i-Rix ANIME Review: Fist of the North Star (Episodes 1-22)

This review was posted ages ago on AnimeVice.com (HERE). If you've read that by now, chances are you are already dead...

I am, as one might say, a newcomer to this wild world of anime. A novice. A dumbass, if you will. However, I am more and more dipping my toes into the tumultuous waters and liking what I've found. By far, my most favorite series thus far is the 1980s classic Hokuto No Ken, or Fist of the North Star as its known here in Amurricuh (but of course you knew that). I've resolved to finish the entire series, which is sure to be a hefty challenge as not only are the main series and its follow-up incredibly long, but there are a number of movies and spin-offs out there as well.

So I've decided, as something of a marker of progress, to review the individual "sagas" or segments of this thing as I go along. It has been quite a while since I actually finished Part I, or what I'll refer to as the "Shin saga", but now I feel genuinely ready to comment on it. So, without further ado, here are my personal (and relatively uninformed) thoughts on Fist of the North Star episodes 1-22.

I'll Take Back My Love

For those unfamiliar (which I'm doubting you personally aren't), Fist of the North Star is the story of a post-apocalyptic present where, you guessed it, the Cold War actually did erupt into nuclear warfare which engulfed the world and left mankind on the brink of destruction. Resilient beings we are, however, mankind survives and attempts to retain some form of order in this chaotic and deserted landscape. Unfortunately, the strong, ruthless, and manipulative reign supreme while the just and gentle left to be ground underneath their studded boot-heels. It's a grim future, to be sure, but there is hope. A man named Kenshiro appears in the wastelands on a quest for revenge armed with the deadly assassination techniques of "hokuto shinken"

And Ken doesn't take too kindly to injustice. It also doesn't hurt that Ken's nemesis is the current big cheese of this hellish landscape, Shin, who was a fellow student and close friend of Kenshiro's until his obsession with Kenshiro's girlfriend, Yuria, drove him insane. Now, with the aid of two small children, Bat and Lin, Kenshiro takes off towards Shin's palace in the oasis of Southern Cross, righting wrongs on his way to reclaim his lost love and punish the man who took her.

From the instant this series starts, with its awesome theme song by Crystal King, the thing I can never shake is the presence this show puts forward. It's both flashy and macho during its fight scenes, but also starkly dark, depressing, and brutal elsewhere. Ok, fine, this show is brutal almost all the time, but when Kenshiro isn't punching people and making them explode, it's actually pretty gritty and realistic stuff. The gangs and savages that populate this sad world in these episodes seem to comment just as much on the nature of human cruelty as they do about the dangers of organized religious sects or the evils of a selfish monarchy. I might be reading too much into it, but I can't help but feel like Fist of the North Star is trying to make some sort of comment on the state of society as a whole. That's something I certainly didn't expect, but it really helps flesh out a series that is relatively simple at its core.

Character at Century's End

And at its core are the characters. Throughout these first 22 episodes, there's only about 5 major characters to follow. There are certain henchmen with personalities as well as a few auxiliary characters, but overall these represent archetypes or adversaries to flesh out the world. The story instead focuses mainly on Kenshiro and his kid side-kicks. Kenshiro himself is the strong silent type, but he is genuinely kind and always does the right thing. Hell, if he wasn't constantly exploding people, he'd be almost boring, but it's that juxtaposition that makes him such an interesting character. His voice actor rarely raises his voice above a light murmur until he starts screeching and letting fly with his deadly hokuto shinken. By his side are his constant kid companions, Bat and Lin. Lin is the typical innocent young girl and Bat is the typical comic relief, but both are charming enough characters in their own right. I hesitate to name Kenshiro's girlfriend Yuria as a main character, but she is seen in these episodes quite a lot. She's kind-hearted and rarely happy, but she also does have some pretty touching interaction with a young girl during the back half of the Shin saga.

Lastly, the character I actually find to be the most interesting is actually the villain, Shin. It's made known early that Shin is a bad dude, able to best Kenshiro in combat with his own assassination style, nanto seiken, and ruthless enough to use it for his own means. There certainly is a level of the foppish, cackling baddie in Shin, especially during the first half of the "Shin Saga", but as the audience sees more of him, you start to feel like there's a lot more to him. He's actually rather sympathetic; a man whose ambitious desire to win the heart of a woman who doesn't love him has lead him to do terrible things. He's taken lives, he's betrayed his best friend, and all for the heart of a woman. By the end of the "Shin Saga", I had actually felt genuinely connected to the bad guy, something I rarely find in any medium.

Ugly Future

Is there anything negative about Fist of the North Star? Of course! This is a review, right? The animation in the opening, much like many animated series, is far better than that actually found in the episodes. Don't get me wrong, the action sequences look great, characters are well-detailed and varied, and the gruesome displays are very brutal, but there are also a lot of flaws. The amount of re-used "stock" animations is a tad ridiculous. It makes it easier to forgive when the aftermath is often so varied, exploded heads, fingers, and torsos flying everywhere, but I couldn't help but feel after seeing Ken's shirt rip off for the 22nd time that they could've maybe... animated another sequence for that. Also, despite the under-lying depth of the story itself, the dialog ain't great. Lines like "You don't even know. You are already dead." are great, but often times the plot points and actions are outwardly stated. "Subtle" is not a word to describe the script in Fist of the North Star, but perhaps that's the point.

You are Already Reviewed

Whatever the point of the series, MY point is that Fist of the North Star is great. More-over, it's great for those unfamiliar with the trappings of traditional anime. The gritty and dark story-line is both deep and grounded, and it seems more rooted in Western sensibilities. Is that a good thing? That's arguable, but Fist of the North Star is frankly just a really brutally fun show with some really iconic imagery that goes along with it. Whatever you get out of the series, you should at the very least be able to get into the torso-exploding action within.

I'd give the first 22 episodes of Fist of the North Star 4.5 stars out of 5.

HO KOGAN: WWE All-Stars Demo Impressions

The wrestling game genre is a tough one to decide what direction should be taken. Years and years and game after game has produced excellent games and series that are still playable today, but also several iterations of unbearably stale drivel. With only one wrestling promotion consistently putting out games nowadays, the latter has definitely outnumbered the former.

But out of the nothingness springs WWE All-Stars, coming out just a few scant days from now. With it, my greatest hopes for the future of wrestling games lie. Indeed, I find it puzzling the way much of the Smackdown! vs. RAW series has attempted to make a wrestling game a "simulation", when making a wrestling game a simulation should deal with much more showmanship, taking of bumps, and possibly even long rants about being "the cream" and "Yavapi Indian straps".

No, give me the arcadey, semi-deep fighting mechanics that WWE All-Stars is using as its main selling points over another bland SVR any day. At least that's the theory that I put to the test as I fired up the demo of WWE All-Stars. How does it hold up after a few matches in the squared circle?

All-Stars is focused around competitive one on one contests between jacked up versions of WWE superstars both old and new. Each character falls into four basic classes with their own variations used to differentiate themselves from the rest of the roster. Two attack buttons and two grapple buttons are used to create some truly innovative combos akin to that of a fighting game like Tekken or Mortal Kombat. Dealing punishment and reversing attacks builds one of two meters that power your character's signature and finishing moves that, when set up properly, eventually lead you to a pinfall or KO (which seem the two ways to win a basic match).

The demo itself only has one of the modes and match types on display, and two characters to choose from. After picking 1 vs. 1, you're taken to a character select screen where you can choose between the powerful brawler, The Ultimate Warrior, or the agile high-flyer, Rey Mysterio.

While having these two be the match-up for the demo might seem random from a conventional standpoint, it makes perfect sense in context of the game. Rey Mysterio shows off the potential of the high flyer class in the game, with the ability to bounce all over the ring and launch grapple attacks from half a mile away. He plays fast, with weaker strikes being made up for with an unpredictability. On the other end is the Warrior, who plays much more deliberately. With a little experimentation, his basic punches can be chained into some pretty impressive juggles into grapples.

And its this kind of discussion that really drew me to All-Stars. It's a game that combines the wrestling experimentation of games like No Mercy with the competitive drive to WANT that experimentation. Want to pound your enemy into the mat, bounce him up into a powerbomb and juggle into a DDT? You sure as hell can do it if you set it up properly, but the fighting game competitor in you is going to want to look for situations where it's SMART to set that up. It's this stuff that makes me excited to see if All-Stars is actually balanced enough to catch on in the community. Although I question the seemingly randomness of things like the counter system, and think that signature moves and the like do just a BIT too much damage for being fairly difficult to avoid, it doesn't diminish the fun when you're rolling over your opponent using the game's unique systems.

And that's the fine line that All-Stars has a chance to walk. Fans who want that level of pick-up and play from the N64 days can dig this game, but there's an extra level of depth that the fighting crowd can get into as well. Whether it's fully embraced by either will be determined by the quality of the final game, but after experiencing the demo, my hopes are higher than ever.

And hell, even if it ends up sucking, at least I can beat the shit out of Jack Swagger with Randy Savage.

Questionable Review: Rango

Animated motion pictures are in something of a renaissance nowadays. Whether it's the (mostly) sublime story-telling of Pixar, the refreshingly slapstick approach of something like Despicable Me, or even the hit and miss stylings of DreamWorks animation, there has been genuine quality released in recent years. Onto that crowded scene saunters Rango, a film whose visual flare and sometimes bizarre style makes it stick out like a sore thumb, much like its titular, city-slicking protagonist. Is that a good thing?

SO WHAT'S THIS MOVIE ABOUT?
Rango is, shall we say, the ballad of a wayward lizard's journey into the wild west. Rango (Johnny Depp) is a domesticated chameleon living a solitary life with a wind-up toy fish, a decapitated Barbie torso, and a plastic palm tree. Rango lives to perform until one day, he is hurled (literally) into the unforgiving Nevada desert. Forced to survive, he comes upon the delapidated wild west town of Dirt, where he uses his acting chops to convince the locals he is a wild west legend. Unfortunately, a legend is just what the town needs to solve their water shortage and to protect them from the terrifying Rattlesnake Jake (Bill Nighy). With the aid of the townsfolk, including the lovely lizard, Beans (Isla Fischer), Rango uncovers a dastardly plot to sabotage the town, and even goes on something of a journey of self-discovery.

SO WHAT'S GREAT ABOUT THIS MOVIE?
The most obvious feature of Rango is its visual style. Follow me when I say this is definitely one of the most beautiful, yet ugly animated films I've seen. All the settings and characters are rendered in immaculate detail, yet many of the characters themselves are often rough and deformed visages of the fairly cute animals they're based off of. It just goes along perfectly with the reverence for and use of iconic western imagery that the film uses, often distorting it in bizarre ways to fit the film's strange sense of humor.

Speaking of which, I've not even mentioned the voice-acting performances yet, which prove superb across the board. In particular, Depp and Fischer work great together as the burgeoning awkward romance of Rango and Beans unfolds. You get the sense the two really played well off one another during the recordings, and it makes it fun for the audience to watch. The film definitely has a bizarre sense of what is funny, mixing child-friendly slapstick with dry adult wit, absurdist humor, and many references that only film buffs will pick up. Somehow, instead of feeling disjointed, it plays out in the film like a beautiful symphony of entertaining comedy.

SO WHAT SUCKS ABOUT THIS MOVIE?
For all its merits, much of Rango's actual plot is fairly predictable. When you strip away much of its character, it is just the typical "fish out of water" story that's been told a million times. Though that doesn't necessarily diminish one's enjoyment of the film, it does stand to say that a few too many of the film's final twists and turns can be seen coming fairly early. Also, although his few appearances are very tension-filled and he does his job as a villain, I feel the character of Rattlesnake Jake was a tad underutilized. It's a shame, too, because Billy Nighy is on his game voicing him. Lastly, it should just be noted that, although kids can probably really like this film, it may not really resonate with a younger audience as a whole.

ANYTHING ELSE?
I actually applaud both Gore Verbinski and Nickelodeon Films for going outside the box with this one. Now, just don't get carried away and make a string of sequels, please.

SO WHAT'S THE FINAL VERDICT?
Rango is a sheer delight. It's a bizarre, heart-felt, and just plain fun to watch film. It may not have the resonant message of something that Pixar may spit out, but that's alright. Rango does its own thing, and that thing is never not enjoyable. No matter what your age, don't hesitate to go see it.

Questionable Review: Hall Pass

My current paralyzing stress about school has effectively stalled out any desires I have for writing for pleasure. Boy, could I sure use a HALL PASS from school right about now!

And with that incredibly weak transition, I shall talk about Hall Pass, a movie that really doesn't deserve better. I really do have a love/hate relationship with the Farrelly Brothers, and while I absolutely love earlier works of their's like Dumb and Dumber and Kingpin, and can appreciate a film like There's Something About Mary, I can't shake the feeling they often grasp at straws with jokes that play to the lowest of low-brow comedy. This isn't inherently a bad thing, but I feel like there are ways to do this without it feeling cheap. Does Hall Pass manage to walk the line?

SO WHAT'S THIS MOVIE ABOUT?
Middle-aged douchebags Rick and Fred (Owen Wilson and Jason Sudeikis) find themselves less than satisfied with their current situation as married men. Their wives (Jenna Fischer and Christina Applegate) in turn, sick of their lax and often embarrassing behavior, get the bright idea to give the boys a "hall pass"; a week off from marriage that will let the guys indulge in all their carnal appetites and return to their women newly refreshed. While this is at first seen as a great idea and a last hurrah that the men had been wishing for, it becomes painfully obvious that the guys' memories of their glory days have been greatly romanticized. Antics ensue as the boys try to survive a week living the single life.

SO WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT THIS MOVIE?
This film's humor works best when you focus on the basic concept of "two doofy middle-aged guys fail at picking up women" and strip away all other aspects. As such, the middle third of this movie, that has Rick and Fred and their motley crew of buddies searching for "tail" in the least appropriate places is by far the best. This is partly due to the fact that this gang, especially Stephen Merchant as Gary, make for far interesting characters than our main two. A particular scene on a golf course is actually much funnier than it has any right to be, and is pretty much the highlight of the troop's misadventures.

SO WHAT SUCKS ABOUT THIS MOVIE?
Unfortunately, there just wasn't much else I cared for about Hall Pass. Wilson and Sudeikis do a fine job, but while one is likable yet boring, the other is somewhat entertaining, but too often just flat out annoying. It doesn't help that many of the revelations, plot twists, and indeed plot itself feel just too superfluous. There are characters that show up and are interesting, but ultimately disappear from the film (see above), while the mainstays are often either dull or just dumb. The comedy is crass to the point of being eye-rolling, and ultimately the early premise, while promising, doesn't have steam to continue through the movie's run-time.

ANYTHING ELSE?
R-O-C-K in the USA.

SO WHAT'S THE FINAL VERDICT?
Hall Pass is a fine film for those seeking "da raunch". The comedy is fine, if you're not easily offensive, and it's possible to enjoy watching it, but overall it just doesn't have an honest heart behind any of it. With the concept of the film being what it is, perhaps that was too much to expect, but the movie still fails to play to many of its strengths, going with things that don't work consistently. You can take a pass on Hall Pass.

You Damn Blight: Dragon Age II Demo Impressions

Being EXCLUSIVELY a console and handheld gamer since I was but a wee lad, I'm just a novice when it comes to the idea of a strategic, real-time RPG. If you were to mention Baldur's Gate to me, I'd automatically assume you were talking about Dark Alliance, the top down hack and slasher (if that gives you any sort of perspective). As such, when Bioware brought the much lauded Dragon Age to consoles and I actually played, I experienced conflicting emotions as I trudged through a playthrough. Although I really loved the world Bioware had created, loved the character depth and interaction, and the myriad options for building a Darkspawn slaying crew, I continually got the sneaking suspicion that this game was not made for me.

But not only did I feel it was not made for me, but I felt as if it was not made for console gamers as a whole.

So when I heard Dragon Age II was going to take a more action-oriented, more console friendly approach, I was one of the few who was way more excited for the game because of it. If Bioware wanted to make the game more like Mass Effect, more power to them. Luckily, Bioware ALSO had the good sense to release a demo to show just how all that actionin' up and refinin' was supposed to work. And ya know what? It's good.

From a combat standpoint, the game just feels a lot crisper. Instead of pointing in the direction of a baddie, and hitting A to engage in a disconnected battle of attrition, now every push of the A button executes an attack. This works in the console's favor in two ways; by making combat much more engaging, and avoiding the "trapped" feeling one would almost always feel like whilst in combat. With this combat system, you can freely flank, retreat, and crowd control because you can easily engage multiple targets.

I played as a mage during the demo, and after taking control of my front line fighters and directing them to intercept and stop the approaching hordes, I easily stood back and blasted away at them from a safe distance. Never did I feel like I couldn't get away, or that I was locked into combat with a specific target whilst my help was needed elsewhere. This may mean that the game is a tad more forgiving, but I certainly felt that strategy was needed in many of the tougher battles. It's just now much more accessible to a console gamer like me.

The other major improvement is the game's graphical style. Notice I didn't say graphics as a whole, because this honestly doesn't look much better than Origins. Now, however, conversations and cutscenes have a much less stiff take to them, and are far more interesting to watch unfold. It also doesn't hurt that faces look much better and animate in a more realistic fashion. Still, textures don't look all that great, and in my opinion, the redesigns for the Darkspawn character models actually look WORSE, but as a whole, this new art style is definitely working in the game's favor (at least on consoles).

My final thoughts from this demo is simply this; Dragon Age II has improved that which I disliked about the first one, and seemingly maintained that which worked. Only the final product will truly tell, but I'm in full support of the changes going on here. Some may scoff that the game is being "dumbed down", or that they're trying to draw in a larger audience by emulating Bioware's other major franchise. I can't attest to that one way or another. What I CAN say is that the game still fundamentally feels like Dragon Age... just funner. At the end of the day, that's really all I ever asked for.

I'm Champion Hawke, and this is my favorite shoppe in Lothering...