AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #12 Review (Finale)

They're merely chasing after each other endlessly. But still...it's so, so very beautiful.

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

It's the match we've all been waiting for -- Asuka Kurashina vs. Saki Inui. Considering that just a year ago Asuka wasn't even able to fly, the fact that she has made it this far is enough to captivate the crowd and build up quite the following for her. Saki, on the other hand, is a name that has been inspiring silence amongst the masses. Her style of "Perfect and beautiful FC" has been leaving the audience in a state of bewilderment to the point where they can't even determine whether or not they want to root for her. With that being said, Asuka is the clear fan-favorite in terms of winning the match -- but no one really expects much from it. I mean, after all, Saki is in a league of her own.

Or is she?

The match begins almost immediately after the start of the episode, and after three consecutive sonic boosts, Asuka claims the first point against Saki and starts forcing her into a corner. This, being the first time Saki has ever lost the opening point, already demonstrates that the match is going to proceed a bit differently than the average one. What's even more surprising than Asuka scoring the first point is what comes after. Remember that Delta Force tactic Kunahama was practicing a few episodes back (The one where the initiator kind of just flies in a square around the opponent)? Well, turns out that Asuka had practiced the Delta Force so much that she was able to put a single gigantic tweak on it that would ultimately give her a "Birdcage" technique of her own. After adding one more line to the Delta Force, Asuka has created the "Pentagram Force". Considering this is the first time the move has ever been used, Saki is a bit confused on how to handle it. But, she is one of the greatest players in the circuit right now. So, after a few calculations, she and Irina are able to pinpoint exactly where Asuka will be in order to break free. But, in actually attempting to do that, Asuka scores another point on a counterattack and brings the score to 2-0.

This is the part of the match when the two girls from Avalon realize they can no longer fool around. Irina orders Saki to completely turn off her balancers. This technique, which has never been attempted in flying circus before, completely silences the crowd and leaves everyone back on ground-level shocked and confused. After evening the score, Saki begins relentlessly assaulting Asuka with a tactic called "Greensleeves" and pushes the match to the end, still tied. I mean, how could Asuka possibly be able to compete with a girl who can modify her balancers in mid-air?

Easy. By convincing her team to turn her balancers off in the short intermission between the final match and overtime.

After some quick and effective persuasion about how she just wants to be able to fly alongside Inui for a bit longer, Asuka takes her place back in the sky. Just, this time, without balancers initialized. As soon as the match begins, however, Asuka plunges directly into the water. Following the quick look of shock from Inui, that water begins to rise. And from it comes the flying fish from Kunahama, sporting a look of determination that we've never seen from any of the girls before. Queue the hype music. Asuka takes back off toward the first buoy with Saki right there next to her. From this point on, the match is a super fast-paced battle between two girls who seem to know no limits. Asuka takes the lead again. Then Saki evens the score. Then Saki takes the lead. Then Asuka evens the score. The game goes back and forth over and over again until the two girls meet at one point in the sky and literally just create a giant sphere of light in which the two of them are trapped, endlessly just chasing after each other. In a moment of beautiful reminiscence, Irina realizes that there isn't only one way to be "Perfect" and that whatever Asuka and Saki are doing at this moment in time is easily enough to captivate thousands.

So after everyone silently gazes at the giant glowing orb in the sky for a few more minutes, overtime runs out. This, being a tournament, means that from this point on, it's sudden death (Whoever scores the next point wins). But, in the midst of their endless chase, Asuka loses control of her balancers and starts falling out of the orb. Immediately after, Saki plunges after her and quickly strikes her chest in an effort to maneuver around her and score the final point. Asuka isn't having it, though. In what seems like only three seconds or so, Asuka is able to turn her grav-shoes back on and, once again, counterattacks Inui. This time, however, doing so ends the match as she winds up scoring her the final point against the white-haired ace from Avalon.

The cutest part of the victory comes from Misaki just second after the match comes to a close. During Asuka's descent back to the ground, Misaki takes off and embraces her, congratulating her on winning and ultimately dragging the two girls down into the water. Meanwhile, back on land, Irina once again approaches Kagami-sensei and tells her that the entire "Perfect and beautiful FC" thing was just a means of trying to get Kagami to praise her. (Shocker). However, instead of demeaning the girl or silently dismissing her, Kagami says that it was Irina who provided solace for her in advancing the game of FC as a whole (With the whole balancer thing again). The weird part is that we never see Saki again as soon as the match ends. She's just gone. Huh.

I think this episode needed a little extra time just to tie up loose ends. As soon as the match is over, there's basically nothing. It's a few seconds of, "Wow! Good job!" and then it fades to black and leaves questions like, "Well what about [Random character]?" and "What happened to [Random thing]?" and it's actually kind of disappointing. I mean, we just finished the most emotional and intense ride of the season and now it's just...done? Man, that's not fair. The annoying part is that even if the studio cut out some of the final match, it wouldn't have been the same. The extremely brief ending is sort of a necessary evil that has to exist in order for us to get that exciting last match. I just wish there was a bit more to it.

In Summary:

AOKANA was fun. That's really all there is to it. It takes a step back from Sprite's last series (KoiChoco) and, instead, focuses more on sports-action stuff and fanservice material. It wasn't a bad series, don't get me wrong. It's just not what I was expecting considering my relationship with the last visual novel the makers had animated. Of course, this is its own monster and can't be held accountable just because it doesn't follow the same guidelines as another show from the same team. AOKANA has a very lovable list of characters that all receive apt spotlight time as the show goes on. Character development occurs in short bursts instead of slowly throughout the series (I feel like this doesn't happen in the VN though. I don't know, I could be wrong). The artwork is fine, there's nothing to complain about. I think the main problem in terms of artwork is that, during the FC scenes, there really wasn't much to animate apart from the contrails coming from the girls' grav-shoes. It just made the already underwhelming sport seem a bit more uninteresting. However, the music definitely helps you "Get into the mood" during certain matches and it wouldn't be surprising to find yourself on the edge of your seat by the time they end. If you're looking for a lighthearted comedy mixed with sports and are tired of normal sports like basketball or free-form swimming, go ahead and check this out. I can't guarantee that you'll get into it, but I certainly had a pretty good time despite several rough patches.

Episode Grade: A-

Series Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Anime Boston 2016 Round-Up

After fighting off a few waves of post-convention depression (Also known as PCD), I have finally summoned the strength in me to put this together. If you were not among those who attended (Or have no idea what I'm even talking about), Sunday, March 27th marked the end of 2016's Anime Boston. And, to summarize in just a few words, it was pretty radical. So, obviously, I am only one human being and thus was incapable of attending every single panel and event the convention had to offer -- so if I don't cover something you were looking forward to reading about (Cough, cough, the masquerade), I apologize. Maybe.

So, a little backstory before I get into the meat and potatoes of this year's AB -- I originally wasn't going to come this time around. Anime Boston is quite a hefty drive and consumes a large chunk of change, especially when you have less than $1000 to your name. But...then those jerks in charge of booking the musical guests locked in nano.Ripe and literally forced me to drop my prior arrangements in order to attend the band I have wanted to see more than literally anyone else ever (And that's coming from someone whose been to well over 100 concerts of all varieties). And what's even more suspicious about that is that year PRIOR, Anime Boston booked LiSA (Who was second place in my ranking of "Performances I must see before I die"). In fact, I remember directly saying last year, "Wow! The only thing that would be better than LiSA is nano.Ripe!" So, hat's off to you, Anime Boston. If you guys book Amazarashi or Supercell next year I will have ascertained that you are literally stalking my Twitter page in an effort to take all the money I have left.

Okay, let's start talking about actual convention stuff and not just my feelings on the greatest J-Indie band of all time (nano.Ripe).

Friday (March 25th):
First thing's first -- thank god I picked up my badge of Thursday. I walked into the Sheraton around 10:00PM or so and the line for those who pre-registered online and needed to pick up their badges was essentially long enough to fill the entire dealers' room. BUT, according to a friend of mine who actually had to wait in that line, it really wasn't all that bad. The formation seemed fine and, apparently, it moved pretty quickly. Also, I was totally digging the light-up registration booths that emanated different colors depending on what exactly yo were supposed to do at each one. That was cool. If I had another hat, I'd take it off again (See paragraph 2).

Sentai Filmworks Industry Panel and the Defiant Powerpoint Presentation:
Industry panels are pretty self-explanatory at this point in time. People show up, marketing/PR department shows you what's going down in their respective company, Q&A happens, etc. And while the Sentai reps were as bubbly and entertaining as always, the announcements were a bit underwhelming. However, the crowd definitely lit up with the announced acquisition of "Haven't You Heard? I'm Sakamoto," a recent fan-favorite. Apart from that, more titles like Ushio & Tora, Azumanga Daioh, and several others were teased. But the most interesting part of the panel would actually be the defiant powerpoint presentation that never wanted to listen to Sentai Filmworks. Though it was funny at first, the whole scenario just turned out being a little awkward when things weren't progressing the way they should. With that in mind, the Sentai reps weren't at fault for this and did all they could to push things along briskly. Sometimes computers are just jerks.

Aniplex of America Industry Panel and the Kaori Miyazono Pin:
This panel marks the first time I ever won anything at a convention. And if you couldn't tell from the bolded text above me, the item in question was a button featuring Your Lie In April's boisterous violinist, Kaori Miyazono. So, after knocking some cosplayer's basket of Easter eggs over, I made my way up to Aniplex's marketing specialist, Alex Crum, and gladly claimed the button. Then, I would knock the same exact basket of Easter eggs over on the way back to my seat. I am an awkward and terrible person. Apart from the button and the spilled eggs, Aniplex once again boasted a surprising list of beautiful box sets coming in the near future, with titles like: Durarara xWhatever season it's on now, Anthem of the Heart, and (My personal favorite) Plastic Memories. What I've learned from that last title is that Aniplex has really been enjoying making people cry lately. After another Q&A and some more giveaways and announcements, the panel ended and I set off on a typical cliche writer's venture to find an oversized cup of coffee.

Your Lie In April Live-Drawing and Me Being Way Too Lucky in One Day:
After the oversized cup of coffee was claimed in the name of me, I made my way over to what would soon be one of the greatest panels I have attended to this day -- the Your Lie In April live-drawing and Q&A with the original Japanese director and character designers, Kyohei Ishiguro and Yukiko Aikei, respectively. The bulk of this panel revolved around Ishiguro-san and Aikei-san answering both premade and impromptu questions. After the translator (Who I just want to say was pretty damn great) relayed the questions back to the Japanese staff, they would reply with incredibly informed and enlightened responses that kept myself, as well as the rest of the crowd, entertained through the entire panel. Eventually, the tides would turn and Ishiguro-san would be the one asking the questions. One particular question of his, however, wound up being perhaps the most pivotal moment of the entire panel. That was, "Which character from the series do you most relate to?" Fighting the urge to raise my hand and declare why I believe Tsubaki is the most relatable character of the series, each response from each fan called upon spiraled into an emotional support-group type moment in which people poured their hearts out to Ishiguro and Aikei, ultimately thanking them for everything they've done. And now, the moment we've all been waiting for...the giveaways. In addition to the four live-drawings from Aikei-san, signed copies of the scripts for episode #21 and #22 were both added to the list of items that would be taken home by lucky crowd members. And, WHAT DO YOU KNOW, I won the signed copy of episode #21's script! Everything after this moment was consumed by the mass amount of happiness my body had taken on that I can't even remember how the panel ended. SORRY GUYS.

The nano.Ripe Concert and the Line I Have Been Waiting For:
And so came the most important moment of the day -- the moment I have waited years for. Finally seeing nano.Ripe was such a remarkable experience for me that it is actually hard for me to write about. I will say, however, that it wasn't just me that was immensely compelled by the moment. As soon as nano.Ripe took the stage and the first chords of "Toumei No Sekai" from Glasslip rang out, the crowd erupted into an exciting and memorable moment filled with an intensity that could be felt throughout the entire room. That feeling carried on for the entire hour they played. The only thing I would have changed about it would have to be expanding the show's duration from one hour to...I don't know, six or something. I also want to point out how in-love I am with Kimiko and her inability to speak or understand English. I think my heart fell out.

ALI Project and....Dude, I Don't Even Know:
After a short half-hour intermission following the end of nano.Ripe's concert, ALI Project took the stage and then...things happened. In fact, everything happened. And nothing happened. The mood in the room shifted from hype to confusion so quickly that only the people seated in front of stage-left were standing up. No one was even moving really, just looking at each other. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for dark and gothic material...but something about ALI Project's mystifyingly slow burn of a performance was a bit too much for the bulk of the crowd. They didn't even look like they were enjoying it themselves. I went from wanting to stay to see that one song from Another to, "We need to leave right now," in a matter of minutes. Anything after the first two songs, I can not tell you about. I was getting in line for MangaGamer.

MangaGamer and That One Yuri Visual Novel With the Ghosts:
If there is anything I'm totally into, it's dead lesbian girls. Wait, what? MangaGamer is one of the most active developers in terms of English-translated visual novels -- one of the lesser known Japanese entertainment mediums in American society. This panel basically played out the way you'd expect any industry panel to play out. Announcements, current titles, Q&A, giveaways, and horny dudes. Okay, maybe that last part isn't present in EVERY industry panel. But I guess that's just an added bonus for MangaGamer's stuff. Anyway, apart from the normal reiteration of current titles and things of that nature, there was one thing that served as a giant step forward in terms of making an impact on the VN market. That was the announcement of the yuri visual novel Kindred Spirits on the Roof being uncensored on the Steam marketplace -- which, for those of you that don't know, is a gigantic feat. In addition to that, MG also announced that they would be creating games for the drama CD's that originally accompanied the Japanese release of the game, which is yet ANOTHER huge feat. The developers have definitely taken an impressive step forward in the last year or so.

Saturday (March 26th):
Okay, day two. Let's do this. After a very...interesting morning (Which I am absolutely not going to talk about because reasons), I grabbed a Lyft to the convention center with literally less than one hour until our very own Fandom Post panel was slated to begin. When I arrived at said convention center, the line to actually enter the damn place was so incredibly long that if I had actually waited in it, I wouldn't have made it inside until the panel was already over. So, after talking with a staff member about whether or not the word "Press" on my badge was enough to get me inside, I was, in fact, allowed past the line and booked it toward to room 206 so I could go talk about stuff with Chris and the other Fandom Post people as well as you beautiful readers.

The Fandom Post Panel and the Awesome People That Showed Up To Ask Us Questions and Take Our Anime:
For the first time in my career (And what I believe is the 1,956,327th time in Chris Beveridge's), I was able to help hold a Q&A/Discussion panel and, as expected, it went really well! Apart from finally meeting some of the team that I've been writing alongside, I finally got to meet some of YOU guys! That's right, YOU! Anyway, it was great answering all of the questions you had and bonding with you over the hour and half we got to hang out for. Also, it was great to finally publicly express my distaste for Ghibli and see the looks on all of your faces! (Evil laugh). No, but really, it was a great experience that was both informative and fun for everyone involved. It's always great meeting the people that keep you going. So thanks, guys. Hope to see you whenever the next Fandom Post panel is. In the meantime, keep reading!

Your Lie In April Launch Party and Erica Lindbeck's Fantastic Hair:
No really, her hair was fantastic. Some of the best I've seen. 10/10. On another note, it was great to once again witness the spectacle that is Your Lie In April alongside some of the creative staff. Filling an entire auditorium with people that can sympathize with and relate to a series as special as this one is truly something great. This was the first time that the English cast and the Japanese staff got to meet on stage and seeing the parallels between them is definitely something I will remember. Also, watching both sides of the spectrum communicate with and applaud each other really shaped out to be a lesson to everyone. There are a lot of people out there who belittle dubbed anime and refuse to watch anything that isn't in the original Japanese language. But when the actual director from the Japanese series is up there proclaiming how phenomenal the English version is, I think it shows that some people are just being a little narrow-minded. I've mentioned it before, but the English version of Your Lie In April is one of the best dub performances I have ever seen -- and it really allows us to relate to the series on another level. And when you have a show as expansive and important as this one, well, that's just another reason to fall in love with it. One more thing before moving on -- I just want to applaud the girl from the crowd who shared her tragic experience with the rest of the audience (As well as the staff) in an attempt to show us just how much this series can mean. As if the show itself wasn't tear-inducing enough, that went and happened and literally everyone started digging into their exclusive Your Lie In April tissues that were hilariously passed out at the beginning of the event. Thumbs up to Aniplex for being prepared.

All About That Ecchi and Fanservice but Were Afraid To Ask and What are the Staff Even Doing?:
Okay, first off, what is up with that panel title? It doesn't even make sense. There weren't even any questions that were answered, let alone asked for the entire hour this thing took up. The most bewildering part of all of it, though, was how the staff awkwardly forced us all into filling in rows the way they would for main events...but there were only like 30 people and a good 200 seats. Why? I don't understand. So after looking around anxiously for a good five minutes, everyone just got up and moved around and the staff completely ignored the fact that their mishap made everyone ever feel uncomfortable. In fact, that made us feel even more uncomfortable than the next hour of watching borderline-hentai clips did. This panel could be broken down into 50 minutes worth of three (Yes, only three) very-long ecchi clips with literally zero commentary throughout. The first five minutes, on the other hand, was the panelist rattling off different terms for different types of fanservice that made it seem like we were going to have a vocabulary quiz at the end of the damn panel. BUT THEN THOSE TERMS AREN'T EVEN MENTIONED AGAIN SO WHY WERE THEY BROUGHT UP TO BEGIN WITH? Were those the questions we were afraid to ask? Why would we even be afraid of asking them? Why is your panel title so long? Why is everyone drinking Diet Pepsi? This was a mess and I can't even remember why I went. The panelist himself was a lot less awkward than you would imagine, though. I feel like he could definitely throw something solid together if he put effort into it. For this, though? Nope.

Greg Ayres Raw And Uncensored and Exactly What I Expected:
The line was too long so we didn't go.

Sunday (March 27th):
Sunday is basically just a day to finish up shopping in the dealers' room and artists' alley. Everyone knows this. You wake up super early and pack everything up because hotels make you check out by noon so the morning is always rushed and blah blah blah. However, this year, something cool happened that made mornings feel even MORE rushed. That was...

The Kiznaiver World Premiere at 5:30 AM and the Free Bagel for 100 People:
There is no way I am waking up at 5:00 AM. My friend went, though -- he said it was cool.

The Kiznaiver Rebroadcast at 11:00 AM and No, This Is Not the Line for Cosplay Chess:
That's more like it. This is a time where I can actually exist. I actually wound up rushing over to Hall D for this nearly two hours before it started because I assumed it would be packed considering the popularity of Studio Trigger. But...there was basically no one there. And barely anyone would even show up. I mean, there were a lot of factors determining the success of this event (The 5:30 showing, Easter Sunday, dealers' room rush, etc) but, really? There were less than a hundred people in line even when it fully developed. Instead, people kept coming up to us and asking, "Hey, is this the line for Cosplay Chess?" Dude, what even is Cosplay Chess? So we looked it up -- it doesn't even follow the rules of normal chess! You can lose the king and still win! Why are so many people going to this event and not seeing this cool anime about people who share pain or whatever!? Anyway, the anime itself was actually pretty solid. In fact, it might wind up being my favorite from Trigger if it keeps on its current path. After Kiznaiver ended, we were greeted with another premiere -- Anne Happy. At this point, pretty much half the crowd left because dedicated Trigger fans only care about Trigger and that's it. Regardless, Anne Happy was cute, funny, and basically everything you'd expect from a series centered around middle school girls. The question is, can it drag out its running joke of unluckiness for an entire season?

The TL;DR Part:
Anime Boston 2016 was a step up in many ways for the convention. The staff was significantly better this year in terms of line management considering how much of a mess it was in 2015. (Flashbacks to the mosh-pit autograph line for LiSA). nano.Ripe put on one of the best shows I have ever seen and completely rocked the auditorium and dominated Friday night. The mall was less packed than usual and even the Starbucks in it seemed to manage its lines pretty well. The dealers' room could have definitely fit some more booths in there, but the lack thereof definitely made it easier to navigate. Of course, that comes at the expense of having less things to buy. The artists' alley, on the other hand, seemed pretty packed most of the time with more condensed booths than last year. The convention hall, itself, faced no major changes in layout and was still easy to navigate. In fact, I'd say Anime Boston is the best I've been to in terms of navigation. Panels, this year, seemed a bit less diverse and the videos played before main events were rather unlikable and...off, as far as I'm concerned. But overall, the experience was still great and Anime Boston continues to be one of my personal favorite conventions. Here are a few bolded topics to put an end to this round-up.

Best Event: nano.Ripe Concert
Best Panel: Your Lie In April Live-Drawing
Best Purchase: Goodnight PunPun Vol. #01
Best Free Thing: Your Lie In April Poster (Launch Party)
Best Place To Eat: Wagamama
Best Dealer: New England Comics/Aniplex
Best Artist: Tanya Zolotareva

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at Anime Boston next year when they once again announce a musical guest that I will have no other choice but to go see!

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #11 Review

I've never tasted such a repulsive victory before...

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

It's the moment we've all waited for -- the final tournament. With Kunahama playing better than ever before, things are going to heat up quickly. But will their new and improved tactics be enough to surpass the likes of both Takafuji participants (Reiko and Rika) as well as Inui Saki and her perfect and beautiful FC? With all three girls from Kunahama slated to go against players from various backgrounds in the first round, things already take a sonic boost toward an exciting start. The first (And the only one we'll see in the first round) pits Mashiro Arisaka against the Rika Ichinose, the girl who taught Mashiro everything she knew.

In a dramatic "Teacher vs. Student" matchup, Rika and Mashiro both bring forward their A-game and don't let down their respective guards for even a moment. After Rika scores the first two points, Mashiro must bring out and showcase her new tactic, "The pickle stone technique"...or something like that. I don't know, it had a weird name. Regardless, the technique (Which involves Mashiro mimicking Inui's aerial control tactics) evens the score between the two and, suddenly, Mashiro has control over the match. Confused about how to handle the situation she's been thrust into, Rika spends the rest of the dogfight just trying to regain composure, which ultimately results in Mashiro claiming the first-round victory. But, considering just how friendly the two girls are with each other, Rika claims that she will beat Mashiro next time instead of being a sore loser. The two eventually laugh their way out of the sky and the next batch of matches begins. Well, after udon of course.

The next matchup we get to see involves Asuka Kurashina and the third-place seat from the last tournament, Mayu Ganeko. Since we don't get to spectate the match until it is already underway, we miss the beginning half in which Asuka is already dominating Ganeko. This domination actually continues in Asuka's favor and after what seemed like less than one minute, the match ended with Kunahama's "Flying fish" claiming victory and moving on to the final round. This, of course, brings up the most important matchup of this week's episode -- Misaki Tobisawa vs. Saki Inui. And, my-my, what a match it was.

Saki, as always, propels toward the first buoy and claims an easy first point. Then, following her traditional "Birdcage" technique, she ascends hundreds of feet above Misaki in an attempt to control her for the rest of the match. However, Misaki has other plans. Utilizing the "Sonic boost" she learned in last week's episode from Masaya, Misaki is able to even the playing field and force Saki into a dogfight that she must reluctantly accept. And, for the first time in history, Saki's back is touched and Misaki has evened the score. From this point on, the match erupts into an intense battle of Saki trying to regain control and Misaki relentlessly assaulting her in order to prevent that. Eventually, Saki can no longer just sit there and take the assault and, instead, shows that she has emotions and begins to fight back. Of course, Irina is taken aback by this and commands Saki to just follow their plan of maintaining perfect and beautiful FC. Saki, however, is overtaken by her emotions (Which she, in a surprising turn of events, actually HAS) and continues to fight back. Normally, I'd give away the ending result of a match like this. But instead, I'm going to leave that to you guys to find out for yourselves. Mwahahaha.

In Summary:

Much like the last tournament episode, this penultimate addition is action-packed and suspenseful throughout. We get to see each of the main heroines play in their respective matches and screen-time isn't really forced into one direction as far as that goes. With the bulk of this episode spent on actual FC matches, there isn't much subplot action -- but there still is a decent amount of fanservice with a few locker room scenes and some vigorous stretching by Misaki. All in all, I'd say this episode does an exceptional job of setting the stage for the finale and definitely drags the level of excitement from viewers up a notch or two when compared to the last few installments. Personally, I'm very interested in seeing how next week's final round will turn out.

Grade: A-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Final Fantasy Type-0 Side Story Vol. #1 Manga Review

People need our help...and it's a cadet's job to give it!

Creative Staff:

Art: Takatoshi Shiozawa

Story: Hiroki Chiba

Scenario Writer: Sara Okabe

Character Design: Tetsuya Nomura

Translation: Alethea and Athena Nibley

Lettering: Lys Blakeslee

What They Say:

Kurasame is a man touched by destiny and tragedy. Serving as commander of the elite military academy Vermillion Peristylium's Class Zero, he will rise to become one of the Four Champions of Rubrum and the Reaper of the Icy Blade. But what will be the fate of the soul feared by all as the Ice Reaper...?

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Remember that time several moons ago when I reviewed the Final Fantasy Type-0 manga adaptation (If you can even call it that) and basically compared the thing to a decomposing pile of garbage? Well, good news everyone, this spinoff series isn't! In fact, it's actually pretty darn good. But just what makes it so much different than the original Type-0 manga? Well, for starters, this one isn't condensed into a single volume. Now, I know what you're thinking, "It's already better!" But just wait, there's more!

Type-0's side story manga follows the angsty teen life of Kurasame, Class Zero's commanding officer, back when he was just a cadet. With big dreams of becoming an actual soldier, Kurasame has a hard time fitting in with the rest of his classmates who seem like they're just in it to have fun. In the midst of his cold-hearted dismissiveness, he is reluctantly persuaded into joining in on one of the class's "Tests of courage" slated to take place inside some random cave somewhere in Rubrum. But shortly after the games begin, things start to get...well, pretty damn terrible.

After his walky-talky starts malfunctioning, Kurasame and several other of the cadets who stayed behind go to investigate the cause of the staticky disturbance. But when they arrive at one of the test's checkpoints, they are greeted by the horrendous sight of nearly their entire class ripped to shreds at the hands of Concordian rogue soldiers. However, one girl, the black-haired and bubbly Miwa, is still conscious and clinging to life amidst the carnage. Feeling a sense of urgency that he's never felt before, Kurasame decides that he must fight in order to avenge the group of students that he took far too long to learn to appreciate. Fueled by rage, Kurasame slaughters one of the Concordian soldiers and her weird crystalline monster things that she had used to kill the bulk of Class 3.

Without giving away the rest of what goes on in the cave (Which consumes the vast majority of the first volume), I will say that each and every event that took place within it is absolutely penultimate in determining the futures of the remaining cadets. Even more depressing is the fact that the few who survived will not even be acknowledged for what they actually did, but instead just surviving. In the world of Type-0, people are incapable of feeling remorse for the deceased. Those who pass away have all of the memories linked to them wiped away from the minds of anyone they have come across. Because of this, the survivors of Class 3 can't even mourn the deaths of their friends and must, instead, find a way to move on. But that is easier said than done for some of the cadets.

Concordia and Rubrum are supposed to have a truce at this moment in time. The fact that Concordian rogues would so blatantly slaughter cadets of Akademia would be provocative of war. So, in order to avoid said war, Akademia decides that it is imperative to have the happenings of the test of courage kept secret from the Concordian government. This, of course, means that there would be no justice brought to the graves of the dead students and that Concordia would remain unpunished. Obviously, Class 3 isn't exactly grateful to hear this. But, perhaps the worst part of it all, is that just weeks after their class is annihilated, they receive a mission to aid Concordian civilians from incoming monster attacks. Will Kurasame and the rest of his class be able to set aside their recent experiences in order to help the same people that killed their friends?

In Summary:

The Type-0 side story literally dwarfs the single-volume Type-0 manga. Instead of dedicating itself to pleasing fans of the Type-0 game, it exists on its own and has an entirely different story to tell that still possesses all of the things that made the game shine. The imagery is dark and disturbing and throughout the entire volume, there is a looming sense of fear and suspense that constantly drives you toward the next page. The characters [that survive] are not the most original (Apart from Kurasame) but are still likable nonetheless. I have a feeling that character development in this series is going to be the highlight, but with a story and dark and brooding as this one, I would not be surprised to have development surpassed by the overall narrative. Final Fantasy Type-0 is a hyperdramatic piece of the Final Fantasy world that I would consider essential to all fans of the brand. I have high hopes for this series and am looking forward to reviewing the next installment in the near future.

Content Grade: B+

Art Grade: B

Packaging Grade: B

Text/Translation Grade: B+

Age Rating: 16+

Released By: Yen Press

Release Date: July 21, 2015

MSRP: $12.99

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #10 Review

All of you, come at me together. I'll teach you my ace in the hole.

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Remember that part of Rocky III when "Eye Of The Tiger" comes on and everything is super intense and stuff? Well if there was any episode of AOKANA to throw a testosterone-induced training theme into the mixture, it would be this episode. In preparation for the coming tournament, the Kunahama FC team must work harder than ever before if they are going to have any chance of beating Inui Saki. At the same time, Saki and Irina are modifying their training regime as well, taking the balancers completely off of Saki's grav-shoes and allowing her to fly even faster (As if she needs to do that).

In the midst of all this training, Asuka decides that it's a good idea for Kunahama to temporarily team up with Reiko and Rika and calls them over to run some drills. After all, everyone is going to have to take on Inui at some point...but will the power of sheer hard work be enough to overtake her? That's the question on everyone's mind -- particularly Masaya's. But we'll get to that in a second.

With Reiko and Rika added to the mixture, Misaki decides to summon yet another person to the sweaty, training montage. This time around, that person is Shindou (Who had previously decided that sitting at a shrine and praying is a superior form of training). Either way, Shindou leaves the Shrine and meets up with Kunahama. Apparently the whole praying thing worked out for him because now he is able to mimic several of Saki's moves that she ultimately used to dominate him in the finals of the last tournament. Good for you, Shindou. Anyway, setting himself up as sort of a target dummy, he coerces Misaki into attempting to take him down. Obviously, it doesn't work because he's now an overpowered divine FC dude or something and the training montage continues for a little while longer.

Okay, back to Masaya. With not much...actual content in this episode, it's a good time for Masaya to finally get back into the mixture. Noticing the gravity (Ha) of the situation at hand, Masaya has a talk with Kagami-sensei about getting back into FC to better help the girls. Then, in the middle of their training, he bursts through the skies in grav-shoes of his own, bewildering the entire crowd. Then out of nowhere, Kagami-sensei shows up and says, "Yeah, he's always been good at this," before taking off into the sky as well and challenging every single person on the field/sky to come at her. But before I go down a few more lines to the "In summary" part, I just want to say...my God, Kagami is HOT. Jeez. Okay, that's enough.

In Summary:

This episode is basically a giant setup for Masaya to get over himself and get back into the game of flying circus. A good 3/4 of the episode, though, is honestly just the girls training (Which they are doing all the time anyway). This time around, though, the training is harder (I guess) and there are more people there. That's really the only difference. Honestly, if it weren't for the last five minutes or so, I'd go ahead and say that you could skip this entire episode and still be able to grasp what's going on. This, combined with a few more artistic inconsistencies than normal, go on to create a rather blasé tenth episode that serves very little purpose when put side-to-side with the rest. Average on all fronts.

Grade: C

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #9 Review

I'm a crying, sulking, weak and no-good girl.

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

Now that the third and final girl of Kunahama's flying circus team has gone into an emotional slump, it's basically set in stone how this episode is going to play out from the very beginning. The power of friendship must once again come together in order to do blah-blah-blah and this-and-that in order to force Asuka into a happy state once again. Following her ten-foot plunge into the ocean during her match in last week's episode, Asuka's slip into depression is just another bump in the road for Kunahama. However, depressed Asuka is very unlike depressed Misaki and depressed Mashiro. Instead of spending all of her time crying and thinking she's no good, she...reverts to singing old anime openings instead? Man, I wish that's how I harnessed the darker places of my life.

Regardless of how Asuka copes with sadness, this is obviously an issue that must be addressed if Kunahama is going to have any hopes of performing in the next tournament. So of course, the girls do what they do best -- unite and try to force the depressed party out of hiding. But when Asuka goes missing, that gets a little bit harder. Luckily for Mashiro and Misaki, she's only missing for like ten minutes and eventually just shows up at Misaki's house to apologize for not responding to a text message. Damnit Asuka, you can't even be sad correctly. Who even are you? Misaki then winds up inviting the two other girls to stay the night which, of course, causes Mashiro to erupt into a lustful, Misaki-induced panic. However, since there are more important things to deal with than yuri at the moment, Misaki forces Mashiro to leave the room so she and Asuka could talk. But before we get into that, there is something...unsettling that I must address about the situation at hand.

Just why does Misaki have a gun? And why is it just casually displayed on a rack in her bedroom? For those of you familiar with Japan's gun laws and policies, this should be an immediate red flag. Hell, even if you aren't familiar with Japanese gun laws, this should be a red flag. What is Misaki going to do with the gun? Did she have Mashiro leave the room just so she could finish off Asuka? I mean, Misaki has been out of it lately -- maybe this is all part of her plan? Would Mashiro even turn in Misaki if she were to kill Asuka? Asuka's whereabouts at this moment in time aren't even apparent to anyone but Misaki and Mashiro. If she has a good hiding place for the body, it's basically guaranteed that she can get away with murder. Oh my god, what if the gyoza she made earlier was actually stuffed with human remains instead of pork?! Just what is this series about to turn into?!

Needless to say, Asuka isn't murdered and the two girls literally just talk for a little while. Phew, that was close. Eventually, Misaki is able to get Asuka to cheer up a bit and the three girls make their way to school in a much better mood the following morning. Well, except for Mashiro who is still furious about being kicked out of Misaki's room and then being promptly forgotten. But hey, Asuka is all better now so it was worth it, wasn't it? Upon arriving at school, another unexpected turn of events occurs -- Asuka challenges Misaki to a match. The catch is, if Misaki loses, she must join the team again.

This match might actually be my favorite of the series so far, despite how short it was. Asuka gets off to a quick lead as Misaki take a shortcut to the second line. As Asuka makes her way to the second buoy, Misaki evens the playing field and scores a point of her own during a counterattack from Asuka on the offensive. After a quick dogfight, the two girls launch simultaneous air kick turns at each other and literally no one says anything about Misaki being able to do this all of a sudden. What's up with that? Everyone freaks out when Asuka and other players pull off the air kick turn, but good ole' Misaki does it flawlessly and no one bats an eye? No wonder she quit playing this stupid game. Eventually, the match comes to a close with Misaki winning by several points. But, this is an anime so of course she rejoins the flying circus team anyway. Hooray! All the girls have defeated their inner demons and may now proceed to further the plot once again! Imagine Dragons would be so proud.

In Summary:

Even though Asuka's inner-struggle...uh, struggles to find an appropriate tone, it's still a delight on behalf of Mashiro and Misaki's strong supporting roles. We get to see a couple flashbacks from Asuka and some baby pictures of Misaki that do a solid job in displaying just how quickly time has gone by and how the mindsets of the respective girls have changed. The match between Asuka and Misaki is one of the best so far, despite is brief longevity. But the shining star of this episode has to go to Mashiro playing with a cat toy in a box. I feel like everything from that point onwards can only get worse. Also, five points to Misaki for hiding a gun in her room from the Japanese police force and not taking advantage of it to murder her friends. That really shows how far she has come in terms of character development.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

AOKANA: Four Rhythm Across The Blue Episode #8 Review

I...can't fly anymore.

What They Say:

The Kunahama Institute is one of the first in the world to give out new anti-gravity footwear to its students. Not only does this invention change the way the basic world functions, with students now being able to shoot across the sky, but it also gives birth to a new sport -- The Flying Circus. Asuka Kurashina is a new transfer student at Kunahama who has never wanted anything more than the ability to fly. Suddenly mixed in with students who have already mastered the art of flight, Asuka must overcome physical and mental barriers as she adapts to a new environment filled with new people, all while trying to master a new way of life.

The Review:

Content: (Please note that the content portion of the review may contain spoilers)

At the end of last week's episode, Misaki had turned in a withdrawal form concerning her spot on Kunahama's flying circus roster. The rest of her team, being in a panic, quickly starts thinking up ways to try and persuade Misaki to stay on the team and not give up just yet. But after finding out that the reason she quit is because she just isn't having fun anymore, the team isn't exactly sure what to do. So at Masaya's behest, they agree to just leave her alone for the time being with hopes of her changing her mind sometime in the near future. After all, the team needs to focus now more than ever if they are going to have a successful performance in the upcoming Fall tournament.

Then, in the middle of night, Misaki and Masaya run into each other at a convenience store in what seems like an encounter that was fated to happen. Out of the blue, Misaki asks Masaya why he is the only one that hasn't bothered talking to her about the withdrawal yet. Being dismissive of the question, the two retreat back to Misaki's house for dinner as if nothing had ever happened. Upon leaving, Masaya reveals his past to her as an all-star flying circus player who had also run away from the sport after a discouraging loss. But, in what seems like a message of hope and persuasion, he essentially says that "Running is a lot harder than it looks". (Side note: The long haired girl in Masya's flashbacks looks quite a bit like Kagami-sensei. Just what is the age difference between those two?).

The next day, things are slow in the club-room...errr, club-bus. That is, until a helicopter randomly flies overhead with the word "Avalon" painted on the sides. That word can only be associated with Saki and Irina, but why would they be randomly showing up in the middle of a school day? After sprinting to the helicopter's landing zone, it is revealed that Irina and Saki would like a quick practice match against Kunahama. Asuka, being eager to compete against Saki, graciously agrees and the field is then prepared. (Why couldn't Saki and Irina just call the school? Who randomly just shows up in a helicopter?). Needless to say, the match proceeds in a manner similar to Saki's match against Shindou -- with her completely controlling the opponent to ensure a perfect victory. However, in the midst of Asuka attempting the find a way around Saki, once of her grav-shoes falls off and she plunges directly into the ocean. There's nothing to worry about, though. Misaki, who had been secretly spectating the match, quickly jumps in after her and brings her back to shore.

Asuka actually takes the fall pretty well, considering she's laughing about it by the time she's back on land. But things take a depressing turn as those laughs turn into sobs and tears start rolling from her eyes. The entire group then sits in silence as Asuka slowly breaks down and the camera fades to black on a surprisingly negative note.

In Summary:

Episode #8 mimics the mindset of its characters in being torn between extreme jubilance and melancholic sorrow. The first half is laced with funny attempts at getting Misaki to join the team again while the latter half is essentially a flying circus match that ends in a pretty bad way. And even though the team is hit relatively hard by this ending, there's still something about it that seemed less serious than it should have been. I mean, Asuka didn't plunge fifty feet into cement -- she fell a few feet into the water. It really wasn't that big of a deal, but I guess it was just the surprise factor that got everyone's emotions stirring. Apart from that, though, the part of the episode where Misaki and Masaya were partnered together was a good several minutes of relationship building that created an unlikely highlight to an overall decent episode.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll