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While some have rightly criticized this outing as being a rehash of the big story beats from the Frieza saga, Cooler's Revenge is an enjoyable addition to the DBZ universe not because it's reinventing the wheel in terms of story structure (the story structure is very derivative, but this is Dragon Ball, it always has been), but because it is kinetic, entertaining, and distills the appeal of DBZ into a short 50 minute runtime.

I should mention that I am mainly reviewing the english dub version of this movie that was released by Funimation in 2003. 2003 was the year I really got into Dragon ... Ball and this story was one of the reasons why, so I can't be objective in any way regarding this review. But then again, none of us are really objective and there is no way for me to separate my subjective individual experiences. But I found this entertaining and I'll tell you why.

I actually like the rock music included in some of the DBZ movies like Lord Slug, the first Broly movie, and this. I unironically like it, it's energizing and makes the fight scenes more exciting even if it is out of place and distracting in some instances. The bad far outweighs the good. And I like the original Japanese score too, but I don't find it insulting for the rock music to be added in, I think it's cool.

Cooler himself is literally a cooler version of Frieza in the way that older brothers tend to seem cooler than their younger siblings. Through very limited screentime, we learn enough about Cooler to the point that he is distinctly characterized from Frieza. He is more efficient than Frieza. He is more active in his pursuits than Frieza, who delegates to his detriment. He is less vicious towards his henchmen. He is more brutal in the way he fights, and does not toy with his enemies as Frieza does. And yet, he is ruled by insecurity and constantly compares himself to Frieza out of residual fear since Frieza was stronger than him for so long. Cooler is also acting out of a twister sense of the "warrior's code" and feels that he must enact vengeance on Goku out of obligation, even though he has no love for Frieza. Cooler is a cool character, he just is.

Goku's SSJ transformation has immense gravitas. He only resorts to it when he is truly pushed to his limits, and the transformation scene itself is scored very well in both the Japanese version and the English dub, which uses Deftones' song, "Change in the House of Flies" to great effect. Goku's personality is written well, and the way he transitions from his usual kind, goofy self to the avenging angel that is the Super Saiyan is totally badass. When he pushes back the supernova, it's a great moment because Cooler is making SSJ Goku really dig deep, it makes them both look strong. The fight in general is really well done despite being short. Thank god they finally got away from ending every fight with the spirit bomb, they overuse that to hell in these movies.

Piccolo gets a lot of shine in the movie as he shows off his ingenuity and ruthlessness against Cooler's henchmen. He prevails against them as much because of his wits as well as his raw power. This movie demonstrates that aspect of Piccolo's character better than any other instance in the Dragon Ball series, even the original manga.

My only real complaints are that Gohan and Krillin really have nothing to do. Krillin gets the shaft in this movie so badly, he doesn't even get to pick up the beans. Also that dragon, Icarus, it irritates me. I don't know why, it's just so superfluous. Why did they even add Icarus to the filler arcs...I don't get it.

Anyways, this movie is entertaining and if you like Dragon Ball it's worth your time.

The project was unsound from the beginning - even today, making a fully CGI animated film like this costs too much to be profitable and is not particularly convincing as a realistic art style besides. Final Fantasy is an outlandish sci-fi and fantasy video game series - why not make a film like this using traditional animation? Not only would it have looked better, it would have served the narrative better, as this story centers around nature versus technology. Hell, they could have made this movie live-action with the same cast for 140 million dollars and it would probably have made more money and reached ... a wider audience. But then it would not be on MAL to review, I suppose.

Anyways, despite the fact that the film is based on a video game series, this plotline is entirely original, with some trace overarching elements from the franchise included. This is because the Final Fantasy games are all self-contained narratives that take place in their own universes. This plot in particular draws from Princess Mononoke and other traditional Japanese narratives regarding the conflict between Nature and Technology (namely the belief that all life is sacred and equal versus the belief that nature exists to be used by man), misdirected idealism, and religious tenets vaguely drawn from Shintoism. There are also many elements overtly lifted from James Cameron's filmography, namely The Abyss, Aliens, and Titanic. The director of this film is notably a fan of western cinema and desired to create a synthesis of western and Japanese narrative elements here. This makes sense as the Final Fantasy games have a big following in the west and often contain Arthurian constructs such as knights, castles, and western designs of things like dragons and swords. It's a fascinating blend of ingredients.

The chief obstacle is the animation. Even for the time, these models paled in comparison to something like Blue Submarine No. 6 which was airing on Toonami. It makes scenes like the zero gravity make-out scene between the two romantic leads sillier than they would have been otherwise. It's an uphill battle from the start to expect western filmgoers to emotionally connect to these PS2 mannequins. The film often feels in stasis - the character's faces aren't facing, the plot is not moving, and there's very little action. This is more of an epic character drama in the vein of again something from James Cameron. It's really not a kid's film despite being based off of a video game. I personally feel that a few colorful side characters would have helped tremendously, but every character here is dead serious and bland. Also, considering how expensive the project was already, I don't think there was much upside in hiring celebrities like Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, and Ving Rhames for the English dub rather than your usual VAs who would work for dirt cheap around this time. Admittedly these celebrities were not A-listers but there is little reason to seek them when anyone could do this voice acting. They needed to save money where they could since they were bleeding cash on the animation. I suppose companies like Pixar and Dreamworks hire celebrities for their animated features, but they have the backing of financially strong western film studios while this project was on the outs from the beginning. After all, it's not like video game movies have ever been particularly profitable. There are a few exceptions such as Mortal Kombat and the first few Pokemon movies, but those never cost anywhere near 140 million.

Anyways, this film is not horrible per se, but this is a very weak 5 bordering on a 4. There are some good ideas strictly with regards to the story - nearly everything else is ill-conceived. The execution is fine but the ideas were not great. It's an interesting experiment and a noble failure, but not something anyone needs to see, even FF fans.

A series that has retained some popularity past its heyday, Black Cat is essentially a kiddie version of Cowboy Bebop with more traditional anime elements incorporated into the work as opposed to Bebop's more avant-garde (by the standards of the industry) western style. This is no surprise, as most anime/manga tend to be fairly derivative of the industry's titans. There are certainly worse examples to riff off than Bebop, and it's an interesting choice since Bebop was a flop in Japan. Black Cat is nowhere near as interesting, nuanced, or artistic as that series, but there is fun to be had here and what cliches ... do exist are well-executed.

The anachronistic setting is split into three factions, rather like Outlaw Star now that I think of it. There is Chronos, which is a secret society of assassins who have some sort of ill-defined influence over the world's governments. Their members are all badass fighters with various supernatural weapons, much like Organization 13 from KH. Two such members were the main character Train Heartnet along with the main villain of the piece, Creed Diskenth. The first seven or so episodes explain the backstory of how these two characters leave Chronos and join the other two factions in the setting.

Train decides to become a freelance bounty hunter, known as a Sweeper, after meeting a nice girl who persuades him to leave the life of a cold killer behind. Of course, being a bounty hunter for hire isn't actually that different from being a bounty hunter for Chronos, but I suppose Train now has the ability to choose which jobs he is willing to take. Indeed, there is nothing morally challenging about the story in any respect - the Sweepers are essentially no different than the ninjas in Naruto or the mages in Fairy Tail. They are unambiguous heroes. Train forms a squad with comic relief/everyman Sven Vollfied, deadpan loli stereotype Eve, and femme fatale Rinslet Walker. I quite liked Rinslet, was ok with Sven, and rolled my eyes at Eve, who is probably the most cliched character of the bunch. Interestingly, Train himself goes from being an edgelord to an upbeat shonen protagonist over the course of the series, though he is still haunted by his dark past. I imagine much of Train's popularity comes from surface-level appreciation of his character design, but he's actually a fairly rounded character who has some depth to him. It's worht noting the main characters match up 1:1 with Cowboy Bebop's main cast. Train=Spike, Sven=Jet, Rinslet=Faye, Eve=a less fun version of Ed, and Creed=Vicious.

Speaking of Creed, he is an utterly psychopathic villain who is also a yandere for Train. He's never explicitly stated to be gay, but we all know. He creates the third faction of the series, the Apostles of the Star. Despite the cool name, the group's motivations are ill-conceived beyond taking over the world. It's never really explained why Creed despises Chronos so much, or how he would do things differently than them. Indeed, beyond his singular desire for Train he's a flat character. Ultimately, he's a flash in the pan villain who has style but no substance.

The series has very good animation and sound across the board, which helps to differentiate the extensive cast of secondary characters. They all only get scraps of screentime, but I was impressed by the sheer volume of different designs and powers. It helped the world feel vivid and populated. For a shonen series, many female characters got significant focus and were strong fighters as well. Wasn't a sausage fest at all despite the yaoi overtones between Train and Creed. The fight scenes were usually quite fluid and the colors really popped. In addition, the opening song is fantastic. I think the technical aspects of the show kept me endeared even when the actual plot got dangerously thin.

In total, I think everyone should watch Cowboy Bebop instead, but I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the series. The manga the anime is based off of is finished, allowing for a complete story. You don't always get that in anime. Although this show doesn't tell the full story of the manga, the impressive technical qualities displayed helped boost my score to a very weak 7 bordering on a 6.

The key takeaway about this series is that is essentially a very traditional heroic epic in which the battles are fought not with sword or lance, but through trading cards. This caveat is enough to ensure that some people will never give this series a chance, but for those who can, they will find a quintessential shonen series that succeeds at its mission of telling the hero's journey in a unique way.

Yugi is the hero of the story, and he is blessed by the gods (or destiny, fate, the universe, the heart of the cards, whatever term you prefer) for exhibiting the virtues of friendship, ... trust, loyalty, etc. Hence, the gods grant him providence by giving him the cards he needs to defeat his enemies and achieve his goal - helping the soul of the ancient Egyptian spirit in his Millennium Puzzle find his true identity, and eventually rest in the afterlife. Yugi and the Pharaoh both represent traditional heroic archetypes. Yugi represents the boy who grows into a man as he journey progresses, becoming braver and more assertive until at the journey's end he is finally ready to stand on his own as an adult. The Pharaoh on the other hand is more in the style of an ancient hero like Aeneas or Perseus - he is a master of war who exemplifies the virtues that Yugi is striving for. The Pharaoh is sort of a father or older brother figure who Yugi must surpass by the story's end despite the love they have for each other.

The other two main characters are Seto Kaiba and Katsuya Jonouchi/Joey Wheeler in the dub. Kaiba is the archetypal shonen rival, and besides Vegeta may be one of the defining ones in the genre. Although Kaiba has numerous connections to the gods/magic/Ancient Egypt due to his lineage, he consciously rejects them in favor of technology and futurism. He presents a compelling foil to Yugi, who is seeking truth from understanding the past. In contrast, Kaiba wants to destroy his own past and leave a lasting legacy for many reasons. Of course, he is extremely arrogant and wants to leave his mark on the world, but simultaneously Kaiba is also philanthropic and generous to children, wanting them to grow up in a better world. It is worth noting that Kaiba is the one who develops most of the dueling technology in the series. He also goes on to create Duel Academy, paving the way for the sequel series Yugioh GX, which I already wrote a review on. Essentially, while Yugi acts in accordance with the will of the gods and is rewarded as a result, Kaiba represents the absolute upper limits of the power that can be achieved through earthly means (money, status, power). He's a dope character and the anime staff was wise to give him greater focus in the anime compared to the manga.

Joey, on the other hand, essentially represents the abstraction of Fortune, and is a wild card of sorts. A blue-collar duelist, he truly lacks any magical lineage or favor with the gods, and yet he journeys from a novice to a truly powerful fighter through luck, grit, and the Victorian English quality of pluck. Interestingly, Joey accumulates powerful cards from the rivals he defeats over the course of the story - not because he steals them, but because his opponents have to give them up due to the tournament's ante rules. Gaining cards like Graverobber, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Jinzo, and so on, Joey's growing experience is directly shown by his ever-increasing arsenal.

The villains in the series are your usual anime villains - sad backstories that have led to a tragic, warped worldview. Charisma and arrogance. Cool Dark Superpowers. I would not say the villains are the best part of the series at all, but they serve their key roles well enough and are more memorable than many anime villains. Yami Marik was probably my favorite since the animators broke out some freaky animation and made him as over-the-top nightmarish evil as possible. Episode 140 is wild lol.

The battles in the series are very melodramatic, over-the-top, and replete with rather obvious themes. It's the nerd's counterpoint to the WWE, and if you happen to enjoy pro wrestling, you'll probably enjoy this series and most shonen anime in general actually. Viewers who enjoy the card game and the strategy behind it will definitely get more out of the dueling scenes, although it's worth noting that many people have watched and enjoyed the show without touching the card game. Me personally I played the card game before watching the show, and I enjoy the game more than the show.

One thing to consider is the wildly long episode count. About a third of the series is filler, probably closer to 40%. Regardless, the series is very slow-paced and there a few duels that last five, six episodes. You'll know in the first few episodes if this works for you. Also, I would say that the Orichalcos filler arc, which lasts from like episode 145 to 180 is one of the better filler arcs I've seen in anime. It's quite good compared to how horrible some of the Naruto or One Piece fillers can be at times. If you watch one filler arc, that's the one to see.

Overall, this show is dogged unfairly for two reasons - the core concept of battling with cards (because battling with ki blasts or elemental powers is for serious adults and battling with cards is way different, apparently), and the kiddy dub done by 4Kids. This series is definitely better in Japanese, but if they ever did an uncut english re-dub that would be dope. If you look at the meat of the story, it's a well-done traditional hero's epic. Yugioh GX on the other hand is a deconstructionist narrative, so the two shows are quite different and pair well. I will say that this is a pretty weak 8, bordering on a strong 7. But believe it or not, this show is pretty good and I would recommend it.

A perennially underrated gem, S-Cry-Ed will forever have life as a case study of what the late 90's/early 2000's vibe was like. Despite being marketed as a classically cheesy, over-the-top MANLY action series, this show not only succeeds on that front, but does so while including surprisingly nuanced characterization, brisk pacing, and a few daring creative choices that probably went on to inspire other series in big ways.

The setting is twenty or so years after the apocalypse, where a cataclysmic event breaks off a piece of Japan, the newly formed island becoming known as the "Lost Ground". The island becomes a lawless slum in ... the style of something like the Satelite from Yugioh 5D's or District 12 from The Hunger Games, both of which came after this by the way. Meanwhile, the mainland lives in prosperity with futuristic tech aplenty, the special forces unit HOLY on a mission to subjugate the lost ground and assimilate the people there into their society. Furthermore, the cataclysm triggered superpower mutations in a select percentage of the population known as "Alter" powers. This part sounds derivative, but in fact these Alter powers are uniquely and creative in implementation and execution. Rather than using generic elemental powers or ki blasts, the Alter powers include stuff like rewriting reality into a screenplay of the user's own creation (which can be broken by someone of sufficient will), throwing giant watermelons at the enemy, or being able to turn regular cars into hot pink turbo chargers. Sadly, the fights are not overly complex in terms of choreography, but the ideas are certainly memorable.

Fundamentally, the story is about the rivalry between the two main characters, Kazuma and Ryuho, as well as the stories of the people close to them. Interestingly, the conflict between the two is not precisely good vs evil as much as it lawful vs chaotic. Kazuma is the protagonist and undeniably heroic, but he can also be quite dickish at times and is overly impetuous, unfocused, and downright dumb at times. I wouldn't have it any other way - he is an enjoyable character and feels human. Likewise, Ryuho is quite dickish at times but is not ever really that evil. Even at his worst he never goes outside the bounds of his duty as a member of HOLY, and is often honorable, principled, and noble. The audience dislikes him because he opposes Kazuma, but I always liked both of them. Also notable is that Kazuma and Ryuho never succeed at winning the other over to their belief system, but learn to respect each other anyways, which is something I found refreshing.

Although Kazuma and Ryuho are fairly nuanced, most of the other side characters are fairly one-note in comparison. The most memorable by far is memelord Straight Cougar, with Crispin Freeman hamming it up (of course you are watching this dubbed). Otherwise, I liked Scheris and Kimishima. Mimori was pretty brutal at times, cannot lie.

The story goes to some surprisingly odd and weird places at times, but keeps a very fast pace and tells a complete story in 26 episodes. Unfortunately, the series was never too popular outside of a cult following in the west, but that's not so bad because the story actually has a beginning, middle, and end. Unthinkable these days. Two things to note - Kazuma's shell bullet is very similar to Issei Hyoudou's Sacred Gear from dxd, and the ending of this series echoes the ending of Naruto eerily. You can bet that many high-profile mangaka have S-Cry-Ed on the radar. They know a good story when they see one.

The animation was done by studio Sunrise, who also did Infinite Ryvius and Gundam Seed. Personally I am not a huge fan of their style but outside of my aesthetic preference I thought they did well on the production side of things. There are not that many re-used frames which is notable for a show centered around fighting. I would have personally loved to see how the show would have looked with Studio Gallop at the helm, but that's just me.

Overall, this series is a breath of fresh air in many ways and is one of my favorites. I heartily endorse it as one of those "chill summer weeknight" kinda shows.

Anime adaptations created before the end of their respective manga are quite common, and in many cases the lack of a pre-established ending necessitates an anime-exclusive ending that inspires viewers to read the manga. In some cases, such as Berserk '97, this can work well and the anime can be a respectable work on its own merits. Sadly, this is not quite the case with Hellsing 2001, which obviously does not hold a candle to either the manga or the amazing Hellsing Ultimate OVA's. Maybe it's a bit of a dead horse at this point but eh we're reviewing it anyways.

The story is primarily anime-only ... filler, only covering up to the fight with the Valentine brothers, thank god for Jan. This means theoretically we would have plenty of time for character exploration/interaction. Seras Victoria is firmly the protagonist here, as much time is devoted on her transition into becoming a vampire as well as her interactions with the police force. Alucard is moreso a supporting character who shows up for a couple minutes per episode. Surprisingly, his character is not really prominent, although he still steals the show due to his OPness as well as great voice acting from a fledgling Crispin Freeman. Freeman had a banner year in 2001 as he also voiced the meme-warrior Straight Cougar in SCryEd. Thank god he's here, because the rest of this English Dub cast is pretty bad. The worst of them is by far Seras, who is reliably flat and unemotional the entire run. Due to her aforementioned prominence, this makes certain scenes quite unbearable at times.

Sadly, we are also missing many of Hellsing's great characters, including Pip, Rip Van Winkle, The Major (who is replaced with a bog-standard Naruto filler villain named Incognito - needless to say he's a poor substitute). My boy Alexander Anderson is barely in this thing, and when he is he's made out to be a total bitch, which is not true in Ultimate or the manga. This loose characterization was appalling imo.

Otherwise, the animation was mostly fine for the time period. Action scenes weren't great but there were some still shots with a lot of flair and style to them that I liked. The soundtrack is perhaps the best part of this series, having a unique jazzy, bouncy quality to it that belies the otherwise gothic setting. Sadly, the music doesn't really match up with what's going on in the scene, and often comes as incongruous as a result. So at the end of the day, I can't really recommend anyone revisit this series when much superior alternatives exist. Hellsing Ultimate and the manga are fantastic, but this does not even live up to the level of what was out in 2001. So it with disappointment that I concluded this series.

The latter half of the decade has seen the revival of Dragon Ball in a big way, but since Battle of Gods many of us have been waiting for something from the franchise that brings back the exhilaration and adrenaline we felt watching the series for the first time. That's not to say that Dragon Ball Super has been terrible - the latter half of the series featured some good fights and strong art direction. But I'm surely not alone in thinking that something has been missing - the fights in Super just weren't the same as Goku's battles against Piccolo and Cell, Majin Vegeta ... and Broly. But now, Broly has returned, and it is one of the best pieces of media the franchise has put out in many years.

Much of the film's success can be attributed to its truly inspired and kinetic art style. Unlike the pervasive blockiness that could be felt during the lackluster Resurrection F film, this is some truly fluid, smooth, and stylish fighting. The characters are expressive and alive, and there is movement going on in every frame, it seems. I can't imagine how long it took to work on a project of this scope and ambition. My only complaint is that brief lapse into CG animation during the final fight, but it did have some stylistic purpose, as the characters had literally busted through dimensions, so it is not totally worthy of disdain. As a Berserk fan I have grown to hate CG animation, but I digress.

The reimagining of Broly was a great idea, far better than just bringing back Frieza again. Many faux-intellecuals disliked the old version of Broly for being a Chad meathead with a terrible motivation - his motivation was silly, but I found it amusing how such a piddly catalyst created one of the most fearsome villains in the Dragon Ball franchise. Sure, Broly wasn't as powerful as Buu, but there's something more vicious and gut-wrenching about this mountain of muscle and natural talent just mercilessly fucking up the Z fighters. This time, they have chosen to make Broly sympathetic and a potential ally in the future while still keeping that essential brutality that we love about him. It is mostly successful, although I will say I prefer Broly's old design over the new one. He even has a gf! Good for you Broly.

In the first Broly movie, we got a 5v1 beatdown that ended with a sudden reversal - here we get three pitched battles with Broly facing Vegeta, Goku, and then GOGETA - yes! And we also get Broly beating down Frieza as a little extra treat. All of these fights are high-flying, exciting affairs with interesting choreography - and as an added bonus, Vegeta doesn't come of as a total bitch like he did in the first Broly movie. Seeing Broly's clumsy, yet brutishly strong fighting style escalate and evolve against the masterful combat of the protagonists is neat - many characters from Super had the gimmick of constantly evolving as they fight, but Broly executes the concept best, just because the art style and choreography supports the idea. We are shown, not just told.

The final fight is pure wish fulfillment, and I loved it. Although it was somewhat out of character for Goku and Vegeta to just run away from a fight to fuse (Broly does not seem to push them to break their limits like Jiren did) it was nice to see a fusion in Dragon Ball actually finish a fight for a change, rather than predicatably falling prey to arrogance. It is a factor outside of Gogeta's control that saves Broly, which was a welcome change.

All in all, I really enjoyed this movie, only having some minor gripes with it. These are some of the best fights Dragon Ball has seen in quite some time, and I hope it is a sign of great things to come. Can't wait to see VIC play Broly again in the future, he was far and away the best of the dub VAs in this film. Haha I probably shouldn't have brought that up, but anyways this is a great movie and I recommend it to all DB fans.

Allow me to preface that I am the biggest Dragon Ball fan out there. Since I first followed the series in 1999, Dragon Ball has inspired me in ways subtle and great, from fitness to creativity. Of all the anime series I have seen, none inspires me to be a better version of myself than Dragon Ball, as hyperbolic (lol) as that might sound. That being said, I am now going to argue why this film is one of the worst entries in the franchise, on the same level as the first half of GT and Bio-Broly. I do not enjoy trashing other people's works ... or writing negative reviews, but I was uniquely disappointed by this film.

From the start, the premise is already rote and uninteresting. I suppose on some level it is dramatically ironic to see a villain return from the dead as the heroes have so many times before, but we must keep in mind the timing of this film's release. Dragon Ball Super had not yet aired, and Battle of Gods left us with many fascinating plot threads to explore in the form of the twelve universes, the relationship of the Kaioshin to the Hakaishin, and the past history of the first Super Saiyan God. Instead we get this cynical, financially motivated exploiting of the franchise's most popular villain. Frieza's character arc, as well as his personal conflicts with Goku and Vegeta, were handled fantastically in the Namek saga, and many argue that was the series' finest story arc. We did not need to return to this well-worn ground. And to have the whole film focus on this fight, when we know Frieza will just fail again is really disappointing.

The explanation for Frieza's newfound powers is offensively idiotic. Dragon Ball and DBZ had really solid power scaling and the various foes the Z-Fighters faced escalated in a plausible way. First Goku faces other martial artists, then an army, then lesser demons, then aliens, then cyborgs/androids, then an ancient genie, and now he finds himself sparring with gods. Retreading Frieza breaks the series' themes of constant self-betterment and and escalation. And to have Frieza gain godlike power over four months of training is ridiculous. Furthermore, Golden Frieza is a truly hideous and garish design - perhaps that was the point, but even still it reminds me of a basketball mascot. Go Lakers!

I feel much the same about Super Saiyan Blue, which was a wise revision from the original name of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (SSGSS). Just LOL. But really the form is literally a recolor of the iconic golden-haired Super Saiyan form and nothing else. The fan designs for Super Saiyan 5 are far better than this, undeniably. It is cool to see Goku and Vegeta on the same level of power though. I also liked Goku and Vegeta's new costumes in this movie. Black Saiyan armor suits Vegeta well, and Goku's new gi reminds me of his gi from the end of Z, only orange.

The fights were displeasing. I really wished they stuck with two-dimensional animation, the interplay of 3-D stuff with 2-D made the choreography a bit strange for sure. If you're not sure what I mean, compare the fights in this movie with the battles from the earlier DBZ films like Tree of Might or Dead Zone. This certainly does compare to the franchise's heights. There is no grace or technique to the battles, this is rock-em sock-em robots. I know this could have been done better.

Also, there is a huge problem in the presence of Beerus and Whis. Regardless of your feelings on the two characters, their presence dramatically reduces the tension of this battle to the point of farce. Beerus and Whis are still leagues beyond Goku and Vegeta, and could one-shot Frieza if the whim occurred to them. Imagine if during the first Broly movie two all-powerful bystanders stood around and made jokes about ice cream while the Z-fighters were getting their asses kicked. How absurd.

The ending is a pileup of puzzling decisions. Goku is pierced by a laser gun while he is in Super Saiyan Blue. Goku's destructive capability in this form is many times universal judging by his feats in the fight with Beerus, and we know that ki boosts durability as well as power. The idea that a seasoned fighter like Goku would let his guard down to this degree is almost character assassination. It is hard to imagine liking Goku as a character and also agreeing with this decision, because this makes him look like a true clown, rather than a martial artist. Vegeta is teased with the idea of personally executing the man who personally carried out the genocide of his people and enslaved him for 20 years, and of course he is denied this. Frieza somehow manages to destroy the planet while Vegeta has an energy blast readied at point-blank range, but this is undone with TIME TRAVEL of all things, courtesy of Whis, who is nothing more than a plot device. They go back in time so that Goku can swoop in and steal the kill from Vegeta. Obviously this is not dramatically satisfying at all - Frieza was not defeated by the strength and cunning of Goku and Vegeta, who both look like ridiculous fools in this movie. He was beaten by literal time travel hax. I apologize for summarizing, but putting these plot points in writing can perhaps help communicate my frustration.

In summary, nothing in this film has any consequences and can be skipped. Of course, Frieza returns later on in Dragon Ball Super, and Super Saiyan Blue is used a lot in the future arcs, but this film is not necessary for the viewer to understand those particular points. This entire story is creatively bankrupt and is a blight on the Dragon Ball franchise.

The first Boku no Hero movie perhaps serves as a microcosm for the series as a whole, for good and for ill. It may be a bit rote and clearly standing on the shoulders of giants, but overall the movie and series are enjoyable adventure stories with a strong ensemble cast and high technical quality.

The story is an inverted take on Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo in that the Japanese heroes are traveling to a proxy America, whereas in that film the American heroes were traveling to Japan. It's a good way to expand the universe a bit - I often feel that the mainline ... series is constrained somewhat by the constant tethering to the school setting. It's cool to see these characters in a new environment. At first, it is just Deku and his mentor All Might on the trip, as the purpose is to visit an old friend of All Might's. However, for various paper-thin reasons, all of the UA students we care about end up on the island. This is fine by me, as I enjoy these characters and the narrative is hinged greatly on the ensemble cast's interactions.

Deku gets to meet a new girl this movie by the name of Melissa Shields. The "girl of the movie" is a bit of a cliche in these shonen movies, as I'm sure many of us are aware. The perceived plausibility of a romance is in the eye of the beholder - for example, I enjoyed the relationship between Ichigo and Senna in the first Bleach movie, while others didn't. In this case, I find it somewhat hard to believe that the nervous wreck Izuku could charm the pants off of a confident, highly intelligent scientist's daughter like Melissa. I was much more interested in seeing All Might's past, and the flashback where he and professor Shields meet is one of my favorites in the film. Seeing All Might in his prime is fantastic and I'm glad the movie took advantage of this opportunity, as I'm sure many fans are interested in exactly how strong All Might was at his peak, considering his feats in the present. I also found it interesting how closely All Might in the past resembled Mirio Toogata...I would not bat an eyelash if the two are revealed to have some deeper connection in the story's future.

As for the villain, I did not remember much about him or his motives, like many shonen movie antagonists he is one-note and forgettable. We are more concerned with the battles, and they are very good. Art, sound design, and the sheer energy are spectacular. The animation for Boku no Hero has always been great, but the fights in this movie really have a slick style to them that makes up for the rather thin plot. The side characters have things to do, with Bakugo and Todoroki getting some nice no-holds-barred fights to their names. The final confrontation is similarly a feast for the senses, with a heartwarming (if somewhat pandering) combination attack between All Might and Izuku. It is commendable that even in a self-contained movie the series never forgets the emotional core which is the bond these two characters have.

Overall, I endorse this movie for fans of the series who can't get enough of the characters and the highly polished technical aspects of the anime. There are many cliche elements to the plot but they are executed as well as possible. Far from cashing in on the anime's popularity, this movie celebrates and accentuates that which has caused Boku no Hero to explode over the past few years.

Arguably one of the flagship anime titles airing on Toonami in the West during the early 2000's, it is surprising that Outlaw Star is not talked about much when discussing adventure stories, especially considering it helped pioneer the space western genre in anime alongside its peers Trigun and Cowboy Bebop. Outlaw Star does not seem to be held in as high esteem as the other two, so I approached the series nearly twenty years after its release to judge its merits.

Firstly, I find it odd that MAL lists the series as having 24 episodes, as it actually has 26. Considering how important the final two ... episodes to the overall story, I urge everyone to consider that before starting the series.

The setting is a blend of old western towns, southeast asian slums, and fantastical, pulpy science fiction planetscapes. This future is not shiny and clean, and the various building tops and desert mesas we find the characters in really adds a lot of, well, character to the story. I love the way this world looks lived-in and well-worn. I will try to refrain from making too many comparisons to Trigun and Bebop, but I will say that if you liked those settings, you will like this one.

On paper, the main cast of characters is reminiscent of an RPG or Harem game. Thankfully, the main cast is more fleshed out than I anticipated. The main character Gene Starwind is a remarkably three-dimensional character. Although he puts forth the image of a simple Han Solo export, the moments of quiet contemplation and doubt we are privy to are some of the best moments in the show. He has some real flaws as well, often arrogant, short-tempered, and completely unreasonable to his friends. Far from being a typical harem protagonist, this character was clearly written by a mature hand. The opening narrations at the beginning of each episode add to the underlying melancholy that pervades this series in between the silly episodic plots.

Jim Hawking is a suitable foil to Gene, wise beyond his years and seemingly self-assured with his lot in life. Unlike Gene, who is always searching, Jim is much more practical and rarely seems to experience any flights of fancy. This makes episode 20 all the more poignant, and it is easily the best episode of the series in my opinion, apart from perhaps episode 25.

The other three main characters are not as focused on as Gene and Jim - we don't see their inner worlds as often. Melfina's moments of contemplation, rare though they are, add much needed dimension to the character. Otherwise, she is sadly relegated to the role of McGuffin as the villains persistently chase after her. Aisha is rather annoying at first, but over time I gradually warmed to her and even looked forward to more comedic moments involving her. It's something the viewer has to go with, though. Suzuka was probably the most disappointing of the main characters in my opinion - as I recall, she never really gets a focus episode or significant backstory comparable to the other four. She is given little to do except slash through robotic minions and drink tea, which was highly unsatisfying. She could have made a good foil to Gene with a little extra effort, but as is she felt inconsequential.

I was similarly not so hot on the villains. I did like Ron McDougall. He was threatening, badass, stoic, and had similar powers to Gene, drawing a thematic parallel between them. Harry McDougall was more of a nuisance than a truly worthy foe, although he did do something in the final two episodes that significantly raised him in my esteem. Lord Hazanko and the Anten Seven had ill-defined motivations and characterizations. Hazanko supposedly wants the Galactic Leyline (which is the One Piece of this series - a common goal all of the characters aim for) to take down some emperor somewhere that we never get to meet. Perhaps this is more defined in the manga, which I have not read. It could be interesting if he is only a Raditz-style starter villain and more threatening forces lurk in the shadows. As is I have no feeling on him.

The plot in general is very murky, with the quality of successive episodes being generally uneven. One episode will be an extremely serious confrontation with one of the main antagonists, while the next will be a filler episode about extreme racing. The beginning episodes are very strong, as are the ending episodes, but the middle can be a slog. I like some episodic stories, but it is frustrating to switch between following an ongoing storyline before launching ungracefully into a self-contained episodic story. I wish it was either one or the other. This series does have the distinction of having one of the best hot springs episodes in all of anime, though! It is heavy on both "plot" and actual plot, and it is one of the last episodes in the series as well.

As somewhat of an aside, I really enjoyed the opening song and the second ending song for this show. The opening is an energized 80s rock-inspired track that is very catchy, while both endings are melancholy, slow, peaceful. I like the contrast and I like them musically as well.

All in all, there is a lot of good here for science fiction fans seeking wish fulfillment, and I certainly enjoyed myself. Honestly, there is a little something for everyone here. I would hesitate to call Outlaw Star an all-time classic, but I do wish the series had been picked up for a more streamlined season two. Sadly, this proved highly unpopular in Japan, and I doubt there is not the nostalgia present for a remake. I am interested in reading the manga and will likely do so soon. Check this series out - if you're a 90s archivist like myself you will enjoy the ride.