Barakamon Review

Greetings Ladies and Gents it is I The Shaman of...Wait something's not right here...

There We go...

As I was saying, it is I, The Shaman of Animation with a new review. 2014 has come to a close people (Well it already had in some places, but it's only official now that it has on my end!), and with it, a lot of the anime of this year are going with it. 2014 brought us some interesting titles. Some with dark and haunting tones and themes, some were classics being reborn, and others that were...laughably stupid. And with the end of any year, people want to make lists of some of their favorite series of the year. Well...I'm not gonna do that, mainly because their wasn't many series this last year that I started and actually finished; because I was either too lazy, or the series just didn't keep me interested...

But there was one series that I wanted to review no matter what. One that was my favorite of the summer season, and one that I'd go as far as to say was my favorite of the year. The series I'm taking about today, as you can see in the picture above:

NO! NOT THAT ONE!!

The series I'm talking about today is Barakamon. Let's not waste anymore time and dive in!

Synopsis: Barakamon is about Handa Seishu, a calligrapher who's a little down on his luck to say the least. After punching the ever living hell out of an old guy for insulting his calligraphy, Handa's dad moves him from the big city of Tokyo to a small island and...that's it. It's just a simple show about a city boy (Who WASN'T born and raised in South Detroit) adapting to the country life.

The Good: Something that I really love about this series is the underlying theme of finding your own identity. The continuing arc of the main character Handa was that he was a calligrapher whose work was unoriginal and too rooted towards what he was taught to do. The purpose of him being sent to the island was to essentially break away from the basics of calligraphy and find his own style. Throughout the series, we can see how being on the island and its natives not only change him as a writer, but also as a person. It was fun watching that development and I would throw my vote for Handa Seishu as the best main character of 2014.

Being a Slice of life Comedy, the comedy must be good enough to keep everyone entertained for the whole twelve episodes. Barakamon's humor mainly stems from the concept of Handa, who's been accustomed to the life of the city, going through the wacky shenanigans of the country and country folk. From trying to catch beetles to playing with the kids, the situations that not only Handa, but the rest of the cast are placed in, makes for good laughs all around.

The secondary characters in this series are also just fun to see interact with Handa and their personalities also create some memorable and entertaining moments. But of course, the best character of the show was:

SHE'S SO ADORABLE!!!!

This little bundle of joy is Naru; and no matter what anyone says, this girl is the real star of the show. Every scene she's in, she just steals it with the naivete that only a child could have. What helps aid in her charm is the fact that she's actually voiced by a child, which surprisingly doesn't happen a lot in animated shows, if ever. The kid characters in animated series are usually voiced by grown women (I can only think of two times where kids voiced kids). I tip my hat to the VA of Naru's performance. It makes me really wonder why a lot of animated series don't use kids to voice ki--

....Oh (You children stop staring into my soul!!!!!)

The Bad: To be honest, the only thing "bad" I could find about Barakamon was the art and animation, and even then, it wasn't bad, it perfectly served what the series was about, it was just very basic and no one should expect something spectacular like say...Space Dandy.  

Conclusion: A story like Barakamon's is not one you see too often in anime. It didn't have the big fight scenes, "grand" story, or enormous hype like other series this past year did. Instead what it had was a small, down to Earth, heartwarming story with fun characters that was nothing short of a treat to watch and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. In five years time, a series like Akame Ga Kill will be a dime a dozen, while Barakamon, in my opinion at least, will be a gem. Till next time Everyone, I'm the Shaman of Animation saying HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

To Leave you all, here's some manly Naru face!! Take Care...

Teen Titans Earth One: Volume 1 Review

I may be late to this party, but that doesn't mean I can't talk about this book!

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I the Shaman of Animation here once again. We're three days removed from Christmas and I feel a little bad. I actually had a review planned out that was going up on Christmas, but I never got around to doing it because I got distracted by one of my Christmas presents...

DAMN YOU KINGDOM HEARTS 2.5...which I'll probably play after this review goes up!!!!

Speaking of Christmas presents, I received a $50 gift card for Barnes and Noble, which allowed me to pick up some comics for reading. One of these, I'll be talking about today: Teen Titans Earth One: Volume One. 

Now, when it comes to The Titans, my experience, like most people, comes mostly from the 2003 Animated Series. The only comics I actually read about them was the New 52 version written by Scott Lobdell...and the less I talk about that comic series, the better. But I heard a lot of good stuff about this book and I figured I'd give it a read; and after reading, I had to talk about it. I'll try my best not to spoil too much, because I feel like this is something that people need to read to really enjoy.

Teen Titans Earth One: Volume One is written by Jeff Lemire with art by Terry and Rachel Dodson, Brad Anderson, and Cam Smith. It is a modern take on the famed superhero team with a brand new origin of how they get together and how they get their powers.  Teens Victor Stone, Garfield Logan, Tara Markov, and Joey Wilson were just ordinary kids until one day, things got very strange VERY quickly. Vic's skin started turning to metal, Tara could start earthquakes, Garfield could turn into animals, and Joey...well, we don't know what he does until the climax of the book (Unless you're a long time fan of the titans, then it's obvious what he does). The one thing that these kids all have in common are visions of a girl who throughout the book asks them for their help.

This is a hundred plus page Graphic Novel; something that writer Lemire takes full advantage of as he tells a great story with a beginning, middle, and end with room for more books. Something that I find great about it is that it really gives us an idea of who these kids are before they gain their powers. Believe it or not, writing teenagers is a bit of a difficult task in media. Every now and again, you'll get something genuinely good starring Teens, but the majority of the time, you'll get dumb sh*t like...

...Yeah. This is Teen Wolf for those blissfully unaware.

But the characters of TT Earth One feel like real genuine teenagers with situations that I'm sure any other teen could relate to. Victor's mom thinks he's wasting his potential in school and doesn't like the girl he's with, Tara's relationship with her mother is horrible, Garfield is a young boy moved ahead two grades, and Joey is a guy who doesn't like being around his peers and seems to be getting more distant from his father. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters before the plot really kicks in. Again, I really don't want to talk too much about the plot of this novel because the way the characters gain their powers and the story behind it all is one I feel people should read for themselves. Just know, there is a great twist to it.

Teen Titans Earth One is not just a recreation of the Titans, but it feels very much  like a recreation of the DC Universe itself. Not only do we see a modern version of the characters I mentioned so far, but we also see a new take on some very familiar characters and staples of the DC Universe. As the cover of the book shows, we have a new take on Raven (Whose part in the book is rather small yet effective), Star Labs, and even the greatest assassin in DC Slade Wilson A.K.A Deathstroke along with more.

Another great trait this book has going for it is the fantastic art. It does a great job of modernizing the titans while making them feel familiar (Plus for me, the fact that Victor Stone has a Kid N Play High top fade is the greatest thing ever). In some sections of the book, I felt reminded of the art style of the legendary Bruce Timm (One of the men behind Batman The Animated Series, Superman The animated series, Justice League, and more). Plus the coloring of this book is great.

In case you couldn't figure out, Teen Titans Earth One: Volume One is a fantastic book. Jeff Lemire's re-imagining of these characters we know and love is one that I feel that any fan of the Teen Titans, whether you're a fan of the comics or the cartoon, should check out. Well written characters, great story and a beautiful art style; it's definitely a must read. The only negatives I could find with the book were that it had to end and I don't know when the next one will be. Everyone: Do yourselves a favor and pick this book up.

Till next time everyone, I'm the Shaman of Animation taking off to play some Kingdom Hearts 2.5 and read some Nightwing. 

Take a Look at this cover. Dude looks Manly as F**K!!!

Take care...

The Legend Of Korra: Book 4 Review

Quite possibly, the last season of the Avatar Franchise period...

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation here back again with a new review! Today's review: The fourth and final book of The Legend of Korra titled 'Balance'. This blog started with a Legend of Korra review, so it's only right that I talk about it's final season. Let's hop on in!

Synopsis: The Legend of Korra Book 4 takes place a whopping Three Years after the events of Book 3 (Spoilers to those who haven't seen Book 3...then again if you haven't seen Book 3 of Korra, why the hell are you here???) Korra is still recovering from her battle with Zaheer and company, Republic City has learned to coexist with the spirits and the spirit vines that inhabited it, The air nation is going strong and is helping people, and the Earth Nation is still recovering from the death of the Earth Queen with a new King days away from being crowned. As this is going on, Kuvira, who was sloppily introduced in the final episodes of the third season, has been using underhanded methods in helping The Earth Nation people, in her final days of work decides to break the Earth Nation away from the rest of the world and create a new 'Earth Empire' and those who oppose her are considered her enemy. It is now a still healing Korra's job to stop Kuvira's dictatorship and bring balance (See what I did there?) to the Earth Nation and the rest of the world.

The Good: As usual with this series, the fight scenes and bending are top notch and are always fun to watch, which perfectly reflect the amazing animation that the show has had throughout its entire run. Although one of the parts of the season that made it so enjoyable were its first few episodes that brought attention to this little lady here:

Short Hair, don't care b*tch!!

The end of LOK Book 3 saw Korra beaten and exhausted. When we get our first look at her in Book 4, she's at her lowest. She feels like she's lost a part of herself and she's on a journey to find that part again so she can go back to helping the world like she's meant to. The episode that covers her voyage of self discovery titled 'Korra Alone' was one of the best and strongest of not only the season, but the entire series itself.   

   

As it's the final season of Korra, the show's writers do their best to wrap up loose ends such as finally providing closure with Asami and her father while also managing to provide plenty of fanservice for viewers of both this show and its predecessor: Avatar The Last Airbender. Plenty of fan favorite characters make a return (Both long and short) in this series such as Varrick, Katara, and Zuko. Of course, no return was bigger than the return of:

The Greatest Earthbender ever! Albeit really really old...

That's right, Toph, who had been seen in the series through flashbacks and has been mentioned plenty of times, makes an actual appearance in the series in the second episode of Book 4. She serves as sort of a Yoda like figure for Korra in her recovery process in the book and we also got to see her interact with her daughters and patch things up with them.

Now let's talk about the season's villain, Kuvira. I felt the character did a good job of carrying the overall trend of morally gray villains and I think the actress voicing the character did a terrific job of having Kuvira come off as the powerful dictator she was displayed as...but, that doesn't necessarily mean that there was all good to that character as you're about to read.

The Bad:

Was saving that Kuvira picture for this

The character of Kuvira isn't bad. Like I said, she continues the trend of villains who have good intentions but are going about things the wrong way, something the show mentions itself. It's just I feel that continuing that trend with the villain was a bit of a double edged sword as because of it, Kuvira to me, felt a little bland. Don't get me wrong, the show did an amazing job at making the character feel like a big threat, it's just that she felt the same as other villains in the series except she didn't have the wisdom and ruthlessness of Zaheer nor did she have the charisma of Amon.

Then again, it's hard to out charisma any character voiced by Steve Blum

Another negative for Korra Book 4 is that there were some missed opportunities or some things just weren't mentioned. The picture perfect example is the Fire Nation. Throughout the entire Series of Korra, we never get to see what has changed in the fire nation over the years like we did with the other three nations, which is majorly disappointing as I was interested in seeing the new fire lord do more in the series. Speaking of fire lords, let's talk about Zuko...or the lack of him, Katara, and Toph meeting up. That was a serious opportunity that the writers missed out on. I know for a fact that it would have been great for older fans to see the elderly members of the original Team Avatar to interact with each other and the fact that it didn't is a little deflating.

And for a final odd nitpick, Todd Haberkorn voices a character in this season. That's not knocking the guy, he's a great voice actor, I just need him to stop being in everything...

Conclusion: The Legend of Korra as a series overall has been a roller coaster ride to watch, the show's had shining moments of greatness and moments that just made you look at whatever screen you're watching it on and shake your head in disbelief of the stupidity transpiring. But I like to think that this season definitely continued the momentum that the last built up on and gave the series a great send off. With great animation, voice acting, soundtrack, and a finale that truly brings it all home, there aren't a lot of animated series on T.V. right now that could match The Legend of Korra and bring the sort of discussion that it brought. If you couldn't tell, Book 4: Balance gets a much deserved stamp of approval.

Till next folks, I'm the Shaman of Animation saying: I. LOVE. LESBIANS!!!

Those are my thoughts on the final scene, plus Chappelle Show rules. Take care folks... 

X-Ray & Vav: First Impressions

I usually have something fancy or witty to say here, I got nothing...

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, the Shaman of Animation! Today, I'm here to give my thoughts on RoosterTeeth's newest animated series: X-Ray & Vav. The series is three (or four depending on when you read this) episodes in, so how is it? Let's find out!

X-Ray and Vav stars...X-Ray and Vav (I don't think their actual names have been stated yet...), two average joes who dream of being Superheroes and helping those who can't help themselves. The only downside is that they're total losers and every time they try helping people, they completely fail at it.

After a failed attempt at stopping a robbery, they run into this person:

Hi. I'm the tech person of this series

This lady is named Hilda, a genius inventor who, after an interesting first meaning, decides to make our heroes equipment to help them in their crusade and make them legit superheroes...which turns out to be a mistake as X-Ray and Vav end up destroying the city and cause Hilda to lose her job, and this was all in the first episode.

To be honest, the first episode of this show...felt lacking. There was nothing inherently wrong with it, it established who our main characters were, what the goal of our two title characters is, and it even gives us a glimpse at, who I'm guessing, is the main villain. My problem was that there wasn't a lot that made this episode stand out. When I'm watching a premiere episode of a series, while I appreciate a coherent and competent story, I'm also looking for something that'll hook me to show, for it to have something that has me coming back for more. 

To bring up another RoosterTeeth series, the premiere episode of RWBY gave me a short but fun fight scene with a little girl wielding a stupidly awesome weapon that made me want to keep watching in hopes of seeing more stuff like that. The first episode of X-Ray and Vav just showed, for a lack of better term, incompetent idiots who want to be heroes and want all the glory that comes with it while having a brainy sidekick that helps them. I've seen shows with the same premise that did a better job at standing out. Shows like 'The Awesomes' Or 'Ultimate Spider-man'.

Granted, Ultimate Spider-man stands out as a show for all the WRONG reasons...

Now all this were my thoughts from the FIRST episode. The episodes that followed it, especially the Second Episode titled 'Operation: Rescue Friend', were much stronger than the first one. The episodes had more of the humor most would associate with a RoosterTeeth product (Or for me since I'm not a big follower of RoosterTeeth, Red vs Blue): A kind of meta humor that poked fun at tropes (like the fact that a pair of superhero trunks contain an infinite space to hold everything and the fact that the power of friendship solves everything), to dick jokes and sexual innuendos, to something silly like an old lady getting the crap beaten out of her. It also does a great job showing the chemistry between our heroes X-Ray and Vav and watching how they save the day (or not) can make for entertainment for some. 

Now looking at things from a production standpoint, The show's art and animation is very basic. Now that's not a bad thing per say, it works for what the show's trying to be, just don't expect anything too fancy with it. The voice acting is...decent at best. My problems stem from the sound quality in each episode. I'm not an expert when it comes to mic and sound quality so I don't know if I'm phrasing this correctly, but I noticed it this problem the most in the first episode. There are numerous times (such as when X-Ray and Vav go on their heroic rants and shout their names) that the sound of these lines are a little, once again for a lack of better term, hushed and a little forced. Like during their takes they were directed to not be as loud as possible in fear of walking up the neighbors next door.  I also noticed this problem the worst with Hilda's voice actress whose delivery fell very flat and at times, was like she was just reading off of a script and not trying to put in any effort.

Now I'm sure some fan out there is chastising me and throwing multiple insults at me using the excuse that 'The show is just starting, Not everything can be perfect, RVB didn't start off like that, NEH!!!!' To those fans using that excuse: Animation I can buy that. Story, I'll except. But this is a company that has been delving into voice over work for ELEVEN YEARS!!! This is their third original series that has involved voice acting and while I can except rough around the edges writing and animation for when they're starting a new series, they should have more than enough knowledge by now in Voice acting direction!

Take a look at people like TeamFourStar (Of DBZ Abridged fame) and LittleKuriboh (Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged), who post their parody series without the benefits of gaining ad revenue from Youtube. Their sound and voice quality had drastically improved over the years from their humble beginnings, something they carried over to whatever new project they do. If these guys can do it for free (For the most part), why can't a decade long company with more resources and money?

Tangent aside, X-Ray and Vav at the end of the day is a decently put together show that shows stride in improvement with each ep. so far without taking steps back, which is more than I can say for RoosterTeeth's other original animated series...

Oh, the amount of sh*t I'm gonna get for that statement...

The two title characters do have a nice chemistry together that does make for some entertaining jokes and the show clearly knows what it's going for. If I can offer some words of advice for the RT crew working on this show (If any of them are reading this), I think the show works best when it's parodying superhero shows and going for more self aware jokes much like in the second episode. If they stick to that, then I'm sure they'll have a winner. If you're interested in all, give X-Ray and Vav a watch, there might be something in the three (Or four, depending on when you read this) episodes that you'll like.

Till next time everyone, I'm the Shaman of Animation saying:

F**K ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN!!!! Take care...

WWE TLC 2014 Review

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, the Shaman of Animation back again. Tonight, I'm here to talk about/review WWE: Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2014 (Cuz F**K calling it Tables, Ladders, Chairs, and Stairs). Tonight's show was one with a rather...weak build going into it. But, was the actual show itself good? Eh...Kinda? Let's get into this Pay-Per-View.

First let's kick this off with the first, and one of the best, matches of the night:

Dolph Ziggler Vs. Luke Harper For the Intercontinental Title In a Ladders Match

There's a reason Dolph Ziggler is nicknamed the show off, that's because every single Damn match he's in, he steals the show. That is exactly what he and Luke Harper did in this match tonight. These two left everything they had in the ring and it showed in one of the most brutal Ladder matches I've seen in a while. The creativity in how the ladder was used along with  lot of the bumps these two took in this match just plain sold it for me. The match was booked very well with Harper looking incredibly strong in this and Dolph sold the underdog who can take a beating and come back and win to a T. The match ends with Ziggler becoming a 4 time IC champ and the PPV is off to a scorching start.

The Usos Vs. The Miz and Damien Mizdow

This match was...an Usos match. That's not saying the match was bad, but it was a standard match for that tag team. Of course, the real MVP of this match was Damien Mizdow, whose imaginary selling of moves like suplexes and and him throwing himself out of the ring more than made that match enjoyable.

Next up:

Big show Vs. Eric Rowan in a Stairs Match

Okay, I have to ask something: WWE Creative team...WHAT THE F**?! Who in the bluest of blue hell thought making a stairs match was a good idea? Let me break it down for all my non wrestling viewers here: Tables match: The stipulation is to put your opponent through a table to win the match. Ladders match: The Stipulation is you have to climb up a ladder and pull something down in order to to win the match.A stairs match...is just a match with stairs. Which has me asking what's the point of even having a stairs match in the first place?! This match could have been a street fight or a no DQ match and there wouldn't have been a difference. As for the match itself? BORING!!

After that we have:

John Cena vs. Seth Rollins in a Tables Match?

The fact that this match didn't main event...actually surprised me, especially considering what was at stake here. But I will not complain about it. This match had an extra stipulation attached to it: If John Cena were to lose this match, he were to lose the Number one contender opportunity against WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar. The match was okay up to a point. Rollins security was a nice little add-on, and Rollins showed his athletic ability with Cena doing his best to make him look good and the match like I said, was okay up to a point. Up till the last seven to ten minutes of the match where it became, for lack of a better term...a clusterf**k. It started with Cena putting Rollins through the table, but the Rollins's security cleaned up the mess before the ref saw it,  then Cena and Rollins both going through a table at the same time, resulting in a no contest. Then, Big Show showed up for no reason and beat up John Cena, which followed up with the return of...

....YAY???

Sooo....Roman Reigns came back...beat up Big Show, and Superman Punched Seth Rollins, allowing Cena to put Rollins through the table. Long story short, this match was an overbooked mess!!

NEXT:

Nikki Bella Vs. AJ Lee

There was a cool submission spot I saw there...that's about it...

NEXT:

Ryback Vs. Kane in a stairs match

.............................................................................

NEXT: Rusev Vs. Jack Swagger for the U.S. Title

Moving on...

Dean Ambrose Vs. Bray Wyatt in a TLC match

The main event: The match I was waiting for. This match had two months of build, with their Survivor Series Match ending in a DQ just to build towards this match. This match...oh man this match, this was just a physical brawl, these two guys beat the sh*t out of each other...and IT WAS AWESOME!!!! Seriously, the innovations they had with weapons like the Singapore cane was just made me cringe and watch on in awe when I saw it and it made for a glorious main event. Besides Ziggler vs. Harper, this match was the best of the night...and then... THEY F**K IT UP WITH A COMPLETELY HORRIBLE ENDING!!! 

The Match ended with Dean Ambrose ripping out a T.V. monitor that was plugged under the ring (For some reason...) and it exploded in Ambrose's face...what...WHAT?!?!

Did THIS GUY Book that ending?!?!

That ending was so ridiculously cartoonish, I just looked at my laptop screen and just facepalmed. This ending completely ruined the whole match for me.

TLC 2014 was just a bad show. There were only two matches that made it worthwhile and one of those had a sh*t ending to it. It's said to think that THIS was the final PPV of 2014. 

Till next time guys, I'm the Shaman of Animation saying: Here's hoping the Royal Rumble doesn't suck...Take care.

     

  

Krypton Series Announcement Thoughts

The People's Champ does not know what to make of this...

Greetings Ladies and Gents! It is I, The Shaman of Animation back again with a new topic discussion. The new hot topic in the world of Superhero TV shows: The recently announced Superman Prequel series coming to the channel Syfy titled Krypton. The series is set to take place 50 years before the Planet Krypton explodes and it will follow Superman's grandfather as he tries to, and this is an actual synopsis for the series, "bring hope and equality to Krypton,turning a planet in disarray into one worthy of giving birth to the greatest Super Hero ever known." 

My thought on this series being an actual thing is: WHY?! WHY, WHY, WHY?! The ONLY Noteworthy Krypton as a planet did, was blow up. It's the part that's ALWAYS in the beginning of a Superman Origin Story/Movie and quickly gone over cause there's no story that's all that interesting to tell there!

This is the series's actual Logo, which shows Krypton on the verge of blowing up!!

Now, to be fair, if this series revolved around Superman's birth father Jor-El, I could possibly see where you could go with that. You could go the route of Smallville, where Jor-El decides to create the Phantom Zone to lock away criminals. Also with Jor-El, you can introduce Zod, Kara Zor-E (Superman's cousin) along with her father, and Brainiac. Or You could turn Krypton into a mini series that's about Jor-El's final days on the planet, how he tries to convince the Kryptonian council about the planet's destruction and they just won't listen, and show him building the spaceship that would take Superman to Earth and how he discovers which planet would be most suitable for him.  

But instead of that, we're getting a series starring Superman's granddaddy...who, as far as I know, has never had any real big story that you could do about him. With this show being about him, you really set yourself back as with Supes's gramps, there'll probably be no superpowers because once again, Jor-El is the one that discovers Kryptonians get powers from the yellow sun. Plus, do you really think the show can properly present Krypton on a TV budget...A SYFY TV budget?

If this is to tell you anything, I'm not looking forward to this show. With Gotham, I can see how you could make a prequel series without Batman. This on the other hand...yea, good luck with that Syfy...

Till next time everyone, I'm the Shaman of Animation saying: Here's hoping the Supergirl show doesn't sound as bad as this...Take Care.