Holmes & Watson (2018)

Holmes & Watson is a comedy film based upon Sherlock Holmes.  Starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, you can expect what the tone of the film is going to be.  It relies heavily on crude humor and received waves of criticism upon release, and while it isn't as bad as what those reviews make it to be, the film is still pretty bad.  It's a typical Sherlock Holmes plot, with Sherlock trying to solve a crime.  Unfortunately, there is not enough plot and so it resorts to padding for most of its runtime.  It's too easy to get bored by what's happening.  The funniest jokes are in the first ten minutes and it goes downhill from there.  It tries to parody other films but does it in such a poor way that it fails in its purpose.  There is a genuinely good concept but it continually squanders the potential by shoving one unfunny and overdone joke after another.  What little plot there is is too predictable and is overall just a very bland, very below average, film.

Toy Review: Transformers BotBots Sugar Breath (Series 3)

Review:  #601
Name:  Sugar Breath
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  N/A
Line:  BotBots
Year of Release:  2019
Size Class:  BotBots (Series 3)
Mold Status:  new

ALTERNATE MODE:

As part of the Seasons Greeters group of BotBots, Sugar Breath transforms into a candy corn.

There's not much to talk about this mode but it is recognizable and oddly suitable for a BotBots Transformer.

As a BotBot, Sugar Breath is small, above is a comparison against Legion Barricade.

A decent alternate mode, and while there are transformation seams, it is not too bad.

TRANSFORMATION:

You can tell how Sugar Breath transforms from the alternate mode.  The bottom folds down to form the legs, and right above that are the arms which pull out.  Then the top half is formed by two panels that unfold to reveal the head.

ROBOT MODE:

Sugar Breath's robot mode is not your typical humanoid form, he has odder proportions.

Based on how the shells are formed as wings and the tail, Sugar Breath is supposedly a dragon.

The face is painted on and Sugar Breath has an aggressive expression.

While still much shorter than a Legion figure, Sugar Breath is actually quite tall for a BotBot.

Articulation is not that strong, Sugar Breath only has balljoints for his arms and that's pretty much as his legs swing up and down.  Due to the way the arms are attached, it can be a bit awkward to position.  Still, this is a solid robot mode.

OVERALL:

Sugar Breath is a neat figure and he is worth the price of admission.  Both modes are decent, although don't think too much of the robot mode as a dragon.

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Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid (2015)

Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid is part of a media franchise that includes this anime and two games (one for PlayStation Vita and one for smartphones). The anime consists of 12 episodes. It follows Tokomone Mamori who was a girl that her parents were anguishing over when she was young as they discovered an irregularity in her body. The irregularity is known as the Armed Virus and she never understood the impact of it until she was sixteen. She was suddenly captured and left on a remote island, later known as Mermaid.

On the island, this is where we discover what exactly is the Armed Virus, and of which is the gimmick of the anime. Those with the virus are split into two groups, you can either be an Extar or a Liberator. The Liberator sexually arouses the Extar (and this is where all the ecchi and fan service comes in), who will transform into a weapon. The Liberator can then wield this weapon, with the process known as Drive.

Tokomone is an Extar and when she was left alone on the island, she eventually meets another girl, Shikishima Mirei, who becomes her Liberator. They are transported to a castle in the middle of the (huge) island. There, we see a whole society of Extars and Liberators, and how they currently function. Valkyrie Drive has a high focus on fan service, with both censored and uncensored versions. The censored version has massive light rays to cover up the characters and these can take up to half the screen. It would have been better to just tease it so you didn’t have to censor rather than doing it like this. In terms of the fan service content, there is no teasing. It goes straight into outright sexual erotic movements and it is easy to see why it is banned in some countries.

Not surprisingly, the anime has a near exclusive cast of female characters. The characters also have shallow reasons for falling in love with each other upon first sight. It feels it is pandering too much to its perceived target audience but lacking the substance to hold it all together. As the anime goes on, you see that the whole Drive process is more and more inefficient. As the partner spends time to arouse the other in order to transform, the opponent just stands there waiting for them to finish. It is impractical and hard to believe that it can be feasible when speed is of the essence.

By the time the halfway mark comes, the plot still feels like it is going nowhere. It goes through day-to-day activities of the characters. The island is split into two factions, with one controlling a lot of the power. However, all we see are festivals, some minor characters going on an offshoot or performing some small-time smuggling. There’s no clear objective that it is heading towards. The second half finally has the characters putting in some effort to start investigating the mystery behind Mermaid Island. In the span of two episodes, it manages to reveal more interesting tidbits and promising leads than half the season that preceded it. Naturally, Mamori is more powerful than she first appeared while Mirei is hiding some extra power herself.

If you keep in mind that this is a standalone anime with only twelve episodes, then a lot of the developments are predictable. The focus on certain characters means that their secrets will eventually be revealed. It’s interesting that Mamori gets less focus in the second half compared to several other characters.

As there seemed to be a lack of an objective, the ending isn’t that great either. A bigger battle happens and the antagonist comes out to face against the protagonists. Then after a clichéd amount of developments between the characters, we get a happy ending. There is no further closure than the tiny amount of explanation given to us about the Armed Virus. We don’t get anything more about why there are several artificial islands and what they are experimenting on. There are six shorts around one to three minutes long each that was included in the DVD / blu-ray releases. They all star a different character and shows off their sexual fantasies. They pretty much dial up the fan service much higher than the show, it’s a surprise that they even bother censoring the lower body with shadows.

Overall, Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid is an anime that’s dictated by its fan service. There is a bland plot where nothing much happens over the twelve episodes, leading to a boring and average product. Not that it had any promise but having it focus so much on slice-of-life stuff that’s been done so many times before doesn’t help its case.

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Book Review: In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 1

Review:  #936
Title:  In Another World With My Smartphone Vol. 1
Series:  In Another World With My Smartphone – 1st volume
Author:  Patora Fuyuhara
Comments:  In Another World With My Smartphone is yet another isekai light novel.  Starring Mochizuki Touya who is accidentally killed by God, God sends him to another world.  To make up for his mistake God gives his stats a massive boost as well as allowing Touya to retain and use his smartphone.  What results is the ultimate wish fulfillment character and adventure.  Touya is unbelievably powerful and in no time at all, has gathered around him a close knit group of friends.  Everything goes his way.  The people he saves turns out to be nobility.  Accidents happen that turn out to help improve Touya’s abilities.  What might infuriate you is how “innocent” Touya is.  He is modest and oblivious to a lot of things.  He plays the nice guy routine… except that it is genuine, so it can be a bit too sugary sweet at times.  Despite that, multiple events happen in quick succession.  It is awesome to watch Touya overpower his enemies so easily.  It’s fun to see things work out so smoothly.  All in all, if you are sick of darker, grittier or unconventional isekai fantasy stories, then you’ll have a lot of enjoyment with In Another World With My Smartphone with its straightforward yet charming story that’ll set a smile on your face.
Rating:  6/10

Toy Review: Transformers Cyberverse Shockwave & Solar Shot (Spark Armor Battle Class)

Review:  #600
Name:  Shockwave & Solar Shot
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Decepticon
Line:  Cyberverse
Year of Release:  2019
Size Class:  Spark Armor Battle Class (Wave 2)
Mold Status:  new

TANK MODE:

Shockwave transforms into a walking tank but this is a pretty poor one.  This is because the turret and cannon is tiny, and is situated too far back.

This is effectively the robot mode on all fours and it shows.  The front legs are the robot arms, and the back legs are the robot feet.

He's part of the Battle Class subline, which is approximately the size of a Legends figure.

One good thing with reusing the robot limbs for the tank limbs is how articulated this mode can be.  The turret can also rotate from side to side.

This is not a good tank mode, it is barely passable and is laughable, really.

TRANSFORMATION:

Getting Shockwave into robot mode is extremely simple.  Straighten the back and front legs to allow him to stand up.  Detach the turret on top to peg onto either arm, and then fold the front down to form the chest.

ROBOT MODE:

Robot mode is where Shockwave shines the brightest and this is a decent representation of the character.

He has his iconic laser arm complete with the plastic hose.  The hose only pegs to his shoulder, but this attachment can actually peg onto either arm, and both arms have a proper fist.

The biggest negative here is the head, it's not so much the sculpting (as it's decent, even with the "angry" eye) but that his head is fixed, it cannot move at all.

He is slightly taller than a typical Legends figure in robot mode.

Barring the fixed head, articulation is good.  He has joints for his shoulders, elbows, hips and knees.

The hose doesn't get in the way at all and he doesn't have any kibble either.

As mentioned earlier, the laser gun is an attachment that pegs onto the fist so you can leave it off and have a Shockwave with two normal hands if you want.

There are some lighter purple accents that looks great as a highlight.  This is a solid robot mode.

SOLAR SHOT:

As part of the Spark Armor gimmick, Shockwave comes with Solar Shot, which transforms into a satellite.

The solar panels as well as the dish in the front are both made of softer more flexible plastic.

This piece is pretty much an accessory, and is a bit smaller than a Legends figure.

A quick comparison with Shockwave's tank mode.  It's easy to imagine that the satellite's aerial firepower is a complement to the tank's ground based firepower.

This is not a bad alternate mode, even if it doesn't have the challenge of hiding robot bits.

TRANSFORMATION (SPARK ARMOR):

The satellite splits into four pieces and this provides the Spark Armor additions to Shockwave's robot mode.  It splits into a weapon, the solar panels which form the backpack, a head and torso armor piece, and a second gun.

ROBOT MODE (SPARK ARMOR):

The armored up robot mode keeps the core Shockwave elements, and then doubles down on it.  Shockwave now gains a second gun arm and a more menacing silhouette.

There is quite a bit of backpack now.  The solar panels are a feature, but the torso piece that adds the helmet has a big chunk sticking out the back.  All the Spark Armor Battle Class figures have this flaw, which is disappointing.

The armor gives the original head a helmet, so you can see Shockwave's face through the visor.  It's one of the better integrating helmet of the line.

Shockwave sells for nearly Deluxe price but when bulked up, since nothing is added to his legs, he remains the same height.

None of the armor pieces restrict any movement either, his articulation remains the same as the core robot mode.

Of note is attached to his gun arm is another gun, of which the hose then attached to the back.

While he may be bigger and clunkier, he looks more powerful too and is a neat upgrade to the normal Shockwave design that we've come to expect.

OVERALL:

Shockwave may have a weak tank mode, but the robot mode as well as the Spark Armor gimmick more than makes up for it.  The armor adds a ton of play value, and it makes the robot look power, despite only really adding a few additional pieces.

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Senran Kagura: Estival Versus (Vita)

Senran Kagura:  Estival Versus is a hack n slash brawler game for the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 4.  It has a high focus on fan service and jiggle physics.  While it is a sequel to Shinovi Versus and Bon Appetit, there isn’t that much of a need to have played those games before this one.  The bulk of the content lies in the story mode that has nearly equal amounts of story and gameplay.  You will have a few cutscenes before the mission commences and then another story cutscene after.  Unfortunately, the game is punctuated by constant loading screens.  There is always a loading screen between each of the short cutscenes and even in the middle of a middle of each battle as it loads in the boss.  This is distracting and quite disappointing.

In the story, all the members of each of the four shinobi schools have been warped to another dimension.  Coincidentally, it is a beautiful beach and this is an excuse for the characters to relax and wear swimsuits.  However, a more serious main arc comes into play where Ryobi and Ryona see their dead sister.  It turns out that this world allows the dead shinobi to come back to life for the limited amount of time the festival is on.  The four schools participate in the Kagura Millennium Festival and must battle each other.  In the end, the story has a ton of fluff and is simply an excuse for as many fan service scenes as possible.  The story is all over the place with random and wacky things that happen.

As the main story explores various characters’ reasons for not wanting to leave this alternate reality, it expands on their backstories from Shinovi Versus.  A few of them are haunted by tragic events that affected their cherished family members, while others are more rational and realize that this could be a trap and wants to leave.  Apparently, the reality is currently suspended in time and no matter how long they stay here, they’ll go back right after they had warped.

Estival Versus is a hack n slash and can become repetitive by the end of the game.  The square button is used for a light attack while triangle is for a heavy attack.  You can chain together these two types of attacks into a combo.  In addition, characters can block and counter an enemy’s attack if you block at just the right time.  Once you knock an enemy away you can instantly leap towards them to continue your combo at the press of a button.

All characters can transform into their true shinobi forms where they gain stat buffs.  They also gain the ability to use ninja arts once a bar is full; these are effectively the same as ultimate attacks as they are flash and do a lot of damage.  A new addition is combined attacks if you have a NPC ally with you.

During each mission, you are typically pit against a large number of enemies.  When fighting against other characters, the attacks you do will slowly damage their clothing and enough damage will strip them completely.  The game has re-balanced all of the characters’ fighting styles.  The recovery delay after a combo is really annoying, especially for slow characters.  Coupled with a shorter attack range than expected means you’ll be hitting thin air rather than the enemy.  The enemy never seems to have these same kinds of problems though.  They are able to instantly launch attacks with no recovery frames, stun lock you and shoot off attack after attack.  It can get extremely annoying when three bosses are doing this at the same time against you.

There is a lack of staggering of enemies when they power up.  This means that you cannot just mash your way through a combo.  It can be annoying when the powered up bosses use ranged attacks and you’re using a close ranged fighter, so you are unable to get close to pummel them.  This tends to drag out the fights.  It’s actually really frustrating that you cannot lock them into a combo as they will spam their own invincible frame moves and due to the animation delay, the combat does not feel that smooth or reactive.

The final boss exacerbates every single flaw the game has; as a result, it feels extremely cheap and unfair.  The final boss is constantly barraging you with attacks, never staggers, cannot be combo’d, cannot be launched and has high health.  It is a cheap mess of a battle.  It doesn’t help that the game’s camera is not the best and can be hard to keep track of your character or the enemy with.  Each mission takes around five to ten minutes to clear so they are not long at all.  There are collectibles in the form of hidden “festival platforms” that you destroy to unlock more things in the game.  These unlocks include additional missions in the Shinobi Girl’s Heart mode.  The game reuses a lot of assets from Shinovi Versus.  Most notably the same stages, which is disappointing.  It still adds in new content and still looks decent.

The main story mode takes around seven to ten hours, after which there is the Shinobi Girl’s Heart mode.  This mode has side stories involving all the characters.  Each character has five missions which are easier and shorter than the story missions.  Each character set takes around twenty to thirty minutes to complete.  Playing through all the missions in this mode can become tedious.  Yes, it is a lot of content but it is all the same style of missions, thus it becomes extremely repetitive.  Then there are the unskippable credits after every set, which means watching then 27 times after every girl’s five missions, this is a bit overkill.

Impressively, there is a free chunky update to the game.  The update provides new playable characters, additional Shinobi Girl’s Heart story missions, collectibles and stages, which is quite the meaty addition.  While the single player mode will take around 20-30 hours to unlock everything, there is also a multiplayer mode if you wish to battle it out against real players.  There is a “Dressing Room” mode where you can select any of the characters and then change their costumes, pose them, and put on accessories.  It has a lot of customization option but sadly lacks a photo mode where you can pose them in an environment with other characters.

Overall, Senran Kagura:  Estival Versus, despite its flaws, is still a fun game.  While the fan service is a big part of the game, at the same time, it is a lot of mindless fun.  The combat can do with some improvements as it felt like there was a lot of redundant features and nerfing of move sets.  It has plenty of content that will take you up to thirty hours to complete.

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