Recap: Roaring Muscles

Dedicated to the memory of Tatsuya Nomi

1969-2017

So, Thor Ragnarok was really awesome. While the previous Thor films and Marvel Studios works as a whole have often varied in quality; I’ve found something to enjoy in almost all of them. This film was no exception, as it was easily the best of the Thor trilogy and another great film for Phase 3. I honestly can’t wait for the Infinity War with this in mind.

I also enjoyed Justice League more than I thought. I know DC has had a few bumps in the road with the DCEU, but I found it to be a solid film overall even if it’s not on the same order of magnitude as the MCU or my favorite film, The Dark Knight.

Now that I have that out of the way, I can finally do my favorite episode of My Hero Academia. I mentioned in my Next Top 13 Anime I will Never recap that I could never really get into One-Punch Man; and I actually found this anime to be what I wanted that one to be. As I start the second season and get ready for a third next year, let’s open up my favorite episode of the first season: “Roaring Muscles.” 

After a brief “previously-on” clip of the last episode, we get our theme song; a very upbeat number called “The Day Has Come,” done by the rather unfortunately-named band Porno Graffiti. I will post of a link of it so you all can have a listen. 

It turns out that All Might, the idol of a young Izuku “Deku” Midoriya, is willing to bestow his unique superpower, or “Quirk” for his actions over the course of previous episodes. The Quirk is known as “All For One,” which can be passed down over generations to those that are worthy. Since All Might has been injured from his previous years of crimefighting (and an attack by an enemy that left him unable to use it for extended periods), he deems Deku worthy. Even though he was born without a “Quirk,” his heart is idealistic, noble and pure; and his mind clever and crafty. This can be expressed by how in the last episode, he ran into the path of a rampaging monster as everyone else stayed behind. Kind of like that part in Batman V Superman where Bruce ran into the rubble of the Battle of Metropolis as everyone else was running away. Even people who didn’t like the movie seemed to enjoy that scene.

In order to do this, however, he must train his body under All Might at a beach called, I’m not kidding: Dagoba. Well, All Might does make every bit as effective, eccentric and wise a teacher as Yoda.

Ready are you? What you know of ready?

I gotta say, the artwork is one of my favorite parts of this series. Much like the manga (which I have read quite extensively), it combines an obstinately Japanese shonen style with an obstinately American comic book style. I may not be the biggest reader of the latter (especially after the market tanked in 1996), but the stories I do like really impress me. In particular, Deku portrays the same kind of insecurities that I can identify with from the likes of Clark Kent and Peter Parker. He appeals to me for similar reasons to my other favorite protagonists, as well as a very different one: his flaws make him sympathetic as a character, and even though he wasn’t born with a “Quirk” like many others in this show’s “verse,” he has the same emotional wavelength I do; and sees the world around him as a wonderful place even in its current state. He sees an obstacle: he starts trying to overcome it. Even though many billed this series as “the next Naruto” (with Kishimoto even approving of it), that is actually selling it short for how wonderful it is.

So, the episode, in addition to Izuku training to attend the titular school; revolves around him training under All Might to help his body adapt to the Quirk he shall receive. In many ways, me finding this anime what I wanted One-Punch Man to me is due to this it being the polar opposite of it in most respects. Whereas that series is about a person becoming bored with his superpowers and the world not seeing him as legitimate because of how common superheroes are, this one is about someone who wants to join that world and sees the best in it even though others often look down on him.

All Might then tasks Izuku with cleaning the whole beach park before he takes his entrance exam; and that will help his body adapt to the All for One without totally shattering it. The rest of this season will deal with how he adapts to that power; which is something that I really enjoy. Since it gets more serialized from here on, I chose this episode as my favorite of season 1; since it’s the one that officially got me into the series.

Also, not even going to touch All Might’s 10-month “American Dream” plan. I have jokes for it, but they’re too obvious.

So, with 10 months before the UA entrance exam; Izuku’s training begins to take shape. I know I use this music cue a lot, but it still fits nonetheless. 

We also have Izuku’s rival and rather volatile friend, Katsuki “Kacchan” Bakugo; who has an attitude as fiery and explosive as his “Quirk.” I am not sure how his arc will go over the future of the series (whatever it might be), but becoming a villain later on down the line would not be out of the realm of possibility in my eyes. It could be like what Mr. Glass said in my favorite Shymalan film, “Unbreakable.”

"In a comic, you how you can tell who the archvillain's going to be? He's the exact opposite of the hero, and most times they're friends, like you and me!"

By the way, I haven’t seen “Split” yet, but I heard it’s really good. I’m also looking forward to “Glass” finally getting made, but that’s not important right now.

What is, however, is seeing Deku’s progress in the waning months of his time in middle school before he enrolls in UA. Defying the naysaying of his peers, he continues his training to prepare his body for the entrance exam and the All for One! All that’s missing is an ‘80s power ballad to set the mood.

Even his mother (who has put on weight since her son started school) is helping with the training; making enough food to fuel this intensive regimen! I’m not going to question anything, but I will say Aku will definitely be pleased.

Extra THICK!

As time goes by, those who were skeptical of Izuku’s goals are amazed at his progress; as he strives to finish his training and accept All Might’s Quirk within one week of the entrance exams at UA! 

I also get a kick out of this scene where Deku gives All Might a piggyback ride. Usually, it’s the other way around, where the chipper young man gets a ride from the superhero; but it’s all part of the training. 

Seagulls! Hmph! Stop it now!

Dawn comes on the day of the entrance exam, and Izuku has completed his training! He’s built up so much strength cleaning the beach, he lets out a triumphant yell; standing on top of a structure without his shoes or a shirt, no less!

Izuku now is deemed the perfect vessel to accept the All For One, as All Might commences his awards ceremony!

In order to inherit All Might’s Quirk, All Might plucks a hair from his head and asks Izuku to eat it; and it works. It’s no more illogical than being the last child of an alien race, dressing up like a bat after your parents are killed in front of you, or a wisecracking, gun-toting raccoon fighting alongside a talking tree sapling.  Again, the animation style is great, and I especially like Midoriya’s expression before he eats the strand of hair.

Stop right there- I'm in. Can I keep this?

Anyway, Deku goes to take the exam; and Kacchan tells him to get out of the way or he’ll kill him. I bet that kid gets invited to a lot of parties.

He narrowly trips over his own oversized shoes walking in the front gate, but he’s rescued from his own feet by Ochaco Uraraka, who has a Quirk of levitation. The face he makes after the fact is wonderful.

Now that is simply adorable.

The proctor of the test will be the Voice Hero, President Mic! He is just so delightfully hammy that it reminds me, like many characters in the things I’ve looked at here; of the emcee from Smash TV.

Good luck, you'll need it!

So, we close on President Mic giving everyone the rules of the physical challenge and this quote from Napoleon Bonaparte: “A true hero is someone who overcomes life’s misfortunes.” No truer words have I needed right now. He then challenges everyone to go beyond: PLUS ULTRA!

“Roaring Muscles” is a great episode of a great show; and I’ve really enjoyed looking at it for this blog. The animation and concept are wonderful, and I am eager to start up season 2 before season 3 starts next April. It is the polar opposite of One Punch Man for many reasons I mentioned here, but here’s a big one: where Saitama’s training was so effective that it left him bored and dissatisfied with his life, Izuku’s training is something that gives him the driving force throughout his arc on the show. The narrative is also much more idealistic than One Punch Man, which made it the antidote to that series’ cynicism. It’s something that I’ve wanted to recap for a long time, and I’m glad that I have finally been able to. 

With December just around the corner, I think I will try something different for Christmas this year: I will make my next slate of material equal parts gifts to myself and to you as readers, including my full look at Pokémon The Movie I Choose You; which I hope to have done by Christmas Eve. All this and more will be coming soon. Go beyond: PLUS ULTRA!

Pokémon Tops 300 Million Copies Sold+Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon First 48 Hours.

Alola everyone. First, I want everyone to know what I am working on my favorite episode of My Hero Academia as we speak. You should hopefully see it before too long. Second, I am just about done with my class term for the year. After I take my last test, I should be able to work on my plans for Christmas; least of all, my full look at Pokémon the Movie I Choose You.

On that note, this post will address two big pieces of subject matter for me. I mentioned in an earlier post that the last pillar of that article I fact-checked fell; so this news has effectively taken a sledgehammer to what was left. The Pokémon series has officially passed a combined 300 million copies sold across the board as of the release of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. While not as big as the last games, they still cracked over 1 million units in both Japan and the US in their first three days on the market; and they're still climbing as the Christmas shopping season begins. With Super Mario Odyssey also selling over 2 million units in its first 3 days; I was totally right about the two: rather than competing in different genres and different consoles; they coexist and share the spotlight among the most-wanted Nintendo games this year.

So, I will once again detail more of my experiences in the first 48 hours of combined gameplay. I just underwent the trial in Hokulani Observatory in Ultra Sun, and I am about to take it with Sophocles and Molayne in Ultra Moon (as well as call Nintendo again about something going on with the power of my device).

Even as someone who has logged well over 800 hours combined into the previous installments of Generation VII, I am still finding new things to enjoy in the games. Even if you've played the previous ones; there are many shakeups to be had to the experience. Some of the trials play out differently, such as the ones at Wela Volcano Park under Kiawe and in the Lush Jungle under Mallow. Regardless whether or not you're a newcomer or longtime fan, your skills will be tested. There is still a learning curve to those used to gym battles, but some of the new features are welcome; such as redesigned puzzles and the ability to recruit powerful "Totem Pokémon" in battle. I haven't tried the latter yet, but it should be pretty fun (just working on collecting enough stickers first).

The graphics push the hardware of the 3DS to its limit, something that not only amazes me as someone who's playing since Blue (which were in black and white, or monochrome color if you had a Game Boy color at the time), but manages to rekindle the spirit of myself as a young boy; whose eyes were full of wonder.

I am also still not spoiling too much about the story, so I recommend that you go play the games yourself if you're curious. I will say that some of the changes made might surprise you, especially with the Ultra Recon Squad and Team Rainbow Rocket joining the fray of Team Skull and the Aether Foundation.

I am also eager to try some of the new "Z-Power Moves," since I just got the Lycanium-Z from Hau. I named my Dusk Lycanroc after some of my old family dogs (Max in Ultra Sun, Shadow in Ultra Moon), I just need to teach them Stone Edge and I'll really be cooking with gas. I also like the design, since it combines the Midday and Midnight forms as well as adds other flourishes such as orange fur and green eyes.

The gameplay also is the culmination of everything that has been done on handheld consoles to this point, and even though there are still some detractors (who I am once again referring to collectively as "Mitch Connor"), the press seems to be giving uniformly positive reviews to the games, and I have a sneaking suspicion a fair amount of them might just be trolls. I once again find it odd that while many are willing to accept changes in other Nintendo franchises, this one still gets so much heat for wanting to do something different. Apparently, they have no problem with Mario donning an enchanted hat and taking control of other creatures; but the Global Missions have a rocky start and they almost have an aneurysm over the series allegedly being "bastardized."

Personally, if they didn't shake things up for new installments; we'd all still be playing "Pong," I'd be wearing a "Members Only" jacket and typing this on an old Amiga. I will not be addressing these people by name, since I used to hold that mindset and I have been trying to move past it for a very long time. The idea that the series has been "bastardized beyond recognition," to be blunt; is utter nonsense.

I have heavily enjoyed these games so far, and I hope to keep playing them as I work on my projects for the remainder of the year and hopefully get this power issue with my 3DS rectified soon. I will hopefully have my look at my favorite episode of "My Hero Academia" done soon, so I can have the slate clean for December. Alola, everyone.

Pokémon The Movie I Choose You (2017) Early Viewing Thoughts.

Alola everyone. In addition to just cracking the combined 30-hour mark of my Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon games; I just got finished watching Pokémon The Movie I Choose You. I had previously only seen bits and pieces shot on someone's phone from one of the theatrical showings, but I have now officially seen the full movie with its airing on Disney XD this morning, along with new episodes of the Sun and Moon series. This includes the first part of the Kanto school trip, but that's a matter for another day.

I also note that I can understand some of the skepticism around the movie even if I don't totally agree with it. I personally think that in many ways, material from the series can surprise you. Examples I can give right now: I wasn't expecting a lot from the Charjabug racing episode they just dubbed today, I ended up really enjoying that one. I was not expecting to enjoy the Volcanion movie all that much, and I ended up liking that more than I thought I would.

Now that I have seen this movie, I can honestly that it's not as bad as the skeptics would believe, and it's actually pretty good. In fact, I can say that it's my new favorite Pokémon movie. While I have often considered the idea of rebooting a beloved work in itself to be a crapshoot, I will say this is closest to my ideal reboot if I had to just jettison everything that came before.

There will be a few spoilers, so those who haven't seen the movie yet may want to watch it. It will be on again at 6PM this evening Pacific time. This is also just my early viewing thoughts, I will get into more detail in my full look around Christmas.

It's also important to know that it's not a straight adaptation of the original series, but more like a re-imagining of the whole franchise. Nothing has been erased, and it's RIFE with mythology gags. It's at least better than the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie or any Uwe Boll film. It reminds me a lot of the older movies as well as the 1986 Transformers movie and the first two TMNT movies from the 1990s.

The animation is beautiful, and it tells a new story with familiar flourishes. Ho-Oh is less of a plot device and more of inspiration to the characters in the film.

Verity and Sorrel are actually nice kids, and they did give them some traits to latch onto. Verity apparently has mommy issues (possibly with Cynthia), and Sorrel had a Luxray that died protecting him. Here is the obligatory Muppet Treasure Island reference: "He died?! This is supposed to be a kids' movie!"

The music of the film is great, and the lore surrounding the Pokémon is fantastic. Voice acting very strong across the board, especially from my friends Mike Pollock and Michelle Knotz. Jimmy Zoppi voices Professor Oak under the alias Carter Carthcart, and the film's take on the battle Ash watches on TV has Corey and Neesha from the first movie, but that leaves out poor Fergus! (sarcastic voice) "How dare they leave out such an important character! Zero stars!"

Still, the logic that "history was rewritten" and the idea that the film "flies in the face of what's been established" kind of falls apart when people in this movie have smart phones and flat panel monitors, and Ash apparently talks with his mom on FaceTime.

There's also a dream sequence if the world was ordinary about halfway through the film; and in spite of what others claim, the film does adhere to a three-act structure and it uses the original "I Choose You" as a prologue.

People also claimed that Marshadow was the film's villain, but the only things that it did where just mess with some of the human cast and Pokémon. Otherwise, it was a mostly neutral entity; but still way cooler than Hovernyan. Cross, however; was easily the real villain of the movie in my eyes. He was the film's equivalent to Gary or Damien, but he rivaled Paul for how cruel he could be. His turnaround near the end did nothing to redeem him in my eyes, since he spent most of it acting like an abrasive bully and a total coward during the final battle. Between his attitude, red hair and admittedly really nice boots; he's definitely much closer to Silver than I've seen in ages (I type this as I work on my playthrough of Gold and Silver on Virtual Console).

The final battle is really crazy, with Marshadow taking control of everyone; and in order to explain this, I will be addressing things with a final spoiler alert: if you don't wish to know what happens, this is your last chance to click away to something else.

So, Ash dies once again; and this time he actually straight-up disintegrates after getting hit with a bunch of simultaneous attacks. Also, Pikachu talks. As in, like a person. To be frank, it isn't that big a deal to me, other people blew it out of proportion. It's hard for me to get too mad about it when weirder things have happened in the series.

For instance: the Pokémon were all originally going to be turned into muscular humanoids when the franchise was being brought stateside, since Nintendo of America thought the cute monsters wouldn't sell. Luckily, Hiroshi Yamauchi rejected the idea. Clefairy was also originally going to be the series mascot before Pikachu was decided to be more appealing to both male and female audiences. In hindsight, they definitely made the right calls.


Long story short, Ash is restored by the goodwill of his actions and Ho-Oh deeming him worthy of the Rainbow Wing (I guess it's like Mjolnir or Doctor Strange's enchanted cape), and he becomes a Rainbow Hero. On that note, based on what's been said lately; I still wonder if this officially makes him a time lord.

I will be doing a full look at the movie around Christmas; and I just want to let the film's detractors know that it's nothing personal. On my own, however, I found this movie to be fast-paced, fun and fantastic. I also think the cameos from past companions of the series are a nice touch; since it's no different than Nick Fury showing up at Tony Stark's house or Rey finding Luke Skywalker on a distant planet to me. As a way to honor 20 years of the anime and its films; it was a pretty nostalgic and fun adventure. On its own merit, it's definitely a film that I enjoy without having to tap too many of the "member berries." It's a simple setup, which can be easily a imagined by a 10-year-old with a bunch of video games and Pokémon toys in their hands and saying to themselves, "this could make a cool movie," and it did. At the end of the day, I'm not going to force you to watch it; but I just thought I would give you what I think. There's been a lot going on this year, but I don't feel a need to let it get to me. Instead, much like these kids in their quasi-90s outfits (seriously, I want that new hat in this movie); I'm going to put on my hat, lace up my favorite pair of running shoes; and see how far the road goes. Sometimes, the journey can be every bit as satisfying as its destination, no matter how long it takes. So, keep an eye out in December for my full look at Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You. Alola.

Further Thoughts on Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Alola everyone. Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers in the US.  Since I just got back from dinner with my family, I thought I would give you more of my thoughts on Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, from the first 24 hours of combined gameplay.

I think the most accurate comparison I can draw is one to Zelda: A Link Between Worlds: rather than a direct sequel or updated remake, the games are ones set in the same fictional universe; but tell a new story. I am currently training on Akala Island for more trials, and both of my Rowlet have evolved into Dartrix. They are Mako in Ultra Sun and Nite Owl II in Ultra Moon. I am also training my Rockruff DLC into the Dusk Lycanroc. I have also managed to get the QR code for the Movie 20 Pikachu; and I will tell you about my initial thoughts on the I Choose You movie after I watch it this Saturday.

Even as someone who's logged well over 800 hours into the original Sun and Moon, I appreciate the desire to shake things up for how long the series has been around. Even trials that I have already done have plenty of surprises in store, least of all my trials being interrupted by Team Skull thugs.

The graphics are also very slick and colorful, and I really enjoy the new elements being brought to the series with bigger environments and new clothing options for your player characters. When I saw the expanded areas of Melemele Island, my jaw dropped. I also like the whole '90s beach bum look of the player characters. While I am not sure what new and returning items I will be using most in my journey, I rather like the combination of the tank top, board shorts, bucket hat and running shoes that my players have by default. While I am still going to have much to overcome with the Ultra Recon Squad and the new trial with the artist Mina; I still submit the final games in the series for 3DS (and straight handheld consoles in general) should provide less of a bogus journey and more of an excellent adventure.


The games have also sold over 2 million copies in the US and Japan as of this writing, with 1.2 million in the US alone in its first 3 days on sale. While not as big as the last games, it's still nothing to sneeze at, and it's right next to Super Mario Odyssey for go-to Nintendo gifts this holiday season. With Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season upon us, not only are the games royally crushing Yo-Kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters; the final pillar in that article I fact-checked has fallen.

With critical and commercial success now in place, the next game on Switch should be very interesting to see. I am glad that Nintendo and Game Freak are taking the time to make sure to work with the console rather than rush the game out for money. That will be all for now, I will make another post as I keep playing. Alola.

Top 13 Anime I Will Never Recap: 3rd Strike

Hey everyone, I just wanted everyone to know that my look at my favorite episode of My Hero Academia is taking longer than I expected, since my class term is winding down and the Crunchyroll hack earlier this month threw a monkey wrench into my plans for it. It's just now getting back up and they have implemented new security to prevent a similar problem.

In the meantime, I thought that I would give you my third and final installment in my Top 13 Anime I Will Never Recap series. I could easily tell you all the stuff I don't feel like covering, but I don't want to keep milking this. I don't work for Activision after all. So, I present the final installment of this trilogy: The Top 13 Anime I Will Never Recap- 3rd Strike!


13. Any series centered around cycling

I will be the first to admit: I'm not the best at cycling. Even after 20 years since I first tried, I am not sure if I will be able to fully master it; nor do I enjoy it as much as some other folks. While other anime centered around sports have some entertainment value (though there will be other entries on this list I will finally have to decline); ones that have cycling as their main focus are just ones I can never get into. While most of them are fine from a technical standpoint (Yowamushi Pedal, Overdrive and Long Ride are ones that I can think of from the top of my head), I just don't get the appeal. To me, if the work itself is well-made; you can still enjoy it even if you don't take part in the activity or even have interest in it. An interest in bicycles is no more required to enjoy something like this is no more required than an interest in space travel to enjoy Star Wars or an interest in robotics to enjoy any given version of Transformers (material I covered here excepted). Still, I will probably not do anything related to cycling here, since it's not something I could get much out of covering.

12. Hikaru No Go

While I do enjoy the manga of this series (and not just because the artist would later go on to work on Death Note and Bakuman), this is one I keep forgetting there is an anime of. Maybe it's just me, but I don't feel comfortable to see how the manga would translate onto a screen. Even though changes between the anime of Death Note and Bakuman are interesting from the manga; it's something that I don't feel qualified to get into.

11. Reborn!

Related to the previous entry, this is a manga that is somewhat enjoyable; but I keep forgetting there was an anime adaptation of it. I do like gangsters as a concept (especially the classic "Chicagoland" variety); but I don't have much to work with, even with a show that has a premise of an enchanted bullet that makes people confess their dying wishes after blowing off their clothes like some kind of "nude bomb." Some of you might have to Google that last joke, but in any case; it's something I'd have less to talk about than Al Capone's infamous vault. Again, some of you might have to Google that joke.

10. Inazuma Eleven

It's finally time for me to say that I won't be doing this anime at all. While something I saw from JSPlayground a while ago recommended this, I just could never get into it. While it's something that many people enjoyed in Europe and its native Japan, I always found this anime to very quite dull. I may not find the actual game of soccer boring, but this anime always felt like that to me. It may be another Level-5 adaptation that I find disappointed by, but it's not even something that I can deconstruct extensively like Yo-Kai Watch. It's in a similar case to that series to: the anime didn't catch on here, and the game was only given a brief release on eShop; since I guess someone must have realized (correctly) it would bomb at retail. I also don't buy into the whole "PokéIre" thing, since I find the second part of that name inferior to the first. That's also the opposite of how it usually works. Metroid: Yes. Castlevania: Yes. Metroidvania? Oh Hell Yes. Even so, I also have a loyalty to "Whistle," a series with a similar premise that I saw first. I may not like this show, but it's just so dull there's almost nothing I could write about it that I would enjoy or you would enjoy reading.

9. Kuroko's Basketball

It's a similar case to the last entry: I may have joked about it before, but that was only part of the story. Even though many people like this series, I don't have anything to say about it that I would enjoy writing about or you would enjoy reading about. Plus, I have a preference of an older series known as "Slam Dunk," which should tell you something about how I feel. My preference of b-ballers is less like future GQ models and more like high-school versions of Dennis Rodman and Michael Jordan, among countless others. So, I'm afraid there's as much chance of me doing this as the LA Clippers making the Final Four.

8. Silver Spoon

While many people have praised this series, least of all, series creator Hiromu Arakawa of Full Metal Alchemist fame; I think my reaction can be summed up best by that Jason Bateman meme: "I didn't know what I expected." Granted, I don't think it's bad; but I also don't find it as great as others say. Much like Inazuma Eleven, there's not enough material for me to work with even though I've watched enough episodes to make this decision. I guess I'm just not a farmer, I have too much of my father in me.

7. Broader "Kodomo" Series

Much like my decision to not look at any series in the "shojo" (young woman) or "josei" (adult woman) genres; as my field is more "shonen" (young man) or "seinen" (adult man), I don't see myself looking at any broad series in the "kodomo," or "young child" demographic. To me, making fun of pre-K shows from any country is much too simple a target for me. It's like picking on someone I deem beneath me: what could I gain from it? As you can tell, Pokémon and Doraemon do not count for this; so you probably won't see me cover any Shimajiro, least of all the now memetic toilet training video. You know the one.

6. Hanamaru Kindergarten

On the other end of the spectrum, is similar rationale to why I'm not doing any of Mitsudomoe. I like this anime, since it's a strange blend of shout-outs to Gainax's other works and kindergartners who act like young lovers. I'm not making that up: I've laughed pretty hard at this anime, and not just because the lead kindergartners are basically Asuka and Rei if they were little girls. It's something that I just couldn't do justice, so I'd recommend watching it and deciding for yourself. I will keep watching it on Crunchyroll, but there won't be any more coverage on this site.

5. Sweetness and Lightning

Even though I wasn't sure about this anime at first, it's actually not that bad. The premise of a single father trying to raise his young daughter and bonding over cooking is very charming in how it's done; and it could pass for an anime adaptation of the Yotsuba& manga, which I absolutely love. While I don't intend to recap it, I will say that even though Azuma doesn't believe that Yotsuba could work in anime like it could for Azumanga Daioh; this will be another series that I will keep up with on Crunchyroll.

4. Re-imaginings of old Tatsunoko Production IPs

While I am considering doing some anime from Tatsunoko Production as part of my "From Humble Beginnings" series, I will be focusing on the original versions to show how much the medium has changed since it first started and came to the US. That, and their re-imaginings have often been hit or miss for my tastes. For everyone I've enjoyed such as Casshern Sins or Yatterman Night; there have been ones that I didn't really care for such as Gatchaman Crowds. Even though Infini-T Force looks cool, I won't be recapping it when it comes out. You might see a post about it when it comes stateside, but I will favor more of the older series over their newer adaptations.

3. Any Boxing Series

While I have heard much about boxing series such as Hajime no Ippo; it's not really something that I feel qualified to address. It also falls into my moratorium on tournament arcs,  since many of them have those as their primary story focus. I've only recently begun experimenting more with multipart episodes as one recap; not counting that look at Monsuno I did a while ago. Even so, I'm not someone that could do them justice. My knowledge is also less "Floyd VS Mayweather" and more "Little Mac VS Glass Joe," so I will have to sit this out.

2. CLANNAD (Includes After Story)

This is a great series, and given its reputation; I feel trying to recap this would be like putting arms on the Venus di Milo: anything I would have to add would be superfluous at best. It's a simple, but effective story about people that has good animation, a relatable story and sympathetic characters. That's all.

1. Pokémon Live

As someone who's covered plenty of content from the franchise, both good and bad over the years; and has begun experimenting with live-action coverage this year, I just can't do this one at all. This stage musical, which was made with no input from Nintendo or Game Freak; is arguably the most infamous Pokémon production I can think of, and yes; that includes Chronicles and the banned episodes. Long before the smash success of Pokémon Go helped generate hype for Detective Pikachu from Legendary Pictures (talk persists of the game being brought stateside as well), this play has never been given an official home release, and The Pokémon Company has essentially denied it exists. Still, it's a piece of utter insanity that I just can't express here. The only way I could think it would be crazier would be if there were a follow up called "Pokémon: Turn off the Dark-Type" by Julie Taymor, with music by Bono and the Edge of U2.

That just about wraps this list up, and I at least want to make a dent in some of my plans with the time I have left in the year; and make December filled with gifts to both myself and you as readers, especially with my look at Pokémon The Movie I Choose You. That will be all for now. Bang.

Recap: Pokémon- Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel

Hello everyone, and welcome to my look at Pokémon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel! It’s been a wild ride looking at all these movies over the years; and now I’ve arrived at the final film in the XY series trilogy. Even though I still have unfinished work with the XY series, overall; I enjoyed it, and the show was what I wanted Advanced to be when I was younger. I’ve also learned that character changes are almost as common as the setting sun, and that’s especially true of this series. Even as the years go by, some things only stick out when they first break out among general audiences. It’s why someone might recognize Captain Kirk, but not necessarily Captain Lorca. It’s why someone might know Obi-Wan Kenobi, but they might not know Kanan Jarrus. So, let’s open this up.

We get our usual world of Pokémon segment, which is centered around evolution and Mega Evolution this time around. As for this glimpse of a battle with Alain and Korrina: it can wait; I have much more interesting things to cover over the next 93 minutes.

Our proper opening is on an airship that would not be out of place in the Final Fantasy games, where the titular Volcanion is trying to escape from a pair of Pokémon Hunters known as Levi and Cherie. They also have technology known as a “Mega Wave,” which can force Pokémon to Mega Evolve so much it noticeably pains them. This is already very cruel, and it takes on new meaning after Sun and Moon. 

After that, we see Ash and Clemont have an informal battle as Bonnie and Serena do laundry before Volcanion comes crashing in, all set to the XYZ theme, “Stand Tall.” I have spoken quite a bit about how much I like the hard rock sound of the theme before, so I will continue on.

Complicating matters in this movie are Ash and Volcanion being attached to each other with electromagnetic clamps; which thankfully doesn’t last the entire movie. That’s one of the reasons I wasn’t sure about this movie when I first heard about it, but thankfully it turned out better than I thought it would be. 

Back on the airship, we see the other part of the title: the Mechanical Marvel: Magearna! I actually like the design, being a sort of clockwork fusion of a Poké Ball and BB-8 from The Force Awakens. While the prince of the Azoth kingdom, Raleigh likes the Pokémon; a councilor known as Alva has ulterior motives. I thought he was a chancellor when I saw the movie a year ago, but I guess I misheard. Billy Bob Thompson also seems to be doing a strange impression of both Saruman and Emperor Palpatine for his performance, so it’s not a stretch.

It also turns out the backstory of the movie is that Magearna and Volcanion have been in hiding for 500 years; because people wanted to hunt them down; and led to Volcanion being unwilling to trust humans as a result. Not the most uncommon backstory, but it works fine. 

Elsewhere, Raleigh’s sister, Princess Kimia is trying to get her brother away from Alva; and gets help from another woman known as Flamel. I wonder if they also know anything about the Sorcerer’s Stone. “I shouldn’t have said that, I should not have said that.”

Anyway, Ash’s Pokémon meet up with him, and Volcanion takes Magearna on its back and leads everyone on a chase around the kingdom.

Elsewhere, Bonnie and Serena search for their friends, while Clemont is in awe of everything around him! This movie has a unique kind of “arcane technology” that blends old-fashioned cogs and gears with more modern tech that wouldn’t be out of place in an Apple store.

If this sounds like a lot in that time, that’s because it is. I’ve covered the first 15 minutes of this movie in just a few paragraphs; which I have been getting really good at over the years.

Of course, Team Rocket is all to eager to help Alva, even though he’s never heard of them. That’s odd, that’s like if someone had never heard of the Joker.

I also rather like the quasi-formal outfit Ash gets from Serena. The Poké Ball newsboy hat is a nice touch: reminds me of the hat from the Diamond and Pearl games. Guess we’ll get those remakes on the Switch, if and when they get made. 

While the “Being stuck together” plot thread thankfully doesn’t last the whole movie, the cliché of a “character in a Pokémon movie not liking humans” does get heavy-handed at times. The banter between Ash and Volcanion plays like a PG-rated version of “Mad Max Fury Road” in some respects.

It also turns out the Azoth kingdom was built by someone named “Nikola,” no doubt named for real-life scientist Nikola Tesla. … Anyone else reminded of The Prestige? 

Navel Plateau is where Volcanion and Magearna once lived, and Clemont has built Ash an “Impact Suit” that kind of looks like the Mark I Iron Man armor, later the Iron Monger. As if my head canon version of him wasn’t enough like Tony Stark already. 

Team Rocket then comes in with a Heracross and a Pinsir with their Mega Wave. It’s like a Bug-Type Goraijer, later adapted into Thunder Bug-Types. Still, Volcanion ends up totally wrecking them without even breaking much of a sweat. 

Princess Kimia then sends them blasting off for the 19th time with her shiny Mega Gardevoir! Wow, I thought the last movie was fast-paced: this is like some 10-year-old playing the games after a bunch of Mountain Dew and M&M’s.

There is a trade-off to Volcanion’s power: the attacks require large amounts of water and heat to use, so there’s often need to have lots of water to make steam. As a fire/water type; that’s actually not that bad a way of representing how he’s rendered in the games.

Everyone introduces their Pokémon to the princess, but then a wounded Amura wonders into the space? Is that another experiment? Before we can answer that, another poacher that looks like he got lost on the way to the Road Warrior tries to recapture it, but Volcanion uses its mist to hide everyone as he crashes his truck on top of some rocks. In the words of Immortan Joe: “MEDIOCRE!”

As Amura’s wounds are tended to, Kimia starts to repair her aircraft; since it was damaged in the last scene. However, Ash’s impact suit isn’t waterproof, since it explodes when Volcanion tries to refill in a hot spring! Well, still works better than Justin Hammer’s prototypes. 

So, after Ash spends the night with Volcanion in a tank top and boxer shorts; he’s freed after Gulpin’s acid is able to melt through the clamps. Awesome. How did that work without burning his usual outfit, though? 

Volcanion is still unwilling to trust humans, threatening to blast Ash! Ash says to “try it!” You mean, again? He does start to get a bit less crotchety after trying Serena’s Poké Puffs, though. That’s good: that’s about a third of the movie spent like that by my count; arguing and knocking together like they were playing a game of Knuckles Chaotix.

Still, even though Volcanion is still being a stick in the mud; Ash still wants to help the Pokémon. That’s still a quality I like in a lot of characters in this vein: Goku, Luffy, Natsu, Deku from My Hero Academia: I can do this all day, fellas; even after a whole turkey dinner.

Pikachu concurs, and even though Volcanion is still reluctant, it’s not too proud to thank them. That goes with the territory: when someone gives their word, I have no choice but to hold them to it. I would expect folks to do the same for me. Old-fashioned, I know, but I like it.

It turns out that there are more electromagnetic clamps; and Levi and Cherie take all the Pokémon in the plateau hostage; even somehow harming Ash and Volcanion with Electric Terrain. If I may paraphrase the older Han Solo: “That’s not how Electric Terrain works!”

Alva has also betrayed the king and queen; and is able to tear out Magearna’s Soul-Heart! … Can this count as a murder? I know the movies tend to be darker than the main anime, but that’s cold. Alva may not be the most cruel villain in the series, but he’s on my list.

Even Team Rocket will no longer accept Alva’s plans, and Alva responds by taking Meowth hostage and hurling Jessie and James out of his airship! I know he’s a corrupt councilor, but I honestly wouldn’t put it past him to try and kill the king and queen so he can rule the kingdom himself.

As we learn more of Volcanion and Magearna’s past before the final battle; we see more of their backstory and what led to them being in hiding for 500 years.

It turns out there’s also an ancient fortress that can also be used a weapon, and the Soul Heart can awaken it through “Neo Arcane Science!” While the CGI of the fortress is somewhat odd, it reminds me of the Sword of the Vale crossed with Cecil’s airship from Final Fantasy IV.

So, the final battle involves trying to stop the fortress from destroying the Azoth Kingdom; since this is what led to Magearna and Volcanion going into hiding for 500 years!

As Levi and Cherie summon all the Pokémon that can Mega Evolve on deck, Ash, Serena and Clemont counter with all their Pokémon to fight their way inside!

The Kalos Quest theme, “Be A Hero” is playing in the Background as Ash-Greninja and Zygarde Complete Forme join the fray! The design always reminds me of the Big O. Cast in the name of Arceus: ye not guilty.

Ash and the princess confront Alva in the control room; and he has even more of those clamps with him! He may not be as cruel as Kodai in the Zoroark movie, but he’s essentially Damon from the Victini movies minus the sympathetic qualities.

The Pokémon of the plateau are able to repel the attacks, especially with the help of Zygarde Complete! Big O, it’s showtime!

Volcanion is able to break free of the clamps, and Ash breaks Alva’s staff; rendering the Mega Wave useless! Now if only I could figure out the loot box system in the new Battlefront II. Topical humor, ha!

Alva tries to escape on a jetpack, but Ash-Greninja wrecks it and sends him crashing into the forest! 

Magearna is revived, and Volcanion uses the water tanks to destroy the fortress with his Steam Eruption attack!

So, we close on Volcanion learning the value of humanity, Alva and his thugs getting arrested and all his gear getting buried like a bunch of old Atari copies of ET, Pac-Man and Chase the Chuck Wagon. Since my associate SkulShurtugalTCG asked, I think I will go with the same line as Captain America in The Avengers: “I understood that reference.”

That’s “Pokémon: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.” While this may not be my favorite movie of the franchise, or even the XY series; it’s still a solid film for the XY series to go out on. The animation is sharp and colorful, and even though the pacing is a bit schizophrenic at times; it’s one of the better video game movies I’ve seen. It’s definitely better than the live-action Super Mario Bros. movie from 1993 and most of Uwe Boll’s filmography; and I’ve been wanting to talk about it since I saw it last year. With the I Choose You movie coming to Disney XD, it’s as good a time as any.

Overall, even though we all have different takes as fans; I am glad that even with everything else going on these days, I can still find things to talk about openly. The series, especially in Generation VI still resonates with many people and helped them find things to enjoy in tough times; something that’s clearly lost on Jason Schreier. 

Still, even if I were to tell those who think that way that it’s nothing personal; they would know I wouldn’t be lying. At the end of the day: I liked this movie more than I thought I would, and that’s all that really matters.

I will be watching the I Choose You movie when it airs on Disney XD this Saturday, and you will see my initial thoughts not long after that with my full look coming around Christmas. That will be all for now. Bang. 

Pokémon Sun and Moon VS Yo-Kai Watch 2: Which I Prefer Will Not Surprise You

Hello everyone. Well, I thought I would try something a little different from normal. With the release of Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, I thought I would make a sort of counterpoint/rebuttal to an article on the Financial Post debating Pokémon Sun and Moon and Yo-Kai Watch 2.


My perspective is clearly the polar opposite of the writer from the Post, since I openly admit to being a lifelong Pokémon fan that has had mixed feelings towards Yo-Kai Watch. My dislike of the anime is quite well-documented; though the video games are somewhat decent.

Before I get to the meat of things, I shall also disclose that while I found Yo-Kai Watch 2 to be a bit of an improvement over the first game; it didn't impress me the way Sun and Moon did. However, rather than just focus on the minute details of the games (though I will still mention them as I go), I will be basing my comparison of the two on criteria that I can easily go through to illustrate my thoughts: graphics, sound, gameplay, and story; as well as how I feel overall about them. Normally, I wouldn't be spoiling too much about them, but in this case; I will have to make some exceptions. ...
And. Here. We. Go.

First off, I thought I would address the graphics of the two entries. In the case of Pokémon Sun and Moon, it was a natural progression over 20 years of the franchise up to that point. With full 3D camera angles and flashy, vibrant colors, it showed how far we've come from black and white graphics (or monochrome color if you had a Game Boy Color in those days). It definitely felt a lot like how Super Mario Galaxy took advantage of the technology they had. I personally never understood how people found Yo-Kai Watch "more realistic," since it always came off to me like a low-rent Saturday morning cartoon.

That's not to say that Yo-Kai Watch isn't without its own unique flourishes, however. I understand that the games originally came out in Japan in 2013 and 2014, and from a purely technical point of view; it seems fine. The framerate is relatively consistent with minimal to no slowdown, and it has a wide range of colors displayed onscreen. Even the more rustic areas of the past timeline in the second game look distinct, though they still didn't really reach the same level as Lumiose City or the Alola region for me. Granted, I wasn't expecting anything quite like Level-5's own Ni No Kuni (which was codeveloped by Studio Ghibli for the first game and still is heavily influenced by them for the PS4 sequel); but I felt a bit underwhelmed.

The sound of each game also differs significantly, with each one having a different way to bring its world to life. Even though I didn't really care for any of the remixes of the theme music by Jeff "Swampy" Marsh, overall, the music and sound design seemed decent. Nothing as memorable as the music in Mario, Metroid or Zelda, but definitely not horrible. The voice acting, however is still kind of awkward; though there's thankfully not as much as there is in the anime. (note: I am still on break from doing Yo-Kai Watch recaps, and I won't tap my backlog of episodes until I get an official airdate for the third season of the dub.)

Generation VII took full advantage of the sound capabilities of the 3DS, with some of the trials being linked to sound cues (most notably a whole audio quiz under Sophocles in Hokulani Observatory). The music also contains a host of new music cues and remixes of favorite themes from past games, and apart from Pikachu being voiced by Ikue Ohtani, all the Pokémon have unique sounds and cries. Again, we've come a long way from having ones with the same voice in the old days.


The gameplay and story are going to have some of the biggest details here, so I'm going to spend the longest on these sections. Postgame content will not be a factor for the most part, and neither will the metagame. I'm going to primarily focus on the main storylines and the main gameplay to make things easier for me to explain. I will, however; address an odd bit of confusion with the ESRB ratings of each game. Sun and Moon are rated E for "mild cartoon violence," yet it deals with subject matter that spoke to me on many levels as an adult fan, as well as from the perspective of an 11-year-old child in a similar vein to the player character. Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls are rated E10+ for "Comic Mischief and Fantasy Violence," and even though there are some admittedly risqué jokes (including a location that's a very thinly-veiled tavern masquerading as a "snack shop"), overall, the battles are no more violent than a Looney Tunes cartoon. I also note this isn't the first time I've dealt with this. My copy of Super Smash Bros. Melee I got when I was 11 was rated T, even though there was no blood in my brawler starring all my favorite Nintendo characters, but that's not important right now.


What is important, is detailing how vastly different each gameplay experience is. Even though multiple parties, least of all the fans of both series have suggested that the redesigned gameplay of Generation VII was influenced by Yo-Kai Watch 2, I shall once again play Darkrai's advocate and state that I disagree.

There were hints of the Alola region in the titles released in Generation VI, through the words of an NPC Backpacker as well as the Strange Souvenir item. This most likely meant that Sun and Moon were in development well before anyone had ever heard of Yo-Kai Watch, least of all anyone at Game Freak. Apart from de-emphasizing gym battles in favor of the Island Challenge and putting more focus on exploration, I highly doubt Hino had much sway over Ohmori and the others' design choices.

The main difference between the two is easily the gameplay experience itself. Both games offer two very distinct versions of the turn-based RPG. Even though the mechanics in Yo-Kai Watch 2 do have many improvements over the original game, for the most part; very little has changed about the battle system in Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls. While making the combat on autopilot is by no means a bad thing on its own, the way it's implemented here wasn't that challenging to me. While the later bosses (including the final fight against Dame Deadtime) rivaled the difficulty of games such as Ghost and Goblins; for the most part, I didn't feel very challenged by the yokai skirmishes in my playthrough of the game. While some of the puzzles were interesting (such as "Baffle Boards" that could help clear mission objectives through quizzes), overall; I got tired of the lion's share of "key quests" just to advance the story further. That element has often been a point of contention between critics and fans of the sequels. While the fans of the games have often defended this idea, I actually agree with many media outlets that had problems with this. When I as a player am taken out of the narrative to fetch an item for another character in the game, it's generally synonymous with tedium. However, I didn't find the train system as bad as many others, since many of the people complaining about it didn't seem to realize you could just tap the touch screen to skip the cutscenes until you reach your destination. It's not as bad as the elevator load screens in Mass Effect or the Metroid Prime trilogy at least. Still, it can often be tricky trying to get certain yokai you need for your quest; so those who are unfamiliar with the series often need to do research more than other games in its genre.

On that same note, the experience in Sun and Moon was easily worth the wait for all the time that was spent on them in development. They managed to craft an experience that paid homage to the 20 years the franchise has been around as well as provide one that makes it easy for newcomers to get into. The games' battle system may have a learning curve for those used to gym battles to acclimate to the trial system; but once one learns it, they're some of the best ways to play the games I've had yet. They didn't worry at all about competing with YKW. It's the simplest thing that still makes the series so endearing after all these years: they are easy to pick up and play, but tough to truly master.

Now, before I get into the story, I thought I would address a few reasons why some folks prefer Yo-Kai Watch over Pokémon, least of all those who would be uninitiated. The most common things I see or hear include, but are not limited to: "The yokai have more personality than Pokémon," "the experience is simpler," " the experience is better than Pokémon in many ways," "the story is distinct," and "it's like Pokémon with a pulse." Let's explore these a bit, shall we?

The idea that the yokai have more personality than Pokémon is somewhat subjective; given how both games draw from Japanese folklore in their own ways for designs. However, the execution is different for both. While Pokémon pull inspiration from not only creatures but objects from the past and present; but also visions of the future, the yokai do have an interesting premise of putting greater focus on Japanese mythology and applying them to some of life's foibles. Not a bad premise, but the execution more or less distills that mythology into something that's more like a roadside theme park attraction than an accurate depiction of their folklore. The simplest things can come from their origins in both series. Pikachu, of course; comes from "Pika", a term for electricity, and "chu," a sound that mice make. Literally, it can translate to "Electric mouse." Bushinyan, or Shogunyan in English is a bit more blatant; given how he's a cat dressed in samurai regalia. As for newer creatures: I can tell you everything I like about characters like Incineroar and Ash-Greninja just by looking at them. I can't really say the same about Komasan or Manjimutt, which is a deterrent in some ways. Even among my favorites, I can tell you way more about Lucario than I could about Venoct/Orochi.

Moreover, just because the experience is simpler than Pokémon isn't enough for me to make it better. Again, it might be part of my mental block; but given how long I've been playing games, least of all RPGs, I am hard-pressed to find anything YKW does better than Pokémon; or any game in the genre for that matter. I will address the story very soon, but I am skeptical of the idea that Yo-Kai Watch is "Pokémon with a pulse." If you are getting something out of it that I'm not seeing, then I can already tell you're going to disagree with what I'm going to say next; just as I disagree with you. Pokémon has always had a pulse, as well as a heart; mind and soul. The only pulse I got from Yo-Kai Watch was when I traded the games back in toward Sun and Moon as well as Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

Now, I shall address how the two sets of games have vastly different stories. This is going to be the biggest reason why I admired Generation VII so much, and why I found Yo-Kai Watch 2 to be a bit of a letdown.

I also usually don't include spoilers, but this time, I will have to make exceptions in order to explain this. If you haven't played these games, then this is your last chance to click away to something else. So, let's get into it.

Even though the games launched during the same season last year, their stories could not be more different in style and tone. I have spoken multiple times before that I had mixed feelings toward Fleshy Souls using a tired amnesia plot thread to justify the early hours of the game being largely a rehash of the first Yo-Kai Watch. Even if the game does get more interesting as it goes along, by the time I finished the main quest, I felt very underwhelmed if not outright disappointed. Maybe if I were younger and more idealistic, might have enjoyed the concept of the game and how the story was executed more; but as someone who's grown increasingly cynical over the past few years, I can't say that I share people's praise for the story. It doesn't really help that my experiences as a child were not at all like the ones presented in the game. Maybe I'm crazy, but a side quest involving finding parts of a map in a toilet seat (no, really) didn't really amuse me like it would some other people. It also doesn't help that the games, much like the first still have a problem with an inconsistent tone; which is something that still hasn't been rectified. I mean, it's very hard for me as a player to absorb the emotional impact of paying respects to my late grandfather when the very next scene shows comical antics in the bathtub and an outhouse. While I admit that it's often a good way to recover from a tense scene to follow it with a more lighthearted one, the shift is so jarring that it's hard for me to accept. I may also concede that Katie's route is at least more engaging than Nate's, but overall; the story of Fleshy Souls didn't really make me want to check out much more of the postgame. After 72 combined hours of gameplay, it didn't leave much of an impact. Though I was actually able to beat the main quest, unlike the first game; and it was an improvement overall, I still had no real problem trading the game back in towards Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. I guess after playing Ni No Kuni, Level-5's previous RPG that dealt with many of the same themes, I wanted to be challenged more from many standpoints.

On that note, I definitely enjoyed Sun and Moon for how it handled the story. In stark contrast to the writer of the Post, I found that the games crafted a storyline that not only made it easy for new players to get invested; but also was rife with nods to the lineage of the series for its 20th anniversary. Moreover, because the player characters didn't have specific constraints like Nate or Katie, it made it that much easier to imbue them with qualities that I could identify with rather than just being given a character with a predetermined role and then being told I have to identify with this person. That's almost a guarantee that I probably won't. My headcanon influences on my Generation VII player characters in Sun and Moon included films such as "Dazed and Confused," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service." This also extended to other characters in the game, since it dealt with themes that I had yet to see from the series such as corporate corruption,  broken families and realizing that maybe what you wanted to do your whole life isn't what you thought. It also delved deeper into subject matter that previous generations introduced such as abusive parents, Pokémon being depicted as much more menacing creatures than the cute companions of yore and had villain factions with motives that were much more devious than just putting Pokémon in burlap bags: and it doesn't let you forget that many of the characters (including your player characters) are just young men and women dealing with issues that are quite adult for their age. Maybe it's just the skeptic in me, but I can't really get invested in doughnuts being the catalyst for a game's story the same way again after seeing the Ultra Beasts wreak havoc on Alola. I am aware you don't have to have your story make sense for it to be good either. It's the reason why Mario goes after Bowser for kidnapping Peach on her wedding day, which has to be a new low in my book.

I know lot of this might be hard for the fans to accept, but I just had to get this off my chest; and no one, least of all people I am only referring to as "Rupert Murdoch" and "Nelson Muntz" to protect their identities.

Even though I do admire Hino's optimism despite the first game selling below expectations, I held his statement about the series "blooming like a flower" by this year with a lot of skepticism. Unfortunately: it hasn't. As of September 30, one year after the launch of the games in the US; Bony Spirits and Fleshy Souls have only sold 170,000 copies, a fraction of what they sold in Japan and less than half what the first game sold in the US. Through the same time frame, Pokémon Sun and Moon have sold well over 15 million copies, with Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon set to continue this trend.

It has been written that a symptom of insanity is doing the same thing multiple times and expecting a different result. I did say that the primary catalyst for the third game coming to the United States would be how well Psychic Specters performed. Based on the initial launch figures, I can officially say that it's all on Nintendo and Level-5 now. I'm not writing a eulogy for the series outside Japan just yet, but based on this data; it's not looking good.


I was hoping in some way, that I would be proven wrong when Psychic Specters launched simultaneously in the US and Europe on September 29; but I was proven exactly right. While the game sold over 2.69 million copies in its native Japan, the simultaneous launch sold all of 26,726 copies in the US and Europe on launch day. It sold just 8,576 copies in the US and a meager 18,150 copies in Europe. It definitely didn't help it launched the same day as the SNES Classic and FIFA 18. Seriously: even the last-generation versions of FIFA on PS3 and Xbox 360 sold more than Psychic Specters in Europe. Even if the game did better in Europe than America, it's very damning that the "definitive version" of a Japanese hit got outsold by EA's long-running sports games. I mean, the fans and the companies involved bet everything on the series breaking out with the sequels outside Japan and it did not pay off at all. It gained a cult following at best, but the flower has withered and died; and the dubious claim that the series would be "the next Pokémon" has officially lost whatever chance it had left. Cue the Price is Right loser horns.

Still, it will be rather interesting to see where the series goes from here, in both Japan and overseas.
While Hino was initially optimistic about how the series would do in the future, the news that the series is declining in popularity in its native Japan changed his mind. It's the same reason why I have been so selective about what content from the series I've covered here, and why I'm on hiatus from doing recaps of the anime until I hear more. However, in light of the sales of Psychic Specters hitting their lowest yet for the series here, I am officially putting my foot down on recapping the third movie: I will only do it if I get official confirmation the third game comes to the US. Otherwise, I won't be addressing it any time soon.

With the launch of Psychic Specters in the US barely selling a fraction of what the game did in Japan, I still have largely the same mindset. I won't do any more of my backlog of the anime until I get an official airdate for the dub's third season in 2018. "Early 2018" is just not concrete enough for me right now, and it's the same for the toys. I may also consider getting a used copy of Psychic Specters in the near future, but that most likely won't be until 2018; so I can see how the game performs and if the reception of the series in the US improves. That, and I will be addicted to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon for some time; so even if I don't get a Switch right away, those will keep me plenty busy. That will be all for now. Bang.