Berserk

I can remember the first time I ever watched Berserk. We were having a sleepover that night and had popcorn and ice cream during our anime marathon. We were still in high school, and at this point in our lives tended to shy away from anime that was to bloody and gory. So how we ever ending up watching this anime will forever be a mystery, but I am happy it happened.

Summary:

Berserk is for a mature audience. It will get violent, graphic, and portray adult situations, so this is not something you should watch with the young or, like…your mother. The story revolves around a tank named Guts(or Gatts) with a rough childhood, a beautiful fairy tale prince named Griffith, and their mercenary band. Griffith and Guts are orphans who soon become friends, but they are as different as night and day.

Griffith is a man filled with ambition, charisma, and brilliance. People follow him because they believe in his dream, and his strength; they also want to see him succeed. Guts lacks charisma and is well-versed in the art of not giving a crap. If you follow him it is because you respect him, need his protection, or your smart enough to want to be his ally instead of his enemy. Guts has few friends, but those he lets in will have his loyalty and his trust.

These two first met on a battlefield. Griffith is able to defeat the unbeatable Guts and gains him as an ally and friend. Guts joins Griffith’s mercenary group and helps him towards his goal of being king. Years pass and they gain more allies, friends, and enemies. Griffith gets so close to his dreams that he could taste it, but things don’t go exactly as planned. A devastating tragedy occurs and the anime leaves Guts with a heavy burden to bear.

The Manga

The manga gives you the back-story of Guts and Griffith and shows the early years of their lives before tragedy strikes. The manga also answers your questions about what happened after the anime. If the anime is the beginning, then the manga is the continuation. Guts is still bad to the bone and often misunderstood or targeted because of his appearance. He has a goal and a long journey that he must complete after the conclusion of the anime. He travels from place to place, slowly gathering his own band of followers along the way to fulfill his quest.

You also get to see how the world has changed since the events of manga. Magic is discovered. New creatures that were once myth became real and the people are in for a huge wake up call. Only Guts and Griffith seem to know what’s going on.

Plus Factor

Every anime or manga got something going for it, and for a great series like Berserk you can find lots of stuff to love. For me the best thing about Berserk is its setting, characters, drama, artwork, and execution.

Medieval fantasy stories are my bread and butter. I love this setting, but life is no fairytale in Guts’ world. Crime, corruption, the oppression of the weak and poor, and everyday life is hard on the people. It is not for the meek. Throw in monsters/demons, Gods, and other magic users and Berserk gives me everything I love.

Every character is interesting in this story, even the minor ones. It is easy to overlook or gloss over good character development, but the writers took their time to develop strong characters. Guts and Griffin are some of the most interesting people to watch evolve and go through challenges, but they aren’t the only characters I love . A certain blond guy who shows up later and is blessed by fairies (yes, I said fairies) is someone I am dying to learn about. His mindset and motivations are still a mystery to me.

Another thing this series got going for it is that they are not afraid to put their character through the ringer. Everyone can go through something horrific and no one is safe. The only one you know will survive is Guts because he’s the main character, but that does not mean he will not suffer as much or sometimes more than anyone else. These characters got hardships. They have battles. They have scars. They also get back up…adapt, and somehow come out better than before.

The story is never lacking in drama and stunning artwork. The battles and fight scenes are amazing. They leave you with a sense of “Wow!” (That was cool) and “Wow!” (He/she really didn’t have to die like that did he/she?). For the writers to put a good storyline, strong characters, a nice setting, and stunning graphics into one series and execute it in a way that best displays all of its brilliance and positive traits at the right time and way is simply amazing.

I would suggest you watch the anime and read the manga. If you read one without watching the other for example, you will be missing out. Especially if you like fully fleshed characters that have real and extraordinary problems, a good plotline, great drama, and depth.

This review was made by Midnight Ice Queen for Of Anime and Video Games

Change

Change Can Be Good

As long as you're not a fan of Brain from Family Guy, you may find that change may be a good thing.  If you remember the last post about me being busy, I have decided to do something about it.  This blog will no longer have posts from me, Anime and Video Games, but also from my partner Midnight Ice Queen.  She should be writing an article soon.  

Holidays 

The holidays are coming and the streets are going to be busy with bad drivers, customers ready to beat anyone down over a discounted game system, and all around madness.  There are deals and the safety of buying items from GameStop or Amazon online on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.   

Reviews to Come

Hopefully during next month I will be free of studying for a certification to resume weekly postings.  Please welcome Midnight Ice Queen and pay attention to see who the post is by.    

This article brought to you by Anime and Video Games

Nekocon 2013: Hello Kitty, Networking, Fangirls

Nekocon 2013

On the first weekend of November I like going to an anime convention called Nekocon. What I like about anime conventions is that I get to meet geeks who love anime, do not mind walking around in costume (rather that costume covers them completely or barely), and generally don’t mind acting like fools.  This is a place where I can be myself and enjoy the wackiness of other like-minded geeks.

Panels and Anime

There were a lot of panels and events to go to this Nekocon.  Some panels I skipped over others.  This year I wanted to learn about networking and finding out how my target demographic thinks (I have an indie game development website called Dark Siren Games).

“How to Make Your Nerd Job a Reality”, “Girls Can Be Heroes Too”, “Yaoi 101”, and “Hello Kitty Birthday Party” was some of the most informative and fun panels I have been to.  The best advice I got for making my dream job a reality (making indie games, selling my artwork, and meeting fans of my work), was to sit down and draw and never stop drawing.   

I have been hearing about Free for a very long time now.   Apparently the first season is already over with, there’s a live action version in the making, and this show is aimed at the often forgotten fan girls. Me,  being the target demographic, I happily ignored the anime’s flaws and enjoyed the humor and tons of eye candy.  There will be a review for this anime soon.  The best part about watching Free at Nekocon was that I got to watch this anime with a ton of other happy fan girls.

Tournaments, Dolls, & Meeting Like Minded People

Tournaments are normally a competitive atmosphere where the players are skilled, the judges have the games fully updated, and everyone can bring their controllers. Unfortunately Nekocon tournaments have none of these qualities. I had to play UNPATCHED Injustice: Gods Among Us on a crappy Xbox 360 controller, in a room full of 97 percent of button mashing scrubs. I was the only one who ever wagered on purpose, blocked, didn't save my meter for a super, and gave the tournament winner a real fight.

After the "tournament", I took out my frustrations on whoever played Injustice in the game room (with the help of my arcade stick) making sure to destroy their hopes and dreams of playing the game in the process.  Out of my rage, I cleared the Injustice section twice, had people afraid to pick up the controller and face me, only three out of ten people beat me, and I manged to introduce a person to my fighting game scene.

As far as I know, Otakon is the place to be for good tournaments at an anime convention.  Next time I go to my fighting game scene, I'm giving someone a hug.  

My Video about My Time at Nekocon 2013:

Possible Manga to Review

This was a nice Nekocon.  I hope to go to more conventions in the future and post my experiences here.

Of Anime and Video Games

First Impressions: BlazBlue Alter Memories

BlazBlue is an anime fighting game developed by Arc System Works.  A fighting game developed by a company that didn't just want to make a good fighting game but also a fighting game with a decent story.  Thanks to the well received sci-fi anime story of BlazBlue, the fighting game attracted a ton of attention from anime fans.  One would think that a fighting game story that made sure to give the players a decent amount of time with each character, explain why the player should care about the characters they play, and give the player a satisfying conclusion to to each character's story would be awesome?

Unfortunately the anime plays like someone recorded the game's story mode, cut out a lot of parts, and threw parts of the story out of order.  The anime spends no time explaining who the characters are, what are the characters' motivations, and why the viewer should care about these characters.  If I did not play BlazBlue's story mode, I have a very good feeling that I would be lost.

I'll Explain the Story Since the Anime Does Not Want to...

Set far off in the future when a majority of the world has been destroyed and only a small portion of humanity is left.  Ragna the Bloodedge has the biggest bounty placed on him by the NOL (the government of the small world) after  destroying one of their branches.  With a powerful Ars Magus (magic technology) in his mechanical arm known as the "Azure Grimoire", fighters come from all over the place to fight him for his Azure Grimoire and his bounty.  Unknown to Ragna and a majority of the cast, the same events that resulted in destruction of the now small world keeps repeating itself.  

Just maybe I'm judging this anime too soon.  Maybe the anime creators might explain the characters' motives or SLOW down the paste that the anime is going with.  I hope the animation gets better because the video game's cut scenes were better than this:

Anime

 BlazBlue Story Mode Anime Cut scene

This has just been a first impressions.  I will give a full review after a few more episodes are released.  BlazBlue Alter Memories will only have twelve episodes and one episode is released each week.    Watch the episodes here.

Of Anime and Video Games 

Sorry Guys

Sorry for the long absence.  The last post was about Drakengard 3 and Drakengard manga  (which is actually coming to North America next year).  Nine to six, Monday through Friday, plus stupid and random crap happening is keeping me busy now.

I will not be quitting this website anytime soon; prepare for two to three posts per month at minimum.

Despite my busy time, I still love looking at video games and Beyond Two Souls is a game that I can't wait to play.

It looks like Quadratic Dreams has made another thrill ride for me and others who loved Heavy Rain.  Beyond Two Souls is already out and I hope that everyone who is playing right now is having a blast.   I need to obtain my first paycheck before finally getting my hands on what looks like an unforgettable experience.

I am going to be using a new rule for reviewing anime now.  In the beginning I was watching a whole anime series before reviewing the anime.  Knowing how long some anime can be, I am deciding to watch up to five episodes of an anime before giving a review.

With that said, I am looking at Michiko to Hatchin.  Look forward to a review on that anime soon.

OfAnimeandVideoGames

Drag-on Dragoon (AKA Drakengard) Manga Shi ni Itaru Aka & Drakengard 3

Drag-on Dragoon: Shi ni Itaru manga

I found out there was a Drag-on Dragoon manga with the subtitle Shi ni Itaru and a sequel/prequel to the video game series of the same name.  In my shortest review ever, I will say that the manga has our cold hearted female protagonist One and her cool elf companion Nero going on an adventure and killing everyone in sight.

One spares no one's lives and hardly says anything while Nero does most of the talking and seems to at least have SOME morals (he questions why One is not sparing the pregnant and the elderly).  The two are trying to stop the spreading of the red eyed disease which turns people into murderous monsters.  There is more information about Drakengard's world through the weapon's back stories in the video game than in this manga.

The manga is still going and one chapter a month is the release schedule for each chapter.  Reading the manga, much like playing the video game is like a guilty pleasure.  During my childhood, I was tired of happy Japanese role playing protagonists who wanted to save the world and everything ended happily at the end of the group's journey.  Seeing the blood-thirty Caim mercilessly kill his enemies and show little compassion for his teamates' problems as he hopelessly tried to save the world was a breath of fresh air.  Caim's actions were minor compared to his party members who should have been locked away in a dungeon forever.

Although all the endings were sad and Caim always failed to rescue his sister, I remembered all of those endings and the game's characters throughout my childhood.  Sad endings was something I expected from the series to the point where Drakengard 2's attempts at a happy ending (the final ending) left a bad taste in my mouth.

Zero is the Protagonist of Drag-On Dragoon 3

 Drag-on Dragoon 3 returns with a prequel (not a squeal or a spin off like Nier Gestalt/Replicant) and the white haired protagonist Zero.  Zero, much like Caim, is not a likable or typical Japanese role playing protagonist.  She is sexed crazed, has four sexual male partners who fight alongside her, and is on a mission to kill off her five sisters who watch over various parts of the world.  She has a fake left arm, a flower growing out of her right eye, and the ability to manipulate magic through song.

Drag-on Dragoon is well known for the banter between party members through ground battles and dragon riding missions.  It would be interesting to see if any of her male companions are fighting for her attention, boasts about their time with her, or how they interact overall.

Zero's Companions and Sexual Partners (all of them)

Drag-on Dragoon is going to be released in Japan in December and there is no telling if there will be an English release.  Zero's sexual appetite might need to be censored before Drakengard 3 is able to leave Japan.  For those that want the Asian versions or the Limited Edition, please see Play-Asia for the Japanese, Chinese, and Limited Edition bundle.

Trailer

One hour special (skip around for game footage) here.

This review was brought to you by <a href="www.ofanimeandvideogames.com">Of Anime and Video Games</a>

Vassalord Original Video Animation

Through getting back into my love of anime, I have welcomed back one of my favorite past times and that is yaoi, shounen ai, and stories which hint or tease that the two male protagonists might be in love with each other.  Any type of these intimate interactions between two males are much more enjoyable outside of high school, office settings, and teenage boys.  The Vassalord Original Video Animation was a nice change of pace in this genre.

Charley is a cyborg working under the Vatican to hunt down vampires.  Being a vampire as well and devote follower of God, Charley resists his  cravings for human blood and uses his master Rayflo as a source of food.  Charley receives a mission to  handle a small and older second generation vampire girl who has awakened from a deep sleep.  Charley literally drags his blood bank along for the ride in order to stop his lust for blood and handle this vampire.

Rayflo knows this little girl from an ancient time and dealing with her may not easy.

This anime starts off with Charley storming Rayflo's mansion, battling Rayflo's butler maids, and tearing Rayflo into pieces.   Every character had a distinct look, the battles were enjoyable to watch, and the sceneries are detailed.  There is a nice mix of action and comedy which I was surprised to see.

While not yaoi or shounen ai,  Charley sucking Rayflo's blood, Rayflo swimming nude, and artwork involving Rayflo and Charley; Vassalord obviously caters to a female audience.  With that said, there are female characters with their own distinct looks, parts, and personalities.

The OAV is only thirty minutes and left me wanting more.  The manga starts off the same way as the OAV and continues from where the OAV ends.  I'm guessing that the OAV was made to attract new people to the manga.  I am sure that Charley's inner conflict with being a child of God and need for blood will probably get on my nerves but the action, artwork, and interactions between Rayflo and Charley will keep me going.