Sailor Moon Crystal: Episodes 17-18 (Review)

Well, it's been another month, and that means that two more episodes of Sailor Moon Crystal has been released.

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

So far, two of the Sailor Guardians have been captured by the Black Moon clan, and the remaining three Guardians have found out that Chibi-Usa is their target. As they discuss their plans, Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) is suffering from a terrible cold, and she meets up with one of her classmates. However, one of the two remaining Specter sisters do an all-out attack on her, and both Usagi and Minako (Sailor Venus) come to the rescue to only defeat the Specter sister in her tracks. However, Makoto is captured by Rubeus. After he leaves with Makoto, the Sailor Guardians find one of the Specter sister's earrings, and after Chibi-Usa sees it, she freaks out in fear. Then, the final Specter sister goes ahead with her plan to get her revenge for the deaths of her sisters. Soon, Usagi finds out that her broach (that contains the Legendary Silver Crystal) has been stolen by Chibi-Usa, but finds her before Rubeus appears. As Rubeus tries to attack them, Tuxedo Mask appears just in time to save them. Rubeus then retreats as Usagi helps Minako fight the final Specter sister, and kills her off for good. Afterwards, Chibi-Usa reveals that she couldn't use the Legendary Silver Crystal of the Past or the Future in opposite timelines in front of Usagi, Minako, and Tuxedo Mask, and she begs for Usagi to save her mother in the 30th century.

The more we get into, the more intense the story gets.

Written by Nolan Schmidt

Sailor Moon Crystal: Episodes 15-16 (Review)

Well, a new arc started at the end of episode 14, and things are about to get intense for the Sailor Guardians.

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

At the end of Episode 14, we are introduced to a new character: a pink-haired girl who fell from the sky who claims her name is Usagi. Just as things get weird, the girl pulls a gun on Usagi, and demands her to give her the "Legendary Silver Crystal." Soon, she pulls the trigger, and a plunger dart hits Usagi's forehead as Mamoru pulls the girl away. Finally, the girl runs off right before Usagi and Mamoru look for her. They eventually find her at a playground where they give her the name, Chibi-Usa. Afterwards, as they arrive at Usagi's house, Chibi-Usa pulls out her iconic Luna P ball, and hypnotizes Usagi's parents and brother. Of course, this leads to Luna wondering about Chibi-Usa, while Usagi assumes that she's an enemy.

Meanwhile, Rei discovers that there is a new threat: The Black Moon Clan. Afterwards, it is revealed that the Black Moon Clan is after what they call "The Rabbit." Soon, they begin to kidnap any Sailor Guardian that gets in the way. First up is Rei. She was captured at her school fair after Koan (one of the Black Moon Clan's Specter Sisters) used her never-ending blue flame on her as the other Sailor Guardians watch in horror while Rubeus (the leader) takes her away. They soon find out that Chibi-Usa was watching in the shadows all along, and she eventually heads to Mamoru's house with Luna following her. Mamoru realizes that she is full of fear for some particular reason, and he helps cheer her up. As this goes on, Chibi-Usa reveals that her actual name is Small-Lady after her Luna P ball repeats it a couple of time. The following morning, Mamoru brings Chibi-Usa back to Usagi's house, and he assures her along with Luna that she is not an enemy.

Soon, it is revealed that the Black Moon Clan's next kidnapping target is Ami. They send another Specter Sister, Berthier, to challenge Ami to a chess game, but gives her a choice to give up "The Rabbit" (which the Sailor Guardians think is a reference to Usagi). However, Ami wins the game before she is captured in a water sphere, and taken away by Rubeus right after Berthier's defeat.

What will happen next? Guess we'll have to see next month for episodes 17 and 18.

Written by Nolan Schmidt

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (Review)

Well, with the Oscars coming up, I decided to review one of the nominees for Best Animated Feature, and it's none other than Isao Takahata's The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.

In 2013, Studio Ghibli released two animated films: The Wind Rises and The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, and both films had their share of success. With The Wind Rises being quoted as Hayao Miyazaki's swansong, Kaguya was Takahata's first film since his 1999 film, My Neighbors The Yamadas. It wasn't until last year when GKIDS gave the film a limited theatrical release in the United States, and it received much praise from the critics which included getting a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

I have to give credit where credit is due: the director himself, Isao Takahata, and his choice of animation style. Ever since the release of his 1968 directorial debut, Horus, Prince of the Sun (also known as The Little Norse Prince in some territories), he has directed visually-unique films that are either very entertaining or very dramatic, and this is especially true in the cases of Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, and My Neighbors The Yamadas. In his major comeback since Yamadas, He chooses a visual style that is based off of older Japanese illustrations, and in a way, it is both impressive and beautiful to look at on screen.

Of course, there is also the story of which Kaguya is based off from, and it is none other than the ancient Japanese folktale, "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." The folktale itself is about a bamboo cutter and his wife finding a small princess in a bamboo shoot, and they raise her as she continues to grow like bamboo. Soon, the bamboo cutter and his wife ends up buying a mansion for the princess, and they later find out a major secret from her. Takahata remains faithful in his adaptation of the story, but he did make a few changes and cuts to the story to make it more appropriate for the big screen.

In my opinion, the film itself has to be one of the most visually entertaining and dramatic animated films I've ever seen in my life. However, the film does become very emotional in the third act, so if you get emotional during sad or depressing scenes, make sure to have some tissues handy before watching the film.

Written by Nolan Schmidt

Sailor Moon Crystal: Episode 13-14 (Review)

Well, the final battle between the Sailor Moon and the evil Queen Metalia happened this month, and all I have to say was "It was intense."

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

It all starts with a recap of Usagi making the choice of taking her life along with a possessed Mamoru, and the Legendary Silver Crystal grows and covers both of their bodies. After Queen Metalia takes the crystal for herself, the remaining Sailor Guardians start their battle against her on Earth, and both Luna and Artemis go to the Chamber of Prayer after arriving on the moon. However, the Sailor Guardians are defeated, and Luna starts to pray for Usagi. Meanwhile, Usagi wakes up inside Metalia (realizing that both her and Mamoru are not dead) and the Crystal reveals its powers to Usagi. She then escapes from inside Metalia with a now awaken Mamoru, and even Mamoru gets one final visit with the spirits of the Four Kings. Finally, Usagi uses the Crystal's powers to defeat Metalia once and for all, with a little help from Luna's prayers. With Metalia finally defeated, Usagi wakes up to find Mamoru checking on her, and they kiss. Soon, Luna calls for Usagi to return to the moon, but she finds out that her brooch was damaged when she defeated Metalia. However, she uses the power of the Legendary Silver Crystal to return to the moon to receive a new brooch from the spirit of Queen Serenity, and she heals the Earth from the darkness that remained from Metalia. The Sailor Guardians are reunited with Serenity, and everything is back to normal....right?

Oh, wait. I forgot that we're only halfway through the series. So, at the end of episode 14, we are introduced to a new character, a pink-haired little girl who fell from the sky who calls herself "Usagi." And, she is looking for the Legendary Silver Crystal. This is going to be interesting.

From what I saw, these two episodes were pretty faithful to the events of the manga, especially the introduction of a new character. Well, all I have to say is that the story isn't over yet, my fair readers. Looks like we are going into another story arc.

Written by Nolan Schmidt

M.D. Geist (OVA): A Review

Dang. It's been awhile since I reviewed an older anime, but I now decided to go back to do my job as an anime reviewer for this blog. So, what am I reviewing this time?

M.D. Geist, huh? Well, it looks like I'm doing one of the bad titles this time.

M.D. Geist was a post-apocalyptic/science-fiction original video animation (OVA) that was released back in 1986 (with a director's cut that contained five minutes of additional footage that was created ten years later). Some of the big things about this title is that it was one of the works of Koichi Ohata (who would later direct Cybernetics Guardian, Genocyber, Burst Angel, and the Blue Gender movie), and it was one of U.S. Manga Corps' favorite titles (since they later released a special edition DVD of the anime and had the character in their logo). However, it is known publicly as one of the worst anime titles to come out during the early days of late 80s/early 90s anime that came to the United States.

But, you are probably wanting to ask what is my opinion of the OVA. I shall explain it to you now.

The first OVA episode that came out in 1986 was probably one of the cheesiest things I have seen for an anime that came out around that time. From the over-the-top violence and a scene of nudity, you can really tell that it is a schlocky anime. However, for some reason, I was enjoying how schlocky it was, and the early 90s English dub is more along the lines of "this is our first try" bad. The OVA itself is about a man by the name of Geist, who was a part of the most dangerous (M.D.) soldiers to fend off enemies, and how he "helps" an army stop a doomsday device. Pretty much, the story is pretty generic, but my question is about this anime is: "How is this different than the other doomsday device stories?" Well, the only answer that the anime gives me is "Is Geist a good guy or a bad guy?" After watching the first OVA, I couldn't really think of Geist as a good protagonist due to how the anime portrayed him. So, technically, the anime has a "we must stop the doomsday device" storyline with a main character who is very difficult to understand.

However, things get worst in the 1996 sequel, M.D. Geist II: Death Force, where the world that the anime is based in gets taken over by carnivorous insect-looking robots (Yeah. I don't get that concept either.). We find out that Geist was genetically created along with another M.D. soldier named Krauser (who sees himself as a perfectly-created hero for the world), and how the two eventually face off against each other at Krauser's fortress (which keeps the remaining human surviors). There's not really much I can talk about this one except for the story jumping around everywhere, the carnivorous robots, and the dub. Oh boy. The dub for this one is so terrible that I busted out laughing at how some of the lines were delivered and the bad writing.

So, as I can come up, M.D. Geist is indeed a bad anime. Is it the worst I've seen? My answer is no. The way I see the OVA in total is that it's one of those "so bad it's good" anime titles. However, my recommendation for this film is going to be a bit different. If you like something with a good amount of schlock and bad dubbing, I would say watch it. But, if you're personally not into schlock, I wouldn't recommend it.

Anyway, I shall be looking forward to my next review. What older anime title will I review next? I will probably have to look deep within my anime collection for that one.

Written by Nolan Schmidt

Sailor Moon Crystal: Episodes 11-12 (Review)

Well, this month, audience saw a complete twist to the story which resulted in emotional moments that the Sailor Guardians faced.

WARNING! THIS REVIEW DOES CONTAIN SPOILERS!

We last left off seeing that Mamoru is now under the control of Queen Beryl, and now, he's going by his original incarnation's name, Endymion. Plus, with Queen Beryl controlling the strings, he is after the Legendary Silver Crystal, and he has even brain-washed Motoki, who works at the arcade. Soon, the Sailor Guardians are up against him, and Usagi being reluctant to fight him. Then, Queen Beryl comes in and reveals the true villain to the Guardians: Queen Metalia. However, before she can escape with Mamoru, Queen Beryl is finally killed off, and Usagi follows Mamoru into the Dark Kingdom. The four other guardians follow suit, but they are greeted by the Four Kings. However, the guardians are able to purify them before Queen Metalia finishes them off for good for disobeying her orders. Afterwards, Usagi makes the most difficult decision to help bring Mamoru back to his senses, which may cost her life to do.

Besides changing the manga's story by having the Four Kings remain as long as they did in this reboot, there were some alterations and cuts made to have the story give the story a bit more flow in the show's case. However, this leaves the question, what will happen now? Well, with the New Year coming in a couple of days, we won't have that long to wait.

Written by Nolan Schmidt

Sailor Moon Crystal: Episodes 9-10 (Review)

After a pretty dramatic cliffhanger at the end of episode 8, the Sailor Guardians face some big revealing information within both episodes nine and ten, and if you are a hardcore Sailor Moon fan, then you already know what the big reveal is.

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

As we begin episode nine, we start off by recapping the end of episode eight where Tuxedo Mask is hit by a energy blast. Believing that he's dead, Usagi begins to cry out, until...

Yep. Her powers turns her into Princess Serenity, and one of her tears turns into the "Legendary Silver Crystal." Also, Sailor V's crescent symbol on her forehead turns into the Venus symbol. The Princess's memories re-awakens in Usagi as she sees the flashbacks of her and Prince Endymion of Earth (aka Tuxedo Mask). Soon, the powers of the Crystal goes into Tuxedo Mask, and the Dark Kingdom runs off taking him with them. After several days, Usagi and the other Sailor Guardians finally decide to go to the Moon.

Meanwhile, the Four Kings of Heaven's memories start to re-awaken in episode ten as they look upon the unconscious Tuxedo Mask, and it is revealed that they were once Endymion's loyal soldiers. However, Queen Beryl puts them under her control again, and send them to fight the Sailor Guardians once again. During this time, the Sailor Guardians arrive on the moon where they meet up with a memory message from Queen Serenity, who reveals the entire story of what happened many years ago to them. They then swear that they will defeat the Dark Kingdom, and Usagi swears that she will rescue Tuxedo Mask. When they get back, they are attacked by the Four Kings, but before they can re-store their memories, the Four Kings retreat. And, we end off with Queen Beryl brainwashing Tuxedo Mask, leaving us with a new plot twist.

So far, the episode have been close to the manga, except for some changes to the story as usual. However, whatever happens next depends on what is seen in both episodes eleven and twelve next month.

Written by Nolan Schmidt