Rewrite Episode #14 Anime Review

Three Cups of Coffee

What They Say:

Kazamatsuri, a modern, well-developed city renowned for its burgeoning greenery and rich Japanese culture, is home to Kotarou Tennouji, a high schooler least privy to the place's shared values. Content to fill his pockets with frivolity, the proud and nosy boy whiles away his time pestering the self-proclaimed delinquent Haruhiko and indulging in his amorous feelings toward the oddball Kotori.

Equipped with the superhuman ability to permanently rewrite any part of his body to multiply his strength or speed, Kotarou is naturally drawn to the supernatural. One special meeting with the lone member and president of the Occult Research Club, the "Witch" Akane Senri, leads to Kotarou reviving the Occult Club by recruiting Kotori and three other members: the clumsy transfer student Chihaya, the strict class representative Lucia, and the unassuming Shizuru. As Kotarou unveils hidden secrets of each member of the Occult Club through their shared adventures, he will inevitably encounter a fate that only he might be able to rewrite.

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

It's back! And it's...weirder than ever. After what would have been a definitive ending for anyone but KEY back in the thirteenth episode, Rewrite picks up in what is essentially the middle of nowhere in terms of this anime's underlying plotline. After several confusing, unrelated scenes of Kotarou thrown into random situations without even an inkling of relevancy to one another, we [the viewers] are able to ascertain that, once again, there are alternate dimensions in this KEY production. Luckily for Kotarou, each of these alternate timelines seem to have him matched with one of the five heroines in Rewrite (Which I'm assuming correlate with the girls' respective routes in the VN. But, just to remind you, I have yet to play that).

While Kotarou spends the better portion of the first episode describing his current situation to us, there is still plenty of imagery and a plethora of Kota-routes (One of the worst puns I've ever made) that all seem to wind up with him just waking up from a dream. Once his dream comes to a close, he picks right back up where he was in the pilot of Rewrite -- that abandoned, decaying town with Kagari and himself being the only inhabitants. In fact, the pilot of Rewrite may have even been a flash-forward to this particular moment in the timeline because the probability of Kotarou having the same exact jumping pose this time around as the one from months ago seems relatively slim. However, Gaia summoned a damn dinosaur with human souls last season so I am in no position to doubt the probability of anything.

Regardless of my position concerning dinosaurs and humans souls and whatever, Kotarou's mission seems plain and simple. Get to Kagari, talk to her, don't die. However, this three-step plan is not necessarily fool-proof. In fact, Kotarou winds up dying almost every single time he approaches Kagari -- but that's probably due to the fact that half of those times he just wound up hitting on her. Queue the semi-sentimental bonds from last season!

Near the end of the episode, Kotarou decides to just try and help Kagari in whatever way he can. Fortunately for him, one of those methods of helping includes making coffee -- and we all know how much Kagari likes coffee. Needless to say, after bringing a pretty nice-looking thermos to the super-tree and giving a mug of fee-cof to Kagari, the bond between them reawakens, albeit ever so slightly. In fact, I have a feeling that Kagari knew this bond existed the entire time and was simply testing Kotarou. Even Kotarou showed hints at this through lines like, "We've met before, haven't we?" Either way, Kotarou has managed to go a day without dying -- making him an already more effective protagonist than Natsuki Subaru.

At the end of the day (Literally), the story inches forward and we are left with too many dots that need to be connected just to figure out where we are in time. Is this post-apocalyptic Kazamatsuri? One would normally assume so considering the town's decaying state. But, Hell, you never know with KEY. One could even argue that this is far in the past before Kagari was even discovered by Guardian. In the coming episodes, I'm sure more will be revealed. But as of right now, I'm just happy Rewrite is back. And I have a damn strong feeling that this season will be better than the last.

In Summary:

The return of Rewrite comes off as confusing at first but once it's able to find its footing, we pick up right where we left off -- with Kotarou trying to make a slight difference in some way or another. We get some fanservice in the route-scenes with Kotarou and the heroines that I'm sure the VN players will be able to correlate back to their time spent with the game, but the episode doesn't solely focus on that and instead diverts its resources to plot advancement (Which there is going to need to be a damn lot of if this is going to work). KEY's love for alternate timelines comes into play once again and, guided by Kagari, will become more prominent than ever.

Grade: A-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Fate/Grand Order - First Order Anime Review

The future has not disappeared...It's been incinerated.

What They Say:

The story is set in the year 2016, during the final era over which magic still held a strong influence. The humanity survival and security organization, Chaldea, was established to observe the world that can only be seen by magic and the world that can only be measured by science; as well as to prevent the final extinction of humanity.

Thanks to the efforts of many researchers, the path of human history has been ensured for 100 years into the future. However, without warning, the realm of the future that was under constant observation by Chaldea vanished. The apparent cause -- Fuyuki City, 2004.

The Review:

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

There are two words in the anime industry capable of making me jump any time they are mentioned -- one of these is Fate. That being said, I'm going to have to strap myself down for the duration of 2017 because, thanks to a few like-minded people across the web, this year has been donned 'The Year of Fate'. And what better way to kick that off than an hour long adaptation of Fate/Grand Order -- the ever-popular Type-Moon mobile game. Before you watch it, though, there are a couple things that need to be noted.

Fate/GO isn't necessarily in any direct relation to the Stay Night/Zero universe. Instead, Fate/GO delves into an alternate timeframe in which something got really messed up during the 2004 Fuyuki Grail War. In addition to that, the series isn't animated by ufotable, who has gained tremendous popularity in recent years due to their rendition of the Fate franchise. Instead, Grand Order is brought to us via Studio Lay-duce -- IE: The dudes behind Classroom Crisis. Even with these things in mind, though, Fate/GO still manages to bring us a plethora of familiar faces that even those unfamiliar with the series will recognize (Cough, Saber, cough).

In the early stages of this half-movie, half-OVA, we discover that an organization comprised of the world's top scientists and mages have banded together in order to form a machine capable of predicting the future of humanity (Because science). The gist of how this machine works is as follows: Light is good, dark is bad. That being said, when Chaldea's light starts to dim, things start to get real. Our protagonist for this story is yet another Lawful-Good and blindly obedient dude, this time named Ritsuka Fujimaru instead of Shirou Emiya. (Sidenote, Fujimaru sounds a lot like Fujimura -- the last name of Taiga-sensei who went on to Shelter Shirou in the original Fate series). Anyway, after a fire breaks out in Chaldea's central terminal, Ritsuka and some doctor who looks like the unmentioned fifth member of Motley Crue are tasked with essentially saving the world. One thing leads to another and, after discovering the half-crushed corpse of his new crush, Mash (AKA: Shielder), Ritsuka and company are teleported to good ole' Fuyuki City. Unfortunately, the city is in ruins and there are skeleton pirates all over the place. That's right -- skeleton pirates.

It's immediately apparent that the only people who were able to make it into this dimension were Ritsuka himself, Mash (Complete with lower body), and Olgamally Animusphere (The new, downgraded version of Rin Tohsaka). Mash, being magically turned into something known as a demi-servant, now has a noble phantasm of her own. The only downside is that she doesn't know how to use it. But that's okay because due to the unspoken Fate series rule of having Rider as the first boss, Mash doesn't really face any actual threat. Oh, by the way, Rider is Lancer now -- which, may I add, is awesome. Ever since the Fate VN went over how various heroic spirits can be summoned as others should they meet the qualifications, I've been longing to see some of them brought to life. That being said, we all know why everyone really watched this series.

BOOM. Shirtless Lancer.

Lancer, being summoned as Caster this time around, is actually extremely important to First Order. In a callback to the original series, he teams up with our protagonists in order to fight the biggest threat to everyone. This time, however, that threat is none other than Saber. After being corrupted by the Grail and going on to slaughter several of the other servants (Only to have them corrupted as well), Saber seems to be the cause of Fuyuki's destruction in 2004. Luckily for us, Mash's noble phantasm is a shield and she basically spends this entire OVA just holding the damn thing up. Don't get me wrong, it's cool and all, but if you're going to have her stand there for forty minutes, at least put her damn glasses back on.

One thing ultimately leads to another and Mash's shield winds up turning into a larger shield once she's able to uncover it's hidden potential. Her job then becomes simply holding out until Cu shows back up. Where is Cu, you may ask? Oh, he's just out fighting against the protagonist of the last Fate series. After finally being able to defeat Archer/Shirou, Cu provides the much-needed backup for Ritsuka and SLAMS SABER INTO A GIANT WICKER MAN. Who cares about how half-assed the Wicker Man CGI was? That thing was the most badass magical creature I've seen since Bluebeard summoned Cthulu way back when. Needless to say, Saber is defeated and the day is saved.

Or is it?

Earlier in the episode, we were introduced to a man by the name of Lev Lainur -- the creator of Chaldea itself (But I'm just going to refer to him as Slash because come on). So, Slash isn't who we've imagined him being up to this point. In fact, after Saber is gone, he straight up comes out and says, "Yeah I'm kind of just going to usher in the end of the world right now, LOL" and then force-chokes Olga's body and throws her into the sun. After establishing himself as the most badass antagonist since the aforementioned Bluebeard, Lev vanishes and demands that everyone 'Try and stop him'. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong. There are seven effing more dimensions just like this one that Ritsuka and Mash are going to have to combat WITH JUST TWO COMMAND SEALS. Yeah, okay. Good luck, guys.

After Lev vanishes, Rituska and Mash return to their normal world and find Chaldea's base pretty much smashed to pieces. But thanks to Doctor Motley Crue, at least some of their friends are left alive. We end the day with some nice, G-Rated hand holding and high hopes that the next installment of the Fate series might be a little more composed than this one. Regardless of its shortcomings, however, Fate/Grand Order - First Order serves as a solid appetizer for the 'Year of Fate'. Thanks to a few new likeable characters and Lay-duce's most impressive artwork to date, Grand Order becomes just one more title to add the always-expanding Fate universe

Now, onward to Heaven's Feel!

In Summary:

Being what is perhaps the least Fate-ish of the Fate franchise (Not counting Prisma Illya), Grand Order definitely comes off as quite different than what we're used to. That being said, seeing many of our beloved servants from the past several years reimagined in new classes easily becomes a much-needed trip down memory lane. Grand Order highlights many of the facets Fate fans have grown to love over the years and adds several new ones that fans of the game will absolutely adore. Mash and Ritsuka have some solid, only slightly forced character chemistry that is still enjoyable overall at the end of the day. The ending, remaining completely open-ended, allows for a probable continuation of Fate/Grand Order that I will most definitely add to my watch-list. All in all, it's an entertaining seventy minutes that starts off Fate's busiest year on a good note.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Bloom Into You Vol. #01 Manga Review

My wings are just growing a little slower than other people's.

Creative Staff:

Art & Story: Nio Nakatani

Translation: Jenny McKeon

Adaptation: Jenn Grunigen

Lettering And Retouch: CK Russel

Logo Design: KC Fabellon

Cover Design: Nicky Lim

Proofreader: Lee Otter and Janet Houck

Production Manager: Lissa Patillo

EIC: Adam Arnold

Publisher: Jason DeAngelis

What They Say:

Yuu has always loved shoujo manga and awaits the day she gets a love confession that sends her heart aflutter with bubbles and hearts, and yet when a junior high classmate confesses his feelings to her... she feels nothing.

Disappointed and confused, Yuu enters high school still unsure how to respond. That's when Yuu sees the beautiful student council president Nanami turn down a suitor with such maturity that she's inspired to ask her for help. But when the next person to confess to Yuu is Nanami herself, has her shoujo romance finally begun?

The Review:

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

Yuu Koito is just another girl trying to make it through high-school. She's obsessed with love stories and shoujo manga -- basically, anything that gets her blood pumping. Being a first year in a brand new environment, you'd expect one of Yuu's biggest problems to be choosing which club she'll spend the next year in. However, there's something much bigger she needs to cope with -- her inability to feel love.

With her last year of school ending on a cliffhanger confession she still hasn't replied to, Yuu is hoping to find the answers to her feelings this time around. After being essentially forced to attend a student council meeting, Yuu runs into what may very well be the answer to her problems. Taking shelter behind the corner of the school building, Yuu witnesses a boy (Presumably a year older than her) confessing his feelings to a girl we will come to know as Touko Nanami -- student council vice-president. Without any hesitation, Touko turns the boy down and sends him off. Almost immediately after, however, she spots Yuu hiding around the corner. Instead of being mad, though, Nanami simply asks who she is and what she's doing there. After a brief explanation, Nanami tells Yuu who she is and the set off to student council together.

Touko is beautiful -- that much is apparent even to Yuu. It's no wonder she gets confessed to so frequently. Because of this, Yuu decides it might be in her best interest to approach Nanami about her own situation. After all, any teenage girl would be worried if they were incapable of feeling love. Hell, that's what like 90% of high-school life is comprised of. But after Yuu explains the situation, things take a dramatic turn. Touko confesses to Yuu right then and there. The more interesting part of this (Aside from the two being girls) is that just moments ago, Touko said that she, too was incapable of loving someone. So why now? Why would she turn her back on her own words right away and declare her feelings for Yuu? The answer is simple -- love works in mysterious ways. At this point, roughly all Yuri manga would transition into the period of the protagonist realizing that she may or may not be into girls, but this story is different. Yuu still feels nothing.

Instead of reciprocating Nanami's affection, Yuu remains silent and time skips forward to the next day. Both girls decide to not even talk about what happened yesterday -- at least not until later. Instead of making things awkward or feeling rejected, Nanami asks Yuu to be her campaign manager for the upcoming student council election. Yuu reluctantly agrees and the two start to spend more and more time together, albeit with no change to Yuu's apathy. Things continue on this way until Yuu decides to bring up the topic of the confession. Without any hesitation, Nanami turns to Yuu and kisses her, using an oncoming train as a shield so those around them wouldn't notice. But, yet again, there is no response from Yuu. She simply accepts the kiss and the story continues.

No matter what Nanami does, Yuu's feelings do not change. Strangely enough, Nanami seems okay with this. In fact, she even reveals that she was not expecting Yuu to fall in love with her. Nanami makes it apparent that even if her love is not reciprocated, she doesn't want to give up considering she's never felt this way before. Yuu, not being technically opposed to Touko's feelings, decides against cutting off their relationship and allows her senpai to continue being in love with her. The two girls push their feelings aside for the time being and decide to carry on with their goal of getting Nanami elected as student council president.

When the time comes for the final campaign rally, Yuu notices something about Touko is amiss. After beckoning her outside to figure out what's wrong, Yuu manages to force out feelings of fear and nervousness from Touko that had been seemingly invisible up until now. So even though Yuu still doesn't feel any form of romantic affection for Nanami, it's increasingly clear that she at least cares about her enough to notice things that even her best friend, Sayaka, can't. Nanami then goes on to detail how she created a different persona for herself -- all in an effort to feel like she was special. Nanami then rests her head on Yuu's shoulder for a while and the two head back inside to finish the campaign. And, after a successful speech from both of them, Nanami is elected as the president of the student council.

In Summary:

Bloom Into You breaks a lot of rules for Yuri manga -- but this is exactly what makes it great. Throwing sexual tension to the side and instead focusing on a relatively unrequited love (At least at this point in time) makes for an incredibly interesting and suspenseful shoujo-ai relationship. With minimal glances into Yuu's feelings and an already-apparent backstory for Nanami, Bloom Into You combines many different elements of romantic manga into a neatly-wrapped package capable of rivalling almost any other installment of the Yuri genre. Combine that with intimate artwork and well-thought-out, multi-dimensional characters and you have something you're going to remember. This is one of the best Yuri manga series to date -- hands down.

Content Grade: A

Art Grade: A-

Packaging Grade: B+

Text/Translation Grade: A

Age Rating: 16+

Released By: Seven Seas

Release Date: January 3, 2017

MSRP: $12.99