A case for action in Resident Evil

Like most people, I am really glad that Capcom is reintroducing the survivor horror element back to the Resident Evil series. However, I understand why Capcom has decidedly switched to a more action-centric direction post-RE4, and unlike most people, I am actually okay with that. Don’t get me wrong, I personally think RE5 was a disappointment and RE6 a downright mess of a video game. Although the RE2 remake is indeed a remarkable ode to survival horror, and I am very much looking forward to the inevitable RE3 remake, let’s be honest to ourselves; We can only play the same type of game over and over again. That is why I believe that a bit of action injected into the series is a a breath of fresh air, and it actually does make a lot of sense in terms of the storyline and character development. Let me explain.

I remembered back in 2012 when I saw the trailer for RE6, I felt incredibly pumped, particularly for Chris Redfield’s campaign. I really like the fact that the game takes place in China because hey, China is the most populated country in the world. Imagine the number of zombies you have to wiggle your way through to victory. Unlike the previous instalments where the zombie epidemic was relatively well-contained, what I had envisioned for RE6 was for it to be a full-blown nation-wide pandemic where there are chaos and mass panic all over, and you as a BSAA operative (Read: Chris Redfield. My apologies, I really love that guy) and your team have to go in and control the situation. If you think about it, it is simply an upscale of how things were; instead of a single player or two surviving a hallway of, say, 5 zombies, how about Chris and his battalion of 10 soldiers going up against 50 zombies and maybe throw some civilians in the mix just to complicate things? Those zombies, of course, must be actual zombies and not ‘intelligent’ parasite-infected beings with machine guns, lest it becomes Call of Duty (Sounds familiar?). This is the reason why I felt RE6 is a colossal missed opportunity that had many potentials to be great. I actually like how they reintroduce RE2-esque separate campaigns for different characters and make their paths cross and even fight each other (albeit only for about 20 seconds). I also like the fact that Leon’s campaign is centred on survival horror and Chris’ campaign focused on action (only here, too much action). I’d say stick to that idea and scrap Jake’s campaign altogether. A few caveats: Although I do think that action is the way to go, it must be well restrained. Resident Evil must not have Devil May Cry level of action *cough* Jake *cough*, and it must never ever lose survivor horror as its main theme like RE5, RE6 and I would argue even RE4 had. Also, the zombies and bosses must be grounded in science and reality. Part of what makes Resident Evil a great game is how the players felt like they are in the situation. For it to work, it must not demand too much of suspension of disbelief. This is why I think RE7 is simply Capcom’s little conceptual study to see fans’ reactions before they make a dramatic decision. I don’t mean that it’s a bad game, but it has far too many supernatural elements and too less science to be considered a true Resident Evil game. Also, this is why the RE2 remake is by far the best game in the franchise.

Here’s my pitch to Capcom for the future directions of the Resident Evil franchise: As RE2 is focused on Leon and Claire, RE3’s remake should not only focus on Jill, but also Chris. Then, make some spin-off games to expand on these characters’ development survival horror style ala Revelations 2. Forget RE4 ever happened (Please don’t hate me. I know it’s an awesome game, but it’s a tad too cheesy and comical to be canonical). By this point, we’d probably be a little tired of surviving zombies with limited resources, and I’m sure the characters are well trained to throw some serious punches. Now, introduce the ‘real’ RE4 which would be what RE6 could have been: survival horror with a healthy dose of action. Throw every zombies and G-viruses on the street and give us some big guns with more but still limited amount of ammo. RE6 can also star every character that we have come to love: Leon, Claire, Jill, Chris, Ada, Barry and the lot. Then at the end, discover the fact that Albert Wesker was the one pulling the strings behind all their predicaments in the previous games. All the characters get to participate in defeating Wesker at the end and that would have been a much more satisfying conclusion compared to the one we got in RE5. The good thing is that Capcom then have the option to recycle the formula (horror, horror, horror + action…) with new characters and threats whilst keeping things fresh and not boring the fans. Other types of spin-offs like Operation Raccoon City is actually a brilliant idea too, but Capcom mustn’t be lazy about it.

Honestly, I doubt any of these are ever going to happen as I’m sure the developers and fans alike have developed a sort of phobia towards action in the Resident Evil series. Also, I don’t own any stakes in Capcom. Nevertheless, I am happy that Capcom has finally regained its traction, and I am thrilled to see what comes next.

Movie Review: Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends

I went into the cinema with one ear partially deaf, I came out with both ears partially deaf!

They just don't die!

Title: るろうに剣心：伝説の最期編 (Rurouni Kenshin: Densetsu no Saigo Hen)

What is it about: The continuation of Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno where Kenshin and Shishio finally get the chance to settle stuffs.

Review: This... This is one movie where after you watched it (even though it's two and a  half hours long), you will want MORE!!!

Having watched an untold number of American films and a few Chinese films (no racism intended), the first thing that I noticed immediately after watching this movie is how Japanese it feels. Firstly, it's apparent to me that even a movie as epic as this one would actually take its time to slowly develop the characters and storyline, hence the long run time. However, that is something I really appreciate. Also, you'll notice the care that the makers of this movie has for the audiences. They realize there are some people out there who didn't actually watch the first movie and/or Kyoto Inferno (for example, because the movie only released for like two weeks in my local cinema and many people didn't get the chance to watch it!!!), there are attempts made give those audiences some back story so that they won't be completely lost, without actually jeopardizing the interest of those who has watched the past movies by having too much flashbacks. However, if you are one of those who watched the previous movies, you'll notice how similar this movie really is to the first... The dojo fight, the Sanosuke fist fight, the Gatling gun, ring a bell?

Most of the plots of this movie is taken care of in Kyoto Inferno. Therefore, this movie is pretty much the wrap up of Kyoto Inferno with loads and loads of fight scenes. Guys are really going to love this movie. Speaking of guys, this movie is so packed with action that there's barely any important female roles in it (no sexism intended). Kaoru for example, is pretty much not seen in the entire movie. The newly introduced Misao appeared in several scenes but does nothing particularly important. The entire movie is about politics, warfare and nothing else, and it's brutally good! I'm a guy and I do enjoy seeing pretty girls in a movie. However, this movie is all about the adrenaline and not so much the oxytocin (If you get what I mean). Everything builds up to prepare all the characters for one last brutal showdown with Shishio, and you won't be disappointed. The final fight scene in this movie is one of the best I've ever watched, especially the part where Kenshin unleashes on Shishio his newly-mastered ultimate form of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu Battoujutsu, Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki or Flash of the Heavenly Flying Dragon. By the way, he wasn't kidding about the flying part.

As for the characters of this movie, well, they are pretty much the same as Kyoto Inferno. The movie did a great job in character development, but I wished there were more. I felt that there are certain characters are slightly underdeveloped. But hey, this movie is no longer about character development. It's about character extermination. I guess the only new character that is introduced here is Kenshin's master. Do you wanna know why the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu is so powerful? That's because Kenshin's master is none other than the genius physics associate professor in Teito University:

No, I'm serious...

In the end, physics always win even when going against a sword which breaths fire. Okay, I'm just kidding. That was the professor from the movie Suspect X, otherwise known as Yougisha Ekkusu no Kenshin. Wait a minute, maybe it wasn't a joke after all! You can read my review of Suspect X here.

Alright, back to Rurouni Kenshin. I hereby pronounce this movie the best movie I've ever watched in the cinema, ever. This movie isn't perfect, but I feel completely drawn into it, and I wanted MORE!!! Oh the adrenaline...

Rating: 

 / 10

P.S.: Wanna know a reason why this movie and the previous one is so exciting? Check out this YouTube video =)

Movie Review: Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno

FINALLY!!! I finally got to watch this movie after a month of excruciating wait, which almost made me did some crazy stuffs while waiting. This movie (and its sequel) came out about a month ago in Japan and almost everywhere else in Asia except my home country in Malaysia. I gave Malaysia the benefit of doubt as I waited because there was a source saying that the release date is to be announced. However, after several weeks, I was quite confident that this movie will not be released in Malaysia. I actually planned to go all the way to Singapore just to watch this movie. Unfortunately, some stuffs happened and I didn't managed to go to Singapore. I was quite sad actually. I would not settle for watching this movie on home video. I must watch it on the big screen no matter what. Fortunately however, I found out that this movie in fact will be releasing in my local cinemas pretty soon. And so I continue to wait and wait and wait...

So here it is finally! The movie that I anticipated the most... And I love it! ^^

The law of insignificant villains states that
the greater the number of bad guys, the more insignificant
and more useless they are.

Title: Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Taika Hen

What is it about: War and revenge, and also about Himura Battousai of course! XD

Review: Firstly, I'll be the first to admit that this movie isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you haven't already know, this movie is actually a sequel to a Rurouni Kenshin movie back in 2012. Unlike the first movie, this movie is much more elaborate and complex. Just a recap, the first movie talks about the war that brought about the peaceful Meiji era (Search up Battle of Toba-Fushimi if you care about history), how the Hitokiri Battousai became a Rurouni, etc. Yeah, I know your head is starting to spin from all those Japanese jargon. Basically, it's about how Kenshin retire from being an assassin to become a wanderer. The story also tells of how Kenshin and Kaoru met and stuffs like that. I'm pretty sure you know who they are and what's happening. In the first movie, the villains are simply some ex-samurai who doesn't enjoy the peaceful era. In the latest movie however, things aren't so simple. As a result, this movie is almost 2 and a half hours long, and it's only the first part. Another sequel which is a direct continuation of this movie is releasing soon (in my terribly slowpoke country. You've watched it already, so spoilers please! >.<).

So, what is this movie about? While the first movie is pretty straight-to-the-point, it's not so much the case in this movie. Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno takes its time to slowly and carefully develop the storyline and the many characters it introduces. As a result, the characters in this movie talks more than they fight. That's not necessary a bad thing however. Being a Rurouni Kenshin movie, when they do fight, it's pretty damn good! I don't want to give out too much of a spoiler just in case there are people who hasn't got the chance to watch it yet, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno basically talks about an evil samurai's plan to overthrow the Meiji government and take over the whole of Japan. What makes it different from the first movie is that in the first, Kenshin is to stop a few samurai from causing a havoc. In this however, Kenshin is downright going for war. In Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno, there are loads of war plotting and battle of wits. Sometimes, brainfights can be just as interesting as swordfights.

Before we proceed, there are some characters that you'll need to know amidst the many new characters introduced. To most important one being Shishio Makoto the main villain of this movie. Don't worry, I won't spoil the story for you, but what you must know is that Shishio is a really evil, intelligent, cunning, ruthless and powerful guy both in terms of strength and political power. Just imagine, this one guy with his fleet of samurai, waging war against the whole country. He did managed to control some parts of Japan, destroying many villages in the process. He even managed to push the government to desperation to the point that they have no choice but to put Japan's fate in the hands on Himura Kenshin. Yeah, hes really bad. The point that I wanted to make is that he's so bad and Himura Kenshin is having such a tough time dealing with Shishio that they won't be fighting each other in this movie. Like in a video game, Kenshin has not reached the final boss yet. Yes, in the whole 2 and a half hours, Kenshin and Shishio has never fought even once. Kenshin is merely trying to do some damage control protecting some people and fighting some of Shishio's men while trying to outwit Shishio's strategies. That said, if you are the type of people who enjoys storytelling, this movie is not necessarily bad. In fact, its far from bad. This movie is really really good. One of the things I really enjoyed in this movie is its sense of adventure, as though you are playing a Japanese role-play game. However, if you are the type who watches this movie solely for the action, well, there are much to be offered, but you'll have to wait for them.

To conclude, this is one of the best movies I've watched in the cinema. Maybe it's the fanboy in me that's screaming, but it definitely is worth your time and money. Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno isn't exactly a perfect movie and watching it may require some patience and appreciation of story development so to speak, but it's most certainly movie of the year. I believe the sequel is going to be much more exciting than this. This movie did end in a cliffhanger with quite a few unanswered questions, and the suspense is really great. I guess they are done chasing each other in this movie. In the next, they are going for the kill. Good thing the next movie is only two weeks apart from the first. Otherwise, the suspense would have killed me like Shishio would. These two movies (in fact, all three Rurouni Kenshin movies) are definitely worth your investments. Just one thing though, try not to watch this movie in midnight like I did. You'll probably need to struggle a bit to stay awake because this movie does require your mind to process it. But hey, there's Kaoru! XD

Rating: 9.5/10

Movie Review: Godzilla 2014

Hi once again! I guess you have heard a lot of this movie and I supposed there are many differing opinions about it. Though having a significant place in my childhood, I was never really a fan of Godzilla, that is until I have watched this one. Since the Digital version of this movie has been released, here's my review of the movie. (Some spoilers ahead)

"Wow, look at all these ants!"

Title: Godzilla (or as the Japanese prefers to call it, GOJIRA!!!!!)

Year: 2014

What is it about: Monsters rampaging the city. Oops, my bad. It's actually more about the human soldiers doing... stuffs.

Review: Without further ado, let us first look into the characters in this movie because it is the characters than influenced this movie the most rather than the plot and whatnot. In the beginning of the movie, we were introduced to the scientist Joe Brody as the main character, or so I thought. There was a mishap which claimed the life of his wife, and quite a good storyline begins to flow from there, mostly involving Brody trying to determine what really caused the mishap and killed his wife. *ahem.. not... Godzilla... ahem*

On the other hand, we were also introduced to a few more important characters such as Dr. Daisuke Serizawa, another scientist who prefers to call Godzilla the name it deserves, "Gojira", and Brody's son, U.S. Marine Lieutenant Ford who shall soon be promoted to main character. Dr. Daisuke's presence in the film is rather peculiar because his only role, though being an important character, is to deliver a few punch lines while making that stressful face of his. Once of the most popular punch lines is "Let them fight!" which obviously lead to you feeling excited, but I can imagine that most people would be disappointed from then on as I shall explain.

Notice that until now I did not really mention anything about Godzilla or any other creatures? Well, that's because they aren't really important in this film which includes Godzilla himself. Kinda funny how this movie was actually named after him. If anything at all, this movie should be called "Godzilla's spine', or 'Godzilla's backside', because throughout the movie you'll only get to see Godzilla's rear as he swims in the lake, rising up to reveal himself only a couple of times. He is insignificant like that. The most significant character in this movie turns out to be Lt. Ford and his fellow marines because the military is the focus of this movie. So forgive me for saying that this movie is about monsters rampaging the city. Well, it ought to be, but they failed miserably in that regard. In fact, Lt. Ford is so important in this movie that they killed off Brody, the only one who can act decently and has the most emotional impact in the whole of Godzilla 2014. Brody is played by Bryan Cranston by the way. Not that I know who he is, but I supposed you do.

Now, onto the plot and everything else. So this movie is actually about two monsters known as MUTO rampaging the city as they enter their mating season. This movie does have a few references to biology and I find that pretty cool. So as MUTO was destroying err... a city in America, Godzilla hunts them down to establish his title as alpha monster. Meanwhile, the military sets out to destroy all 3 of the monsters using the most laughable method ever devised. They are planning to blow them up with nuclear bomb, you know, in a city in America. Also, did I mention that nuclear energy is actually MUTO's food? So, yeah. Good luck with that smartass plan. Fortunately, the Japanese scientist is smarter as he puts his faith in the biological pest control method. His saw Godzilla as a hope rather than a threat, and plans to let Godzilla take care of the MUTOs. Obviously, the military rejected the plan and sets out to detonate the bomb anyway as the 3 monsters were fighting, and from then the movie focuses on the mission. See, here's the big problem with this movie. It sets up greatly for Godzilla to meet the MUTO, gear set and all ready to fight, and having Dr. Daisuke deliver the 'GO' punchline, "Let them fight!", and then guess what happened. They fought? Yes, but unfortunately you won't get to see it. Because who gives a damn about a few unimportant characters fighting each other? Lt. Ford and his half-brain, terribly failed mission is much more important than that! So the movie cut off to show you more of the military just as the monster are about to have an epic showdown. By the way, this does not happen only once, but many times. And hence my face is all red from too many facepalms.

So this has been going on for quite a while as we reach the climax where the nuclear mission failed miserably (HAHA!!) and once again Godzilla meet the two MUTO. Here's where the fun part begin and really the only 5 minutes in this movie worth watching. This time they actually show you the fight, and here's where Godzilla shows off his amazingly long and epic roar, and his iconic Atomic Breath. Sadly though, this took place in the dark so you will need to dilate your pupils a little to see what's going on. Also, this epic scene did not last really long. The film concludes with Godzilla, having injured by MUTO, blacked out next to the nuclear bomb that the military failed to recover, and the nuclear bomb literally blow up right next to Godzilla. The next thing you know, guess what, not even a scratch on Godzilla. Hey U.S. Marine, here's a derp clap for you. *clap... clap... clap*

In conclusion, I really like the remodeled Godzilla even though he looks kinda fat. But I think it is biologically and physically necessary for Godzilla's size. I liked the exciting scenes of monster rampage, however few there are, and I liked the background music that compliments it. But overall, this movie was a bit of a letdown. A sequel is on the way, and I really look forward to it. This time, seriously, for Pete's sake, LET THEM FIGHT!!! >.<

Rating: 6/10

Anime Review: Date A Live II

As you know, I had been pretty emotional for the past few weeks because of the whole ClariS thing, but I sure am glad my copy of their latest album flew to me all the way from Japan. Don't worry, I won't be talking about ClariS this time, but rather the latest anime I watched because it's my study week and finals is two weeks away. Good anime always come out at times like these. Anyway, I am talking about a new season of Date A Live, arguably among the best anime ever and also one with the weirdest title ever which, surprisingly, kinda make sense. Well, it's Japan we're talking about here. Who gives a damn about grammar?

Notice there's no Yoshino in this picture?

Title: Date A Live II

What is it about: Erm... Spirits. Much like the first season except with more annoying spirits.

My review: To start things off, I really enjoyed the opening sequence of this anime. I find the introduction pretty hilarious and I do remember laughing a lot. I really enjoyed it, and perhaps because of that and the season before it, I kind of had quite a high expectation for this anime. So the first episode was pretty entertaining, but it wasn't before long that Date A Live II (Henceforth shall be known as DAL 2) took a downfall, beginning from no more than the second episode itself right when the Yamai sisters are introduced. The enjoyment curve of DAL 2 has a funny shape really, but let's talk about the Yamai sister for now. My goodness they are annoying. Their fights are cool and all, but when they took their battle suit off, they instantly became a nuisance especially around Shido. For one thing their storyline doesn't even make sense, much less their motive for battle and the way Yuzuru speaks... Did they actually find that amusing? Because I find it nothing but annoying. On the bright side, we get to hear a Japanese Australian seiyuu in action. Not that you can tell anyway.

So, the Yamai sisters are new characters introduced in the second season. I have no problem with that. What I do have a problem with is how they are capable of turning DAL 2 almost into another anime. And I got lots to talk about this. I hated it when DAL 2 seems to be heading to a different direction which unfortunately one I dislike. It seems that their focus now are the worst possible attempts to make us laugh: cheap meaningless humor. At this point Shido kept falling into super ecchi To Love Ru accidents like the idiotic-girls-got-the-main-guy-character-in-deep-naked-shit cliche. Not funny if you ask me. I'm actually getting real tired of this crap (Maybe also because I was watching Nisekoi at the same time. You can read all about it in my review.). The part where both of them tried to seduce Shido to determine who is more erm... seductive. Kinda reminds you of Kiss X Sis don't you think? Don't know what Kiss X Sis is? Well, there are things in the world that is better off not occupying your brain space. This is one of them. Good news, these annoyance lasted only for about 2 episodes before we are introduced to something new. Bad news, this new character we are introduced to is even more annoying than the Yamai sisters. I swear I seriously hated the first few episodes of Date A Live. Anyway, this new character I am talking about is Miku, codenamed Diva. If it sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. Also, she has blue hair. The only problem is that she is voiced by Chihara Minori, not exactly my favorite seiyuu. Worst off, I really don't enjoy her songs, but DAL 2 couldn't resist the urge to make her super popular by making background character fall in love with her songs for the sake of the plot. Oh, did I mention that that is her power as well, to use her voice to make people like her and obeys her? Honestly, she is a really annoying character from the beginning, then she has to transform herself into a somewhat-failed tsundere character after having involved with Shido. What pisses me off the most in the entire crap is the fact that Yoshino and the Yamai sisters are being controlled by Miku. I don't care about the Yamai sisters, but how dare they make my kawaii Yoshino Miku's puppet! Someone needs to kick Miku's ass real hard. Fortunately, we do have the perfect person for the job. Introducing... wait for it... *drum roll*... Kurumi! Yes, Miku is so very toast! XD

Ever since Kurumi showed up, DAL 2 all of a sudden became drastically interesting. All the good stuffs and good characters appear at the same time. What amazed me most in DAL 2 is its ability to make characters I previously didn't care or downright disliked, awesome. They even managed to make that idiot Kyouhei Kannazuki awesome during a spaceship battle. Yeap, spaceship battle. You are now watching a more idiotic version episode of Gundam Seed. Also, Shido is able to summon Tohka's Sandalphon using brain power now. Oh, didn't know I'm watching Fate Stay Night. Shido, Shiro, geddit? Nevermind. At least Shido is way more useful and less annoying than Shiro is. Speaking of Fate Stay Night, Tohka kind of reminds me of Saber. As I put it, Tohka is basically a moe moe kyun version of Saber >.<

By the way, DAL 2 manages to make even Tobiichi Origami awesome, a character I previously hated to the max. She is so awesome it is looks like she came straight out of  Infinite Stratos minus all the uncoolness. We now have some epic Infinite Stratos-style human-in-robotic-suit partly-Gundam style mid-air battles, thanks to Origami from AST, some new villains with similar power from DEM the new villain organization, and not forgetting the most badass definition of kawaii character ever, Mana. By this time I was wondering where in the world did all the original characters went, but nobody cares anymore. Mana is really cool, but too bad they didn't show much of her this time. Her combat scenes are really worth the watch. Also we have some pretty nasty villains from DEM.

So until now, Miku is getting a buttkick from Kurumi, Mana and Origami is having an Gundam-cum-IS war, oh... Minor spoilers ahead... Tohka got kidnapped by DEM. This is where DAL 2 is at its peak and the storyline gets really interesting and full of suspense. It's a torture you know, waiting a week before I can watch the following episode. Then, at the end of episode 9, more spoilers ahead, Shido got stabbed right in front of Tohka, provoking Tohka to go berserk. (YES!!!). So now we have the best thing ever, something everyone fan of Date A Live has been waiting for, Tohka going berserk and Shido had to fight her. Shido had Sandalphon but Tohka had a much more powerful (and huge) weapon. This is in episode 10 and please prepare yourself for some bad news. Episode 10 is the final episode of DAL 2. I kid you not. The first season has 12 episodes and I was expecting season 2 to at least double that considering its good storyline, but nope. So, this berserk Tohka... Well, prepare yourself for yet another bad news. From the moment Tohka summoned her most powerful weapon which can destroy half the city, to the moment the battle ended, it lasted no more than 4 minutes. Not to mention the entire 4 minutes is merely to showcase Tohka's power. That means there's not even a single swordfight between Tohka and Shido at all although both of them had swords. Heck, it wasn't even a fight. That is arguably the greatest letdown in the history of me watching anime.

So what is Date A Live II? It's like To Love Ru / Kiss X Sis / Fate Stay Night / Gundam / Infinite Stratos and possibly more anime you can make reference to all jumbled-up together, but it's a disappointment really. I wonder if this anime is going through an identity crisis. The last few episodes before the final one are really nice actually, much better than the previous season. I highly recommend you to watch them. Maybe you should watch from the beginning just for the sake of context. Other than that, it's really a letdown because some characters are pretty much ignored to give emphasis for the development of other new or more important characters. Yoshino hardly appeared in the anime at all. Kotori and Reine, well, they had became significantly less important. It needn't be this way if they haven't squeeze everything into 10 episodes. They could have easily done better and done more. On the bright side, a movie is on the way, but it won't arrive anytime soon. Hopefully I don't have anything big going on at that time. Meh, I doubt it... But I'm watching it anyway... For Yoshino!! Yoshino, please come back to me!!! \(>.<)/

Rating: 6.5 / 10

Anime Review: Persona 3 The Movie: #1 Spring of Birth

Hi again. So, like I mentioned earlier I had been catching up with a few anime recently and I happen to discover that the Persona 3 movie that we've been waiting for is finally out. To be honest I wasn't having a high expectation about this movie given how disappointing Persona 4 anime was along with every other game-turn-anime anime that ever existed. Oh no, I just reminded myself of the dreadful Tales of the Abyss! Anyway, I couldn't resist the urge to update my blog with yet another review so here goes.

For all you non-P3 gamers out there, nope... he didn't die.

Title: Persona 3 The Movie: #1 Spring of Birth

Genre: Mystery

What is it about: You'll know exactly what is it about if you played that game. If you haven't, please get yourself a PSP and play it. I couldn't quite explain what is it about because it's quite complicated, but trust me, the game is seriously awesome.

My review: Alas, I was right for not having high hopes for this movie. Before I continue my review, I just want to let you know that I'm actually a big fan of Persona 3 and 4 and I am an avid gamer of both these games. Previously, I had also written a review of the Persona 4 anime. You can check it out here. After all that mockery of an amazing game, they dare make a Persona 4 Golden version of the anime and a 3-part series of Persona 3 with Spring of Birth being the first.

Persona 3 is a really great game, and a long one at that. What this movie tries to do is to summarize the entire game in a series of movies, which in my opinion is not the wisest thing to do. Okay, maybe it's fair for the non-P3 gamers who probably wanted this. The problem is, as much as they want to turn the game into an anime, they somewhat failed in that regard. The anime still looked like a game, only it is playing itself. As a result, certain things may seem rather confusing for those who never played the game before. For example, the calendar system. They should have done away with that and work on a better flow of time instead. This is why for every game especially the long ones, trying to summarizing into short anime or movies just isn't going to work. Also, they could at least do better with the graphics. I am already unimpressed by the graphics in the cutscenes of the game itself. Using the same graphics and character design in an entire anime is just not right. I just don't feel comfortable watching this anime.

So, who does this anime is intended for? The fans of Persona 3 who never played the game? Very rarely I  there is any I tell you. The game came out way before the anime and I bet everyone who watches this anime has at least played the game. Or maybe just an anime fan who haven't played the game? Maybe, but in this regard they could have at least make this anime more anime-like, less game-like and ultimately less-confusing for those who are new to the Persona series. So the ones that they pretty much ignored are those who had actually played the game. If you had actually played the game, the entire anime is pretty much pointless as you already know exactly what is it about and what is going to happen. In that sense, a majority of us will be disappointed with this movie. As this is only the first part of the trilogy, this movie kinda ends in the middle of nowhere. I can tell even I haven't actually finished watching it, though I did scheme through the most parts of this movie.

What I am saying is that they should have shown us something else something new. I don't mind them giving an introduction of what Persona 3 is all about, but not to the extent that it is basically ripping off the entire game. It could have appealed to gamers and non-gamers alike, and at the same time telling the non-gamers "Hey, if you wanna know the whole background of the story, go play the game.". Yes, they could have easily kill two birds with one gunshot on the head. Jk!

Rating: 2/10

Anime Review: Nisekoi

I apologize for not updating my blog frequently. If you have been following me, you might have noticed that my university is trying its hardest to keep me busy. Because of that, I haven't been watching anime lately. But now my seriously-packed timetable is beginning to subside a little as finals is quick approaching - a calm before the storm. So I did what I do best: watching anime.

Pika pika Chitoge :3

Title: Nisekoi (Fake Love)

Genre: Romantic comedy

What is it about: Mainly about a guy forced to be in a relationship with a girl in order to stop a war from breaking out, though both of them hate each other. Then things became a little more complicated (and annoying).

My review: Nao Toyama is back once again as Karen Kujo- I mean Kirisaki Chitoge, a half-American half-Japanese blonde girl who speaks English with Japanese accent. Well, to be fair to her she did improve a lot since Kiniro Mosaic. I applaud her for even trying to speak in English. It's actually pretty entertaining. Also, the two amazing Kanas has return as well: Kana Hanazawa and Kana Asumi, alongside their kawaii-ness. To be honest, I haven't actually finished watching this anime. I currently stopped at episode 16 out of 20 and quite frankly I've pretty much lost most of my motivations to continue. I wouldn't even have made it this far if it wasn't for the fact that Nao Toyama and Kana Hanazawa is voicing two of the main characters in this anime.

Make no mistake however, I didn't necessarily hate this anime. I just thought it could be much better than it is. I will be addressing the problems with Nisekoi in a bit,  but first let me tell you why I liked this anime. In fact, I really love this anime after watching the first few episodes. Nisekoi has got the most awesome first episode ever, one that actually made me ROFLMAO. This anime opens by showing off the main character, Raku Ichijo's cooking skills which is very impressive and fun to watch but you'll never get to see it ever again. He is actually the son of a yakuza that for an organized criminal society is pretty non-threatening. Then we are introduced to Chitoge Kirisaki, daughter of a rival yakuza group who after an unfortunate misadventure, came to hate Raku. Finally at then ending of the same episode, both of them are forced to be couples. Their reaction to that are totally priceless!

This anime is funny and dramatic at the same time. I really liked where it is going and I kind of expected the anime to take a turn to become a tearjerker instead. I don't know why, but I think that would be cool. I always loved funny yet meaningful anime. However, to my disappointment, such is not the case and the anime is beginning to abandon its mission as one long major storyline, but instead focusing on small meaningless humour and a side story which doesn't make much sense. There's no more drama, just the anime's failing attempts to make you laugh which results in too much repetition of events and too much cliche. The main-character-in-deep-shit-in-the-hot-spring-after-some-idiot-swap-the-gender-sign cliche, I've seen that many times. There was a time in the beginning of the series where the two got so pissed off that they had a huge argument and Raku actually yelled at Chitoge. Well, those days are over and I really miss it. What we've got instead is the introduction of more and more characters that we don't give a damn so that Nisekoi can be a mindless harem anime.

The storyline is also became weird after the first few episodes. Instead of focusing on the yakuza brawl or the accidental couple, Nisekoi chose to focus on the small side story where the Raku made a promise to a girl 10 years ago to marry her. He couldn't remember who she was or how she looked like. All he know is he has a pendant with a lock and the girl he made the promise to holds the key to that lock. What's weirder is that the girl whom he made the promise to might actually be Raku's classmate and crush, Onodera because she had in possession of a key. Onodera also remembered only that she made a promise with a guy 10 years ago but don't know who he is and how he looked like. She only know she has a key. As if the storyline is not weird enough, more candidates of the mysterious Raku's promised girl are introduced including Chitoge. Same sh*t, Chitoge only remembered she made a promise 10 years ago but doesn't remember bla bla bla. She had another different-looking key. Oh, suddenly everybody knew everybody in this anime one way or another. To everybody's annoyance, yet another girl is introduced to potentially be the girl in question because she had yet another key. Damn, what's with this anime and keys?!

The main storyline which is interesting, dramatic, funny and fun to watch pretty much died at this point. What we get to see instead is the characters' stupidity in countless misunderstandings. Yes, I get it that Raku has a crush on Onodera. When they are together, they are excited. I get it. But this anime is really trying to over-exaggerate stuff by showing us scenes that are pretty much pointless and intended solely  to make you laugh. It worked at first, but after showing the same crap like a billion times, I'm getting real tired of it. Also, it is plainly obvious that Raku likes Onodera and Onodera likes Raku. Just bloody confess already! They had so many opportunities to do so, yet the anime is busy trying to show us how excited or nervous they are before some stupid stuff happen and they lost the chance to confess. And the cycle goes on and on. There is really nothing left to see anymore.

I don't know, but I'm feeling really sad watching this anime. It's an anime that I really liked, an anime that I actually recommended to my friend after watching a few episodes. Then it had to go and disappoint me. How very disappointing indeed. I hope the next few episodes would be a bit better at least. Hmm... Maybe I should watch Kiniro Mosaic to cheer myself up a bit. Karen Kujo anyone?

Rating: 6/10