So with the end of Sword Art Online, you will be finding your reviewers here at ExtroInverse flailing around, trying to find new anime to fill the gap in our lives. For me, I have filled that gap with Fairy Tail. Why? Because I heard that there was actually romance in it, and I love animes that actually GO places with romances between characters, unlike several of my favorite animes where it is painfully obvious characters like eachother and it goes NOWHERE (Im looking at you, Soul Eater, Ghost Hunt...).
With Fairy Tail, however, I have been disappointed so far by the lack of romance, but hey, its only in the first season still! I am also a bit disappointed with the openings. They music is great, the animation is great, but its REALLY easy to predict the storyline and who the enemy is by the opening...
The Macao arc is just the intro arc to the life in Fairy Tail. The story follows Lucy, a Celestial Spirit mage who uses Keys to open gates to the Spiritual world and summons spirits from there, the most powerful being the golden keys, one of a kind keys that can call spirits such as Aquarius, Taurus, Virgo, etc... She is in the port town of Hargeon, where she meets a man called 'Salamander', a mage who uses fire magic that you cant buy from the stores, and falls instantly in love. However, Natsu, a pink haired man with a blue talking cat companion, bursts into the crowd around Salamander. He has been searching for someone and believes Salamander might be the person, but upon seeing Salamanders face realizes that he has the wrong person. Most of the girls in the crowd attack him for being rude, but Lucy looks at him and is broken from a spell cast upon her by Salamander. She thanks Natsu as Salamander and his crowd leaves, and treats him and the cat, Happy, to lunch. There she gives a bit of background about the life of Mages and Guilds, explains that Salamander was using a spell called Charm to get girls to like him, then leaves the two there. Later, she is reading a magazine and saying how she wants to join a guild featured in there, Fairy Tail, and Salamander comes out of the bushes (creeper) and says he is the Salamander from Fairy Tail and will let her join the guild if she goes to his party. She agrees, and later that night goes to the party. Salamander is acting all romantic, grossing her out a bit, and she realizes that he is attempting to cast Sleep magic on her. She confronts him about this, and he states that she is now his property, and the curtains around them open to show the men of the ship with the women who were attending the party all asleep. Lucy tries to summon a spirit, but Salamander takes her keys and throws them into the ocean.
On shore, Natsu is chillin and hears some girls say that Salamander is throwing a party on his ship, and that he is the famous Salamander from Fairy Tail. Natsu is bothered by this, and Happy brings him to the ship with his magical wings (a flying cat, yes) and they crash in on the party. Happy leaves Natsu and grabs Lucy, but his magic runs out and they both fall into the ocean. Lucy finds her keys (oh how convenient) and summons Aquarius. Aquarius seems to be crabby, and hates Lucy apparantly, because when Lucy tells Aquarius to make a wave to send the ship to shore, Aquarius attacks her instead, and the ship gets caught in the attack by mistake. Natsu is revealed on shore to be the REAL Salamander of Fairy Tail, and kicks the fake Salamanders butt, destroying half the port in the process. He grabs Lucy as he runs away, and when she is questioning why she has to run, he says she can join Fairy Tail if she comes with him. She agrees, and joins Fairy Tail.
(And from now on I shall summarize the plots rather than spell it out. Go watch it yourself!)
The next episode Natsu goes to save Macao, a guild member, and Lucy tags along because she feels like it. She ends up getting kidnapped by a perverted monster, summons the perverted spirit Taurus, and is eventually saved by Natsu, and the monster is defeated to show that it was actually Macao, taken over the by the monster.
And that is the end of the Macao arc. Two episodes. Pretty much just a bit of background about the world of mages and the Fairy Tail guild.
The next arc, the Daybreak arc, Natsu goes to Lucys newly rented house, asking her to form a team with him. She agrees, saying since Celestial Spirit mages use spirits based on contracts, she cant break a promise. Natsu then reveals that he already picked their first job, a job in which a blond girl is needed, and Lucy realizes that he only wanted to team with her to get her help with the job. She goes along with the job, which is to destroy a book possessed by a perverted rich man who likes blond maids. They go, manage to get the book, and Lucy shows her bookworm habits by refusing to destroy it, since it is written by her favorite author, and instead reads it and realizes there is a spell on the book. She gives the book to the client stating that he can destroy it himself if he wants, and the spell on the book lifts, and etc etc Natsu decides since they didnt destroy the book they wont accept the reward, to Lucys horror.
The Lullaby arc is a bit longer. Erza returns to the guild, a female weapons master mage, whos magic is to switch out her weapons and armors. She requests that Natsu, and Gray, an ice mage and Natsus childhood rival, help her with investigating a dark guild that she believes is trying to unleash a sealed curse death magic called Lullaby. Lucy is asked to tag along to keep Natsu and Gray from fighting when Erza is not looking. They go and beat up the ENTIRE guild minus the leader with only the 4 people, and then Natsu beats up the leader. And they save the day.
So far, despite the lack of romance, I find myself intrigued by Fairy Tail. It has just the right amount of funny, serious, sad, perversion, and random displays of friendship and hatred all in one to keep me entertained. I would highly recommend watching this, and I shall keep you updated on my thoughts on each arc.
-May Hotaru
With Fairy Tail, however, I have been disappointed so far by the lack of romance, but hey, its only in the first season still! I am also a bit disappointed with the openings. They music is great, the animation is great, but its REALLY easy to predict the storyline and who the enemy is by the opening...
The Macao arc is just the intro arc to the life in Fairy Tail. The story follows Lucy, a Celestial Spirit mage who uses Keys to open gates to the Spiritual world and summons spirits from there, the most powerful being the golden keys, one of a kind keys that can call spirits such as Aquarius, Taurus, Virgo, etc... She is in the port town of Hargeon, where she meets a man called 'Salamander', a mage who uses fire magic that you cant buy from the stores, and falls instantly in love. However, Natsu, a pink haired man with a blue talking cat companion, bursts into the crowd around Salamander. He has been searching for someone and believes Salamander might be the person, but upon seeing Salamanders face realizes that he has the wrong person. Most of the girls in the crowd attack him for being rude, but Lucy looks at him and is broken from a spell cast upon her by Salamander. She thanks Natsu as Salamander and his crowd leaves, and treats him and the cat, Happy, to lunch. There she gives a bit of background about the life of Mages and Guilds, explains that Salamander was using a spell called Charm to get girls to like him, then leaves the two there. Later, she is reading a magazine and saying how she wants to join a guild featured in there, Fairy Tail, and Salamander comes out of the bushes (creeper) and says he is the Salamander from Fairy Tail and will let her join the guild if she goes to his party. She agrees, and later that night goes to the party. Salamander is acting all romantic, grossing her out a bit, and she realizes that he is attempting to cast Sleep magic on her. She confronts him about this, and he states that she is now his property, and the curtains around them open to show the men of the ship with the women who were attending the party all asleep. Lucy tries to summon a spirit, but Salamander takes her keys and throws them into the ocean.
On shore, Natsu is chillin and hears some girls say that Salamander is throwing a party on his ship, and that he is the famous Salamander from Fairy Tail. Natsu is bothered by this, and Happy brings him to the ship with his magical wings (a flying cat, yes) and they crash in on the party. Happy leaves Natsu and grabs Lucy, but his magic runs out and they both fall into the ocean. Lucy finds her keys (oh how convenient) and summons Aquarius. Aquarius seems to be crabby, and hates Lucy apparantly, because when Lucy tells Aquarius to make a wave to send the ship to shore, Aquarius attacks her instead, and the ship gets caught in the attack by mistake. Natsu is revealed on shore to be the REAL Salamander of Fairy Tail, and kicks the fake Salamanders butt, destroying half the port in the process. He grabs Lucy as he runs away, and when she is questioning why she has to run, he says she can join Fairy Tail if she comes with him. She agrees, and joins Fairy Tail.
(And from now on I shall summarize the plots rather than spell it out. Go watch it yourself!)
The next episode Natsu goes to save Macao, a guild member, and Lucy tags along because she feels like it. She ends up getting kidnapped by a perverted monster, summons the perverted spirit Taurus, and is eventually saved by Natsu, and the monster is defeated to show that it was actually Macao, taken over the by the monster.
And that is the end of the Macao arc. Two episodes. Pretty much just a bit of background about the world of mages and the Fairy Tail guild.
The next arc, the Daybreak arc, Natsu goes to Lucys newly rented house, asking her to form a team with him. She agrees, saying since Celestial Spirit mages use spirits based on contracts, she cant break a promise. Natsu then reveals that he already picked their first job, a job in which a blond girl is needed, and Lucy realizes that he only wanted to team with her to get her help with the job. She goes along with the job, which is to destroy a book possessed by a perverted rich man who likes blond maids. They go, manage to get the book, and Lucy shows her bookworm habits by refusing to destroy it, since it is written by her favorite author, and instead reads it and realizes there is a spell on the book. She gives the book to the client stating that he can destroy it himself if he wants, and the spell on the book lifts, and etc etc Natsu decides since they didnt destroy the book they wont accept the reward, to Lucys horror.
The Lullaby arc is a bit longer. Erza returns to the guild, a female weapons master mage, whos magic is to switch out her weapons and armors. She requests that Natsu, and Gray, an ice mage and Natsus childhood rival, help her with investigating a dark guild that she believes is trying to unleash a sealed curse death magic called Lullaby. Lucy is asked to tag along to keep Natsu and Gray from fighting when Erza is not looking. They go and beat up the ENTIRE guild minus the leader with only the 4 people, and then Natsu beats up the leader. And they save the day.
So far, despite the lack of romance, I find myself intrigued by Fairy Tail. It has just the right amount of funny, serious, sad, perversion, and random displays of friendship and hatred all in one to keep me entertained. I would highly recommend watching this, and I shall keep you updated on my thoughts on each arc.
-May Hotaru
Well, this past Saturday was the series finale of Sword Art Online, and without a doubt this has been one of the greatest emotional roller coasters I've had the immense joy to follow from start to finish in years. With episode 24 came an amazing turnabout in the story's overall age limitation, for starters. Spoilers may be dropped as it is an episode review so bare with me while I try not to gush all over the page.
Episode 24 brings us to the beginning of the end, as Kirito's journey of lost love reaches its end. With the aid of his surrogate daughter and vagrant AI, Yui, he manages to make his way into the Administrator's area of the World Tree. Formerly thought to be simply a difficult trial, it is made quite apparent that no one was ever meant to clear the difficult trials of Alfheim's story quest. Instead, it suddenly becomes abundantly clear that the entirety of the MMO's purpose was purely to facilitate Sugou's twisted ambitions of playing God with the lives of those interlocked in the system.
Further fueled on by this realization, Kirito finally breaches through all of the obstacles thus far in his path, finally to be brought to a tearful reunion with the objective of his tireless journey. This scene alone was enough to break me of my crying streak, I've been forcing myself to stay dry-eyed through a lot of this arc of the series, but goodness I could not hold it any longer the minute Yui uttered that sorrowfully joyous 'Mama'. You try not feeling something for that little girl, she's like Clementine from The Walking Dead Game! Yet, as with all things in SAO, this happy feeling is annexed by unprecedented rage as Sugou, donning his Faery King Oberon avatar swipes the opportunity away using unreleased gravity magic to pin them before they can get too mushy.
It is about at this time that most people physically watching the anime will begin to have this apprehensive sense of 'edge of your seat' tension and anxiety. Given, to this point in the series, Sugou has teased and taunted us with his threats upon Asuna's avatar, but only until this point has my own personal rage been put on the back-burner with the forced realization he won't touch her; yet. Oberon has become the ultimate psychological villain, at this point, epitomizing his ever-apparent God Complex with the unprecedented controls he has over both characters, he strings Asuna up by her wrists. Kirito, on the other hand, isn't granted such a kindness; but instead, is run through by his own sword and pinned to the ground even more emphatically.
With an increasing sense of self-satisfaction in his own devious actions, he becomes emboldened to increase the overall suffering of both characters. Utilizing the admin controls, he begins to tamper with the pain simulators of the game's interface, making it possible to feel every agonizing inch of the blade driven through Kirito's gut. As if to add insult to injury, Sugou then begins to turn his gaze towards Asuna's dangling form and begins to maliciously molest her. Okay, at this point I have to make an author's note that I had to pause the episode and stomp around in a world-class hissy fit the world had nary seen before. The audacity and cowardice displayed by Oberon/Sugou's character is hardly rivaled at this point, as I have hardly ever felt this level of seething hatred for an anime character. IN. MY. LIFE.
Unprecedented amounts of adrenaline coursed through my veins as I watched this brazen display before Kirito's shocked and dismayed eyes. His desire to rectify Sugou's actions with the utmost brutality were hindered by his in-game limitations and the 5-foot long broadsword stuck in his back. At the brink of utter despair, Kirito is forced to shut his eyes away and begins to admit defeat in the face of the ultimate adversary: the very system he once thought he could overcome with sheer force of will, just as he had in the final days of SAO. But, of course, a certain someone could not have the hero of SAO become the plaything of an infantile pervert with a God Complex; thus, Kayaba Akihiko makes his final appearance as a major plot device.
Giving him the empowering speech of +4 to badass, he equips Kirito with the final piece of equipment he would need in order to make things right and become the Gilded Hero in which the episode was entitled: Kayaba's Administrator Account. With admin power and a grudge encompassing an entire arc's worth of regret, anticipation, and the contribution of the enmity of viewers like me; he makes his final stand against Sugou in what was, to me, the single most gratifying moment of my otaku life. Reducing the pain restrictions to zero, Kirito stripped Sugou of pride, power, and precious urine as he turned the coward's body into a pincushion for all his aggression. Thus, bringing the great arc to a splendid conclusion; or so it seemed.
For this convention report I had the please sure of working with Adachi, the Director of Aniwave as her Convention Photo-booth Photographer! Well some very interesting characters passed though those doors i’ll tell you and being a photographer, I will be including many pictures that I personally took and also a view of the photo-booth pictures.
****Disclaimer****
the “professionally done” ones are not as good for the fact that I had none of my equipment I am use to, I was supposed to use hers, and also lighting in the convention center was TERRIBLE, so I apologize in advance.
Anyone who has never heard of Aniwave don’t feel bad, not a lot of people have, but it is growing since it’s humble roots in the Wilmington Art Museum! about 500 people attended this years, which was a record breaking number for this small con!
Don’t be fooled though. This is a tiny con, but if you are after making friends and creating personal relationships, getting your foot in the door of convention volunteering, or buying unique items in the dealers room you should check it out. There were many people who it was their first con. I think that smaller cons are perfect for first conventions for the simple fact that you are not overwhelmed as you would be if you went to a giant con such as Katsucon, or even worse Otakon. Most people, especially veteran con goers will say “go big or go home” but for a first timer its not a good idea to have your first be a huge con or you will have a bad experience, be stressed out or lost. I mean hell I’ve been to 4 conventions and Otakon still is a stressor, fun, but a stressor.
^pictured above is an adorable first time con goer, and first time cosplayer. I briefly had the pleasure of talking to her and her mother (not pictured) about their experience with aniwave. Here are her and her mothers thoughts, I will be referring to her as “Misa” cause that's her character
Well Misa and her mother told me that they were nervous at first cause they didn't know what to expect and also they didn't have a lot of time and money to put into cosplay, but no one gave them any crap about not looking exactly like the character. Its all about having fun.
If its one thing that makes me PISSED is when people give cosplayers crap about their costume not being exact, or looking good or perfect. Everyone had to start somewhere and we should be uplifting them for cosplaying and trying, not tearing them down.
So whether you are a cosplayer of many years, or a newbie at this, there is something for everyone at Aniwave.
The panels were a bit disappointing in my opinion, but then again i’ve been spoiled by larger cons. For the amount of panels that were there in that aspect it was a pretty good turn out! I especially enjoyed Video Game Improv!
So now enjoy a few more pictures as I wrap things up!!
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Don’t forget make sure to follow us for more convention reports, video game reviews, anime reviews and after thoughts, otaku culture and more!
I promise you wont be disappointed!
This article was written and contributed by Liz High.
Episode 23 – Bonds
In this episode, Kazuto tells Suguha to meet him in game.
When she logs in as Leafa, she encounters Recon, who confesses to her, and her
response? PUNCH HIM DOWN A FLIGHT OF STAIRS! Anyways, he cheers her up, and she
goes to confront Kirito. She challenges him to a duel, but midswing they both
let go of their swords, intending to let the other win, and they basically make
up. Kirito, Leafa, and Recon all meet at the World Tree to try to raid it, but
again, pretty much fail. Recon and Leafa are on heal duty, but the AIs target
them and Recon blows himself up with black magic. Leafa is about to be killed
as well trying to heal Kirito, but the Sylphs and the Cait Sith raid parties arrive
to save the day. They distract the enemies, and Leafa throws Kirito her sword,
and he uses what is likely an SAO skill with both blades to break through to
the door. The Sylphs and Cait Sith draw back once he breaks through.
At the door, Kirito cant figure out how to open it, and Yui
says it was locked by the administrators, never intended to be opened at all.
They are starting to be surrounded by enemies again, but Kirito remembers the
GM access card, and gives it to Yui, and using that, she opens the door, and
they are both teleported.
WHY IS IT NOT NEXT WEEK?!~ I NEED MORE! Suguha did certainly
regain some points in my book with this episode though, for not being and emo
whiny bitch.
-May Hotaru
When Pokémon came about, it inspired everyone to want to be the best trainer (that no one ever was~ *DA NA NANA*) ever. Even now, Microsoft Word will still correct the spelling and fix the 'e', because it's become that much of a household term. As it's popularity grew, many types of products soon followed: a TV show, comic books,stickers, trading cards, action figures, and even Burger King jumped in the craze for gold colored plates. What also came about were many spin-off games that do not follow the standard Pokémon game plot. While usually these types of spin-offs are a gamble, as with any spin-off based on either a TV show, movie or game, the Pokémon franchise did a good job of keeping originality, and kept the games from being absolutely terrible.
In order of when they came out in the United States, here are five of the spin-off games that are good examples of such:
5. Pokémon Snap!
Created in 1999 for Nintendo 64, Pokémon Snap is one of the first spin-off games of the franchise. You play as Todd Snap the photographer....and let's just go ahead and stop to say: yes, his name is a pun within itself. This name is one of the punniest used in the Pokémon franchise (and they use a awful lot of name puns), only second to Tracey Sketchit, the Pokémon watcher/sketch artist that appears later in the TV series.
Instead of catching Pokémon for Professor Oak, your job is to travel to Pokémon Island and take pictures of as many types as possible. It is a island undisturbed by humans, so you are taking pictures of as many Pokémon as you can instead of capturing them. You are armed with unlimited apples, unlimited pesterballs (which as the name implies, you use them to annoy the fuck out of Pokémon when you throw them), a Pokéflute, and a yellow all-terrian buggy that can fly.
Things that you do can change how the photos come out; the moods of the Pokémon and what areas you can get to depend on what you do each level, so the replay value is pretty good. To add to the excitement, Blockbuster used to team up with Nintendo and had "Pokémon Stations", where you could literally print out some of your best pictures as stickers. Your works of art came to life as STICKERS (and what person is soulless enough to hate stickers?!), which was a very rewarding feeling for many aspiring Pokémon Masters everywhere.
4. Pokémon Puzzle League
For those who enjoy puzzle games, this Nintendo 64 game is for you. The idea is to line up as many 'type' blocks in a row (horizontal or vertical), and getting four or more in a row sends a large 'block' to your opponent. The first one to be crushed under too many of these blocks and are unable to break them with their own rows in time wins.
One of the amusing aspects (in my personal opinion) is the victory trumpet sound that plays when you send a block to your opponent. Getting many combos in a row changed how epic the 'victory trumpet' sounds (as well as how big the block is), until it gets so hyped up that the music of victory adds insult to injury, as your opponent sees their hopes and dreams crush before their very eyes.
Although a puzzle game, the Pokémon-feeling is still there in full force; it is actually the only one to base a lot of things off the anime adaption. In the Story mode, you play as Ash and face gym leaders, as well as a couple matches from Gary and Team Rocket's notorious trio. In Verses mode, you and a friend can chose your character and test your skills.
It got enough popularity to get a sequel for the Game Boy Color: Pokémon Puzzle Challenge. Based off the Gold/Silver universe, it uses Johto characters and Pokémon.
3. Pokémon Stadium
The game closest to the original franchise, Pokémon Stadium took Pokémon turn-by-turn battles and put them in 3D (and in color) for the first time in America in early 2000. Trainers could battle the computer, or play with a friend, and use any of the Pokémon from the first generation. To add to the wow-factor, this was around the time the Nintendo had the Transfer Pack, so trainers could put their Red, Blue or Yellow packs in, and the game would allow you to battle with your Gameboy Pokémon.
There are also mini games for when you need a break from all the battles. They are lots of fun, but be warned; much like Mario Party, they can test friendships and family bonds. The game was good enough to receive a sequel as well: Pokémon Stadium 2 goes up to the Johto region (Pokémon Gold/Silver locations), and you can use said games with the Transfer Pack.
2. Hey You Pikachu!
Man, Nintendo 64 console is on a roll! Taking advantage of what Nintendo 64 had to offer, this game used a new piece of hardware called the Voice Recognition Unit (VRU), which allowed it to recognize and comprehend your voice. Basically, you can talk to Pikachu and it can understand what you're saying, which is pretty awesome. It includes a microphone, along with hardware that hooks up via the controller port.
Fun fact from Wikipedia: this is the ONLY game released in the United States to use the N64's VRU, and only one of two games total to have it as an option to use. Also, as an Easter egg: if you say "PlayStation" to Pikachu, it will get angry. Isn't gaming rivalry fun?
In the game, Professor Oak has you try out a new to talk to the Pikachu, and you become friends with it. Pikachu eventually starts living at your house, and you help Pikachu perform tasks: getting the right vegetables to help Bulbasaur cook, going fishing, finding lost Poliwag, etc.. It's a cute mini-game oriented game.
Games on later consoles inspired by this type of Pokémon game play include: Pokémon Channel (for Gamecube), PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, and PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond.
1. Pokémon Colosseum
The only one on this list that isn't on Nintendo 64, but instead on the GameCube This one goes more in the RPG direction; you play as Wes, a member of Team Snagem who betrays the group and takes their equipment a Snag Machine. It creates a Snag ball, which allows you to catch Pokémon already belonging by a trainer (hence the term 'snag', because the puns never stop!). You also start out with both an Umbreon and an Espeon, because apparently Wes is too cool for one starter (And it's good for double battles you come across).
You gain a traveling partner early in the story; Rui, a girl who has the ability to recognize Shadow Pokémon. Shadow Pokémon are ones whose hearts have been artificially shut, which creates a black aura around them that only Rui can see. Wes uses the Snag Machine to capture Shadow Pokémon, although you get to keep the Pokémon afterwards and works towards what the game refers to as "Purification".
This game also has one of the most bad ass openings when you start a new game. Wes busts in the headquarters, steals the Snag Machine, rides off with his duo on a motorcycle, and then BLOWS UP THE BUILDING as he leaves. Seriously, this is the guy you get to play as! The sequel to this game is Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.
In conclusion, Nintendo has a EXTREMELY good track record of making spin-offs for Pokémon games, and it's fun to see the franchise from different points of view. So if you come across any of these games, they are definitely are worth a play through.
Article written and contributed by Sara Dorfman.
Ok, finally we have the long awaited review of Sword Art
Online, ALFheim arc, brought to you by May.
It wouldn’t have taken this long, except for a few episodes
so little interesting things happened that I felt it was hardly review worthy.
Luckily, the last two episodes I have a lot to say about!
Episode 18 – To the World Tree
Most interesting part: Kiritos hip thrusts. (16:19-16:30. Thrust, thrust,thrust,thrust.) And Leafa is
very abusive to her friends. Also fanservice of her in nothing but a bra and
panties.
Basically this episode is about Leafa and her connections,
both in game and out. She leaves her party and is more or less threatened for
doing so, and then she and Kirito begin their journey to the World Tree. And
KIRITO! Don’t just shove Yui into your pocket when shes embarrassing you! Be
nice!
Theres more with Asuna in here too, with Sugou trying to
convince Asuna to lighten up, because apparently he isn’t having fun sexually harassing
her when she is just trying to ignore him. He says that since her body isn’t real,
she should lighten up and enjoy herself. Asuna just replies that to her, it doesn’t
matter if the body is real or virtual, and that he wouldn’t understand. Sugou
brings up Kirito, saying he met him in the real world, obviously trying to
break her spirit, or her faith in him. However, it has the opposite effect, for
now she knows for sure he is alive. Sugou leaves, but Asuna manages to see the
code he enters in the mirror by her bedside! GO ASUNA!
Episode 19 – The Lugru Corridor
This episode furthers Kirito and Leafas journey to the world
tree, through a cave system. However, they are ambushed by players of the
Salamander race. Kirito uses some of his Spriggan magic to turn into a badass
demon monster, and slaughters all but one, and that survivor he bribes to tell
him why they were hunted down. The survivor doesn’t know much, but Kirito
sticks to his word and gives him the items and lets him leave. Then, when Leafa
asks him if the monster was really him, Kirito states that sometimes he snaps
in battles and forgets things. (scary!) After a bit of elaboration on what he
remembers from this battle (in which Yui happily points out that he was
chomping on people), Leafa asks him what players taste like. Kirito turns
around, grabs her hand, and in jest, chomps on her, causing her to freak out
and slap him. Afterwards, Leafa logs out to check with Recon, since he had messaged
her right before they had been attacked. It turns out, Leafas old party leader, Sigurd,
is working with the Salamanders, and they are planning on attacking a treaty
signing between the Sylphs and the Cait Sith. Leafa feels it’s her duty to run
and warn the two race leaders with her knowledge, and Kirito tags along, of
course, because hes a hero like that.
Episode 20 – General of the Blazing Flame
This episode is about Leafa and Kirito saving the leaders of
the Sylphs and Cait Sith from the Salamanders, and we finally get to see some
twin blade action from Kirito battling off the commander of the Salamander
attack unit. The leader of the Sylphs is informed of Sigurds betrayal of their
race, and banishes him from their realm. Afterwards, both leaders and Leafa all
sort of fight over Kirto/try to seduce him into their service. Well less so
seducing from Leafa, but the others try to smother him in breasts. Poor Kirito.
Yui isn’t too happy about
Kirito getting all dokidoki being
smothered in breasts either, since he is supposed to be loyal to Asuna. Kirito
rejects the leaders requests, however, and instead just gives all his money to
the leader of the Cait Sith so they can prepare for clearing the World Tree.
Now we finally get to Asuna. With her learned knowledge of
the code to the door, she finally makes her escape!
Episode 21 – The Truth of ALFheim
Kirito and Leafa just manage to get to the city of Arun,
however there is an alert that there is a scheduled maintenance and all players
have to log off. So both of them log off for the night at Super Cheap (Yuis words) inn. Meanwhile, Asuna slowly makes her way
through the World Tree, looking for a console to log herself out from. (How she
knows this exists at all, I have no idea) She stumbles upon the room where all
the other comatose SAO players are being held, and vows to save them. Right at
that moment however, two…weird blob tentacle creatures appear. They start
examining the SAO test subjects, so they are apparently scientists. Asuna
hides, but spots a console nearby. Abandoning the more reasonable plan of
hiding until they leave, she dashes for the console, and almost has her finger
on the logout button, but is captured by the tentacle scientists. We all should
have seen enough Hentai to know where this is going…
Asuna tries to bluff
saying Sugou gave her permission to explore, but one of them logs out to check
with him, while the other wants to have a little fun with Asuna. Asuna of course retaliates in the only way she is
able. Biting tentacles. With her mouth. Eww, I wouldn’t touch those, but if the
only other option is having them violate you…. Brave girl, Asuna. Brave girl.
Who knows where he has put those tentacles… The other scienctist comes back,
saying Sugou is pissed and Asuna is to be put back into her cage and the
passcode changed. But tricksy Asuna, she grabbed the GM access card in the
console when she bit the tentacle, and now has at least something to work with!
Meanwhile, in the real world, Kazuto and Suguha (Kirito and
Leafa) go to the hospital to see Asuna. This is the first time Suguha is going,
and she is devastated to see how much Kazuto really cares for Asuna. (We also
learn that they are making a special school for the SAO players, though Kazuto isn’t
sure he wants to go, since he is sure they really just want to monitor the
players to see how the game has changed their minds.)
After the hospital, Leafa and Kirito log back in, and Leafa
starts crying on Kirito, saying her heart is broken. After she is done, they go
back out, and suddenly Yui says she can sense Mama’s player ID right above
them. Kirito, having so many feels that I probably can’t accurately describe
them, takes off into the skies.
Episode 22 – Grand Quest
Kazuto goes to her room to ask her if she is alright,
and doesn’t seem as fazed as her about the weird coincidence, thinking she is
acting weird because she is mad at him for using the NervGear again. Suguha
finally lets everything out, telling Kazuto that she was in love with him, and
thought he hated her because he was avoiding her before SAO. She said she was
so happy that he was being nice to her again, and wishes he was still mean so
she wouldn’t realize she liked him. She says she was trying to give up on him
and fall in love with Kirito, and now they end up to be the same person, and
her heart has betrayed her. Poor Kazuto can’t really say anything but ‘Sorry’,
and she closes the door in his face, and both of them are like “Fuck my life.”
AND THAT IS THAT! Next week comes Episode 23, and according
to my sources, is going to rip our hearts out! Stay tuned!
-May Hotaru
The Ultimate Cross-Over Halloween Costume
That in mind, we thought it would be a nice idea to give
some of you out there some ideas of anime ripe for the Halloween
marathons. Anime that put the emo in
bakemonogatari or just give you that thrill of the season that lets you get
into the haunted delights of the dark season.
Following are the top ten anime that we at Extroinverse feel
give emphasis to the nature of Hallow's Eve:
(Disclaimer, despite the bakemonogatari, due to oversight on
our parts, said anime did not breech the final top 10. Sorry, guys!)
Studio Ghibli’s movies take you to new worlds, where magical
things happen. In Spirited Away, a girl enters the servitude of a spiritual
business in order to save her and her parents lives. In Howls Moving Castle,
Sophie enters the service of Wizard Howl in order to break the curse put upon
her by the Witch of the Waste, giving her the body of an old woman.
These prospects alone give Studio Ghibli films the sense of
wanton wonder and excitement expected of this holiday. With Spirited Away's and Howl's Moving Castle
as prime contenders for the number 10 spot, we decided to give Hayao Miyazaki
the benefit of the doubt and threw his entire production company into the 10
slot. Because, let's be honest, it may
not be creepy but there's just something magical in general about Studio
Ghibli's work.
(May: I FUCKING LOVE STUDIO GHIBLI!)
(May: I FUCKING LOVE STUDIO GHIBLI!)
Vampires! Or rather,
chiropterans, are a simple enough reason to put this one in the next slot,
considering the violence and the plot of the highly appraised animated film.
(Perhaps not so much with the live action movie, but when dealing with an
anime-live action conversion, there will always be media bias.) You can't deny
that Saya's journey isn't one that doesn't get your blood racing and your heart
pounding as she slices her way from one victory to another against the evil
creatures.
Blood: The Last vampire remains one of the staple must-sees
of the general anime-loving community as well as a great watch for those bros
curled up on a couch during a dark and stormy night. Violence and teenagers, as much as that
harkens to a good portion of other anime also leads into number 8...
(May: The live action was pretty good.)
(May: The live action was pretty good.)
Picking up where we left off with something for you blood
brothers out there, Tokyo Majin gives you the best of both worlds. Hardcore battle scenes, people being bled dry
and their husks becoming zombies, and demons.
Lots and lots of demons. In this
anime, being a high school student doesn't entitle you to much unless you have
the chops to punch a demon in the throat.
Tokyo Majin boasts character appeal apart from standard shounen battle
brawlers as well as a haunted musical score that will keep you jamming
out. All the while, your favorite
characters angst their way to watching Tokyo crumble under the oppressive thumb
of a shadowy organization.
Much love to this anime comes personally from Hattah's vault
of 'fuck yeah' as we shuffle on to number 7 with a return to the haunting
nature of the holidays...
Born with the ability to see the spirits of the deceased,
Yakumo Saitou, hardship is putting it mildly when it comes to growing up. Now a reserved college student, with the help
of his fellow student Haruka Ozawa, he will go on to solve the mysteries of the
nearly departed in order to gain insight into his own morbid destiny.
This is where the list starts to descend into the creepier
antics of the spirit, literally, as this anime delves into the personal aspects
of hauntings and ghost hunting. A
psychological thriller, more than a horror story, Psychic Detective Yakumo
boasts character development out the ass and story intent on astounding around
every corner, disturbing down dark corridors, and a bit of confusion at dead
ends. The anime has some flaws, but the
core concept is solid and is at least worth a passing glance.
(Get it? Because he
has one red eye...these are the jokes, people.)
Watakuno is a dramatic high schooler who is constantly
chased and attacked by ghosts and evil spirits. He finds a shop that grants
wishes, and enters the servitude of Yuuko, in order to grant his wish of not
being bothered by ghosts. Yuuko uses him to her heart’s desire in odd tasks
that have him frequently dealing with the spiritual world, like a boss.
And what part of that doesn't scream 'Watch me on
Halloween'? Honestly.
(May: I FUCKING LOVE ANYTHING FROM CLAMP! I wish the anime had as much as the manga though.)
(May: I FUCKING LOVE ANYTHING FROM CLAMP! I wish the anime had as much as the manga though.)
A family moves to down, and everyone starts dying. It
doesn’t take long for certain residents to realize that not everyone is staying
dead, and soon they start fighting back like bosses. One anime where you know, things are going to
get ridiculous from the moment you see the entrance theme and credits. Shiki is creepy from start to finish, despite
its slow start-up, once the plot is established it will either weird you out,
creep you out, or end up right up your alley!
(May: This anime was a little difficult to get into at first, but once I did, it was pretty good!)
(May: This anime was a little difficult to get into at first, but once I did, it was pretty good!)
A website where you can curse anyone you want to death, at
the expense of your own soul. This website can only be accessed at the stroke
of midnight, and the Hell Girl appears to carry out the reaping of souls like a
boss. After a certain point, you realize
specifically how deadly Hell Girl's premise can be and give people a momentary
insight into the paranormal, but more likely, the human psyche when faced with
retaliation against unforgivable personal crimes. When people feel wronged, they want justice.
When they want justice, they will give almost anything to have it, even their
lives. When you want revenge, who you
gonna call. Ghost Busters? Fuck that, cal Hell Girl...though, going
bankrupt is a minor price to pay for keeping your immortal soul. You know what? Go ahead and call the Ghost Busters.
Speaking of one's immortal soul and a satanic allegory for
revenge who steals them. Number 3 kinda
barks up the same tree in more of a slapstick fashion...
(May: Its pretty interesting, but I didn't get too far into it yet.)
(May: Its pretty interesting, but I didn't get too far into it yet.)
A land where witches roam and humans can transform into
weapons. A school exists, with the Shinigami-sama himself as headmaster, to
teach these weapons, and their human wielders, how to fight the forces of evil
and insanity like bosses. Honestly, Halloween
just isn't the same without a little Soul Eater thrown into the proverbial
mix. Hell, the city in which the main
plot takes place feels like a modern juxtaposition of what Halloween town would
look like if Jack Skellington had a day job as the grim reaper and instead of
scaring people for a living, the inhabitants fight evil and absorb souls for
shits and giggles. That's just the kind
of place Soul Eater is.
Comedic gold with a hint of super cereal sub plot, with a
dash of 'What the fuck is Crona? Some
kind of funky shemale or some sexless puppet for a pervertedly semi-racist
sword? (Seriously. When you look at his
weapon's lips when it attacks, who DOESN'T think either 1) DSLs or 2) Black
people. Or is it just me? ...Well fuck you too!)
The point is, from the first episode on, you get the feeling
that things aren't all about snazzy costumes and jokes about Maka's negative
A-cups. There are some awesome fight
scenes and some dark plot behind it all, which comes full circle, even if the
ending isn't as climactic as the build up may suggest...
(May: I FUCKING LOVE THIS ANIME! I'm shipping MakaxSoul so hard right now. They're making a new anime soon that follows the mangas plot line!)
(May: I FUCKING LOVE THIS ANIME! I'm shipping MakaxSoul so hard right now. They're making a new anime soon that follows the mangas plot line!)
SPR, a group of paranormal researchers, most with their own
psychic powers, research and solve cases, and exorcise ghosts like bosses. Not a lot of anime can take home the trophy
for almost making me pee my pants, but Ghost Hunt gets to that point some
episodes. Some are touching, some feel
like filler which you still enjoy, and then there are simply the moments of
truth where evil ghost mcfuckface wants to bathe your blood. At that point, there's no amount of reminding
yourself this is a Japanese cartoon will save you from squealing for your
mother as an ancient evil crawls out of its bath of the blood of his victims
and there's not a damn thing you or the main character can do about it.
Ghost Hunt's main male character, ‘Kazuya Shibuya’, or Naru
the Narcicist as he is affectionately dubbed by the main heroine, is the epitome of the calm and collected main character. The unflappable nature of his persona and the
condescending discussions about the paranormal make you respect him and despise
him at the same time. The series mainly
follows the main character and heroine, Mai Tamiyama, as she falls in with Naru
and the rest of what eventually forms the group of SPR, and watches as she
grows into her own powers. With the rounded casts of paranormal investigators
and their latent abilities, you'll find yourself falling in love with this
Haunting anime faster than you can say 'I f**cking love Halloween'...
(May: This is BY FAR my favorite. And Naru.... soooo hot and cold at the same time. And I'm shipping MaixNaru because Masako is a bitch.)
(May: This is BY FAR my favorite. And Naru.... soooo hot and cold at the same time. And I'm shipping MaixNaru because Masako is a bitch.)
Actually...
Hot damn, I must be psychic! Never mind you assholes who retort that I wrote this list. But, wait a minute Hattah, I Luv Halloween
isn't an anime! It's a Manga! Well, shut the fuck up and hear me out as to
why this is in the number 1 spot. And
that's because it's a 3 volume long manga, SPECIFICALLY ABOUT FUCKING
HALLOWEEN! How do you not get this? I mean, that's the whole point of this entire
list and you're gonna question me?
*Ahem* Sorry. I Luv Halloween is
a manga, not an anime; yes. But the
three volume series follows the morbidly disturbed adventures of the Halloween
crew, a bunch of children whom every Halloween find themselves the center of
some conspiracy, horror story, or out of this world apocalypse.
From the beginning, you get a feel for how disturbed this
plot is and with each subsequent volume, things only get more levels of
depraved. By volume three, any sense of
nausea is replaced with a newfound appreciated for gruesome humor and dark
expectations as Devil Boy implores the children deeper into his web of deceit
and vengeance. Not really vengeance,
more like comic mischief that usually ends with tens of hundreds of casualties
because you don't fuck with the one black guy in town. Just a head's up.
But, as much as this list has been about anime and the
pursuit of a good Halloween thrill, you always have to give a bit of leeway to
that honorable mention. That one piece
of media which doesn't quite fit the qualifications, but you say fuck it
because it's just not a holiday without it...
The Honorable Mention: Tim Burton.
That's right, Tim Burton made it into this list without ever
once having to pull a Stan Lee and creating a manga because he got sick of
Marvel being a Disney Princess. Most
things that comes from the mind of Tim Burton are made specifically for the Halloween
season. The Nightmare Before Christmas
becoming standard fare for those familiar with the name, other movies from his
early career to now always carry the grainy themes and dark colors which are
idolized by Halloween.
Nine, Beetlejuice, Batman Forever, James and the Giant
Peach, Corpse Bride, etc. Take your
pick, you simply cannot miss with a Tim Burton film.
-A collaboration of Hattah Blackwell and May Hotaru
(PS. You can tell what parts May Hotaru wrote, they all have something along the line of 'like a boss' in it. Other than that, and minor editing and rewriting, the rest is Hattah's work.)