Anime REVIEW: Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid

After a brief comedy interlude courtesy of Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu,  the FMP franchise returned to its more serious roots in 2005 with the release of Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid. Set three months after the conclusion of the first season, this season was significantly shorter than the first (13 episodes plus an OVA as opposed to 24 episodes) and once again animated by Kyoto Animation rather than Gonzo.

Following the hijacking of Tuatha de Danaan submarine in the last season, life has seemingly returned to normal for Sousuke Sagara - both in his role as a Mythril soldier and student at Jindai High School. That is until Mythril learn of a secret organisation known as "Amalgam", that has been orchestrating conflict behind the scenes and access to Whispered technology. As Mythril attempts to uncover Amalgam, Sousuke must face his own demons as he is split apart from Kaname Chidori and his ability to pilot the Arbalest Arm Slave is called into question.

Sousuke and Kaname in a (rare) moment of high school hi-jinx

Full Metal Panic's unique brand of humour is still very present in The Second Raid, however it seems to have be given a much needed retooling. A shorter episode span means that the story can't be as easily divided into specific chunks like the first season was, leaving a lot less time for Sousuke's comical antics and Kaname's subsequent scoldings. While there is an episode dedicated solely to this to get viewers back into the swing of things, later on it becomes more sporadic and usually paralleling something more serious going on in the show. The balance has shifted squarely in favour of the war-drama element of the show, featuring a much more intricate plot and a very significant rise in violence, but unlike Fumoffu the flip side of the Full Metal Panic! coin is never forgotten. After a mixed first season and a disappointing second, it's great to see the show finally strike the perfect balance in terms of storytelling.

About as twisted as you can get. And that's a good thing.

With a better plot, it's good to see better characterisation go hand in hand. Rather than throwing as many characters as they can into one scenario, this season deals with them one at a time, with episodes that may only feature one or two key characters. While Kaname plays a much more restricted role here, her value and importance to the series is never understated. Meanwhile Sousuke is undoubtedly the star, as The Second Raid studies his transformation from a mercenary-come-soldier bound by orders into someone originally ignorant of his own human emotions. Even bit players like Melissa Mao and Kurz Weber get their own moments in the spotlight. On the villain side of things, Amalgam prove to be a much more interesting (and eccentric) bunch than Gauron did in the first season. Gates often reaches Bond-villain levels of eccentricity, and though underused the merciless Xia twins prove to be a lethal force. But with Sousuke's past catching up with him as the season goes on, some familiar faces also pop up at the very end.

A sharper, shinier Arbalest

Though the boost in animation may have been noticeable in Fumoffu, it's here where Kyoto really take the reign and make this the best looking Full Metal Panic! so far. The character design is as crisp as ever, but it's the much more elaborate Arm Slave battles that have most benefited from this. Using a blend of animation and cel-shaded CGI, movement is much more fluid and allows a greater range of motion for what could easily be perceived as clunky mecha suits. Seeing human faces closeup in CGI might be a little distracting to begin with, but as time goes on they become easier to look at and fit in well with Full Metal Panic's overall aesthetic.

Not sure who this character is? You won't be fully sure when the series is over either.

It isn't all perfect though, and despite everything it manages to do right The Second Raid still manages to fall short at the final hurdle. The plot becomes increasingly rushed, trying to fill as much info as it can into two or three episodes while earlier ones (as entertaining as they may have been) had no real advances. The end fight is anticlimactic, and manages to leave a huge loose end that will probably never be covered outside the original source material. A lot of light is shed on just what the Lambda Driver is and how it works, but what exactly a Whispered is is still shrouded in mystery.

After two offerings that weren't particularly notable, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid makes sure that the franchise ends with a bang (as far as the anime is concerned anyway). Every aspect has been kicked in overdrive - the animation, the characters and the story, resulting in a far more enjoyable and engaging experience despite the smaller episode count. It's a shame that this happens to be the last FMP anime, because it was finally beginning to get good and there are still plenty of unanswered questions left.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Basco & Sally

Superhero figures are great, but where's the fun if there's no villains for them to fight? While this next review isn't the first Super Sentai villain to appear in the S.H. Figuarts line (that honour would go to Shinkenger's Juzo), its by far the most exciting. Released as a Tamashii web exclusive last year was Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger's star villain Basco ta Jolokia (in his monster form), in an extra special 2-pack that also included a Figuarts Zero (an alternate line of non-poseable statues) of his simian partner-in-crime Sally.

The box is a rarity among the Figuarts line, as its one of the few releases that doesn't have a standard window box. The figures are fully covered, with the front of the box depicting the two figures alongside their names and Basco's personal logo. One thing to note is that the packaging refers to the character as "Vasco" rather than "Basco". From what I gather this is because in Japanese B's and V's can be the same character, however to suddenly name him Vasco is a little strange when both his body and ship have clear Bs on them. The other thing to note is that the front, back and spines all feature the figure in the same pose, lacking any pictures of dynamic poses.

Basco's monster form featured a fairly detailed and elaborate design, and not a detail has been spared when it came to scaling it down into plastic form. The figure is a really nice matte shade of crimson, and features a ton of golden skull detailing on the hat tassles, shoulders and knee pads. Even the fur-like sections of the suit have been recreated using textured plastic. Even the black arm gauntlets have some moulded detail on them. So with all this positivity, its a shame that the figure does fall short in the posing department (which probably explains the static poses on the box). When the arms are parallel to the body, the pointed sections of the gauntlets tend to brush up against the shoulder pads, the coat tail gets in the way of moving the legs backward and the kneecaps also pop off without hesitation (which is a real pain). It's an excellent display piece with an insane amount of detail, but not one of the most dynamic Figuarts I own by any means.

Secondly there's the issue of handswapping, which continues the trend of being more difficult than usual on newer Super Sentai Figuarts. While the giant arm gauntlets don't make things any easier, the pegs that attach the hands to the wrist look much flimsier than they do on a standard figure. While I thought this might just be me, Basco unfortunately also happens to be the first Figuart breakage I've had on the 23 figures I own. While swapping the hands to take pictures for this very review, the peg on the right hand came clean off with one of the hands and is now stuck firmly in it. Like I say this is my 23rd Figuart, so I don't feel I was being overly ham-fisted with the figure. I can still attach the hands with a little bit of blu-tack and it isn't noticeable, but the fact I know the hand is broken is probably going to bother me every time.

Much like the Gokaiger team, Basco also comes with a pretty impressive amount of accessories. Included are 12 pairs of hands (closed fists, 3 pairs of grabbing hands and a variety of open ones), his sword, gun, trumpet and gold mobirate. Not only does Basco's mobirate feature a very different deco to the Gokaiger ones, but its the only Figuart-scale one that flips open. Its accuracy is a little questionable (the back piece is nowhere near as thick as it should be) but it's a very nice touch. The isn't a whole lot to say about the sword, gun and trumpet, other than that they all have similar aesthetics and are a very nice blend of gold, silver and black.

Finally we come to Sally, who to some may feel like an accessory anyway! As mentioned earlier, Sally is a Figuarts Zero, meaning she doesn't include any moveable parts and is permanently stuck in her squatting pose. However she doesn't feature any less detail than her poseable master, and even comes with her own accessory! Included is the bomb necklace that Basco gives to her in episodes 47 and 48 of the series, which can be put around her neck by removing her head, putting it around her neck and then putting the head back on.

Basco and Sally are a great addition to the cast of Gokaiger and S.H. Figuarts in general, but they aren't without their flaws. As highly detailed they might be, Basco's poseability isn't the best and the fact I had a hand joint break on me is also a knock against it. The fact is a web exclusive also means its after market price is only going to rise, and the inclusion of a static Sally figure means you'll be paying 2-pack price - which might put off some. However if you do take the plunge on this set its unlikely you'll be too disappointed...just make sure to be very careful when switching the hands.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Gokai Christmas

While all six members of the Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger crew have been available in Bandai's S.H. Figuarts line for almost a year now, that doesn't mean there aren't still a few more figure possibilities for the 35th anniversary Super Sentai team. While the most obvious release would have probably Gokai Silver's gold mode, online store ToeiHero.net had some different (and more festive) plans for their exclusive figure. With a release date in December last year, its only fitting that the figure in question is Gokai Christmas - a special one-off suit that appeared in episode 44 of the series when Gokai Silver combined the powers of the Gokai Red and Green ranger keys.

In true Christmas fashion, Gokai Christmas comes in possibly the gaudiest box imaginable. A festive blend of red and green stripes, with the words "Gokai X'mas" emblazoned in white text with gold trimming. The front of the box also features the ToeiHero.net logo as a sign of its exclusiveness, while the back of the box features the figure in a variety of different poses.

Upon opening up, I immediately realised how much I'd missed the excitement of a new Gokaiger figure. Even with a little bit of leg articulation limitation from the suit's jacket, the overall poseability of the Gokaiger body is still the best Super Sentai has to offer. The figure just oozes personality (whether you want some serious action poses or crazy Gai Ikari antics) and the added bicep-swivel gives the figure an added edge that previous (and later) figures have lacked. The two-sided colourscheme has been recreated perfectly, right down to the asymmetrical visor and gold logo on the helmet (although that should really be luminous yellow). While the red arm on my figure doesn't quite match the shade of red for the jacket, its only noticeable in certain lighting and an issue that could possibly vary from figure to figure.

As far as accessories go, unfortunately it isn't anything we haven't already seen in previous Gokaiger releases. Included are 11 pairs of hands (including the usual closed fist/sword gripping/pistol gripping pairs and a few extravagant pose hands), a Gokai Saber, a Gokai Pistol, the Gokai Christmas ranger key in flipped and unflipped forms and exchangeable barrels for the weapons. There's no unique or character-specific items included (or even a Gokai Cellular), but then Gokai Christmas never really had any specific items in his fleeting appearance. While there is an impressive level of detail on the ranger keys, its a little disappointing that there wasn't anything unique included with this release...items such as a scale Gokai Galleon Buster may never see production. However I suppose its somewhat understandable that Bandai may not want to include what would be such a sought-after item with an exclusive release that wasn't from the Tamashii webstore.

So what's the verdict on Gokai Christmas? Well, that all depends on just how much of a completist you are. Gokai Christmas was a throwaway character in a Christmas-themed episode. A great throwaway character in a great Christmas-themed episode, but still. There's very little to fault about the figure itself and the paint job is pretty flawless, but the lack of anything truly unique in the accessories might put casual collectors off putting their money down on an exclusive release. I'm giving it an average rating just because on the grand scale of things it probably isn't a necessaries purchase, but if you love Gokaiger just as much as I do you might want to throw a bit more onto that 3 out of 5 rating.

First Impressions: Vividred Operation

After Strike Witches came and gave a new spin on the world of magical girls, A-1 Pictures have gone and created their own series where trousers on the main characters may or may not be entirely optional. This is of course Vividred Operation, a new 12-episode series that will be airing over the next few months.

In the near future, humanity's energy crisis has been solved by a giant generator known as the Manifestation Engine. It's creator's granddaughter, Akane Isshiki, lives a peaceful life until one day the generator is attacked by an alien lifeform her grandfather identifies as the Alone. After having his consciousness accidentally transported into a stuffed animal, he presents Akane with a strange key and the two race off toward the Engine, leaving her younger sister in charge of the house. When Akane's friend Aoi gets caught up in the battle, Akane uses the key to unlock a special battle suit known as the Vivid System.

As far as first episodes go, Vividred Operation isn't something to write home about. The majority of what's written above happened at the tail end of the episode, the rest made up of needless fluff and a buttload of fanservice (pun intended). Akane isn't particularly interesting as a heroine just yet, but her cackling grandfather has shades of Shin Mazinger Z's Juzo Kabuto which is never a bad thing. However the rest of it doesn't feel like anything new. The series just looks and feels a lot like Strike Witches, albeit in a futuristic setting rather than an alternate WW2. The flashy magical girl transformation sequence didn't really add much, and our first glimpse of the Alone just gives the impression that they are going to be another Evangelion Angel rip-off.

So not really a great start. Had I not already decided that I would be seeing this series through to the end, this episode would not have convinced me to continue. Maybe next week will shed a bit more light on what this show has to offer, but my first impression is this is going to be another magical girl series that just can't keep up with the competition.

First Impressions: Tamako Market

A new section for this year, here I'm going to look at the first episode of new series that come out over the course of 2013, giving my first impressions on them and what my expectations are, if any, for future episodes. The first of these will deal with the latest offering from anime studio Kyoto Animation (whose previous works include K-On!, Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star), titled Tamako Market. Bearing very similar character design to that of K-On!, this series is currently slated to run for 12 episodes.

Tamako Kitashirakawa is the eldest daughter of a mochi shop-owning family in her town's bustling shopping district. One day while running her errands she encounters a strange talking bird named Dera Mochimazzi, an attendant of a foreign prince who has come in search of a bride for his master. The series will follow the life of Tamako, her friends and their interactions with this strange bird.

Straight away its clear that this show lives up to Kyoto's standard of crisp animation. The background is detailed and colourful, and the characters design is superb (even if some do look just like the cast of K-On! with different hairstyles). We don't learn a whole lot about Tamako and her friends and family, but enough to comfortably know what roles each one will be playing in the weeks to come. There's also some real oddities among the cast, including what looks to be a female flower shop owner voiced by a clearly male seiyuu. Whether the series will shed any real light on it is anyone's guess.

This episode alone was dominated by our feathered protagonist, who stole every scene he was in. Whether it was strutting around like a diva or showing a perverted streak in a public bathhouse, all eyes were firmly on Mochimazzi. And with the episode ending on a very interesting note, it seems there will be a lot more to this bird than meets the eye.

It may not give a great deal of the plot away, but the first episode of Tamako Market tells you just about enough to know what kind of show to expect. It has Kyoto's usual stamp of cute and colouful schoolgirls, but with an added dose of craziness which could lead the show in a new and unusual direction. I'm not really sure just what to make of this show overall just yet, but I'm rather excited for the coming weeks to see where it goes.

Game REVIEW: Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (3DS)

While video gaming reviews aren't a regular feature on this blog, every so often there comes a game which I feel I should make an exception for. The original Epic Mickey game for the Nintendo Wii came out of nowhere and quickly became one of my favourite Wii games, so you can imagine my excitement when not one, but two sequels were announced. While the first was a straight console sequel entitled The Power of Two (which I'm currently playing through and will be reviewing in the near future), the second was a lot more interesting. Not only was it a 2D side-scrolling handheld title for the 3DS, but a spiritual sequel to the excellent Mickey Mouse: Castle of Illusion game for the Sega Mega Drive (or Genesis if you'd prefer). With the weight of two great games behind it, is Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion a game worthy of both legacies?

Apparently set after the events of The Power of Two (although outside the game manual there's no indication of this), the game sees Mickey returning to Wasteland to once again battle the evil witch Mizrabel (the villain from Castle of Illusion) after she and her castle are sent there. Not liking that she's been sent somewhere where forgotten toons go, Mizrabel plots her return by kidnapping Minnie Mouse and a variety of various characters from across Disney-dom - planning to steal their heart power. With Pinocchio's Jiminy Cricket acting as his guide, Mickey ventures through the Castle of Illusion once again!

If you're familiar with the original Castle of Illusion game, immediately you'll be treated by a number of nostalgic sights and sounds. From Mickey's jumping noise to the mushroom enemies that appear in every level, developers Dreamrift have a great deal to tie things in to the previous game. However whether they've gone as far as they could have gone is debatable, as a few opportunities are missed along the way. While in the original game Mizrabel took her design cues from Snow White's wicked Queen, this time around she's supporting Sleeping Beauty's Maleficent's skin...literally. Her first appearance see her morphing into a variety of Disney villains, but this original form is sadly never seen.

Mickey's throwing ability is obviously gone, replaced with projectile attacks via the paintbrush (be it paint or thinner). The morality element of the console Epic Mickey games is gone, with which element of the brush you use making no difference on enemies themselves. These tools really come into play with the interactive items you'll come across in the levels, which can be drawn or rubbed out as you desire. These items range from platforms and magic carpets to firing cannons and octopuses. Drawing these in requires tracing an outline on the 3DS touchscreen, and just how closely you follow the outline will determine how useful they are to you. It's an interesting approach, but so incredibly easy to do that even a child could breeze through the game without learning the effects of poorly drawing something.

As far as levels are concerning, the offering is incredibly meagre. There are a total of three worlds in the game, each split into four levels and one (super easy) boss. The first world is based on Neverland with Captain Hook as the boss, the second Agrahbah and Jafar and the third world Atlantis - only Ursala isn't the boss here, instead they just go straight to the final Mizrabel boss and Ursala is reduced to being an interactive character (more on that in a moment). It feels like they just give up on things at the last minute. The levels aren't really all that challenging until you reach the last few Atlantis ones (which are more frustrating rather than hard). All the levels require visiting more than once, but while repeated trips make the game last longer, they don't make up for the abysmal length of the game. Even a casual gamer could probably finish it in one sitting.

Where the game really shines is its extended cast of characters. The Epic Mickey side of things might as well just be forgotten, because there aren't any "forgotten" characters and Oswald is barely in it. Instead on your travels you come across a HUGE variety of characters from various Disney movies including Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Tangled, The Lion King, The Princess and the Frog, Snow White and more. As you rescue these characters, they take haven in their  own little rooms in the castle's "fortress", making them up to look like home.Talking to the characters then opens a variety of side quests, which include finding extra characters for their rooms (e.g. finding Timon and Pumbaa for Simba), items (a frying pan for Rapunzel) or simply just drawing things for bonus items. Successfully completing a mission results in the rooms improving bit by bit. Room improvement can also be done via upgrade stars, which are awarded for completing levels and later buyable from the peddlar from Aladdin. Best of all, Power of Illusion is one of the few places you'll see these characters interact with each other too.

But this is the problem. The game feels less like a side-scrolling adventure, and more a game of "dress up your Disney characters room". The quests are mundane and repetitive, lacking variety as its just the same thing over and over with interchangeable characters and items. The cast is huge, but when its clear that the majority of effort when into the SIDE quests the overall game really suffers. While the mainline Epic Mickey games over decent replay value in terms of alternate paths and collectible items, there is nothing here that would make you want to pick the game up twice.

I had huge hopes for Power of Illusion, so much that I was looking forward to it more than The Power of Two. But unfortunately this game is barely worthy of either the Epic Mickey or Illusion titles. The 3D is pointless, the game painfully short and the bosses unimaginative. Its great to see so many mainstream Disney characters under one roof, but their inclusion also feels like it goes against the whole point of Epic Mickey. Power of Illusion is a great game for kids, but a massive disappointment compared to the titles it succeeds.

Anime REVIEW: Medaka Box Abnormal

As anyone who watched the first season of Medaka Box will know, things were turned up a notch in the final few episodes and things seemed to move in a drastically different direction. Turns out this was just a teaser of what was to come, as the all-powerful Student Council President and her band of merry men return for a second season, this time titled Medaka Box Abnormal. Once again it ran for 12 episodes (between October and December 2012), animated by Gainax and based on the ongoing manga series of the same name.

Following her battle with Myouri Unzen, Medaka Kurokami is warned of and then subsequently invited to join the Flask Plan - a project to forcefully experiment on Normal students to turn them into Abnormals, humans with superhuman abilities. After seeking training from her perverted brother Maguro - a man whose abnormality allows him to develop the most suitable methods to bring out the greatest potential in an individual, the Student Council head underground to take down the Flask Plan - battling with a range of students with abnormalities. But when the group's leader and self-proclaimed "King of the World Oudo Miyakonojou vows to take Medaka as his bride and subsequently brainwashes her, will her friends be able to bring Medaka back?

Medaka and Zenkichi meet up with Maguro

As mentioned earlier, this is a very different beast to the first season of Medaka Box. Gone are the self-contained, light-hearted multi-story episodes with tonnes of fanservice. Instead Medaka Box Abnormal opts for full-length episodes with an ongoing story, which is high on action and adrenaline (the comedy is still there though). Whereas the first season served to establish the characters, its here we begin to learn about just who they are, their backstories and what define them. We learn that Medaka hasn't always had that cheery disposition she seems to value most of all, her estranged family members and that she isn't the only "gifted" student in Hakoniwa Academy.

Turns out Kouki is a Kamen Rider fan, who knew?

One of the biggest failings of the first season was that the focus lay squarely on Medaka, with her usually being the one that saved the day. Thankfully Abnormal fixes this by devoting just as much, if not more time to the development of her council - Zenkichi, Kouke and Mogana. The latter two were especially in need of this, as following their entry into the student council the two began to feel more like set pieces than actual characters. Kouke's battle against Shotaro Ishinomori-inspired cyborg Itami Koga is a great boost to his character and an excellent episode in itself, as is Mogana's fight against the masked Mizou Yukuhashi. While ultimately it is still Medaka's name on the title so she saves the day in the end, the series finally feels like it isn't just all about her.

Oudo Miyakonojou, the "final boss"

Medaka Box Abnormal also sees a wide cast of new characters join the fray, although only a handful are really notable (the ones being "battle of the week" types). The most important of these two are Medaka's brother and sister Maguro and Kujira (who has taken on the name Youka Naze). Naze is a particularly interesting character, presented as an antagonist and Flask Plan member rather than an aid to Medaka. The added family dynamic makes Medaka that much more likeable as a character. Oudo Miyakonojou is a great villain - arrogant but with the power to back it up. Although his real battle with Medaka is fleeting and somewhat of an anti-climax, the guy oozes personality and is perfect as the polar opposite of Medaka.

Medaka's estranged sister, Kujira/Youka Naze

Once again the series ends with an episode that's only loosely tied in the overarching plot, only this time it isn't quite as welcome. After episode 11 ends on a massive cliffhanger and Medaka comes face to face with a person from her past, the following episode chooses to introduce this character properly (Misogi Kumagawa) in an unrelated side-story. The episode itself is quite good and illustrates well just how psychotic Kumagawa is, but comes at the worst possible time...especially when there's no indication on whether the series will continue on for a third season.

While the opening credits are somewhat misleading to the contents of the show (they feature mecha, battle armour and an evil looking Medaka in what looks like a very uncomfortable costume), they still accurately depict the tone of the season. A proper ongoing plot, character expansion and heavier action make Medaka Box Abnormal far superior to its predecessor, only hiccuping in a few areas and then ending on a big cliffhanger. Fingers crossed for a season three, because it could be the best one yet.