WBCR - Ichimonji (Grade: A)

This has been one hectic week for me. I dealt with Black Friday and I haven't had any R&R time. So I do apologize that I was unable to post the WBCR anytime sooner or that their wasn't any Throwback this week, but, like MechG said in the 3rd BCC Match, "the show must go on." Thursday's chapter is a continuation of the ongoing fight between the leader of the Quincy, Yhwach, & the leader of the 0 division, Hyosube Ichibei. Yhwach, being the villain, pulls the "Do not underestimate me" cliche and tries to outright say that Ichibei alone isn't enough to handle his power. Yhwach restored his own power, but Ichibei still continues to engage in combat with him. While Hyosube is on the offense, Yhwach is on the defense as he sets up a barrier to stop Ichibei's attacks. Ichibei, however, isn't worried one bit as he merely blows up his barrier and grabs Yhwach by the neck ~ finally at his grasp. Yhwach begins to explain that his technique "Blut Vene Anhaben" erodes everything it touches, but Ichibei pulls the "Do not overestimate me" cliche and does considerable damage to Yhwach's face before unleashing his Zanpaktou ~ Ichimonji (Single Horizontal Line). And that sums up the chapter ~ Ichibei pretty pissed that the villain is doing the whole "underestimating" cliche. So what are my thoughts on this chapter? Well, despite it being cliche and short ~ I am pretty curious to see the direction of where this fight will go. Ichigo, being the protagonist, is on his way, but can Ichibei alone handle Yhwach without Strawberry's assistance? I mean I have a premonition that Ichigo will intervene in the fight between the two or Yhwach will figure a way to completely obliterate Ichibei somehow. Though it's predictable and inevitable on what'll happen, I am still curious to see how powerful Ichibei is and the limitations of Yhwach's power. I give the chapter a grade: A.

So what did you think of the chapter? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Comment below and let me know. Look forward to WBCR when chapter's available AND when I have the time to post it. Until then, you all stay classy now.

BCC 2 Match #3 - KOS-MOS vs. Android 18 (Xenosaga vs. DBZ)

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Alright everybody, welcome in to another matchup for BCC Month 2 (in collaboration w/ MechG) pitting the hottest Video Game female characters and the hottest Anime female characters. MechG here filling for Stillmattic. He is on duty for the Black Friday craze today, but that's ok for as the old saying goes "the show must go on." Behind the scenes, I give a lot of praise for Stillmattic for coming up with these brilliant attention-grabbing intros dating back to our first collaboration of Bleach Fantasy, but since he's not here, I will do my best to give you guys an intro of a lifetime. So, what do we got here? We got two bad@$$ females, but here's the catch: they're not human, they are machines! Well hold on let's not get carried away here, one used to be a human before she became an android then she reverted back to human and another who's a full-on robotic weapon, but is able to develop human personality. Still you don't want to try and mess with these two. They may be attractive by looks, but if you feel them physically, they are made of metal and stainless steel and they will terminate you in sight! In the red corner, we got KOS-MOS from Xenosaga and Android 18 from DBZ. As usual: Story, Personality, and Appeal will play a part in who wins. So, to all of you who grew up in the late 90s-early 00s, this will be a trip down memory lane as I'm sure both these franchises played big parts in our childhood. Verdict will be provided by yours truly. Let's Geaux!

Story (KOS-MOS)

In the midst of playing through Xenosaga Episode I so I might spoil myself here just a little bit and it doesn’t help that the story written on the Wiki is NOT POSTED! ;( So anyway, KOS-MOS was first created by Vector Industries scientist, Kevin Winnicot. During her development stage in the year, T.C. 4765, an accident occurred in a Vector research facility that booted KOS-MOS prematurely, killing Kevin and most of the members of Vector’s 2^nd Division Team. Among the members who survived were Shion Uzumaki and Allen Ridgeley, who were able to mantle the completion of the KOS-MOS and put it for testing onboard the Woglinde. After testing, the Gnosis arrived and attacked the ship to retrieve the Zohar Emulator, activating KOS-MOS. She was able to fend off the Gnosis with ease, but killed off Lieutenant Virgil on friendly fire. The Woglinde was eventually destroyed and KOS-MOS drifted into space, eventually finding the Elsa and convincing Captain Matthews to bring Shion, Allen, and Commander Cherenkov, the Woglinde survivors on board the Elsa en route to the Kukai Foundation. During a Gnosis attack on the Elsa, KOS-MOS started to go beyond her capabilities, developing her “Blue-Eyed” persona and annihilating an entire fleet of Gnosis. I’m sure there’s more detail to KOS-MOS’s role in the late scenes of Episode I and in Episode II and III, but I think this is enough information to show her importance in the series. 

Story (Android 18)

Prior to becoming Android 18, she was named Lazuli and, alongside her twin brother Lapis (Android 17) and both were delinquents. It wouldn't be long before they became acquainted with Dr. Gero where he kidnapped them and restructure their bodies as Androids. Android 18, alongside Androids 16 & 17, were then by Dr. Gero (killed him afterwards) in attempts to fight off the Saiyans. They've displayed incredibly durability, agility, and overall are fearless fighting machines with their main objective to kill the Saiyans. Android 18 was the first to fight Vegeta and she clearly isn't a pushover as she almost broke him. A new threat, however, emerged, in the name of Cell as his purpose was to absorb the Androids, make their powers his, and challenge the human race. Just as Android 18 was handling the Saiyans, she now has become the victim herself as Cell absorb her ~ leading to the much-anticipated Cell vs. Goku matchup. 18 was revived (human) and soon wedded Krillin (lucky bastard) where they have one daughter named Marron. There's much more to her character, but I believe that her story was more important during the Cell arc.

Personality (KOS-MOS)

Well considering KOS-MOS is indeed a weapon intended to destroy the Gnosis, it’s a given she’s emotionless as she adheres to logic, probability, and putting her mission above all else. She can be quite difficult to manage at times whenever she puts logic and probability first (because we all know F*CK LOGIC). However as the Xenosaga series plays on, she develops a more human side when her eyes turn from red to blue, thus creating “Blue-Eyed KOS-MOS” where she devotes herself to protect Shion at all costs whenever she’s in danger.

Personality (Android 18)

Android 18 is cool, calm, and collected. A striking point about 18 is her sarcasm towards other characters in the series. Despite now being human, she displays sensibility such as towards Android 17 (her brother turned enemy). She's pretty much as level-headed as you can get and with her wedded to Krillin, she now has peacefully started a family (Krillin is such a lucky @$$ piece of sh*t bastard).

Appeal (Android 18)

Android 18, next to Bulma, are the hotties in DBZ. I mean, something about her is just so hot ~ the way she appears so cool & confident wherever she goes, the fact that she's a blonde (with blue eyes no less), and the fact that she's one Android you'd want to pork (F U Krillin). She's just a badass that nothing disturbs her and if it does, she'll just kick @$$ & take names. Android 18 is the ideal women with bothe strength & sarcasm. Krillin, once again, is a lucky bastard.

Appeal (KOS-MOS)

Out of all the hot video game female characters on the list of every expert, KOS-MOS is probably the most overlooked attractive heroine and that’s what makes her so underrated. I found her attractive back in the day as a kid watching my cousin play Xenosaga. 13 years later, she still looks really good for her time and she beats out most female characters in today’s video games in my opinion. Not to mention, she’s a bad@$$ weapon that has a lot of cool @$$ arsenal under her belt. Even though she’s more appealing in Episode II and III, especially in Episode III, nothing beats her original concept design in the first Xenosaga game.

Verdict

And the winner is...

Talk about female RoboCop vs. female Terminator. No question, I love these two characters. Both Xenosaga and DBZ are childhood gems in my past, well DBZ in particular made a bigger impact in my childhood (well it’s canon law DBZ played a big part in everyone’s childhood). But for me in this verdict, I gotta give this matchup to KOS-MOS. However, I won’t deny the impact Android 18 made in the Android and Cell Games Saga, but once you hit that “Krillin ceiling (also the Yamcha ceiling)”, falling in love and wedding the character who got owned the most out of all the Z Warriors in the DBZ story arc, you can consider yourself I-R-R-E-L-E-V-A-N-T after that. With KOS-MOS, as much as Xenosaga II and III sucked in some people’s eyes, she has consistently made an impact beginning back to the first game. She’s out there, still kicking Gnosis @$$, taking names, protecting Shion and the rest of the party at all costs, it’s too bad the series discontinued. For me, I know everyone wants to go for the blondie like 18, but I personally find KOS-MOS a lot more appealing, from face to body, not to mention her Blue-Eyed persona gives her a more cute and adorable look and her Red-Eyed persona gives her the look of bad@$$ery, but she is a lot more beautiful with the Blue-Eyed persona. Sorry DBZ fans. 

So who do you think won? KOS-MOS from Xenosaga or Android 18 from DBZ? Comment below and let us know. Stillmattic will  to deliver your regularly scheduled FARRTs on this blog once he gets back. As for me, I'm going to go back to my blog on trueraiderlaker.blogspot.com and I'll be ready to post up a quick recap of tonight's Lakers game vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves and set up Q-by-Q, Halftime, and Full Recap post for Sunday's Raider game vs. the St. Louis Rams. As usual, look forward to BCC 2 match-ups on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Next week's series of BCC match-ups will be decided by the man, the myth, and the legend himself, Stillmattic. Until then, you all stay classy now. Videogame Babes lead 2-1 against Anime Cuties.

Legacy #10 ~ Gurren Lagann ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

Before I start off the 10th Legacy post, I would just like to say Happy Thanksgiving out there. Tis the season of being thankful  and grateful for what you have ~ spending time with family & friends is a gift and that's why it's called the present. Always remember that they make up your world and family is the best remedy for a bad day. Have a safe holiday out there and eat plenty. Already, without further ado, let us start off by talking about one of my favorite Anime(s) in 2011. It's pure coincidence actually that I chose this specific Anime for Thanksgiving day. As seen in the picture, the bond that the characters share is irreplaceable and the best part of it all ~ we see their growth together through both the good and bad times. Where to start on this Anime? Well here's the cliff-note version: Underground people surface and find a world where beasts control/pilot fighting robots. When discovered that the main character (Simon) finds a key to pilot a robot, he and his brother must defend their home & the people on the surface. There's also this time-skip which emphasizes human morality and philosophy. That sums it up in a cliff-note version. Mecha Animes are often interesting to watch because it combines two things we loved when we kids: Giant Robots & Fighting other Giant Robots. I mean wouldn't you pilot them if you had the power to? It's way better than driving in traffic ~ just fly over them and the sky's the limit. The main character are Simon, Kamina, & Yoko. Simon is the small-fry who develops into our main protagonist. Kamina is the speech-giver that unfortunately lost his life to early (SPOILER). Yoko is a hot-@SS big-BEEWBED redheaded sniper that befriends Simon & Kamina on their adventures. The series spawns 26 episodes, a couple of movies, and has probably the best catchphrase in all of the Anime(s) I've seen. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM? and "BELIEVE IN THE ME THAT BELIEVES IN YOU!" Those epic quotes pretty much sum up Gurren Lagann. I currently own the series and if you're a fan of Mecha anime + over-the-top badassery, then this is the Anime for you. IF not, then more power to you.

I hope you enjoyed this Legacy post. Look forward to Legacy posts on Thursdays. Until then, you all stay classy now. There'll be no Throwback post tomorrow, but MechG will be posting BCC 2 Matchup #3. WBCR will be up between Saturday-Sunday.

BCC 2 Match #2 - Sarah Kerrigan vs. Mikasa Ackerman (Starcraft vs. Attack on Titan)

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Welcome back to another Installment of BCC Month 2 (w/MechG) where we pit the world of Anime & Videogames together. The animation and thought that went into making these characters is just astonishing. Given so much backstory and drive to their characters, the creators are great storytellers. If you, the audience, are pulled into the world of Anime & Videogames ~ you'll see that their attention to detail is almost flawless. You start to care about their wellbeing, their capabilities, and overall their agenda in their respective series. You start to place yourself in their world ~ what would you do in a situation? That's what makes fiction so fascinating ~ it boggles to mind to be enthralled by creative works that we, the audience, wished it was the real deal. That's why this BCC collaboration is something else ~ it dives into their worlds and relishes in the question of their appeal, personality, and story as a character. I've dived into the world of Bleach for far too long so it's nice to once and while dive into various Anime series. Without further ado, let us start off Match #2 with Sarah from Starcraft & Mikasa from AOT. Take note that: Backstory, Personality, & Appeal are huge components in the BCC series. The verdict for today & Friday's post will be by MechG himself. Let's jam! 

Story (Sarah)

Just including stuff from StarCraft, StarCraft: Brood War and a mince of Wings of Liberty, and Heart of the Swarm, but first a little backstory. When Kerrigan was young, she killed her mother on accident, brain damaged her father using her psionic powers and she was quickly taken in by the Confederate agents and put into Ghost Academy. She quickly impressed. Sarah was conflicted and defiant not to kill anyone, but after years of training, she gave in and was able to kill without remorse. A few missions later, she resurfaced at Antiga Prime where she caught up with Jim Raynor. Both Kerrigan and Raynor got a lot closer and Mengsk was able to discover that and pair them up frequently on missions. During the Battle of New Gettysburg after dispatching the Protoss from destroying Tarsonis, a horde of Zerg start attacking her forces and was captured. Mengsk’s failure to rescue Kerrigan on purpose enraged Raynor to break off from the Sons of Korhal. Kerrigan was reawakened in a chrysalis, born anew serving under the Overmind and the Cerebrates and claiming the title “The Queen of Blades.” A few scenarios later after the Overmind was destroyed on the Protoss homeworld of Aiur, Kerrigan lost some control of the Zerg swarm and asked Raynor. Protoss, and even Mengsk’s help. She managed to kill all the cerebrates and a new Overmind guarded by the UED with Razagal and Zeratul’s help. Cunning as usual and knowing she regained full control of the Zerg, she turned her back against all of them and with the UED, Dominion, and Protoss forces in shambles, she rightfully took her throne. Not going to go in too much on the SCII expansions because this was supposed to be Cliffnotes styled, but she managed to be disinfested with Raynor’s help and she was able to kill Arcturus Mengsk for leaving her hanging during the New Gettysburg battle in the First Great War.

Story (Mikasa)

Prior to being adopted into the Yaeger household, Mikasa lived comfortably with her parents up until their demise by human traffickers. She was just about to get taken herself, but Eren saved her and together, they toppled their way out of the human traffickers resistance. From then on, Mikasa's only family was the boy who saved them. Though withdrawn, she displays a overall moral approach on how to perceive things ~ following Eren and seeing him as her means of love, protection, & comfort. Mikasa, alongside Eren & friend Armin, joined the Survey corps to thwart the impending Titan attack on the Walls. She's one of, if not the best in the Survey Corps as she is able to easily cut down Titans without ease and without fear or hesitation. Distraught of the news of Eren's "death," Mikasa's willpower began to decline as her adoptive brother was gone from her life. Upon finding out Eren was alive and was indeed a Titan, Mikasa cried tears over his return and onwards, has become overprotective of what may happen to him. Surrounding the events of the Female Titan, it wouldn't be long before Eren & the rest of the crew figured out who the culprit is and decided to apprehend her. Discovering Annie took Marco's manuever gear, Mikasa took it upon herself to act as she nearly almost killed Eren and defied what they stood for. I'm not going to go into full detail about what happens in the Manga, but that pretty much sums up a good chunk of her childhood-Survey Corps days. 

Personality (Sarah)

Sarah Kerrigan’s personality has two faces. As a Terran Ghost, she was an exclusive and distant person who has never embraced her full potential of her dark nature as a killer. When she was infested into the Queen of Blades that she is currently in, Kerrigan starts to develop a cold, ruthless, and manipulative personality while retaining a sense conscience and compassion if necessary. She can also be a little rough around the edges when things don’t go her way or if she feels that her emotions are conflicting with her sense of direction. She has a big affection for Jim Raynor and pure hatred for Arcturus Mengsk (who wouldn’t since he left her hanging when the Zerg were overrunning the Terran base). Alongside Raynor, she is able to rediscover her human identity and realize the horrors she has committed, while still holding a grudge against Mengsk.

Personality (Mikasa)

Mikasa is fiercely loyal to Eren that she'd rather die than to see his adoptive brother/best friend die. Her overprotective nature of Eren stems from their upbringing together since Mikasa's parents both died and Eren saved her from a bunch of traffickers. She is stoic, fearless, and overall displays a sense of morality. She is easily disturbed whenever anyone threatens or hurts Eren (Example: Levi beating Eren to a pulp right in front of her) and prior to becoming withdrawn after the death of her parents, she was a cheerful, optimistic, and outgoing girl who could do no wrong. She has a pretty strong poker face ~ able to be cheerful whenever she's with her friends, but violent when things go ape-shit such as, I don't know, Titans going over the walls. Mikasa's willpower overall is so out there that I doubt anything else can tick her off (besides Eren or Armin getting hurt) and if you piss her off, she'll just use her gear to cut your @SS. 

Appeal (Sarah)

She’s a monster. Beautiful monster. Beautiful monster. But I don’t mind. And I ne-OK I’ll stop singing “Beautiful Monster” by Ne-Yo, but that’s what best describes Kerrigan, well when she was captured by the Zerg and infested as the cunning and manipulative “Queen of Blades.”  Infested Kerrigan is like if Grendel’s Mom from Beowulf and Medusa performed some hot, lesbian action and thus, Kerrigan or “Queen of Blades” Kerrigan was born. Though her “Queen of Blades” form definitely steals the spotlight and is the most memorable incarnation of her for the StarCraft series, we can’t overlook her true beauty as a Terran Ghost. Thank goodness Blizzard pulled their heads out of their @$$es to make SCII to show how attractive she looked as a Ghost in detail and lo and behold, behind that cold-blooded killing personality, there’s a pretty face.

Appeal (Mikasa)

Mikasa is a beautiful, stoic, fearless, compassionate, brave, and overprotective girl that wishes for nothing more than the protection of her friends and the takedown of the Titans. I will honestly say she's the hottie in AOT (next to Annie & Sasha). She's pretty much the mascot for AOT and it goes without saying, she deserved it. She has so much praise as a character and her transformation from childhood-adulthood just stems from how morals can define a person and explicate the importance of what makes them human. The moment where she turned her life around is when she stood up against the human traffickers alongside Eren so as to exact revenge on them. That pretty face of hers isn't to be messed with as she's far more capable to knock your @SS out. Mikasa is definitely no pushover as her stoic nature only makes her an outstanding soldier. 

Verdict (By MechG) 

And the winner is...

 

 The first BCC matchup where I’m torn in between who should win here (I know too early to be conflicted). I love Attack on Titan, I owe a lot to that franchise bringing me back to the Anime scene after some years of hiatus and disinterest and Mikasa’s one of my favorite heroines. I used to be StarCraft player (well, I used to cheat a lot) and I can’t deny Sarah Kerrigan being that landmark sort of anti-heroine for the franchise. At the end of the day, if this was only based on looks, my heart would beat for Mikasa, but overall I gotta give it to Sarah Kerrigan. Don’t get me wrong, I see a lot of similarities between Kerrigan and Mikasa: both grew to be skillfully good in their crafts, they have a f’d up past, and you don’t want to f with them, but I feel that Mikasa has a pretty straightforward personality, showing concern for Eren, Armin, and the other members of the Scout Regiment and showing resentment towards the titans and Annie. Whereas Sarah, it’s a little more complicated because she is in essence, fighting and finding herself. I mean you’re asking “who is she actually” when evaluating her personality. Her identity is yin-yang like and she can be very unpredictable. That’s what makes her memorable in the StarCraft franchise. Storyline-wise, no contest; what is StarCraft without Sarah Kerrigan? She makes playing as the Zerg a lot cooler even though I’m a Protoss guy. In my honest opinion, Sarah Kerrigan takes the cake here. FOR THE SWARM!

So who do you think won? Sarah from Starcraft or Mikasa from AOT? Comment below and let me know. Look forward to BCC 2 Match-ups on Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays all throughout December. Until then, you all stay classy now. Anime Cuties are tied 1-1 against the Videogame Babes.