[DreamSword]

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE REFLECTION

TL;DR: While far from perfect, I love this anime a whole lot!

But as per usual, in an effort to end on a high note, we're gonna start with the weak stuff first and then go into why I feel the show is worth watching.

When it comes right down to it, I feel like this was an anime that was absolutely begging to be either twice as long as it was, or at the very least be locked in for a second season right from the outset.

A couple of the character arcs are pretty rushed, and certain plot details are simply handed out without much elaboration. And unfortunately, that stings particularly true for two of the leads: X-On and Eleanor, who, while not outright terrible characters, could've used alot better of pacing.

The Reflection is also unfortunately the kind of show wherein what many would consider its biggest strengths, others would be extremely offput by, as seen by reception of the anime being rather mixed by what few who've seen it. It's such a unique beast that it was unfortunately doomed to be that way. Similar to, say, Kamen Rider Kuuga, as a frame of reference.

But hey, I am very much on the positive side of things when it comes to this show! There's so much cool and interesting aspects to it that, while I wouldn't call it one of my favorite anime of all time, I do like it alot! The art an animation being done to look like a classic comic book in motion, the incredible soundtrack, the engrossing atmosphere, all the unique minds coming together to make this thing happen(Stan Lee included!), and of course, some really good characters!

There's a reason I'm ending this set of reviews off with Sky Show. Not only is it the best song in the entire show, but it belongs to what is also the best character: Ian AKA I-Guy. The story of the man who lost what he considers makes him, well, him, and how he handles the aftermath of it was something that pulled me in immediately, only helped by his likable personality and the great chemistry he had with those around him. I wish he'd've been in the show more, and I've no doubt he would've had there been more than 12 episodes.

In the end, The Reflection, by its very nature, is not a show for everyone. But it most certainly is for me! While a second season is never going to happen due to various factors(Stan Lee being gone, having to get 9nine back, the show flopping, etc[heck, we'd be lucky to even see a DVD release]), I'm so glad I watched this show back when it aired, and had a great time rewatching it now, years later. It's a show where you can tell alot of love and care was put into it, and that made it all the better. It's not perfect, but for what it is, I had a good time, and I'm sad it's likely going to end up forgotten.

I give The Reflection a solid 4/6.

Next up on the shows I plan to cover is Pacific Rim: The Black. See you whenever that happens!

[Daikaijuman54]

I am familiar with Heroman being an Anime by Stan Lee (or at least heavily involved), but this one I had no idea existed, and I am interested in getting around to this one sometime. I have been glancing at your thoughts on each episode, and the images caught my attention, which I love how it looks like a western comic more than an Anime, and the suits look cool to boot.

I've yet to watch Season 2 of Pacific Rim: The Black, though I thought the first season was pretty good, much better than Uprising if anything, so I am curious to see how it wraps up, but I'll be sure to chime in on your trek through that one!

[Fish Sandwich]

It just occurred to me I should probably pop in to actually say this, but I really do enjoy reading these posts from you, DreamSword. It's always especially great seeing you talk about some random obscure series you're passionate about, which has these made past few weeks a lot of fun. I might not have much to contribute to a discussion here, but it's also nice to follow along.

[GuardianAngel87]

Yeah, thanks to your retrospective of the series at the very start of this thread, I’m actually considering watching the Kikaider anime somewhere down the line as well as SSSS Gridman considering I have long since finished the original live-action series of the latter which I ended up loving just as much as its US counterpart.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daikaijuman54

I am familiar with Heroman being an Anime by Stan Lee (or at least heavily involved), but this one I had no idea existed, and I am interested in getting around to this one sometime. I have been glancing at your thoughts on each episode, and the images caught my attention, which I love how it looks like a western comic more than an Anime, and the suits look cool to boot.

The artistry is definitely the thing that stands out the most for this show. While I certainly understand gripes people have voiced with the plot and whatnot, oh man, the art direction and music had me hooked from the getgo. Worth the watch for those if nothing else!

And of course, if you do check out either this or Heroman, then by all means, share your thoughts!

Quote:

I've yet to watch Season 2 of Pacific Rim: The Black, though I thought the first season was pretty good, much better than Uprising if anything, so I am curious to see how it wraps up, but I'll be sure to chime in on your trek through that one!

So uh, confession time! I've never actually seen either of the Pacific Rim movies.

I always WANTED to check them out, mind you, but they both came out at times where I was more focused on other things, and as such could never get around to them.

I plan to correct that soon, though. Does The Black require knowledge of the other two movies to enjoy? I plan to watch the movies beforehand regardless, but I am curious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

It just occurred to me I should probably pop in to actually say this, but I really do enjoy reading these posts from you, DreamSword. It's always especially great seeing you talk about some random obscure series you're passionate about, which has these made past few weeks a lot of fun. I might not have much to contribute to a discussion here, but it's also nice to follow along.

I know I've already said it to you a ton of times already, but for real, thank you for the kind words! I'm glad that people seem to enjoy atleast gleaning through this thread, even if they don't really have much to say.

Which I totally understand, mind you. I am well aware of my taste in anime that almost no one has heard of, haha. But hey, if people's' interest gets piqued, and even better if they end up checking these shows out, even if they end up hating them, then that's a victory for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GuardianAngel87

Yeah, thanks to your retrospective of the series at the very start of this thread, I?m actually considering watching the Kikaider anime somewhere down the line as well as SSSS Gridman considering I have long since finished the original live-action series of the latter which I ended up loving just as much as its US counterpart.

!!!!

Well hey, if my inane ramblings somehow managed to catch your interest, then lemme just say that the shows present themselves better than I ever could! Thank you for reading through them!

And of course, if you do end up watching through either show, be sure to share your thoughts.

[Daikaijuman54]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DreamSword

I plan to correct that soon, though. Does The Black require knowledge of the other two movies to enjoy? I plan to watch the movies beforehand regardless, but I am curious.

I'd say at least the first, to give you perspective of the world and how it works, since if you went in blind, there would be things that would make you ask, "Where do we live? Star Trek (I said as someone who knows just about nothing about Star Trek)?" That and the first being a great movie in general, and anyone into mechs would very much enjoy it.

The second is referenced in The Black, but honestly you don't need too much context from either movie to be honest (but as I said before, the first sets up the world and rules). The main issues in Uprising are the change in tone, turning some of the rules on their head poorly, trying to be modern Hollywood Franchise bait, losing everything that made the first Pacific Rim great, and a lackluster story. I don't like to dwell on negativity for things, as I loved the mech and Kaiju designs for both movies, but Uprising is definitely underwhelming, which fortunately The Black manages to pull off way better.

[Name]

It's no Heroman, but Sky Show isn't a bad show.

...X On sucks tires though.

[DreamSword]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Name

...X On sucks tires though.

He's not great!

[DreamSword]

DS Watched the Pacific Rim Movies!

I just got done watching through both films, and, to put it lightly, I knew exactly what I was getting from like the first ten minutes of both movies.

One thing I've heard in passing about the first movie is that "it's a ripoff of Evangelion" and as someone who's actually seen alot more mecha shows than Eva, I didn't get it. Pacific Rim has alot more in common with 70s and 80s mecha anime such as Mazinger Z and Armored Troopers VOTOMs than it does with Evangelion.

And I mean that too. If you at all seen a mecha anime in your life, or heck, even a basic war movie, you essentially know upfront every single beat that the first movie is going to go through.

That's kinda what makes it fun to watch though?

Like, yeah, the movie is a total cliche, but it is UNAPOLOGETICALLY cliche, and embraces its simplicity in complete earnestness. So if you go with the intent of turning your brain off and just watching giant rips eachother to shreds like how many Godzilla fans do, then yeah, this is good for that.

It helps that alot of the cast is likeable too, most notably Mako, who I kinda felt like was the real main character of the movie? The Drifting scenes were the best aspect in this regard, as I love how it shows us little snippets of every pilot's' life in a really cool effect. While I felt alot of the character deaths were unfortunate, I get what they were going for, and there wasn't anyone in the cast of whom I out and out hated by the end.

Now, Pacific Rim: Uprising, on the other hand...

Maybe it's the fact that everyone warned me about this movie, maybe it's me being a total dum-dum, I dunno, but I actually kinda liked this movie?

Like, yeah, it's not as good as the first one, and yeah, the movie definitely could've stood to be like a half hour longer in order to flesh out the characters more, but as it was, I liked that it did feel like a proper follow-up to the first movie without resorting to just outright undoing the happy ending like how alot of sequels do.

There being an actual consequence for Newt Drifting with the Kaiju hivemind was great, the action was just as good if not better than the first movie, and whoever played Jake had awesome charisma that helped to carry the whole thing. Kaiju Mecha being an awesome concept in itself doesn't hurt either.

Plus, while still cliche like the first, this movie draws more from 80s and 90s mecha shows, which thematically is a good way to follow up on the various tropes that the first movie used.

Killing Mako off and retconning the Kaiju's' plan to be simply blowing up Mt. Fuji was bullshit though I will say.

In the end, these were both popcorn flicks to me. Didn't think too hard about 'em while watching; Just laid back and enjoyed the money on screen. Does that make them better or worse? Well, that's personal preference, but for me, I don't find the movies to be anything incredible, but they are a good way to kill a couple hours for sure.

I give both movies a 3/6.

[Daikaijuman54]

Pacific Rim is a rip-off of Evangelion? That's news to me, shockingly.

I mean, I get they're both near the end of humanity stories with people building robots to fight back, but even after actually watching Evangelion, I don't see it at all, and just like you said, it feels more like Mazinger Z or other Mecha shows than it does Evangelion (for one thing Shinji's not here and there are no scumbag dads, or silver haired bringers of doom).

If I had to compare it in modern terms, it's like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, it's simple, nothing genre bending, groundbreaking, or even particularly influential, as there are things that have pulled it off better, and yet, it pulls off simple, marvelously. It's all in execution!

The thing that's such I love in this movie is the sense of scale here, which is something, oddly enough I don't consider much when I watch giant monster movies, but there was just something beautiful about how heavy the mechs felt, like every time they moved it felt like that scene in Jurassic Park when we first see the Brachiosauruses, just this majestic feeling of awe. Or, as someone who grew up on the Showa Era Godzilla films, it was almost like watching those again in a completely new way, it carried that spirit of old Tokusatsu with it, and that's how I've come to understand why that made this move so good.

And you know what? I actually have nothing against you enjoying Uprising. In fact, I'm almost glad that there are people who can find it in themselves to enjoy things commonly seen in negative light (look at me, I like the 1998 Godzilla and the Star Wars Prequels).

My issue with Uprising happens to be the tone, where the first felt like a true love letter to Kaiju and Mecha fans, keeping a somewhat serious tone and adding interesting flair to this kind of story, and some really great cinematography. While Uprising feels like a parody of said things, unable to really understand why Kaiju and Mecha are so beloved. Sure, there's the lack of weight to the Jaegers, sure, the plot feels like what people think the genre is about, and sure it is very much a Hollywood Franchise Bait movie, and there are things I can appreciate, like the Kaiju and Jeager designs, or the one that looks based off Ultraman, and the Kaiju Drones are a neat concept, but it just didn't work out for me. And yet despite how much I'm not a fan of this movie, there are movies that are lower on my list of bad movies, and also because I don't hold grudges that often.

The only thing I can truly say I despised about Uprising was this one song they used in every trailer, TV spot, and advertisement, it got old fast, and just became annoying. It's a meme now, moreso than the Trolololo song they used in the movie.

For something wholesome, though I'm afraid I can't find a video of it, there was an interview Guiellermo Del Torro did in Japan, and Pigmon shows up and he got really excited and was asking the interviewer to take a picture of him and Pigmon, saying "He's my favorite!" it's really sweet, and funny how he's also a huge Ultraman fan.