Networks and Blu Rays

PSN is still down so no SSF4 costume DLC packs for me. Also, my credit card info is in the hands of some imbecile, but on the bright side Madoka blu rays are available here.

Gifts from SakuraCon 2011

I had to skip out as I was job-hunting, but my girlfriend came back from SakuraCon 2011 and guess what she got me? A Love Machine Figma from Summer Wars. It's a lovely figure and I haven't actually opened it yet. When it comes to figures, I'm very particular about when I will get this bad boy out of his case. In many ways it's a ritual of sorts. Something that takes preparation. Plus, I'll need to make some room on my small shelf. Even so, it was a spectacular gift. Here's a pic from Hobby Search and a link to the figure itself.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica Series Finale

WARNING: The following post contains major spoilers for Puella Mahou Shoujo Madoka. If you haven't seen the end you might as well turn around now.

Normally, I would have waited to watch the finale of Madoka at my local BSUAC (insert anime club plug here), however being a seasoned veteran of the WEBZ and realizing that /a/ of 4chan is part of my daily rotation, I was turned on the notation that the conclusion may be spoiled for me. So, to prevent my fragile mind from experiencing the joys of emotional turmoil from a series finale, I decided to march on ahead and marathon it for myself in private. And I am very glad I did because shortly after completing the series I wandered over to the cesspool of the internet and found that the first three pages of /a/ were dedicated solely to Madoka spoilers and hate-fueled discussions. Good times.

To begin let's chat about my favorite half of this two-parter, which is the first half. Now, when I'm all excited to see the conclusion of a show I've been following like mad, the one thing I don't like is when writers jump right into the middle of the action with little to no explanation. Typically, this happens when there are two part endings and they save all the dialogue for the second episode. In Madoka's case it's a little half and half. They split up the story between the first half of episode 11 and the second half of episode 12, making for a sandwich that's easy to hold and delicious to chew.

We start with Homura and Kyubey discussing the whole system of energy that centers around the magical girls. Nice, but we already knew that. However, suddenly Kyubey brings up the point that Homura keeps going back into time for Madoka's sake, making Madoka the center of this time-space distortion. Leading Kyubey to believe that is the cause of Madoka's immense latent magical powers. I love these kinds of twists because they make for very enjoyable and natural feeling drama. There isn't just some mysterious reason why shit's going down, but instead it's the result of the character's previous actions. Feels good to me.

Then, perhaps the thing that most people had longingly awaited: Homura vs. Walpurgisnacht. In terms of animation quality alone, this is one of my favorite magical girl fights, rivaling the over the top Nanoha aerial battles even. Homura's epic all out assault on the Walpurgisnacht in terms of action is simply amazing and downright hilarious all at the same time. Watching the desperate Homura and her legion of rocket launchers as they try to chip away at the Walpurgisnacht is something akin to ants battling the sun (thanks to MvC3's Galactus for that quote). Homura tried dammit. She tried. Also, Homura surfing on trucks is pretty fucking sweet, though my favorite scene is the pit of explosives the Walpurgisnacht falls during the fight.

Now enough of the action, because we all know what happens next: Madoka wishes hax and saves the multiverse. Of course, it's time to talk of the epic round up. So, my verdict on the ending? I'll be honest, I feel disappointed. I expected to be crying, have something completely out of the blue occur, or even just fall upon a full on lesbian ending. Instead, it was a sort of bittersweet candy wrapped in gorgeous designer plastic. The kind that you enjoy all throughout, but then feel just a little let down as the very last of its sweet sugary essences slips through your throat. Now, don't get me wrong, the ending isn't actually all that bad and it certainly doesn't ruin the show. In fact, it felt very much in rhythm with the rest of the series. But still, with something as surprisingly awesome as Madoka was it required that extra awe-inspiring end to make it feel like a truly epic re-telling of the mahou shoujo genre.

Still, Madoka's wish certainly paints quite the new destiny for magical girls making them more like the heroines in Sailor Moon or Nanoha. In way, it's a clever nod to other shows within the genre and a fun experiment that is very successful on Shaft's part. The wish to erase every witch ever was very intense, going as far as to rewrite the very fabric of reality to suit a world better equipped at handling Madoka's demand. Also, she's an omnipotent goddess now. Cool. Following her wish, we get an awesome cascade of images depicting other magical girls just as they are about to turn into witches. Needless to say that Madoka appears before them and relieves them of their grief seeds. This scene has also sparked an interesting debate online as featured within it are multiple other magical girls including, but not limited to Cleopatra, Joan of Arc, and many others. Basically, all famous women were magical girls. Deal with it.

Also there's this chick whom fans have dubbed Mahou Shoujew Anne Frank:

So, Madoka does the impossible, sees the invisible, and row row fights the power, crafting a new world where magical girls don't become witches. In turn, however, it basically Lains her and she no longer exists in the current universe, only as this goddess thing. The only one left who remembers anything of her is Homura who keeps Madoka's hair tie as a momento. Things don't end there thankfully and we're given a bit more as to what this new plane of existence is like.

A new threat is born called demons, which magical girls must defeat instead. Interestingly, the whole system of energy circulation is kept in line as incubators now consume the leftovers of defeated demons to give energy to the universe. All this is explained in an eerie dialogue between Homura and a reformed Kyubey. Here, Homura also tells Kyubey about how witches worked in the old universe, the concept of which Kyubey finds fascinating. Still, nothing comes of this as the series wraps up. To me, that is a missed opportunity, though if ever an OVA series or some sort of conclusion movie is made the plot NEEDS to center around the fact that Kyubey feels it is easier to conserve energy with this whole 'witch' scenario and tries to revert the universe to that state.

Finally, we see that Homura has dedicated her existence to protecting the world that Madoka loved so dearly, In fact, we are even serviced with a badass walking scene as Homura marches towards an army of demons. She is whispered words of encouragement by an unseen Madoka and then leaps into battle.

Damn. That is a lot to process. Well, to wrap up my review gently I will say this: I love this anime. Puella Mahou Shoujo Madoka is the perfect example of a bait-and-switch anime. Initially, many will find themselves turned off by the moe art style and the moe moe vibes this series gives off. Certainly not for everyone, but if you've watched and enjoyed shows like Sailor Moon when you were younger you really have to give this trip a ride. Madoka feels like a fusion of mahou shoujo with a bit of Higurashi-style horror. It's a great series and so long as you enjoy the characters you'll find yourself powering to the end. Although I'm a slut for anything and everything made by Shaft studios, I gotta say that Madoka is definitely at the top of must-see shows.

Anyways, I'm out. Because I'm tired. And I want to not type for a while. But before I go consider the following: Eve was the first mahou shoujo and the snake was the first incubator.

What I'm Watching This Season (Spring 2011)

As with all new seasons of shows I go out of my way to preview each and every single one, usually until the 2nd episode. It's a pain in the ass and I have to sit through a ton of shit just to find something I'm actually interested in. Luckily though, I'm glad to say that I seem to have been able to pick up at least 2-3 shows each season. I'll only talk about one of those show right now.

My number one pick right now for the current season (Spring 2011) is very easily Tiger & Bunny.

 Our title characters striking a pose.

In essence, this is a comedic action series about super heroes with company sponsors as they try and save the day and earn points on something called Hero TV for a chance at being the King of Heroes. Really, this show is wacky, but with a lovable cast of characters. So far the series centers around main character Wild Tiger aka Kaburagi Kotetsu, who is a down-on-his-luck super hero forced to team up with pretty boy Barnaby Brooks, a new up-and-coming Hero superstar.

 

The Heroes in their street clothing.

 If this show does one thing right, it's showing off the hilarity of its spirit. Each of the Heroes are decked out like NASCAR vehicles with real-life company logos. One of my personal favorite companies Calbee (a famous Japanese snack maker) appears on a kung-fu theme Hero named Dragon Kid. While Pepsi is having its latest product Pepsi NEX front-lined on ice themed super idol Blue Rose. There is an entire cast of other Heroes, each equipped with amusing and quirky personalities. The series really goes out of its way to show off these hijinks and it really works for the tone of the show.

A scene with Barnaby (left) and Wild Tiger (right).

The banter between the two title characters Wild Tiger and Barnaby make for an interesting spin on the dysfunctional buddy cop cliche. It's a fun show and you'll be sucked from the first episode alone. Do yourself a favor and just try out this series if you haven't already. I know the internet rumor mills are spinning like crazy about this show, but some of that intense hype is well deserved.

 Pepsi NEX staring Blue Rose.

That about does it for my first real post. Next time I'll be talking about the end of SHAFT's latest epic series Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Mind you this brand new series just ended, but let me tell you it takes the typical mahou shoujo archetype (think Sailor Moon or Pretty Cure) and really turns it on its head. Madoka is another series you MUST give a chance. Sure the moe-feel of it will turn off most viewers, but by episode 3 you'll get the true nature of the show. Even so, I've got to save some of this discussion for next time, so I'm off. Whenever I post again it'll either be about Madoka or perhaps why I couldn't write that article yet.. Good night!

Moving Over to a New Canvas

This is a migration from Misguided Operations to something a little less... crappy? I sure as hell hope this works out for me. Mostly, I was unsure on what to really write about and the idea with me and the whole blog scene was to get me to writing more. Well, pass attempts have failed and surely this one will follow in the footsteps of its ancestors, but hell it's not like I'm losing anything doing these little word-rants.

So, step one with the change from Operations was that I wanted to narrow down my subject matter. Here it is: this blog is about anime ONLY...... MOSTLY. I'll probably just chat and rant about shows airing in the current season as I find myself with far too much free time and far less productive things to be doing. On occasional I'll bring up video games (mostly fighting games), but usually it's because there is something anime-related in there (such as Blazblue or the weeaboo infested clusterfuck that is Arcana Hearts 3.... which I can't seem to not love). And without further adieu it begins! Also, because I'm a lazyfuck I'll be reposting some of my old reviews to kind of give this place more volume. Let's see how this experiment goes and how long I can suppress my ADD.