Tag: anime

Super Recaps: Sailor Moon Episode 14 (A New Enemy Appears: Nephrite’s Evil Crest)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media

Episode directed by Junichi Satou

We’re back with the first episode of Leave it to Nephrite!  After the untimely demise of everyone’s favorite woman-hating boy in a man’s suit, the show now has the uphill battle of selling us on the guy who will take his place.  Sort of like how Spin City replaced Michael J Fox with Charlie Sheen and got canceled two seasons later.  Okay, bad example.  What about The Office?  They replaced Steve Carell with Ed Helms… and got canceled two seasons later.  Huh.  Well at least we know this show goes on for quite some time after Jadeite leaves, but can the Nephrite episodes hold a candle to the Jadeite ones or are we doomed to villains with diminishing returns for the next two hundred or so episodes?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins on Nephrite’s first day as head of project management at Hell Corp and is giving Queen Beryl his latest proposal to acquire greater quantities of energy in the coming fiscal quarter.  Unlike Jadeite who took energy from as many people as possible, Nephrite’s plan is to pick one person and milk them for all their worth because the FIRST thing you learn about investing is to put all your eggs in one basket.  Apparently I’m not the only one taking the piss out of Nephrite’s scheme because Zoisite (another one of the Kings of Dark Kingdom) just floats off to the side and laughs at him.

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“Why don’t you put all your money in Facebook while you’re at it?  Oh, I am SO deliciously sardonic!!”

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Super Recaps: Sailor Moon Episode 13 (Girls Unite: The End of Jadeite)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media

Episode directed by Harume Kosaka

We’re back with a very special episode of Game of Lunar Thrones as Jadeite (the Geoffrey of our tale) is about to finally get his comeuppance as this is the last episode for the iconic villain!  Since episode one, he’s been the haughty counterbalance to Usagi’s less than composed demeanor and the show has done a darn good job building up his desperation in the last couple of episodes as the Scouts began to increase their power and thwart his plans more thoroughly.  Does he go out with a dramatic bang, or will his story end on a disappointing whimper?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Jadeite literally under the spotlight as he’s being berated by Queen Beryl for his long list of failures in what has to be the worst exit interview of all time.

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“I get the feeling I’m not gonna get a positive reference.”     “Tell you what.  If you kill the Scouts, I WON’T smear your chances of ever finding work at another evil organization.”     “I don’t know.  It doesn’t seem like a good idea to tempt fate like that.”     “Okay then.  ‘Dear Cobra Commander.  I just let go of an incompetent boob who will probably come begging for a job soon.’”     “ALRIGHT!  I GET IT!!”

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Super Recaps: Sailor Moon Episode 12 (I Want a Boyfriend: The Luxury Cruise Ship Is a Trap)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 1 Comment

Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media

Episode directed by Yuji Endo

We’re back with another episode of The Three Moon-eteers (Luna of course serving as our d’Artagnan in this metaphor)!  With Jadeite on the ropes after so many schemes not only failing but bringing his foes greater and greater power, he’s starting to get desperate for a way to stop them before he retires from this Evil Organization to pursue interests elsewhere.  Maybe Disney?  Anyway, will he be able to succeed in his latest hair-brained scheme, or will it all end in failure once again?  Well you can probably guess which one, but let’s see how it plays out!!

The episode begins in the bowels of Hell Corp where Jadeite is hiding from Queen Beryl’s condescending stare that he surely deserves considering his recent track record.  His self-imposed exile to the basement is unfortunately interrupted as one of Queen Beryl’s personal assistants tracks his butt down.

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“Queen Beryl has been looking for you.”     “I know.  Why do you think I’m here?  Just one more week and I’m out of this dump.”     “Should I let her know I found you?”     “I’d rather you didn’t!”

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Super Recaps: Sailor Moon Episode 9 (Usagi’s Disaster: Beware of the Clock of Confusion)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media

Episode directed by Harume Kosaka

We’re back with another episode of Sailor Moon Not Crystal, which is DOUBLY true because we’ve switched back to filler episodes after the last one was from the actual manga and therefore was worthy of being remade in the new show.  The good thing about filler episodes though is how much character building you can get out of it which is especially important now that the show is no longer the Luna and Usagi Adventures.  Ami Mizuno (Sailor Mercury) joined the cast last time and while I thought that the relationship between her and Usagi just wasn’t built up all that much in that episode, I knew that episodes like this would be on the way to fill in the gaps and get them to really bond as friends and Sailor Scouts.  Does this episode live up to those expectations, or will it take a bit more time for them to really get along?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Jadeite getting a stern talking to by his beloved mistress for failing so hard at his last scheme that there are now twice as many threats to their continued efforts to take over the world.

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“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED OUT THERE!?”     “Well how was I supposed to know the book worm had magic powers!?”     “Oh, so it’s EVERYONE else’s fault but yours.  That’s your BRILLIANT defense right now!?”     “I’m feeling that this work environment is becoming hostile.”     “WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE!?!?”

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Super Recaps: Sailor Moon Episode 7 (Usagi Learns Her Lesson: Becoming a Star Is Hard Work)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 5 Comments

Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media

Episode directed by Takao Yoshizawa

Welcome back to another episode of Sailor Moon: Reincarnation is Magic!  The last episode had our born again Moon Princess fighting off a really interesting villain who inadvertently was getting in the way of two people finding true love in one another!  It was actually a pretty nice change of pace from the formula the show was falling into where Usagi remained pretty much oblivious to the evil machinations of the villains until she finally confronts them at the scene of the crime.  So what’s the story for THIS episode?  Usagi will remain pretty much oblivious to the evil machinations of the villain until she finally confronts them at the scene of the crime.  Well, I guess they can’t ALL be original stories, so maybe they’ll find an interesting angle with what it is the villains will try to exploit this time.  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Usagi frantically trying to get to school before the bell rings yet again.  I mean sure, she’s fighting for humanity’s survival every night, but she should really invest in a louder alarm clock or something.  Along her route, she runs past an advertisement and, as any good consumer would do, stops to stare at it and contemplate purchasing the product.

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“Must… Buy… Red Bull…”

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Super Recaps: Sailor Moon Episode 6 (Protect the Melody of Love: Usagi Plays Cupid)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 4 Comments

Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media

Episode directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara

We’re back with another episode of Luna and Usagi’s Excellent Adventures!  The last episode with the hypno-furbys was fine but it really didn’t do anything different from the other episodes except for kicking Luna across a room which is DIFFERENT but I wouldn’t call that an improvement to the formula.  Will the mix things up for this episode or are we doomed to see Usagi repeat the same story every single episode until the other scouts come in?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins in Dark Kingdom and… what’s this?  Do we finally have some new animation for Queen Beryl!?  She’s not waving her hands in front of a crystal ball this time!?  This MUST be a special episode!!  The reason for this change in her behavior is due to her undivided attention for the demonstration of Jadeite’s newest soul-sucking scheme.  Apparently, he’s developed a sound wave or whatever that drains the life out of those who listen to it.

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“It was discovered during our research into The Brown Noise”

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Super Recaps: Sailor Moon Episode 5 (Scent of a Monster: Chanela Will Steal Your Love)

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 3 Comments

Sailor Moon and all the images you see in this recap are owned by Toei Animation and licensed by Viz Media

Episode directed by Yuji Endo

We’re back with another episode of Sailor Moon Retro!  When we last left our heroes, they were in a rather uncomfortable and dated adventure regarding weight loss and self-esteem.  In hindsight, it may not have been the BEST way to tackle those subjects, but then again you can’t always go back to stuff from twenty years ago and expect it to get everything right in regards to modern sensibilities.  Besides, I’m sure that’s gonna be the ONLY time that this show will be THAT blatantly nineties, right?  It’s not like they’ll make an episode about Furbies or something!  Oh wait, this episode is about cute artificial animals that people can’t get enough of?  Okay then.  Well to be fair, this episode predates those toys by at least six years so maybe they were simply ahead of their time when they made this!  Will this episode manage to bring the series back on track after the stumble that was the last episode, or will the show continue to feel out of place and outdated as they continue to scramble to come up with episodes to fill out the season?  Let’s find out!!

The episode begins with Usagi having a nightmare where she’s being chased by… I don’t know, the Smoke Monster?

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“DAMN YOU JJ ABRAMS!!!”

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The NekoCon Diaries (Part 3): Swag Review and Grab Bag Unboxing

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 4 Comments

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As is tradition with any convention, you end up spending way too much on stuff you’ll never use that’s much cheaper on Amazon.  I’m certainly guilty here, but I think I got a pretty decent haul overall for what I ended up paying and have decided to share it with all of you!  I’ll first talk about the merchandise I picked out and then we’ll do an unboxing of the grab bags that I purchased from some of the tables!  Let’s get started!!

Throughout this adventure, I learned one very important thing.  I. LOVE. SAILOR. JUPITER!!

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The NekoCon Diaries (Part 2): FUNimation and Aniplex Industry Panels

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

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We took a look at some of the panels last time around, but now we’re getting to the BIG ones!  The panels hosted by two of the current giants of anime here in the United States which are FUNimation and Aniplex!  No point in dawdling!  Let’s get started!!

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FUNumation Industry Panel

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this sort of corporate event, but it ended up being an advertising bonanza with them showcasing their recent releases, what they plan to release for the upcoming season and the streaming services they are currently offering.  Right now, you can gain access to FUNimation’s entire back catalog of shows in one of two ways.  With a Sub Pass, you can watch any anime that FUNimation has rights to the subtitled version of as well as their subtitled Simulcasts.  With the All-Access Pass though, you can access that as well as all their dubbed anime, as well as a couple of extras not available for the Sub Pass.

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The NekoCon Diaries (Part 1): Introduction and Panel Discussion

~ Matt Vetrano ~ 2 Comments

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So last weekend (11/6-11/9), I was at NekoCon 18 in Hampton Virginia and it was the first big(ish) con I had ever been to.  I went there with occasional site collaborator Matthew Wimer (Doctor Scientist) who had been there about two years ago.   I was very nervous overall and, as I usually do, ended up not talking to very many people and just wandered around in my down time.  I didn’t get a lot of pictures which I feel kind of silly about in hindsight, but those are the breaks.  Maybe next year I’ll do better and be a bit more active overall.  Still, I can use this space to talk about my experiences and the panels/events that we took part of throughout the weekend!  Let’s get started!!

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Lovely Heart Maid Café

So for some reason, Doctor Scientist was pretty insistent that we get to this place at some point, but I wasn’t all that into the idea.  Sure enough, when we did get there it was a pretty awkward experience.  I can understand the appeal of Kawaii stuff in anime and whatnot, but it wasn’t all that comfortable for someone to be hanging around the table making cute faces and acting like a seven year old while in a maid outfit.  Now it seems that all the girls who were working there were REALLY into the roles and were enjoying themselves for the most part (they were technically working as waitresses, so only a certain level of fun can realistically be achieved) and the maid who was working at our table eventually convinced me to pay a dollar to have a picture taken with them.  I had Doctor Scientist take it and of course he screwed it up, but I didn’t feel the need to either insist that the maid take another picture or pay her for another one.

Seriously dude.  Have you EVER used a camera phone before!?  And yes, I’m dressed as Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes.
Seriously dude.  Have you EVER used a camera phone before!?  And yes, I’m dressed as Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes.

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