Doesn't surprise me. Seems like I'm one of the few people to actually watch this show. I certainly had never heard of it until recently.

Episode 16: Reunion

Urobochi returns as head writer for this episode.

And I... actually didn't mind this one, really. Like, yeah it still has issues, but overall it was a step up from the standard.

Unlike alot of other episodes, this one not only has a proper grip on atmosphere, but it's one of the few character focused episodes. While there's the typical eye-rolling with certain scenes, it mostly worked!

The scenario is that Hermann is alive, having been saved and converted into an Amalgam by Beatrice. He infiltrates the Zwolf headquarters in order to try and rescue Amanda, but things go south once Hermann eventually realizes what exactly happened to him.

The conversation between Hermann and Amanda really is the highlight here, with Amanda trying to tell Hermann that there's more going on than what he's aware of, Hermann insisting that there's no reason to be involved with any of this, and the eventual sanity slippage he goes through once his body begins to shift about and regenerate.

In other words, Hermann has become the new Gerd, and Amanda has become the new Hermann.

It's an interesting dynamic shift that I feel could really work in the show going forward, but unfortunately, I am all too aware of what show this is, and thus I'm not exactly getting my hopes up.

There's also Beatrice's' forces using Hermann as a distraction in order to launch an assault on Zwolf, but who cares about that, really.

Oh, and the song choir kicking in right as Hermann steals a new Super Bike from Zwolf was hilarious, even if the show didn't intend for it to be.

Episode 17: Bellow of the Beast

Most of this episode was filled with typical hollow melodrama.

You have Joseph blaming Xargin for everything(despite defending the guy just last episode), as well as him getting an upgraded Amalgam form.

You also have the usual action movie dialogue that doesn't work because most of the characters involved aren't engaging and the previous episodes fly in the face of any sort of real sense of camaraderie the story could hope to have.

So yeah, business as usual. However, there is exactly one scene in the middle of all of this that shines above the rest.


The scene where Hermann and Amanda just sit down and talk about Hermann's' condition, and that he shouldn't give up, as it would be a huge dishonor to their comrades in the XAT, as well as Hermann's' best friend, Gerd.

See, this is what I'm talking about when I say that all I'm asking for is just the tiniest bit of effort towards characterization. I am not a hard man to please! Now, do I have any faith that this is going to hold up and keep the pace in future episodes?

No, but I'm still giving credit where it's due in that, the few times that this show has gotten something right, I give props. I know it's just set up for both characters to most likely get murdered, especially since the episode ends with them leading a suicide charge against Wolf, but you know I'll take what I can get at this point.

So yeah, overall a dull episode with one really good scene towards the end of it.

Episode 18: The Fourth Apocalypse

Unfortunately this has nothing to do with Far East of Eden.

Also that title has literally nothing to do with anything that happens in this episode. Not in the loosest of sense.

Ai Ohta returns as the writer for the second time, and frankly this is another one of those episodes where I feel like I'd just be repeating myself, given the flaws this anime has displayed over and over again. So, it's another recap post.

The experiments that Zwolf has performed on Joseph causes him to go insane, with Sasha devastated at what's become of her brother despite the fact that she's the one who put him under said experiments in the first place. As such, Joseph can no longer distinguish between friend and foe.

Wolf decides that he's not dealing with this and runs away, causing Beatrice to disown him from Xargin's' forces. In the aftermath of the battle, Obama(yes, seriously) decides that the German government is incompetent and pushes to invade and take control over all of Germany. Because ya know, the one thing I really wanted in this anime was political commentary(bite me).

And in the end, Amanda meets a new Amalgam named Snow, and I really gotta ask, does this show really have any business introducing us to yet another character this late into the game? It barely has "characters" as it is, so is introducing yet another undeveloped piece of cardboard really going to improve the quality of the story that much? You'd think focusing on the cast you already have would be the way to go, but I guess not.

So, again, another dull episode where not much of worth happened. I'm sensing a trend here.

Episode 19: Quondam Affections

This episode has two plots. One being far more interesting than the other.

Unfortunately, the more interesting one is the one less focused on, while the boring and trite one take center stage.

In Plot A we have Snow, who just so happens to be an Amalgam that Joseph created years ago. She also just so happens to be in full control of herself. And she just so happens to know how to get Joseph to regain his humanity.

Literally her entire purpose is to get introduced, then play sacrificial lamb so that Joseph regains his mindset by somehow drawing a parallel between her and the Priest who raised him. Meanwhile, there's literally no reason none of this could've been done by Amanda, but I guess the writers felt obligated to kill someone.

In other words, the typical trite storytelling I've come to expect from Blassreiter.

Meanwhile in the far more interesting Plot B, Hermann and Amanda rush off to finish things with Wolf, but little do they know that Wolf now has the corpse of Al fully under his control. In the end though, Al manages to regain his senses and helps to finish Wolf off, then wandering off to die in peace. I'm giving proper credit here, that entire sequence was pretty solidly done.

Though I do wonder how the heck the Japanese on Amanda's' Paladin is what got Al to come to his senses. It's never said that Al is Japanese, nor that he can read it. But screw it, I'll take what I can get at this point. The atmosphere was also handled pretty properly here too, and it was nice to see some actual camaraderie between some of the characters for a change. Just such a shame that this seems to be the part the episode is way less focused on.

It's great how Blassreiter is now so focused on death as drama, that they now literally introduce characters with their sole purpose in life being to get killed off. What a great way to get me to care about the people involved in this plotline. Top notch. A+. Literally no other way this story could've been handled.

Uuugh.

Episode 20: Legion from the Netherworld

It's official. I am actually going insane.

Why? Well you see, I started writing up my thoughts on this episode, only to realize that I already have.

Just... why do I continue to allow this show to play me so hard? At this point it's obvious that it can't be saved, not unless the next four episodes are some of the best written anime episodes I've ever seen in my life.

But... yeah! I almost liked this one! And it's all because they put the most minuscule of effort into the characters! And it's not even like they did some huge leap in character development here; What we end up getting is actually pretty small, all things considered.

What's also funny though is that this episode is a complete turnaround from the previous one in terms of which plot I found more interesting. Atleast this time though the episode has a better way of balancing said two plots, rather than giving the primary spotlight to one and having the other essentally just as an add-on bonus.

On one end, you have the continuing plot with Hermann and Amanda, where they fake Amanda capturing Hermann so they can sneak into the Zwolf base in order to rescue Malek. Being someone who doesn't give a crap about Malek, especially since he's been out of the show for the past 10+ episodes, I really didn't give much of a crap. Like, yeah, from a character standpoint, it's understandable, but on a me personally note? Hard pass.

Oh yeah, and there's also Amanda's' crisis of faith in God that comes out of nowhere and goes completely against her prior characterization, but whatever who cares at this point.


On the other end, we have the far more interesting plot with Beatrice, Joseph, and Xargin. Xargin is leading an army of Amalgams to raid the Zwolf headquarters, and all the while Beatrice, in a rather nice step forward for her character, begins to show signs of insecurity towards her relationship with Xargin. Given the very heavily implied abusive relationship going on between the two, I actually almost felt more for Beatrice than I did alot of other characters in this show, and considering she's one of the main villains that says alot.

The fight between Beatrice and Joseph is actually pretty good too. It's nothing super spectacular, mind you, but considering how lackluster the action in the show has been so far, it was a noticeable step up.

All that said though, one major gripe I'm now having is... goddamn is Xargin a boring villain. He's too invincible, he has the personality of stale bread, and his motivations don't even make any sense. The best I can gather is that he wants Joseph to kill him to end his suffering... despite that flying entirely in the face of how we got introduced to his backstory? And that it would result in Joseph himself becoming a full fledged monster, which is something Xargin would've wanted to avoid at all costs before this point? Even the reveal that Xargin has a thing for Joseph only confuses me more than adds any meaningful layers.

In the end, by the normal standards, this episode was still trash, but by Blassreiter standards? Probably one of the best we're gonna get. God have we sunk so low.

Episode 21: Phantom Rider

This episode is all about trying to make you feel sorry for nothing characters.

Unfortunately, most of the episode is spent focusing on Xargin, and I made it pretty clear how I felt about him many times.

Yet again I have to stress that he doesn't make any sense, in anything! His abilities as a Amalgam don't make any sense because he underwent the same transformation process as everyone else, for starters.

His hatred of Victor also makes no sense considering Xargin outright went to Victor to be converted in the first place, and if he really wanted Victor dead he had a ton of opportunities to do it years ago. Even insane people make more sense than this guy.

Heck, Sasha's' death doesn't even work as his primary motivator anymore because upon meeting Sasha, he outright ignores her and insists that he's doing the right thing anyway, making him a huge hypocrite ontop of things. I get they're trying to go for a guy who's emotionally dead, but considering his interactions with Victor and Joseph, that's clearly not the case with Xargin.

What makes this infuriating is that the show actually seems to unironically side with Xargin's' nihilistic philosophy: That we all deserve to die and that redemption and atonement are outright impossible to achieve. Sasha countering his philosophy with one of hope for the future is outright portrayed as stupidity and cowardice on her part. Granted, Sasha is in no way a better person than what Xargin is, but... GOD I hate this!


Oh right, we're also given last-minute characterization for Shido and Victor, which is of course the usual trite nonsense from this show. "They totally had a tragic backstory this whole time, thus justifying their awful behavior and as such you should feel bad as they die." Considering what is done within this exact same episode with Xargin... mixed messages, much? You can't say "everybody dies" is the happy ending and then expect me to therein feel bad when people infact do die, that's not how this works.

The short version is that this episode ends up with every bit of substance that Xargin has to offer. That is to say, none at all.

Episode 22: Drifting Hearts

Urobuchi is head writer for this episode and I...

Call me crazy, but I actually really liked this episode. Its style, tone, and overall message is completely out of place with the rest of show, but that's a good thing!

I'd say the only real weak part is the the very beginning, where Sasha hands over the anti-nanomachine data over to Amanda despite Amanda in no way being a scientist, and then declares she doesn't want another Zwolf to be formed.

Which is double weird since Sasha's' entire introduction was her parroting Zwolf's' ideals of bringing about an early apocalypse and then you know, subjecting her brother to experimental torture. But I guess the show is just gonna pretend that none of that stuff ever happened.


Right after that though, we get what actually might be my favorite scene in the entirety of Blassreiter. Hermann sits down with the comatose Malek and gives a monologue that's just so... anti-Blassreiter that it's absolutely incredible. He talks about how even if you royally screw up, all it means is that you have the opportunity to learn from it and to do better next time.

Honestly, and I'm kinda getting ahead of myself here but... it really feels like Urobuchi saw the previous episode and right then and there started making this episode specifically to counter it. The message Hermann beings to Malek is one of hope and redemption, as well as one of introspection and self-reflection. He basically outright says that people can change, people can improve, and that our lives have meaning, regardless of how bad things might get.


Heck, ontop of all that, the backstory we get in this episode is really good! Yeah, it's minimalistic, but the atmosphere, the elaboration on scenes we've seen in previous episodes, as well as how it has to do with characters we've actually grown to have a solid idea of in terms of their personality and characteristics make these scenes really engaging. Xargin's' horse gets a backstory here, for crying out loud! So I gotta ask, just where was all of this the entire rest of the show!? If this anime had this sort of quality for most of its run that'd've been great!

Beatrice is the one who shines during these segments though. We finally fully learn just what her deal is and why she's so devoted to Xargin, and how her past experiences over the years did so much to harden her heart into the fearsome warrior we now know her as. She used to be a kind-hearted stable girl who took care of horses. One day though, due to being overworked, the owner's' favorite horse breaks its leg, and rather than try to treat it, the other stable workers opt to try and force Beatrice to kill it. Beatrice attempts to run off with the horse, only for them both to be caught and get beaten nearly to death. It's then that Xargin appears and saves them both.

Again, it's not some super deep or complex backstory, but it's pulled off well, and does just enough to get you actually feeling for how Beatrice became the way she did. I liked it!


This all leads to a fateful showdown between two people who both come from similar stances in life, yet chose different paths. Both carrying the burdens and ideals of those they hold dear. Hermann with Gerd, and Beatrice with Xargin. And I'll admit, it is hands down the best action sequence in the entire show thus far. The entire fight scene not only carries a solid bit of emotional weight, but the action itself is swift and well choreographed. Given the homing lazers and spinning camera angles, it makes me think the director(Itano) took inspiration from Eureka Seven, and I am a-okay with that.

In the end, the fight ends in a draw, with Beatrice having delayed the counterattack on Xargin, but Hermann having avenged Gerd, as well as having waken Malek up from his coma. And honestly, for the first time ever, these deaths are actually pulled off very well in terms of the emotions they carry, and are in no way wasteful or feel like they were done for the sake of cheap drama. Very well done here, Urobuchi.

In the end, this might actually be my favorite episode in the entire show. It's not perfect, but most of what's here was very well done.

In all honesty, I can see why Urubouchi wrote, co-wrote or supervised the writing of almost every episode of his later shows (the two movie tie-in episodes of Gaim seem to stand out).

From what I've heard, it does seem like he does alot better when flying solo, rather than being in group projects. Though, far as I know he was the sole writer for the Netflix Godzilla Trilogy, so kind of a minus mark there.

Episode 23: Scorched Earth

After an actual good episode, we're back to the normal garbage.

Yeah, apologies if I don't exactly sound enthused, but hey, atleast the show is almost over, right?

Victor is somehow still alive despite getting physically fused into the Zwolf mainframe, and oh man am I glad that genocidal maniac who wants the exact same thing as Xargin is still around!

The USA also totally alters what it meant about invading Germany. Instead they just opt to nuke the country entirely, and while our biggest takeaway of this event is meant to be the moment when Shido sacrifices himself to delay the attack, really all that stood out to me was how it continued to point out how dumb this all is.

Both Xargin and Victor are easily every bit as bad as one another in this scenario, with the claim that "It's okay if I destroy the entire planet, but if anyone else does it it's wrong." And I'm supposed to sympathize with them and what happened to them in the past? If Victor really wants everyone dead, why would he bother to save his grand-daughter?


And as for Xargin, he laments that people like Sasha shouldn't have to die, yet never seems to cue in that causing the apocalypse would include killing her too, and all this despite him claiming two episodes ago that Sasha was already dead and thus not worth worrying about anymore. Oh, and this episode goes back to glorifying Xargin's' mindset too, by having him easily take down Malek who is spouting the values that Hermann did last episode.

And before you ask Urobuchi wrote this episode too so I don't even know what the hell is going on anymore.

Anyway, the anti-nanomachine program is complete, and Sasha for some reason decides that turning it into a pill would be the best idea and has it delivered to Joseph. Now, far be it from me to expect this show to make any sense, but wouldn't ingesting a pill made from something designed to kill nanomachines do nothing but kill Joseph? Even if you figure Joseph's' blood would splatter onto Xargin, Joseph openly talks about and takes said pill right infront of Xargin, so Xargin should clue in unless he's an idiot--Actually yeah.

But yeah, final battle is tomorrow. Who's ready for death and letdowns?

Episode 24: Promised Land

Please forgive the drop in quality when it comes to the screenshots used here. I had to swap to a different source for this episode and I didn't care enough to look for a better quality one.


Now, I know this might come as a total shock to you all.

But the ending of Blassreiter is, infact, complete garbage. To the point that even it kinda just gives up on itself.

Look, let's just get into the events here. When it comes to the bombing of Germany, there's nothing of substance to really speak of. Everyone in Zwolf ends up dying to prevent the US from nuking the entire country, the end.

During this it's revealed that Mei Fong is a clone and that somehow, Joseph's' blood was key to completing the Blassreiter project, despite the fact that the project was already in full swing way before Joseph and Sasha even met. Heck, why not say Xargin's' blood was used? It'd make way more sense.

Speaking of Xargin, he and Joseph are busy having their final battle, all the while pretentiously quoting scripture at each other, and no matter how hard he tries, Joseph seems to be no match for all powerful Xargin, and it's here that I absolutely lost it due to what happens as Joseph lay dormant, presumably dying. You are not ready for this.


Gerd and Hermann appear from the afterlife to give Joseph a hand! They proceed to possess Joseph's' body, allowing Joseph to take on their forms and use their weapons. But even this isn't enough to beat Xargin, but thankfully the two managed to stall for an hour so that way the anti-nanomachines are now fully active within Joseph's' body. And rather than outright kill Joseph then and there it gives him yet another power-up.


But it doesn't matter! Joseph still loses anyway! Because of course we can't have anyone even hope to match Xargin, who gained all of this immense power by... anyway! I hate this entire thing because all it serves to do is validate Xargin's' nihilistic viewpoint, while still somehow managing to contradict itself. Like, we have this afterlife sequence flying in the face of one of the anime's' major themes, for starters. That being that God is never there for you(real nice by the way, thanks Blassreiter).

And ontop of that, we have Joseph preaching an optimist viewpoint only to get slapped down with ease, and Xargin's' viewpoint that death is the only thing that holds any value in life is made completely true when, as Joseph lay dying, the anti-nanomachines spread out thus taking out the Amalgam hoard, and Xargin with it. I think it's very telling that Xargin all but outright proclaims that he's won as his body begins to disintegrate. I honest to goodness have zero idea what this show is trying to say or do at this point and frankly, I've stopped caring. It's all trite regardless.

We then flash forward to five years later, where Amanda and Malek now work together in the New XAT, and just... look, I'll just straight up say what happens.


Amanda is visited by the spirits of her "friends" congratulating her on a job well done and all of them urging her to continue to carry a torch of hope for the world to come. So you might be thinking "Oh, so the show is airing on the side of optimism afterall" right?

Exceeeppt.

These are literally just holograms, and even if they weren't, what in the heck would people like Wolf, Victor, and XARGIN of all people even come close to caring about anything that Amanda has to say or do? It's so cheap, so tacked on, and so out of tone with the rest of the show that it's blatantly just there to have a forced "happy" ending at the end of all of this. Undeserved, unearned, and completely badly done.

Now, at the end of all of this, you might be expecting me to say that no one should watch this and to avoid the show at all costs, but no, actually.

Infact, I dare say I encourage someone, anyone out there to go through this mess and try telling me I missed something vital, that this show is infact way smarter than I am, and that everything it does is some subtle, brilliantly woven masterpiece. Because at the end of the day, I honestly can not tell what in the HELL this crap was trying to accomplish, if anything. It really makes me wonder: Just what sort of headspace were all four writers in when making this?

Final thoughts post will come later today, because frankly I just wanna be done with this piece of filth already.

This is definitely none of the writers I’m familiar with’s finest work.

Hope vs. Despair

or

How a Show Made for Children is Better Done than a Show for Adults

It certainly has been an interesting time for me in terms of the media I've consumed over the past month. The two main shows being Kamen Rider Wizard, of which I came out enjoying despite its shortcomings, and of course, Blassreiter, which had potential but ultimately fell very, very short.

To me this was interesting, because both of these shows have messages they wish to spread about life and how to go about it, but take entirely opposite approaches to it in just about every way. Add onto that that what few people I've actually seen talk about the shows in question have to say about them, and I really felt the need to do a bit of a deeper compare and contrast between said shows.

In short, most of what I've read from others about Wizard has been pretty negative, stating that the show is bland and forgettable, whereas the few people who have seen Blassreiter seem to sing praises about the show being gritty and realistic.

So, let's take a look, and by the end, I'll be sure to give you my idea about which show I feel is not only better, but seems to have a much better handling of its themes, its ideas, and is just overall a better way to spend your time in 2021. To that end, let's start with the absolute face value of any show...

Action and Visual Flair

Now, I'm in no way saying Blassreiter's' visuals are out and out bad. For their time, the CGI models do their part in getting across what they need to, and the animation itself is for the most part competently done. However, exactly how these visuals are utilized is rather lackluster. Almost every fight scene ends in about 30 seconds, the character designs, while nice, are almost never shown off in any spectacular way, and even if you accept that the fights are meant to be swift, they're very rarely ever stylish to compensate.

Meanwhile contrast Wizard, where even nearly 10 years later, the set design, the spell effects, and the overall direction of the production still holds up. Almost every fight is well choreographed and has a distinct visual flair to keep the viewer engaged, and despite the somewhat dated CG monsters, they're still utilized in a way that makes you believe they fit into the universe of Wizard as a whole.

I was bored of most of the action scenes in Blassreiter. I never became tired of the conflicts in Wizard.

Music and Atmosphere

With Blassreiter, all I can even remember about its score is a few piano strings being strung here and there. And not even very effectively. Meanwhile, it attempts to have an atmosphere of dread all throughout the story, but fails to deliver due to all of its other shortcomings ontop of not having any sort of consistent direction.

Meanwhile with Wizard, I never forget its own use of the piano cover of "Life is Showtime" during somber moments. It also knows just how to direct a scene and what performances the actors need to give in order to carry the emotions and world building required to suck the viewer in and get them to want to see more.

Oh, and it also has this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYv3zNHFvG0

I rest my case.

Characters

All throughout its run, Blassreiter has this idea in its head that death automatically makes for good drama, and thus nearly every character it introduces is treated as nothing more than cannon fodder. Heck, some characters are introduced just for the explicit purpose of dying in some tragic way. Very little attempt is actually given to giving anyone a character arc, or a backstory, or a two-dimensional personality. No, Blassreiter is instead more concerned with preaching philosophy to its audience, and as such characters end up inconsistent, boring, and doing things so out of character that they barely even have a "character" to begin with.

Meanwhile with Wizard, it knows the strength of focusing on a core cast of characters with a circulating cast of side characters for introducing new stories and aspects of the core cast's' personalities and backstories. Nearly every character is consistently written, has an enjoyable and well-rounded personality, and an actual arc with which they follow all throughout the show's' run. Sure, some characters are redundant, but even so, I could see what the show was aiming for and hey, they went for it, mostly with success.

Plot, Messages, and Themes

Blassreiter is a show that likes to pretend that its plot holds gravitas; thinking that preaching a nihilistic viewpoint on life, religion, and people as a whole automatically makes it smarter than the average anime. And you know, while I personally don't agree, fine. If that's your angle, then I expect you to atleast be able to argue your case effectively.

Blassreiter, however, does not. There are so many times where the show seems to double back on itself, or tries to pretend that certain events in what is essentially a shallow war plot didn't happen, or to re-double back and keep showing support in favor of doom and gloom. It honestly feels like none of the four writers who worked on this show(Itano, Urobuchi, Kobayasi, and Ota) could ever actually come to a consensus on what exactly this should should be other than "A Kamen Rider show FOR ADULTS!!!"

Even when the show is consistent about its preaching of nihilism, it never bothers to actually examine any of the various angles of the concept, the consequences of such a mindset, or even how it could be seen as an advantage over those who believe otherwise. It is very single-minded in that respect. The only thing that really remains consistent is that death is glorified, and life is not.

Wizard's' overarching theme is Hope, and moving forward with your life regardless of what setbacks you might experience. While it could be easy to have an equally single-minded viewpoint like Blassreiter does, Wizard actually does a fairly good job at examining the idea of hope from various angles, and just how far people will go to preserve their hope in life.

From people valuing objects that others would find cheap or useless, to grand ideas of the future that might never come to pass, to just how far people can fall when their hope is taken away, Wizard goes all in on showing just why hope is important in everyday life, and that even if it's something others would see as minor, if something keeps you going, you should cherish it.

Whereas Blassreiter can't be anything other than blunt, Wizard, while not exactly a subtle show, does do a great job in terms of symbolism and allegory. For example, the way that Phantoms arise, by a person being driven to such despair that they die and are therein literally replaced by their inner demons, can be seen not just literally, but also as a metaphor for suicide. This in turn reinforces another message Wizard has, in that sometimes, the biggest thing someone needs is another person who genuinely cares about and believes in them. Something very true to life, I've found.

In short, Blassreiter tells you to wallow in your own misery, whereas Wizard encourages you to overcome your self doubt, and fight for a better day.

Overall

In the end, I ended up giving Wizard a 4/6. Is it by any means perfect? No, but it emphasizes quality over quantity and does alot of rather smart things, ontop of simply being a rather entertaining watch in its own right.

But with Blassreiter? As tempted as I am to give it a 1, there were still a handful of aspects I did like about it, and it's such a shame that writers who are often celebrated ended up turning out something that frankly, I can't exactly endorse anyone watch, especially given the times we currently live in. As such, I end this off by giving Blassreiter a 2/6. It's not the worst show I've ever seen, but oh my goodness do I never want to experience it again.

Tried to watch Blassreiter last week but... stuff happened, couldn't find the episodes subbed, find time to watch them, plus the site I "watch" Anime has been giving me issues. But from what I've glossed over here (so as to not spoil myself) it appears you really weren't into it, and now I feel somewhat guilty for recommending it (heck, I wasn't able to watch it yet because of issues).

Then again, I haven't really heard anything really about this show, other than it looked Toku/Henshin inspired and Urobuchi wrote it. Though it appears I was somewhat proven right that his works are hit or miss, and I was afraid it might have been one of the misses, which was made clear by how NOWHERE has there ever been mention of this series in any single one of his resumes, so I was bracing for the worst.

Yet despite what I'm seeing here, I may yet still watch this at some point I have better time management on my hands, if anything to see some guys in suits punch each other (or at least just suits in general, if there is any, not that I mind). So I apologize for bringing this series up (but hey, I guess that's what we're here for, checking out things that might interest us spandex-loving weirdos) but here's hoping the next series you cover will be better, and hey, Dynazenon premiers soon, so there's that to look forward to.

Heyyy, don't feel bad man. I was happy that you wanted to be involved enough to make me aware of this show's' existence in the first place! And hey, if you do watch it, and decide you like it or otherwise have something to say about it, then by all means, feel free!

And yeah, Dynazenon is coming up soon, so maybe we can all discuss it together soon. I know I defnitely wanna cover it if it ends up getting a SimulDub like Gridman did.

I have to say, you've definitely made me morbidly curious about this show, but any thoughts I have of actually trying to watch it are quickly crushed by the knowledge that there are so many things I'd rather be doing with my time instead. :lol

Uh, hopefully that last statement wasn't pouring salt in the wound, by the way. You did good to hang in there this whole time! It was fun following along, and I mean, ending it all by talking about how much better Kamen Rider Wizard is??? What an unexpected and delightful present that was. (Even if personally I'll always prefer Just The Beginning to Missing Piece, but of course, they both slap, so it's not like it matters.)

I'm a simple woman. I see Missing Piece, I click play.

I hadn't been following this thread too closely, since I was considering watching Blassreiter myself and didn't want to get too spoiled, but after seeing your final review I think I'll skip it, that kind of shallow nihilism just sounds like a slog to me. So thanks for saving me the trouble! And for giving me a new appreciation for Wizard!

I mean, atleast that means it's all uphill for them from here, right?

Right??

Considering a SimulDub was just announced, I hereby declare this the official "SSSS.Dynazenon Discussion Thread." It's goin' down April 2nd!

Fish no please don't take this as an actual challenge I--

Oh thank goodness. Instead, watch Dynazenon with us. Much better use of your time.

Yer good. Honestly if you did ever go through Blassreiter and find genuine value in it I'd be more... impressed(I guess that's the word?) than anything.

Thank you for following along! It's definitely weird how these things work out. Had I not been watching the very thematically appropriate Wizard at the same time, I probably would've done a comparison with Casshern Sins instead(great anime).

And because you mentioned it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIrj4ye6LfI

Oh, well, thank you very much for following along and taking my words into consideration! Should you ever decide to give the show a shot, by all means, feel free to share your thoughts.

Also if you really want a deep appreciation of Wizard hit up Fish instead. :lol

Congrats. Now, watch this if you get the chance. :rock:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ked2W73bRrY

Borgman really does seem like my kinda jam. It's definitely on the list of shows to cover in the future, alongside all the other shows you guys have recommended!

Not Toku related, but if you guys wanna see a great anime that Kobayashi was a part of, Dororo 2019 is now up for pre-order. It's an adaptation of the manga of the same name by the creator of Astro Boy, and I gotta say, Kobayashi did an absolutely fantastic job with the source material. I'll vouch for any version of the story, but it was easy to tell that Kobayashi knew where the heart of the story lied, and did her best to bring it forward.

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I am a huge fan of almost everything having to do with the Voltron franchise. From Lions, to Vehicles, to the comics, to the videogames, to the various different sequels; as long as your subtitle isn't Legendary Defender, Voltron is a name that I've held dear to my heart ever since seeing the first few episodes on Toonami back when I was young. And it's such a shame that Legendary Defender has all but completely overshadowed the franchise's' vast history.

Heck, as time goes on, it seems like less and less people are aware of just how hugely influential Voltron actually is to US media in general. If not for the popularity of Voltron, we would've never seen the huge influx in anime that the US got around that time. If not for Voltron, we likely never would've even gotten Power Rangers, and by extension, various different Toku. Many forget that Voltron was way more popular than Transformers at one point.

In other words, we kinda all have Voltron to thank for all of us being here, on these boards.

And on the surface, the classic 1984 Voltron might seem like "a complete mess" (to quote the oh-so-clever writers of Legendary Defender), what with the cheesy dubbing, the obvious animation mistakes, and the mishandling of marketing done by Dreamworks. Heck, when I rewatched the show again for the first time when I was 16, I certainly felt that way at first. But, the farther into the show I got, and the more it dawned on me how alot of what this show did had never actually been seen in US media in general up to that point, the more I found a surprising amount of substance held within this show aimed at children of the 80s, and a great appreciation for everything it did. And that includes the obvious censorship of the original GoLion.

I'm bringing all of this up now because just recently, Ted Koplar, the man who created Voltron, passed away. And I can think of no better way to honor this man's legacy than to take a look back at the iconic super robot, and to help celebrate just what made it so special. I don't plan to cover the show in its entirety(though I definitely wanna cover Voltron Force one day), but hopefully, with what I do cover here, you all can get atleast a small grasp as to why I think so highly of this franchise.

With that, I'll be covering "Voltron the Movie" which is a compilation of the first few episodes of the original anime. And while this particular cut done by a fan certainly restores some of the violent content of the original GoLion, make no mistake that the original didn't exactly shy away from a handful of gruesome moments itself.


We start off high with the titular robot, Voltron, squaring off against a mysterious goddess. She sends various demons after Voltron, but they prove no match for Voltron's' incredible might. As Voltron goes in to finish the goddess off, however, she casts a spell that splits the super robot into five pieces, thus starting our story...


We then meet our heroes, the Space Explorers, who are on their way to Planet Arus. Their timing is unfortunate though, as they arrive just as the Pirate King Zarkon's' forces are laying waste to the entire planet.

And it's here I feel I should talk about every character in this group, and how they are one of the various examples of this show's' overall main motif; That of a team being more than just the sum of the people in it, which made for some very fun character dynamics throughout the show too.

First off is, of course, Keith, the leader. The guy who wears Red all of the time. An Asian leader in a time where that wasn't at all common, and most often the most level-headed one of the group. Keith's just a swell dude all around, but not without his faults. He sometimes does let his emotions get the better of him, and despite being the top dog, it's shown time and time again that he can't handle everything alone. He's the leader not just because of his skillset as a tactician, but because he does a great job providing balance for everyone else on the team, which is often times why he butts heads with...

Lance, who is often times seen as second in command and the dude in Blue. Lance is the most emotional one in the group; Very hot-headed and tends to rush in head first. Easily flustered too despite his love of being a smart-aleck. Also very much a flirt, which, combined with his other flaws tend to get him into trouble. In the end though, still a very capable member of the team and is always there for his friends.

Pidge is the short guy of the group, and the one in Green. Pidge is the brains of the operation. Always the first guy to handle anything related with tech. Don't let his nerdy stature fool you though, this guy is crazy. The people of his home planet Balto are known for being unhinged ninjas, and Pidge is no exception. Dude once ran at an enemy with a live, smoking grenade in his hands! That's hardcore! Pidge is often referred to as "little buddy" by his best friend...

Hunk, the "fat" one. He's the big guy in Orange. The most jovial one of the group, and certainly has a fondness for food. There's alot more to him than that though, as his big stature isn't just due to calorie intake, but emphasizes his strength, too. Ontop of that, Hunk has a fondness for machines like Pidge does, which tends to be what they bond over. He's the handyman of the group, and will often go out of his way to help with repairs to anything he can. Machines, homes, soccer fields, you name it.

Last but most certainly not least is Sven, the man in Black. Yeah, he might have a goofy Scandinavian accent, but make no mistake, this guy is just plain awesome! Hands down the most skilled fighter of the group, and has some incredibly insane feats over the course of the show to prove it. What else would you expect from someone so obviously inspired by Bruce Lee? Sven is my favorite character in the franchise for many reasons that I sadly can't get into here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aao00iVYEE

Back to the plot at hand, the Space Explorers end up captured and taken as prisoners to Planet Doom, the home of the Drule Empire. There, King Zarkon's' cruelty is put on full display, as he forces prisoners to become slaves, and to get slaughtered by the dozen in his arena by his Robeasts.

Not really fans of that idea, the Space Explorers put their heads together in finding a way out of this literal hellhole. Pidge uses his agility to leap to a nearby barred window, then lowering a rope down so Hunk can climb up and use his brute strength to bend the bars. What follows is actually a pretty intense escape sequence involving riding on giant vultures, dodging flying daggers, and hijacking a prisoner escort ship to escape the planet.

By the way, I love how it's shown that the Drule Empire is super war-loving and battle hungry via the fact that even a ship that's meant to be a simple escort pod is still armed to the teeth with lazers that can do damage to battleship class spacecraft. It's the little things.

Unfortunately for our heroes, despite Zarkon's' command to capture the team, Commander Yorak instead opts to just try and kill the crew instead, blasting them so hard that the atmosphere of Planet Arus would surely finish the job. However, the crew is suddenly saved by a mysterious power coming from said planet. This power belonging to Princess Allura, and her advisor, Coran.


Allura is a character that I feel alot of people misconstrue nowadays. They take one look at her Pink outfit, as well as any given clip of her getting shot down during her time as a pilot, and figure that she's just a generic damsel in distress princess character. However, that couldn't be any further from the truth. See, back then, Allura was actually seen as a bit of a feminist icon, and it's not at all hard to see why. There are many times throughout the show where she takes charge, puts her foot down, and defends herself alongside the rest of the heroes. Ontop of that, her willingness to be on the frontlines is treated realistically, as she had no prior training in being a pilot like how the Space Explorers did. She even uses her failures as motivation to get better, and is willing to do anything to prove herself and to be a strong leader for the people of Arus. In other words, she has what is called a character arc, something that alot of modern viewers tend to just write off, because god forbid a character show any signs of shortcomings that they need to improve on. Allura is a really well done character.

Speaking of things really well done, what follows is a sequence that has surprisingly good atmosphere, with the escape ship still crash landing despite the help from the Castle of Lions, and the Space Explorers seeing first hand just how devastated the entire Planet of Arus is after Zarkon's' invasion. Even when the crew finally reaches the Castle, it's clear that they can't be certain if everything is as it seems. It does a great job at building an air of mystery and dread and I dig it.

Coran then appears the explain what that opening sequence was all about. Back when Zarkon first attacked, the Royal Court summoned Voltron to defend Arus. Unfortunately, Zarkon's' Grand Witch, Haggar, used all of her magic prowess to put a curse on the super robot, splitting him into five pieces and sealing them away in various places on the planet. Unfortunately, King Alfor, the only one who knew how to bring Voltron back to full strength, was then soon killed by Yorak, thus sealing Arus' fate.

"The secret lies with Alfor" is rather literal too, as the Five Keys used to Form Voltron are literally buried with him. Unfortunately, the fifth key has gone missing, meaning the team has no choice but to deploy without the ability to combine. This leads into an iconic sequence.


Ah the docking sequence. Everyone who knows Voltron knows about this. It's right up there with the actual combining of the super robot in terms of how iconic its imagery is, and is always great fun to watch.

Know what else is super fun to watch? The war sequence immediately after. It features lazers flying everywhere, mountains being toppled, and Yorak saying one of my favorite lines in anything ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QKhQMavufc

Oh, and did I mention that the Robeasts ride around in giant space coffins? Because they do, and that's metal as hell.

And yeah, Voltron is certainly needed for things like this, because despite a valiant effort, the four Lion Robots are no match for the Robeast, with the team only surviving via hiding beneath the sands.

As it turns out, the fifth key was hidden by the Space Mice, who took it due to liking how it looked. Allura talks them into handing the key over(turns out she can talk to animals), and as such, all five Lions are now fully operational, and the Voltron Force immediately goes in for a counterattack on Zarkon's' forces.

One really cool thing to note about the fight against the Robeast is that it's one of the few times that a MOTW actually attacks the team when they're trying to combine, making the sequence all the more intense.

And when we get to that sequence? Oh man, everyone say it with me.

"Dynotherms connected!

Infracells up!

Megathrusters are go!

LET'S GO VOLTRON FORCE!

Form feet, and legs!

Form arms, and body!

AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!"

Although I will say, this was also kind of a point of confusion for alot of kids, myself included. For those not in the know, Keith, the guy in Red, piloted the Black Lion. Lance, the guy in Blue, piloted the Red Lion. Pidge, the guy in Green, piloted the Green Lion. Sven, the guy in Black, piloted the Blue Lion. And Hunk, the guy in Orange, piloted the Yellow Lion. Allura would only further complicate things later when she started piloting Blue Lion despite her still wearing Pink. Just... man is that so confusing. Color association is a thing, guys!

Anyway, Voltron's' first battle against a Robeast is awesome, showing just how mighty a robot Voltron really is. Tossing the Robeast around like a ragdoll and brushing off some close range missile fire like nothing.

And then of course, there's always the classic...


FORM BLAZING SWORD!

In the end, Voltron is victorious, but it's clear that this is only the start of a much bigger war with the Drule Empire.

Overall, Voltron is a show that I always have alot of fun with, and I will always appreciate its legacy. From the creation of its own franchise to its influence leading to things like the further importing of anime to the west, as well as the creation of things such as Power Rangers, Voltron is something I don't think I'll ever stop loving, and I hope atleast some of you feel the same.

Fun fact, the Japanese cast of the first five pilots in Golion consisted of Genis from Zyuohger as Keith, Aigaron from Kyoryuger as Lance, Kid Taro from that Ultraman Taro movie aka Goku aka Guilmon as Pidge, Gorisaki from Go-Busters as Hunk, and Agent Abrella from Dekaranger aka Frieza as Sven.

That... makes alot of sense, actually.

The☆Ultraman

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DBNBsD4UQAADBng.jpg:medium



Hey everybody It's me GrandComplete first time on this Anime Thread. So over the past, I've been rekindling my love of Ultraman and saw this thread and well already watching this so I waited until the halfway mark to get to this.

The☆Ultraman is an original Ultraman anime not based on any past show. Set in its continuity at a time unrelated to the other Showa Era shows. Animated by SUnrise of Gundam fame years before.

To start the show like other Ultra Series and other Tokusatsu media at the time followed a monster of the week format. With a core cast of characters the Science Guard Party being the team for this show.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/p...ty_members.jpg


We have the straight-laced protagonist Choichiro Hikari who on his arrival back on Earth merged with Ultraman Jonias to protect the Earth from various threats. Showing great bravery and a sense of justice were quickly given a good reason for why Jonias chose Hikari. Often time showing great wit as well seen in such episodes episode 8. However, he is not without flaws as one episode has him fearful of not being able to contribute as himself and only as a vessel for Jonias. A wonderful introspection on the dynamic of Ultra and man.

The other SGP sadly doesn't get as much as Hikari. They all do have personalities and focus episodes but none of them are quite as hard-hitting as the ones focusing on Hikari and U40 lore. But their presence in the show still does matter.

First up there's Mutsumi Hoshikawa who's the only female member on the team. She's seen as competent and never in my eyes became a damsel in distress she's alright.

Next up is Tetsuo Akiyama the leader and the one who brings everybody together. Stern but fair he's like a father to his men and it's his actions that brought the team together and Hikari back to Earth.

Following up is Kei Marume who is the only one that wasn't recommended but joined up anyways. At times is an audience surrogate mainly plays a comedic role with a slight waist size. A little annoying but overall fine.

And finally Hiroaki Tobe the technician who often creates new weapons and figure out solutions. And unlike the stereotypical nerd, he seems like a blend of the tech guy with the cool guy vibes. I do wish he got more episodes focused on him though.

https://vhx.imgix.net/toku/assets/07...360&q=70&w=640


Well with the human characters done let's get to the Ultra himself Jonias. Hailing from a different plant than Nebula M7* and unlike Leo's L77 we do get to see it. At this time his human form is unseen but Jonias is U40's strongest warrior and often mentors Hikari and advised outside of battles. In ways that haven't been one before. With a more muscular design as well as a slightly different color timer that goes from Green, to Yellow then beeps red. Jonias is overall well rounded.(A shame that Titas had the traditional Color Timer and not one like Jonias) Oh and Pig scares the crap out of me burn him with fire, please.

The show music is overall pretty good. The theme song, in particular, is amazing the ending song is alright. (Also this show was the first Ultra Series to have an Ending theme)

SFX Fantasy Rayforce


Now because this animated the homeland of Jonias was seen in a three-parter and giving both the audience and Hikari an extended look at the history of U40.

https://na.cx/i/Cffju20.jpg


Which in comparison to the Land Of Light in the live-action shows at the time was unprecedented. Following these episodes, Hikari would shout "Ultra Change!" before transforming which is a nice way to shake up the status quo.

Monster designs range from inventive to a bit generic but overall good. The animation isn't the greatest and can be stiff but is a service and isn't too egregious.

Cutting this off here I will give my full thought and my favorite episodes one day after seeing the latter half of the show until then. See you!

I was not even aware that an Ultraman anime existed outside of the Netflix one. Will have to check this out in the future.

Yeah, it led to a brief revival of interest that resulted in Ultraman 80, which promptly ended the interest by falling into the same retool-induced pitfalls as Kamen Rider Super-1. After that, all the franchise turned out were foreign produced spin-offs until Ultraman Tiga came and revived interest fully enough for the franchise to still be going strong today.

There was also the Hanna Barabara Ultraman movie that was supposed to be a pilot for a cartoon as well.

Oh man, I would've told you about The☆Ultraman if I knew you didn't know about it! Really fun little show. Considering you just got done raving about Voltron, I think it would interest you to hear it's essentially a standard Ultraman series that also mixes in heavy dashes of space opera anime flavoring on occasion. Seems like something you might really get into!

Well I'm sold. Maybe I'll start covering it whenever season 2 of the Netflix anime drops, since, ya know, I don't plan to cover that, haha.

I... what???

Yep it was a joint production between Tsuburaya and Hanna Barabara and it came out in the U.S first in english the movie was called Ultraman: The Adventure Begins. Here the movie in stunning Blu-Ray. SFX Fantasy Rayforce

And was later brought over to Japan with a dub and renamed as Ultraman USA.

Sadly the show was never made you can read more on this blog

...well

I know what I'm watching on my next day off.

U40, the only place where togas are still the cool thing to wear. :lolol

So, finally got the free time to sit down and watch this, and I gotta say...

I am SO SAD that this never took off!

Like, holy crap, this was a surprisingly good watch! The animation, the voice acting, the atmosphere, I was totally hooked all throughout!

No joke, I thought this was way better than anything that Netflix Ultraman had to offer, and I would've loved to have seen this turned into a full on TV series. I'm not really sure what else to say other than, if you haven't watched it for yourself yet, it's a smooth hour long pilot that's a ton of fun. 4/6

Also! While it's gonna be a bit before I do another show, as I am currently busy with my LP as well as some other side projects, I decided to compile a list of shows to be potentially covered in the future:

Ones I've seen:

• Betterman
• Casshan
• Cashern Sins
• Heroman
• Iczer
• The Reflection
• Samurai Flamenco
• Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!
• The Skull Man
• Star Driver
• Viewtiful Joe
• Voltron Force

Ones I haven't seen:

• Brave Command Dagwon
• Chojin Barom-1
• Concrete Revolutio
• Garo: Crimson Moon
• Godzilla: Singular Point
• Japan Sinks
• Majin Bone
• Pacific Rim: The Black
• Sonic Soldier Borgman
• Transformers Masterforce
• The☆Ultraman

Keep in mind that while I am aware of other major players, for example, Gatchaman, that show is like 100+ episodes long and I unfortunately don't have that sort of patience. Also, I'm sad to say that me watching SSSS.Dynazenon is gonna have to wait a while, as apparently it's merely only getting a SimulCast and not a SimulDub like how Gridman did. And yes, I specifically wanna see the eventual dub version for consistency.

As always, if there's any show you all wish to have covered first, say so! If not, I'll just use a randomizer as per usual when the time comes.

The☆Ultraman Part 2 Episode 26-50

https://i.ibb.co/xGM5HRC/Joneus-29-50.jpg


Captain Akiyama leaves the show after episode 26 and is replaced. The episode in question looking under the context as Akiyama swan song isn’t that great considering the fact inexplicably he and Mutsumi are left out of the action and spent most of the episode in the base not in the field.

https://image.space.rakuten.co.jp/d/....89.2.9.2.jpeg

But regardless, let's talk about the man who replaces him Gondo Daisuke who noticeably is a stark contrast to his predecessor, more stern, and open he brings a different energy to the show and the dynamic to the characters. Being seen to be harsh at first but seen as an irreplaceable ally by the end of his debut. Plus he has cool sunglasses and wears a jacket over his uniform so that’s cool.


https://i.ibb.co/9tqLN9N/Heller-I.png

The last 10 episodes bring forth the main villain faction that takes center stage the Heller Empire. Heller can be considered a prototype to the Dark Ultra’s Belgian and Tregear years down the line. As the titular Heller was once an Ultra person who forsakes his transformation to gain immortality and was banished from U40 amassed a large following into an empire and now has conquered his homeland. And I do like them as the central antagonist for the last 10 episodes giving the show a focus it didn’t have before.


https://blog-imgs-137.fc2.com/u/l/t/...7211136006.jpg


To show how serious the new threat is to Maddock the signature vehicle of the Science Guard Party was destroyed however an ancient Ultra ship called the Ultria was found and given to the SGP as a gift from the Ultra in this new fight against Heller.

Fish Sandwich described the show being a Space Opera and nowhere is this more apparent in the show finale which has politics, space battles, and siege for U40. However, now we're going to have to talk about the quality of the subs. As many have gotten better understanding TokuHD is pretty terrible thanks to their laughable and depressing “translations” for Agito and Faiz sadly this also the case for this show and Ultraman Cosmos Gridman, and Mirrorman. Now while you can watch the show and understand everything that happens this “quality” should not be excused just because this is an official release. I only tolerate this because it is the only option and this is an excellent show. All four of these shows also don’t have any other alternatives too as nobody has even fansubbed any of these shows. With Shirakura promising to look into them, hopefully, Tsuburaya catches the wind and all three of these shows get better treatment than they so deserve.

Overall The☆Ultraman is an amazing show with classic animation, innovative stories, and ideas that later parts of the franchise would also do. Such as the mentor relationship between the host and Ultra, visiting the homeworld of the Ultra, and being disconnected from the Showa universe. I highly recommend though be wary of the subs and please, hope this and the other two shows (Cosmos, Gridman, and Mirrorman) will get higher quality releases for future releases. (I can take some comfort over the fact that Mill Creek has the rights to Gridman and Cosmos so hopefully they don’t just rip TokuHD “work” as they did with the Gridman streams”)

Honestly that post makes the show sound like something that I'd be totally down for. Will definitely keep it on the list of shows to check out!

Yo DreamSword, here is a show that might tickle your fancy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX_8tobdiMc

It is strictly a Transformers show, but can't ignore the tokusatsu-ness of it especially when you got Dagwon on the list. :lolol