, and Optimus Prime. Still these were deaths that struck a cord with every fan that watch the film.

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The movie boast some of the best fights in Transformer history. Blasters tapes vs. Soundwave’s tapes. Optimus vs. Megatron, and The Dinobots vs. Constructicons. All the while these fights are going on the intense music of Stan Bush and Spectral General (whose actual name is Kick Axe, but had to change it to be on the animated movie’s soundtrack). Another fact that everyone likes to point out is this was the last role for famed actor Orson Welles who voiced Unicron in a very menacing way. Sure its not as glorious as other roles of his but still it is memorable. There are worse ways to be remembered.

As I stated earlier I could gush over and over about this movie. The animation ages well. The action is breathtaking and the new characters are introduced in memorable ways.  The soundtrack is so catchy I dare everyone to be stupid. Sorry couldn’t resist. The fact is that if you haven’t seen this movie and are reading this blog I urge you to stop. You have to see this movie. Go now before it’s too late. In other words…Transform and roll out.

RATING: A

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Voltron Force

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Today we have an attempt to cash in on my childhood on a degree just as bad as the next Michael Bay movie. I am talking about the Voltron Force.

Set a few years after where the original series left off, the Voltron team has been disbanded and their mechanical lions impounded after they go haywire. With the help of a few new cadets, the team reclaims their lost lions and prepares to fight against Prince Lotor who has risen from a deep sleep in hopes of once again attempting to take over the entire Universe.

I have to say that I like the feel of the show as a whole. The original team (Keith, Lance, Hunk, Pidge, and Allura) are updated for a new audience but still hold enough feel of their personalities from the first series. The action is good and I couldn’t help but have a bit of a fangasm as the lions came together to form the might robot Voltron. The narration sequence as the robots combine is engraved into my mind in the same way GIJOE’s “Knowing is half the battle” is. Pure nostalgic gold.

The problem I seem to have with this series is the new characters that were added to appeal to the younger demographic. All three of them have a huge character flaw that I just can’t get over. Daniel, the main character is basically a self insert biggest fan ever, who gets handpicked to become a cadet for the Voltron Force. Vince is a walking MacGuffin (plot device) who’s mysterious power can do whatever is necessary in the story, everything from recharging a lion that is low on power at the right time to cause the lions to undergo a new formation to defeat an enemy. Larmina, the only girl candidate is displaying the Xena/Buffy personality that has become common with female characters in this day and age. I really don’t have a problem with that aspect of the character. The problem I do have with her is that she is a niece to Allura, to a character who was previously described as being an only child. That’s right, they once again bring in the Scrappy doo, “It’s not a character’s direct kid, it’s their niece, but looks as if it might as well being their kid plot” which was a tired idea back in the day and is a tired idea now.

I really want to like this series but the glaring problems with the new addictions to the cast make it incredible hard to enjoy the series. I would personally prefer to rewatch the incredible underrated series, Voltron: The third dimension, than this one. I might give it a few more episodes but I’m definitely not giving this series my top priority.

Rating: C+

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Godzilla (2014)

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After the previous attempt to bring Godzilla to the states was less than stellar, the American Kaiju community took something of a hit. Not in the fandom overall but Hollywood squashed more giant movies for years to come regulating them to being produced in the low budget straight for DVDs and SyFy channel demographic. There were moments of hope with the release of King Kong and Cloverfield which were entertaining but still had their flaws. The biggest ray of hope came when Pacific Rim was both a commercial and critical success and reminded people how awesome it is to watch giant robot punch giant monsters.
This left fans mixed on what to expect from Godzilla’s second stomp through America’s shores. Especially since the director, Gareth Edwards’ previous film Monsters left fans feeling just as mixed after watching it. Luckily we as fans of Kaiju were rewarded with what they saw. Not with what everyone was expected but was still incredible entertaining.
The human element of this movie is handled by three characters. Joe Brody (Bryan Cranston) a nuclear scientist who losses his wife to an accident he knows is more than it appears. Joining Joe on his journey is his son Ford (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a military man who just wants to go home to his wife and son. Finally, Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe), a scientist who along with his secret organization Monarch knows the truth behind the incident that took Ford’s wife.

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After digging into the mysterious accident Joe and Ford discover that the accident was actually caused by a creature known as a MUTO (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism) a giant monster that eats nuclear energy. Upon further investigation it is revealed there is a second MUTO that could mate and create an army of creatures that will wipe out humanity. As all seems lost, Serizawa says there is a creature of immense power, an unstoppable force of nature and a mighty predator that sees the MUTOs as his enemies. This ancient creature may be humanities last hope and they call him Godzilla.
The initial trailers for this movie presented us with a much different Godzilla then what is actually delivered in the film. The previews fooled us into believing that Godzilla had returned to his origins as being an uncontrollable force of nature that will bring our destruction. Instead it delivers a tribute to the films of the late Showa Era where Godzilla was a defender of a humanity who only wrecks a building or two while smacking around his monster opponents. Depending on if that’s the version of Godzilla you prefer or not may affect how much you enjoy this movie. On a personal level it was a welcomed sight. The “Kiss of Death” scene was a moment of pure Kaiju ecstasy.
Speaking of tributes the movie makes sure to make nods to other great monster movies. The family name Brody is a reference to Chief Brody from Jaws. Dr. Serizawa was the name of the scientist from the original Godzilla movie. The MUTOs appear to get inspiration from Gamera’s villains the Gyaos. There also is a nod to Godzilla’s rival Mothra in the form of a cocoon in an abandoned aquarium with faded letters on the side spelling it out. Go see it again to check. Its little nods like this that showcase the love this film has for the genre.

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The weakest part of this movie is the human factors. Dr. Serizawa and Joe Brody are intriguing scientists which are dedicated their lives to researching the Kaiju and their origins. Sadly we don’t get nearly enough time with them. Instead we spend more time with Ford who is just trying to get back to his wife and son but keeps getting side tracked with giant monsters. He also just happens to be the highly trained specialist that is the only one who can both arm and disarm the nuke they want to use as bait for the monsters. The whole perfect man that is exactly suited to the situation he gets thrown can work but just doesn’t in this movie. Frankly he just seems a little flat compared to the more impassionate scientists that are dedicated to stopping the MUTOs and helping Godzilla. Also Ford’s wife has next to no character moments and it became just a little frustrating anytime the movie pulls away from the giant monsters to focus on them. Almost makes you wish she would have an up close encounter with any of the monsters so we could see more of them in the movie. Almost.
Still the movie does show enough city destruction, monster combat, and goose bump producing Godzilla roars for any jaded Kaiju fan to enjoy this film. It also is very effective way of introducing new fans to the media. So kudos, Edwards, you didn’t mess up. Now get to work on the sequel. More Dr. Serizawa, Monarch, Godzilla, and work on getting more character out of your lead. Especially if he’s helping Godzilla save mankind.

Rating: A-