Update on Digimon Xros Wars and Fate/Zero review

Mimi: About a month ago, my good friend Firechick sent me an ANN article detailing the fact that a major former character was returning in episode fourteen of Digimon. I skipped over six episodes just to see that. Aside from Kiriha, the ending revealed five mystery characters riding on a ferry. Well, it’s not really a mystery; you just couldn’t see them clearly, except for Tai, Masaru, and that tiny shape of Guilmon standing next to Takato. Squee~!

Yeah. I’m really excited about them. Looks like they haven’t changed a bit! Er, except for looking like baddies… =D But. But. I can’t promise that I’ll continue to blog this series. I just want to skip over every episode except for those in which they appear, and enjoy the nostalgia on my own time. Bleh I know; I said I was going to be patient and give this season a serious chance because it could still turn itself around. And maybe it can. But I have to get real here. I’ve been through enough silliness and filler from season 1 to bear going through it all again. I mean, look what we’ve got coming up: “A Heart-Throbbing Horror Experience! Spirit Hunter Roars!!” and “UFO· Dinosaur Great Gathering! Ekakimon of Dreams.” And I think Ekakimon is a pencil. Aside from that, it’s not the next Digimon Tamers. It’s not as enjoyable as season 2 when you take out the old characters, which I rated six meeps anyway. And it’s not going to fit in my current schedule. So, you might see me blog an episode squealing over Tai or Takato. But that’ll probably be it. =P

Now regarding my late late late Fate/zero review. At first, I was just being lazy with it and having writers block, cuz all I could think of to say was epic. But then I thought, maybe I should wait and review both seasons together. Since I read the novel, my opinion and score moreover reflect the series in its entirety anyway. Besides, if you read my posts, you already know what I think. My only complaint, aside from the smallest nitpicks, is the way it left off. But we all know that was necessary to keep up the production values. Not a very good complaint, then. D: So unless anyone really cares, I think I’ll just wait.

Digimon Xros Wars Episode 60

A Digimon Kendo Match! Kotemon’s Blade Approaches!!

Mimi: The gang joins a kendo tournament, where a hard-working kid suddenly becomes consumed by darkness. It turns out that Ren’s Digimon, Dracmon, was using him to create dark energy so he could digivolve into Yasyamon. They lose to Tagiru once again. *yawn* I think I’ll wait a few weeks to blog the filler episodes together, with a one-line summary for each, until something interesting happens. xD

Digimon Xros Wars Episode 59

Cuteness Causion! Cute Hunter, Airu’s Trap!

Mimi: The first 19 minutes of this episode is just annoying/silly filler, where Airu tries to kidnap Cutemon, and Tagiru visits Yuu’s house. You might as well skip to the last 4 minutes when something important actually happens. Yuu gets Damemon back, yaaay! Now how many more filler episodes will we have to put up with before we get to the good stuff (assuming there will be good stuff)? When will the old characters appear?

Btw… so this is what has become of Nene… o_o

Digimon Xros Wars Episode 56, 57, 58

The Students Disappear! The Wavering Shadow of Sagomon

Robot Club’s Dream, Pinocchimon’s Enticement

The Honors Students are Targeted! Blossomon’s Smile

Mimi: Wow, I’ve never reviewed three episodes in one post before, but that just comes to show how far I’ve fallen behind! Gomen! Not to put the blame on something else entirely, but I’m also having computer problems. My laptop won’t charge while I’m using it. I had to close it several times to charge just so I could write this post. Gyah, how annoying. I’m looking into sending it off for repairs this week. Ok, back to the show.

Well, it’s pretty obvious where Digimon is going now. I like that it takes place in the human world more, but it’s just using another formula that we’ve seen in anime again and again. You know, the one where the “monster of the week” possesses a weak human heart, starting with the protagonist’s classmates who suddenly disappear from school. Don’t get me wrong, the show can still be good. Just look at Princess Tutu and Heartcatch Precure (Er, are there any non-magical girl examples you can think of?). They turned out to be great in spite of the formula because of how well their stories were developed. They had good plot twists, interesting mystery characters, and a uniqueness that made watching them worthwhile. Not to mention an amazing OST.

Even in good series like those, the formula always starts out average, gradually building up to the more interesting material. I dropped Precure before it got better, and I’m super glad that I picked it back up to finish. So far, these episodes of Digimon have been about:

-Sagomon possesses depressed children.

-Pinocchimon possesses children to help him build a giant robot Digimon.

-A jealous student turns her smart classmates into stone.

-Next episode: Airu tries to kidnap Cutemon.

Yaaaawn. Pretty boring, right? The 2nd arc (with Kiriha and Nene) was way better than this. But I’m willing to be patient for the potential reward at the end. What I’m really looking for is a decent story and plot-twist. Maybe Xros Wars won’t match up to Tamers, but I’m expecting a little more from the same director. Let’s wait and see what happens. At the very least, Taiki and Yuu are still fun, and it’s adorable how Gumdramon tries to stand up to Shoutmon all the time. =P

First Impression: Digimon Xros Wars: Toki o Kakeru Shonen Hunter-tachi

Digimon Xros Wars: Toki o Kakeru Shonen Hunter-tachi

Mimi: Digimon Xros Wars is an entirely different show now. For better or worse, I’m not certain, but it’s definitely a refreshing change! I’m liking the character designs, animation, dark atmosphere, insert songs, and the human world activities. The concept is also similar to Digimon Tamers, where the characters hunt down Digimon in a space between the real world and Digital world to prevent them from entering the real world. It’s just going to take a while for me to get used to this guy.

I like that Tagiru has more personality than Taiki, but woah, that’s going overboard. Nevertheless, I’m just glad to see Xros Wars finally go in a new direction. Digimon hunting and basketball! Now this should be fun. :3

Review: Digimon Xros Wars (31-54)

Digimon Xros Wars: The Evil Death Generals and the Seven Kingdoms

Mimi: Let me start this review off by saying that YES, the second arc is better. What a relief that Akari and Zenjirou are gone!

As far as the story goes, it’s not that different from before. Instead of visiting different zones to collect the code crowns, our heroes have to visit seven kingdoms to defeat the Death Generals. Once again, each kingdom has a specific theme, like Vampire Land and Cyber Land. The generals are your typical power-hungry, obnoxious, and “Mauahaha let me toy around with you!” evildoers, save for the last one, who is delightfully unique. The story is so straightforward that you could skip to the last general and not miss anything important. Then again, why would you wanna skip all the precious quality time that Taiki, Nene, and Kiriha spend together? =D

Um. I said precious quality time!

Ah! And that’s exactly the point of this season. It’s basically one big character development arc for Kiriha. After all, Nene had already changed, and there’s not much you can do with Taiki. It’s just fun to watch Kiriha’s personality clash with the other two. His new character design is a bonus. *drool* Oh, um…anyway! The three of them make a great team. They might not be the most original characters ever, but I have to admit that they’ve really grown on me by now. This arc also focuses more on Nene’s brother, Yuu, who receives just enough development at the end to prepare his main role for the third season. Overall, the human characters have become much more enjoyable to watch. The Digimon also have their moments, but Baalmon’s arc is still my favorite. ^_~

In my first review, I mentioned that I was turned off by the concept of the “Xros Loader” because it closely resembles the Pokeball. Well, it’s not so bad. I think it’s pretty cool actually that the characters can form their own armies! That’s something that hasn’t been done before (I think).

Well, now that it’s time to rate this season again, there’s definitely a lot more to consider. In the end, I decided to bump my score up by one and a half points because of the characters and the fantastic finale. Other than that, it’s still your average kids show with a formulaic plot, stereotypical villains, and individual stories that range from being silly and boring to dark and awesome. For instance, I didn’t care for any of the kingdoms except for the last two, which were focused on Kiriha and Yuu. What Digimon Xros Wars needs the most is a new direction. That means, no more visiting different lands with a specific theme, and having more originality/complexity. Personally, I’d even like to see the characters spend more time in the human world. With the director of Digimon Tamers taking over the third season, I can’t wait to see what new changes will come in Digimon Xros Wars starting next week!

Mimi’s Score: 6 Meeps out of 10 (Fine)

Digimon Xros Wars Episode 54

Glorious DigiXros, Seize our Future!

Mimi: ……..Woah. *speechless* I was so in awe of this episode that I nearly missed the new episode of AMC’s Breaking Bad (thank God my mom called me).

Now that was insane. The “Glorious DigiXros” is SO great that Shoutmon has thousands of Digimon floating around him! Jeezus.

Oh, and this screenshot is for you, Firechick. It’s Lopmon!!

Seriously, the finale went all out, far beyond my expectations. I thought it was going to be like Tactimon’s last battle, but this is way better. Who couldn’t love this? And I gotta give major kudos to Akari for her brave stunt, which was attacking Bagramon head on. She even has more guts than Kiriha.

1 episode ago…

What else can I say? This is a great, action-packed, and heat-warming finale filled with eye-candy that you just gotta see for yourself!

Here are some clips of the next season. Taiki and Yuu are all grown up. =^_^=

Digimon Xros Wars Episode 53

Approaching! The Last Day of the Human World, D5

Mimi: Yay, Yuu is rescued! Yay, Shoutmon pretends to be dead! Yay…Bagramon is still alive!

I gotta wonder about one thing though. Why the heck didn’t they attack DarkKnightmon while Bagramon was lecturing him about idealism and conviction? He was just sitting there! So the best thing to do is stare at him and wonder “HUH? What’s wrong with him? Oh my god, is he okay?! DarkKightmon, ANSWER ME—oh. You just got owned by your brother instead. OK cool, let’s keep fighting!” xD

Finally, the DigiMemories are back. I was starting to wonder about what had happened to them. Good to know they’re still useful. Well, there’s only one episode left! I hope the subs come out on time for this one. 😀

Digimon Xros Wars Episode 52

Bagra Brothers! The Bonds of Darkness

Mimi: Oh finally, the moment we’ve all been waiting 52 episodes for!! The supreme evil emperor! BAGRAMON!! Watch out you guys, he’s gonna—!

Er, yeah… That’s it in a nutshell. o_o

By the way, I really missed these guys!!

Digimon Xros Wars Episode 51

For the Sake of the Future of the Digital World! Friendship with the Death Generals!

Mimi: This better be the end of the Seven Death Generals. Seriously. All they do here is fight among themselves. Taiki finally takes out their DigiXrossed form. Let’s move on, and quickly, so the next season will be here already~ :3 What do you know, it actually starts on my birthday. What an easy way to remember. =P

Okay, I’ll try to fill this post up with a few more words. Hmmm. I did start to wonder about how they’re going to bring back the lead characters from the previous seasons. Won’t Tai be a grandfather? Will Ken ditch Yolei and their children to become a Digimon Hunter? Will Takato still have his awesome D-Power? Heh, I’m having too much fun with this. I’m sure none of that is going to happen. X3 Some people think that they’ll be nothing more than cameos. Still, I’d love to see them! And I know, Firechick, I need to re-watch Digimon Tamers, though I feel like I’ve seen it just yesterday (it’s that memorable.) xD