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Dec 10, 2010
My impression after reading the first chapter:
Wow, just wow... Man that sucked ASS.
I mean seriously, it's the comedy elements from One Piece, which on their own are already tired, forced and over-used, but bearable thanks to Oda's qualities as a writer, but in the hands of some third-rate hack, they are just embarrassing.
Couple that, ergo the least entertaining part of One Piece, with the least interesting character(s) and with the added bonus of a less serious take on them making them nothing but flat, personality devoid clichés summed up by one word each, add in the lack of Oda's superb drawings and replace them
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with something drawn by somebody who barely comprehends the style Oda uses, and what we've got is something of the worst I have ever read.
While the other spin-offs were at least tolerable, this was an atrocity by all accounts.
Reviewer’s Rating: 2
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Sep 2, 2010
Let's get the basics out of the way first; Battle Royale II is as much of a sequel to Battle Royale as Predator 2 is to Predator. Meaning it takes place in the same world and have a similar theme, but that's about it. You won't be seeing any of the characters from the first part, and the story doesn't revolve around the program this time around. Instead, it's a different type of survival game, centered around teams.
Battle Royale II: Blitz Royale is not as horrible as some will lead you to believe.
In fact, it's a fairly good story, and every bit a spiritual successor
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of the original BR manga. They were both written by Koushun Takami, but with a different artist for BRII. Now the art of BRII is severely different from the one found in the first manga, and this apparently ruins the enjoyment for some people.
Most of the people who dislike the art are the typical "Naruto generation" that want their manga to have a certain sterile look and can't read anything that deviates from that formula. Others dislike the art because it's too different from the original manga. That's why you shouldn't go in expecting to read a straight up sequel, because you might find yourself turned-off when you find the art to be hugely different from the original manga. For those of you who aren't bothered by alternative looking manga, this is worth checking out.
Story:
The story of BRII may seem shallow at first glance, since the manga is rather short, but it does not disappoint. It's quite similar to BR but at the same time it's nothing like it. The psychological aspects and themes are there, and fans of the original story will most likely notice the similarities and find them well played out.
Art:
Now the art is what will break or make this manga for many. It's rather cartoony, and this will turn some people off, especially the aforementioned ones. The art might seem terrible at first, but is in fact rather effective as a sharp contrast to the violence and adult themes featured in the story.
If you've read any of Mohiro Kitoh's works, you won't have a problem though (other than the same problem found in Mohiro Kitoh's titles; character designs)
Characters:
Personally, I found the characters to be portrayed much better than the ones found in BR. It's centered around a select few rather then the whole class, for obvious reasons. You won't get to know them on a level as deep as the one in BR. However, the characters are realistic and believable, as compared to the sometimes hilariously unbelievable characters found in the original. As such, not exploring the backgrounds and mental disorders of the entire cast in BRII can be seen as a blessing in disguise, and makes the whole story feel more realistic. To voice some critizism towards the character designs, as previously mentioned, is that they are rather generic, and the only way to tell the characters apart is pretty much by looking at their hair.
Enjoyment:
As far as enjoyment goes, I found this manga to deliver.
There are few chapters, so it benefits from reading in one sitting, and since it's being short it never really loses it's momentum, and you will find yourself wondering what will happen next as the story progresses. It's short but handled well.
Overall:
A good read, albeit a little bit too short.
I for one wouldn't mind it to have been a little bit longer and the main characters could benefit from being explored a little deeper.
Still, it's a good short read that isn't for everybody, but nevertheless worth checking out.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jul 2, 2010
Stan Lee is great. Sadly, Heroman is far from great, it's not even mediocre.
It's the perfect example of what happens when somebody who watched a couple of shows during the 70s and then, 40 years later, decided to try and make a show. The influence from Gigantor is tragically obvious, mixed with some Marvel shenaningans, and you've got something which is close to unbearable.
Story - 3:
It can be described in one word; yawn.
Evil cliché aliens from what could be the C roster of Marvel, invade earth and start fucking up shit because they want to drain the earth of it's natural resources (of course), and
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it's up to our unlikable hero and his uncharismatic robot to save the day, which they of course do with record speed, leaving the viewer with an even more uninteresting sub-plot, which instead becomes the main plot.
Art - 7:
This is where the show shines, Bones rarely disappoints, and such is the case here as well. The animations are fluid, the ether sparks and the fighting scenes, albeit completely uninspired, are visually appealing.
Sound - 5
No real complaints here either, the effects are fitting for the scenes.
The voice actors, aren't terrible with the exception of the main character, who manages to sound even more effeminate than the female lead. When I first heard him, I though it was a joke to be honest. I knew he was a boy, but his voice was absolutely ridiculous. Add him screaming HEROMAN at least five times during every episode, and you've got the recipe for something that will annoy most viewers to no end.
Character - 1:
Ah yes, and thus, we reach the core of the problem; a cast of the most unappealing characters ever produced. Can you spell cliché?
The hero is a young, effeminate boy obsessed with doing the right thing and upholding morals, the typical shonen lead in other words, but without any charm or personality.
We also have the cool and tough best friend character, the bossy/bitchy girlfriend who desperately wants to be tsundere except the writer doesn't understand the tsundere character, the good, scattered-brain mad scientist as well as the evil, elitist mad scientist and the obnoxious bad-guy-jock who isn't really evil and his truly evil as well as fat sidekick.Because you know, fat and rich equals evil.
The characters is a complete abortion, and make the show close to unwatchable.
Enjoyment - 4:
Even though the story is boring and the characters are horrible, the show manages to be somewhat entertaining, much thanks to the visual eye-candy present. It's the kind of show where you can turn off your brain and enjoy the action present. If I was five years old, retarded and this was on during Saturday mornings, I would watch the shit out of it. Sadly, if you're not five year old, retarded and watching this on Cartoon Network a saturday morning, there isn't much for you.
Overall - 4:
This show isn't good, at all.
I don't think anybody with half a brain could enjoy this any other way than ironically. The animation saves this from a lower grade, still it gets a 4, because it's [b]bad[/b] no matter how you try to twist it around, since there is no substance; the action, story and characters suck.
Watch this as an example of what happens when somebody who watched a few episodes of Gigantor back in the 60s decides to write a script for an anime that could fit into the Marvel/DC comics universe, as one of it's most generic and uninspired titles.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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May 7, 2009
Blazer Drive is the definition of mediocre.
There is absolutely nothing in this manga that stands out in any way at all.
Everything from the story, to the setting and to the dreadful characters gives of a distinct impression of "meh".
It's all been done before, we have the stupid, talentless loser hero, who in fact has the greatest latent potential of all, we have the cute girl who befriends the hero comes along on his trip, we have the "cool" big brother character, the perverted sensei as well as the eternal rival who of course, eventually will switch sides and become an ally.
The author, Seishi Kishimoto (Brother
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of the famed Masashi "Naruto" Kishimoto), previously wrote 666 Satan (O-Parts Hunter in the US), although anybody who has read it will get the distinct feel that Seishi got tired of it during it's run, and rushed to complete it so he could move on to his next project, Blazer Drive, wich is pretty much a dumb, soulless and above all; unnecessary copy of Naruto wich doesn't bring anything new to the table.
What's even worse is, that if you've read 666 Satan, you will be annoyed over how talentless Seishi is at charcter design, he frequently re-uses characters and personalities from his previous work in his new story.
Not only that, but Blazer Drive gives off the exact same vibe as 666 Satan of being extremly rushed. Everything moves forward at an alarming rate, with training progress as well as the defeating of enemies.
It's as if Seishi already has grown tired of his new creation, wich leads to a shallow feel of the story and the characters.
But sure, if you can't get enough of shounen manga, and you don't mind boring characters and a bleak story, then this is for you.
To the rest of you; Stay far away.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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