The Official Anime & Manga Thread Vol: 三

[matice]

man anyway to watch kiwi no na wa ? heard good things so far. 

 

[PRIME]

Where PRIME at with the weekly reviews.

Fam I fell off so hard...

I need to bounce back. What wave we on now? What's the big fish everyone's following?


I never caught up on OP btw. I got lost in the sauce.

 

[iYen]

We still talking about scenes that made us cry thug tear?

 

[DCAllAfrican]

Tiger Mask W Episode 1 Review: Listen All of Ya’ll, It’s a Sabotage http://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2016/10/03/tiger-mask-w-episode-1-review/

The first episode of Toei’s new Tiger Mask revival anime, Tiger Mask W (pronounced “double” not “double-u”), has aired and it’s quite the interesting show. While it’s very well made and the story is interesting, most of the intrigue for me (and I’m assuming for people that read VOW) came from the meta implications in the story. In that regard, this anime is very much like an actual wrestling show. Sometimes the show behind the show is more interesting than the show itself.

TIGER MASK W EPISODE 1 RECAP
While you might initially assume that the main antagonist of this series would be the Black Tiger character, known here as Tiger the Dark, that doesn’t really seem to be the case. Instead the villains appear to be the Tiger’s Den, the wrestling school that trained Tiger the Dark, and the GWM. The Global Wrestling Monopoly is a far reaching wrestling company that is easily the biggest name in the wrestling business. Though after a particularly brutal and bloody match three years prior to most of the events in this episode, the GWM lost their foothold in Japan. That match looks to be the catalyst for the entire series, motivating both Tiger the Dark and Tiger Mask to begin their journeys after being at ringside for the destruction of their mentor at the hands of the evil Yellow Devil.

In present day, GWM is looking to take back Japan and they’re beginning their campaign with a show called WRESTLE MAX, which will be headlined by GWM’s big star Odin taking on a Japanese wrestler named Kaioh Mikasa. GWM presents Mikasa as a big name, but in reality, he’s a solid hand that is there to get squashed to further the idea of GWM’s superiority. The scene after the WRESTLE MAX announcement, we get the lone inclusion of a New Japan wrestler in this episode.

Kazuchika Okada prepares for his match and talks with a young lion about that upcoming show, saying he’d never wrestle for them because he wouldn’t want to help their business. It’s an odd scene for a couple reasons. Firstly, in a series like this, you wouldn’t assume that the wrestlers would ever talk about the business aspects of the wrestling industry. I figured that Okada would want to go to WRESTLE MAX to literally fight back the GWM invasion. This scene also establishes Okada as a company man, which really drives home the fact that the villain of Tiger Mask W is the cartoon version of the WWE. “We’ll do pro wrestling our way!” Okada exclaims, the subtext being that the New Japan way is the right way and the only way.

As the episode progresses we get to see chunks of WRESTLE MAX, including the debut match of Tiger the Dark, but the main event is where it gets really interesting. It was supposed to be the GWM’s Odin taking on Mikasa, but at the last second, Mikasa is declared to be injured. His replacement? An unknown wrestler by the name of Tiger Mask. Odin controls the match in the early goings, but Tiger Mask is really just playing with him. Tiger Mask dominated the rest of the match, dislocating Odin’s shoulder and knocking him out with a spin kick.

What comes next is absolutely fascinating.

Tiger Mask makes a very calculated move and runs away, losing the match via countout. Instead of sticking around to claim victory and become a top star in GWM, he runs away leaving their top star looking like a joke and giving the audience a lackluster main event finish. This is an act of sabotage. As Okada said earlier, why would Tiger Mask help GWM’s business? Tiger Mask might have taken a loss on paper, but in the eyes of the fans, he’s the true victor that just made GWM look like a joke.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
The first episode of Tiger Mask W offers more depth than I ever thought it would. While this is a show that kids can watch and enjoy, this was very much written with an adult audience in mind. Toei gives the kids something exciting to watch while keeping the adults engaged with a deep story. Tiger Mask W looks at the complexity of the wrestling business in a way that I’ve never seen from something like this before. While it was easy to anticipate that this would be a very pro-New Japan show, it was a shock to see a thinly veiled WWE as the villain and an even bigger shocker to see the hero of the show attempt to beat them by killing their business.

Tiger Mask W is well worth the time investment for wrestling fans. It takes the King of Sport seriously and approaches the business in a completely different way from previous wrestling anime like Kinnikuman. I don’t known how successful this series will go on to be, but I’ll be watching every episode.

Link to Episode 1: Tiger Mask W - Episode #1 - vidéo Dailymotion

 

[jays25]

Opening

I decided towards the end of last week that i'd get back to watching anime on a regular basis again, with my goal being to knock out one series per week like I did during the summer. Since I already watched a few Gundam series during the summer and since i've been meaning to watch all of the entries in the Gundam franchise for a while now, I decided to make G Gundam my first series. I also decided that, since I watched Gundam Wing, Turn A Gundam, and After War Gundam X over the summer, that i'd stick to Gundam series outside of the Universal Century. I'll finish all the other centuries first, before running through that one. With 4 series down now that leaves me with Seed, Seed Destiny, 00, Build Fighters, Build Fighters Try, Reconguista, and Iron Blooded Orphans. SD is a just, so I have no problem skipping that and I watched AGE not too long ago anyways, so I don't feel any need to see it again so soon. I'm pretty excited about this. A few of these i've never seen, so it'll be a new experience and some of them (Like with Wing and G) I haven't seen since they originally aired on Toonami/Adult Swim). This should make for an interesting experience. Assuming I really can continue to finish 1 series per week I should finish in the second to last week of November. After that i'll either start the Universal Century or take a break from Gundam to watch some other series, and then start the Universal Century in 2017.

Similar to Wing, I have very fond memories of this series from when I was a kid. I was interested to see whether it would hold up or whether or not i'd have to accept the fact that i'd be looking back at it through rose tinted lenses. This has always been one of my favorite Gundam series, despite how it branches off from the typical formula and I watched this one before most others. So, what do I think now that i've seen it again?

Characters

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

You know what? Wing has always been my favorite Gundam series, but, overall, I prefer the 5 main Gundam pilots that we get here to the ones we got in Wing. To be blunt, i've never liked Quattre or his Gundam. And after rewatching Wing i'm not all that fond of Wufei either. But here? I like every single member of the new Shuffle Alliance. Chibodee is probably my least favorite member and part of that is because I find him to be too similar to Domon. I also think his Gundam Maxter is a little wack. Beyond that though? I love these guys. At 20 years old, Domon Kasshu is one of the oldest Gundam protagonists (If not the oldest) and I think this was a good change for the series. With a more lighthearted atmosphere than the Universal Century shows that came before it, an older main character allows the problems he's dealing with in his life to be of a more mature nature. His general storyline is one that has always managed to keep me interested throughout. The older brother that got their mother killed and their father frozen, the master who betrayed him, the country that is using him, it's some pretty compelling stuff, which I think will almost instantly get you invested in him and what he's going through. Furthermore, he probably grows more than almost any other protagonist in the franchise. Like Gundam, as great as it is, is not always big on having characters develop from beginning to end. That's not the case for Domon. Despite being older than other protagonists, this entire story is partially about him growing up and coming into his own, both as a fighter and as a person. Though he's already become an experienced martial artist before the series even starts, he continues to advance and study as time passes, and this is something that's nice to see. He's not just plain better than everyone else because of his Gundam or his training. He struggles and has to work extremely hard to get to where he is at the end. Always nice to see.

Wing and G handle their 5 main pilots in different ways. Wing had Heero as the main character, but also ventured off to show what the other guys were doing every now and again. By the end of things, everyone got a bit of focus, but it wasn't equal. G makes Domon the main character and then only tells the stories of the other characters in reference to him and what he's doing or when he shows up. Therefore, you never have any idea what these guys have been doing in-between the last and current times that they met Domon. Both approaches have their advantage, but i've got to give it to Wing overall. However, it really is a theme in this series that the others all gravitate towards Domon for multiple reasons, so having their stories revolve around his makes sense. And each is different enough from the others to not make any of them redundant (Except perhaps for Chibodee. He almost isn't necessary in my opinion). In fact, Sai Saici was always my second favorite character in this series, but now I have a new respect for him. Energetic, cunning, skilled, but still innocent, this kid could easily have been the main character of this series or his own series. His character and story, attempting to revive the Shaolin Temple, are just that interesting in my opinion. In terms of story, i'd say the same for Argo Gulski. Former space pirate who is being forced to fight to earn his freedom and the freedom of his crew? Plenty of potential there. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the personality. But with everyone being from a separate country and the point of the series being to win a tournament to see which country will rule space for the next 4 years, I think the writers did a great job giving everyone a reason/dream to strive for. This made all of the characters likeable. All of them then serve as good support to one another, sharing rivalries with Domon and a bond through their membership in the Shuffle Alliance. As nice as it would have been to see more of what these guys did away from Domon, I can't argue with results. The format used here really allowed characters who were strangers to grow into real teammates and friends over time. All of this was well done, whereas in some anime you'll look at certain characters or teams and be like "They might called themselves friends, but they really don't act like it". That isn't the case here when all is said and done.

Then there's Rain. Comparing her to Dianna/Kihel, Relena, and Tiffa, i'd honestly say she is the least interesting female lead of the lot. She still has an important role, because she's the main characters love interest, his mechanic, and a doctor. I almost wonder if giving her so many roles was done on purpose, because if any one of those was missing i'd probably call her a poor character. As it is, I don't find her to be all that interesting, but she's not bad. She just doesn't do as much as those other female characters. Plus, she gets a sharp word from Domon here and there and folds in on herself. Like the entire final battle has this as a plot element when she's inside the Dark Gundam. Ugh. Funnily enough, I remember liking her far more when I was younger and disliking Allenby. Now it's the other way around. Loud, tough, and fun-loving, i'd definitely rather have gotten a series with Domon and Allenby than Domon and Rain.

Plot

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

This series is a respectable 49 episodes and i'd say you could divide it into 4-6 different arcs if you wanted to. There's the Shinjuku Arc (About the first 15 episodes), the Guyana Highlands Arc (The next 10 episodes), the Gundam Finals Arc (Around another 15 episodes), The Battle Royal Arc (Another 5 episodes), and then the final episodes you could throw into their own arc if you really wanted too, which see's everyone uniting to take down the Dark Gundam once and for all. I have to say, I remember the first arc being way longer than it actually is. I went into the series expecting Domon to spend a good deal of time hunting for Kyoji before he ran into Master Asia, but he really doesn't. The first 5 episodes introduce him and the other main pilots, after which you have him go through a few more battles. He then meets Master Asia again, which leads right into his first battle with the Dark Gundam. After that, the main Gundam tournament is over. Domon goes to the Guyana Highlands to train. I'll admit i'm somewhat disappointed at that. In a series with different countries having their own colonies, where almost every Mobile Suit is a Gundam, I think they could have given us a peak at a few more Gundams before the finals. Because it's an entire year that is supposedly taking place, during which all of these guys are supposed to be fighting various opponents in order to earn a spot in the finals (How exactly this works and how many they have to defeat is really never explained, which isn't a big deal, but is annoying). Just seems like Domon should have gone through a bit more fighting before time was up

The series starts a little slower than I remember. It isn't until around the 10th or 11th episode where I was like "Yeah, now we're cookin, this is some good stuff". The first few fights were meh for me. Nothing special. Honestly, if there was nothing but those fights I could see myself dropping this series if I was watching it today. But this is where the mystery of the Dark Gundam and Domon's picture come into play. You really don't know much about what happened to make him into a Gundam fighter at first, it's just slowly revealed over time and that is perfect. You get some action, nothing amazing, but it's there, combined with a mystery that is developed in a way that you want to find out about it and by the time you do you're hooked. Can't go wrong with that. The basica idea of the Gundam fight being used to avert all out war is an interesting one and since this whole series is basically a tournament, i'd call this one of the better tournaments in anime. Unlike After War Gundam X, not a single episode in this series is filler in my opinion. Everything you get develops one character, introduces another important one, or gives you an important development in the plot or character growth. This is excellent. The writers don't allow anything to go to waste here and I love it. This series is also similar to Turn A and After War, in that there have been various wars in the past, which have caused a substantial bit of damage to Earth. Just like with those series, this ends up being fairly important to the plot. Though this series is a little more...open about the idea and the need to preserve the environment and all. I've seen worse series with a environmentalism angle though.

I'll say that, besides the somewhat slow beginning, I really don't consider any part of this series to be weak in terms of the plot. And the parts that are good, such as Master Asia's betrayal and later conflicts with Domon, the tragedy of the Kasshu Family, and the general inability of the Dark Gundam to stay down, are really good.

No lie, Master Asia's death is one of the most emotional in the franchise in my opinion. His relationship with Domon was handled wonderfully, as was his status as a major villain in the story. This series could not have suceeded without him. This is how you handle a villain properly. At no point before his defeat does he make stupid decisions or mistakes, he's not incompetent, and the hero genuinely struggles to overcome him. Furthermore, he is there every step of the way when it comes to reviving the Dark Gundam and attempting to have it destroy humanity. He pushes the plot forward just as much as Domon does and their relationship really is a central conflict in the story. At the end of the day, the argument presented here is whether or not the Gundam Fight is really the ideal solution to war. Yes, it avoids constant fighting, but fighting still takes place and the Earth is still damaged for it. It also opens the way up for certain individuals to abuse the power that they gain from winning the Gundam fight. It's an interesting question, one which isn't really solved by the end of the series in my opinion. Rather, it's accepted that humans are always fighting and that they need to then keep fighting for a better world. A little cheesy, but not terrible. And I also can't say this isn't developed well at least. The state of the Earth, the hopes and dreams of each Gundam fighter, the effect that this fight has on various Gundam fighters, all of this is constantly shown and spoken about throughout, with many different viewpoints being presented for you to pick from.

One thing is that towards the end I felt they dropped the ball a bit with Ulube. Like in the final 10 episodes he's suddenly revealed to have been a villain all along and he then quickly begins doing terrible thing after terrible thing, and really he's the final villain in the series, besides the Dark Gundam itself. Like damn Ulube, you're evil? Damn Ulube, you shot Dr. Mikamura? Damn Ulube, putting Rain in the Dark Gundam? Damn Ulube, back at it again with the ********.

Designs

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Just like with Wing, I grew up on this series. I knew ahead of time that I loved the designs and nothing has changed since. There are certainly some Gundams that are a little out there, but to be fair they did have to make more Gundam designs than usual. And you even get to see a few cameos of Gundams from other series in fact. This isn't the typical Gundam series of course. It's loud and the fights are over the top. Characters give names to their attacks and call them out whenever they are used. Can't say I don't love it though. The Shining and Burning Fingers are some of my favorite weapons/techniques in the entire franchise, partially because of just how over the top their use is when Domon gives that speech

This hand of mine glows with an awesome power! It's burning grip tells me to defeat you! Take this! And this! And this! My love, my anger, and all of my sorrow! Shining Finger!

Come on, who honestly doesn't love that? I've been quoting that line for years for a bunch of random stuff Like if you're going to tell me you don't like that speech, first and foremost, stop it. Secondly, get help. Third, we can't be friends.

Shining Gundam is cool, as it its Super Mode, but Burning (God) Gundam and its Hyper Mode are better in every way. Despite the difference in series it really does look like your typical Gundam, whereas Turn A would venture into newer territory with its design. But I still love it. I just think they did a really good job taking an old idea and throwing in those over the top elements. Calling Gundams with a snap of the finger from places they could not have possibly been in a second before? Gundams taking a ton of damage and being ok right after? Gundams growing more powerful the more hyped their pilots got? All of this probably threw more than a few people off the series, but I loved every minute of it. And this isn't even just for the Shining and Burning Gundams. I think the other main Gundams (Again, besides Gundam Maxter) turned out great as well and each has its own unique fighting style and techniques associated with it. Probably because of the fact that they had the characters call out their techniques, the staff did a better job making each Gundam special here than the teams of other Gundam series did.

Conclusion

This was the first series not set in the Universal Century and I appreciate how willing the team was to push the envelope. Gundam is primarily a Real Robot anime. Even today, after multiple other non-UC entries, this still holds true. Not for G Gundam though. This series is a Super Robot show through and through. Really, it's far more like Gurren Lagann than it is Mobile Suit Gundam. And i'm aware that not everybody is cool with that. To each his own, but I love it (Then again, Gurren Lagann is one of my favorite anime). A little change is good every now and again, and this series really came through. I would say it is in some ways not as good as it was when I was a kid. Like I mentioned previously, it starts slower than I remember and Rain no longer appeals to me all that much. I still think it's a great series however and it still stands as one of my favorite Gundam series in general. The main character is interesting and actually develops throughout the story. The main villains are all interesting and mostly compelling, while also being different enough to form a diverse group. As much as the series focuses on love towards the end, you'd better believe that the relationships here are well done whether they're romantic, familial, or platonic. You get a bunch of different Gundam designs, with unique styles of combat. And the story itself takes time to focus on things besides the tournament going on, so you don't just get 40+ episodes of the same thing. This is actually one series that I didn't expect to be as good as it was when I was a kid, but while there are some flaws I didn't see as a kid, i'd say that the strong points are even better than I remember. It may be one of the odd entries in this franchise, but i'll always love G Gundam!

Up next week: Gundam Seed

 

[danger style]

G Gundam was a lot of fun. The God Gundam is probably in my top 3 favorite Gundam designs.

Why you gotta play yourself and watch seed tho

Peep victory or turn-a instead

 

[jays25]

G Gundam was a lot of fun. The God Gundam is probably in my top 3 favorite Gundam designs.

Why you gotta play yourself and watch seed tho

Peep victory or turn-a instead

Watched Turn A over the Summer, Victory's UC I really do want to see every single series in the franchise and i've never seen Seed Destiny. At the same time, I don't remember enough about Seed to just be condient watching Destiny on its own. So it's a good set up. Biggest thing I remember about Seed is honestly when Flay was using sex to manipulate Kira :x

 

[PRIME]

Oh we reviewing the greatest story ever told?

Hol'up HOL'UP

Finna make me go back and watch da greatness that is 8th MS team on 0080 this weekend

 

[KingdomFlatbush]

Always thought mechas were trash outside of Evangelion (for deconstructing the genre) and TTGL (for giving no dambs in the best way)

 

[Based Jesus]

Bruh Code Geass, Eureka 7 and Gundam(pick one besides that terrible *** Gundam SD) are straight classics and I know there are more I'm forgetting

 

[Naruto]

Eyeshield 21 is fire

 

[Thierry Henry]

jays25 the Seed series are viewed by purists as complete trash.

Oh we reviewing the greatest story ever told?

Hol'up HOL'UP

Finna make me go back and watch da greatness that is 8th MS team on 0080 this weekend

8th ms team

One of the best Gundam OVAs, I think it got remastered on blu ray recently....

Always thought mechas were trash outside of Evangelion (for deconstructing the genre) and TTGL (for giving no dambs in the best way)

I grew up on the mecha genre, especially Gundam and Zoids, the slander will not be tolerated

 

[KingdomFlatbush]

So what is the number 1 Gundam series to start with.

I just never got into it as a kid. Why watch giant robots fighting when you could see Saiyans doing that same **** with their bare hands?

 

[Based Jesus]

So what is the number 1 Gundam series to start with.

I just never got into it as a kid. Why watch giant robots fighting when you could see Saiyans doing that same **** with their bare hands?

You answered your own question

 

[Thierry Henry]

So what is the number 1 Gundam series to start with?

depends on the timeline, the universal century is the main one and expands throughout many series, OVAs, and movie.

You might want to check out these series outside the UC timeline
G Gundam
Gundam Wing
Gundam 00
Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans(2nd season currently airing)

As far as all the animated media of the UC, I'm gonna try to list them in chronological order of the timeline
MSG:Origins(currently airing, provides a lot of background info leading up to MSG)
Mobile Suit Gundam
0080:War in the Pocket
08th MS Team
Thunderbolt
0083:Stardust Memory
Zeta Gundam
ZZ Gundam
Char's Counterattack
Gundam Unicorn
F91
Victory Gundam

I might be missing a few...but those are the main ones

 

[blakep267]

I thought I was a fan of Gundam but turns out I'm just a fan of Gundam wing and g Gundam. I just can't get into any other Gundam show. I even recognize that iron blooded orphans is well done but I can't do it.

 

[PRIME]

So what is the number 1 Gundam series to start with.

I just never got into it as a kid. Why watch giant robots fighting when you could see Saiyans doing that same **** with their bare hands?

Gundam was always cooler to me as a kid. Space, giant robots, it was the best formula to me. TBH until I saw Bebop, Gundam was the best anime to me (they might be equally as great to me)

If you want the backstory and overall best series, the original MSG is the best place to start. Obviously Wing is the most popular, but MSG, 8th MS team, and 0083 are my favorites.

The best part about Gundam is you can jump in literally anywhere. Whether you're going by the Universal Century or After Colony, none of them require you to go back and watch if you don't want to, but reoccurring characters still make appearances which is cool and I always found unique.

There are so many timelines and storylines you can follow, but in my opinion if you want the purest Gundam experience with in my opinion the best anime story ever told you should go with the Universal Century - http://gundam.wikia.com/wiki/Universal_Century

 

[KingdomFlatbush]

I'll just check out Wing since that's the one I remember most from childhood

BTW the feels were too real in this week's Naruto episode old school music and everything

 

[Armada]

Repped for the G Gundam review. It was my most memorable and favorite from my childhood.

 

[jays25]

Always thought mechas were trash outside of Evangelion (for deconstructing the genre) and TTGL (for giving no dambs in the best way)

You're sleep. Really no other way I can put it man

jays25 the Seed series are viewed by purists as complete trash.

I'm aware. I hold the same opinion.

So what is the number 1 Gundam series to start with.

I just never got into it as a kid. Why watch giant robots fighting when you could see Saiyans doing that same **** with their bare hands?

Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam Wing, or G Gundam. It's always one of those 3 that I suggest for anyone wanting to break into the franchise.

 

[danger style]

0080: War in the Pocket will always be my favorite. My boy Bernie man

I'll just check out Wing since that's the one I remember most from childhood

BTW the feels were too real in this week's Naruto episode old school music and everything

Bruh for **** sake don't watch wing if you really want to watch a stand alone Gundam, you should probably check out 00 or Iron blooded Orphans.

 

[mikeeeeey]

I swear by iron blooded orphans it's the only gundam I've watched in YEARS if there's another gundam similar to it lemme know



Also one piece this week was the perfect bounce back from that sad flashback

 

[anteatert]

So what is the number 1 Gundam series to start with.

I just never got into it as a kid. Why watch giant robots fighting when you could see Saiyans doing that same **** with their bare hands?

Zeta Gundam will always be number 1 in my heart. Easily the best plot and designs in the entire franchise. Turn A Gundam in the end turned out to be such a compelling series. I was surprised when i first got through with it. Both series are a slow burn at first but the end result is worth it.

 

[jays25]

Turn A Gundam is easily one of the best series in the franchise.

 

[2sappy]

Attack on Titan

Spoiler

That is way too much info for me to process right now. I have to read the chapter a few more times.