Bleach Review: Friend 2

 

"Why aren't you bowing before me kid?"

The Flashback continues with Bazz - B and Haschwalth who try to join the Sternritter when Yhwach sends recruiters to various towns.

Glad we are getting more and more Flashbacks however I will get it out of the way now that it is a damn shame we didn't see more of the Bazz - B vs. Haschwalth fight in the present because it has been awesome so far. All in all this chapter wasn't as exciting as the previous two but it was still a gripping read with the reveal that Haschwalth is Yhwach's "Other Half". Not sure what this really means yet but it must have something to do with the fact that they can switch powers in the present and that Haschwalth couldn't form a bow while training. Now that I think of it he has only used a sword in the present and hasn't used any Quincy powers so maybe that is the trade off for being the "Other Half", plus Haschwalth was also the only Quincy not affected by Yhwach's spiritual pressure. We also got some lore on the Quincy's that a type like Haschwalth with no powers is rare but what I would like to know is where exactly in the world is this set because it seems the town was full of Quinces? Other than this it was great seeing Bazz - B get more development because he is really loyal to his friend during all their training and it was sad to see him truly believing he was going to be chosen by Yhwach because of how powerful he was even young. You know Kubo really portrayed Bazz - B as a manic when first introduced but he has been given a lot more depth; I'm guessing despite Bazz - B wanting to kill Yhwach he still hated Soul Reapers which is why he fought so many during the invasion. Lastly it was good to see more Quinces that Yamamoto had killed which makes me really excited to see a big battle soon.

I wonder when these two will be burnt to a crisp lol

Overall not that much happened but it was still a great chapter and I really, really want to see some younger versions of Sternritter soon.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Bazz - B has been developed into a really great character
                   Haschwalth as Yhwach's "Other Half"

Let - Downs: Not that exciting this week    

Bleach Review: Friend

"That was supposed to be my rabbit!"

While Bazz - B and Haschwalth continue their fight we get Flashbacks to when they first met and the early days of Yhwach's conquest.

Now this is the chapter we have all been waiting for, a Flashback arc focused on the Wandenreich set a thousand years ago just before Yhwach was sealed by Yamamoto. Now I think it is set back then because of the evidence; the scenery with castles, the dead Quincy Zeiditz and a younger Yhwach who is said to be over 200 years old even though in the present he is way older than that because it is after his sealing. I also want to point out that the only other Sternritters to get a Flashback where Lloyd, Royd and As Nodt and those where only a few pages long. First off I am really liking the friendship that has been developed between Bazz - B and Haschwalth because it adds a lot more depth to their characters and defiantly makes Bazz - B justified for turning against the Wandenreich. We got some funny dialogue between them as kids (With Bazz - B dressed as a Roman solider) and it is interesting that Bazz - B was superior to Haschwalth back then. It was nice that though Haschwalth was quite throughout he seemed to enjoy Bazz -B's company after the latter tossed him the rabbit however that didn't last with the arrival of his uncle who I think we may see because soon because he was kept in shadow.

When are you going to show us Burner Finger 5?

These good times didn't last with Yhwach burning down the castle and forest, seems like he ruled with an iron fist back then too, and Haschwalth and Bazz - B swearing vengeance. However I'm guessing something changed with Haschwalth because he is so loyal to Yhwach now and he is also given his power at night; maybe he betrayed Bazz - B at some point? Still this revenge plot kind of reminds me of Gin's however this one is defiantly more developed than that one lol. The chapter then ends with Yhwach telling Zeiditz that he will create a new vanguard called the Sternritter to conquer the Soul Society which makes me so excited for next chapter because we can see the origins of the group. Since this most likely is a 1000 years ago the Sternritter in the present won't be the same as the past because firstly Yamamoto does decimate the Quincy and Yhwach recruits ones born in modern day (like the Y brothers and As Nodt) this make me think that surviving Sternritter, like Bazz - B and Haschwalth, go in some kind of suspended animation while Yhwach is sealed until being awoken in the present where Yhwach fills in the rest of the letters. I cannot wait to see which Sternritter where alive in the past and I hope we get some massive battle between the first Sternritter and the Soul Reapers. Finally the first between Bazz - B and Haschwalth in the present is still so damn good!             

Overall I hope this turns into another Turn Back The Pendulum arc because I want more and more Flashbacks. Again this chapter was just perfect and I may have to keep giving out 10/10 if the rest of the Flashbacks are all this good lol.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: Flashbacks
                   Origin of the Sternritter hinted at next chapter
                   Bazz - B vs. Haschwalth continues to be awesome  

Revolution Digital Comic Issue Four Review (Finale)

While Miles, Monroe and Charlie fend off the mob of crazies Rachael confronts the Nanites in the perfect world inside her own mind.

Well it looks like the story of Revolution is finally over and while I would have preferred live action and these issues have been really rushed the ending was quite satisfying. First off Rachael finally dies which is something I wanted for ages however at least her death was a good way to go; sacrificing her life to destroy the Nanites, so I guess good for her. I was also really glad to see Ben again because he was one of my fav characters and I wanted him to be the permanent avatar of the Nanites. I also liked his conversation with Rachael where he tired to convince her that humans are better off under the rule of the Nanites (he makes a compelling argument lol). The shock of course was that everyone under the influence of the Nanites died including Connor which is a let down because like Tom he his potential as a character has never been fully realized. I am glad Monroe never died at the end and it was kind of fitting his ending was left open to the audience to decided; whether he continued to fight or not. As for Miles and Charlie it was cool that we got a bit of a time skip where Miles eventually found someone else and had a son plus seeing his grave at the end makes me wonder how big the time skip was? All in all the ending was good but kind of sad as well with the amount of death there was at the end and that the power was never turned back on; they may not have changed much but Miles and Charlie got some peace at the end of all the fighting.

Overall I did really like this ending and it is sad that Revolution is now over however I do kind of hope that someone will make a spinoff comic series.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Ben returns
                   Rachael's sacrifice
                   The peaceful yet sad ending for Miles, Monroe and Charlie

Let - Downs: The death of Connor

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/  

Bleach Review: The Twinned Twilight

"Time to BURN!"

Grimmjow continues to goad Askin into battle meanwhile Bazz - B and Haschwalth start their fight.

Now this is the kind of chapter I have been waiting for; getting right into the action and not being dragged down by long exposition of the current situation. First of the beginning of this chapter was so funny with Askin running away from Grimmjow because he wanted to sneak attack Ichigo's group rather than fight them head on. Of course Grimmjow gives chase and we get a bit of a teaser for a new move when his fingers transforms into claws; to me this looks like he is preparing a move similar to Desgarron even though he isn't in his Resurreccion. I am looking forward to seeing Grimmjow in a fight once again and I hope he has a lot of new power ups and maybe a second release form. As for Askin like my last review I really think this is a charade and he has yet to show his true, I think this because of the way he has been acting and his has been hyped up for ages but unlike Pepe I don't think we will be disappointed.

As for the later half of the chapter I was glad to see that Haschwalth actually got to fight Bazz - B and we got some really cool scenes of Haschwalth using his sword and Bazz - B using his Burner Fingers. There where three important things to take from this second half; one Uryu has actually entered the battle (probably going to fight Mayuri) but Haschwalth still does not trust him because he wanted a spy placed on him. Secondly it is revealed that Haschwalth actually takes over and gains the power when Yhwach sleeps, I did not expec thist because Bazz - B isn't just randomly attacking him, Bazz - B believes he can destroy Yhwach's power when it is transferred to Haschwalth. Thirdly we get the reveal that Bazz - B and Haschwalth where proper friends (a least Bazz - B thought so) because they gave each other nicknames and Bazz - B took it really personally when Yhwach used Auswahlen. Plus we got to know that Auswahlen takes way the survivor's Vollstandig so Bazz - B is already at a disadvantage in this fight but he must obviously have a plan or he wouldn't charge right in to battle.

What is this new move?

Overall after the slow pacing of the previous chapters this one was just so refreshing; we got some awesome fights set up and we could get a Bazz - B flashback next chapter. This is great because I want to know more about the Wandenreich, the Quinces and this friendship between Bazz - B and Haschwalth.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: Funny moments with Askin and Grimmjow
                   Haschwalth vs. Bazz - B/them being friends?
                   The fast pacing
                    Set up for Bazz - B flashback

The Flash Season Two: What I Want To See

Now here is a list of what I would like to see in Season Two. SPOILERS!!

More Hero Speedsters: They already said that they will have more Speedsters but thought I'd just mention it. The Speedsters who I want to see the most fighting along side Barry are; Wally West, Impulse, Jay Garrick and Max Mercury.

More Villain Speedsters: Just like with the heroes there are Speedsters who are evil and those I want to see are Hunter Zolomon/Reverse Flash, Cobalt Blue, Inertia and Savitar. I would say Black Flash but I think it is a bit too early for him, maybe season three or four.

The Return of Eobard Thawne: More than any other of the Reverse Flashes Eobard will always be Barry's main nemesis so he has just got to come back in some form or another.

The Multiverse: I would really like to see alternate universes where characters from the Flash and Arrow are completely different, like in the Flashpoint comic. 

A Jay Garrick Plot: I don't mind if they bring in Jay either with time travel or the multiverse, I want him and Barry to meet up because I think Jay could be a great mentor to Barry. Plus maybe they can fight Rival together who is like Jay Garrick's Reverse Flash.

More Villains: The biggest highlight of The Flash is it's awesome villains and those I want to see the most are; Abra Kadabra, Doctor Alchemy, Magenta, Mirror Master, Rag Doll and Top.

Return of old Villains: Don't forget any of the ones from this season because I defiantly want to see more Piped Piper, Weather Wizard and The Tricksters.

More Gorilla Grodd: They nailed it with "Grodd Lives" so don't stop now!

The Rogues Gallery: I want to see Captain Cold recruit more and more members to the Rogues; a mix of both normal humans with tech and Meta Humans.

Cisco becomes Vibe and Caitlin becomes Killer Frost: The finale has already teased that these two will eventually be Vibe and Killer Frost so I am looking forward to it. It would be cool to see Cisco fight some enemies and maybe becoming a villain will give Caitlin something to do.

General Eiling's Meta Humans: I think I mentioned in one of my reviews that I think it would be cool if Eiling has his own team of Meta Humans; those who agree to work for the army unlike Plastquie.

There you go what I want to see in Season Two though this is just a quick list and I am sure there is plenty more I can think of.

The Flash Season One: Best and Worst

Just like with the Arrow here is the best and worse for The Flash TV series. SPOILERS!!

Best

Tom Cavanagh as Reverse Flash: First mention defiantly goes to Eobard because he is the best live action villain in either film or TV shows. Eobard as Reverse Flash is my favourite villain and they have adapted him so perfectly in the show and I liked how it started out as Dr Wells because I never suspected him at all! I really thought he was one of the good guys but then they brought an epic twist. Plus when Reverse Flash is on screen it is just so epic from his fight scenes to the way he vibrates and alters his voice to disguise himself.

The rest of the cast: Honorary mention had to go to Tom Cavanagh but every else has been perfect as well; from Barry, to everyone on Team Flash, Joe and Eddie, the Meta Humans and The Rogues I don't have a single complaint about any of them.

The Meta Humans: For a TV show that doesn't have a big budget like film the effects for the Meta Humans have been great. It really worked that we had episodes dedicated to a new villain every week and they have portrayed some of my favourite ones from the comics.

The Rogues: Captain Cold is one of my favourite Flash villains and I like how they brought him on early and have him recruiting members for The Rogues. Like the Meta Humans the effects for the Cold, Heat and Gold guns have been truly impressive has well.

Grodd: Once again they really did great work with the limited budget they got because the Grodd Lives episode was so freaking awesome!

General Eiling: I've always been a fan of Clancy Brown so I was thrilled when I found out he has a recurring role in The Flash.

FIRESTORM: He may not have his proper costume yet but I really enjoyed the two episode arc about FIRESTROM and I enjoying watching both Ronnie and Stein.

Crossovers: Just like with Arrow the crossovers on The Flash have been awesome like The Flash vs. Arrow and when ATOM and Felicity helped them.

The Tricksters: One of the best episodes this season because of the epic return of Mark Hamill as the Trickster and he did not disappoint.


Worst

Iris: While she is an alright character and an essential one that needed to be brought into live action she just gets on my nerves sometimes. I feel like some of the things she did was just to make everything worse for everyone like writing her stupid blog and wanting to be involved in everything. Sure I do feel sympathetic towards her for Joe not telling her the truth but honestly why does she feel the need to be a member of Team Flash she isn't a scientist, cop or Meta Human. 

Caitlin: I actually have nothing really against Caitlin because she is a good character but besides the FIRESTORM episodes it just feels like she is there for the sake of it sometimes. Cisco is heavily involved in everything like designing new tech and heading out into the field (like in Grodd Lives) but Caitlin does not do much and is just the voice of negativity in every situation. Hopefully when she becomes Killer Frost she will have more of an impact in the show.

Joe keeping Iris in the dark: I like Jos but damn keeping Barry's identity a secret from Iris for most of the season was just plain annoying and the excuses he kept saying just got weaker and weaker.

Killing off Deathbolt: One of the worst decisions they could have made because not only was he portrayed by a great actor he was one of the best Meta Humans. Not only that but he was the only one not created by the particle accelerator explosion (maybe born with powers?) and I wanted them to delve deeper into that with him.

There you go just a few things I wanted to mention though I am really busy lately so this was just done quick. Probably missed quite a few things.

Bleach Review: Gate Of The Sun

To battle!!!

Yhwach has now assimilated the Soul King's power and transformed the Soul Palace into Wahrwelt however Ichigo, Shunsui and all the others have infiltrated and prepare to battle the Quincy.

Your probably wondering why it has taken me so long to review Bleach and that is because besides being busy with Arrow, Flash and Gotham I have been so bored with Bleach lately. The story has barely moved along for months with only the return of Aizen and Grimmjow to keep me interested but it looks like it has picked up now. First off I just want to say that the new Wandenrich City and the castle Wahrwelt look so freaking awesome! Kubo is not really known for detailed backgrounds but he has put a lot of effort into the Quincy buildings which is a definite plus. Next I liked how the heroes are now split up into three groups because some characters can get more spotlight and some fights, like Mayuri and Kenpachi. The funniest part of the chapter was from those two and how they are at each other's throats and since they haven't had much interaction since the early chapters of Bleach I really hope they team up in a fight. Also it is typical of Mayuri to go off on his own to gather data but I wonder if he has some hidden plan? Plus I do hope he brings the revived Arrancar from down below somehow because we have not seen enough of them. Then there was the appearance of Askin who is attacked by Grimmjow and that was a match up I wasn't expecting but should be interesting. I really like Askin and I don't think he is going to die soon because I just think he is always hiding his true power; unlike almost every villain in Bleach he is never arrogant like how he is dismayed with finding Ichigo's group, there has got to be more to him. I also have more hope that we will get more Sternritter soon because besides from the fact that Wahrwelt looks like it can hold an army there is just too few Sternritter and too many Soul Reapers. Finally Bazz - B, Giselle and Lilotto arriving at the old castle makes me think they have their own plan to take out Yhwach but the menacing shot of Haschwalth at the end makes me think they will end up as cannon fodder for his powers. I wouldn't mind that because Haschwalth is a good character but he just needs to do more.

"Home sweet home"

Overall this chapter looks like the pace is really about to pick up and makes me look forward to some great fights. The only down side was that it spent too long with Ichigo's group chatting away before the arrival of Askin which bothered me in the previous chapters; their group just keeps yammering on and on, stuff can be discussed shortly is dragged on because Kubo wanted to add some comedic moments with them or a long winded explanation of the situation.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: The environment art is amazing
                   Mayuri and Kenpachi team up
                   Askin vs. Grimmjow?
                   Haschwalth looks like he will actually do something soon

Let - Downs: Ichigo's group  

Falling Skies Season Four Review: Best and Worst

Should have gotten round to doing this ages ago but I was too busy with Arrow, Flash and Gotham however since they are finished for now I now have the time, plus the last season starts soon. You know since I review individual episodes now I think when I review a series as a whole like this I will just list off the standouts of the season in a best and worst category because it is easier and gets to the point quicker.

Best

The prison arc: While I am disappointed with the destruction of Charleston the three episodes where Tom and a few others of the main cast are trying to breakout of prison are really cool. We got the most action in these scenes, Tom was a vigilante and the breakout was awesome.

Pope gets a love interest: Pope just can't be a detached badass all the time and the next logical step with his character was to give him someone to care about plus I do like Sara because she is way better than the other female characters in this season.

The battle for Chinatown: Both battles where really epic; the first one was all guns and explosions while the second had more of a creepy vibe with those new harnesses that moved through the mist.

Going into space: This was really cool because the attack on the moon base is way bigger than what they have done before.

The talking Espheni: I liked that we got to see them talk to each other with their minds without using harness children and that the got some scenes alone with each other. Instead of them just being the silent leaders we got to know more about their personality.

The Volm: The Volm are always going to be a highlight whenever I talk about Falling Skies!

Super - Skitters: This was a really good concept but not explored as much as I wold have liked. Weaver's daughter Jeanne was mutated into this new type of Skitter but after her we didn't get to see any others. However this gave us a really emotional episode that was one of the best of the season because Weaver is such a great character.

Worst

Lexi: They really messed up this character I can tell you that because her whole cult thing that took up most of the first half was so damn boring! Sure her powers where cool but I hated that she kept constantly changing sides; I wished Tom had let Pope and his gang kill her because she really would have deserved it. Even her cocoon phrase was a real let down because it would have been cool if she looked more Espheni - like after but no, she was just the same!

Anne: They try to toughen her up from just being the doctor for the previous season but she got so annoying throughout this season. Like when she was leading the remains of 2nd Mass at the beginning, beating that Espheni, constantly ignoring everyone and getting angry at anyone who threatens Lexi. She just comes off as a right bitch and I wish that she was killed off this season.

Lourdes: She has never been a character I really cared for and that is still the case when they made her completely insane this season. I know she went through some hard times in Season Two and Three but she just did some really crazy stuff now like attacking Ben and Kadar when they extracted Lexi's blood. Was she honestly that blinded to her powers? Still the good thing is that she was killed off which is good because I don't think she could have redeemed herself.

The re - education camp: What really was the point of this? The Espheni have the means to control children with harnesses so why is there any need to brainwash them? I know they did it so they can put spies into human camps but since humanity has just been reduced to small roaming groups it just seemed pointless in my opinion.

Killing off Tector and Kadar: Two great characters who I think deserved to survive all the way till the end, it really is a shame because I think these two have been developed really well. This also strengthens my argument I have made before that Falling Skies does not kill off any of it's main cast in situations when it should. I know they killed off Lourdes but she went crazy and I don't think was that popular anyway so it doesn't count. For example I always thought one of Tom's kids should have been killed off (Hal would have been a good choice) because I think it would have had an interesting impacting on his character and would have been really dark as well or they could have killed off Anne because I think she has outlived her importance.

Hal jealous with Ben and Maggie: I just really didn't see the point in this because we already had something similar to this in season two with Karen and Hal just came across as an ass. Plus while I like Maggie a little more than some of the other female characters in the show I think her dying would have been better overall (mentioned above about main characters not dying) but no they had to think of a convenient why to save her like with Hal in Season Three and sacrifice side characters in her place.

Destroying Charleston: I really liked Charleston in the previous season because it was cool that the humans had a proper base to fight from and was quite the change from season one and two; they had more hope than they did before. So I was disappointed when it was destroyed in five minutes in the first episode but what disappointed me more was that 2nd Mass didn't go back to a group moving from town to town like in season two. No they just stayed in Chinatown for the whole season and I just didn't like it or see the point of it.

The Skitter rebellion is wiped out off screen: Built up so much in Season Two and they still played a large role in Season Three but they just decided to get rid of it off screen, probably to make more room for Lexi's stupid cult.

Overall I did like some of new stuff in this season but they tired too many others that just did not work; it failed to capture the really dark tone of Season Two (the best season) or the scale of Season Three where the humans have a proper base and stand toe to toe with the Espheni thanks to their Volm allies. I think they wanted it to be more like Season One when it was a small group in a kind of hopeless situation but that, in my opinion, is taking a step backwards and failed to recapture the feeling anyway. It is still a great watch but it is the weakest Season of Falling Skies.

SCORE: 6/10

Revolution Digital Comic Issue Three Review

A bloody confrontation ensures between Tom and the Nanite followers and Mile's group however Monroe gets a surprise and Rachael makes a sacrifice.

I tell you I was not expecting that! Four characters from Revolution killed in one bloody fire fight, I guess this comic really is wrapping things up. It is sad to see Tom go because he has always been such an awesome character but I guess I kind of expected this because he has lost everything and gave himself over to the Nanites, he wasn't coming back from this. However it is a damn shame about Aaron; I think his death was a mistake because he really deserved to survive to the end plus he has always been one of my favourite characters. Despite these two character deaths I am not going to mark the score down for this because it is the end of Revolution so deaths were unavoidable and the whole shootout between both groups was really action packed and gory! We also got the reveal that Charlie is indeed the daughter of Miles and Rachael however that the signs have been there for ages and I would have preferred this reveal in live action. Monroe also got more of a spotlight which I am glad for because besides from killing Tom we got to see Connor again which I wasn't expecting and thought he wouldn't be in the comic. Finally I am glad Rachael admitted that everything is all her fault (because it is) but I wonder if she has trick up her sleeve just being taken like that? Too bad she never acted like this in live action or else I would have liked her lol.

Overall this is the best issue of the digital comic so far with some great action and the character deaths where handled really well. With the ending I am really looking forward to the next issue now!  

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: The character deaths/action
                   Monroe and Connor
                   What is Rachael going to do now?

Let - Downs: Again wish it was longer
                      Charlie being revealed as their daughter wasn't much of an impact


The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;





http://screencapped.net/