Fate/Zero TV #005: Magical Mexican Standoff

Well if Iskander did not win over enough fanboys via his actions in the previous episodes than he pretty much conquered his position as King of Bros in the hearts of many this episode. But I would not be surprised if Berserker did not win his fair share of fans this episode as well.  While this episode has the prerequisite Type-Moon levels of dialog the amount of fighting was on par with the last episode with possible even more flashy moves than before. So anyone who was worried we were going straight back into yackity smackity can rest easy for at least one more episode. The action in this episode will calm the need of even the most adrenalin craving soul.

Continue reading

Ongoing Investigations: Case #142

I along with thousands of others rejoiced to hear that Sailor Moon would finally be rereleased in English and thankfully with a new translation to match. And if that wasn’t exciting enough, there are also lovely color pages! Rereading something with such nostalgia for so many of us can be precarious sometimes because there is always the possibility of being let down. Sailor Moon is not that type of title if you are going in with the knowledge that this is a title meant for little girls; a mighty entertaining fantasy adventure that hits all the right notes for little girls. The strength of friendship is central to the series and it really takes hold of that right away. Equal is the intrigue (totally transparent to the audience) of Tuxedo Mask. The pace is happily brisk as Usagi whisks through villains and gains new guardians. The dialogue is rather stiff at times but not sure whether to attribute that problem with translation or not. The art of course shines and doesn’t feel aged though you can see Ms. Takeuchi getting better as the story goes which is only natural. Sailor Moon is a legendary title that changed a genre so that also means that it isn’t a perfect piece. But not being perfect doesn’t prevent it from being point of delight full of naive fantasy. It is great experiencing it all over again.

Well, if Natutaki is talking about the mother of fighting magical girls shows I might as well talk about one of its most modern grandchildren. I have been enjoying Suite Precure even if I have not mentioned it since episode 12. But since episode 35 is the accumulation of a lot of reveals I think it is worth talking about again. In that time the show has had the birth of Cure Beat,  a major power-up, the many reveals around Cure Muse, and of course the unmasking of the true villain of the series. The birth of Cure Beat was in itself pretty cool but as Narutaki mentioned the transformation from Siren to Ellen was sort of lame. It is like after she officially became a Cure some one switched her from evil to good like she was Krusty doll. The reveal of Cure Muse was better of it does require some Superman/Clark Kent and Batman/Bruce Wayne levels of ignorance. Also the reveal of Mephisto not being the big villain was pretty important as he would have made far to weak a foil especially as compared to previous masterminds. Overall I am still enjoying Suite Precure but 35 episodes in it is clear it will never be as strong as Heartcatch. But I am OK with that.

Continue reading

NY Comic Con 2011: Venture Bros.

I will be the first to admit while I think we here at Reverse Thieves do a fine job as press we are hardly big time when it comes to media outlets. This is doubly true when you leave the anime universe and go to something like the NYCC. So when I am allowed access to a real deal press panel I feel pretty good about the site and what we do especially when it involves a show I care about like the Venture Brothers. I was a bit surprised that Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick seemed to know several members of the press quite well. I suppose when you work the nerdy entertainment circuit long enough certain faces become commonplace but it was still something I had never seen before. I had originally planned to put up my audio of the press panel but I found this much nicer video on the Venture Brother Blog.

Continue reading