Full Metal Panic!

 Time for a mecha fix again, and this time with a series that aired back in 2002, Full Metal Panic.

And at first glance, for animation style think Gundam Wing.  It doesn't help of course that the hero looks like Heero Yuy, and in the dubbed version has the same voice actor...

Mithril is a special organisation dedicated to fighting terrorism, powered by the "Whispered", people who can create objects.  Sousuke is a sergeant assigned to protect high school student Kaname, a Whispered kandidate and targeted by the KGB.  Being raised on the battlefield, Sousuke has a lot to learn about normal school life, like not publically wielding his gun for one...

 

 

When they are ambushed during a school trip, Sousuke and his companions set out to rescue Kaname from her captors, and having to make their way back with limited resources, making them get closer and a bond of trust forming.  His Mecha suddenly powers up with an unknown power though, for which Kaname might be the source... through the Lambda Driver.

When CO Tessa is send to meet with Takuma, who is also suspected to be able to operate the Lambda Driver but suffers seemingly from PTSD, they are attacked by terrorist group A21.  Cpt Testarpssa and Kaname are kidnapped, and as they try to rescue them, Takuma takes control of the huge Behemoth mech, raining destruction around him.

As Kaname gets placed in a safehouse, Sousuke has to face a demon from his past as he goes on a mission with an experienced squad of soldiers.  But even with the ultimate sacrifice by some of them, they just can't seem to overpower him.  Upon his return, Sousuke decides to help out Kaname with the organisation of the school festival, but then asks her to go with him to a southern island.  But a ghostly sub nicknamed the Toy Box, or Tuathe de Danaan as it is named, is roving the area.

Captained by Testarossa, it's a prototype for Mithril.  Kaname learns she was taken along for a meeting, but as a chemical attack on a small country threatens, Kaname and Sousuke are welcomed aboard the ship... after jumping out of their plane.  Melissa tells Kaname more about how she got to recruit Kurtz and Sousuke during a trainingcamp as a hostage crisis arose, and what they where really capable off.

Testarossa confesses to Kaname she is a Whisperer as well before the operation starts, but as Melissa gets injured by Gauren Sousuke is tormented even after Gauren turns himself in as his mecha seems to have overheated.  But it is all a ploy as he has bystanders in the ship, and the goal was to capture the Danaan all along.  During this, he initiates an evacuation drill to force all the crew to the front of the ship, rising oxygen levels in a goal to poison them.  Curtz and Sousuke stayed in the other half though, and run a guerilla action to try and figure out what is going on.  Testarossa and Kaname come up with a plan to overide the hijack software, making Kaname interface with the ship's AI and so regain control.

Gauren is overpowered in the end, but he plans to take the submarine and Sousuke in particular with him as he activates his self destruct system, but Kaname saves him at the last moment... and finally managing to go to the beach with Sousuke in the aftermath.

 

Now, it wasn`t a bad series at all, but it lost a lot of it's charm for me due to being only able to find an english dub version.  And sorry, but to me personally that's horrendous...  Not judging those that do like that, but I can barely watch dubbed series.

 

 

 

Closed for Holidays

 Off to the seaside with Noshi and little Thorin, see you again around the end of next week!

 

 

Unboxing Gundam 00 Loot Crate

 The second of the four limited edition Gundam Loot Crate's series, this time the theme was the 00 series.

So I hoped there was something Lockon / Dynames related in it!

After the first box, which more can be read about HERE, I followed through for the whole series of special crates, and the second one was shipped out to me on the 14th of july.  Arriving on the 3th of august (and free of customs!), it was time to open it up and discover the goodies inside.

Okay, so that is a really good crate, for me definitly better then the Gundam Wing one.  On the plus side, it has something Lockon related with the Haro cup, and it has nothing main gundam in it, something I feared would happen.  And actually HOPE it will be with the next one, as that is the SEED one for some more Freedom stuff!

But for this box, it was just one pile of really cool thingies to have, the mug, the slippers, the bag... really awesome stuff.

Well worth the money in my opinion!

The Haul Report 287: prepping for vacation

 Well, sort of a staycation actually, as we will remain in the country.

But in the coming two weeks, Thorin is going to get his first look at the sea, as we rented a studio there.

So in order to prepare, I also purchased a new vaper, my old faithfull starting to leak on all sides after more then half a decade of service.  He deserves a well earned retirement.

I also received this awesome Rimuru pin from Tishpins, check out her Etsy store for more goodies.  It arrived dodging customs (huzzaaaah!) and is the first collectible fanmade pin for the anime collection.

 

 

My second Loot Crate from the limited edition Gundam series also arrived, Gundam 00 themed this time.  You can see the contents in tomorrow's unboxing!

 

 

So a really lovely week of goodies for sure!

I'm the Hero, but the Demon Lord's also me Vol 1 - Tatsuya Endo & Akiyoshi Ota

 So I bought this manga, unknowing what it was.

Now, it was wrapped in plastic, and I just thought it was because the store, Akiba here in Antwerp, had received them like that.

Nope, it is because it is one big boob show!

Not that I mind, mind you gnahgnah...

The story seems to start like any other isekai, with Yuuma about to be ran over by a speeding truck.  he even thinks he will be reincarnated in another world... and miraculously escapes death, staying just where he is.

One day he is cleaning, when all of a sudden a scantily clad lady, princess Alfin, appears.  She claims he is a legendary gero (who, actually, turned out was his father) and he needs to save her kingdom again.  But then another gorgeous lady, the demon Lavinia, appears, claiming he is the demon lord instead (which was actually his mom)!  As it turned out, his parents decided to elope, because his father fell in love, and couldn`t resist her chest area!  And now both the women claim Yuuma as their own, with all awkwardness included!

As he first gets kidnapped by Kokene, a cat girl demon general that wants to be impregnated by him, he has to make Lavinia reach her power to use the Foreplay Flash to overcome her.  he learns his father lost both his and mother's magical swords though, so they have to find out where they are...

 

So yeah, it was one ecchi bubs-show volume, but heck, it was also hilarious as hell, so I`m definintly getting the other three volumes in the series!

Fairy Gone 2nd Season

 Time for the next "lunch time anime" at work, where I try to watch at least 1 episode during lunchbreak.

So I purposely don`t pick series longer then about 12 episodes, as in busy periods, I at times don`t come round to it.

And now it is time for the second season of Fairy Gone.  I think the first might not have been a classic, but it was an enjoyable series, so I figured this the perfect continuation.  The series involves the human world in the era around world war 1, but some of them have fairy powers as they are bonded with the mythical creatures.  The second season starts where the first stopped, with an assault on the castle.  During this battle, we learn more about Marlya through flashbacks, as well as her connection to Veronica.

When they start the hunt for the Black Fairy Tome, the Gui Calrin maffia becomes involved and gets the book in their possession.  During the efforts of the Dorothea team to shut down the various sects, they also learn that Wolfram apparently betrayed the Arcame and now works on his own.  As a man descendant of the creator of the Black Fairy Tome approaches them, it all seems to get a lot more serious!

The Dorothea team manages to defeat the last leader of Gui Calrin and their genetically cultivated Fairy Soldiers, recovering the tome.  But upon transportation to their headquarters, Wolfram ambushes the convoy and steals the book.  The Dorothea members also learn that Marlya, being Suna born, is fairy possessed instead of having an artificial fairy organ planted in.  This results in her fairy being able to remove the fairy powers of the artificial ones and set the fairies bound to them free.

It turns out however that all the events have been nothing but an elaborate ruse by an organisation called the Eins Order, whose sole purpose is to summon the Divine Beast.  They need a fairy possessed for that purpose, and capture Marlya.  Free intervenes and they escape, just as the prime minister is assassinated.  Ray Dawn is appointed the acting PM, and they await for Veronica to show up as Ray explains why he burned the fairy forest of Suna back in the days...

 

 

Licar reappears as the Order attacks Dorothea headquarters after an ambush on Ray Dawn's convoy.  As Marlya tries to reconcile him and Veronica, Griff attacks and he is wounded and taken away after he protects the girls.  Griff harvests his fairy possessed organ, the Divine Beast is set loose on the world, while Free faces of against Griff, but as he becomes overpowered by the crazed zealot he gains unsuspected help from Wolfram. 

As Marlya tries to stop the Divine Beast, Veronica pays the ultimate price to allow her to do so as their fairies can combine into their one true and pure form.

Now, the series isn`t that fantastic, but it isn`t as bad as many make it out to be either in my opinion.  Just an average series which will be mostly remembered by me by it's awesome opening theme, but the thin character developments (heck, half the good nor bad guys are barely anything more then a name, and Free really deserved more) is lacking.

Nevertheless, I don`t regret watching it, so that's sort of a good thing.

Terra Formars volume 1 - Yu Sasuga

 Recently, I obtained volume one of this excellent anime series' manga version, and so I dived in to re-read the story I loved to watch.

And sssht, but Michelle K. Davis is waifu material.

In the 22nd century, Earth is reaching critical limits for overpopulation.  Centuries ago, the terraforming of Mars was begun, by sending cockroaches and moss into Mars's atmosphere to start the greenhouse effect.

But the first mission to check on the progress was lost, and BUGS2, a crew of 15 people who have had experimental surgery to give them powers of insects, has been send to investigate and eradicate.  However, soon after arrival, they learn the cockroaches evolved in large humanoids with incredible strength, and they quickly are attacked.  When fleeing after they loose some of their crew, they find the BUGS1 spaceship and learn they are nothing more then a disposable experiment.

So this volume basically details one of the side-OVA's of the anime series, and how it all actually started.  The drawing style is nice and clear, and the rather gruesome deaths of some of the characters is also pretty graphic.

I`m definitly looking forward to read more, especially see if the series goes onwards after the anime ended!

The Boss Baby: Family Business

 So, a biopic for baby Thorin this time round ;-)

Just kidding, yesterday Noshi and me, and in a lesser degree Lord Ipsqueek, sat down to watch the newest instalment in the Boss Baby series.

I really found the first one hilarious, and now with our own little man running around, we did have some "Oh boy, I hope not" moment (glue!!!!).

Tim is now a full grown man, and stay at home husband to two lovely daughters.  But one day, he starts to realise his eldest is growing up.  While talking to Wizzie (one of the many Lord of the Rings references in the movie btw) his alarm clock, he hears voices from the room of his baby girl Tina.

He finds out that, like him and his estranged brother Ted, she can talk and walk, and is an agent for BabyCorp.  When she tricks Ted in showing up, she forcefully recruits them to stop a dastardly plan by professor Armstrong (Jeff Goldblum ftw!) to create a revolution of babies, removing the need for parents from the world.

It turns out during their investigation that his is actually a super intelligent baby himself, who founded a chain of schools around the world to indoctrinate the babies, and turn adults in mindless zombies through an app he has created.  Ted and Tim have to overcome their differences to stop him, while Tim also helps Tabitha overcoming her stage freight and get back closer to her.

The movie certainly has his moments (the lunatic baby class!), but to be honest I didn`t think it as great as the first one, even with the awesome voice cast.  

But it was okay for a lazy, rainy sunday afternoon I guess...

Oh, and perhaps I wasn`t kidding in the intro... look at this little boss!

The Haul Report 286

 Something really nice arrived this week: my participation badge for the 40th Gunpla builders contest back near the end of 2020.

And by kamui, it is a beauty indeed!

Heck, I love it so much, I`m going to enter that competition yearly from now on I think!

The Noodlestopper Hatsune Miku I won at TokyoCatch also arrived this week.

 

Nice loot for sure!