RETRO-VIEW One Piece ch:1-25 [This is going to be a long journey isn't?]

Alright so, introduction to the concept. One Piece is an ongoing shounen manga published in Weekly Shounen Jump, and pretty much has been running weekly since 1998. So as of January 2017 there is over 850 chapters. That is a lot of manga. And I have signed my self to the gargantuan task of reading and catching up to it. Will this be a tedious task seeing as I have already sat through large swaths of the anime? Probably but seeing as for me I watched some time ago, I'm hoping that I barely remember the goings on.

My first experience with One Piece was regretfully the original 4kids dub. I have very fond memories of the experience, but I have a distinct feeling that it should be left in the past. maybe except the opening, there is still a part of me that will have a giant grin when I hear that song. So because this was my first exposure to One Piece I did not understand the large grandeur of the story till much later when I watched the Funimation dub, and then switched to original japanese when the dub ran out.

So that's where I am at. I have a long history of watching this story on and off again. But I realised that I really do love this series. So in fear that if I don't catch up now I never will, I decided to start a retro-view for the manga, starting all the way back in the beginning. Why, why not. I'm a quick reader so to me if feels like it shouldn't take to long to catch up. So let's go.

So we start with some basic world building. There once was the world's most badass pirate. However he got captured, and this gave a cryptic message to the world of the whereabouts of his greatest treasure. This kicks off a new era for pirates. We then focus in on Monkey D. Luffy. We start off by meeting him as a young child, looking up to some adult pirates, namely a man named Shanks. Shanks and his crew are living it up in Luffy's home village. One day however Luffy eats the Gum Gum Fruit, allowing his body to have the molecular composition of rubber. Due to some mishaps while protecting Luffy, Shanks loses his arm. As Shanks leaves for another adventure he gives Luffy his straw hat. Years later as Luffy has aged he set sails to try and become the king of the pirates.

And so we set off. First things first however he gets caught by another pirates crew. Teaming up with Coby, a young boy who wishes to become a Marine, they escape from Alvida’s pirate forces. Next they find themselves in a port town where there is an incarcerated pirate hunter, a corrupted Marine captain, and his son Helmeppo. The pirate hunter named Zoro is convinced by Luffy to join his pirate crew. They then go on to defeat the Marine captain.

We have now reached what could be considered the first sizable arc of the series. That being the introduction of Nami, and the major battle with Captain Buggy and his crew. Throughout this arc we see some amazing battles involving a juggler and a beast tamer. The climactic battle showcases how different Devil Fruits can be used by different people. Also in this arc we see one of the first major themes of the series, that being how treasure is defined by the person not the monetary value. Ultimately this is a great intro to a major crew member and an ongoing antagonist of the series.

Next we head of to a small island, home of Usopp, a liar. We see the goings on of the village, and set up the pace and details of the arc. Seeing as I am not going by arc but by number of chapters I will leave my thoughts on these chapters till next time.

REVIEW Kamen Rider Ex-Aid ep: 9 [So not cyborgs eh]

    Some questions answered, even more brought up. This episode seems to be continuing some of the major questions as well. Such as what even is the bad guys plan? Or what's really going on with Emu? This also sets up some major teamwork arc coming up with all the hero riders. Like most odd episode of Kamen Rider recently this is mostly set up to their two week arcs.

     We start the episode with the head honcho of the CR division coming in and checking up on stuff. We are then informed that this man was also the same man who preformed the surgery that saved Emu's life. Boss guy however is intercepted by Graphite and is infected with the bugster virus, which Emu takes harshly. He then vows to return the favor and save the man's life, feeling it is his duty. Genm however shows up with a new Gashat, a finished version of the one that Graphite stole. However it still needs some field data, so Emu decides to just take it. For the rest of the episode we get the usual bickering and fighting big enemies that the show has got nailed down. With Brave wanting to get revenge against Graphite, and Snipe coming in and being a dick, eventually Emu collects the data for the new Gashat. However the power is too much for him and he loses control.

     Like last time i have little to no complaints. Again this is a solid episode. While I am a little disappointed that they are not cyborgs, I do hope the wording was an intentional nod to the past. While it is good so far, I do have some worry. I hope that it doesn't fall into a rinse lather repeat situation for its formula. While yes the formula is good so far, it might get stale quick.

     But in the meantime I want to talk about the new suit. While yes it keeps up the more outrageous color scheme of the suits, I must say it is more subtle in how it goes about it. With a black base, using the neon color as accents. However I can't say that I am a fan of how bulky this power up is. Though that may be a non-argument as the parts with go to all the main four riders. It is however, I feel,  a good addition to the arsenal of the riders.

REVIEW Kamen Rider Ex-Aid ep: 8 [It's an Inbetween]

     Kamen Rider Ex-Aid has been pretty solid so far. while no one episode has stood and shined above the rest, every episode has some good points. And that's ultimately where we are the episode. While finishing up the arc started in episode 7, it lays some groundwork into mystery, character development, and the current power set up of our protags. So let's press start and get into it.

     Emu and Poppy are talking to the victims trying to figure out what to do next. They discover that the father's factory is coming under hard times. Going there seems to prove that that is the source of the stress as a Bugster arrives. However Snipe is there, beats the monster, gains level three, and then takes the Bugster hostage as a means to get the other level three Gashats. After some "what are the other cast members doing" moments, including Lazer setting up a brawl with Genmu, and Brave and his father having a fight, we are shown Emu easing the stress of the patient by showing him the resolve of his employees. Snipe then battles Ex-Aid and Brave, beating them pretty bad. But with the Bugster destroyed it is still a technical win for Emu. We are also shown Lazer getting some important information, that while everyone else who uses a game driver needs to go through some operation, meaning this might be a return for cyborg Kamen Riders, Emu was the only one who did not. We glitch out on Graphite taking a Proto-Gashat, claiming that he will take over the world.

     Overall this episode was fine. A needed episode to fill in some plot points, but overall a good episode. While it's not great, remember you can't hit a homerun every time. We need episodes that are just good in a series that lasts as long as this one does. I do find the Emu information very interesting. what does it mean for our protag. Will it be a Phillip situation with him not even being human, or a Wizard kind were he is a failed version of the monster? Also I hope that the operation is a hint, or at least an homage to the early cyborg riders, because honestly who doesn't like cyborgs. It has been quite some time since they have been in the show so maybe it's so old it's fresh again,

The Loop [a Short Story]

     He hated this place. Not so much in a truly spiteful way. More so in the way a pop-punk song says that they hate their town. An ambivalent angst, the kind of thing that only results in a frustrated sigh, and a deep-seated feeling of melancholy in the person afflicted with it.
     Bells ring out, and conditioned by pavlovian response the students stand up. Groups of three or four bodies start walking along side each other. No one groups beside him, nor does he group to anyone else. He pays this no mind, as this is how it is more often than not.
     He passes through the door turning into a hall filled with the warm bodies filled with minds to preoccupied too bother with his presence. He walks takes a left, then a right. Without thinking he walks this path as he has days before and will days after.  He turns into a hall. He has seen this hall many times before, but somehow it always makes him stop and take note. To most people it would seam a normal hall. Sure the paint on the wall was flaking to reveal years of previous repair, and the noxious chemicals they would have used in the year prior. The light above was about a hundred watts too underpowered for this hallway, and with only one light there were plenty of shadows. There was also the water fountain, with its lukewarm water that tasted of metal tinged disappointment. He was not fond of this hallway.
     He walks and takes the second right he need to take to get to his classroom. Head hung low in a matter of least effort. he walked on.
     He walks takes a left, then a right. Without thinking he walks this path as he has days before and will days after.  He turns into a hall. He has seen this hall many times before, but somehow it always makes him stop and take note. To most people it would seam a normal hall. Sure the paint on the wall was flaking to reveal years of previous repair, and the noxious chemicals they would have used in the year prior. The light above was about a hundred watts too underpowered for this hallway, and with only one light there were plenty of shadows. There was also the water fountain, with its lukewarm water that tasted of metal tinged disappointment. He was not fond of this hallway.
     He furrows his brow. The thought crosses his mind that if he does not hurry he may arrive late. He looks up and notes that he just needs to take the second right. He quickens his pace to a brisk walk.
     He walks takes a left, then a right. Without thinking he walks this path as he has days before and will days after.  He turns into a hall. He has seen this hall many times before, but somehow it had not changed. The walls, the paint, the fountain, they were all the same. But that could not be. He walks forward to his destination, shaking off the feeling at deja vu. He takes a right. And there before him was the same hallway, shadows and all. Then the bell for class to began to ring.
     It has been several days’ since he came into the hallway. The bell keeps ringing; at first he feels to taunt him. After the second day he realizes that the bell cares not for him.  He has lost count how many times it has rung. Time keeps moving forward, no matter how much space has looped in on itself.
     At first he thought he could retrace his steps. That plan came up dry however, as it just kept looping. He has walked for hours endlessly looping hoping that he could find a way home. He saw no one else. He heard no one else. It was complete and utter silence, save for the bell.
     So he talked. Endlessly. Sometimes he just counted, other times he retold movies he loved. But there was always a shaking in his voice. He hoped someone would hear him. No one ever came. Sometimes he would hear what he would think were footsteps, but it was just his own beating heart.
     Some time later he dropped his backpack near the fountain, hoping that this could show him something. That the hall was not an endless loop just a hallway that looked like it. He had a spark in him again. As he inched away from the fountain he hoped and dreaded what would be around the corner. He tuned. He saw his backpack. It was a loop. He had no way out.
     Again some time later he was starving. He still had water available to him. So he drank at times forgetting the offsetting taste. He was losing energy. Options dwindling he took out the blade from his cheap dollar store pencil sharpener. It’s been a thought he had entertained. He brought it to his wrist. It dropped dry. He laid there and slept

     Not many people took notice when he disappeared that day. Not out of malice no, more a feeling of disconnect from him. No one thought much of the fact that he did not show up the rest of the day. Later when he did not come home, he was announced missing. The town looked for him, but there were no leads. Many a student came and helped, a pang of guilt for not paying action to their fellow man. Eventually he was pronounced dead. Life went on. But no student goes through that hallway anymore, tickles in the back of their skulls warning them to stay away. They wouldn’t want to any way, because the water fountain stunk of death.

REVIEW Thew's Awesome Transformers Reviews [Feel the Grind]

     Thew Adams show known as Thew's Awesome Transformers Reviews is probably one of the most aptly named shows on Youtube. It stars a man named Thew, it is truly awesome, and it is a source of Transformers reviews and opinions. So how does one do a review of a review show. Well seeing as this will hardly be critical and more unabashed gushing, this really isn't a review. However this is more a metatextual analysis of collector toy reviews on Youtube, and why Thew is so awesome.

     So first let me show you a typical review for a collector toy demographic. These videos are both for the same toy, 2016 Skullsmasher from Transformers. Seeing as these are a little on the long side please feel free to skip around a little to get a feel for the videos.
   
     While these two reviews are not bad, they are polished and give plenty of information on the toy itself, to me they are very analytical. While that in it of itself is not a bad thing, it can get tiring when watching these kinds of videos. Now please watch Thew's review of the same toy.
     
     Within the first few seconds a difference can be felt, and it is a simple difference. It's his face. We can see his face. With the simple addition of seeing his face, a subtle change on how we ingest the content. With his face open to the camera his personality shines through. Because of this simple change the thoughts shown in the video become less analytical and more personal feeling. Due to seeing his face contort to to match his feelings.

     That is to say nothing of his quick and well thought out writing. With the use of subtle puns and deep alliteration, the video encourages repeat watches to catch all of them. All this in service to a review style that is more focused on a child like wonder of the toy then of technical aspects of them.

     So you may be thinking "Alright, so he tell jokes while looking at toy, what makes this special?" well, nothing really. But that's the point. You see he doesn't feel like a stuffy guy trying to give consumer/collector advice. Thew is just a man loving robots. He does not expect everyone to have similar opinions as he does. Often times he love some toy because they are a little crap. He has an entire series dedicated to showing off crap knock offs, a good number of which he enjoys just for the fact that they exist. His show, despite its name, is less a review show and more a showcase of the toys, his love of them, and how he wants to share that with you. Thew is not a man on high saying "THIS IS A GOOD TOY." but more your friend nudging your elbow whispering "hey dude look at this thing i just got."

REVIEW Hand Shakers ep:1 [Nausea Simulator 2017]

     As I write this I am only five minutes into the show and I am already lost. Hand Shakers is a new anime in the winter season of 2017, and by my accounts the best way to describe it is 'busy'. I could only watch for a few minutes at a time or it would just get so cluttered I could not pay attention.

     Having now finished this first episode, I must say I am cautiously impressed. Much in the same was one is impressed at a car crash. Most every part of what I have seen so far feels like the stitched together remains of three different anime. The pacing leaves much to be desired. At times it feels like I was watching the truncated version of a two part episode, and it still ends on a cliffhanger. Dialogue does not seem to be from natural conversation, as each person behaves like they are talking to a wall. While the wisps of a premise that they showed could be interesting, wisps was all that they showed leaving no room for me to be intrigued. All the characters felt like cliches pulled from a hat.  This is the anime that people who don't like anime think about when talking about anime.

     The only thing I think may be praiseworthy would be the backgrounds. While at time they did look very C.G., or like photos, either way the backgrounds did go a long way into grounding the show. To bad then should the characters often felt like they were just photoshopped in. At many points they felt as if they were not in the space, and at others felt like they were a sprite in the 1990's Doom. While the use of these backgrounds allowed for more camera angles, these angles often were more disorientating that dynamic.

     Should you watch this show? Honestly, yes. Either for a so bad it's good sense, or just to dissect what is going on here. This anime will be forgotten by the end of the year, or at least that is what I think.  And while looking at each individual part they seem good, but as a whole it's mostly forgettable. Approach this with a morbid curiosity.

Pokemon and the Sliding Time-scale

   

     For the longest time one of the biggest complaints about the Pokemon anime was the fact that Ash never ages. Resulting in immortality jokes, or the sucking of life force from side characters, or worst yet the fan theory that Ash is in a coma. Of course this is all because we love this show and want it to be something grand. And for brief moments we see it, but then it dips away with rehashed plots and character development. But what if I told you that a majority of the inconsistencies could be solved with a concept from Marvel Comics. What I am talking about is the sliding time-scale.

     For those who do not know the sliding time-scale in Marvel pertains that the events that happened to characters like Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Hulk, And others back in the sixties still happened in today's more modern continuity. So how do you explain that. Well here comes the sliding time-scale. Ultimately major events stay cannon and are updated periodically, for example Tony Stark was originally injured showing of weapons during the Korean war, in the seventies/eighties this was updated to Vietnam, nineties to the Gulf War, and is now the conflict in Afghanistan. Same event different details, no reboot. Another thing to note is how smaller story arcs are truncated for forgotten completely. This results in more time between major events in the comics.

     So how does this apply to the Pokemon anime. Well when viewed this way, the story lines are not taking years, but more like months, or even weeks. If you also take out fluff and filler stories, that timeline makes a little more sense. with this in mind, here is how i see the events unfolding. All of Kanto, the Orange Islands, And Johto take place in around three months time, when focusing on travel, gym badges, and other major arcs like catching Pokemon. most other regions probably take about a month to a month and a half to complete. This seems reasonable for a hyperactive ten year old child to accomplish in a society dedicated to this lifestyle.

     Does this solve every problem? No. No it does not. But with this thought maybe we can stop complaining about this little continuity problem. Hell under more scrutiny this theory might be full of holes. This is simply my view of the continuity of the series.

Thoughts On the Nintendo Switch Presentation

[Please note this is about the presentation that Nintendo put on, not on the Switch itself]

     It should be self evident that the presentation for the Nintendo Switch has been a tad divisive. Some feel as if it was great, others feel as if it is spelling doom for Nintendo. While writing this I feel that the observations I place here will not change many minds. However i do hope my thoughts can add clarity and focus to the event we all watched.

     First I would like to bring up my over arching opinion, that this was not a consumer presentation, but a business one. Notice that the audience was filled with stanch, middle-aged, Japanese businessmen. There nary seamed a fan in sight. Nobody to whoop and holler in excitement. The added bits of personality that were on display were not met well by the audience, and seemed awkward most of the time. And the reiteration on the consoles features and not spec shows off that Nintendo wants to have a wide variety of games.

   Of the games the were announced during the presentation, most of them feel as if they were calculated to show longevity and business deals. Party games like 1 2 Switch harken back to the Wii, one of Nintendo's best selling consoles. Square-enix showed off a number of games, like the super popular Dragon Quest, and a new IP. They showed cult favorites like Shin Megami Tensei, and the works of Suda51. Also Suda51 came and represented indie developers. Fire Emblem Warriors was there to show their commitment to continuing the expansion of the existing IP's. Splatoon 2 was a huge hit in Japan, showing the audience their commitment to keeping an eye on what's popular. And with Skyrim and FIFA, Nintendo shows that they are having a much better relationship with American developers.

     Now this is probably just me overthinking it. This may just be me trying to justify a somewhat lackluster line up of games for the upcoming year, though I am excited for about 70% of the games announced I understand why most aren't. Part of me is just hopeful I guess. I hope that what we saw was not their entire strategy for the system, but just a single part.  So here's hope for the future.

REVIEW Yandere Kanojo [No, Not That Kind of Yandere]

     Yandere Kanojo is not about the super jealous, mostly murder-y, and possessive archetype. Now that that is out of the way lets proceed. Yandere Kanojo is about a yankee-dere girl, meaning a delinquent on the outside but a sweet and loving person on the inside, and her seemingly simple and boring boyfriend. Through the trail and tribulations of this manga, they overcome family obstacles, personal flaws, and life's little problems. And unlike other romance stories, they get together in the first chapter. But also please note this is a 4-koma gag manga.

     Now onto the main reasons to read this manga. It is full of good natured humor. No joke feels truly meanspireted. With any and all jabs at people's character being made in what feels to be good fun on the characters point. Most every character that would benefit from a character arc get one. Most of the conflict in the relationship do not come from within but, from external sources. Ultimately this series is sweet and comfortable. If you don't want any more information regarding the series, like characters, story arcs, and the such, please stop reading now. Just know I highly recommend this manga, and go read it.
   
     Now like most gag-manga, the characters is where this story shines. All of them are well rounded, but flawed individuals. So let me introduce them. First up is Reina, the titular Yandere Kanojo. She is the product of a very healthy and loving marriage, so why is she a delinquent? Well the fact that her mother before her was one might have skewed the balance. Not only is her mother as hot tempered and strong as she is, her father who appears at first to be a really bad guy, is really a shy, meek, and timed man. Her boyfriend, Manabu on the other hand, is a straight laced, calm, and easy going. For most of the proceedings he is pretty much the straight man. However his milk-toast looks, and good grades hide something underneath the surface. There is also their friends and family. Reina's best friend is Hijiri, an a typical girly-girl characters, who helps Reina with more feminine things that she want to do.  Reina also has a couple subordinates called A-ko and B-ko. Manabu best friend is a guy whose grades are only second to Manabu, Tsubasa. He tends to be the groups punching bag early on before he really became friends with the lot. There is also Manabu's younger sister, Mayami. She happens to work at a maid cafe with a gas mask wearing manager/owner. She also happens to be a masochist. Along with a cool grandfather, a gay cook, a devilish principal, a ghost girl, a chuunibyou, a rival delinquent at another school, and a magic clown there is no shortages for unique characters.

     Most stories follow a simple slice of life/sitcom format. A situation happens, and through wacky hi-jinks they must solve the problem. However I would like to mention a few types of stories that are on display. The first kind involve the aforementioned magic clown. Through monkey paw like wish granting, they give our main characters a new look and perspective on their lives. For example, switching the minds of our two main characters so that they have a deeper empathy and sympathy for the other. Or transporting Manabu one year into the past to see just how good his life has become. The other kind of stories are the flashback, giving side characters a little bit of that needed added depth. For example, a story showing of the grandfathers chivalry, or one about why the manager wears masks, and even how Reina's parents got together.

     Is this the gag-manga to end all gag-manga, no. But it is a damn good one. With most every chapter what starts out with simple premise melts away into something with deeper character study. While there is no *ahem* legal way of enjoying it, there has been some fan translations. The jokes may not be a laugh a second it is certainly worth a read.

REVIEW Dragon Ball Super ep:70 [Let's Play Baseball]

     Another fun comedy episode but this time we get some spotlight on a character that hasn't had any in quite some time, Yamcha. Because of that lack of spotlight he has become something of a joke. But with this episode we get to see him actually be good at something.

     We start the episode with Champa instigating a 'friendly' baseball match with his brother. Berrus agrees to play, and they decide to play in universe seven. It is then revealed to the audience that Champa just wanted to eat universe 7 food without a care in the world. However Vados convinces him to really go at it in playing baseball. And thus high jinks ensue. The teams are split. On the Solar Sevens (There is no official name as I am aware so I decided to make some up.) we have Goku, Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, Berrus, and Yamcha. For the Super Six we have Champa, Cabba, Botamo, Auto Magetta, with Vegeta and Goten helping fill out the rest. 

     The joke are what you expect. Goku going overboard with the pitches, both in power and under power. Vegeta and Goku having a beam struggle in the form of a baseball bat and pitch. Most of the players not knowing how to even play the game, these jokes are to be expected. However the best part of the episode was Yamcha. With him being a straight man to all the goings on, it really grounds the jokes. He also got the best visual joke of the episode, with him recreating his death pose from the Saiyan saga.  

     

   This episode was solid. One day when I would want to rewatch one episode from super this will probably be it, much in the same way the learning to drive cars episode from DBZ is. Hopefully this will go down as a fan favorite. 

REVIEW Dragon Ball Super ep:69 [So Non-canon It Hurts]

     Within an artist's lifetime of works there will be many eras. But is is not often that you see two of their eras butt heads. In this episode of DBS we see Akira Toriyama's early gag-manga characters from Dr.Slump crossover with the most modern form of Dragon Ball, and yes it is as wacky as you think.

     With this episode a plot description would be mostly pointless. This episode should be viewed mostly on its gags, and yes I did laugh at many of them, though I feel like a lot may have slipped past me due to not reading Dr.Slump. The jokes that got the most out of me were the metatextual jokes. the ones pointing out how ridiculous it is for Vegeta to be fighting a gag character, or the fact that Goku was a gag character and so was actually on par with Arale.

     The biggest thing I take away from this episode is just how much an artist can change, and how much they don't. Because for everything Dragon Ball Z did to become one of the definitive action manga and anime, at the heart of it all is just a man telling jokes. While this is probably the most non-canon that this show has been so far, in good conscience I can't say skip it. This episode shows the growth of an artist, and it shows us the value in knowing where the art we love comes from.

REVIEW Dragon Ball Super ep:68 [Should have done this awhile ago]

     So after not watching DragonBall Super for a good few number of weeks jumping back on the horse will take a little bit of effort. Thankfully where I left off is a simple place to pick back up. As many have pointed out, in between each major arc, there are several smaller breather episodes, designed for character exploration and fun. During this episode we explore Bulma, and her relation to some of the more sidelined characters.

     We start the story with Bulma working on the time machine. As she self monologues she feels it is her duty as a scientist to build which she knows to exist, knowing full well the ethical and cosmic implications. Meanwhile Goku tells North Kai that he will gather the Dragonballs to revive him. After doing such task, Goku arrives at the brief estate and summons Shenron. Hijinks ensue.

     And that is pretty much it. most of this episode is just watching the characters bounce off each other. With Roshi's and Oolong's perverted attributes shining through, Android 18's love of Krillin and money, as well as Bulma's ingenuity and money most every person had a moment to show their stuff. However Goten and Trunks still are a little short changed by just being the precocious kids they are. And sadly with Beerus destroying the time machine and North Kai not being revived, the status quo is still intact. While this episode is far from the greatest it is still pretty good, but on eventual rewatches it should probably be skipped.