Book Review: The Isolator 4: The Stinger

Review:  #846
Title:  The Isolator 4:  The Stinger
Series:  The Isolator - 4th volume
Author:  Reki Kawahara
Comments:  The Stinger ends up feeling like an interquel because it spends most of its time setting up the plot.  The titular character remains shrouded in mystery all the way until the very end, whereby we get to see more of their powers and abilities in the climax.  Up to that point though, it felt like it was dealing with the aftermath of the previous book, following different viewpoints.  It took a long while as it dawdled in following Minoru’s relationship with Tomomi, then with Suu’s condition, before jumping with Mikawa’s perspective and how the Ruby Eyes worked.  The character of Stinger is deliberately portrayed as overpowered and it’s unfortunately that we do not get any sort of lead at all on how their powers work.  Around half of the volume can be considered as filler as it doesn’t push the plot forward at all but overall is still an enjoyable piece of work.
Rating:  6/10

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Beauty and the Beast is a live-action remake of the 1991 Disney animated film.  However, the most surprising thing about this is that unlike the other Disney live-action remakes, Beauty and the Beast is very faithful to the original.  We get the same songs (albeit a tad updated but still familiar and nostalgic), the same events and sequences and the same characters.  It is a really well done remake that's enjoyable.  The story follows Belle, a clever woman stuck in a world where she is not accepted by everyone else.  Her father stumbles to an abandoned castle where dwells the Beast, a Prince transformed into a monster until the day he finds, and receives, love, due to his selfish heart.  Belle travels and stays at the castle in exchange for her father's freedom and we see how she spends her time there.  The castle's other inhabitants are transformed into household objects and it's quite interesting to see how their designs are changed for the live-action nature yet still being a homage to the animated versions.  While the same issue plague this remake, being that too short is spent on the time between Belle and the Beast to make the romance believable, everything else is solid.  The music is superb and the villain is one you'd love to hate.  Overall, Beauty and the Beast is a remake done right.

My Girlfriend is Shobitch (2017)

My Girlfriend is Shobitch is 10 episodes long plus an OVA and is based on a manga series.  The anime follows Shinozaki Haruka who is a shy high school student.  As far as protagonists go, he's pretty generic and has no real defining traits.  In the same class is Shinozaki's crush, Kosaka Akiho.  The only thing we learn about her is that she's pretty and seemingly out of Shinozaki's league.  Within minutes of the introduction of her character (and the episode), Shinozaki decides to confess to Kosaka and ask her out to be his girlfriend.  To our surprise, Kosaka agrees.

We then learn about Kosaka's unique personality.  She is expressionless, using the same tone but has a dry sense of humor.  The most striking aspect is her thought process, which tinges on the more sexual side.  She has no experience with relationships and thus overanalyzes everything.  She usually jumps straight to the conclusion that the current situation involves something sexual; this is pretty funny especially when you find out where she got it from.

The anime's humor leans heavily towards sexual innuendos, both in terms of dialogue and visually.  Sometimes it's funny, others it goes a bit far.  Pretty much every scene sets up a metaphor for sexual acts, leaving Shinozaki to be the only sane one in the whole series.  Thanks to the volume of sexual jokes per episode, you'd expect that some works and others don't.  Some of the scenarios in which Shinozaki finds himself in are very easy to misunderstand and this is what makes them funny.  The suggestive actions of several characters can be over the top but is part of the charm of the series.

As typical of this genre, Shinozaki has other girls near him whose feelings he is oblivious to.  This includes his overly active sister who has cat mannerisms, and a third year childhood friend.  Both of them tease Shinozaki with sexual innuendos.  The new characters which are introduced are all equally weird, from a rich girl who refers to her dogs as her "males" to a handsome guy where Kosaka mistakes for being too affectionate with her boyfriend.  Any time a character speaks, you'd expect some sort of new sexual joke.

Rounding out the cast are the student council members, one which is super perverted while the other is the token normal person in the whole series.  She is uptight and wants to keep the moral high ground but constantly finds herself in scenarios where she is put into the situations she hates most.  The anime doesn't have too much of a plot or an objective.  It follows the pair's journey in their relationships, getting used to each other and of course, meeting the parents.  The scene transitions within an episode can feel disjointed, especially when it suddenly changes.  Sometimes, the next part of the episode has nothing to do with what came before so it can be haphazard.

The series never builds up any momentum; rather, it just plods along at the same pace the whole way through.  This means that the ending can be a bit weak as it doesn't resolve anything, but then again, the anime doesn't have any conflict either.  The ending of each episode teases the pair going to a love hotel.  This actually comes back as the basis for the OVA, which is a lot more suggestive compared to the main episodes (probably because they can get away with more as it won't be aired on TV).  The first half is more meaningful as Shinozaki and Kosaka explores and accepts each other and their current situation, while the second half is just an excuse for more sexual references.

Overall, My Girlfriend is Shobitch is a bit average.  The overabundance of sexual references can be overkill at times, and since not all of it is funny, it can feel like it drags on.  However, the dynamic between Shinozaki and Kosaka is genuine and they are a likable pair.

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Book Review: Sword Art Online 14: Alicization Uniting

Review:  #845
Title:  Sword Art Online 14:  Alicization Uniting
Series:  Sword Art Online - 14th volume
Author:  Reki Kawahara
Comments:  This is it, the major turning point for the Alicization arc.  A bit of a spoiler being that since the next few volumes still has the “Alicization” in its subtitle, we know that this will not be the end; still, it’s pretty close.  Believe it or not, but the author managed to stretch the fight against the Administrator (aka the big bad of this arc) across the entire volume.  Everything that was built up in previous volumes are exposed here and the end results is equal parts satisfying and corny.  The fate of several of the characters is supposed to be melodramatic and inspiring but comes off as rather predictable and generic.  Kirito spends much of the time wondering about the mechanics and the how of what’s currently happening instead of reacting, resulting in one of the weakest interpretations of the character we’ve seen in the series.  We’re constantly reminded of the Administrator’s beauty and her current attire which feels like it’s pandering to the fan service side of things.  Everyone suffers catastrophic damage but somehow, through sheer willpower alone, they get up every time and continue the battle.  Basically, anything goes in this volume and the resolution against the Administration is mediocre to say the least.  The ending was truly a surprise though; especially the afterword which gave a tease on the direction the next volume is going to go.  At the end of the volume, you can’t help but feel miffed at how the objective was achieved after all this effort and time.
Rating:  6/10

Metal Gear Solid (PS1)

Metal Gear Solid is a game for the PlayStation and is a sequel to the MSX2 games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2.  It is an action-stealth adventure and is a defining game for the PS1.  One of the most impressive things about the game and this is unique during that era, is how Metal Gear Solid combines gameplay with storytelling.  It has a huge focus on the story which is told via in-game rendered cutscenes.  The graphics were brilliant for the time (but of course, very dated now), with realistic proportions, complete with voice acting.  Even in this first game, the cutscenes can go for a while, ranging from 5 minutes to 30 minutes at a time.  The gameplay mainly involves stealth as you guide Snake through areas.  These areas are patrolled by guards, who usually go on a set path, as well as surveillance cameras.  Snake has a few abilities of his own.  He can crawl and lean against walls to view what's ahead, punch enemies and use a variety of gadgets to forge a path ahead.a

Gadgets and other items found in the levels so they can be easy to miss if you just focus on getting to the next area.  Snake will find guns, grenades and rations to heal his life.  It is a smarter idea to avoid the enemies than to go into combat since the aiming is rudimentary.  There is an auto-aim system for the weapons which is clunky to use.  The game is mostly played in a top-down view, while you can go into first-person mode and also peer ahead around corners when you flatten Snake against a wall.  Enemies usually go on a set path until they see you whereby they'll break their predictability and try to find you.  The game can get difficult, especially for first-time players.  You have to figure out what to do or where to go as well as be patient in order to not alert the guards.  Being detected usually means death as the enemies will start converging on you and you lose access to the map showing the area's layout.

It's highly recommended to use the analogue sticks for the sections where you are running.  This is because it's a lot easier considering the fixed camera angles.  Shooting and moving stealthily is better with the d-pad.  It can be a bit annoying when the game forces you to backtrack to find weapons required to beat certain bosses.  Since the game doesn't tell you where to go next or if you missed something crucial you can feel lost a lot of the time.  Snake ends up getting so many gadgets and weapons that you might forget when to use what and end up making life harder for yourself.  The final sections of the game require you to backtrack yet again for story reasons and ultimately it ends up just having Snake run through empty corridors repeating the same thing again and again.  It's padding pure and simple, with the game being better without it even if it would have been shorter.

The beginning of the game is where it is strongest with its stealth elements and clever use of gadgets.  As it progresses, it starts to tone up the action aspect of the game, but the shooting controls are clunky and it just isn't as fun.  Later on, the game heavily pads itself out by forcing you to backtrack multiple times, running up and down endless staircases and having contrived coincidences to have Snake take the long route.  It's a tad bit too much and would have been preferred if the developer could have settled for a shorter but more refreshing game instead.  The alter part of the game seems to have a high reliance on disabling your map and then putting in automatic gun cameras that you need to use a grenade to disable.  It feels a lot more boring and cheap than patrolling guards and other obstacles.

The story has you controlling Solid Snake as he infiltrates a compound.  His aim is to save two hostages from terrorists who are threatening to unleash nuclear weapons.  It is an intriguing story and soon after, Snake finds out how much of a mess this situation is, with the stakes rapidly escalating.  Characters are withholding information from each other and it leaves a deep mystery of just what exactly is happening here and what everyone's motives are.  It doesn't get too complex and the ending is okay, it tries to thrown in some heavy revelations but it didn't have the proper build up to have quite the impact that the writer was hoping for.  Boss battles really shine in this game.  Each boss is a different take and requires a unique strategy.  There are some really inventive and clever designs that haven't been replicated in another game since.  Snake encounters bosses fairly frequently so it's a good thing that the checkpoints are generous.

For the most part, the controls are fine albeit clunky and awkward.  What was really annoying though was the final section which is basically a shooting sequence.  Sure you can go into first-person mode but it is still awkward as hell and difficult when Snake keeps flinching and throwing your aim off.  It is frustrating and just a terrible way to end the game on.  Overall, you can feel how impressive Metal Gear Solid must have been back when it was released.  The cinematic sequences, the full voice acting, the mature story and some amazing gameplay designs.  It hasn't aged quite that well though and the change from a stealth game in the beginning to a full blown action game can be jarring.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Power of the Primes Micronus & Cloudburst (Prime Master)

Review:  #502
Name:  Micronus
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Generations - Power of the Primes
Year of Release:  2017
Size Class:  Prime Master (Wave 1)
Mold Status:  new

MICRONUS:

Micronus himself is a predominantly red Prime Master.  He's pretty well painted as Prime Masters go to be honest.

He has the standard articulation of limited balljointed shoulders, and a balljointed head.

Micronus can interact with figures from the other size classes in the line in various ways including acting as Prime Armor.

Another cool aspect is that he uses the same connector as the Titan Masters, and thus is able to act as a head too.

CLOUDBURST:

Cloudburst is the "Pretender" shell based upon the inner robot of the original Cloudburst figure.

He has the giant weapon as a backpack but since he has a huge footprint, there's no problem with him standing.

"Transforming" Micronus into Cloudburst is pretty easy since the shell just opens up and you can fit the Prime Master inside, it acts as a type of suit.

Without a Prime Master, the decoy armor is pretty much a hollow shell.

A neat aspect is how Micronus peeks out the visor from the Cloudburst armor.

In terms of size, Cloudburst is a lot smaller than a typical Legion classed figure, which is kind of sad.

Articulation is limited to hinged shoulders that allow the arms to swing back and forth.  Everything else is a solid piece.

You can detach the backpack which is only on a friction joint to act as Cloudburst's weapon.

The weapon is scaled for Deluxe and larger figures, thus is looks ridiculously oversized in Cloudburst's hands.

WEAPON MODE:

For such a small size, these Prime Masters have to do a lot as Micronus packs in a weapon mode.  While it is literally just the shell laid face down and the gun piece flipped to cover the head, it's not too horrible.

The weapon does look a tad bit too big for Deluxe figures, it's more suited to the Voyagers and Leaders.

OVERALL:

As a sample, Micronus is pretty cool.  It's hard to recommend to buy more than one though unless the Pretenders gimmick appeals to you.  Granted, Micronus does a bit more with a third weapon mode and the added interactivity as a Prime Master but you still can't help but feel like the figure is lacking something.

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Book Review: Sword Art Online 13: Alicization Dividing

Review:  #844
Title:  Sword Art Online 13:  Alicization Dividing
Series:  Sword Art Online - 13th volume
Author:  Reki Kawahara
Comments:  After Kirito and Eugeo were forced to split up in the end of the last volume, the story is now told via two perspectives.  Kirito ended up with Alice and they find a way to get out of their despairing situation (falling from over 80 floors and climbing all the way back up is not easy feat).  While their uneasy truce looks like it’ll break easily, Kirito tries his luck in trying to get Alice back to the way she was, or at least just remember some of her memories.  Unfortunately, that process feels a bit too weak and easy.  Eugeo on the other hand gets all the excitement with a huge battle against the most powerful (and the original) Integrity Knight.  Eugeo is hyped up to have even more potential than Kirito given the opportunity, and Kirito was overpowered in the first place so you’ll most likely be miffed that another character can overshadow him.  Towards the end, it felt like the author was focusing on the wrong thing and as the volume nears its conclusion, you can see what is going to happen a mile away.  It feels like betrayal but the execution isn’t done nearly as well as it should to give the emotional impact the author was trying for.
Rating:  6.5/10