And the Winner of the Summer Movie Season Is?

The summer movie season is an incredibly bombastic affair. It's dominated by big budget movies which are never lacking in style but most of the time are lacking in substance. This summer movie season was definitely different from last summer in which there were three movies that I simply could not wait for (Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man, and Dark Knight Rises). This summer's movies were not exactly lacking but following up such an epic summer of movies is certainly no simple task. (Keep in mind here that I'm keeping track of movies which I saw this summer so if I leave any out I apologize)

I guess the place to start is with Iron Man 3. Marvel's first effort following Avengers definitely had some expectations to live up to. The first Iron Man was a spectacular and fun affair, a film which has established Tony Stark as Marvel's marquee hero (not a difficult feat by any means given how mediocre the other Avengers tie-ins were...). It's follow up, Iron Man 2 was by all means...incredibly average. It was certainly entertaining, but it didn't live up to the standard that the first film set up. The third installment unfortunately fell in an awkward midpoint between the first and second film. I for one, loved the darker tone; a much different tone than the first two installments. However, the movie lacked...well...it lacked Iron Man. You could probably count on one hand the number of minutes that Tony Stark spent in the iconic suit. I understand that the director is clearly trying to prove the "take away Tony's suit and he's nothing" quote by Captain America in Avengers wrong but that's not what we want. Stark's escapades in the suits were the highlights of the first two films. That combined with how the technology got more advanced with each film. We see a bit of the latter in the third movie but not nearly enough. Overall, it was an enjoyable film but not anything thats too great.

My Score: 3/5

I already reviewed Man of Steel this summer but i think now is a good time to revisit it. Zach Snyder's take on the character was a vast improvement on Brian Singer's Superman Returns. In a DC superhero universe that the current generation only knows to be dominated by Batman it's nice to see Superman get his due. Man of Steel promised a lot in it's trailers and certainly wasn't the tour de force that was promised but it serves it's purpose. It's an origin movie meant to reestablish an iconic character for a new generation. It's hardly The Dark Knight but who ever said it needed to be? Theres plenty of Superman being Superman, a conflict that hits down to the very core of the character, and some really pleasing visuals. I don't think that Man of Steel ever needed to be more than it's final product and I was pleased when I left the theater. I'm excited for the inevitable sequel and potential Justice League movie.

My Score: 4/5

The funniest film of the summer, This is the End certainly made me laugh the entire way through. A star-studded cast in which each actor simply played themselves made for a great concept. The real strength of the film came from it's cameos (Jason Segal, Aziz Ansari, Rihanna, Emma Watson among others). What makes This is the End so good is that it manages to pack in so many stars without the concept feeling forced. The comedy is good, each actor brings his own style to the table, and overall the film (while ridiculous and many times stupid) was enjoyable. That being said, it's certainly a film that succeeds more on the skills of it's stars that anything else.

My Score: 3/5

I really hope that nobody was expecting anything groundbreaking from Pacific Rim. If anyone saw the trailers you weren'y heading into the movie expecting a deep, philosophical film. No, Pacific Rim is the epitome of the summer blockbuster. Epic visuals, awesome action, and not much substance. Pacific Rim definitely succeeds at that level. It's a movie that you can sit back and enjoy, which, to be honest, is just what you want sometimes. When it's raining outside during the summer and you've already seen all the other movies in the theater, why not sign up to watch giant robots and rhino-shaped aliens beat the tar of each other. Nothing more, nothing less and thats all Pacific Rim ever needed to be.

My Score: 2/5

Similar to Man of Steel, The Lone Ranger attempted to revitalize an old, beloved character and make him relevant for the current generation. Like Pacific Rim, this film packs on action. Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp show up to make a pair of appealing leads but they can't make up for the film's shortcomings in terms of writing. I certainly came out entertained, but I don't think the film lived up to the promise that it showed in the trailers.

My Score: 2/5










So overall, that makes for a pretty average summer movie season...except for the one movie that stood above the rest...Star Trek: Into Darkness...

Benedict Cumberbatch a smashing success as the villain

This film is not without it's shortcomings, the middle of the movie was certainly weaker than the beginning of the end, the seemingly rushed anti-climatic climax, and a bit of deus ex machina at the end. (deus ex machina isn't a bad thing per say but it felt a little anti-climatic at the end). Despite all this though, Into Darkness was the highlight of an otherwise lackluster summer movie scene. The film is J.J. Abrams second attempt to (like Man of Steel) make Star Trek more accesible to casual fans. In the process, Abrams has alienated hardcore Trekkies but has suceeded in his original goal. That plus the fact that the new films succeed in their own rights, not just because the title Star Trek is slapped on them. Into Darkness picked up where the last film left off and gives us more of the excellent character chemisty that made the first installment so good. It certainly succeeds on the merit of how good it's cast is. The trio of Spock (Zachary Quinto), Kirk (Chris Pine), and the villain Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) had incredible onscreen chemistry. Their interactions in the middle of the film make for some of it's best moments. Cumberbatch, by himself carries the film. My only previous experience with Cumberbatch was his role as Sherlock Holmes on BBC's excellent Sherlock series. Needless to say this was a much different role and even so Cumberbatch manages to steal the show as Khan. The last time that I can remember being actually scared by a villain while watching a movie goes all the way back to Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. That fact alone is a testament to Cumberbatch's performance. Visually, the film is even more pleasing than it's predescessor despite Abrams' love of lens flare. Throughout you get the feeling that this is his warmup for Star Wars VII, scheduled for 2015. The movie certainly has it's lame moments, like the forced call backs to the original series (Leonard Nimoy's cameo, Quinto's KHAAAAAAN scream) but the strength of the cast is enough to overlook such shortcomings.

My Score: I hesitate to give it a perfect rating but a 4/5 is a solid rating for an excellent film.

The Destructive Power of Greed - C:The Money of Soul and Possibility Control Review

Frequently when it comes to sorting through animes, Funimation is one of the studio's that I turn to to find good english dubbed anime. They've really been kicking ass in that department given their dubs of Baccano!, Rebuild of Evangelion, and Steins;Gate. (Steins;Gate is awesome as anyone who reads my stuff will know) This time they've come up with C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control or C for short. I found C thanks to a trailer that came with the Steins;Gate DVD that I recently purchased. (view here) In my watching of it I found it to be an incredibly unique and interesting anime that isn't without it's shortcomings.

The plot of C revolves around Kimimaro Yoga, an orphaned college student who is stuck in the middle of financial hell in Japan. The Japanese economy was bailed out by an organization called the Sovereign Wealth Fund. Despite this, the country is still in economical hell as unemployment, crime, suicide, and despair are all rampant. Kimimaro's life is pretty shambolic as well, his mother dead and his father missing. All he wants is an ordinary, stable life, a dream which is quickly dashed when a strange man (veeerrrryyy strange man) enters his life. This man, named Masakaki offers his a large sum of money (incredibly hard to come by in Japan) if Kimimaro's offers up his "future" as collateral. Kimimaro is easily manipulated by the fact that the girl he likes, Hanabi, wouldn't want anything to do with him if he's not rich (or at least thats what Masakaki tells him is true) and accepts the offer. At first Kimimaro just receives a massive amount of money, it's only later that he realizes that this money comes at a great cost. He is sucked into a realm known as the Financial District in which he competes in weekly "deals" which are basically like dogfights except with creatures called "assets". The asset is supposed to embody their owner's (or entré, short for entrepreneur) futures. (Kimimaro's is named Myshu, pronounced Mushu, and she comes out like this) The money one can earn in the financial district is unless you go bankrupt in which the bank literally takes away your future. This leads Kimimaro into a moral dilemma as he can't afford to bankrupt himself but at the same time realizes that bankrupting his opponents means ruining their lives in exchange. In addition to the moral dilemma there seems to be suspicious activity going on all around the district as well and so the plot develops. The audience is introduced to the shady Souichiro Mikuni who obivously has his own hidden agenda (and is quite obviously revealed as the show's final villain in the opening) and the IMF's undercover agent, Jennifer Satou whose just trying to get to the bottom of what's going on.

The Financial District

C is only 11 episodes which certainly doesn't help for when the plot really begins to get going. The pacing is incredibly slow at the beginning, mostly due to Kamimuro's indecision as to what side he's on in the early going. The plot does prove to be pretty powerful emotionally, really emphasizing how desperate many of the people that fight in the deals. For example, at one point in the show Kimimuro bankrupts his schoolteacher who had entered the deals in order to support his three children in the barren economy. His bankruptcy resulting from his deal with Kimimuro leads to his children disappearing. Kimimuro realizes that he doesn't actually know why he's fighting the deals. However, this character focused early plot neglects to answer most of the questions that the show asks. This proves to be a problem later in the show because the series doesn't explain much in early episodes and even in later episodes the viewer doesn't really know that much about the Financial District or why whole COUNTRIES are disappearing. You could probably start a drinking game based on the amount of unresolved plot lines or scenes that make you go "why is this happening and why is it relevant to the plot?". However, the final episodes do remain super compelling even if you're a little fuzzy on the details. The ending is hardly satisfying either mostly because it's incredibly confusing and the climax is a little convoluted and confusing. (to be honest though, the deal in the final episode is absolutely phenomenal) It's a shame really because the show's plot is definitely compelling and certainly conveys many contemporary social concerns. A second season would certainly do this show some good though I'm not entirely sure where it would even begin from. All plot holes aside, the plot and themes of the show are certainly original and it's a refreshing change from the recycled giant robot animes or shounen works.

An entré (left) and his asset (right)

The shows characters are rather bland and to be perfectly honest, I wasn't really that interested in them. Kimimuro was a fine protagonist but he wasn't anything groundbreaking or different from the norm. At first I thought his whole indecisive attitude was annoying in a very Shinji Ikari kind of way but I came to appreciate him towards the end. The characters that surrounded him were rather bland too. The show's entire conflict was between preserving the present or risking the future in order to save the future which are both incredibly valiant points but you never felt like the former option was ever right. I didn't really feel any impulse to care about the "villain" Mikuni because the show makes it painfully obvious as to which option it wants you to choose. One weak character is Kimimuro's "love interest" Hanabi. She's introduced as a major character and Kimimuro's main love interest but her character development is rather weak. Rather than playing a major role she gets relegated to the sidelines and begins to go emo in later episodes without any real explanation as to why she's beginning to feel this way. Instead we get incredibly weird sexual tension and "will they won't they" feelings from Kimimuro and Msyu which just feels a little wrong. Once again, I can't help but think the fact that C runs for only 11 episodes is the main reason why this happens. We get some solid development from Kimimuro and I guess that Mikuni's character has a sympathetic backstory but overall the main cast of characters is rather bland, surprising for a show with such a unique plot.

Deals themselves are simple on the surface, each attack (dubbed flations) that the asset uses costs money. It's up to the entré to determine how much money they want to spend on; the more money they pay for an attack, the more powerful it is. Assets can target each other or they can go for direct attacks on an entré. Entrés can also perform direct attacks on each other. To win you must bankrupt your opponent or run out of time in the deal (deals last 666 seconds). The deals are certainly impressive affairs and it's here that C really stands out from the crowd. Theres some really impressive animation in each deal, including some intense Nightmare Fuel. C certainly is shy about getting incredibly dark at some points and it uses the deals especially to try out some super creepy animation. It's very Digimon Tamers-esque at points and it serves the show incredibly well. The Financial District is what makes this anime so unique in it's nature. It's interesting to see each entrés asset as they are embodiments of their user's future.

C's English dub, having been done by Justin Cook and Funimation is solid. Tom Haberkorn and J. Michael Tatum both lend their voices to the series and both give performences worthy of their reputations. I wouldn't say that Tatum's Mikuni character is as memorable as his performances as Okabe in Steins;Gate or Issac Dian from Baccano! but it's not as if it's subpar. The rest of the cast is rounded out by some other Funimation voices and do enough to be enjoyable but not fantastic. The show's soundtrack is phenomenal, Funimation certainly did a great job with the A/V aspects of the series. Each deal is accompanied by an epic soundtrack that sets the mood, knowing when to mellow out for the slow moments and when to ratchet things up when the action gets intense.

Part of me wants to say that I'm disappointed with C but at the same time I have very little reason to be. The show is short, has an interesting plot, and some really amazing animation. Sure theres a couple plot holes here and there but I don't think they severely affect your enjoyment of the show. Theres just a couple things after the series ends that makes you say "man I wish they'd explained this" or "I wish they'd explored more of this plot line" Overall though, C has a lot to offer and isn't a huge time commitment. It's a show that you can easily start and finish in an afternoon. Overall, I say go check C out if you're looking for something new and interesting.

My Score: 4/5

New Transfer Window...Same Old Arsenal

Football's transfer window is generally one giant shit show. Lots of rumors and very little factual information. This particular transfer window has been incredibly busy and it hasn't been light on the amount of bullshit that pierces the airwaves on a regular basis. Teams like P$G, A$ Monaco, Bayern Munich, and Napoli have all been very busy during the window. Meanwhile, Arsene Wenger is still busy trying to figure out how to zip up his ridiculous puffy coat. (I'm a huge Wenger supporter but come on am I supposed to be excited about Yaya Sanogo signing for us? Especially when several fantastic strikers are on the market and have subsequently been signed by some big market teams. I shouldn't be surprised though, this isn't the first time that Arsenal has pulled this kind of dance. Become linked to a player, rumors and speculation grows, Facebook fan pages begin to post pictures of the player Photoshopped into an Arsenal kit, and news that the player is due to arrive for a medical the next day persists for weeks. Then we hear news like, clubs can't agree fee or Wenger doesn't want to meet the players wages, or even worse; there was never any actual substance to the rumor at all. The most recent example of this is former Real Madrid and soon to be current Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuain.

Dortmund's signing of Henrikh Mkhitryan from Shakhtar Donetsk to replace departed star Mario Gotze is the kind of moves Arsenal needs to make

Frankly, I'm sick of it. I'm tired of the crap and all the false information. Arsenal has lost too much over the past few years to simply sit on their hands and make ineffectual youth signings. (I do love Arsenal's youth team though. Gedion Zelalem is going to be a STUD). Arsenal needs to follow the model of Borussia Dortmund. Last summer, the German club lost star playmaker Shinji Kagawa to Manchester United. In response, they acquired Marco Reus with the money gained from Kagawa's transfer. This summer they lost Mario Gotze to Bayern Munich and could be on the verge of losing star striker Robert Lewandowski as well. Instead of just taking the money and pocketing it, Dortmund went out an used it once again. The signings of Henrikh Mkhitryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang show that Dortmund wants to remain competitive despite losing Gotze's quality. I want to see this from Arsenal; if the club sells a player they should make sure to reinvest such funds to acquire replacements. It's not enough to ask young players to step up, today's game does not allow for such patience. It really is a shame, if there was such caps on spending there is no doubt that Arsenal would be very well set up. Unfortunately, such a cap does not exist and Arsene Wenger needs to get off of his philosophical high horse and get back in the game.

The most prevalent rumor that has been circulating around the Premier League is Arsenal's new interest in Liverpool striker Luis Suarez. When the story first broke I believed the news to be a load of bull. Luis Suarez is certainly disgruntled at Liverpool but his grievances are less with the club itself but rather with the English media. Why exactly would a player who hates playing in England want to relocate to another English club? However, I continue to ask myself these questions as Arsenal's interest in the controversial striker grow each day. In fact, Arsenal just bid 40mil (along with a a hilariously attacked 1 pound sterling) The bid was rejected by Liverpool but I wouldn't be surprised if Arsenal came back with more later. Another interesting note is that the 40mil actually is the trigger for Suarez's release clause which would enable them to talk to the player. Part of me wonders if this is to gauge Suarez's interest in joining the Gunners. If he does have genuine interest in joining them, Arsenal could use this as leverage to Liverpool's asking price. If such a thing happens, Liverpool will surely regret writing such a clause into Suarez's contract. Suarez, while controversial would be a massive signing for the Gunners. As for the Higuain saga, I'm actually not angry at Wenger because I believe he made the right call. The fee that Napoli will reportedly pay Madrid for the strikers services comes out to around 37.8mil. Higuain is a great player but not worth that much money. It's not surprising to see Wenger thinking if I'm going to pay over 35mil I should get someone of higher quality. Thus the bid for Suarez begins to make more sense.

Despite my negative attitude about Arsenal I actually do believe that there are some massive things coming this window. For one, Wenger has cleared much of the deadwood out of the club (Arshavin, Squillaci, Djourou, Denilson, etc.) Gervinho and Nicholas Bentdner could follow those men out the door as well. Sure these players are hardly stars and nobody will really miss them but Wenger is clearing out a large amount of his squad depth. I highly doubt that he plans to leave his squad so thin. Secondly, the team is off in Asia on tour at the moment. Perhaps Wenger wants to get players in after the tour? It's wishful thinking, but it would be a very Arsene move to ensure that his youth players get some first team experience in low pressure situations. I would love to see Arsenal add Suarez this transfer window and I would also love to see them add a defensive midfielder such as Everton's Marouane Fellaini. Until then though, everything is simply rumor...

Superboy - My New Favorite Hero

Literally exploding with power (and yes that is the Christmas tree in Times Square in the background...oops)

Back again, putting together another post for those reading! Anyways, the past few weeks I've been catching up on many of my favorite New 52 coming book runs. One that has really caught my attention over this period of time is Superboy. Now in the past, I've always wanted to read comic book runs of characters that seem really interesting and that I don't know much about. For example, I started reading Catwoman because I was interested in finding out about a really mysterious and enigmatic character. Superboy is similar to Catwoman in the way that I had no idea what Superboy really was. What makes him different from Superman and the other Kryptonians? What are his powers? How was he created? Over the course of reading Superboy I've found that he's easily my new favorite superhero.

Superboy's search to understand his origins lead to some really cool Kryptonian crossovers

So I guess the first question is: why Superboy? What makes him so awesome? Let's start with the basics. Before the New 52 reboot, Superboy had been established as a clone created with half Superman DNA and half of Lex Luthor's (Superman's arch nemesis) DNA. It's an incredibly lethal combination, Superman's power combined with the super genius brain of Lex Luthor. In the New 52 however, Superboy's human donor isn't known. What I really like about Superboy is that unlike Superman, he's flawed. Having half human DNA means that Superboy isn't invincible like Superman is. Actually, correction, Superboy has amazing telekinetic powers which he can use in a similar purpose. Bullets bounce off of Superman, meanwhile Superboy needs to have his telekinetic field (or T.K. field as it's dubbed in the comic books) up in order to block said bullets. It's not as if this is a crippling ability as Superboy is shown to have astronomical powers (at one point he loses control of his powers and creates a massive sinkhole that goes down to the Earth's core). The New 52 run is all about Superboy's struggle to control his own powers and realize the extent of them. Not to mention that he opens the story as a weapon for an organization with extremely questionable morals and motives. He's not the boy scout that Superman is (though the Superman DNA does prevail more often than not). At the beginning he struggles to control his powers because he doesn't fully understand how powerful he is. It's really cool seeing a superhero struggle rather than Superman whose invincible powers seem to make him incredibly overpowered and BORING. He's such a more complex character and the fact that the reader doesn't really know much more than the main character makes his storyline exceptionally compelling. But what I love most about Superboy is his absurd levels of power. Each issue he seems to understand more and more about himself, becoming more powerful in the process. Never to the point where he feels overpowered or boring. Each fight seems like a learning experience for him though that doesn't stop Superboy from exuding loads of confidence (sometimes cockiness) during them. He's certainly aware of how powerful he might be. Also his new suit is really really cool, the creative team for Superboy is really doing a great job making him his own awesome standalone character, not just Superman B.

Red Robin doesn't realize he's about to get his ass kicked...

Batman remains the king of DC comic book heroes but I think that Superboy is an incredibly underrated one. His storyline in the New 52 is really compelling and I'm excited to learn more about his origin and the full extent of his powers. I know that everyone loves the classic DC heroes like Superman and Batman, but DC is really doing a fantastic job with their lesser known heroes. I think runs like Catwoman and Superboy deserve lots of attention because they do a great job making these heroes accesible to newcomers and allowing them to step out of the shadows of their more famous DC cousins.

Man of Steel: Good but Hardly The Dark Knight's Successor

Here I am again, back in Portland on a day off from my job at camp. I've had a pretty awesome day off, reuniting with a buddy from high school and reconnecting, but thats not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about one of the major movies of the summer: Man of Steel. I won't lie, I had very high hopes for Man of Steel. Zach Snyder as director, Christopher Nolan as producer. I was a fan of Snyder's Watchmen film and Nolan"s Dark Knight Trilogy so I figured that together, the two could finally make a quality Superman film. I would say that the two succeeded, but it's hardly a rousing success.

The hardest part of any Superman film is nailing the hero himself. Man of Steel does hit on many of Superman's great character points, like his struggle of identity and dealing with his powers at a very young age. In comparison to 2006's Superman Returns, Henry Cavill's Superman feels much more developed. Unfortunately, he still feels rather bland but Superman generally is a pretty generic hero and main character, the shining example of morality and heroism. Unlike Returns, the focus is really on the character of Superman. However, this means that many of the other characters are extremely bland. Amy Adams as Lois Lane is the worst offender since her character is the standard action reporter who doesn't do anything to really stand out. She's just sort of there because she has to be and at one point is involved in heavy military operations despite having no military training at all. It's a shame because Amy Adams is certainly a talented actress. Similarly, Russell Crowe's character seems rather underused as well. The rest of the cast fills out extremely standard roles and hardly stands out.

Guess I'm just here because the movie needs a love interest

Plotwise, the film does exactly what an origin movie should do, establish the character's origin, reasons for becoming the hero (blah blah blah). Unfortunately, the movie frequently struggles with pacing, accelerating quickly through the early scenes to get Kal-El into the blue tights as quickly as possible. That scene is particularly strange, seeing how quickly Kal-El accepts becoming humanity's savior despite the fact that humanity hadn't exactly been great to him up to that point. However, I can't really complain since my biggest issue with Returns was that there wasn't enough of Superman being Superman. There's much more action and some really awesome effects (lens flare for days). The fights really do feel like Superman fights and they're very satisfying to watch. General Zod was a much better choice for a opening villain than Lex Luthor was in Returns (i'd expect him in the inevitable sequel though).

In short, Man of Steel corrects a lot of what was wrong with Returns and finally delivers what we want; a good, entertaining Superman film. I don't think anyone should expect more than that. It's hardly a Superman equivalent to The Dark Knight and I don't think it should be judged as that. If anything, the Dark Knight Trilogy raised our standards for what a superhero movie should be. Man of Steel does what an origin story should do and I think that a sequel could be greatly improved (origin movies are generally weaker than their successors ex. Batman Begins v The Dark Knight or Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man vs Spider-Man 2). Overall, Man of Steel is entertaining and a solid movie, maybe not what everyone was expecting but I believe that the franchise is well set up for the future.

My Score: 4/5

P.S. My apologies for the brief review but I'm on a tight schedule...

Toeing the Edge of Hilarity and Sadism

After about two weeks of dead space I'm back!!! I'm currently out working at a summer camp in Waterford, Maine so my internet access is rather limited. Right now however, I'm in Portland, the state's capital, in a Starbucks and ready to get back on my blogging grind. My internet access is limited so my blog posts will go from everyday to every 1-2 weeks until I return home. Also, I can't guarantee that any of these posts will be as long or as thorough as my other ones.

Now with that out of the way...

Not having any internet has given me a lot of time to think about topics for blog posts. Yeah the Bruins are up 2-1 in the Stanley Cup finals and the NBA Finals just had an EPIC Game 6 last night but as usual, I just love talking about tv shows, movies and what not. I've gotten to thinking the past few days about what makes a good villain. I'll share a few of my favorite villains with you...WARNING HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD

Quick little list of what makes a good villain
1.) Chemistry with the protagonist
2.) Unpredictability
3.) An uncanny ability to plan ahead
4.) Manipulation
5.) Quotability

Jim Moriarty, Sherlock

To be honest, I started watching Sherlock because I heard about how great Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of the legendary detective was. I finished the show more impressed with Andrew Scott's performance as the the detective's arch-nemesis. In every scene Moriarty toes the line between hilarity and pure sadism. One moment he'll be chatting affably with Sherlock and the next he'll explode into a sadistic rage just to remind you that he's the bad guy. He's Sherlock's equal in every way, he just decides to use his talents to cause chaos, treating each scenario as a game. (Sure people may die but like Moriarty says "That's what people do") Affable villains are probably my favorite because their brand of evil just feels so much more twisted and sadistic. (You can't beat a villain whose rington is Stayin Alive). Moriarty is one of those villains whose dark brand of comedy makes him lovable and yet all to evil all at the same time. It's that veil of creepiness that makes him probably my favorite villain.

Shinobu Sensui, Yu Yu Hakusho

Cold, manipulative, powerful, and fallen angel, Shinobu Sensui is the the best of what is an excellent crop of villains in Yu Yu Hakusho. A former agent of good (was Spirit Detective before Yusuke, the protagonist was) Sensui takes it upon himself to "judge" humanity for it's crimes against demons. He possessed a black and white morality when he was Spirit Detective, which was later smashed when he saw the evils that humans were capable of. Not to mention the fact that he split himself into 7 different personalities in order to keep his original one innocent. Like Moriarty, Sensui is able to toe the line between affable and absolutely psychotic in every scene. Like Moriarty, he provides a foil towards the main character. Sensui's head games all during the arc were brilliant, forcing the protagonists to make many morally ambiguous decisions and even cause them to doubt their motivations at some points. A master of manipulation and strategy he organizes an increible gambit and actually does manage to defeat the main character (one could even argue that he won the entire arc) Any villain that is able to accomplish his goals and plan as far ahead as Sensui did should be on this list.

The Joker, The Dark Knight

The Joker's inclusion on this list is almost a mere formality at this point. He really needs no introduction. Like the two preceding this, the Joker treats his evil plans like a game (sensing a trend here?). He's capable of taunting and conversing with the protagonist in a joking manner and then threaten to blow up a hospital. Just like Moriarty, every scene he's in just toes the line between creepy and comedy swooping through both sides without a care in the world. Just like the first two villains, he's a complete foil of his protagonist, a man unrestrained by Batman's noble rules, precisely what makes him so dangerous. Despite saying he has no plan, the Joker is actually quite intricate in his plans and always unpredictable (corrupting Harvey Dent was brilliant). His goal isn't to beat Batman, it's simply to burn Gotham to it's most choatic state, beat the system. It's such a larger goal than simply beating the protagonist.

So basically the trend here is simple, affable villains are the best kind of villains. Villains that have that creepy, unpredictable vibe around them. You never know what they're going to next, how far ahead they've planned, or how much they've manipulated the world around them. These are only three of my favorite villains, theres definitely more that I can include but based on my limited time these are the best three. I'd love to hear about your favorite villains or what you think of these three!!

Until next time...

Hacking to the Gate - Steins;Gate

Most definitely NOT a harem

There are several types of anime out there. A lot of it is standard run of the mill shows that do enough to be entertaining but aren't exactly memorable. Then there are harem and romance animes and I won't even get started on how much I hate those shows. Every once in awhile though theres a show that takes the anime community by storm and causes sites like MAL to blow up with "this show is unrelenting awesome sauce". I try and stick to animes that get this title rather than get sucked in to the unimaginative and overrated mire that is the big three (Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto). In the process, my list of anime over the years is rather impressive, (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Code Geass, Soul Eater, Hellsing). These are all animes that have cemented that "unrelenting awesomesauce" title and caused a massive stir in the sniem community, making them shows that everyone absolutely had to check out. Which brings us to the newest addition to the "unrelenting awesomesauce" family, Steins;Gate.

Steins;Gate originally was a visual novel for Xbox 360 and PS3 that was only released in Japan. For those who don't know what visual novels are; basically they're interactive graphic novels usually aimed at those previously mentioned otaku's who dream of being lusted after by their own harem. (Check one of my earlier posts). Steins;Gate however, was critically acclaimed for it's excellent plot and characters. So like any novel thats successful in Japan, it had to be adapted into an anime. The anime was released in 2011 and threw the entire anime community into a "OMG BEST SHOW EVER" state for it's entire run. Essentially, the plot revolves around "mad scientist" Okabe Rintaro or better known by his mad scientist name HOUOUIN KYOMA (and yes all caps are required here) and his group of friends as they somehow convert his microwave into a machine capable of sending text messages into the past. What begins as some seemingly harmless experimentation, it later turns out that these text messages alter the course of history and lead it down a dark path that nobody could have predicted. So it's up to Okabe to reverse the damage he's caused to the time line by literally leaping through time in a sort of Groundhog Day fashion. This leads to the best time travel plot I've ever seen in an anime. I have to give credit to the writers here because they clearly did a heavy amount of research in order to make their theories believable. Of course, in any work that involves time travel theres bound to be some made up bullshit. But Steins;Gate references real life events such as the CERN black hole fiasco and infamous internet blogger John Titor. It does a great job of making it's time travel theories feel realistic and never seems to bend it's rules just to accomodate the plot. Similarly, the plot covers it's bases and leaves no stone unturned. If you want an answer for something, it's there and relatively easy to find. This is a really nice change from animes such as Neon Genesis Evangelion or Revolutionary Girl Utena which basically say "figure this out for yourselves"leading to wild guessing and theorizing on the viewer's part. (seriously if you want to start an flame war anywhere, just post a theory about how Evangelion ended) It's nice to see a show actually make an attempt to make itself accessible to everyone. The plot also goes into great detail the costs and benefits of messing with time, the good it can cause and (especially) the bad. This series hits on a number of emotional levels and it's a refreshing change of pace from animes like Black Lagoon which jams mindless action down your throat at the expense of making it's characters interesting (that action was pretty sick though...not gonna lie). Almost every episode ends on a cliffhanger or a wham line making this series the most compelling one I've watched since the second season of Code Geass.

(left to right) Moeka, Mayuri, Kurisu, Rukako, Suzuha, Feyris, Daru, and Okabe

The real strength of Steins:Gate however, are the characters. On the surface it appears that they all just fall under worn out anime cliches. Okabe is a Large Ham, whose over the top antics are fitting of any anime (appropriately voiced by Michael J Tatum as well and even more of a ham in the Japanese version). There's teen genius and closet otaku Makise Kurisu who spends most of the series acting like a stereotypical tsundere (for those who aren't anime junkies, definition here). There's Okabe's childhood friend Mayuri who starts almost every sentence like this and seems like a typical anime ditz. Then theres loud, perky and gregarious Suzuha, the "every anime needs one" cat girl Feyris Nyan-nyan (I shit you not), the quiet Moeka who might as well be a long haired Rei Ayanami, and the extremely adorable and soft spoken girl Rukako, yea...she's a dude...Of course no actual explanation is given as to why Rukako is a boy or why he's so effeminate. The cast is then rounded out by stereotypical otaku Daru, who at one point is giving dating advice from a hentai game strategy guide. Despite all these stereotypes the cast actually ends up being so much more and actually the show's biggest strength. They all seem to have great chemistry with each other and despite the show's gripping time travel plot the focus is really on the relationships between the characters. Most episodes center around Okabe and his relation to one of the other characters in the cast and it's really awesome seeing these characters get fleshed out, even as chaos is unfolding around them. Mayuri is particular is one character that really surprised me. Usually characters like her end up being annoying and overall useless but Mayuri turned out to be a lot smarter and in tune with what was going on. Often times she'd provide a clear moral viewpoint at moments when the characters are forced into making immoral choices. Her presence really highlighted the morality of time travel. Kurisu to me was the standout character of the bunch, despite her tsundere attitude, her scenes and interactions with Okabe are the show's highlight. Even Feyris, who originally only seems to be there to please desperate otaku's, has hidden depths. Despite the series' serious tone, it also leaves plenty of room for fun as well, frequently making you laugh while at the same time keeping focused on the plot. It's rare when an anime can actually balance what is a pulse pounding plot with light-hearted humor. The show's humor is definitely geared towards the geek crowd, as many of it's pop culture references are to otaku culture or popular shows in the western geek community (the second episode references Doctor Who). All of this serves to give the series a fun feel and yet it doesn't feel like a disjointed mess when it shifts to a serious tone. I give credit to the strong chemistry between the characters and excellent writing. Finally, I have to establish that despite the ratio of girls to guys (5.5/2.5, Rukako counts as half to both sides) THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT A HAREM ANIME.

IT'S A TRAP!!!!

Like I said before, the series goes to great lengths to establish it's science of time travel so that the viewer can actually follow along and understand what's going on. Okabe's "phone-wave" machine is able to send text messages back into the past, giving one's past self knowledge of what going to happen in the future, thus changing their actions. Time travel in Steins;Gate operates on a number of different timelines called World Lines. "Time travel" is merely traveling from one World Line to another. World Lines shift when something changes in the current line. The idea of timelines as parallel universes isn't exactly a new concept in anime. Dragonball Z toyed with a similar idea though it never exactly explored the science of such time travel in the way Steins;Gate does. Steins;Gate also heavily explores the idea of the Butterfly Effect, a small change in one world line can result in a massive shift in another. For example, using time travel to prevent the death of one of the character's relatives end up changing the entire landscape of the city that series takes place. It's really interesting seeing how Okabe's seemingly harmless expermentation shifts the timeline in such a massive way. Thus one of the key plot points of the series is the effects of meddling with time. What starts out as seemingly harmless meddling with the timeline in the name of science becomes a literal race against time to prevent the dystopian future they've accidentally created.

There is a point to this...just keep watching...

One of the complaints that many people have with the series is it's slow start. The first twelve or so episodes revolve mostly around establishing the rules of time travel and how the machine works in the first place. It feels like a Slice of Life show with a time travel twist at first before the plot really picks up. At times it feels slow and as if nothing is really going on other than Okabe and buddies transforming bananas into green goo. Personally, I think that these episodes are a good thing and necessary for understanding of plot points that are brought up later. The series sort of drops you in episode 1 without any real clue of whats going on. These episodes allow you to slowly piece together what happens and it's really rewarding when everything eventually comes together. I like that the series actually took time to show it's hand, rather than throw everything at you at once. These episode establish characters, establish the rules and limits of time travel, and provide some really great moments. Those who stick with the series through these episodes will find the shows climax incredibly rewarding.  The real highlight of the show is the later half of the series which is fast-paced and incredibly heart wrenching at some points. This is probably the only anime that's ever forced me to take a break because it's actually emotionally taxing. However, this does lead to yet another complaint about some of the later episodes, which some believe slow down the series when it's reaching it's most climatic point. It's not as if theres not a point to this, the writers use this time to wrap up the characters arcs of many of the shows supporting characters and finishes their character development. It's really refreshing seeing a series take such care with it's characters. The finale feels a little tacked on at the end but it's a fitting ending to series and theres even an epilogue thrown in that clears up any loose ends that may have come up. I think thats another one of the series' strengths is that nothing in the show feels pointless or unneeded, everything has some kind of purpose. Character arcs are opened and appropriately resolved. It really speaks to the skill of the writers that they can craft a story about time travel, spanning several world lines, and still manage to wrap up all their loose ends.

Animation wise, the series is pretty standard though at times it could the animators got a little creative. The animation really got a bump whenever Okabe travels through time. All of the characters are well designed and are excellently animated. I recommend watching in Blu-Ray or at least on an HDTV. The voice acting in the english dub is well done as well. Each character's voice actor is perfectly able to capture their character's personality. I wouldn't expect any less from a great group like Funimation. Michael J Tatum is obviously the standout as Okabe, a performance not unlike his role as Issac from Baccano! who is equally hammy and awesome in that series as well. Trina Nishimura also deserves special mention for her role as Kurisu I really can't think of any other VA that could have pulled off the character. The soundtrack was also perfect, the opening theme Hacking to the Gate is quite good and the ending credits theme really fits the mood of the show as well. The soundtrack perfectly frames every scene which is what a good soundtrack should do. Overall, Steins;Gate looks great and sounds great.

Makise Kurisu is one of the best developed and most likable characters I've seen in any anime

Steins;Gate is the best anime I've watched in awhile, there really is something here for everyone. It's worth checking out just for it's take on time travel and well developed characters. Theres something to be said about an anime that covers it's bases and doesn't just make up reasons on the spot for why things are happening. Steins;Gate is incredibly well done and manages to avoid that trap that most animes fall under, the disappointing climax. From it's slow start to it's pulse pounding finish Steins;Gate is a brilliant work and it definitely worth checking out.

My Verdict: 5/5