Parasyte -the maxim-(2014-15)

Parasyte -the maxim- is a 24 episode anime that’s based on the manga from 1988. It follows Izumi Shinichi who encounters some weird snake / slug looking jelly thing at night in his bedroom. It burrows into his right hand and after his panicked frenzy, he realises the hole has sealed up. The next day, weird things happen and his right hand seems to act on its own. It turns out that an alien thing has eaten his right hand and taken its place.

The first episode already sucks you in with its premise as the alien thing is as clueless about its own existence as Shinichi is. However, there are several obvious characteristics. It’s extremely strong, able to easily break metal. It can also morph into many shapes, and this is quite creepy to watch at times. This parasite, who is extremely intelligent, made a mistake, it was supposed to aim for Shinichi’s brain but is now forced to reside as his hand. It makes a proposition to mutually benefit off each other.

It’s surprising that the anime manages to hold on to its tense pacing. Given that the parasite doesn’t know much about its own kind either, they learn at the same pace as the viewers. As a result, what comes as a surprise to us will also be a surprise for the pair of them. The anime doesn’t shy away from the fact that these parasitic beings are monsters, killing other humans for food. They can also morph their bodies into a number of shapes or weapons and are horrifyingly powerful.

The parasite, having learnt all its knowledge from books and the internet, is rational and logical to the point of being cold. It calmly analyses each situation that it and Shinichi finds themselves in, and proposes plans that sicken Shinichi with its perceived ruthlessness. In this aspect, it is like a computer AI, as it deals with cold hard facts like the probability of success rather than the more emotional aspects like if it is morally acceptable.

The anime goes on a more intellectual approach at times, opting to muse on the nature of humans, and what makes them different than animals. Shinichi tries to prove to the parasite, affectionately named Migi, that humans are so much more, being capable of compassion instead of just relying on survival instincts. While some are selfish and confirms the parasite’s views, Shinichi is trying to change that. This can be a bit annoying at times when Shinichi deliberately does something (or conversely, his inaction) just to prove his point.

Nevertheless, the anime doesn’t pull any punches and pretty much throws a curveball in every episode. It’s quite impressive that it manages to build an emotional attachment with a particular character, who doesn’t have all that much screen time, only to have something happen to them. This has a profound emotional impact to both the Shinichi and the viewer, and makes you feel that no one is safe. The more we learn about the parasites, the scarier it can be since they are able to mimic anyone, able to strike at any time, and are physically so much superior to humans.

The plot moves at a very brisk pace. It introduces what you would expect to be a big development but quickly goes through it and resolves it in a satisfactory manner before moving onto the next. It never seems to waste any time, each episode has something important happening. It ups the ante each time, and there are some gory shots, or at least uncomfortable scenes. When it kills characters, it doesn’t do it in a pure indiscriminate way to induce shock, but rather it feels more personal, and that affects you way more in comparison.

You are wary whenever focus is placed upon a character. You have a suspicion that they will die, and just like Shinichi, you don’t want that pain. Due to the parasite, Shinichi undergoes a massive change both physically and mentally. His personality drastically changes but it doesn’t feel contrived or unnatural. The plot basically charts Shinichi’s journey and the hurtful path that he must walk on with no choice. However, it is a shame that several tragic events could have been avoidable if only one of the characters weren’t so idiotic and did a stupid thing without thinking it through properly.

Over the course of the anime, there is a constant battle between Shinichi and Migi in terms of ideals. It does play a bigger and bigger role, so can get tiring when it is repeating similar beats. Migi has no qualms killing innocents just to preserve his life, while Shinichi has morals and does not want to take another’s life. Seeing Shinichi hopelessly at times trying to convince Migi, when Migi has no sense of selflessness or compassion, is another way that makes the viewers question the morality of everything that’s going on.

The second half of the season takes the story into a different direction. It’s not so much the personal struggle of Shinichi with Migi, but takes place on a grander scale. The danger that the parasites pose to the society as a whole is explored, even if it is on a local level, restricted to the city that Shinichi is living in. It also continues the uncomfortable scenes and the horrifying fact of certain situations where innocent people die.

While the story takes off in a direction that’s on a larger scale, at the same time, it’s hard to tell where it is exactly going and how it will end. There was so much happening, with so many implications, that you’re not sure how it can end satisfactory. Since the last section introduced core concepts and ideals of the interpretation of parasites and their roles, it feels weird to end the story with just looking at Shinichi’s situation instead. As a result, the ending can feel weak and anti-climatic, brushing off the bigger moments in favour of just ending it on a personal note for Shinichi.

Overall, Parasyte -the maxim- is a strong anime. It has a very good first half, as we are introduced to the parasites, their horrifying abilities and learn more about their nature. Journeying through with Shinichi and the things that he has to suffer, it feels really personal. Although once it shifts the focus away from Shinichi to a grander scope, the pacing and plot developments feel more sluggish and less interesting. It’s still solid, but can leave you feel a tiny bit unsatisfied with a somewhat idealistic ending.

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Batman: Arkham VR (PS4 / PSVR)

Batman: Arkham VR is a game for the PS4 / PSVR. As the title suggests, it is a VR game, and surprisingly, was developed by Rocksteady themselves, the same developers as the mainline Arkham trilogy. As a result, the game takes place within the Arkham universe, although can still be enjoyed as a standalone piece, you’ll understand a bit more from having played at least Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, as well as appreciate more of the various characters that show up.

The game is played in first person, naturally, but the more restrictive requirement is that it requires two PlayStation Move controllers. You cannot use a DualShock 4 controller at all. Each of the Move controller acts as your hands. You are Bruce Wayne, you are Batman, and the trigger button of each controller will cause the hand to grip or interact with an object.

The controls are intuitive, as it is motion based. You’re basically only in control of where you look and your hands. Movement is limited to predetermined points that you jump between. The screen goes to black for a short second before you arrive at the next viewpoint, this is to minimize motion sickness. Perhaps the best part is how you have the utility belt, of which you can grab either the scanner, batarang or the grappling hook. Having the utility belt actually works as one really helps with the immersion.

On the whole, the game does a great job as immersing you into its world. Most of the gameplay revolves around investigating areas for clues in order to find out what happened, going from viewpoint to viewpoint to grab items, and solve some simple environmental puzzles. These are extremely simple and passive tasks that most players would find boring in a game released in this time and age, but thanks to being in VR, it feels much more novel and interesting.

As a limitation of the hardware itself, the graphics are passable but not great. Environments are definitely low-res and can appear flat at times. Farer objects are blurry and are obviously not 3D at all. However, once again, there is something that makes it special in VR, and seeing Gotham City like this is a different experience than seeing it on TV.

The story takes place while you’re relaxing in your mansion before Alfred comes in informing the disappearance of both Robin and Nightwing. As a result, you track them down to their last location and then follow the clues to see what happened. Over the course of the journey, you’ll encounter a few familiar villains. The biggest negative of the game is the short length. Even on a first run, it takes around an hour to an hour and a half, easily done in one session of the game.

You’ll notice abnormal things as you play through which makes the ending very interesting. As the game is exclusively for VR, it does several tricks to build up the atmosphere, oftentimes it can be tense. You’ll get close ups of things, or there’s a section that feels claustrophobic. This becomes most evident in the ending where it can feel creepy and uncomfortable, in a good way. Of course, there’s the famous section where you see yourself in the mirror, and it is very cool just moving about and seeing your reflection as Batman moving as you’d expect as if you really are him.

There are some optional things you can do apart from just the story. As a PS4 game, naturally there are trophies that you can aim for. There is a batarang throwing minigame to obtain a high score. The biggest additional optional content unlocks after the story which are the Riddler collectibles. These are nowhere near as numerous or as tough as the main games but they’ll still take a bit of your time.

Overall, Batman: Arkham VR is a worthwhile VR experience. While it can be pricey for the length it takes to finish it, it is fun from start to finish. The experiencing of actually becoming Batman and allowing the game to fully immerse you is pretty incredible. The story itself is intriguing, with many surprisingly good elements that leverages off the VR aspect. While the gameplay is simple, it doesn’t need to be anything complex. However, bearing in mind you need two Move controllers, it make an already expensive game into an even more expensive one, which wouldn’t be worth it if you don’t have any other use for those controllers.

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Amagi Brilliant Park (2014)

Amagi Brilliant Park is a thirteen episode anime plus an OVA based on the light novel series. The first episode launches straight into introducing us to Kanie and Sento on their way to Amagi Brilliant Park. Kanie is a high school student who is a narcissist, he loves the look of himself, ironically to the point of pushing everyone away. While Sento is a transfer student that apparently asked Kanie out. Their date location? The local theme park, Amagi Brilliant Park.

It is once at the park that you see the sorry state of affairs that it is in. It’s done in a joking way but the park is worn down, the employees are past the point of caring, the rides are outdated and there are very little people. It’s at this point that Sento reveals why she asked Kanie to come. She wants him to become the manager of the park to save it. The park has to have a certain amount of visitors before the deadline, otherwise they will be forced to close.

It is then revealed that a lot of the employees of the park are magical beings that rely on it in order to live. Take the park away, and they lose their power source (derived from the fun of visitors), eventually fading away. Naturally, Kanie doesn’t believe this but will eventually be swayed into helping. He only has three months to do the impossible, and the future looks bleak given the employees aren’t fond of Kanie in the first place, and have lost most of their hope already.

As expected, while Kanie does a commendable job, he’s not in the amusement park business and so doesn’t fully understand some of the consequences of his decisions. He has good intentions but this is where the Sento comes into play. On their own, either one is not sufficient, but together, they cover each other’s weaknesses and is able to do a sufficient job in keeping the park running decently at the very least.

The anime can be very silly at times, as it occasionally goes with the stereotypical “character looks extremely menacing but is actually a softy and coward at heart” angle. It already wasn’t that tense to begin with but it loses even that by the middle of the season. Yes, the fact that the park is going to close is still always in the background, but we don’t see the characters actively doing too much about it, we’re just told they are. Instead, the plot focuses on the various magical staff and their issues.

After so many distractions, the plot finally gets serious about the main issue in the last few episodes, that is, somehow getting enough visitors into the park. There are a few extra obstacles and higher stakes that were only revealed late into the season, and it requires pretty much a miracle. Kanie sets about bringing that miracle and it’s not as far-fetched as it could have been, but at the same time, it does feel like cheating a bit. However, it is still good to see that the efforts of Kanie have not been wasted, since the park is a lot livelier than when he inherited it.

The ending raises the tension but it’s all done in a predictable way. It’s hard to determine what you really want because if they tried to go for an unexpected surprise, you would have preferred the predictable ending instead. Either way, it still provides a warm fuzzy feeling when all the park’s inhabitants work together for the final push, including Kanie who is a harsh sceptic at times. It is weird though that the main problem is resolved by episode 12, but the season ends with another episode that feels like filler and more akin to something that should be in the middle of the season. As a result, the season fizzles out instead of ending with a bang.

It’s also pretty cool to see that the power that Kanie got given was not a once-off affair. Since it was a broken ability and the anime quickly moved on, you’d have thought that was that. Instead, Kanie uses it occasionally during critical moments so that it didn’t feel like a throwaway mention that was a gimmick.

Overall, Amagi Brilliant Park has a good premise but squanders that to a certain degree with generic and out of focused plot arcs. It had a lot of potential on the various magical beings working there, and ways that Kanie could turn the park around and make it successful. There are still good bits but there are scenes where the humor and developments are questionable.

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Toy Review: Transformers Cyberverse Slipstream (Warrior)

Review:  #713

Name:  Slipstream

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Cyberverse

Year of Release:  2019

Size Class:  Warrior

Mold Status:  repaint of Cyberverse Starscream

JET MODE:

Slipstream transforms into a purple and teal jet.

As part of the Warrior size class, the jet mode isn't amazing and is only just passable.  There's one flip down landing gear underneath the nose but that's it.

There is a ton of undercarriage kibble, which is unavoidable for such a simplistic toy.

In terms of size, the Warrior class is similar to Deluxe but much lighter and less substantial.

Color scheme-wise, the jet mode looks good, but ultimately, it's a poor alternate mode.

TRANSFORMATION:

Very simplistic as you can imagine.  The bottom folds down to form the legs, while you fold the nose down to form the torso and reveal the head.  Finish off by pulling out the arms to the sides.

ROBOT MODE:

The robot mode looks fairly good at first glance.

Unfortunately, there is severe cost-cutting in this line, and the legs in particular for Slipstream are horrendous.  They're like half the expected size for legs so it makes the figure feel very much like a knockoff.

The head sculpt is decent.  Considering this is a straight up repaint of Starscream, it's pretty good how well the gender swap also works.

In terms of height, Slipstream is approximately the height of a standard Deluxe, but as mentioned earlier, the excessive hollowness lets the figure down.

In terms of articulation, she has shoulders, elbows and hips.  That's it.  That's right, despite looking like she might have knee joints, she does not and this is just so terrible.

Considering that the Warrior size class are comparable in cost to Deluxes, it's terrible how cheaply Hasbro has made the line.

There is one gimmick here, where she has a spring in her waist, and "spinning" the waist will cause the panels underneath the wings to also flip out.  It does not work properly and the waist flops around.  At least you can lock the waist in robot mode to mitigate that flaw.

A poor robot mode.  Her only benefit is look good at first glance.

OVERALL:

This is a bad toy, no ways around it.  Sure, for a younger audience she might not be so bad, but the cheapness of the figure and ineffective gimmick just puts a sour taste to your mouth.  It's best to avoid this figure unless she is really cheap and even then, think twice before you bite.

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I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying - Season 2 (2015)

The second season of I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying is once again 13 episodes long. Each episode is only a short three minutes long (what thirty seconds for the ending theme) and the reason for that is that the source material is a 4-panel manga. It focuses on a married couple, Hajime and Kaoru, where Hajime is an otaku and Kaoru is your everyday normal person. That being said, Hajime’s otaku traits are more subdued now that he has a job and everything.

The “big” reveal at the end of the first season is not mentioned at all until later on, which is a bad habit that actually happened during the middle of that season already. Instead, we are treated to the usual funny gags, which instead of just focusing on being funny, has a secondary focus to them as well. For instance, Kaoru is worried that Hajime and her is not very compatible, and luckily this type of anxiousness gets resolved by the end of the episode, but also makes the story have more substance to it.

The jokes don’t come as hard and fast as the first season but the episodes overall are still very strong. From time to time, an unexpectedly funny scene will come and when it does, it’s really good. Despite some of the content, the anime continues to feel like a wholesome peek into married couple’s life where it’s not perfect, but it’s not bad either. It gives you that warm fuzzy feeling whenever Hajime and Kaoru express how much they appreciate each other’s company.

Due to the short episodes, the story can only really go that far. Despite that, it still does an excellent job at personalizing each of the characters making them unique, distinctive and memorable. Running gags such as Miki and Mayotama’s “relationship” making strides are unexpected but helps provide some variety rather than exclusively focusing on Hajime and Kaoru.

It dives more into the backgrounds of each of the pairs. We learn more about Hajime and Kaoru’s past, such as expanding on how they actually came to realize they liked each other. While Hajime is what you’d expect considering his interests (i.e. uneventful). Kaoru’s is a lot more eventful. Then there are Kaoru’s friends, and the way that they met their partners is every bit as interesting and funny as the protagonists’.

The anime has a simple aesthetic and frequently goes for cuteness. This works well with the type of show that this is, and complements the humor. Kaoru and Hajime’s brother Mayotama are prime targets for this, they are constantly shown their cute side, from their voices to the reddening of their cheeks when embarrassed.

It’s only the last few episodes that it deals with the first season’s finale. Even then, it doesn’t do anything concrete. However, it does hammer home the way that the pair actually has several close friends, who all look after each other, so as per usual, it gives you a happy perfect ending.

Overall, the second season of I Can’t Understand What My Husband Is Saying is less funny than the first season. Instead, it swaps some of the humor for more character development. It’s a different angle, and although it pulls it off well enough, the lower frequency of gags is noticeable.

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