Valvrave 08 - Loli Princesses

Had to skip a week of Valvrave post due to Anime North, but back on track now. Another episode to make you wonder what are they trying to lead up to? I started out picking this up because of how ridiculous it was. Now it seems like they are trying to do something with it. It will probably end up like train wreck that was Guilty Crown though; I can't wait.

This was the most pointless death ever. I am pretty certain the boyfriend will be get a mech now too and most likely die in the next few episodes with it. Her whole purpose was to cheer up our main character and ruin lives; She barely even got any lines past last episode where she just decides to die. Judging by the preview showing the Blue mech fighting, I can only assume the boyfriend will get that one to cure his "uselessness". Such sadness to create and tear apart a perfectly good couple to further the plot. I am sure tons would volunteer to be a pilot knowing thevampire based repercussions.

L-Elf as a character feels like a deus ex now. You can't possibly do everything and predict everything perfectly. When he inevitably dies, it would make zero sense how it could even be possible given his absolute skill and foresight. There is such thing as a character that is just too good. I mean Gai was pretty much the too pro character in Guilty Crown but he clearly had flaws. While L-Elf can take out hundreds on his own and could probably take out the whole base easily. When he can make short work of "top elite" characters, it means there is no way to balance a character like that, in other words, death. Too bad they made him so powerful he shouldn't be able to die...

They are trying to pitch L-elf as the "good guy" now as they slowly unveil his past. I assume we will get tidbits every episode until a full blown flashback. My wonder is how they can fit all this into 1 cour when we are past the halfway mark and not even all the Mechs have been claimed yet. Most likely the back story will end up being something stupid like cancer or cancer like disease that only 1 person has the cure.

When a episodes ends like this, I always wonder what the writers are thinking? If your story is truly interesting and  great, do you really need a cliffhanger to keep the audience? It just feels like a ploy to try and hide shoddy writing and pretend like deep thought was put into the writing. Bakuman always just ended with the great news yet I still went back every week for it (manga btw, no idea how anime worked). I guess I will have to tune in next week for what crazy antics they come up with. I signed up for ridiculous vampire mech, that feeling of a semblance of an attempt at a plot irks me. I guess the eventual flop will still humour me greatly.

~Pearz

Pearz' at Anime North 2013

So I guess to start off this was the first time going to a con. All I had to go by was some horror stories and and some videos of what it would be like. It was both underwhelming and some places and overwhelming in others. I can't say overall which it was further since I really had no idea what I was getting in to.

Valvrave 06 - Saki Overload

I have been following this plus many other shows these season, but I picked this up halfway for posting because I decided to be slightly less lazy. Plus, this show is the perfect mix of ridiculousness and anime original so you can speculate all you want on what will happen next. Just to throw the facts out there first, Saki > Shoko.

Shingeki no Kyojin: 3-6 - No Salvation for Humanity

Attack on Titan has a wonderful pace that fully explores the journey of Eren as he ventures to become part of the Recon Corps. 

The first two episodes did wonders to show how hellish life was under fear of the Titan's attack. Episode 3 and 4 explored the training and introduced us to some awesome secondary characters that also want to join the Recon Corps. Finally episodes 5 and 6 reunites the squad with their duties as they are set to face off against some Titans after graduating at the top of their class.

First of all, I am really captivated by the other characters we were introduced to. From a rival set on living in luxury, to a cold blooded killer, these secondary characters provided an amusing charm as rivalries and conflicting personalities are shown to separate and further identify the new recruits. One thing that really doesn't make a lot of sense is how the talent is placed throughout the empire. Only the top 10 students who graduate are permitted to work for the kings guard in the safest and luxurious part of the kingdom, while the lower graded recruits are sent to the dangerous zones. Why is it that the best of the best are sent to the innermost wall when they could serve better use at the outer regions?

Sasha drooling over her stolen meat.

Of the new characters, Sasha is my favourite. Her constant hunger and lust for food offers some random silly humour. While meat is apparently a rare delicacy, her unstable mentality towards food had her steal it, which apparently if she is caught she will get solitary confinement. Her amazing talent at using the 3D mobility equipment in such an unconventional manner is another reason why she amuses me. While the newly trained soldiers have to undergo harsh training with the 3D gear, Sasha is somehow able to perfectly use it on a whim without even trying, which makes it unfair to everyone else who has to train constantly in order to maintain a simple balance.

With everyone graduating I expected the show to go towards a steady killing of Titans, with each character getting some spotlight as humanity tries to stave off the attacks. As it stands now, I really have no clue on what is going to happen. Attack on Titan has become an amazing tale that shows how weak humans are, that not even determination or the fire in one's heart is enough to turn the tides of a Titan's unprecedented attack. The sheer overwhelming power of the Titans have over humans is like comparing an ant to an anteater. The show reminds me of Shinsekai Yori, with how well it is able to impose emotions. 

Despair, Emptiness, Death.

Attack on Titan gives us emotions such as fear, helplessness, and a sense of calamity. Another similarity I share with Shinsekai is the amount of shock I experienced with episode 6. This type of shock I had was a relentless crushing of my hopes for a positive result, just when you think everything is going to turn out fine, sh!t hits the fan and your left with a feeling of despair and a loss of hope for humanity. 

Finally we get the background history as to how Mikasa and Eren met, and wow was I even more shocked. I won't spoil the events that took place, however I would like to describe Mikasa's transformation from a cute little girl to an emotionless and instinct driven person. After the events of her past, it seems Mikasa was aware about the whole food chain and survival issues, such as how her father hunted their food, and how other creatures lived in a world of survival of the fittest. After her unfortunate incident, she suddenly accepted this truth of survival and became calm and collected when dealing with the lives of others, she decides she has to be strong and has to fight if she wants to live. 

During her flashback, I was happy to see the reason as to why Mikasa always looks after Eren, additionally I have more respect for Eren with how he acted during the flashback and was able to save Mikasa. I always thought Eren was too sheltered and put on a fake sense of survival, I felt that the only reason he was sure on defeating the Titans was due to the shock of his mother's death and childish grudge against the Titans. Eren, however, shows us some cold actions during the flashback which surprised me with how strong willed he is when he makes up his mind, showing us that he actually is a determined person who follows through regardless of what happened to his mother. 

The shocking events of episode 6 has thrown me into despair, and I still can't bring myself to believe what just happened. I will say that this might be the end of Shingeki no Kyojin, as I hear that the show gets somewhat weird and goes in a different direction than anticipated.

~Djr7

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate in review [9.5/10]

So Rho started playing monster hunter a awhile ago and was insistent it was the best thing ever. Part of buying my 3DS was because Monster Hunter 4 would come out on this platform and I promised I would give it a shot when it was released. In the meantime, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate would be released to give me an idea of what Monster Hunter was about. I think I finally see why this game alone made the PSP a success, how stupid of Sony to lose it on the Vita but  I digress.

Etrian Odyssey 4 in Review [7.5/10]

I haven't posted in awhile but decided to maybe post a bit again. I'll see how long it lasts this time... I digress, my latest game I played is Etrian Odyssey 4 or EO4 (I'll do a review of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate too). For me, this was my first real exposure to this series. I attempted to play the first one, but I gave up 10-15 mins in when I died too many times. It was said this game was "easier" so I gave it a shot.

Suisei no Gargantia: 04-05 - Swimsuits and a Reason to Live

For a slow paced show with minimum action and suspense, I think the character development overall has great pace to keep the show feeling fresh and entertaining as Ledo slowly gets use to his life on the Gargantia.

With Ledo showing his hardened fighting mentality, it finally dawns on him that he cannot fit in with the Gargantia fleet's lifestyle. I love how subtle and casual Ledo's personality and expressions are changed by small things in the show. While his direct interaction with those around him don't do much to sway his personality, witnessing how people on the Gargantia live their lives in contrast to Ledo's opens up a new world for him. We actually experience Ledo's constant change in behaviour and expressions and I really appreciate how simple everything presented. Ledo's chat with Babel was something unexpected, and despite Ledo explaining how people like Babel are culled in space, Babel strikes a nerve in Ledo and turns Ledo's view on life upside down.

Using Chamber as a grill = GENIUS!!!

We don't need massive plots full of action or mystery to invoke change in a character, Ledo is a great example of how realizing and accepting a change of environment can work wonders for shaping a character. Aside from Ledo, Pinion's behaviour is always entertaining as he tries to skip out on important work to throw together a barbecue, showing that he is quite entertaining to watch.  

While Chamber can serve an infinite amount of use as a working robot to lift objects and help the fleet's constructions, Ledo is sidelined showing how useless he is. The relationship Amy has with Ledo isn't about feeling sorry for him, which I for one am glad this isn't turning into a mental drama about being useless and not fitting in. Instead Amy genuinely appears to be interested in Ledo and simply wants him to accept the changes to his environment and fit in as a member of their society. It is interesting how her delivery friends really show Amy's personality.

While one of these other messenger girls feels sorry for him, the other one only seems to be interested in his looks and having fun with him. Comparing these two to Amy really shows how Amy is the better of them and that she actually tries to understand Ledo and wants to help him become part of the Gargantia.

With that being said the rest of the events that followed were purely fan service, which stuck me as odd since the other characters that randomly show up in their swim wear haven't had much character development. I guess they tried to blend character development into fan service but overall I found it funny to see Ledo encounter a group of cross dressing hookers on a mission to purchase sauce for their party.

~Djr7