First Impression: WWW.WAGNARIA!!

     For the first time ever, we are posting a video and it's corresponding review (or in this case, first impression) on the same day! For a video version of this first impression go here.

     WWW.WAGNARIA!! is an anime that I have started watching recently. It is part of the Fall 2016 anime lineup on Crunchyroll, and is fairly recent (yay! another first for me!). It is about a guy (your main character) who gets a job at an family restaurant chain called Wagnaria. His coworkers are all rather odd, to put it that way. The anime is a slice of life about their adventures.

     While there are ups to slice of life anime (usually they are light and happy and entertaining to watch) there are also downs (they can get boring fast). However, I thought that this anime had more plot that most and it hasn't lost me yet! It is one I plan to keep watching.

     Also, it so happens that WWW.WAGNARIA!! is a spin-off of an earlier anime called Wagnaria!!. I watched the first few episodes of this one, but it didn't really catch my attention. Either way, I think it would be interesting if some of the characters from the previous anime showed up in the recent spin-off.

     Anyway, if this catches your interest feel free to watch this anime on Crunchyroll!

Update: Your Lie in April (First Impression) Video

     Sorry, no new review this week. However, I would encourage you to go check out the awesomeness of our YouTube channel. We just uploaded the video version of the first impression for Your Lie in April!

   

     I could ramble on and try to fill up space, but that wouldn't get me anywhere too fast. I will say that we are currently working on a Top 5 List of our favorite animated features. We just have to work out the kinks on one section and it will be good to go! So, stay tuned for that and check out Your Lie in April.

P.S. Fair warning: YouTube seems out to get me with the most awkward options for thumbnails.

Manga Review: Legend of Zelda

Note: This was SUPPOSED to be posted last Sunday, but it got lost in the time space continuum. I hope you enjoy!

Legend of Zelda in manga format - what could be better? I am referring to the Legend of Zelda Manga Box set, of which I am the proud owner (okay, co-owner - my brother helped pay for half).

This is a series that is put out by Viz and licensed by Nintendo. Akira Himekawa provides the story and art for this 10 volume set of manga, based on the popular video games. And I say based, because the manga are not a strict adaptation of the video games. For the most part, they stick pretty close. The beginning of the story is usually fairly accurate, with a few embellishments that enhance the plot (for example: Link can talk!). After the first dungeon or so less detail is paid as the author focuses on advancing the plot (let’s admit it - frustrating block puzzles are not that entertaining to read about). On occasion, new characters or plot events are added, but the stories mostly portray the original material.

The 10 volume set covers the story of eight Legend of Zelda games (If the internet is to be believed, other manga adaptations have come out for some of the more recent Legend of Zelda games. However, I did not feature them in this review because I have not read them. If you have read them, please let me know what you thought!):

• The Minish Cap*
• A Link to the Past
• Oracle of Seasons
• Oracle of Ages
• Ocarina of Time (2 parts)*
• Majora’s Mask *
• Four Swords (2 parts)
• Phantom Hourglass

The titles marked are games either I or someone close to me (aka my brother) have experience playing. I will comment on these titles specifically, as I have first-hand experience with the original material, and tell you some details you may want to know.

The Minish Cap

The beginning of the manga for The Minish Cap is pretty close to the content displayed in the game. The only differences are that Link isn’t the one who takes the sword to the festival and that he meets Vaati beforehand. In a way, the plot of the story is simplified, but it is also extended. The dungeons are glossed over (sometimes they are almost non-existent), while more focus is placed on character development (oh the wondrous things that happen when you can actually talk!). Also, a few events are edited. For example, Link doesn’t visit the Elemental Sanctuary until the end of the book and Vaati returns to being Ezlos’ apprentice in the end.

Ocarina of Time

This title has been adapted into a 2 volume story. It adds some backstories and character development to the plot that you don’t get in the game. Some of it fits nicely, but a few additions stick out. Also, not every aspect of the story is covered, so there are a few time skips. However, the author gives adequate ‘page time’ to the main events even though some of the later dungeons are abbreviated to a few pages (but let’s be honest: there are a ton of dungeons in this game). I really liked how they integrated Sheik more into the story. Also, there are a couple bonus stories at the end that are enjoyable.

Majora’s Mask

Again, a little bit of backstory was added at the beginning, like how the mask was stolen and some of Link’s activities before traveling to Termina. Because of the vast amounts of dungeons and (especially) side quests in the game, most are shortened, while some (like the later dungeons and minor side-quests) had to be left out. The only side story that really gets focused on is the one with Anju and Kafei. However, the author allows time to tell the stories behind the main three masks.

All in all, this boxed set was a really fun read! I enjoyed re-living the games I had experience with and learning about the ones I was unfamiliar with. While they don’t follow the story-line of the games to a T, they still provide a fair representation of the Zelda franchise. If you like Legend of Zelda, I would definitely recommend reading this series. Look for these titles at your local library, or buy your own copy for repeated enjoyment!

Movie Review: Joseph: King of Dreams

Title: Joseph: King of Dreams

Genre: Biblical, Historical, Animated Film

Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

General Set-Up: Joseph: King of Dreams is an animated retelling of the story of Joseph found in Genesis.

Characters: Joseph is the main character in this series. Although he looks more white than he would have actually been, he is written into the story well. In the Biblical account, it is unclear if Joseph was prideful with his brothers about his dreams or used Jacob’s favoritism over them. This version takes on that Joseph was humble, but imperfect, sometimes doing things that upset his brothers.

    In my opinion, Joseph’s brother(s)  were a little too generic. And they all looked around the same age which is impossible. Also, Joseph’s mother was the only mother shown in the movie and not the mother of his eleven step-brothers.

Plot: The plot follows the general story of Joseph found in the Bible. However, several things are left out or changes for the convenience of the plot. One thing I cannot shower with praise enough is showing the loss of identity that Joseph would have suffered. Because Joseph was educated, it is possible that he had studied Egyptian, and that was shown in the movie. Becoming a slave, he would have been stripped of his native language and cultural identity. He was made to dress like an Egyptian, talk like one, and do Egyptian traditions. Losing and regaining identity is a theme that is supposed to be understood in the Biblical text, but is often accidentally overlooked.  

    While some of the details are left out or changed for artistic purposes, I still feel that this was a fairly accurate portrayal of Joseph's story.

Ending: The ending was similar to the ending of the Biblical account. The final scenes of the movies was the nation of Israel arriving in Egypt.

Sound: The only song that really stood out was the track “You know better than I.” In my personal opinion, the lyrics of this song were much better than the music that they were put to. The singer does a good job considering what he was working with, but I would have liked more instruments than just piano.  

    None of the other songs stuck out, or even were good. Considering the musical success and genus of the creators of Prince of Egypt, I was rather disappointed in the music in this film. It is the typical home release musical music.

Animation: The animation for Joseph: King of Dreams was not half as good as its predecessor, Prince of Egypt. It was clearly a feature for the small screen rather than the silver screen. The style is very similar to Prince of Egypt, but often less detailed. CGI is also used in some of the scenes. Let’s just say that this is one of the times where it would have been MUCH better if they did not use CGI. It looks bad. Like really bad and doesn’t blend with the other animation at all.

    All in all, the animation was not terrible considering the time, but on the other hand Prince of Egypt showed us all that animation could be. All of the animation in Joseph: King of Dreams is underwhelming.

Things to watch out for: N/A

Other Media: Prince of Egypt tell what happened after the events in Joseph: King of Dreams.

Where to watch it: Joseph: King of Dreams is currently streaming on Netflix.