Black Lagoon Review (Re-Upload)

DISCLAIMER: This review was written at an earlier date, and as such isn't as in depth and explanitory as my other reviews. However, it isn't bad enough that I don't want you all to see it, and as such I'm re-uploading it for that specific purpose.

The Black Lagoon crew (from left): Dutch, Revy, Rock, and Benny.

"When your time comes to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled with fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way. Sing your death song, and die like a hero going home." -Tecumseh

Black Lagoon was a show that I, at first, wasn’t too keen on trying out. Sure, my friend had recommended it to me for months, but the face value of it never sounded interesting in the slightest. Much to my surprise, I finally tried it out after some gentle persuasion and was rapidly enthralled in its crime based action and compassionate themes, ironic for the type of show it is.

For those that don’t know that Black Lagoon is in my top three anime of all time, just a heads up that this review is likely to be biased. However, that doesn’t change the fact that at its core the show is a solid and amazing piece of work. Now, as for my thoughts:

Rock serves as an antithesis to the
criminal underworld he never imagined.

Description: Black Lagoon is a primarily action oriented show full of dark and mature themes regarding righteousness and the “good” and “justice” that we so often take for granted. Following the story of a young Japanese man looking to make it far in business, “Rock” (the alias he adopts later on) is disheartened to be so readily trampled upon by the corporate machine. As such, upon being kidnapped and held for ransom by the Lagoon Company he is only faintly surprised to be neglected as a trade and sentenced to death by his selfish bosses. After being attacked by mercenaries and managing to save his and his abductees’ lives, he opts to stick with his kidnappers-turned-allies for a fresh start on the open sea. This series from then on follows the inglourious “adventures” of the Lagoon Company and the events that threaten them daily in the island town of exiles and vagabonds, Roanapur.

Revy, the fellow protagonist of Rock.

Characters: This (besides the action itself) is where the show really shines- all of the characters (yes, ALL of them) are by all means meaningful and have lasting effects on the show as a whole, as well as presenting a deeper sense of good and evil, justice and injustice, and all themes in between. The Lagoon Company, as described above, consists of four members: Dutch, the trusted leader of the crew, contract manager, and captain of their ship; Benny, the computer genius; Revy, the woman who wields two guns at all times, who, along with Rock, serves as the main character of the series
and acts as a complete contrast to Rock and his “sheltered” life; and finally Rock himself, who helps out in business negotiations as well as plans. The antagonists, who are plenty, come in all shapes and sizes, from a brother and sister who are products of a sick illegal “pr0n” production agency, the insane terrorist-changed-maid Roberta (who gets her own OVA season), and many characters that teeter on the scale between ally and enemy constantly (i.e. Balalaika and Chang).

Full of subtle but prevalent themes,
Black Lagoon is surprisingly
deep and profound, specifically
in regards to Revy and her past.

Story: To be frank, there isn’t much of a “plot” to this one. It’s more of a guilty-pleasure show like DxD (and it feels sick to compare the two, but bear with), except instead of having a sick need for big anime tiddies it’s instead a greed for action, blood, and copious amounts of both. The second season (appropriately coined “The Second Barrage”) features a more intense and linear story, however, following the events of a Japanese excursion Rock and Revy make to help Balalaika (leader of the Russian Mafia) in her East Asian endeavors. Overall though, the story features small, 2-3 episode stories following the current missions the Lagoon Company is party to.

The Rundown: I could go on for hours (or at least another four paragraphs) about the themes, graphics, sound, etc. that Black Lagoon features, except I feel that those things need to be experienced rather than have them explained by some random guy on the internet, but in general everything about Lagoon is done exceptionally well, down to its core (i.e. making you feel for the characters). As most of you already know, I’m a glutton for shows with good action and underlying plot, so it’s not surprising in the slightest that I was blown away (and still am) by this show.

Pros:

-quality themes, worthy of reflection

-great gun action that’s well animated

-brilliantly thought out characters

Cons:

-no lengthy plot (Although the OVA season sought to fix this, and did remarkably well)

Overall Rating: 9.25/10 GREAT FOR ACTION JUNKIES

2

Ergo Proxy Review

      

"The world is so unpredictable. Things happen suddenly, unexpectedly. We want to feel we are in control of our own existence. In some ways we are, in some ways we're not. We are ruled by the forces of chance and coincidence." -Paul Aster

     Ergo Proxy is a strange beast. Released in early 2006, the anime has aged remarkably well both visually and thematically due to its innovative and exclusive style. The anime itself is specifically stylized in both of these aspects in order to convey its own meanings and philosophies regarding life, love, humanity, and even religion. Conceived from the minds over at Manglobe, Ergo Proxy provides an intellectual, philosophical, and overall thought provoking series that hits home time after time.

            Specifically regarding the story, it takes place in the seemingly distant future after a great apocalyptic fallout that doomed all of the planet and reduced civilization to living solely in giant domed cities (seeing as the outside world has infected air and little to no vegetation). In the specific domed city that the majority of the story takes place, Romdeau, the people called “Fellow Citizens”

The mysterious Proxy's are powerful
beings, held to mythical standards
by Romdeau's citizens

live in a utopian dystopia in which all those considered “Citizens” are assisted by robots named AutoRevs, whom attend to any unpleasant or dull task they wish to be accompanied with. All of the people in the city are governed by the Regent, a man that says little and has his philosophical and logically sound statues speak and think for him. Likewise, those that are not considered “Fellow Citizens” are named “Immigrants” and are given the worst paying, most dangerous jobs in the city. Like I said earlier, this self-perceived utopia covers up the ugly bottom side that forces it into being a brutal dystopia. A “virus” inside of specific AutoRevs named the “Cogito Virus” creates “souls” amongst these robotic beings and grants them free will. Likewise, the looming threat of a being named a “Proxy” blankets the Security Bureau of the domed city, which is experiencing homicides as a result of this “Proxy”.

An affluent member of society,
Re-l seeks answers in a harsh world

            In this city live the two protagonists: Vincent Law, the amnesic immigrant that has forgotten the majority of his past and works at disposing of infected AutoRevs, and Re-l (pronounced “Ray-Ru, albeit the Japanese pronunciation of "Real") Mayer, the granddaughter of the Regent and rebellious member of the Investigation Bureau. During her work, Re-l comes across the “Proxy” and is immediately reprimanded by her 

Vincent Law, an immigrant with
a mysterious past and a warrant on
his head.

Bureau and grandfather for poking into the matter (which only provokes her more). Later that day, Re-l is ambushed by that same Proxy while preparing to take a shower, however she is not harmed. Instead, the Proxy merely looks into her eyes, touches her lips, and cries. Immediately following this the peaceful Proxy is attacked by yet another one, the one that is later revealed to be the murderer of all those citizens. At the same time, Vincent Law soon finds himself being hunted and attacked by members of the Security Bureau for no apparent reason. Assisted by Re-l (who is looking for him for
her own private investigation) and a Cogito infected AutoRev named Pino Vincent manages to escape the city and is thrusted into the dead and barren outside world.

The Cogito infected Pino serves as the
main highlight of the theme "What
makes a human, and what makes
a soul?"

            I can’t explicitly say much more, seeing as the show is more of an experience rather than something I can just explain and cover generically. Instead, Ergo Proxy is a show where everyone

gets their own ideas from it. To cover it simply, the rest of the story follows the journey of Vincent, Pino, and Re-l as they seek to uncover the secrets of the Proxy and uncover the truth behind Romdeau itself. This journey is told by a series of encounters in real life as well as ethereally, in which the protagonists all undergo spiritual and mental trials that teach them more about the world and themselves. Each of these “experiences” are incredibly abstract and fairly hard to follow (as is much of the story), which takes away from the narrative to a slight extent, however the plot manages to repair itself and make sense of the artistically abstract story that touts itself that specific way.

            To be frank, there were only two real things I didn’t care for in the series, the first of these being the abstract and nigh impossible to follow (at times) story. As mentioned prior, it’s told primarily through abstract experiences that seem random, generally occurring in the character in question’s mind although seeming legitimate and real. Because of this format, most information is simply implied and the roundabout way of explaining helps contribute to this loss of understanding. Although it always straightens itself at the end, the way Manglobe goes about it reduces the amount of information you process from the experience and ends up twisting in on itself a strong majority of the time. Regardless, this style of storytelling enables the animators to go berserk on their work, making a beautifully destroyed world with exceptional qualities to it.

The beautiful and utopian
Romdeau (above)serves as a
stark contrast to the
bleak outside world (below)

The second point in this counterargument is the shows soundtrack- or lack thereof. To be frank, I can probably count on my two hands how many times I actually heard any music in the

series. Once again, I recognize that this was an artistic decision on the producer’s part in an act to convey a more realistic tone to an otherwise insane world by creating little to no music, and the only music present is generally ambient tones. Although done exceptionally well in tense situations, in others it just felt hollow without anything musical in the background (yes, I realize this was the point of the decision).

As noted previously, the art style in this show is magnificent. From deserted ‘60’s style towns to barren wastelands, from utopias to remnants of such, Ergo Proxy covers the contrasts in the world amazingly with its diverse color pallet that changes significantly after and during the exploration of the outer world. Likewise, during action scenes the art style remains constant, differing from several other shows that fall short of expectations and revert to simpler animation during fast paced scenes. This type of dedication and hard work is commendable, as is much of Ergo Proxy in its smashing of the generic anime genre many have come to attribute to the industry as a whole.

Finally, we come to the most critical and beautiful aspect of the series: Its themes. Possessing many thematic statements delivered both subtly and arrantly, Ergo Proxy makes itself obviously raison d'etre, or reason for existence. Commented on and spoken on through the repeated quote “I think, therefor I am.”, Ergo Proxy seeks to explain and understand what makes humans continue living, existing, surviving. By drawing abstract analogies and commenting on the actions of humans and robots alike, the series explains this beautiful concept in a remarkable way.

Just one of many abstract interactions in Ergo Proxy

known as a philosophical and outspokenly artistic series. The first theme introduced is the definition of being a human being, in comparison to robots with the Cogito virus, what constitutes a soul? Next comes the idea of proper governing, what makes a proper and justifiable governing body? Furthermore, there are the themes regarding religion (both implied and specifically spoken about) and the most important of them all: A human’s

Even with the presence of many dystopian shows and their mystery counterparts, Ergo Proxy stands firm ground as an unparalleled series all of its own. By attacking themes very dear and commonly overlooked in the human mental makeup, the series serves as a well needed wake up call to humanity and paints us a startling picture of what we have made ourselves and the world we live in today. Although hard to follow and bland in sensory, Ergo Proxy resolves its main flaws with immensely relevant thematic statements and provides a necessary root in philosophy in an industry mislabeled by bad examples even to this day.

Pros:

+Beautiful art

+Incredibly relevant themes

+Loveable and dynamic characters

Neutral:

+/- Abstract, Hard to follow

Cons:

-Lacks musical accompaniment

-Losses focus occasionally (intentionally or not)

Overall Rating: 8.25/10 ONLY GOOD FOR A MATURE VIEWER

4

Needless Review

Promotional art for Needless, featuring Adam Blade, Eve Neuschwanstein, and Cruz Schild.

SYNOPSIS

 "When the power of love overcomes the love for power, the world will know peace." ~Jimi Hendrix

 During World War III, Japan was subjected to the combined power of WMDs launched from many countries around the world. Each blast area was decimated, leaving massive craters known as "black spots." These areas, enclosed by massive walls, were contaminated by massive amounts of radiation from the fallout of these weapons.

Needless breaks the fourth wall. A lot.

Over a century later, the people who survived in these barren wastelands developed powers exceeding the capabilities of normal humans. Named the "Needless," they were unwanted from society and outcasted; normal humans feared their overwhelming strength. The pharmaceutical company Simeon set up its main building at the center of one of these black spots, intent on taking the territory for themselves. Lead by a self-proclaimed god (called so due to his daunting power), Adam Arclight, he commands a powerful force of Needless hunters which carry out his bidding. The story chronicles the adventures of a stubborn, candid priest, a forgetful, shapeshifting woman, and "the rest" as they engage in battle royale with Arclight's goons at his headquarters.

DESCRIPTION

The story is that of a typical shounen format: plenty of fights, talking in said fights, revelations with little lead in, etc. This aspect doesn't work against Needless; in fact, it's quite the opposite. It's mockery of overused shounen tropes and cliches make the show absolutely enthralling. Time after time, I found myself laughing as they constantly interrupted their fights with long monologues, some perhaps telling their entire life story in an episode before landing the critical hit everyone was waiting for. Needless to say, this anime parodies the genre, and does it well. While the show gets more serious as it continues, it never fully gets out of this mode. The feeling it gives you is similar to that of another Madhouse anime: Trigun. It is also arguable that the show is much like Kill la Kill (Simeon's 4 strongest = 4 Three Star Gokus, cocky antagonist and protagonist, neither show really takes itself seriously, etc.). The story did have its moments, mainly some mild feels and whatnot, but for the most part, Needless is just a shounen, and that works just fine.

There's only one problem in the story: the ending was rushed to hell. It wasn't terrible, but suddenly, a plethora of new developments suddenly show up in a conclusion original to the anime, and occasionally, large time skips were used. This is typical of Madhouse; they sure do love to end their shows in a hurry. However, such an ending doesn't feel out of place due to the nature of Needless. Since it's always making fun of the shounen genre, the ending can seem like it makes fun of the biggest problem plaguing the genre. I took the ending as their last attempt to poke fun at the genre rather than a pacing problem.

"Real men don't act like faggots!" ~Eve Neuschwanstein

Does this count as a trap?

It doesn't seem like characters get much development (especially from something so story driven). In retrospect, this isn't necessarily true. I realized that the only person to get real character development received quite a bit, despite being outshined by the rest of the cast. That character was Cruz Schild (AKA Yamada), a regular human and denizen of the black spot. He starts out as a pessimistic wimp that flees the battle as the Resistance forces were getting wiped out. With no powers that he can use himself (being highly reliant on his sister's strength), he became the true needless in the black spot. Seemingly unable to assist in combat, he would sit in a corner, praying for the mercy of his enemies whenever the situation looked grim. Despite this, he always ends up alive time and time again, thanks to the powers of his friends. He contributes to the group as a strategist; with his keen observation skills and remarkable intellect, he functions as a catalyst for teamwork and forms the bonds between members of his party. Through this, he finds his purpose, and with an unstoppable team, discovers a new sense of confidence made possible through their combined efforts. He is finally able to become independent of his sister and contribute his own power to the group.

That's really it in the character development department. The rest of the characterization happens via flashback, and there's large gaps from then and now (that's all part of the parody though). I never expected development of any kind in Needless, so it adds icing onto the cake.

I'm sure you can guess what kind of themes were present in the anime. they primarily revolved around the idea of being needless. Unwanted, they are often set aside by the world, unable to do anything. Again, it's another nice, serious touch to an anime that lacks seriousness.

Adam and Eve are two of the most wacky characters.

The humor in Needless is on point. Their range of jokes range from stupid antics to unnecessary fanservice, witty satire to character quirks, even running gags frequented the show. I was never bored with Needless; it was always delivering something, much of it being laughs. One of the recurring jokes in the anime involved Professor Gido, where, in the next episode preview, they would often try portending his death rather bluntly. No matter how many times I saw it, it never grew old.

"We are gonna make bubbles come out of your ass!" ~Adam Blade

The art is similar to that of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. There is little to no CGI used in the anime, despite airing in 2009. The quality takes dips every now and then; the style changes occasionally, but is generally decent. I do appreciate the throwback feeling the art gives you. It's a rarity to find such an art style in anime today (well, it WAS made in 2009, but even I haven't seen shows from then that look quite like this).

The OST was hit and miss to me. I didn't particularly care for either of the 2 ED songs. They were reminiscent of songs you'd hear in some moeblob shows. OP 2 was just OK to me. However, OP 1 was a pretty great rock number. The BGM was pretty similar to the first intro song, balancing this OST.

OVERVIEW

This was honestly some of the most fun I've had watching an anime in a while. Other similar titles have swept Needless under the carpet. That's certainly unfortunate, as Needless delivers in terms of both comedy and action. It managed to surprise me with some nice, serious touches here and there that make it exceptional even amongst my library of shows. I've been getting pretty bored of anime recently, so I suppose you could say that this reviewer certainly needed Needless.

Narrative: 5.80/10 (x2)
Characters: 6.20/10 (x2)
Aesthetics: 7.00/10 (x1)
Execution: 9.00/10 (x2)
Value: 8.00/10 (x3)

Composite: 7.30/10 (86.50% B) -- "I need more."

Similar Titles:

• Trigun
• Senyuu
• Kill la Kill

4

Brynhildr in the Darkness Review

Promotional art for the anime featuring Kuroha (left) and  Murakami (right).

"Lives are never of equal value. There is always a ranking order." ~ Mako Fujisaki

NARRATIVE EXPOSITION

As a kid, Murakami Ryouta often spent his days around a girl who he knew only by the name Kuroneko. Both of them were fascinated with the sky - aliens specifically. When she claims to have found an otherworldly being, Murakami followed her, taking her words with a grain of salt. However, while attempting to reach the spot in question, they plummet into a river, hospitalizing both of them. Upon his recovery, Murakami is devastated when he learns of Kuroneko's death.

In the present, Murakami continues to work toward that dream of discovering an alien. He's at the top of his class, and head of the astronomy club, where he uses a research telescope to watch the skies. One day, an oddly familiar face suddenly transfers into his classroom.

MAIN POINTS
Conceptually, this anime had the setup to be great. There's a traumatic back story, sudden developments, conditions that allow for fast-paced action scenes, psychological themes, and a plotline surrounded in a veil of obscurity. Unfortunately, this potential was left completely untapped; none of these ideas came to fruition, so cliche was left to fill these voids.

OMG LOOK AT HOW DEEP AND DARK THIS IS 10/10

The story misses every mark set forward by the premises and nosedives under every expectation I held before it started airing. Far too often did I find myself watching a scene attempting to build up tension only to have the atmosphere abruptly killed by unnecessary and irrelevant fanservice. I don't mind a few racy moments, but there is a time and place for it, and Brynhildr put ALL of these scenes after the wrong moments. It feels as if the show isn't taking itself seriously. For an anime classified as "psychological" or "horror" to do this is rather inappropriate and disengaging.

Let's not even mention the ending. I didn't think it was possible to rush an ending even more poorly than Madhouse, but Brynhildr proved me wrong (and in record time). Massive plot holes and implications litter it, and makes the whole thing feel like it wasn't worth the time. They foreshadow the final fight every time that intro sequence plays, but it was one of the biggest let-downs I've ever seen, equivalent to how the Soul Eater anime ended (god that was just awful).

I wish I could say that the characters were at least mediocre, but I'd be lying. Characters are left virtually unexplored by the end of the anime. Development was nowhere to be seen. The only examples of characterization were lackluster backstories, and some of them are given to completely unimportant minor characters who serve as mere plot devices and harem additions. Tie in the aspect of a group of witch bitches all chasing after Murakami's dick, and you basically get Brynhildr.

At this point, it's not even worth watching, but if all you appreciate is decent art and animation, expect to get at least half that. The art was decent; the animation... not so much. It's pretty choppy at times and gets annoying.

Brynhildr's final fight scene is nothing like this (from the intro).

Not everything was terrible. I really liked the OST. The first intro is a dubstep remix of a classical piece, which I enjoyed. It really suits the atmosphere of the show (or rather, what it was supposed to be). The second OP is a track done by "Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas." As much as I like them, the track couldn't be farther from the feeling the anime gives you. However, that's really the extent of any enjoyment I got out of Brynhildr. This was painful to watch, for the most part, and I wasn't one of the people hyping it out of proportion.

OVERVIEW

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'll state it plain and simple: don't waste your time. The only darkness Brynhildr goes into is that of the trash, where hopefully it gets lost there. If you're looking for a huge disappointment, then dive in the dumpster and dig this one up.

Narrative: 1.80/10 (x3)

Characters: 0.70/10 (x2)

Aesthetics: 6.00/10 (x1)

Execution: 0.00/10 (x2)

Value: 3.10/10 (x2)

Composite Rating: 1.90/10 (59.5% F) "Fucking terrible."

2

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Review (Re-Upload)

NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MULTIPLE SPOILERS. IF INTERESTED IN WATCHING IT, DON'T READ THIS IF YOU WANT A FRESH EXPERIENCE.

“We do not admire the man of timid peace. We admire the man who embodies victorious effort; the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is prompt to help a friend, but who has those virile qualities necessary to win in the stern strife of actual life.”    –Theodore Roosevelt

Jotaro, the third Jojo, is the most popular Jojo in Japan,
whereas Joseph is the most popular in America.
Go figure.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a, pardon the pun, “bizarre” anime. It blends aspects of multiple anime styles (and even animation styles midfights), combining action, adventure, comedy, drama, mystery, horror, etc. All this being said, Jojo is a shounen at heart, and is a damn good one at that. Just like Hunter X Hunter, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is an anime, and not even being biased when I say this, where no one hates it and the only ones that may say they do haven’t seen it all. Now, just for fair warning, Jojo is right at the top of my anime rankings with Hunter X Hunter and Black Lagoon (specifically my second favorite), so expect a semi-biased review, but really there’s no real way I CAN’T be biased, since the show is just so purely amazing that NOT being biased would end up underrating the anime itsel- oh screw it, enough explaining. On to the review!

Jonathan Joestar, the first Jojo,
 is arguably the greatest Ripple user
 out of all Jojo's

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has a (once again, pun totally intended) “bizarre” plot, or at least a hard to understand one for an outsider who hasn’t watched the show. Essentially, the show follows the lives and adventures of members of the Joestar family, all of which have the nickname “Jojo”. Each “Jojo” shares common traits with all the other Jojo’s: they are all incredibly caring at heart, inherently powerful (both mentally and physically), and are dutifully dedicated to their family. The story beings with Part 1: Phantom Blood, which follows the life of the very first “Jojo”: Jonathan Joestar. Jonathan is the nicest and most chivalrous Jojo, who is at the heart of the Joestar/Brando feud (AKA Jojo vs Dio). Dio, his adopted brother (adopted as a favor to his late father), sets out to ruin Jojo’s life and become the rich, a dream his late (and douchebag) father dreamed of as well. Through this feuding, Dio manages to discover the secret behind the Joestar family treasure, a mysterious stone mask, which holds the power to turn a human into a vampire if worn with blood smeared upon it. Using this, Dio becomes an immensely powerful vampire and begins to terrorize the British countryside, prompting Jojo (who is taught by a man by the name of Zepelli in the art of Hamon, a type of life energy that emulates sunlight that allows him to kill the undead) to defeat him once and for all. After Part 1 (episodes 1-9), the show moves

Joseph Joestar, second and my
personal favorite Jojo (he shows up
older in Part 3 as well).

on to Part 2: Battle Tendency. This part takes place during the 1930’s, prior to the outbreak of World War 2, and follows Joseph Joestar (my personal favorite Jojo). This part follows up on the history of the stone mask, explaining its history and creators (who Jojo proceeds to beat the living crap out of. Multiple times.). Finally, we come to Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, which is currently ongoing (resuming its second half in January). This part follows Jotaro Kujo, the grandson of Joseph Joestar (Jotaro’s mother is Joseph’s daughter, if that helps clarify his last name). Once again featuring Dio as the antagonist, Stardust Crusaders centers around Jotaro, Joseph, and three other accomplices traversing the world to get to Dio in Egypt, so that they may defeat him once and for all (Spoiler Alert: Jonathan didn’t, although he almost did.), and in the process saving Jotaro’s mother from the curse Dio has inflicted upon her. This part differs from the other parts in that, instead of using Hamon to defeat enemies like Joseph and Jonathan did, the use of Stands (or ethereal beings that are controlled by users) are the main means of fighting. These Stands are characterized by tarot cards, and through this their powers, strengths, and weaknesses are formed. This part, although not being finished and incredibly different from the other two, is amazing in its own right and is just as good as Battle Tendency (Opinion, I know, but screw it).

Jotaro Kujo, grandson of Joseph Joestar
is the third and most recently
animated Jojo.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a masterpiece not only due to its originality but also due to its crisp and heavily manga-influenced art style, hilarious interactions and events the characters come across, as well as a kick ass soundtrack (my personal favorite OST, to be exact). Likewise, the plots of all the parts intertwine masterfully, further influencing the sense of fate spurred by the actions and lives of their fathers (and even mothers, in some cases). The anime itself reflects upon the themes of human greed, tenacity, but most importantly on how the actions of our fathers will come to influence the actions of our sons- presenting how fate cannot be escaped, but can be acted upon in multiple ways.

Honestly, and like I said before I’m not even trying to be biased here, I can’t think of ANY cons to the show. At most, my only argument about it is probably how they seemed to rush the Battle Tendency arc, which was only 16 episodes (I wish it had run longer than Stardust Crusaders to be honest, but what can ya do). Seriously though, there is nothing that I can think of that was bad about this show: It is essentially perfect in everything it does. Romance? Happy and meaningful relationships occur, so yes. Action? Shit loads in every episode, yes. Comedy? “Ooooh noooooo!”, which means yes. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure does everything right, and that’s all there is to say about it.

Here’s The Rundown:
+Great and copious amounts of action

+Amazing, positive central themes encouraged by the show

+Perfect sound, animation, characters, everything

-I need more Joseph Joestar man :(

Overall, I can easily and soundly rate Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure a perfect score: 10/10

8

Borderlands 2 Review (Re-Upload)

"Each of us has a vision of good and of evil. We have to encourage people to move towards what they think is good." - Pope Francis

[Note that this is an old review from several months ago. All opinions stay the same though.]

Although appearing fairly repulsive by
its box art to some, what lies within is one
of the greatest game narratives.

 This game, a modern masterpiece if I must say, is a co-op player-vs-enemy open-world quest based game with rogue-style aspects. Borderlands, as a series, blends the looting and level systems of role-players with the intense, adrenaline pumping combat akin to first-person shooters. Now, this game does have its flaws but those tend to be overshadowed by its beautiful positives (all of which will be covered in this review).

The insane world of Pandora is the
perfect haven for the insanity and
lawlessness the land possesses.

SUMMARY: You play as a “Vault Hunter” (mercenaries hunting after the newly opened “Vault”, AKA a powerful cache of alien technology and presumed wealth) who has just survived a train wreck caused by the CEO and dictator of the Hyperion Corporation, Handsome Jack, operating and mining on the planet of Pandora. Through your journey, you join with the resistance operation named The Crimson Raiders in the final bastion of resistance on Pandora, Sanctuary. The greatest

and possibly most essential part of this game is its main theme: There are no heroes. Not in Sanctuary, not in Hyperion’s crew, not in the wilderness, not on Pandora, not even in our own world. There are merely those that have the power to change their world that have the choice to use it for good or for bad. All men are good and bad, some are just more on one side the other though.

While cartoon-based, the art can still
remain fluid and beautiful in its
own way.

VISUALS: Where do I begin? Borderlands has its own unique art style, something rarely seen in the likes of Triple A titles these days who pump in their greatest processing abilities to make games look as realistic as possible. Sounds bad that Borderlands doesn’t do this, right? Wrong. Borderlands develops a comic book style artwork, thus increasing the sense of madness and comedic essences of Pandora and its citizens. On a whole, the visuals excel at what they do and make the game beautiful in its own aspect. However, I feel the need to point out that I did experience some drops in frame rates and sometimes lagged during huge fight scenes, but I think this might be my own fault for playing on a mediocre processor and running a few other programs in the background. Whateves.

The utilizing of RPG elements in a FPS
defines the Borderlands franshise, and
is perfected in Borderlands 2

AUDIO: Let me be clear: the music in this game is amazing. Granted, it isn’t “epic” or “catchy” per say, however it excels at what it does: accenting the mood of the fight (with adrenaline rushing drum pounding), with shock (due to absence of music at pivotal moments), and even the beauty of the title screen (a sick acoustic accompaniment). Overall, I have no qualms with the music, but I do regret that it isn’t as powerful as it could have been. No big deal though.

GAMEPLAY: This is where the game truly shines. In Borderlands 2, the whole world revolves around the guns, baby! Borderlands does a beautiful job of keeping the randomness of the universe consistent with the randomness of guns and loot, making it so that a low level player has the same chance of getting a Legendary gun as does a powerful, level-capped monster does. Granted, there are some guns that can only be acquired through quests, but that’s beside the point. Speaking of quests, there are a TON of them, and each and every single one of them (with the exception of timed ones, in my opinion at least) are incredibly fun and I found myself completing all possible side quests I could before continuing my story mode. 

The beautiful chaos that defines
the world of Pandora suits the action of
the game perfectly.

THE BREAKDOWN: A self-proclaimed “Shoot n’ Loot Adventure”, Borderlands 2 infuses aspects of RPG's and FPS's into one unique, comic book style antihero adventure. With pulse-pounding action, side-launching comedy, and revolutionary themes Borderlands 2 is easily a modern masterpiece in the gaming industry, one that didn’t receive enough credit or recognition in the mainstream market (i.e. CoD Advanced Warfare is outselling Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel on Steam. This is why we can’t have nice things guys).

OVERALL RATING: I can easily and wholeheartedly rate Borderlands 2 a near perfect score of 9.75/10 - Buy this Game!

4

Kill la Kill Review

"New honors come upon him, / Like our strange garments, cleave not to their mould / But with the aid of use" –Macbeth, William Shakespeare

Main characters Ryuko (front) and
Satsuki (background)

            To be frank, I’m pretty conflicted pertaining to this show. An original anime coming from the minds at Trigger, Kill la Kill presented a fresh take on multiple varying genres by mixing stereotypes from shounen, drama, and (depending on who you ask) ecchi, which is a category that I myself despise (mostly because it’s a staple of many terrible shows I’ve seen). Despite this, the animated series still manages to pull off an interesting and consistently varying show.

Klutzy and loyal, Ryuko's sole friend on campus is Mako
Mankanshoku, who also serves as a comedy relief
along with her entire family.

            The series begins with Ryuko Matoi joining an incredibly dangerous high school in Tokyo Bay, Honnouji Academy which is governed by the all-powerful school council, headed by Satsuki Kiryuin. Attempting to discover the killer of her late father, Ryuko heads to this arena of a school in an attempt to find answers. Soon enough, Ryuko finds that she is too weak to take on even the weakest of school leaders, all of whom wield “Goku Uniforms”, suits that increase a wearer’s physical attributes a thousand-fold. Despite possessing a mythical “Scissor-Blade” (although only a half, the other half taken from her father post-mortem), Ryuko is forced to retire. Upon returning to her home, she randomly discovers a suit made for her by her father that lives off her own blood, properly named “Senketsu” (blood uniform), which is surprisingly and possibly annoyingly revealing of her body (literally, she’s just barely not naked, which is eventually explained in its own way). Using her new friend (yes, the outfit talks to her), Ryuko moves off on her expedition for answers and encounters twists, turns, and plot twists along the way. 

The blatant usage of fanservice can be
a nuisance at first, but it becomes an
acquired taste.

The story itself becomes riveting (especially following surprising plot elements occurring halfway through the series run) and remains fresh throughout up until the climactic final showdown in the very last minute of the very last episode. Kill la Kill makes it evident that it seeks to provide its audience with a nonstop thrill ride across the span of all 24 episodes (which is even commented upon during a brief narration during a midway episode). Furthermore, the series presents fresh takes and new themes, specifically those regarding clothing and their intrusion into human affairs (pretty cool, to say the least). However, the company does rely on a fair amount of fan-service (aka the unnecessary sexualizing of characters), specifically with Satsuki and Ryuko who strip down to barely anything whenever a fight begins. Although a drawing appeal to some guys out there (who I assume are in the majority), I find it more annoying than appealing since the usage of it takes me away from the show and makes me focus on why they thought these additions would be a good idea. However, I must admit that Trigger does manage to qualify the usage of such with plot elements that explain the reasoning for the skimpy outfits. Regardless, the fanservice can be ignored if it doesn’t get to you and as such I enjoyed the show in its entirety.

The Ryuko VS Satsuki fight is arguably
the best action in the series, which is
actually saying a lot.

As for the animation, the art style can be offputting at first glance. To be frank, I almost stopped watching on the first episode because of the painful artwork. Unfortunately, I assume this and the fanservice are what turned many away from this show, however the usage of this art style helps the show itself stand out and create its own version of a generic anime and go back to its roots of being an original and innovative series. Likewise, the OST (Official Soundtrack) in particular is catchy and matches the emotions of the series pretty well, specifically at the beginning of every fight ([“Don’t lose your way” Intensifies]). The openings and ending themes are both addicting and serve the show justice, as do most tracks in between action. As for the action, it in itself is nigh perfect by maintaining a fluid and intense style that consistently changes while following a specific formula each time (not bad, just so you know).

Overall, Kill la Kill is far, FAR from perfect. In fact, I’d even say it has just as many flaws as it does good points, however the majority of these flaws can be found subjective considering the viewer and their ideas regarding a good show. The main audience I could easily recommend this too would be anyone that enjoys action, comedy, ecchi, or a mix of all (because, frankly, that’s really what it is).

Pros:

+Engaging Story

+Great Action

+Amazing OST

+Original Artwork

+Intriguing Themes

Neutral:

+/- Semi-Excessive Fanservice

Cons:

-Rushed (for the most part)

-Fairly Lame Ending

Overall Score: 8.25/10 Great for the Right Viewer!

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