Anime Blog #17: Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3: "Act 28 - Ripples" Review (FIGHTING GAMES ARE DANGEROUS!)

For the third consecutive time, Sailor Moon Crystal has managed to captivate my interest in ways I never expected.  Yes, we knew Eudial was gonna fight the Sailor Senshi.  Yes, we knew we were gonna see Professor Tomoe for the first time. And yes, we knew Chibiusa and Hotaru were gonna go through that phase of saying "Hotaru-chan" and "Chibiusa-chan" over and over and over.  But we're not gonna get into that now, let's just cut to the chase and review this thing!

Picking up exactly where the previous episode left off - with Sailor Neptune and Uranus vanishing into the night - the mysterious frail girl manages to fully stand up, advise the gang to leave the academy as possible, and be on her way as well.  But before she departed, Chibiusa wanted to know the name of the girl who healed her wound.  With her somber emotion slowly growing to a smile, she revealed her name was Hotaru Tomoe.  As a result, Chibiusa was taken aback by her sincere happy emotion, briefly entranced by how beautiful she looked when she smiled.

Opening credits roll.

In the basement area of the academy, Hotaru could be seen having another seizure, unable to walk or stand.  A woman with long red hair in a lab coat rushes to her aid, calling her name in a familiar tone. However, Hotaru pushes away the woman in hostility, insisting she can get to her room by herself.  It was that moment a tall, slender man appeared.  He too was wearing a lab coat, and strangely designed spectacles, with one lens having a strange watermark of some kind.  The red-haired woman acknowledged her as the professor, and Hotaru acknowledged him as her father.  He insisted to Hotaru that the red-haired woman - whom he addressed as Kaori - only wished to take care of her since her mother passed away.  Despite his father's kind words, Hotaru vehemently cursed her name, presuming her as a homewrecker who only wanted to suck up to the professor for personal gain.

Later that night, as Hotaru tried to rest in bed, Professor Tomoe appeared in her room with the intent of having a heart-to-heart, while asking if she's been taking proper treatment for her illness.  Hotaru insisted that she has, but to no avail.  As the professor rubs her head, Hotaru sharply reacts for some reason, then the professor reaches into his coat and takes out an amulet with a large crystal shaped like a flower before leaving.  Shortly after, the illness Hotaru felt began to suddenly vanish. But Hotaru could still not get over the moment his father touched her.  His hand was unnaturally cold...

Back at the command center in the basement of the Crown Arcade, Usagi and the gang round up all the information they've obtained from last night's events-- the confirmed identity of the two mysterious figures, and the strange girl Hotatu Tomoe.  Meanwhile, Kaorinite - now confirmed to be Kaori's alter-ego - has taken a curiosity to Sailor Moon's source of power, the Silver Crystal.  She believes it to possess a power similar to - if not greater - than their own Taioron Crystal, and if proven true, she believes it would please Pharaoh 90 to obtain it.  However, she first tries to find meaning of the mysterious three lights which would bring forth a great destruction through the fountain mirror, but to no avail.  Simultaneously, it seemed to trigger a dream Mamoru awakened from as soon as Kaorinite lost visual from the fountain mirror.

Elsewhere, Michiru was making a similar reading through her Deep Aqua Mirror, but also had a similar interference.  Even so, she and Haruka both vowed to find all three talismans before the great destruction ever comes.

Mamoru goes to a library to do some research on the academy, with Michiru following and giving her input on the subject matter.  At the same time, she offers free tickets to her violin concert.  Meanwhile, Usagi runs into Haruka, and suspects she's a Sailor Senshi, despite looking like a male.  Haruka playfully mocks Usagi, asking if she's into fighting games.  Usagi's friends Ami, Minako, and Makoto intervene, thinking Haruka would cause harm to her.  But Haruka took a hint and left.

Usagi ponders about Rei's absence, and Makoto explains that she went to the mountains for self-purification on her 15th birthday today.  Concerned, the gang decides to visit her in the mountains.  Kaorinite then decides to sortie Eudial for the next mission to eliminate the Sailor Senshi.  Upon meeting Rei, a school training camp was conveniently taking place nearby, with Eudial recruiting new potential students for Mugen Academy.

Usagi and the gang decide to visit, observing a judo training session was taking place.  To their surprise, Haruka was there too!  It didn't take long before she began goading them into a judo match, where Makoto obliged, thinking it would be easy.  However, Haruka proved to be much stronger than Makoto anticipated.  Usagi's friends - thinking she was a male - believed she was being too aggressive on a lady.  Haruka nonchalantly rebuttals with a sexist remark.  Usagi and her friends then take their leave when Eudial suddenly appears on the scene.

That night, Eudial gathers the students outside, tricking them into a ritual that forced them to sacrifice their souls as Hostes for Pharaoh 90.  Sailors Mars and Jupiter prevent this from happening, and a battle ensues, with Eudial setting the woods ablaze with her Fire Buster.

However, Sailor Moon brings Eudial's inferno to an end with the Moon Spiral Heart Attack, with the remaining Witches observing her death.  Again, the mysterious Sailor that looked like Haruka appeared before Sailor Moon, and she was determined to catch her this time.  Losing track of her briefly, the mysterious Sailor gets her attention by speaking to her.  She then gives a warning to Sailor Moon:

"Don't get in our way.  Fighting games are dangerous".  

At that moment, the episode closes with the mysterious Sailor advancing toward Sailor Moon, giving her a passionate kiss on the lips.

It was that last quote in the end of the episode that kind of blew my mind. Knowing the franchise's history with fighting games, the most popular and competitively viable one was the Super Famicom version of Sailor Moon S.  Here, Sailor Uranus is widely regarded as a top-tier character with all the perks that made her soundly superior to the rest of the cast.  So to hear her say that in this game is quite ironic, and possibly a nod to the fighting game.

Overall, this show was extremely faithful to the manga, where the only notable - and much needed - change was how the battle with Eudial was executed. In the original manga, Eudial hardly used the Fire Buster as extensively as she did here, and when Sailor Mars used the Snake Fire, Eudial oddly transformed into a medusa.  To this day, I never understood the logic behind that, and it kind of took away from whatever personality the villain could've had.  Seeing this not happen in Crystal was a very smart move.

Once again the series delivers with an entertaining episode, and it can only get better from here, as the next episode will be focusing on not only my favorite villain of the Death Busters, but IMO one of my favorite Sailor Moon villains of all-time, Mimete.  I can only wonder how creative they'll get with her time in the spotlight, since she only has one shot to make it count compared to the 90s anime (where she was many times more entertaining and funny).  Please Toei, don't screw this up.

This week's episode is definitely a "Worth Watching" IMO.

Anime Blog #16: Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3: Premonition, Part 2 (Review with SPOILERS!)

This past Monday I have watched the second part of Act 27, and to make a long story short, the quality of the episode retained its consistency, which is to say it was entertaining to watch.  However, due to circumstances such as work and other side projects I've been doing, I've never been able to chime in my own episode review until now (and on the day before the next episode, no less).

So without further ado, let's get on to the summary.

The opener scene for this episode centers around Chibiusa teasing Usagi about Mamoru taking him somewhere, much to Usagi's annoyance.  In a bit of surprise, the scene dials back to the humorous roots of the 90s anime, which gave the franchise an additional charm the manga never dabbled on very much.  At the same time, it never overstays its welcome and still reminds us it's trying its best to remain as faithful to the manga as possible.

Opening animation ensues.

Luna and Artemis - at the command center beneath the Crown arcade - gather resources on the suspected Mugen Academy, while Kaorinite gathers her underlings - the Witches 5 - to explain their mission, which is to find the Sailor Senshi and kill them.

Soonafter, Usagi and the gang meet Mamoru, Chibiusa, and his fellow underclassman Asanuma at the park near Mugen Academy.  Chibiusa, already on the ferris wheel with her friend Momo, has her hat blown away by the wind just as the ferris wheel stops, and she runs to retrieve it, as her foster mother Ikuko gave it to her as a keepsake.  The hat blew its way into Mugen Academy, where Usagi and her friends would shortly investigate.

Usagi uses her disguise pen in order to use the academy's uniform to blend in,  Later, she and her friends are briefly distracted by a violin being played in the distance by Michiru.  Then suddenly Haruka would appear out of nowhere, leaving them with a warning not to get in too deep.

Later that night Chibiusa retrieves her hat, and conveniently finds a seemingly anemic young girl in the academy's school uniform.  Concerned about the girl, Chibiusa offers help, but the girl tells her to stay away and leave the academy, as if she were shaken with fear.

At that moment, Eudial plants a Daimon egg toward a stray cat, mutating it into a Daimon.  The Daimon lets loose on Usagi and Chibiusa, and are forced to transform and defeat the monster.  It is here we witness Chibiusa's full transformation for the first time, with a dual roll-call with Sailor Moon in tow.

Sailor Mars uses the Burning Mandala, Sailor Venus restrains the monster with the Love-Me Chain, and Sailor Moon summons more power from the Silver Crystal in order to use the Moon Spiral Heart Attack, transforming the Daimon back to the cat it once was.  The Witches 5, watching them in the distance, disappear shortly after.

Albeit injured in the battle and risking their identity to protect the mysterious girl, Chibiusa tries to calm the girl by convincing them they're not bad people.  Hotaru couldn't help but notice Chibiusa's injury and magically heals it with her hand.  Sailors Neptune and Uranus could be seen suddenly by Sailor Moon and the gang, and quickly vanish into the night.

While I do admit the decision to stretch Act 27 into a two-parter seemed to drag things on a bit, given the pacing is weekly instead of bi-weekly, it's a little more forgivable.  And besides, the new direction being taken for Crystal is a bit more promising, and brings back a bit of the charm which made us fall in love with the 90s anime.  It's a perfect blend by far, with none of the blandness that seemed to hold the first two seasons back.

This episode gets a "Worth Watching" in my book.

Anime Blog #15: Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3 - First Impressions (SPOILERS!)

NOTE:  The following blog may contain spoilers based on pre-existing source material, and isn't suited for viewing by less-than-jaded fans trying to get into the franchise.  If you fit this criteria, continue to enjoy the episodes and conserve your suspense... trust me, it's gonna be awesome.

As for everyone else, welcome to my humble Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3 review and impressions for Act 27: Infinity, Part I.  And without further ado, let's get started!

As everyone knows by now, Sailor Moon Crystal's inception was a result of the 20th anniversary celebration of the globally beloved Sailor Moon franchise, and is mainly about a bun-headed high-school student who - upon meeting four unique friends, two talking cats, and an older male student who she is destined to be together with - is revealed to have been the heir to Silver Millennium, a kingdom rumored to be inherited by successors of the moon goddess Selene.  Her four close friends are revealed to be princesses of their own respective planets of the Milky Way as well as the guardians of their planet called Sailor Guardians, sworn to defend Silver Millennium and its heirs.

Now reincarnated in the present, they have overcome the Dark Kingdom ruled by Metallia, and the dark planet Nemesis which Death Phantom merged itself with.  And so a new evil runs astir... that evil is none other than the Death Busters, ruled by Pharaoh 90.

The episode opens up with said new antagonist narrating his intentions and making his objectives clear to his subordinate magus, Kaorinite. (Surprisingly, Tayaka Hashi's performance for Pharaoh 90 sounds a lot like Arago from Samurai Troopers / Ronin Warriors).  Then it cuts to Hotaru's bedroom, with a voice beckoning her to "awaken" because a great destruction is coming.  We see brief shots of Sailor Pluto and two new Sailor Guardians carrying a mirror and a long sword (Neptune and Uranus, no doubt), and then it cuts to Mamoru and Usagi waking up, which heavily implies more than one person is having the same dream simultaneously.

The next morning Usagi wakes up late as usual, with Chibiusa already having her fill of breakfast thanks to their mother Ikuko.  Usagi rushes to see Mamoru, and Chibiusa follows, giving her the lunch she forgot to take.  Meanwhile, the scene cuts to an upper floor of a tall building, where an aqua-haired girl can be seen taking a casual swim by the pool in a white one-piece swimsuit.  Upon exiting the pool, she checks her cell phone and gets ready to board her helicopter, the Kaiohmaru.  Elsewhere, the scene cuts to a racing derby, where a young man (or is he?) named Haruka Tenoh is scolded by the pit team that he's straining the new car's engine too much.  Brushing it off casually, he boards a second helicopter called the Tenohmaru.

The show cuts back to Usagi hanging with her friends at the Crown plaza, where a racing game fancies her curiosity.  Suddenly, Haruka enters the scene unnoticed, showing off his skills with the arcade game, much to Usagi's frustration.  However, Haruka comforts her in almost a flirtatious manner, encouraging her in a way by saying she may be cut out to be a racer someday.  Meanwhile, the aqua-haired woman (now identified as Michiru Kaioh) is in a brief intervention with Mamoru, strangely telling him his eyes give a regal aura about him, as if he were a prince in his past life.  Haruka meets up with Michiru and they both leave for a school called the Mugen Academy - a gathering of elite students destined for greatness in the world.

Incidentally, there were reports of a monster attack, and the very monster goes to possess a girl from the Mugen Academy.  Luckily, Usagi and the gang were on the scene, and in typical fashion, they transform into the mighty Sailor Guardians we know and love, with new (and VASTLY IMPROVED) transformation sequences and roll calls.  The fight is briefly wrapped up when Sailors Venus and Jupiter perform their newest attacks - the Wink Chain Sword and Coconut Cyclone, respectably - to defeat the parasitic monster and restore the girl to normal.  The gang finally deduces that their new enemy is connected to this elite school and will stop at nothing to defeat them.

While this episode only tells half of a single chapter in the manga - whereas in the past they told the full chapter as an episode - the fact that this new staff direction improved the overall quality of the episodes - particularly in animation - was more than enough to hold me over to want more.  The prologue was dark and gripping, and the pacing was what I had come to expect given this is faithful to the manga (so far). The characters don't seem to have dry expressions and seem to be closer to the lovable 90s anime. Junko Minagawa's performance as Haruka Tenoh was the premiere standout voice talent, and has already proven to be more than enough to match - if not surpass - her predecessor Megumi "Aniki" Ogata, whom gracefully approved her to carry on the iconic role in her absence.

But what really caught my eye for this episode is the transformations.  OH GOD, THE TRANSFORMATIONS.  They're beautiful, just beautiful. I'd dare say this is not only the best we'll see for this remake of a series, but the best yet in the series' history. Gone is the CGI transformations that many believed to be out of place with the otherwise 2D environment.  What we get instead is tried-and-true 2D animation which is a sight to behold at 1080p. Add some inspiration from Pretty Cure, and you got a labor of love that just shows you that Toei takes its constructive feedback from fans VERY SERIOUSLY.  This, my friends, is what stole the show for me this episode, along with the beautifully animated Wink Chain Sword and Coconut Cyclone attacks.  And the show can only get better from here if the animation remains this consistent, unlike its previous seasons.

Luckily for us, we won't have to wait 2-3 weeks for another episode.  That's right!  Every Monday for what I believe will be the next 3 months we'll get a new episode.  And even better, next week you'll be formally introduced to the Witches 5 as well as Neptune and Uranus.

Scores are pointless to me, so I'm gonna instead give this a "Worth Watching", if only for the transformations and improved action alone.  It brings back the spirit of the 90s anime while still being its own thing.  This is the Sailor Moon Crystal we deserve.  An essential season to keep on your radar.

DOA Community Blog #13: Final Round 19 - More Than Just Another Tournament

It's been a long time since I've done a blog, but now I have a lot on my mind that's worthy of being expressed in such a format.  And what a better time to write a blog than after a great weekend in a tournament major?  But this was no ordinary tournament experience for me, much less a bad experience.  No.  This Final Round tournament in this year has taught me a lesson that I couldn't accept for the longest time...

But first, I wanna talk about the pre-tourney preparations.  This was probably one of the most complicated preparations I ever made for attending a tourney, as I had to somehow break even with the hotel fees while still having enough to cover other financial priorities this month.  As a result, I began reserving for the Hilton.  However, I had forgotten I had reserved for the La Quinta Inn resort several months prior at a cheaper price.  Be that as it may, I spent the last several months making offers to people interested in lodging, with Bruce L (aka Nujin / Sho'nuff) as the initial definite, since he had no transportation of his own. Close to the week before the tourney, I canceled that reservation for the La Quinta Inn and went for the Hilton for the sake of everyone's convenience.

However, the previous fall after Anime Weekend Atlanta, my car got into an accident, and my hood and windshield were damaged.  Since I was unable to pay out of pocket for repairs for a while and I was having trouble settling in someplace else to move in January, things were looking very grim. Despite this, I eventually got help and ultimately moved in with a friend of a co-worker, though the car repairs would have to wait.  But this wouldn't deter me from trying to make things happen with Final Round 19, even if my car was in no shape for long travel.

Originally, my plan to get to FR19 was to have the current landlord drive to Gwinett County, pick up Bruce, then drop us over to the Hilton while the others meet us there.  The landlord would then pick us up Sunday evening at 6PM, and everything would be golden.  Unfortunately, due to an unforeseen personal conflict that had nothing to do with me, he was unable to do so, and I had no choice but to pick up Bruce in my damaged car, much to my disappointment. What's worse, I had to drive on a donut due to one of my tires being slashed apart, avoiding the freeway entirely.

Thankfully, my car was able to endure the ride to Bruce's house that Thursday night.  Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication on Bruce's part, and I ended up having to camp someplace else until he was ready sometime after 6AM.  Using the phone's GPS, we ventured on to the Hilton avoiding the freeway.  Little did we know we ended up in another area entirely, and the phone was dead.  So we camped at Burger King to charge the phone for the time being, while I killed time playing Final Fantasy IV on the PSP.  Ultimately we were 2 hours behind schedule, and I was afraid Bruce would never get a chance to register as a spectator (though I personally wish he had actually competed this time).

We arrived sometime after 9:30 AM at last.  However, our room was not ready yet.  At the time, the following patrons were confirmed to be rooming with us for the event - Gregar6, Keyonno, Terrin, and BlackJDragon,  DrowninMan was also planning to hang out at our room that day, but not to stay as he was taking the bus back and forth.  While Bruce got his registration out of the way, I went to McDonalds as a means of temporary internet access in the hopes of finding out about the status of other people attending.  Unfortunately, the connection was too slow, so I went back to the venue after loss of patience.

Around 11PM, Gregar, Keyonno, RiptheJacker, and DrowninMan arrived, along with Blackmoonrisingx and Onsen, who already had their room prepared for casuals. Seeing as Bruce's phone did not work because it was only able to via MagicJack, I had to physically look for him in order to keep him in the know on what was going on.  After we all settled in our room, the gang went over to Blackmoonrisingx's room to play DOA casuals, while I waited for Bruce to arrive.  During that time I had a conversation with RiptheJacker, keeping up with a lot of things that happened since the previous Final Round event.  I would later meed JDE, BlankOctober, and DesjahRae for the first time in person, who would later dine with us Saturday evening.

Terrin would soon text me, telling me he was within the hotel.  So I went to look for him as well as Bruce, who had yet to show at the time.  I gave him the information on the room, and all that was left was BlackJDragon's arrival to the Hilton.  I decided to tell Bruce the room numbers of where we might be at, and went on ahead to Blackmoonrisingx's room to play a few casuals, meeting BlizzagaDragon and Nykko in the process.  Sometime later, BlackJDragon would text me to inform that he'd be arriving to the Hilton shortly, and with all the patrons accounted for I finally went to the Delta Credit Union further down the street to deposit the money collected.  The hotel fees were finally behind me, and I could enjoy the rest of the weekend.

It wouldn't be long until everyone would want to get something to eat for the evening... so after about an hour or two of making up our minds, we went separate ways as far as eating is concerned.  Bruce, Terrin, Bertell, Gregar and I decided to go to the Irish Bred Pub along with BlankOctober and his friends, and this is where things got interesting.  We talked about all kinds of silly stuff spanning from Street Fighter 5's potential to be a better game than its current state, older fighting games, and even spun old insurance company mottos into fighting game lingo (Saving 15% or more on meter management, anyone?).

By the time we got back to our room, Keyonno was out like a light, and we played some more casuals before watching Project A-Ko, then Superman/Batman: Apocalypse.  While we were talking about random stuff like Boku no Pico, Bruce then decided to grandstand and have his own little Eddie Murphy moment talking about a hilarious incident with a former friend of his who was showing off the anime.  Needless to say, everyone was laughing their asses off, myself included.  Be that as it may, we needed to get sufficient rest for the tourney Saturday morning.

Prepared for the tourney, we headed to the lobby together, only to find out it was being delayed due to the unforeseen hot mess of SF5 brackets consisting of nearly 1,000 players that was still going on since 4AM.  Instead of 10AM as planned, the DOA tourney would start at 12PM.  Despite SF5 being a hot mess full of unwarranted disqualifications, our tourney went smoothly enough.  I was in the next-to-last pool, did my best, and unfortunately didn't break top 16, losing to both Kwiggle and HollowIchigo.  But even though I was disappointed about how I did for a while, something hit me... I wasn't dwelling on it nearly as hard as I did the last few years.

 After underperforming in tournaments I've attended, I've constantly beaten myself up over it, even going so far as to believe that the only way to have fun in a tournament is if you win or place respectably high.  My friends would often tell me "go for the experience", but the fact that I was met with much negative backlash online and losing some friends over how I performed didn't help matters much, and I was led to believe that as long as I didn't do well, it will always be a bad experience for me. This year, I was proven wrong.  I somehow still had fun, and there were plenty of people still willing to accept my company.

During the tourney  I would meet HajinShinobi and BboyDragon again (the latter I haven't seen for two years in person, mind you), but for the first time ever, I would meet L0rdXavier, the Hitomi player I apparently introduced to the DOA community through a match or two in DOA Dimensions 5 years ago.  I would also meet SkatanMilla, an international fighting game player who I haven't talked to since the DOA4 days that was involved with the now-defunct CGS and has since been focused on Street Fighter.  I had planned to invite him to have dinner with my folks, but due to the stressful and lengthy nature of the SF5 brackets, it was nearly impossible to schedule without him missing his own bracket matches.  Later after the tourney, I would formally meet DM Recluse in person, whereas in the past we only met online.

Originally, we had planned to go to Spondivits to get our evening grub on, but since it was a lengthy wait and we would most likely not be able to sit together as a group, we detoured to the Ruby Tuesday across the street.  Here, we would congratulate and celebrate a toast to DrowninMan (our local GA player), Nykko, and HajinShinobi for making top 8 before the discussion turned into talking about ratchets (and clanks)... which is an inside joke you had to be there for to comprehend.

Afterward, we headed back to Blackmoonrisingx's room for more casuals, where I worked a little on some videos containing my archived music/BGM loops of the past.  As far as casuals go, I ended up playing Onsen and DM Recluse for the most part, then I decided to head for the lobby area and see what was going on in the retro gaming area.  Having already missed out on playing a retro-gaming tournament scheduled for 4PM, the least I could do was play Burnout 3 and WWF No Mercy, which thankfully was available.  Sometime later, I decided to accompany Jyakotu and watch the remainder of the top 16 matches for TTT2 before ultimately heading back to my room to play more casuals with Gregar, Bertell, and Bruce, which pretty much wrapped up Saturday night.

That morning,  we had to wrap things up and clean house for checkout, heading over to McDonald's shortly afterward and then taking a group picture of ourselves at the event.  DrowninMan met up with L0rdXavier for warm-up casuals before top 8 matches started at 2PM, Keyonno and Gregar6 were leaving at noon, and Bruce and I killed time playing the arcade boards for Vampire Savior and Soul Calibur 2, respectively.  During the top 8 matches, I tried to support DrowninMan in the hopes he could overcome Nykko's Leifang, but to no avail.  Be that as it may, what he did was an accomplishment nonetheless.  In the midst of the top 8 brackets, I found out my phone was dead again, and I had to step outside the room to charge it, 'cause it was the only way I could navigate Bruce safely back home.  Therefore, I missed the rest of the top 8 matches, but was aware that HajinShinobi made top 3 at least.

The entirety of the DOA community congregated at the Finish Line Diner in the lower lobby, where Bruce would talk extensively with BlackmoonrisingX, Jyakotu, and myself later on with words of encouragement, as well as his plans for the future as far as the FGC is concerned.There was just one loose end before leaving the venue, and that was ensuring that Terrin and Bertell could get out of the hotel without paying a parking fee.  Overall, I genuinely had fun this past weekend.

It took me four years to actually believe it, but after this past weekend, I finally convinced myself that going to a tournament is not about placing high nor winning just to feel "permitted" to have fun or to contribute and give back to the community I support.  The experience I should've been going for had nothing to do with that, and the sooner I figured it out, the easier it was for me to open up to people and be myself.  Granted, I wasn't able to talk to everyone, but I sure as hell was making much better progress than I was the last four years.

While the tournament I attended itself was the main event at hand, I wasn't nearly as stressed out about how I did compared to the last few I've been to.  Yes, the disappointment was still there, but the other things that were going on outweighed the importance of the tourney.

I've known Bruce and Bertell for as long as I can remember, but the new faces I met and lodged with were great company to be around.  Keyonno was calm and reserved, Terrin was a kindred spirit with an affinity for retro anime as much as I do, and  Gregar was truly like the little brother I never had.  I didn't believe he looked up to me as much as he does, much less inspire him, but it's true.

I have these guys to thank for letting my tourney experience be a fun one despite my own way of thinking.  We talked a lot, played a lot, and laughed a lot.  It's because of you guys that I can still go on playing DOA competitively and making it easier for me to ignore the toxic online drama I've unwittingly walked myself into.  This is why I believe this Final Round was more than just another tournament for me.  This is the tournament where I truly understand it's more about the experience than it is the social status gained through doing well in one.  That being said, I don't feel obligated to prove myself to anyone anymore. I don't feel like I have to impress anyone anymore.  There are plenty within the community that are just happy with me being myself.  Now it's just a matter of me accepting that and moving on.

DOA Community Blog #12: Ten Years

Ever stop to wonder where the time has gone when you do routine stuff and go through the motions?Today on this year of October 30, I will have spent ten years being an active part of the Dead or Alive community.  Ten years knowing the competitive side of DOA players.  Ten years playing the same character and adapting physically and mentally to the best of my abilities.  Looking back on it, it was a wild ride of memories.  Some good, some bad, some meaningful, and some regretful.

I still recall the first time I registered at the Dead or Alive Central (DOAC) forums and jumped straight to making a thread to greet myself in the newcomers section.  It wasn't a pleasant experience, and I didn't understand the procedure in doing so was to post in the greetings thread.  Still, I soldiered on, hoping that amidst the rocky beginning, I'd still be able to make some friends.  I had just managed to get all the necessary things to try out DOA2 Ultimate on Xbox Live, having been skeptical about playing fighting games online on a console.

Unfortunately, I arrived late to the scene, as a lot of people had their fill of DOA2U and were occupying themselves with other games (if not fooling around making forum thread "games") until the next anticipated title - Dead or Alive 4 - arrived on the then-next-gen console, the Xbox 360.  It wasn't a total loss, however, as there were a few players willing to waste their time playing my scrubby ass throughout November, such as Shinobi558 (a friend I made from the DOATEC forums), Ratiz (Bouncer), HaJin (then called Vidgamer or Tom to avoid confusion with the Hajin currently known in FSD), Amaya Chan, Evil09876, Shad Armstrong, and more notably, The Iron Ninja, who would go out of his way to send me a thoughtful, inspiring PM that I've taken to heart even to this day, and would further push me into wanting to start fresh in a brand new title and learn the game alongside the rest of the community.  But given my financial woes at the time, getting an Xbox 360 at out of pocket wouldn't be feasible for another 6 months.

As luck would have it, I managed to get one at launch.  And I owed it all to six bottles of Mountain Dew and an act of blind faith.  However, due to an unforeseen delay by Team Ninja, there was no way I was going to get DOA4 at launch (or even for Christmas for that matter), so I had to settle for Kameo: Elements of Power, which made me find it pointless to renew my XBL until the game finally came out... 4 days after Christmas.  Having exhausted my funds that month, I had to wait until mid-January of 2006 to start playing DOA for real. 

At last I'd be able to not only play Christie again... I'd finally be able to play her online with other opponents around the world.  At the time, it was a mind-blowing experience, and I found myself getting sucked into it for hours and hours... even moreso than I was with Phantasy Star Online.  On the weekend of Valentine's Day in particular, I recall spending the longest time playing online non-stop, as I had the apartment to myself without the interference of my younger sister.  New friendships were made, tough opponents were fought, and memorable battle scars were had.  Players such as Autoaim (one of my online besties for life), Punishere, AngryWorm, Arnell Long, XDest, ZeonStar, MajinKimimaro, Blackmoon (who I wouldn't see again until 2014 on PS3), Vizierde, Lap, Skatan Milla, Vigaku, EscapingJail, Shad Armstrong, Shinobi558, MedusaX, RiptheJacker, OptimusPrime169 and many others played key parts in my growth as a player early on, making me pay actual attention to applying the most basic fundamentals to get an edge over things I once thought were impossible to get around consistently.

Be that as it may, things were gradually beginning to become a hot mess in the DOAC forums around February.  At the time, I didn't fully understand the extent of the problems surrounding DOA4, and was often met with hostility when I tried to speak anything positive on the matter.  Tom Brady and the other hotshots of DOA at the time were talking about things I weren't aware of that was hurting the game's credibility as a tournament-viable game, such as literally no frame advantage on any move on block whatsoever, even with guard breaks.  But that wasn't all.  Sidestepping was useless too, as everything tracked in the game, and all characters had a high and low offensive hold, which was once exclusive to grappler characters.  They even went to say that even scrubs with no skill could get out of jail free by spamming holds anywhere, as you could do so even after a wall splat, and there were no stuns that were unholdable after the 4.1 patch.

Even so, I wasn't deterred from continuing to play the game.  Though my chances of traveling for a tournament weren't happening anytime soon, I didn't want to let all this enthusiastic time I spent go to waste.  So I kept pressing on.  Through the matchups, through the temporary community splittings, and even through the drama online and CGS (which I won't go into detail about for the sake of keeping old wounds closed) for the next 2 years. I even had enough backbone to write about strats for Christie despite being an unproven player in many people's eyes and being ridiculed in the process.  It was hell, and I went through emotional roller coasters.  But every chance I got to go to the local Anime Weekend Atlanta convention, I was there showing off the potential, and though it wasn't much, I was able to convince at least one person a year to get into it and join DOAC, occasionally meeting DOAC members like BlackjDragon and Jakob002, both from Louisiana.

But I really started to notice everything was paying off for me as a player when I put up a damn good fight with Punishere, who back in February of '06 that very Valentine's Day weekend beat me badly within an itch of my own confidence (and probably thought I was a persistent annoying insect who wouldn't quit back then, lol).  I remembered it well, as a fellow member named Innovare and I were still hanging around struggling hard as fuck to get a match on him.  I had dubbed that day the longest day I ever played DOA online.  He was so impressed on how much I improved since then that he wondered why I haven't been going to tournaments, much less be a front-runner for clan battles (which were somewhat still a thing back then).

This, among a chain of other positive events I won't go too much into, gave me the confidence I needed to at least teach one person what I knew.  If I wasn't gonna be able to go to tournies much less the CGS, the least I could do was help someone who was going for tryouts.  I got my chance with a member of KasumiChan's then all-female themed clan called PMS (who I will not address by name unless otherwise permitted), and went all out the best I could with what I knew.  While she didn't quite make the tryouts, she did manage to almost make top 3 in the following NEC tourney for DOA4, placing 5th with Christie.  For the first time in my years of playing DOA competitively (or as much as I could with the options I had), I felt like I did something truly meaningful and actually helped someone... and I didn't even know I had it in me. 

After CGS went defunct in 2008 and the resurgence of fighting games was on the rise with the upcoming Street Fighter 4 planning to be released in Japanese arcades later that year,  I would eventually discover an exceptional gaming scene located somewhere in Lithonia called the Gamers' Xperience.  It was relatively small, but its environment was fun, family-friendly, and above all, it had a variety of food joints nearby within walking distance.  It was here and in other local tourney venues where I would eventually meet players such as Shidosha (an avid Virtua Fighter 5 player), Aknon (a player from DOAC), RiptheJacker, and finally, Allan Paris one year later following a trip to Final Round.  

Although DOA4 was dead to most jaded players eyes, a small glimmer of hope was given when it was announced another DOA game would resurface, but not in the way many have hoped.  The Nintendo 3DS was making waves with its unique use of autostereoscopic 3D, and Team Ninja - without the guidance of Tomonobu Itagaki - chose to develop a DOA fighting game for the portable console.  While it seemed to be a step back from tradition, Dead or Alive Dimensions assured the community the steps it was taking would be a step in the right direction, inviting a few representatives of the community to give us early glimpses of what to expect.  For the first time we had on-screen frame data, a series first for a DOA fighter.  

It was then announced that there would not only be a tournament for DOA4 at the longtime Texas DOA major DOA In Dallas (D.I.D.), but for the upcoming DOAD as well.  Brimming with confidence in my own play for DOAD, I was willing to go the distance and travel with Allan Paris and his friends to Texas, meeting players like Dallaz, SweetRevenge, Rikuto, Master, Sorwah (Mr.Wah), Swoozie, CyberEvil, Vanessa, and many others.  Although we couldn't make the DOAD tourney due to a screwed up mechanism in my car that prevented it from starting, DOA4 was one to remember.  In my first tourney I placed 4th in a major, and somehow managed to overcome Master's deadly Hayabusa. Back then, I didn't know how to react to that... and I still don't now.  Even so, that did nothing to prevent me from being beaten by Swoozie not once, but twice, which denied me the top 3 spot.

Despite going out for a tourney, I had a lot to learn about planning to travel... a whole lot.  Without a GPS, I was nowhere near confident in driving to another state, so I took notes from Allan Paris and since then, it's been paying off way better for me, even though I still can't go to as many tournaments as I would like.  Come DOA5 in 2012, the community saw a resurgence again particularly in Georgia, and so the first Georgia Fight Club sanctioned by Allan Paris took place at his house.  While this would've been my second tourney outing, I would not ever get the chance to play in an actual match due to a personal matter between my relatives that involved my transportation, which ended up being a waste of my time at the end of the day.  However, this would mark the first time I met Fred Campbell in person, as well as Blackwhiteboi, RhythmikDesigns, EDog21, and JDE, who hails from Tennesee in particular.

The events leading up to Final Round in 2013 would mark the second major I went to, and where my internal problems began. Although I was starting fresh with a new game, that also meant dealing with a mostly new, mostly different community... one that wasn't familiar with me at all.  I believed that once I did well in my first offline tournament, that no one online would associate me with words like "fraud", "scrub" or "fluke" even if I didn't play up to their expectations online.  It also didn't help that this Final Round major was going to be streamed, so I was ten times more afraid than I was at D.I.D.  I was afraid that if I didn't do well enough in this tourney, that everything  I worked for to get to where I was in good standing with the community would be thrown away on a whim.

I placed 9th, losing poorly to Lopedo on stream and then losing on a clutch to Blackwhiteboi in the losers' brackets.  When I continued playing online after that, things went downhill from there (which I won't dwell on too much).  And even now, I'm trying to pick myself back up, hoping someday to prove myself once again amidst this pool of new highly-skilled talent.

The last 3 years weren't entirely bad however.  In fact there's been plenty of good that came along with it. Some late newcomers from the DOA4 era such as HajinShinobi ended up becoming good friends with me, and at long last, I got to meet one of the oldest friends I made online for the first time, Perfect Shadow.  Aka Earlee.  Aka Prince Adon.  And of course, I can't forget Blackula, Reese2Havik, Gruff757, Immerwolf, BlankOctober, Madain, CJ, and of course, Blackmoon.

One major positive I must mention though, is that I've become more active with an offline scene, albeit little by little.  Of the newcomers in my state, I was honored to meet players like KP EpicPayne, KP Juss2Nyce, DrowninMan, Yoyo, and a handful of others.  But the most consistent person I got to hang with and develop a close friendship with was NuJin, aka Sho'Nuff, aka Bruce.  He may be a bit on the sheltered side, but he's self-confident, has no problem being himself, and always keeps it real.  Even now he's still passionate about building the GA fighting game scene with truly creative methods, though with our recent efforts to hype the third Georgia Fight Club event, we got a ways to go and challenges to face head on.

For weeks I've been contemplating on these 10 years I've spent in this community on what I did that mattered.  After writing all this and looking at some unexpected personal hardships I had this month, I've come to realize I'm in a crossroads in my life. I could either move to Florida with my mother or remain here and not give up on the scene Bruce and I are trying our best to slowly build. I'm choosing the latter, and here's why.

Upon writing this lengthy blog, I've realized there was some truth to what Fred Campbell told me long ago... I, as a beacon for the relatively small DOA community in Georgia, am needed here.

For too long I've been busy clinging to old memories and grudges, constantly needing to overcompensate and compare myself to others, just to "feel" like I belong with the cool kids. I've dwelled on it for so long that these self-imposed doubts I have feel like second nature to me.

So again, thank you Fred.  Thank you Bruce.  And thank everyone that's put up with me thus far.  Taking the time to write down my memories in the DOA community without the fluff was a good idea.  But now there's this.  Repairing the car, and moving to a secure spot and landing a secure job in time for January. Wish me luck, and I hope to have even better memorable years with you all in the future.

Until next time, take care of yourselves.

DOA Community Blog #11: Integration, Not Identification (Part 1)

It's been a long time since I've made a DOA Community blog, but with the recent news surrounding Evo and more recently the DOA Festival in Japan (congrats to all who participated in both events BTW), there were minor subjects I wished to tackle into a similar theme for this blog.  For many of you, this may become all but familiar with you, and you may be doing your best to reassure a positive image for the FGC as a whole.  To those people, kudos to you.  For others, I shall enlighten the best I can in my own words.

In Evo, it has come to many people's attention that 3D fighting games are rapidly declining, as Tekken was the only main lineup game that met the criteria, with Dead or Alive 5 Last Round being one of the more popular "side game" events backed by Eric "Big E" Small of Big E Gaming as the host and sponsor.  Over the years, games such as Soul Calibur 5 and even the acclaimed Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown failed to gauge interest for a main lineup game at Evo, and as a result a stigmatic notion of 2D fighters being "the true fighting game community" came to existence.  That being said, what is the identity of the FGC, anyway?  Is it really just the 2D FGC then, if they are dominant in the most prestigious tournament in the world?

Now it can be argued that since the dawn of the genre, 2D fighting games have always been the norm, and was easier to get used to for generations.  It can also be argued that 3D fighting games - for the most part - were in an experimental stage in the 90s and didn't really find that competitive stride until the 2000s.  But none of this matters if no one is willing to put in the time for it, so we must ask ourselves, what is it that makes 3D fighters less popular in tourneys? These reasons can be broken down into a few common delusions often mentioned by detractors:

"The learning curve is too damn high, even for a single character!"

"3D fighters aren't just complicated, they aren't as exciting to watch!"

"The (insert game here) community is full of elitist a-holes who hate appealing to casuals and think only of themselves!"


NOTE: For each delusion, there is a reality.
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Delusion #1:  "The learning curve is too damn high, even for a single character!"

For many seasoned 2D fighting game players looking to translate their skills into a 3D fighter, this could become a huge problem, especially if you're not well-versed in the basic rules of what defines a 3D fighter: string-based combinations, ground-based combat, and sometimes, the environment within the arena itself.

NOTE: Each section of this passage will be presented with a brief similarity, followed by the reality of each similarity.

1) String-based combinations are a succession of sequential buttons sometimes associated with a direction on certain intervals of the string.  These can be canceled or delayed at any time, but may have different frames of recovery depending on which interval of the string you choose to stop the string,  Some strings connect to throws, while others - like in the Virtua Fighter series - require a single frame of a second (which is 1 in 60 frames per second) to connect successfully.

Similarity: In 2D fighting games - particularly those in the Street Fighter series, you did not have preset combo strings.  Instead, you had to sequentially connect attacks of different attack strengths during the connection of a hitstun based on the recovery of the attack, which became commonly known as linkers/links.  What's more, in the Street Fighter 4 games, some attack combinations required one single frame of a second to connect successfully.

Reality: No matter how you dress it up, some 2D and 3D fighting games have higher barriers of execution, and some others do not.  It all boils down to personal preference.


2) Ground-based combat involves less emphasis on aerial combat and more emphasis on evasion and movement in a 3D plane.  In some instances, you can dodge linear attacks by sidestepping, but unable to dodge full circular attacks up close. In the Dead or Alive series in particular, these types of attacks are simplified into tracking and non-tracking attacks.

Similarity: In 2D fighting games, you are limited to a linear plane - left to right - however, you also have standard jumping to further expand your evasive maneuvers, particularly with projectiles, which are common in this style of fighting games.  Like in 3D fighting games, you have ranged attacks that may aid in you dealing damage while being at a safe distance.

Reality: 2D and 3D fighting games both have ways of going on the offensive while at the same time being at a relatively safe distance.  Both require significant matchup experience and knowledge of the different types of fundamentals to use them properly. Once again, it's a matter of preference.


3) Lastly, there is the use of the environmental hazards.  Now granted, 2D fighting games have started to implement something similar to this in "Injustice: Gods Among Us".  But for over a decade, 3D fighting games (particularly the Dead or Alive series) have always implemented the stage as the secondary star of the show.  And oftentimes, if you knock an opponent to certain areas, you can score bigger damage than normal, and even continue your offense free of retaliation.  But it required strategic positioning to pull off all the same.

Similarity:  While Injustice and Mortal Kombat X may be the two competitive 2D fighting games in recent memory to implement the environment in full similarly to Dead or Alive, some games such as Marvel vs. Capcom 3 utilize this to a minor extent with hard knockdowns and character-specific trap techniques, which allowed the player to relaunch or OTG (off-the-ground) an opponent to extend their lengthy combo.

Reality: 2D and 3D fighting games - especially in this modern era - have ways of using hazardous placements in the arena to extend damage to the opponent and press on the offensive.  And once again, it all boils down to preference.

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Delusion #2: "3D games aren't just complicated, they aren't as flashy and exciting to watch!"

Let's take a flashback.  December 1993.  2D arcade fighting games were approaching their zenith, and there were tons of companies bringing out their own imitators of Street Fighter 2, with very few stealing its thunder.  Enter Sega AM2's Virtua Fighter, the first 3D fighting game.  Unlike any other 2D fighting game at the time, it didn't have flashy projetiles, over-the-top chop-socky special moves, none of that.  It was at the time the closest we could get to simulated real-life martial arts-- fighting at its purest.  For the time, it blew fans away, with its sequel improving on it in every way the following year with an improved 60fps rate, full 3D backgrounds, and texture mapping that blew Tekken - and even Tekken 2 - out of the water.

Then along came Virtua Fighter 3 in 1996, with graphics way, way ahead of its time.  In fact it was so far ahead that the current-gen consoles simply couldn't handle it.  Even so, it was guaranteed to munch quarters for days, right?  Well... sort of.  At this point of time, the VF series had two things fans weren't in full agreement with-- undulated platforms (or sloped floors) and a separate evade button.

Undulated floors caused air juggles to become too powerful on descending slopes and too weak on ascending slopes, while the evade button was thought to be an unnecessary tool for a game that has since removed the floaty jump mechanic (which was the reason evasion eventually changed to double tapping up or down in VF4) Because of this, fans became divided, which eventually caused a chain reaction of dismissal for the game being difficult to manage at entry level. It also didn't help that because the Model 3 was so powerful, a new console that would support it fully wouldn't be ready anytime soon-- not for another 3 years on the Sega Dreamcast.  Which by then, the game showed its age, and even then wasn't a completely faithful port of the original graphically.

As a result of this setback, Dead or Alive, Tekken, and Soul Calibur became the de facto 3D fighting games of choice among even the most casual of crowds, and for a time, Virtua Fighter - once the cream of the crop many associated 3D fighting games with - fell by the wayside outside Japan, with its fans eagerly awaiting another installment to really show off the potential the 6th generation consoles could bring during the late 1990s - early 2000s.

Tekken's strengths were in its stylistically personalized characters, cinematic flair with character endings, and aesthetics and mechanics "hardcore" enough to be accepted by players of all skill levels.

Dead or Alive's strengths - aside from its beautiful women and limitation-pushing graphics - was its simplified universal hold system, a likeness to Virtua Fighter's button scheme, its innovative use of environments, and an overall "easy to learn, hard to master" mindset.

Soul Calibur's strengths were quite similar to how Samurai Showdown became a sensation in the 2D fighting game market at the time, being the weapons-based 3D fighter of choice (albeit Last Bronx precededed it). It also helped that among the 3D fighting games going to console, Soul Calibur's Dreamcast version actually surpassed the quality of its original arcade version, paving the way for video game consoles being just as powerful - if not more - than their original arcade counterparts.

But what matter of flair did Virtua Fighter - the granddaddy of 3D fighters that started it all - have to offer to appeal to the casual fanbase?  Not much.  Just simulated martial arts, some corny voice acting, and barebones / ho-hum environs.  AM2 knew they had to evolve.  With the Dreamcast being axed nearly worldwide in favor of the PS2, Sega sought it best to bring their Naomi 2 arcade board sequel - Virtua Fighter 4 - to the PS2.  This time, it offered us something no other 3D fighter was doing at the time... character customization.  To an extent, this was the casual appeal of the game, along with what would eventually be a comprehensive tutorial that pulled out all the stops for various skill levels that has since been unmatched.  Eventually, Tekken would follow suit for character customization in Tekken 5 after making similar mistakes VF3 did with Tekken 4.

By now you're probably wondering what point I'm trying to get to.  Accessibility, casual appeal, and character were the keys to the success of DOA, Tekken, and Soul Calibur at the time.  AM2 knew this and knew they fell short by the time VF3TB made its way to consoles, thus the decisions made with VF4.  While it didn't quite meet the success of VF2, it was enough to get the attention of outside countries.

Reality: The truth is, 3D fighters have increasingly been making efforts to be pleasing to the eyes as a spectacle as well as part of the action over the last two decades... especially the likes of the Dead or Alive 5 series with its cinematic Power Blows and over-the-top Power Launchers.  Which leads us to the final delusion:

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Delusion #3: "The (insert game here) community is full of elitist a-holes who hate appealing to casuals and only think of themselves!"

Before we go into this subject, I want to make clear that it's not all of said community that's a-holes.  I'm well aware that there are good people amidst the bad in every community.  But let's face it.  In this generation where we can practically sit at home and interact with people who share the same interest in the game, there sure is a lot of people who would rather waste time puffing their own chests on who they made salty and ragequit, showing it off to their friends in said community like a dad-gummed war scar.  It doesn't matter if they're newcomers, veterans, or people just looking to have fun and BS with new stuff... these kind of people come in bulk online, and this, my friends, is the real problem with the FGC today.  It only amplifies with 3D fighting game communities when it hasn't been established as long as, say, Capcom's 2D fighing games.

Reality:  The true identity of the fighting game community isn't based on what gets the most turnouts at the most prestigious tournament in the world.  It's about an integrated fighting game community that makes the difference in getting a scene for the game you love ANYWHERE YOU CAN.

Honestly, you have to one day stop and ask yourself what's the point in showing off another player's salty tears unless the player took it on a personal level that would endanger your life or someone else's? When are you gonna be about something other than that bully in the online playground looking for candy to snatch from infants?  When do you wanna stop being that fanboy who worships said popular player and become that popular player yourself?  Granted, not everyone can win or place, much less attend every tourney to support their game, but one way you can still be influential to your community in a good way is by not being that guy who shows off someone else's hatemail as bragging rights, which as simple as it sounds, makes you a lot more welcoming than most.  For more on that, click here:

  http://awesmic.blogspot.com/2014/08/doa-community-blog-5-hatemail-is.html


In my next segment of "Integration, Not Identification", I will cover the controversy regarding the resurfacing of DOAX3, and the imposed identity crisis of DOA fandom surrounding that of those who like the fighting games and the DOAX games.

Until next time...

Anime Blog #14: Samurai Troopers Complete TV Series Review (Discotek Media)

I don't say this very often, but Samurai Troopers - aka Ronin Warriors - is my personal favorite anime TV series of all-time. The biggest factor being because of the personal impact it had on me as a child.  Near the summer of 1995 when it first aired on syndicated television, I got a chance to watch it starting from the 3rd episode, and I was hooked on it every day since.  It made me want to give a damn about anime and its more complex methods of storytelling, and was offering more than the same old same old I've been seeing on almost every other cartoon.

Since then, this 39-episode god-armor series had made its run on the Sci-Fi Channel the following year on weekday mornings (now called SyFy) and the popular and acclaimed Toonami programming block on Cartoon Network every weekday afternoon in September 1999 through mid/late 2001, helping spearhead Toonami's popularity.

On April 23, 2002, Samurai Troopers finally made its first release on DVD in the U.S. thanks to Bandai Entertainment and the relentless clamoring of hungry, dedicated fans, staying on the radar for many anime enthusiasts and collectors for quite some time and consistently releasing volumes every month until March 2003, ending with the final piece of the DVD collection, the 5-part OVA "Message".

However, when directly compared to the Region 2 DVDs in Japan, something felt missing in the stateside DVDs for many a great purist.  For example, even though Bandai advertised that the original Japanese version was uncut, each episode was in fact cut.  Bandai's release not only omitted one-half of the back-to-back commercial bumpers (which becomes very noticeable to hardcore fans in episodes 25-29), but also every episode preview.  The picture quality was also more noticeably crisp and clean, whereas the Region 1 DVDs showed signs of grain in picture quality (and in the first OVA series's case, LOTS of ghosting).  In addition, the first 15 episodes had some major cases of "dub-titles", poor translations of certain names and attacks, and other phrases lost in translation.

After reading all this, you're probably wondering, "Why am I bringing up all these differences in content?" Glad you asked, because after months (and months) of Discotek constantly delaying the DVD re-release of the entire series in the hopes they may be doing something different from what Bandai did, I want to inform you - the consumer - what Discotek Media has in store for us fans who waited 13 years to get the same justice done as Japan did...  and I'll narrow it down to three simple subjects:

The good.

The bad.

And what's BS.


First...

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The BS:  You would think that after Discotek Media so proudly announced a re-release of Samurai Troopers on DVD and delaying it (not once, but TWICE,) that the least they can do to differentiate itself from Bandai and learn from their mistakes with the first 16 episodes would be to fix the translations.  Sounds reasonable, right?  Well, I just opened this cool-looking box set, popped the first disc in watching episode after episode... BS.

The next disc after that... BS.

And the third disc containing the remaining 4 episodes with translation mistakes... BS.

Just... BS.

No fixes, no changes, everything is exactly the same as the Bandai release.  If they had no intention of fixing the subs or even adding the dad-gummed episode previews and the other missing commercial bumpers, they should've just stopped beating around the bush and just brought it out on their original intended date (which was sometime in February) while at the same time securing the rights for the separate Ronin Warriors dub.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

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The Bad:  As far as the picture quality of the episodes go, it isn't bad.  It's slightly better than the Bandai release, but it's still not as good as the Region 2 DVD masters.  There's still some noticeable grain and lack of color correction, but that could be owed to the aging of the actual masters given.  Other than that, Episode 2 still remains to this day the one episode I consider truly bad.  Much of what happened here was redundant and could've happened on Episode 1.  But that's a story for another time.

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The good:  Now with all my gripes and negatives out of the way, it's time to look at the positive Discotek Media offered on the forefront.  Discotek has gained quite the positive reputation for re-releasing past retro franchises lost in license limbo at an affordable, fair price, and this, my friends and consumers, is where the company truly shines.

Even if you missed out on buying the initial Bandai DVD collection from way back in 2002, this is essentially the best, most affordable way to catch up... especially if you're a fan of the original Japanese version.  Granted, it doesn't include the Ronin Warriors dub on the other side of the DVD, but for $40 or less, this is quite generous compared to what you'd be paying for the now out-of-print former, which could range from $200 or more.

As far as the episodes go, what matters is that the core footage of the actual episodes have remained intact, and in their native resolution as intended when it first aired on TV.  No cropping, no pan-and-scan, no bull.  It's still the same ol' Samurai Troopers we know and love, even if it is a gimped "port" of the Bandai release from 13 years ago.


In conclusion...

Buy if:

1) You never owned the series on DVD before (especially in Japanese) and have fond memories of watching it on TV.

2) You like god-armor shows like Saint Seiya or Shurato, and you wanna complete the collection of greats in the genre.

3) Your old DVD collection got scratched beyond repair and you need a good, much more affordable replacement.

4) You're a die-hard fan like me and will buy it anyway for the sake of collecting, even if you already own the previous Bandai DVD collection.



Don't buy if:

1) You already own the series on DVD and all your discs still play fine.

2) You already own the Region 2 DVDs.

3) You're a cheapskate.



All this said, have fun, be safe, and take care of yourselves.

Hardcore Samurai Troopers fan out.