Summer Anime 2016 First Impressions

It is already the middle of July and since the start of the month, or even a week before that, a bunch of new Animes premiered as part of the Summer season. Now due to my rather busy real-life world, and getting addicted to Pokemon Go, I had to be awfully picky on what new series to watch. Aside from Berserk, of which I am a fan of and will watch the series to the end, I've picked three other new series and here are my first impressions of them.

 First up, we have Taboo Tattoo, based on an ongoing seinen manga series by Shinjiro. The story is about a war between the United States and the fictional Kingdom of Selinistan (which is strangely based in Japan) over a series of tattoos that grant whoever has them superhuman powers. When martial artist Seigi Akatsuka saves a homeless man from a bunch of thugs, he is given a powerful Tattoo embedded onto his palm, and becomes the target of interest from both the armies of the US and Selinistan alike.

Taboo Tattoo is developed by J.C. Staff, the same animation studio behind metaseries like Slayers, A Certain Magical Index and A Certain Scientific Railgun, Shakugan no Shana and Food Wars. Others include Ikki Tousen, Hayate The Combat Butler, Prison School, Shimoneta, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, and many others. So J.C. Staff has plenty of credentials under their belt.

Watching the first two episodes, I can say it does have potential to be good. I'm just not yet drawn to its story nor its characters, as well as the numerous fanservice that may one day end up in someone's Ero or Hentai collection. However, I do love the action sequences, as they are detailed, fluid, and fast. If you're a fan of martial arts flicks, you will enjoy this even though it's purely animation. So Taboo Tattoo is just right down the middle for me and I need to watc h the rest of the series to see how this goes.

 Next up, we have 91 Days. Set in the Prohibition Era where the mafia rules the streets, a man under the alias Avilio Bruno and his friend Corteo, use their skills of preparing Moonshine, and Avilio's sheer cunning, to be recruited into the Vanetti family, where Avilio secretly plots revenge against the one responsible for the death of his family many years earlier.

The series is developed by Studio Shuka, who worked on the Durarara!! x2 series, and unlike other series, 91 Days is one of the few anime that is an entirely original work, similar to Kabaneri of The Iron Fortress.

I will say 91 Days is the kind of show made especially for people like myself. It's mature, it's dark, and the plot is something you would normally find in shows like House of Cards. It impresses me so greatly, I forget it's entirely done by a Japanese staff. Yet the story, atmosphere, and characters are very much American (or Italian-American, in this case).

91 Days is, in a nutshell, like watching an anime version of The Untouchables, or The Godfather, or even The Sopranos. It's definitely not for those who watch anime such as Dragon Ball Super or Attack on Titan. But like a Wine connoisseur, if you have a unique taste for quality, 91 Days is a must-see.

Last is Mob Psycho 100. This is one of the anticipated anime of the summer as it is from ONE, the creator of One Punch Man. In a world where ghosts and other evil spirits run rampant, psychics are called upon to deal with these entities.

We are then introduced to Mob, real name Shigeo Kageyama, a middle-schooler who is an extremely powerful psychic. Mob is under the tutelage of Arataka Reigen, a self-proclaimed professional psychic who offers to exorcise evil spirits for cash. Unbeknownest to Mob, Arataka is a con artist who swindles his customers while letting Mob do all the dirty work.

Like Saitama of One Punch Man, Mob is stoic and emotionless for the most part, but he does have a reason. As the story progresses, you will also see Mob's progress of his stress slowly climbing. When that progress reaches 100%.....

Unlike One Punch Man, which was produced by Studio Madhouse, Mob Psycho 100 is produced instead by Studio Bones, which was also behind My Hero Academia. Furthermore, the character designs closely resemble to ONE's from the webcomic, whereas the anime version of One Punch Man is based on the manga remake also by ONE, but illustrated by Yusuke Murata.

If you're expecting Mob Psycho 100 to be anything like One Punch Man, don't. Mob Psycho 100 is a completely different show from One Punch Man. You still get some comedy thrown in, but the series is more akin to Ghostbusters with psychics. Coincidentally, Mob Psycho 100 is airing just as the Ghostbusters reboot is being shown worldwide. Mob Psycho 100 nonetheless, remains a very interesting series and I'm looking forward to the next episode, as well as digging deeper by reading the webcomic.

TTG vs PPG Review

Last time on this podcast, I made my remarks on the Powerpuff Girls Reboot on Cartoon Network. I say the term "remark" instead of "review" mainly because the rest of the season hasn't aired yet, I'm not really that invested in the Powerpuff Girls at all. So as a result, I'm not going to give PPG a rating.

Now with that taken of, here's the synopsis of the crossover episode "TTG vs PPG"

Mojo Jojo learns that there is a universe where the villains aren't apprehended by the heroes. In this case, the world of Teen Titans Go, and teleports to Jump City with the Powerpuff Girls following suit. Mojo then recruits Beast Boy and Cyborg to build his robot monkey army, of which the two are more than happy to comply - because talking monkeys are cute.

The girls meanwhile deal with Robin, Starfire, and Raven, who doesn't take them seriously as heroes because of their small stature. The two teams then has a 'competition' of sorts to see who's the better hero, with the Powerpuff Girls winning it hands down.

Mojo learns that Beast Boy and Cyborg, who were building his monkey robot army, misunderstood his intentions and built an army of partying robot monkeys instead. Mojo used the two as bait to lure the Powerpuff Girls in and drain their power using a special repellant. As the Narrator explains the situation, Robin hears it (as he's the only one who can do so), and relays the information to the group.

Robin, Starfire, and Raven then disguised themselves as the Powerpuff Girls to be hit by Mojo's repellant to no effect, and Mojo gets beaten down by the girls. When Robin acknowledges the girls being true heroes and Blossom replying they couldn't have defeated Mojo without the Titans' help, the latter then used Blossom's statement as basis to declare themselves as the winners of the competition earlier. The Narrator does his usual "And so, the day is saved....no thanks to the Teen Titans." and ends the episode.

This episode just plain sucks! And I'm not saying it because I'm not with those in the bandwagon that has nothing but contempt for TTG and PPG. I'm saying it sucks because as it is, it does!  Compare it to the "Let's Get Serious" episode that was the crossover between TTG and Young Justice and I made it clear that episode really made me laugh and I loved it. There is nothing in the "TTG vs PPG" episode that made me get even a chuckle.

To be clear, the crossover is essentially a Teen Titans Go, episode. And watching the episodes of The Powerpuff Girls Reboot, not a single one of that show was ever funny. So I was hoping with Teen Titans Go having some funny episodes, they can pull it off here with the crossover. They didn't.

One thing to note is although it is a Teen Titans Go episode, the writer for this crossover is Emily Brundige, one of the writers of the "Horn, Sweet Horn" episode in PPG. And the negativity of the narrative in that PPG episode is seen here with the crossover.

To be fair, Brundidge also worked on Devil Buster Star Butterfly as a Staff Writer. A Staff Writer is different from a Story Writer in which the former is among a group of other people brainstorming ideas on the narrative, and the latter lays it all on that one person to do virtually everything about the narrative. No pun intended, this is Brundige's first "go" with Teen Titans Go, and critically speaking, it didn't work very well. The only thing that is good about the crossover at all are the designs for the Powerpuff Girls as it is done by Warner Bros. Animation than Cartoon Network Studios, so the girls do look more like their designs from the original cartoon.

Having said that, when the crossover aired on June 30th 2016 in the US, it garned 2.4 million total views, according to Showbuzzdaily, making the episode the 2nd most watched in the show's history, behind "The Mask" episode. So for what it's worth, a lot of people watch it, and regardless of anyone's opinion on the matter, it was a hit for Cartoon Network.

Personally, other than the animation, nothing in this crossover is anywhere remotely likable and you're better off watching the Young Justice crossover, or the "Say Uncle" episode between Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa. And because this crossover is a ratings hit for Cartoon Network, I'm not going to bother giving it a rating, but I assume you already know what it is if I do.

Thoughts On The New PPG Seres

So it's been a few months since the Powerpuff Girls reboot aired on Cartoon Network and reactions from both critics and fans of the show have been, well, below average. There's so many articles on news sites, youtube videos, and social media that pans the show than praising it that you can easily look them up on Google. And then there's that episode that's supposed to address transgender issues that got the LGBT community all riled up, and it's no secret creator Craig McCracken and the original voices actresses of the girls aren't happy with the current reboot.

And in spite of all that, ratings-wise, the show is doing quite well, averaging at around 1.2 million total viewers. The target demographic of young girls is around 0.4 in average, which is pretty high for a show like the Powerpuff Girls, or PPG for short. As for the main demographic of adults, it averages at around 0.27, which is not bad. Word has it a second season is already in production. All this gave me the impression that the Powerpuff Girls reboot is, in a nutshell, the second Teen Titans Go.

Speaking of which, the crossover between the two is aired recently and I've actually watched it. Before I give my thoughts on the crossover, here's my thoughts on the PPG reboot in general.

 

First off, kudos to whoever did the theme song and the opening animation as it's really cool and hip and I love the arrangement. Furthermore the way the girls are drawn and animated in the opening does reflect their original designs and makes it a very nice transition.

Watching the first episode onwards, I can't help but notice the change in the personas of the girls themselves, with the exception of Buttercup. Blossom is always the leader of the group and behaves as such, but in many occasions, she places herself beneath her sisters even in times of crisis. Bubbles, meanwhile is shown to be just as intelligent, if not even more so than Blossom and often acts as the voice of reason.

As for the new voices, it's a little hard for me to get used to not because that I prefer the original voices of the Powerpuff Girls, but rather their voices sound a bit 'off'. At some points, the girls sound as though they are teenagers than elementary school kids. Granted, the show did mention that they have gotten older from the original. But at others, they sound like they belong in an episode of Dora The Explorer, which made me cringe.

And then there's the episodes that are simply just questionable. Take "The Stayover", for example, which is a total parody of "The Hangover" movies, which were R-rated by the way, so it's not like kids have ever seen them. Then again, a heavily edited PG-13 version was released on cable, so go figure. And then of course the infamous twerking scene of Blossom and Bubbles in the episode "Painbow", that got many riled up, especially considering this episode was co-storyboarded by Julia Vickerman, the creator of Twelve Forever. 

On that note, Vickerman also co-storyboarded "Horn, Sweet Horn", the infamous transgender episode. After watching it, I have to say, if they're going to make an episode where the moral lesson is "it's what inside you that counts", while also giving a positive message towards LGBT people, wouldn't it be better if they just make an episode loosely based on 'The Ugly Duckling'? Strangely, the more the unicorn in the episode calls himself 'Donny', the more I think of him as the Donny from Adventure Time.

Sad to say, the negative reactions for these two episodes alone may have hurt Vickerman's reputation - and the chances of Twelve Forever to even have a shot of a full series. I just find it hard to imagine how a kid would view the 'Horn, Sweet Horn' episode and whatever influence it may an affect on that said kid. To be fair, Vickerman isn't solely responsible for this, as the writing staff also pitched in. One of the writers of the episode, Emliy Brundige, has since issued an apology on Twitter towards the LGBT community for this incident and explained that it was the producers' idea to market "Horn, Sweet Horn" as an empowering LGBT episode. But the damage is already done.

The show also appears to can't make up its mind on whether it wants to be episodic, or have an actual plot. At the same time, it also can't make up its mind on whether the show is meant for the newer audience or the older ones. If the show is meant for the new audience, why include an episode that basically removes a beloved character like Ms. Bellum?

There are also some episodes where the scenery doesn't make sense. Obviously the answer would be "because it's a cartoon, so it's not supposed to make any sense". But The Powerpuff Girls is not like Looney Tunes or Animaniacs, so it doesn't apply here. Even the zanyness of The Amazing World of Gumball doesn't use that blanket to explain what's going on in each episode.

And then, there's the NUMEROUS animation errors. I thought the people reporting these were just exaggertating, but it turns out, these errors are quite noticeable and oftentimes so bad, it makes the horrible animation in Dragon Ball Super tame by comparison! The show is even accused of using stock images on their backgrounds, often without permission from the copyright owners. 

I really would like to say the Powerpuff Girls has its moments where it is a decent watch. Teen Titans Go, despite being hated, does have some good episodes. I just find it very difficult to name one in the case of the Powerpuff Girls.

And yet, despite all my rants, and everyone elses's, the show has as much viewers as Teen Titans Go. For me to explain, in the nicest way possible, why this is the case, The Powerpuff Girls Reboot is as much a stagnant pool of filth as Jammers and Bottom's Butte. Yet, the latter two does have an audience who really enjoy whatever muck those shows have. Same with the Powerpuff Girls, but with larger numbers.

So yeah, like Teen Titans Go, you can hate The Powerpuff Girls all you want. But as long as it's getting high viewer ratings, which means more money for Cartoon Network, like Teen Titans Go, expect it to be around for the long run. As for me, if I want some nonsensical comedy, I'll stick to Gumball.

My First Rodeo to Pokemon Go

Three problems - servers, battery, and having to pay attention to the app almost all the time. If they can fix those, it'll make the game more fun (also make it easier to find Pokemon).

Berserk Anime 2016 First Impressions

 

Last Friday, the new Berserk Anime finally made its debut in Japan with the English subbed version released not long after via Crunchyroll. The Anime serves as a direct sequel to the first Anime series that came out in 1997, as well as the movie trilogy released between 2010 to 2013. As such, the new Berserk Anime isn't exactly meant for those who are new to the series.

And because of that, before I give my First Impressions review, which contains spoilers, besides suggesting not to continue the video further, if this is your first time onto Berserk, I also strongly recommend you familiarize yourself first with the original TV series, or the film trilogy, or even better, the manga. All three are easily available.

Beginning as a manga series from 1987 that continues to this day, Berserk is about Guts, a former mercenary who wanders around an alternate version of Medieval Europe as he is pursued virtually non-stop by a horde of evil spirits, all while hunting down a man named Griffith. The events leading to Guts's situation is detailed in the Golden Age arc, which covers the first 13 volumes of the manga, and the main focus of the first Anime series, as well as the movie trilogy. The new Anime series begins with the Conviction Arc, which is a follow-up to the Golden Age Arc.

Now if you're wondering why it took 20 years to have the Conviction Arc adapted into the new Anime series, it is mainly due to the original manga still ongoing with 343 chapters so far and is far from over. And like Hunter x Hunter, the Berserk manga had several periods of long hiatuses. Word has it author Kentaro Miura was such a big fan of the Idolmaster franchise, that he would set aside working on Berserk for several months, if not years, just to play Idolmaster.

Prior to the new Anime, the only other media that adapts the story beyond the Golden Age Arc was the PS2 game that came out in 2004, which covers the early chapters of the Millenium Falcon Arc, the follow-up to the Conviction Arc. The name is not to be confused with the Millenium Falcon from Star Wars.

What makes Berserk a beloved series among hardcore Anime fans is the combination of its fantasy-horror setting, and a protagonist who battles insurmountable odds, and pulls through while being a badass. And unlike characters such as Kenshiro, Jotaro, and even Goku, who uses power-ups to overwhelm their opponents, Guts possesses no such thing and fights mostly with his signature weapon, a gigantic sword named the "Dragonslayer". It's actually a whole lot bigger than the sword Cloud Strife uses in Final Fantasy 7. Due to the huge amounts of violence and sex in the series, it was never aired on cable. Think Game of Thrones, only edgier.

In the new Anime series, the story makes a quick introduction with the characters that will eventually play major roles as the story progresses, before we get to see Guts saving Puck from a drunken mercenary. Puck is an obnoxious, and totally naked Elf/Fairy who becomes Guts's first new companion in this series. We get to see some flashbacks on the final chapters of the Golden Age arc before we see Guts battle a horde of Skeleton Soldiers while two innocent bystanders end up as cannon fodder.

One of the complaints I see from those who watch the first episode is the animation being mostly CG and ending up clunky and unappealing, when compared to the original 1997s Anime that is entirely hand-drawn. The animation is co-produced by Liden Films, who did work on Terra Formars, the Heroic Legend of Arslan, and the New Initial D Movie Trilogy. Given that I've watched Ajin and Knights of Sidonia, which heavily used CG for their Animation, I've pretty much have gotten used to it, so I didn't have a problem with Berserk's CG Animation.

That being said, the level of violence in the new Berserk Anime appears restricted because of the CG Animation. Also in part because of the new standards when it comes to violence and sex in Anime. So it can't be helped that the new Berserk won't be as edgy as the previous one. But I am ok with that.

I only have a few issues with the first episode. First is Puck. While I understand it's mainly his first appearance, I'm expecting him to be the comic relief as he is portrayed in the manga, but so far, he hasn't done any. He does lighten the mood a bit in the show, however. I'm expecting down the road that he breaks the fourth wall and behaves like the Genie in Disney's Aladdin.

The second is the soundtrack. Artist Susumu Hirasawa composed much of the music in the first Anime series, and some for the films. But other than one his songs, he didn't provide anything else in the new Anime. Instead, we get a Heavy Metal track playing during the battle sequences as well as the Opening theme. I'm a purist at this in saying I want Hirasawa's music in this series because it does give you the sense that you are engaged in war and you need to fight to survive, even against a demon horde.

If you haven't listened to Hirasawa's music, you should check out his works as he did a lot of great tracks for Berserk. His music can also be heard in the movie Paprika, which inspired the movie Inception starring Leonardo di Caprio.

So this continuation of the Berserk series in Anime format is a long long time coming, and in spite of the few flaws, it's totally worth it. I am looking forward to the rest of the series and see how far this goes. The English subtitled version of Berserk airs every Friday on Crunchyroll.

Batman v Superman Ultimate Edition Short Review

I'll start with something pretty short and that is my review Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Edition, which came out last Tuesday.

Now I've already gave a review of the theatrical version, which you can check in the video description. So instead, I'm just gonna say what does the Ultimate Edition has that the Theatrical version hasn't? Well, there are only three.

The first are the extra scenes, which are pretty much just that - extra scenes. I find nothing in the additional 30 minutes of the film that made the narrative any better, let alone the film itself. By comparison, the Extended Version of The Return of The King featured a scene on what became of Saruman after he was attacked and defeated by Treebeard and the Ents. A very neat addition, indeed. Nothing of the sort can be found in Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition, nor did it explain why Batman isn't the Great Detective in this film that he didn't figure out Lex's plot, among other plot issues the movie has.

Second is the R-rated part. Everyone says it's due to the extra violence, which, well for me, it's not THAT violent. If violence is supposed to be what gave it the R-rating, I expect a gorefest, or at least the same level of violence from the Quentin Tarantino movies like Kill Bill or Grindhouse. The violence in this film is not even close. I mean, if there's anything in the film I would consider giving it an R-rating, it's because one person in the film gave the F-word. That's it.

The third and perhaps what I really hated the most in this edition is that it made the film more Hi-Def. Yes, it made the movie a whole lot clearer to watch until you get to the CG fight scenes, especially the final fight. Because it's High Definition, the CG effects of the fight against Doomsday becomes even MORE obvious from a visual perspective, that it ends up looking like you're watching a fight scene from Mortal Kombat. If Warner Bros. spend $250 million on this film, at least make the CG scenes more believable. Even Warcraft did a better job at the CG fight scenes it was around $90 million less.

Other critics say the Ultimate Edition would make those who didn't like the film enjoy it because it is more complete and the details expanded. That did not work for me. In fact, I think it made the film worse than the Theatrical version. I most likely won't say it's worse if this version was presented at theaters instead, but it won't make much of a difference regardless and I'd still give it the same rating. Now, I just don't see the appeal of the Ultimate Edition, especially if you plan to watch it in High Definition. It's just not worth it and you're better off with the Theatrical version unless you're a really, really, really die-hard fan of this film. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Ultimate Edition, a 2 out of 5.

CN Premiere List July 2016

Sorry for the lateness. Here's the schedule of premieres for Cartoon Network from Toon Zone:


Adventure Time
Thu July 7th - 7:30 PM (EST) - 737 - Daddy-Daughter Card Wars

Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: SkyBound
Mon July 11th - 7:00 PM (EST) - 605 - On a Wish and a Prayer [NEW TIME]
Tue July 12th - 7:00 PM (EST) - 606 - My Dinner with Nadakhan
Wed July 13th - 7:00 PM (EST) - 607 - Wishmasters
Thu July 14th - 7:00 PM (EST) - 608 - The Last Resort
Fri July 15th - 7:00/7:30 PM (EST) - 609/610 Operation Land Ho!/ The Way Back [1 HOUR SEASON FINALE]

Pokémon the Series: XYZ
Sat July 2nd - 7:00 AM (EST) - 1920 - Performing a Pathaway to the Future!
Sat July 9th - 7:00 AM (EST) - 1921 - A Keeper for Keeps?
Sat July 16th - 7:00 AM (EST) - 1922 - Battling at Full Volume!
Sat July 23rd - 7:00 AM (EST) - 1923 - The Synchronicity Test!
Sat July 30th - 7:00 AM (EST) - 1924 - ???

Steven Universe
Mon Jul 18th - 7:00 PM (EST) - 306 - Steven Floats
Tue Jul 19th - 7:00 PM (EST) - 307 - Too Short to Ride
Wed Jul 20th - 7:00 PM (EST) - 308 - Drop Beat Dad
Thu Jul 21st - 7:00 PM (EST) - 309 - Mr. Greg
Fri Jul 22nd - 7:00 PM (EST) -310 - The New Lars

Teen Titans Go!
Thu July 7th - 6:00 PM (EST) - 341 - No Cloak Is an Island

The Powerpuff Girls
July 2016 - ??? (EST) - 122 - Snow Month

Uncle Grandpa
Fri July 1 - 6:00pm - 322 /323- The Lepre-Con/ Fear of Flying [SPECIAL TIME]
Fri July 1 -6:30pm - 324/325 - G'Day Mornin / Uncle Fashion [SPECIAL TIME]
Fri July 1 - 7:00pm - 326 - Inventor Mentor [SPECIAL TIME]
Fri July 1 - 7:30pm - 401/402- Jerky Jasper/Dinosaur Day [SPECIAL TIME]

We Bare Bears
July 2016 - ??? (EST) - 209 - Fashion Bears