Mobile Suit Gundam 00 - A wakening of the Trailblazer Review - 80/100

Gundam 00’s Awakening of the Trailblazer is one of those movies where you need to have seen the series for. Spoilers for the Gundam 00 will follow in this review, otherwise I can’t properly explain the impression that this movie left me.

Anyway, I was ready to just get this movie over with, expecting the Gundam 00 Movie to be another forgettable flick. But, to me surprise there was one thing about this movie that made me really happy as soneone who sat through the fifty episodes of the two Gundam 00 series: it has no annoying characters!

Seriously, half of the annoying characters is already dead at this point. The others really impressed me how they managed to spend the entire movie from whining: two years have passed again since the end of the second season, and finally everyone seems to have settled down. Saji and Louise who once urged me to break the screen of my laptop once every episode are actually a cute couple now. Mister Bushido finally dropped that ridiculous mask of his and stopped being a char clone, Marie and Allelujah also are quite happy together. All of the innovators who are still alive have become more than paper bags of characters and even Setsuna has a romantic interest now other than his Gundam.

The cast of this movie is still HUGE. I can’t recall any movie with more characters than this one, and I’m impressed with how it managed to involve all of them in this movie and developed a surprising amount of them at the same time while also introducing a bunch of new ones. It’s definitely much more than I expected.

This movie can very much be compared to Gundam Wing’s Endless Waltz: its villain is completely new but has a vague connection to something important in the original series, it’s much paced very differently from the TV-series that dragged on and it’s actually quite effective that way despite a few glaring problems. This movie takes a lot of time for its build-up, which makes the action scenes stand out even more. The action scenes themselves are actually pretty varied and don’t get boring, yet stay in the same Gundam-esque tradition of having space battles on a huge scale.

As for the plot itself… yeah. The villains are aliens now. Still, it’s handled decently: any kind of realism in Gundam 00 was abandoned anyway since the arrival of the Trans-am system, and this movie just rolls with it, while at the same time tying in neatly with Aeolia Schenberg’s ultimate objectives. The aliens themselves though are as flat as a pancake in terms of character and the ending of the movie is just.. ridiculous. Seriously, it feels like that ending was thought up at the last possible minute.

The graphics of the movie is a very mixed bag. The character animation is surprisingly mediocre for a movie by Sunrise. Instead however, the biggest part of the budget went into the CG near the end of the movie, and granted: that is a visual feast.

Overall, the ending is of headdesk and facepalm level, but apart from that this movie was surprisingly refreshing compared to how annoying and forgettable Gundam 00’s second season was. Storytelling: 8/10 - Actually well paced for Gundam 00’s standards. Good action, good build-up. STUPID conclusion.
Characters: 8/10 - Shallow villains, but the other characters surprised me a lot: they’re not annoying and are actually able to show off their development.
Production-Values: 8/10 - Gorgeous CG, simple character animations for movie standards.
Setting: 8/10 - It adds on the Gundam 00 franchise in its own way. Some things work well, others don’t work at all.

Nomura details Jan’s FNC conference plans

If you’ve been keeping up to date with news that came out of this years Tokyo Game Show, you might be familiar with the announcement that a Fabula Nova Crystallis conference will be held on January 11th, 2011. In this week’s Famitsu, Tetsuya Nomura detailed that the event will re-debut Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII which include new screenshots and videos. New Duodecim characters will be revealed as well as surprising new titles that may not part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series. The event will be open to the public, but it seems like only a small number of people will get in.
Update: The magazine also confirms that you will be able to use your saved game from Dissidia and Dissidia: Universal Tuning in Duodecim. Also Aya’s Lightning outfit in The 3rd Birthday will also tear as Aya takes damage, so much so that you’ll be able to see a L’Cie brand on her… chest!

Nomura details his work on Versus XIII

On the official Twitter page for The 3rd Birthday, Final Fantasy Versus XIII director Tetsuya Nomura made some comments on his recent work involving the title. He made a list of some of the game’s features he’s working on with this team at the moment. They include:
+ The look of a forest that you can see once you’ve cleared a narrow mountain path.
+ Things that are required when leaving the city by moving on the roofs of buildings.
+ The positioning of the bookshelves in shops.
+ How flags are standing.
+ How the sea is handled on the world map.
+ The roads you can see from the air ship.
+ The length of bridges.
+ The look on a character during a short cut in a scene where he or she is leaving.
+ Explanation of a fathers feelings during a conversation scene.
+ The areas that they want to have connected seamlessly, and the areas that they want to connect via cuts.
+ Explanations about the heroines movements.
He also mentioned that Final Fantasy has always had a direct feedback system of showing damage right after a character takes an action during battle. Would it be implemented in Versus as well? Seems like Nomura’s not ready to mention the specifics quite yet. Versus and Agito will possibly get their own Twitter as well, and probably closer to the Fabula Nova Crystallis conference in January were boatloads of new information (one would hope) will be revealed about the next two titles in the compilation. Unfortunately Dissidia Duodecim will not get it’s own Twitter.

5 Reasons we Hype Final Fantasy Versus XIII

 

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Final Fantasy Versus XIII remains an enigmatic title to most, even after years of supposed development after being announced alongside Final Fantasy XIII during E3 2006, very little about the title is known. And yet every tidbit we get, whether it’s a simple tweet from the game’s director or a couple pages of information from the latest issue of Japanese Famitsu, has us squealing with excitement. So what exactly is it about Final Fantasy Versus XIII tickles our fancy? Hit the jump to find out what we’re most excited about.

5. What Little we’ve Seen Continues to Impress

It wasn’t until late June that actual real time gameplay screens of Versus XIII were shown to the general public – up until then trailers showing the title in action have been aired behind closed doors. It’s amazing though how much three simple screenshots can reveal about a game. If there’s one thing we can say, it’s that the years of development are definitely paying off in the graphical department.  Every single object is rendered with such incredible detail – from the realistically pleasing skies, to the city lights, buildings, and cars, as well as the characters within these gorgeous environments. The amount of detail on the single Military Behemoth shown is just mind-blowing, and we can’t wait to see it all in motion.

According to Nomura, it’s the team’s goal to improve upon the visuals even further. And with a lot of time being spent on making things look just right (the gas station shown in this first batch of screens can even be entered and explored from the inside!) there’s going to be a lot of eye candy through this lengthy adventure. If there’s one thing we can expect from the Final Fantasy series, it’s pushing hardware to its limits, and we expect no less here.

4. Soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura

Previously known for her works in Super Mario RPG, Legend of Mana, Parasite Eve, and most recently, the Kingdom Hearts Series, Yoko Shimomura has enhanced RPG’s with her ambient, emotional, and flowing tracks for years now. Nintendo, Square Enix, and RPG fans in general continuously praise her music, and Versus XIII marks her first foray into the Final Fantasy series, and we can’t wait to see how her music sets the tone for the title.

We’ve gotten a taste of what to expect with Somnus, the theme song for the game. The music is extremely powerful and heavy, and if we can expect this sort of quality from the rest of the soundtrack, we can’t wait to be put through an emotional roller coaster while listening to the music when the game reaches store shelves.

3. World Map

In reality this would have made number one on my personal list if just to rekindle my faith in a series that has over time distanced itself from many of its traditions. I’ll be honest, this is just nostalgia speaking, but the fact that Versus XIII is to have some sort of world map really piques my interest in the title. Despite Versus’ unique take on an action packed Final Fantasy title, it seems to be returning to its roots when it comes to other aspects of the series, and that’s something many older fans can appreciate. It’s already been confirmed that multiple forms of vehicle transportation will be in the game, something fans haven’t been able to tinker with for a long time.

This is the return of the world map after nearly a decade of disappearance (the last world map in a Final Fantasy title was IX – X, XI, XII, and XIII all skipped the series staple). In reality what really excites about the idea of a world map is that aspect of exploration often missed in RPGs. Will Versus bring us back to the days when there were hidden surprises in every corner of the world, just waiting to be discovered?

2. Made by Square’s Kingdom Hearts Team

So this reason was met with some skepticism. To some, this title being developed by the now famous Kingdom Hearts team could be seen with some cynicism. But really, what better folks to spearhead an action take on the Final Fantasy Series than a group that’s already successfully done it once. More importantly, the team is no longer being held back or bounded: they won’t have to compromise difficulty, depth, or strategy for the sake of a younger audience and the world’s largest entertainment company (Disney) breathing down their necks. They can finally craft a hardcore action RPG reflecting the maturity the team themselves have developed over the years.

And that’s exactly what Versus XIII seems to be. It’s taken a much darker turn within the series when it comes to environments and themes, and we hope the game play reflects that. With the goal being “Advent Children like” intensity in battles, we can’t wait to see how the Kingdom Hearts team delivers

1. There’s Still So Much We Don’t Know (and it’s coming sooner than you think!)

So there are varying reasons to look forward to Versus XIII, but when fans have been waiting for such an extended period of time (heck, in five years, live changing events can happen – graduation, careers come and go, marriage), it certainly can be hard to maintain enthusiasm. Part of the hype for the title definitely lies in the air of mystery that’s remained after so long, and for some fans, it’s merely a matter of putting all their faith in something they actually know so little about.

Not to fret, with the PC Version of Final Fantasy XIV releasing worldwide this September, we expect Versus XIII to get its first big debut at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, and if not, then definitely by Jump Fest in December. And by blowout, we mean a public trailer, with actual game play, new party members revealed, and more information on just how this title will play out. Furthermore, with XIV fully out of the way by March 2011, there’s little doubt that Versus XIII could be Square Enix’ big holiday release for the holidays that year. This time next year we might be hyping the game’s actual, final release date.

Top 200 Anime

Rank Title Average Reviews
1 Rurouni Kenshin - Reminiscence (1999) 8.869 9.6 226
2 Fullmetal Alchemist (2003) 8.625 9.2 248
3 Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien (2003) 8.605 9.2 229
4 Full Moon wo Sagashite (2002) 8.526 9.2 213
5 Cowboy Bebop (1998) 8.503 9.0 277
6 Elfen Lied (2004) 8.492 9.0 260
7 Hikaru no Go (2001) 8.447 9.2 182
8 Berserk (1997) 8.349 9.0 216
9 One Piece (1999) 8.280 9.3 129
10 Gundam SEED (2002) 8.249 9.0 175
11 12 Kokuki (2002) 8.199 9.0 152
12 Hunter X Hunter (1999) 8.183 9.4 109
13 Last EXILE (2003) 8.165 8.7 219
14 Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu! (2003) 8.136 8.9 157
15 Hajime no Ippo (2000) 8.115 9.2 112
16 Scrapped Princess (2003) 8.109 8.8 186
17 Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995) 8.084 8.5 295
18 Great Teacher Onizuka (1999) 8.082 9.1 127
19 Rahxephon (2002) 8.060 8.7 189
20 GunGrave (2003) 8.057 8.9 139
21 DEATH NOTE (2006) 8.055 9.2 104
22 Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (2006) 8.017 9.0 125
23 Grave of the Fireflies (1988) 8.001 8.9 133
24 Monster (2004) 7.973 9.3 88
25 Haibane Renmei (2002) 7.954 8.9 122
26 Planet ES (2003) 7.951 9.1 103
27 Furi Kuri (2000) 7.938 8.5 199
28 Onegai Teacher (2002) 7.906 8.6 173
29 Fruits Basket (2001) 7.890 8.5 179
30 AIR TV (2005) 7.887 8.9 110
31 Samurai Champloo (2004) 7.875 8.6 162
32 Shingetsutan Tsukihime (2003) 7.851 8.5 189
33 BECK (2004) 7.844 8.9 107
34 Mai HiME (2004) 7.841 8.8 123
35 Naruto (2002) 7.825 8.1 377
36 Rurouni Kenshin (1996) 7.822 8.7 132
37 Azumanga Daioh (2002) 7.818 8.5 170
38 Spirited Away (2001) 7.794 8.9 97
39 X TV (2001) 7.785 8.8 111
40 Bleach (2004) 7.783 8.4 181
41 Trigun (1998) 7.776 8.4 171
42 Vision of Escaflowne (1996) 7.774 8.7 121
43 Ima, Sokoni Iru Boku (1999) 7.728 8.8 101
44 Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (2005) 7.695 9.1 76
45 GetBackers (2002) 7.681 8.6 121
46 Full Metal Panic! (2002) 7.656 8.3 171
47 Princess Mononoke (1997) 7.654 8.8 89
48 Gunslinger Girl (2003) 7.646 8.4 133
49 Ghost in the Shell Stand Alone Complex 1st GIG (2002) 7.637 8.8 89
50 Uchuu no Stellvia (2003) 7.628 8.4 141
51 Hoshi no Koe (2002) 7.625 8.3 149
52 Chrno Crusade (2003) 7.617 8.4 142
53 Wolf's Rain (2003) 7.610 8.3 161
54 Read or Die (2001) 7.606 8.6 110
55 Cowboy Bebop - Knockin' on heaven's door (2001) 7.583 8.8 87
56 Gankutsuoh (2004) 7.576 9.2 65
57 Scryed (2001) 7.539 8.4 113
58 Serial Experiments Lain (1998) 7.526 8.1 169
59 Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (1998) 7.508 8.2 137
60 School Rumble (2004) 7.497 8.7 85
61 Princess Tutu (2002) 7.495 9.2 58
62 Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2001) 7.469 8.5 93
63 Jungle wa itsumo Hare nochi Guu (2001) 7.459 8.9 68
64 Vandread 2 (2001) 7.452 8.8 73
65 Eureka Seven (2005) 7.442 9.0 64
66 Noir (2001) 7.442 8.1 149
67 Kino no tabi ~the Beautiful World~ (2003) 7.437 8.9 67
68 Boogiepop Phantom (2000) 7.433 8.6 82
69 Chobits (2002) 7.426 7.9 224
70 Seikai no Monshou (1999) 7.404 8.9 65
71 Infinite Ryvius (1999) 7.398 8.7 71
72 Saikano (2002) 7.383 7.9 198
73 Genshiken (2004) 7.372 8.5 81
74 Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) 7.369 8.9 62
75 Maison Ikkoku (1986) 7.362 9.1 55
76 Hachimitsu to Clover (2005) 7.342 8.7 70
77 R.O.D -THE TV- (2003) 7.310 8.4 82
78 Witch Hunter Robin (2002) 7.298 7.9 146
79 Card Captor Sakura (1998) 7.282 8.4 81
80 Initial D - First Stage (1998) 7.271 8.4 79
81 Hellsing (2001) 7.271 7.8 189
82 Ghost in the Shell (1995) 7.270 8.4 84
83 Midori no Hibi (2004) 7.269 8.1 109
84 Ai Yori Aoshi (2002) 7.266 8.0 123
85 Seikai no Senki (2000) 7.256 8.9 54
86 Vandread (2000) 7.252 8.1 111
87 Kiddy Grade (2002) 7.251 8.1 103
88 Whisper of the heart (1995) 7.229 9.0 50
89 Paranoia Agent (2004) 7.222 8.4 73
90 Inuyasha (2000) 7.218 7.8 149
91 Koi Kaze (2004) 7.211 8.6 64
92 Golden Boy (1995) 7.210 8.3 81
93 Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986) 7.209 8.7 58
94 Rurouni Kenshin - Seisouhen (2001) 7.206 8.1 102
95 Kodomo no Omocha (1996) 7.190 9.1 47
96 Akira (1988) 7.188 7.8 142
97 Kannazuki no Miko (2004) 7.188 8.3 77
98 Tennis no Ohjisama (2001) 7.184 8.3 80
99 Kanon (2002) 7.143 8.1 88
100 Maria-sama ga Miteru (2004) 7.101 8.6 56
101 Fushigi Yuugi (1995) 7.094 8.0 92
102 Gravitation TV (2000) 7.088 8.5 59
103 Maho Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto (2003) 7.080 8.5 58
104 D.C ~Da Capo~ (2003) 7.078 7.9 98
105 Mahoromatic (2001) 7.068 8.1 82
106 Kaleido Star (2003) 7.062 9.1 40
107 Outlaw Star (1998) 7.040 8.2 69
108 Evangelion: End of Evangelion (1997) 7.035 8.0 81
109 .hack//SIGN (2002) 7.026 7.4 195
110 CODE GEASS Hangyaku no Lelouch (2006) 7.018 8.9 43
111 Ergo Proxy (2006) 7.014 8.7 47
112 Aishiteruze Baby (2004) 7.006 8.2 66
113 Ohran Koko Host Club (2006) 7.000 8.7 47
114 Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2006) 6.981 8.6 48
115 Samurai 7 (2004) 6.962 8.2 64
116 Hana Yori Dango (1996) 6.949 8.8 42
117 Yakitate!! Japan (2004) 6.947 8.6 46
118 Martian Successor Nadesico (1996) 6.939 8.0 76
119 Excel Saga (1999) 6.938 7.9 82
120 Basilisk ~ Koga Nimpo Cho ~ (2005) 6.936 8.9 40
121 Ranma 1/2 (1989) 6.929 8.3 55
122 Slam Dunk (1993) 6.926 8.5 49
123 Ayashi no Ceres (2000) 6.923 8.0 73
124 Yu Yu Hakusho (1992) 6.920 8.6 47
125 Kumo no Muko, Yakusoku no basho (2004) 6.918 8.2 58
126 Ai Mai Mi ! Strawberry Egg (2001) 6.917 8.0 70
127 Tenshi na Konamaiki (2002) 6.915 8.3 55
128 CLAYMORE (2007) 6.903 8.4 52
129 Kimagure Orange Road TV (1987) 6.902 8.6 45
130 Mahoromatic TV 2 (2002) 6.892 7.9 72
131 Kidou Tenshi Angelic Layer (2001) 6.883 8.2 56
132 Ultra Maniac TV (2003) 6.883 8.5 48
133 Onegai Twins (2003) 6.881 7.4 140
134 Paradise Kiss (2005) 6.880 8.7 42
135 Millennium Actress (2001) 6.870 8.6 44
136 Pita Ten (2002) 6.867 8.4 49
137 Love Hina (2000) 6.855 7.4 138
138 TEXHNOLYZE (2003) 6.833 8.4 46
139 Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) 6.829 8.3 49
140 Jin-Roh, The Wolf Brigade (2000) 6.821 8.4 47
141 Slayers, The (1995) 6.814 8.2 51
142 Noein - Mo Hitori no Kimi e - (2005) 6.807 8.6 40
143 AA! Megami Sama (1993) 6.798 7.9 68
144 Shaman King (2001) 6.786 8.5 42
145 D.N Angel (2003) 6.777 7.7 76
146 Matantei Loki - Ragnarok (2003) 6.754 8.3 44
147 Abenobashi Mahou Shotengai (2002) 6.750 7.8 67
148 GANTZ (2004) 6.748 7.8 68
149 Kiki's Delivery Service (1989) 6.748 8.3 44
150 Final Fantasy VII Advent Children (2005) 6.736 7.6 83
151 Suzuka (2005) 6.720 7.9 59
152 AA! Megami Sama: The Movie (2000) 6.716 8.3 43
153 .hack//Legend of Twilight Bracelet (2003) 6.701 7.6 72
154 MADLAX (2004) 6.687 8.1 48
155 Tokyo Underground (2002) 6.677 7.5 81
156 Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004) 6.654 8.0 50
157 Peace Maker Kurogane (2003) 6.653 7.8 56
158 REC (2006) 6.648 8.1 44
159 Sokyu No Fafner (2004) 6.644 8.2 41
160 Gundam Wing (1995) 6.635 7.6 65
161 Trinity Blood (2005) 6.629 7.8 55
162 Howl no Ugoku Shiro (2004) 6.623 8.1 44
163 Rozen Maiden (2004) 6.594 8.1 41
164 Tsubasa Chronicle (2005) 6.591 7.8 51
165 Piano (2002) 6.589 8.0 44
166 Gundam SEED Destiny (2004) 6.564 7.6 63
167 Yami no Matsuei (2000) 6.561 7.9 45
168 DearS (2004) 6.552 7.6 62
169 Shakugan no Shana (2005) 6.537 7.9 46
170 Gunparade March - Arata Naru Ko Gunka (2003) 6.530 7.9 46
171 NARUTARU (2003) 6.527 7.5 60
172 Green Green TV (2003) 6.525 7.3 74
173 Love Hina Christmas Special (2000) 6.519 8.0 40
174 Ninja Scroll (1993) 6.489 7.6 56
175 Appleseed Movie (2004) 6.485 7.5 56
176 SHUFFLE! (2005) 6.483 7.5 56
177 Happy Lesson TV (2002) 6.480 7.6 54
178 Record of Lodoss War OVA (1990) 6.470 7.5 59
179 Escaflowne - The Movie (2000) 6.455 7.3 70
180 Perfect Blue (1997) 6.454 7.7 47
181 Fate/stay night (2006) 6.421 7.7 45
182 To Heart (1999) 6.403 7.4 54
183 Tenjou Tenge (2004) 6.399 7.2 69
184 Chikyu Shojo Arjuna (2001) 6.385 7.8 40
185 Boys Be (2000) 6.375 7.7 42
186 Blood: The Last Vampire (2000) 6.361 6.9 106
187 Ai Yori Aoshi ~Enishi~ (2003) 6.292 7.3 53
188 Alien Nine (2001) 6.240 7.4 44
189 Dragon Ball (1986) 6.187 7.2 46
190 Grenadier - Hohoemi no Senshi - (2004) 6.156 7.1 47
191 E's Otherwise (2003) 6.132 7.2 42
192 Love Hina OVA (2002) 6.079 6.8 62
193 Dragon Ball Z (1989) 6.050 6.3 184
194 Prince of Darkness (1998) 6.023 7.0 40
195 Kono Minikuku Mo Utsukushii Sekai (2004) 5.989 6.6 68
196 Ichigo 100% (2005) 5.982 6.8 49
197 Flame of Recca (1997) 5.978 6.9 43
198 Ikkitousen (2003) 5.965 6.6 57
199 Samurai Deeper Kyo (2002) 5.956 6.4 80
200 Kite (1998) 5.955 6.5 70