Anime review: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

The name might be a mouthful, but I found Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion to be a surprisingly enjoyable and well-written anime. The series follows Lelouch Lamperouge, a boy in his mid-teens who attends Ashford Academy with his childhood friend Suzaku Kururugi. Lelouch lives with his younger sister Nunnally, who is both blind and wheelchair-bound.

The series doesn't waste much time in explaining the back story of all of the key characters. Lelouch and Nunnally are really the former heirs to the Britannian throne. Because of his father's apparent lack of care for either Nunnally or himself, Lelouch escapes Britannia with his sister at a very young age. They end up in Japan where they meet Suzaku, who becomes the closest thing they have to a family. However, the happiness is not to last, as the Britannian Empire seeks to control Japan, and Suzaku moves away for many years. As Japan is transformed into Area 11, Lelouch and Nunally change their last name from 'Britannia' to 'Lamperouge' so as not to draw attention to themselves. Due to the culmination of all these events, Lelouch develops a deep hatred for the Empire and his father, Emperor Charles Zi Britannia. Lelouch seeks to change the world so that his sister Nunally might live happily in it. His hatred and his desire to alter the world are kept secret from, Nunnally, however.

During one of the Britannian raids on the Shinjuku district (essentially a slum for former Japanese citizens now dubbed 'elevens') Lelouch encounters Suzaku who has recently joined the Britannian military forces as a test pilot for new prototype Knightmare mech, dubbed the Lancelot. The two come across an unfamiliar container which they discover carries a girl. Lelouch and Suzaku take separate routes back to the street level of Shinjuku. The girl is shot by Britannian soldiers, but is able to grant Lelouch special powers if he agrees to her contract. The terms of the contract are unclear to Lelouch, but he accepts anyway, and is given the ability to control any person's mind. He is only able to do so once per individual person, however, and the eye contact must be direct.


Lelouch then commandeers a Knightmare mech and issues commands via radio to the local Japanese freedom fighters. These rebels cause a distraction while Lelouch infiltrates the command ship and assassinates another member of the royal family, Prince Clovis. After causing complete chaos for the Brittannians in Shinjuku, Lelouch creates for himself a disguise and an alternate masked identity known as Zero. And this is just the beginning of the series.

Code Geass is from Sunrise, the company famous for distributing Mobile Suit Gundam. At first glance, Code Geass does seem to be some sort of spin-off of their flagship Gundam franchise, and there's no doubt they drew inspiration from it. Code Geass does involve a large deal of political conflict, but it is carried out in a manner of fighting unjust rule with unorthodox combat tactics. Lelouch understands that the Britannian military adheres to specific rules and regulations, whereas he and the Black Knights are not bound by these limitations. The mech designs are named after knights of Arthurian legend, and these titles prove fitting as the Knightmares often rely heavily on close-range weaponry and command units are usually decorated with gold and silver armor plating.


Lelouch is an incredibly interesting lead character, as he tries to justify his actions by constantly stating that every action he takes is for Nunally's sake. While all this seems honorable enough, his methods are dark and manipulative, due to both his Geass and his spiteful attitude towards the royal family. From a very early point in the series, Lelouch is shown to be both an effective and confident leader. As the series progresses, Lelouch leaves command of the Black Knights in the hands of Ohgi and Todou in order to deal with his own personal matters. Lelouch must constantly balance his school life and his role as Zero without the two ever crossing paths with one another, and his cover is almost blown a few times over the course of the series.

Kallen Kozuki is one of Lelouch's classmates, though she is unaware of his role as Zero - ironic, as she joins the Black Knights very early on, proving to be one of their most capable Knightmare pilots. Kallen is more focused on completing her missions and seeking revenge against Britannia for their treatment of the Japanese people. C.C. (pronounced: C-two) is the girl who granted Lelouch his powers and seems to die on many occasions only to reappear unharmed. She is usually seen in Lelouch's presence, though for both their sakes, Lelouch wishes C.C. to remain unseen by others. C.C. is key in Lelouch's intent to destroy Britannia and helps out with each plan of attack. She promises to remain by his side to the very end, but doesn't explain what it is she desires from him in exchange for saving his life and granting him the power of Geass.

As the series plays out, viewers are introduced to some side characters such as Lloyd and Rakshata who, while not the most important players in the conflict, both play the role of engineer to the Knightmares of their respective faction. Each embodies the reasons that normal people (i.e. not Lelouch or members of the royal family) decide to choose a side and fight until victory or death. As Lelouch encounters his family on the battlefield (often without them knowing the difference between Zero and Lelouch), he uses them to dig deeper into the mystery surrounding the death of his mother. The sheer number of characters playing significant roles in Code Geass may seem daunting, but each is developed to a level where viewers will either sympathize with them or be vehemently opposed to their methods.


The art style is bright and colorful when focusing on Lelouch's studies, yet dark and moody when the Black Knights engage in battle. The visuals may not be the most mind-blowing, but they look good nonetheless. The soundtrack trumps the art style with its heavy focus on brass, percussion, and string parts, creating more of a full orchestra sound than a specific niche sound as heard in many other mecha series. Code Geass may not have the most memorable orchestrated soundtrack of all time, but it certainly fits the series' events well. The Japanese voice actors and the English voice actors both play their roles quite well. The English dub has a few odd casting choices, though any performances that seem uninspired are by those playing characters with brief appearances, so it doesn't exactly throw a wrench in the flow of things. As brilliantly as Johnny Yong Bosch portrays Lelouch, I have to give Liam O'Brien props to for his portrayal of the ever-eccentric Lloyd.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a very interesting spin on the sci-fi and mecha anime genres, including fantasy elements and rewriting history. The series is not particularly Gundam-esque, but that isn't a bad thing, as it shows Sunrise's ability to mix things up a bit. The broad range of characters combined with their various backstories and reasons for joining the conflict is deeply entertaining and keeps the human element of the story the major focus. It's not often that a series attempts to place an anti-hero in the lead of such a large series, and the fact that Lelouch keeps from becoming the stereotypical scheming kid keeps things engaging, as viewers can't ever be too sure as to what Lelouch's next move will be.

My rating: 9.25 (out of 10)

Anime review: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Makoto’s life is that of any normal teenager. She goes to school each day, plays baseball with her two best friends Chiaki and Kousuke, and tries to achieve decent grades. But everything changes when she enters the science lab storage room one day after class, and then discovers that she is able to leap back and forth through time in order to change certain events at her leisure.

Initially, Makoto uses this to save her own life, and then subsequently uses time leaps to improve her grades and keep herself from looking like a klutz on a day to day basis. Shortly thereafter, Makoto uses her newfound ability to help Kousuke with his romantic endeavors. Though her Aunt Kazuko warns of complications from time-leaping early on in the film, Makoto ignores her. As the film progresses, it is revealed that others may suffer from Makoto’s gain and she comes to the realization that her time-leaping cannot last forever.


The story is a unique combination of the traditional teen drama with sci-fi adventure. The film is rather straightforward in its aims, but this isn’t a bad thing, considering the length of the film is roughly an hour and forty minutes. There are plenty of laughs to be had along the way, as Makoto finds herself in sticky situations and is teased by Kousuke and Chiaki. There are a few plot twists along the way, and one major one late in the film that really shakes the story up. The ending, while a tad predictable, is fitting and anything else would likely have seemed rather forced.

The art style is phenomenal, yet curiously subtle. The combination of watercolor backgrounds with digitally colored characters might seem like a terrible idea, but it works fluidly and brings out the best in film. It’s obvious that the animators spent plenty of time and effort on this project, but it’s not as though they advertise it ad nauseam. The soundtrack fits each event like a glove and is largely comprised of piano, chimes, and string parts. It’s all very moving, though there are a select number of songs that reprise in different variations over the course of the film, so viewers can expect to hear similar sounds from time to time.


The English dub is great. The voice actors portray their respective characters in a fashion that is neither bland nor over-the-top. Emily Hirst as Makoto and Andrew Francis as Chiaki both give particularly convincing performances. The language of the characters is aimed rather specifically towards the teen audience. It’s no to say that the film is incomprehensible by younger viewers, but the characters do curse some, exchange a minimal amount of crude humor, and the like.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is an impressive accomplishment for the creative staff behind it, and translates into a genuinely entertaining and thought-provoking experience. Far too often a film will aim more for style than substance. While this film accomplishes both with flying colors, its primary concern is that of the characters and the story.

My rating: 9 (out of 10)

"Lieutenant Quattro Bajeena of the Anti-Earth Union Group..."

I'm might be going way out on a limb here, but I'm going to at least try and attempt to make a prediction as to which Gundam series will be the next to recieve an English dub (and subsequent North American release). To my knowledge, Gundam SEED Destiny was the most recent series to be dubbed, back in 2006 (though F91 was the most recent film dubbed, in early 2009). The Zeta Gundam: A New Translation film trilogy will be released in North America by the end of this month, and the following series and films have also recieved an English dub at some point in the past:

-Mobile Suit Gundam
-Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team
-Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
-Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory
-Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam
-Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack
-Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn (episode one)
-Mobile Suit Gundam F91
-Mobile Fighter G Gundam
-Gundam Wing
-Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
-Gundam SEED
-Gundam SEED Destiny
-Gundam 00 (season one)

The first episode of Gundam Unicorn was dubbed for its worldwide simultaneous release, and as Gundam 00's second season is hitting store shelves right now, the film Gundam 00: Awakening of the Trailblazer is inevitable (though it may arrive in North America before the end of the year if the plan with Gundam Unicorn is any indication of what to expect in coming years).

Certainly OVAs and films are much easier to crank out in dubbed formats, simply due to their time length. But considering the time frame since the last English dubbed full-length Gundam series, I have to imagine Bandai and Sunrise have another one on the way. So the question is less of a 'when' and more of a 'what'. As much as I would like to see Turn A Gundam dubbed, I realize it wasn't the most popular series in Japan and because of that I imagine there would be some hesitation in releasing the series in North America - the same applies to After War Gundam X. I think it's safe to assume that MS IGLOO and Gundam SEED Stargazer are both past their prime and a dub at this point in time wouldn't see a significant return in sales. All that considered, the two most likely candidates I could see receiving dubs are Mobile Suit Victory Gundam and Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam.

With all the hype still surrounding the Zeta Gundam: A New Translation films (both State-side and in Japan) and the focus on Gundam's 30th anniversary, I'd have to say that ZZ Gundam is the more likely of the two series to see a dub, though Bandai and Sunrise could try to rekindle older fans' love for the franchise anew by releasing Victory Gundam. As dated as it is, there are plenty of people in North America (myself included) who have not yet seen a single episode of Victory Gundam. There's even a possibility that a Victory Gundam release could lead to a demand in more series from the 1990s receiving dubs, such as Turn A Gundam and After War Gundam X, though it would certainly be a greater gamble. It all depends on how Bandai and Sunrise want to play their cards.

Anime Update #1: Equivalent Exchange

I decided to take a break from watching Gundam series for a little bit. As much as I love the franchise, I'm afraid that I might get sick of it if I watch too much of it at once, and I just recently finished both MS IGLOO: The Hidden One Year War and Gundam SEED. The next Gundam series I'm going to tackle is Zeta Gundam. So far I've watched fifteen episodes and what I've seen so far I absolutely love. I'm probably just going to go ahead and buy the dvds soon (even though I just dropped a hefty sum of money on three master-grade Gundam model kits).

But enough of Gundam-related talk. I went ahead and purchased the first season of Full Metal Alchemist (like I've said in previous posts, I'm behind with the times in regards to anime). I'm about ten episodes in and it's simply fantastic. After the first four episodes I was afraid the story would slow down simply because of how much was covered in the beginning of the series. Thankfully, this was not the case and the series keeps surprising me with enchanting characters and brilliant storytelling. For the sake of not wanting to rush through the series, I may wait a bit before purchasing season two, though.

As for other anime I want to watch in the coming Summer months, I'm trying to keep a list, though it changes periodically. At the top are Mushishi and the second season of Spice and Wolf. I've heard great things about Death Note, and I'll likely look into that after I finish Zeta Gundam. Funimation has released free episodes of some of their licensed material on YouTube, and I watched the first twenty episodes of Axis Powers Hetalia. It's a great comedy series for those who enjoy very politically incorrect humor (but it certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea).

I'll have some more anime reviews posted soon. I watched The Girl Who Leapt Through Time about a week ago and was very impressed, and I also finished the first season of Sgt. Frog, which is a hillarious trek through a plethora of anime parodies and pop-culture references. I also completed Blue Sub No. 6 quite some time back and have been meaning to write up a review for that. Depending on the weather this weekend, I may write up and post some of those reviews before Monday.

Anime review: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED

After a hiatus from 1999’s Turn A Gundam, the franchise returned with Gundam SEED in 2002. I first watched the series on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block, but only ever got about fifteen episodes or so into the series. Gundam SEED is, in many ways, a reimagining of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, but is still separate enough that it doesn't feel like a straightforward reinterpretation.

The story begins with Zaft special forces stealing four of the Earth Forces’ five prototype Gundams in the neutral colony of Heliopolis. Kira Yamato, a genetically-enhanced coordinator is placed by circumstance on the opposite side of the war of his longtime friend Athrun Zala. Kira inevitably becomes the pilot of the Strike Gundam and uses it to defend his friends and the crew aboard the Earth ship the Archangel. With their mobile suits now in the hands of Zaft, the Archangel makes a run for Earth Forces’ headquarters in Alaska, with the Buster, Blitz, Duel, and Aegis Gundams in hot pursuit.

While Kira Yamato is technically the main character, the series balances the Earth Forces’ perspective pretty evenly with that of the Zaft pilots. Athrun receives a large focus and due to the time he spends working in tandem with the pilots of the other Gundams, viewers are given a pretty good impression of their attitudes and beliefs.


With the exception of the initial skirmish at Heliopolis, the first ten episodes or so are largely repetitive as Zaft attempts to stop the Archangel, who in turn escapes by the skin of their neck. It seems that the writers wished to devote more time in the early episodes to develop characters, which overall is both a success and a hindrance. By the time the action picks up, viewers already have a feel for who the majority of characters are at their core. But to achieve this, the small amount of action sequences included early follow a nearly identical pattern.

Once the action does get going, it moves at a fairly steady pace as the Archangel makes its way across the desert sands of Africa, battling the Desert Tiger Andrew Waltfeld and eventually arriving at the neutral nation of Orb before heading to Alaska. Things come to a major head following the Archangel’s departure from Orb, and the series shifts to a much more serious and dark tone for the second half of the series. There is far more action involved and the story becomes much more engaging as characters begin to question one another as well as their own individual motives for fighting on either side of the war.


Wrapped up in the overarching conflict between Zaft and the Earth Forces is the controversy of naturals vs. coordinators. Many naturals are opposed to genetic modification of fetuses, and argue that morals are what fuels them to fight against the Zaft coordinators. Zaft, on the other hand, believes that coordinators are the next phase of human advancement (some even go as far as to consider it an evolutionary phase). While the two military forces are in the forefront of this conflict, the series shows the events preceding the war and the chaos that ensued involving riots and terrorist attacks back and forth between naturals and coordinators.

The soundtrack is a bit of an homage to series from the Universal Century, as it is heavy on percussion and brass, with many tunes accompanied by piano parts. While the final product sounds quite good, the same songs – or at times, variations – are repeated over the course of the entire fifty-episode anime. The art style, on the other hand, is an impressive display for the first Gundam series to utilize full digital coloring. Some environments may not be as detailed as in some of the older OVAs or series, but almost half of Gundam SEED takes place in space, so that aspect is somewhat excusable. As for the mobile suit designs, they are largely nods to their Universal Century counterparts, with style and practicality nicely balanced. Late in the show, the appearance of the Freedom and Justice Gundams push things a little closer to series like Gundam Wing, though don’t seem nearly as out of place or ridiculous as the Forbidden, Calamity, and Raider Gundams, all three of which look as though they were rejected designs from Mobile Fighter G Gundam.

The Japanese voice acting is far superior to the English voice actors. While many of the English voice actors take a few episodes to really get a feel for their character, the ones who ultimately do the best job are secondary characters. Samuel Vincent delivers a great performance from the start as Athrun Zala, but Kira Yamato and the crew of the Archangel don’t receive quite the same treatment. Many of Kira’s friends seem over-exaggerated and corny compared to the serious nature of the Zaft pilots. Trevor Devall’s performance is one major exception, as Mu La Flaga seems the most believable out of any of the Earth Forces’ major players. Nicol Amarfi and Yzak Joule are portrayed well enough by their respective voice actors (though the latter seems to dwindle in performance a bit towards the conclusion of the series). A veteran of Gundam series, it’s no surprise that Brad Swaile (the original voice of Amuro Ray in the English dub of Mobile Suit Gundam) provides a great performance as Dearka Elsman, but the voice actor who does by far the best job is Mark Oliver as Rau Le Cruset.


However, I feel like the voice actors are not entirely to blame for some of their lackluster performances. Even in the Japanese version of the show, Kira Yamato comes off as one of the most bland and uninteresting characters in any Gundam series – unfortunate, considering he is the main character. Viewers are given virtually no feel for who he is outside of the fact that he is incredibly focused when inside of the Gundam’s cockpit and that he doesn’t like the idea of war from the start of the show all the way to the finish. Athrun, on the other hand, is constantly wrestling with himself over his loyalties to Zaft and his friendship with Kira. Later on, his father’s role as leader of Zaft as well as his arranged engagement to Lacus Clyne become even greater pressures. Still, he remains calm and collected for the most part, acting as a strong leader character for the team of Gundam pilots. Rau Le Cruset is initially shown to be the leader of any operations concerning the stolen Gundams, but he drifts in and out of the storyline near the middle of the series. When he makes his return near the end, he reveals a great deal of information regarding the characters and the war itself – I won’t give away any specific spoilers, but Le Cruset is one of the most effective Gundam villains ever.

Nicol, Yzak, and Dearka play second string to Athrun’s impressive piloting skills. Dearka and Yzak question Athrun’s authority on more than one occasion (the latter more out of jealousy than any other motive), while Nicol looks up to Athrun, always supporting his decisions but not to the point where he comes off as a suck-up. Kira’s friends aboard the Archangel aren’t all that developed or varied. They seem focused enough while in the midst of battle, but get real worked up over relationships and everyday occurrences. Flay Allster plays the role of Kira’s girlfriend for a short time, but in reality all she wants is for Kira to die in battle, as she blames him for not protecting her father’s ship from being destroyed by Zaft forces. Murrue Ramius, Natarle Badgiruel, and Mu La Flaga make up the command team aboard the Archangel. While their initial role in the story is largely circumstantial due to the destruction of Heliopolis and the ensuing Le Cruset team, I find it odd that the Earth Forces never reassigned a more experienced crew to helm such an important prototype vessel. Badgiruel constantly questions the authority of Ramius and makes her and La Flaga both look bad in her report to Earth command, feeling guilty only for a brief period before continuing on as she normally would. I understand this aspect is for the story’s sake, but it isn’t a very believable outcome, considering the harsh and often unforgiving nature of the Earth Forces’ chain of command.


Gundam SEED both accomplished a great deal for the Gundam franchise and fell short of its own aims. The conflict between the coordinators and naturals is constantly brought up in the story, but isn’t explored in much detail until very late in the series. The characters are either hit or miss, with few being particularly memorable. The battle sequences reuse the same animations over and over and the Gundams never seem to get a single scratch on them – at least nothing that can’t be conveniently repaired before the next episode. The second half of the show makes up for a lot of the earlier shortcomings, but it feels as if the writers actually had no idea where they wanted to go with the story until episode twenty-six. All things considered, for the time of its release and the things the creators hoped to explore and test with this series, Gundam SEED is a moderate success. However, the pacing is incredibly awkward, save for the latter half of the series, the finale doesn’t provide a lot of closure, and there are plenty of improvements that could have been made all across the board.

My rating: 7.25 (out of 10)

Wii review: No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

No More Heroes was a game that surprised many Wii owners as an M-rated slice-and-dice adventure game that actually had a decent story and kept players engaged with its vibrant visuals and varied boss battles. There were side missions to keep players entertained if they wanted to take a break from the main quest, and it made up for some of the absences in mature gaming on Nintendo’s previous system, the Gamecube. Though it wasn’t a blockbuster commercially, No More Heroes garnered enough praise from gamers to become a cult classic and thus a sequel was born. No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle hit the Wii in January of 2010 and showed some major improvements over the first title.

Travis Touchdown is back for more beam katana-based violence in the city of Santa Destroy, only this time he’ll have to face 51 opponents to reach the top ranking. While Sylvia promises Travis fame, he’s more interested in avenging the death of his friend Bishop and is ready to cut down anyone who stands in his way.

The game’s vulgar language and often sick humor fuel an otherwise cliché plot. But with each new point that unfolds, it quickly becomes apparent that each new area unlocked is meant to present with a parody of some other video game, film, or anime. Travis and Sylvia constantly poke fun at the story as it progresses, sometimes subtly, other times more forward and obvious, such as when Skelter Helter’s beheaded corpse delivers a foreboding message to Travis and he explains how said event is theoretically impossible. Travis even has to sit on the toilet in order for players to save the game.


The main game is incredibly fast-paced as Travis wields his beam katana through hordes of henchmen. Depending on the combination and angle of attacks, enemies will be killed through different slashes, impalments, and suplexes. This will sometimes reward Travis with health and battery power for his beam katana. If Travis builds up a streak of kills in a short period of time, he is able to take down the remaining enemies with his tiger attack. When hit repeatedly with attacks, Travis becomes dazed momentarily, but this can be enough for nearby enemies to deal significant damage to him and can be a bit of an annoyance at first. Assuming that players are able to get the hang of the controls and learn when to dodge, this can easily be avoided.

Accessing each new chapter of the game’s story is noted with a star on the overworld map of Santa Destroy. This map/menu allows players to quickly select which area they want to visit in order to upgrade weapons, participate in side missions, or continue Travis’ quest. After visiting each are, players are returned immediately to the overworld map to determine where they wish to travel next. It’s a simple but effective menu scheme, though it removes the ability for players to freely roam the streets of Santa Destroy.


Each boss battle requires a different plan of attack from the player in order to respond to both the enemy and the surrounding environment. When taking on other fighters such as Nathan Copeland and Dr. Letz Shake, players must traverse areas that are constantly moving and calculate their moves in order to avoid a swift defeat. In this regard the game can seem a bit frustrating at times, but it is only teaching the player through a trial-and-error process. The boss fights are still as fast-paced as the levels that precede them and incorporate variation on par with the boss fights of Legend of Zelda titles. From time to time, Suda 51 decides to switch the gameplay up on players to keep thing engaging. When Travis clashes swords with an opponent, the game will sometimes enter a short motion-based section where players must react by rapidly moving their Wii-mote in a circular motion. A few boss fights include multiple opponents at one time, and one fight even has Travis piloting a giant robot. There is also a portion of the game where Travis engages in a motorcycle duel prior to one of the boss battles, and the game shifts to a top-down view. However, given the small area in which the duel takes place and the wide turns the motorcycle must take, this section becomes incredibly frustrating.

Side missions allot players both character experience and money to spend on new weaponry and clothing. Many of these side missions switch over to retro 2D arcade-style gaming, and require Travis to accomplish tasks in a limited time. Most of the side missions are straightforward and rather entertaining, though not overly complex. There are a few however, that simply become aggravating, such as the burger-grilling minigame.

Players are not limited to playing only as Travis Touchdown, as they are able to play as both Shinobu and Henry for brief periods in the main game. Shinobu is much more agile and weaker defensively. Henry, on the other hand, is more defense-based and controls almost the same as Travis. For the sake of the story, the change in perspective is a nice addition, though the temporary change doesn’t bring anything new to the game’s mechanics.


The art style is simply stunning and I think the game’s atmosphere greatly benefits from the cel-shading. The blood, while plentiful when slicing and dicing enemies, doesn’t draw too much of the focus – far too often, hack n’ slash games will try to outdo their predecessors by including unnecessary gore and buckets of blood. This game does have bodies spewing fountains of the latter but it feels oddly more artistic than disgusting. The soundtrack is simply outstanding, drawing inspiration from a great variety of sound styles. The music that accompanies the various locales around Santa Destroy is more low-key, while each major level and boss fight has its own distinct theme, often heavy on the drums, synthesizer, and electric guitar.

It’s a ridiculous game with over-the-top action and plenty of violence. Blood and dirty humor are both plentiful and the art style simply fantastic. The broad array of characters and their individual quirks keeps things entertaining from start to finish. There are some shortcomings, but it is still an impressive sequel fitting of its predecessor’s accomplishments. There are a large number of changes in Desperate Struggle, and nearly all of them make the game far more fluid and enjoyable. It certainly won’t be everyone’s bag of chips, but No More Heroes 2 is a most creative and interesting spin on a familiar genre.

My rating: 9.25 (out of 10)

Anime review: Mobile Fighter G Gundam

Following my introduction to Gundam with 08th MS Team, Cartoon Network aired Mobile Fighter G Gundam on their Toonami programming block. Some viewers felt that the series was too ridiculous in comparison to other Gundam works, both in regards to the plot and characters. However different it was from 08th MS Team and Gundam Wing, I enjoyed G Gundam, though I wasn’t exactly sold on the series right from the start.

G Gundam follows Domon Kasshu as he competes in the thirteenth Gundam fight on behalf of Neo-Japan for governance of the colonies. Piloting the Shining Gundam, Domon makes his way through each round by travelling around the globe and challenging competitors from various nations. Though not as much of a caring and understanding lead character as Amuro Ray, Domon channels his emotions most often in battle, utilizing his rage and frustration (or as he words it: “my love, my anger, and all of my sorrow!”) to activate Shining Gundam’s strongest attack known as the Shining Finger. Domon can come off to viewers as being cocky on more than one occasion, but he is quite the capable pilot.


Aside from Domon, the show gradually incorporates a host of other Gundam pilots as major characters. George de Sand, Chibodee Crocket, Sai Saici, and Argo Gulskii represent their respective countries of Neo-France, Neo-America, Neo-China, and Neo-Russia. Master Asia begins as Domon’s mentor, but later becomes one of his greatest enemies, joining the Dark Army of the Devil Gundam (aka Dark Gundam). Each new opponent that Domon encounters utilizes a distinctly different battle tactic, and as such the fight sequences in G Gundam rarely feel repetitive. While the show tries to sell these fights as the main focus, there are plenty of occasions where Domon and Rain Mikamura spend time exploring the locales and dealing with the trouble that sometimes follows them there. As such, viewers are given a great number of chances to learn more about the pilots. The characters, save for a few exceptions, don’t see much change over the course of the series.

While the major characters are, for the most part, enjoyable (though perhaps a bit stereotypical), most of the other combatants receive a fairly minimal inclusion in the show and viewers are therefore unable to really get much of a feel for who they are. This can be good or bad, depending on how one takes to it, as it keeps the story more focused but also limits the number of characters explored. Joining late into the series are the two recurring characters of Allenby Beardsley of Neo-Sweden and Schwartz Bruder of Neo-Germany. Both characters stick to a basic formula, with the former included to try and cause some drama in the developing relationship between Domon and Rain. Schwartz Bruder, cold and serious as he may be, proves important for the focus of the second half of the show and reveals a great deal of information to Domon regarding the Dark Army and the Devil Gundam.

The art style is full of vibrant colors, though the environments are fairly detailed and follow a significantly darker style to accommodate for the shift in the series’ mood during the second half. The soundtrack is heavy on brass, drums, and electric guitar and it follows a similar formula to those of other anime series released in the early to mid-1990s. It actually sounds pretty impressive and overall is one of the stronger and more fitting soundtracks to any Gundam series. G Gundam was one of the earlier series dubbed and the voice actors range from doing a decent job to coming off as bored and uninspired. The Japanese voice actors, on the other hand, seem to have taken the series as a less serious project than other Gundam works, as they carry out lines in an over-dramatized manner. With that in mind, I can’t really say that the Japanese voice actors did a real good job with this anime, though many would argue they did a better job than the English voice actors.


Unlike 1995’s Gundam Wing, the series sticks with the same mobile suits throughout the fifty episodes, with the exception of Shining Gundam’s replacement with Burning Gundam (aka God Gundam) and Master Asia’s Kowloon Gundam traded out for Master Gundam. The lead mobile suits of Shining, Rose, Maxter, Dragon, and Bolt Gundam are stylized to fit the mood of the show, but stick pretty close to the traditional Gundam design scheme. Other combatant's mobile suits such as Nether Gundam and Mermaid Gundam show the creativity exercised with the series, although seem rather ridiculous and impractical.

The characters may not be the most deep and the plot far from the serious tone of most Universal Century Gundam series. The series is pure entertainment, somewhere along the lines of incorporating Dragon Ball Z-style action into a Gundam series. Some people will dislike its lack of a political focus and others may think some of the mobile suit designs are simply outrageous. A large number of viewers will probably find the ending disjointed and a failed attempt to change to a more serious and tense storyline. As a 1996 release, G Gundam hasn’t aged quite as well as brethren series like Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory, but it is still a Gundam series and as such is a higher caliber than many other mecha anime series.

My rating: 7.5 (out of 10)