Category: Reviews

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Manga Reviews

Dimension W Volume 1 Review

“He lives in the past, and he will die in the past.”

Dimension W springs from the always intriguing idea that a world is defined by its power source. It’s 2072 AD and “coils” based on the work of Nicholas Tesla provide near unlimited power, but are strictly controlled. Dimension W follows a bounty hunter of sorts (called collectors) who retrieve illegal coils, as well as a robot who may be more than she seems.

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Dimension W presents a captivating world and is dripping with potential. The main character is stuck in the past but capable of operating in the current environment, which provides a nice contrast and a great lens through which to view the unfolding events. Using skewers as his weapon of choice is offbeat and defines his character instantly.

With a compelling main character and a wonderfully imaginative world, Dimension W is set up well to present its story, which is already layered with interesting themes about the nature of A.I. and robots as well as the lengths of price of “keeping order” and how far it can be pushed. I’m excited to see how it all goes as the series builds momentum in future volumes.

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Reviews Wrestling

WWE Extreme Rules 2016 Live Thoughts

May 22, 2016 in Newark, NJ

WWE came to the Prudential Center in Newark for Extreme Rules this year, and while I haven’t been enamored with their direction recently, I like enough of the roster individually to give it a shot and attend my first live WWE pay-per-view (strange as that seems). I unfortunately ended up having to leave a bit early and missed the last two matches. Of course I will only be talking about what I saw. Shame missing Styles, but I have seen him live before and I had no illusions that he would be winning anyway.

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Decent view of the ring for not having a floor seat, but there was no indication when I got the ticket that I was behind the set and wouldn’t be able to see the entrances (and because of the “entrance videos” playing wrestler entrances aren’t shown on the screens either). A bit disappointing considering how much time is devoted to them. I’ve never been to any type of event before where there was an obstructed view of part of the show and it wasn’t marked when purchasing the ticket. They get away with it by claiming only the ring matters, but it’s still sketchy. Oh well. As I said I could see the ring fine, so good enough I suppose, and I’ll know better next time.

The first pre-show happenings featured The Dudleys came out to fire up the crowd by playing off ECW nostalgia then turn them on a dime with insults. I have to say, from about 30 ft away and without being able to see the entrance and thus having no warning, their pyro was INSANELY loud and startling. As the Dudleys run down the crowd Enzo and Cass’s music hit and the everyone goes nuts for Big Cass. He does a strong promo overall where he mixes admittedly hokey insults with Enzo’s usual intro for them. The Dudleys jump him but he gets the better of them and does his sing-a-long to finish the segment. Fine to rile the crowd up, although I don’t know why this couldn’t have resulted in a match between Cass and one of them instead and accomplished all the same things (and more) in a more logical way.

Baron Corbin vs Dolph Ziggler suffered a bit from the stipulation, as they did NOTHING no-DQ until the finish. So the audience was just waiting for the ballshot all match. Big win for Corbin regardless, hopefully he’s on to other things now.

Still surreal seeing Anderson and Gallows as The Club in WWE. They faced the Usos in the opener for the PPV proper. Not sure these teams have the chemistry against each other they need for this extended feud, but there were a couple nice spots and the right team went over.

US Champion Kalisto has been booked extremely weak since winning the belt, and his challenger Rusev is one of the only wrestler in recent memory to have a dominant reign, so the cheering dynamic was quite “backwards” here. Rusev dominated and took back his  US Title with a nasty new Accolade variation to a hero’s ovation from the crowd. Accomplished what it needed to.

 

Man, Newark loves itself some New Day. They get crazy cheers for any and every thing they do. Xavier and Big E defended against The Vaudvillains in a fairly straightforward victory for the champs. The Vaudvillains still haven’t gotten much heat with the crowd, and given New Day gets cheered for heel tactics it’s hard to establish heels against them. I adore the shining wizard though, so Xavier’s finish gets bonus points.

Miz defending his Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, and Cesaro was the match I went to see. Miz has gotten a lot better recently and is really finding the right character now, but the draw was the three challengers. I’ve watched them all before WWE, have been thrilled to see them continue to evolve and improve, and it was a treat seeing them go all out against each other for a title on a WWE PPV.

The crowd was super-hot throughout this match. As far as we were concerned Owens was as much a face as Zayn and Claudio. Although he did get some massive heat for interrupting a tower-of-doom spot. They all used the 4-way format to its fullest, with several great multi-person spots and believable near-falls. The latter was particularly impressive – there were numerous places where the match could have ended and felt natural that were broken up by another of the participants. It really worked the crowd into a frenzy.

While I understand the storyline advantages of Miz stealing a win and retaining, the crowd was ready for a face victory and Cesaro is eating far too many pins after his white-hot return. Minor point in the grand scheme of things though, as the match was fantastic regardless.

Tough spot for these Dean Ambrose and Chris Jericho having to follow that with their Asylum match. Not just because of the quality of the proceeding match topped with the Miz’s victory punching the wind out of the crowd a bit, but given the Asylum format no one believed the match would end before they cycled through all the weapons. So everyone sat on their hands for half the match.

I enjoyed parts of the match, such as a visually awesome fire extinguisher spot and their use of the thumbtacks, but this really dragged as they claimed the weapons one by one. The attempted straightjacket strapping also broke up the flow of the match. And I have no idea why the ONLY weapon not used was the one they centered the buildup around and that everyone was waiting to see used.

 

Overall

The IC match knocking it out of the park, nothing being actively bad, and some nice highlights throughout the night made my evening enjoyable despite not seeing the whole show. But as usual lately with the WWE, this could have been a LOT better with just some minor tweaks, which is a bit frustrating.

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Books Reviews

Dust in the Desert Review

“Every action has endless ripples no one can see.”

This is Starla Huchton’s fourth “Flipped Fairy Tale.” Each book has a different classic fairy tale as inspiration and stands on its own as a complete story, but this one does heavily reference events and characters from the third book. Better not to start reading here.

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The Flipped Fairy Tales series presents imaginative retellings of well known fairy tale stories. The signature gender-swapping of the main characters is more than just a hook: it’s a strong springboard that provides great opportunity to explore these stories in new ways.  The way everything is coming together in Huchton’s world is incredible, and her smooth, evocative writing style makes it easy to get caught up in it all. The descriptions of everything from the world around them to action as it happens are captivating.

Dust in the Desert tells the story of a character introduced in book 3, Ride the Wind. It’s nice to see the little hints provided there expanded on, and as expected Alida is our Aladdin analogue. She’s simultaneously desperate and honorable, which is a powerful mix that makes her adventure enthralling.

What makes this book (and the whole series) so special is the depth of character and motivation the cast has. They feel like real people struggling through unreal situations, and it’s easy to empathize with them. Huchton makes each fairy tale fit seamlessly into her established universe while preserving its proper feel, and make clever tweaks and changes that make them feel fresh without losing the core elements readers expect.

I’m not going to get into further detail to avoid spoiling the enjoyment of discovering for yourself the wonderful spin Huchton’s put on Alida’s story, but I highly recommend taking the journey with her.

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Comics Film Reviews

“Take your glow stick and go home.”

Justice League: War is based of the first story arc of the New 52 Justice League reboot, and features the first meetings and teaming of these reimagined versions of DCs biggest heroes

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The New 52 was at best a mixed bag, and a lot of what I didn’t like about it was on display here. The heroes don’t have the complexity or appeal of the previous versions, and several of them have been made more bloodthirsty and violent. In some cases, like Wonder Woman, it fits and is a natural direction for the character. It most others it just makes them grating and unlikable. The dialogue and character interactions are often downright painful, particularly those featuring Shazam. Superman is a complete cipher, just there to expedite the plot and get into the expected scuffles. Speaking of which, the conflicts between heroes are extremely contrived, and could have been resolved in seconds with a little talk and a lot of Green Lantern not being an ass.

There is some fun to be had here though. As much as I dislike this take on Green Lantern and his attitude, seeing Batman interact with him and put him in his place (repeatedly) is hilarious. While I find the underlying reasons behind the fights and the strategies employed flimsy, the action is quite well done and exciting to watch. And the movie is true to the source material, adapting the comic faithfully and making it work in a different format.

Overall I don’t have a lot of fondness for Justice League: War because the New 52 approach isn’t to my tastes, but there are some highlights and for viewers who do like these versions of DC’s heroes this is a strong adaptation.

Categories
Comics Film Reviews

Son of Batman Review

“The psychos just keep getting younger.”

Batman’s about to meet the son he never knew he had, but things are bound to be rocky considering Damian’s been raised by assassins since birth.

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Damian is a hit or miss character for me, but wow did they nail him here and use him as the center of a great story. The conflict between who he was raised to be and his father’s ideals and methods is balanced perfectly and an extremely compelling hook for the movie. The plot carries things well with clever twists and well developed, logical complications. It’s supported by incredible action and a formidable villain to bring everything together.

One of the things that’s vital for my enjoyment of a story are characters who are flawed without being artificially stupid to advance the plot. The cast here all have diverse motivations and personalities that reflect directly in their actions. When mistakes are made, they’re logical and believable extensions of the characters’ mindsets. This is so important to immersion and is done very well here. I also love the dialogue and character interactions, which beyond being entertaining do an excellent job of conveying the aforementioned personalities and motivations. Seeing all featured heroes acting like the detectives they are at various points is another highlight.

Son of Batman is much better than I expected going in and one of the best DC animated features I’ve seen in quite a while.

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Books Reviews

Ride the Wind Review

“I was not raised to believe in second chances, but, for the first time, I saw their importance.”

This is Starla Huchton’s third “Flipped Fairy Tale.” Each book has a different classic fairy tale as inspiration and stands on its own as a complete story, so reading the previous two first is not necessary to enjoy this one. However they take place in a shared universe, so doing so will give certain characters and events much more significance and context.

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The Flipped Fairy Tales series presents wonderful re-imaginings of well known fairy tale stories. In addition to the interesting hook of gender-swapping the familiar characters to provide a new perspective, it’s Huchton’s deft, evocative touch towards world-building and character development that makes these versions special.

Ride the Wind is the first of these books to feature a fairy tale I wasn’t previously familiar with, but that didn’t hamper my enjoyment of Lukas’ adventure at all. The core premise seemed a little run of the mill, but the details greatly elevated it to another appropriately captivating entry in this series. I particularly liked the connections and further explorations of characters previously introduced in Shadows on Snow. The greater world these tales inhabit is developing nicely from book to book, and I like the apparent foreshadowing and hints towards what’s to come.

Little by little Flipped Fairy Tales has become one of my favorite variations that plays with established fables and legends. They’re a fun, fresh take on the stories and overflow with imagination and depth.

Categories
Anime Film Reviews

Project Itoh: Harmony Review

“Does humanity have a place in a perfect world?”

Harmony presents a wonderfully intriguing dystopian concept, namely that of a utopia. An obsession with good health has lead to a society where no one dies and everyone strives to support each other, and Tuan hates it for the loss of personal control over one’s own body that comes with it. With a past haunted by loss and a failed attempt at the ultimate act of rebellion, Tuan will face her own beliefs and doubts when someone else decides to shake up the “perfect society.”

 

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Once I’ve decided I’m going to see a movie I generally don’t do much research ahead of time. Having now seen Harmony I went back and read Funimation’s summary. I highly recommend avoiding it if you haven’t read it yet, as in my opinion it spoils some key plot reveals that were a surprise as I was watching.

Harmony raises numerous philosophical questions, and has interesting things to say about them. Concepts ranging from the natures of consciousness and happiness to what an ideal society really is are explored. The central plot and action are decent, but let’s be honest: it’s all a vehicle for the philosophical dilemmas and messages. I found it engaging, but even I disagree with a lot of the conclusions it seems to draw, and some viewers may find them off putting. And one of the twists with the most potential turned out to be largely a throwaway to set up something else.

Still, the moral and philosophical issues raised are thought provoking and will stay with me for a long while. Overall while Harmony could have been much more what’s here is good enough and it’s worth checking out.

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Food Japan Mystery Boxes Reviews

Japan Crate May 2016 Review

May is here and so is another box of snacks and treats from Japan. This is the first month featuring the new, larger boxes with more snacks.

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As usual Japan Crate includes a booklet / mini-manga that explains what everything is and has various additional content. A bonus in all crates this month is a random Kitty Cups gashapon. Ridiculous but cute. On to the edibles.

 

The Excellent

As I’ve previously mentioned, I adore cola flavored candy. So Premium exclusives PachiPachi Panic Cola and Kajirittyo Cola Candy are exactly to my tastes. The former is a crackling candy with a mix of sour lemon in it, and the later a soft chewy rope candy with a cider flavored center. Both provide a nice combination of flavors. I also received an unlisted bonus Sour Cola Gummy Rope, which was quite good.

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The chocolate treats also continue to shine. Puku Puku Taichoco is a taiyaki cookie with a airy chocolate filling. Another Big Bar Z variation was included, and it tasted just as divine as the last one. It’s a wafer bar infused with chocolate flavor, this one White Choco. This is the clear star of this month’s box.

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.Sakusaku Panda Cookies are cute cookies with a chocolate back.  These tiny, crunchy snacks are quite tasty. Another of the Premium exclusives is King’s Lost Crown, a large cookie with a creamy chocolate filling.

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The Decent

The Premium drink this month is Hajikete Grape Cider, a light, smooth drink that taste like grape soda.

There are two possible types of chips, and I got Nori Shio Potato Chips. This salted seaweed flavored snack is quite good and features a flavor unique to Japanese snacks.

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An advertised bonus for the Premium Crate that’s unlisted in the book is Japanese Oreo Snack. I got macadamia nut mini candy bars. Great inclusion.

Nomuccho Jelly is a simple DIY that produces a melon jelly when mixed with water. The consistency varies depending on how long it’s allowed to sit.

 

Caramel Corn is an interesting snack with the consistency of cheese puffs but the flavor of Cracker Jack.

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Pandaro Cookies are the second panda themed cookie this time. It’s a light, crispy butter cookie.

Sour Cider Gum is lightly flavored with another flavor unique to Japanese treats.

 

The Meh

Mochitto Kinako Mochi is traditional soybean flour covering mochi, a Japanese rice cake. This is a good inclusion, again highlighting things unique to Japanese snacks. I just personally didn’t care for the taste.

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Big Mashuro~ is indeed a big marshmallow. Hachimitsu 100% are hard candies made of honey. I like honey, but didn’t care for the flavor of these personally.

 

Conclusion

Strong start for the “new” Japan Crate. The bigger box and more snacks makes this an excellent value, and the Premium upgrade is back to easily being more than worth the extra $5.

This is my last crate for now due to budgetary restrictions, but the changes are great and I highly recommend trying out Japan Crate for yourself.

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Board Games Reviews

Quick Thoughts: Dark Tales, Flick ’em Up, Steampunk Rally, and Tumult Royale

Here are some brief thoughts on a few interesting games I’ve played once or twice so far.

Dark Tales

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Dark Tales is a fantasy / fairy tale themed card game that revolves around card effects that vary largely based on what else is currently in play. Even the power of special tokens in the game and end game scoring differ from game to game based on randomly chosen setting cards. There’s a lot of luck based on the cards drawn, but the core mechanics are good and I had fun with this. Looking forward to trying it with more people and playing the expansions.

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Flick ’em Up

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The production value of this dexterity based game really shines, as a lot of effort was clearly put into both the aesthetic and producing quality components. The cowboy and bullet pieces are perfect. The cowboys readily fall over when directly hit, but hold their ground well when grazed or hit from the side. The two scenarios we played were largely tutorials, so I expect a lot more depth from the later ones. Amusing game that makes the most of its theme. As far as flicking games go I think I prefer Disc Duelers a little (even though I was better at this), but Flick ‘Em Up is still fun.

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Steampunk Rally

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Steampunk Rally is a neat little game that revolves around building and racing contraptions piloted by famous inventors. The track is variable and the mechanics solid. The best part for me is it really captures the feeling that you’re constantly fighting entropy trying to keep your machine going. This is a unique game that makes excellent use of its theme.

 

Tumult Royale

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Tumult Royale is my favorite game of this bunch. The real time resource collection is done in a way I haven’t seen and works extremely well. Trying to get what you need while worrying about the total limits among all players each round adds a wonderful “press your luck” element, and the area control aspect is great too.

 

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Just a quick look at some games I’ve had the pleasure of trying. Hope to be back with more in the not too distant future. 🙂

Categories
Manga Reviews

Demon King Ena-Sama Goes to Manga School Volume 1 Review

“You should feel honored human, for I have come to make this world my own.”

Bored with inherited power and automatic domination over her world, the 666th Demon King Fienalia Glengard Flamveil breaks tradition and unseals The Dimensional Mirror looking for somewhere new to conquer. She ends up a bit sidetracked after becoming enamored with manga artist in training Kento Sugitani’s pet project, but having cut off his dominant arm the surer path is to learn to draw it herself. And so the Earth is spared her wrath for now…

 

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Well, if you got through my summary above and are still here this manga is probably worth a shot. It’s as ridiculous (possibly more) than it sounds, with over-the-top dramatic overtones to boot. But somehow this blending of a harem romantic comedy with fantasy elements in a manga school setting is working for me. The parallel background events back in Ena’s world add a sense of foreboding future developments.

Demon King Ena-Sama Goes To Manga School is beyond odd, but in a good way as far as I’m concerned. I’m enjoying this and intrigued to see where things go as the series gets beyond the initial set up and introductions.