Throwback #85 - Arabian Nights (Attack of the Covers Part 10)

Remember this epic picture? Well, it's a pretty cool group picture of Team Ichigo ~ Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, Uryu, Renji, & Yoruichi. As depicted in the picture, they're hanging around some sort of desert. However, I have one serious gripe with this one ~ Where's Rukia? How can you have a cover page of Team Ichigo and NOT have Rukia? That's like having The Avengers & Captain America or Iron Man aren't present. That's.....just wrong. I do like that their all wearing what appears to be bandages covering their foreheads. Chad be looking all muscular whereas Yoruichi showing off that tattoo she got. Uryu & Renji be chilling whereas Ichigo & Orihime are side-by-side. What more can you ask for in a epic group shot? I do not recall what chapter this cover page is from, but I will say ~ Team Ichigo be looking all sorts of badass and styling at the same time.

Hope you all enjoyed this week's Throwback. I do apologize its brief (not much else to say). Look forward to the last installment of the Attack of the Covers segments (Throwbacks #76-86). Until then, you all stay classy. SGABR post will be delayed till tomorrow. 

WBCR - He's back! (Grade: C)

Well, this was a VERY short read. It took me a minute and not much really happened except for the ending that I think all Bleach fans were waiting for, but it may be a little too late. I will admit that the chapters themselves are inconsistent and, like DBZ, are just dragging on and on and on. Does it get tiring? Oh you bet it does. Do the slow chapters, despite its inconsistencies, progress the story? Well, it does and it doesn't. It does in the sense that it's building up momentum and suspense, but the downside it that the payoff doesn't necessarily mean anything if the chapter ends in a cliffhanger. Yes, these chapters for the longest time have been cliffhanger after cliffhanger. When the story is progressively dragging on and is inconsistent, the last thing I want to read is a cliffhanger. It leaves the audiences wanting to know more, but if the build-up (payoff) doesn't meet expectations, then it's all for not. That's why their is so much criticism surrounding Bleach nowadays. I've previously said that I don't hate Bleach, but the direction of where its going is underwhelming. My anticipation for the release dates of the chapters has long passed, but that doesn't necessarily mean I won't give my feedback on it. So...what happened in this week's chapter? Well, I can sum it up in two bullet points:

1) Kon made Ichigo unconscious
2) Grimmjow's back.

There, you got that? That sums up the chapter. Yeah, we see Aizen recovering from NaNaNa's powers, but a good portion of the chapter was surrounding why Ichigo was KO'd and it just so happens to be Kon's fault. Kon? Really? A character that I don't give two sh*t's about suddenly makes a sporadic appearance only to f*ck over the main character's momentum? That's....stupid. The only thing that made the chapter was Grimmjow's appearance. Fans have been wanting to know when he'll show up and guess what ~ he did. And...cliffhanger. Dammit, now I have to wait for another week for a chapter where, 90%, it won't exceed my expectations. I'm going to give this week a solid: C. Not bad, not good ~ just meh.

So what did you think of this week's chapter? Good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle? Comment below and let me know. Look forward to WBCRs whenever chapter's available (latest it'll be posted if delayed is over the weekends). Until then, you stay classy now. Legacy post is posted below. 

Legacy #31 - Akame Ga Kill

Awhile ago, my best friend & collaborator MechG introduced to me this Anime titled Akame Ga Kill. This was during a time in which my interest in Anime was very minimal. Some time passed and I gave it another go, when it piqued my interests once more. Little did I know that AGK (abbreviated) would happen to be one of my Favorite Anime Series that I've watched in 2015. Spawning 24 episodes from July-December of 2014 & a Manga series that's still ongoing, AGK caught me by surprise with its storyline, engaging characters, emotional dilemmas, sporadic comedy, and overall it's tone. Recently, I've been watching Comedy/Harem Anime, but AGK was the 1st action/adventure Anime I've seen in awhile that I thoroughly enjoyed. So what's the story? I'll do my best to interpret the story since I'm well aware MechG will be analyzing this review. The story follows a young hero named Tatsumi who sets off towards the capital to help aid his village from poverty/sickness. Little does he know, the people within the capital don't take too kindly to commoners and are labeled more as monsters than actual human beings. Seeing that the people within the Capital are labeled as monsters, it wouldn't be long before Tatsumi becomes acquainted with a group known as the Night Raid, a unique & skilled team of assassins. Tatsumi is enlisted to join the Night Raid (Akame, Leone, Mine, Bulat, Lubbock, Sheele, & Najenda) and so we follow him as he strikes down the corrupt & powerful as well figure out the secrets of mysterious & awe-inspiring weapons called Imperial Arms. This....is one of the darkest & bloodiest Anime(s) I've seen in awhile. Beheadings, decapitations, torture ~ this Anime isn't afraid to turn from sporadically funny to uneasily disturbing.  I will admit, however, that the comedy & action/drama are very unbalanced, but that didn't take away my enjoyment of the series. I was also engaged from the get-go on Night Raid, each & every single one of them are interesting in their own right & are very good at what they do as assassins. The action in the Anime was superb whereas the emotional dilemmas within the series were hit & miss for me. I  also wouldn't be lying if I said I cried a bit during the emotional scenes (though some were over-dramatic). I'm not going to go into further detail on the series, but just know that if you're a fan of action/adventure Anime that's badass, has engaging characters, awesome action sequences, and a dark tone that I haven't seen much in Anime. I highly recommend it as it's definitely on my: Top 10 favorite Anime series I've watched in 2015 list.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Legacy post. Look forward to Legacy posts on Thursdays. Until then, you all stay classy now. WBCR will be up before midnight. 

Affinity #86 - BFFs (Hitsugaya & Sojiro)

I will openly admit that my favorite Bleach movie is Diamond Dust Rebellion and that one of my favorite all-time Bleach characters is the 10th division prodigal Captain himself, Toshiro Hitsugaya. Don't get me wrong, I also liked the other 3 Bleach movies, but to put it in order from best-to-worst, it'd be: Diamond Dust Rebellion, Fade to Black, Memories of Nobody, & Hell Chapter. Agree/Disagree, but that's my standing on my Favorite Bleach movies (2, 3, 1, & 4). But, I digress. This week's Affinity focuses on Toshiro Hitsugaya's relationship with an old friend/rival who also possessed the renowned Ice Zanpaktou Hyorinmaru, Sojiro Kusaka. They met at Shin'o Academy and the two were quick to become acquainted. Sojiro highly regarded Hitsugaya and wished the best for him as well striving to be better. As they worked day after day in trying to uncover their true potential as Shinigami, the two came to a realization that both possessed the same exact power of Hyorinmaru; the overjoyed miracle of this happening only deepened their friendship. However, the Central 46 was very much concerned with this and concluded that their can only be one wielder of the renowed Hyorinmaru. It wasn't permissible for two Shinigami to possess one Zanpaktou and so they called forth the two comrades to handle it "Highlander Style." When I say "Highlander Style," I meant they'd have to duke it out and one would be the true wielder of Hyornmaru. Of course it hurts their chances of retaining their friendship, but this was the only sound way to ensure that they can find out the true wielder of the Zanpaktou. In the end, Hitsugaya won, but deeply hurt Sojiro who then was thought of to be dead. Well, turns out Sojiro is very much alive and began his new life in Hueco Mundo (where it's assumed he'd met Yin & Yang). Hitsugaya, upon discovering the identity of the enemy, took it upon himself to 'defect' from the Soul Society so as to settle things once and for all. The Gotei 13 took this as an act of war and ordered the capture of Toshiro Hitsugaya, unaware of his true intentions and the history Hitsugaya & Sojiro shared. When obtaining the power of the Oin w/his Zanpaktou, Sojiro took on the form of an Ice Dragon and did battle with the Gotei 13. Hitsugaya, having realized that his friend was no longer willing to listen to reason or surrender, took it upon himself to once again deliver the finishing blow (with the help of encouragement from Ichigo). In the end, their friendship sustained great damage and because of their intertwining destinies, it was fate that they'd have to face each other in battle to see who truly is the wielder of Hyorinmaru. To Hitsugaya, their friendship, despite their quarrels, would last till the end of time. Even in death, Hitsugaya would never forget Sojiro for he was his one & only friend/brethren.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Affinity post. Look forward to Affinity posts on Tuesdays. Until then, you all stay classy now.

SGABR #7 (Bleach vs. Fairy Tail) - Minerva Orlando vs. Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck

VS.

Welcome back to another installment of SGABR (Sexy Girls of Anime Battle Royale) where MIKandIK3 and myself, Stillmattic, pit the girls of Bleach & Fairy Tail together and give our thoughts on which of these lovely ladies has a more intriguing storyline, interesting personality, and overall attraction/appeal as a woman. If the SGABR posts are delayed, it'll be posted during the weekend. So far in the last 6 weeks, Fairy Tail leads 5-1 against Bleach w/MIKandIK3 & I interchanging in giving verdicts. We are on Week 7 (04/17) of SGABR (Bleach vs. Fairy Tail Edition). Can Bleach make a possible comeback against the many women of Fairy Tail or will Fairy Tail keep the lead? Who knows? Only MIKandIK3 & I know. For today's post, we are pitting Fairy Tail's Minerva Orlando and Bleach's Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. The verdict will be decided by MIKandIK3. And here's MIKandIK3 with a few starting words.

Welcome all! Sorry for the late post it’s my fault this week. This week is Minerva from Fairy Tail vs. Nelliel of Bleach, with Fairy Tail still holding the lead 5-1. Who is going to come out on top? The sadistic queen of Sabertooth, or the childlike master swordsman Nelliel? Well that enough talk let’s get to the main show shall we?

Story (Minverva)

Not much is known about Minerva's past. However, what is known is that in her early days she had to endure hellish training in the hands of her father, Jiemma, who both verbally and physically abused her whenever she displayed behavior that, according to him, showed weakness. In which lead to her twisted personality. She is absent during the first half of the Grand Magic games which Yukino took her place, after they switch Minerva’s first match is the Naval battle. She reveals the evil and hatred in her as she savagely beats Lucy by pulling her back into the water ring just before she is knocked out. Erza takes great offence to this, though even if she was playing by the rules, she comments that she made the great mistake of making Fairy Tail their enemy. As the games continue Sting and Rouge go up against Natsu and Gajeel, she is shocked by their defeat even at full power. She witnesses Sting and Rouge’s excommunication by her Father, but Lector, Sting’s exceed friend, interjects and enrages the Master even more and he is seems to vanish. Sting loses his temper attacks the Master and fatally wounds him. Minerva’s reaction was to not help her father, but name Sting the new Master as he defeated the previous one. She also revealed that Lector was teleported away by her, and only promises to return him if they win the magic games. Minerva fights in the next battle and continues her vicious fighting style, she finally gets to face off with Erza. While she uses her menacing ways on the other contestants, she interrupts the battle going on between Erza and Kagura. Going down to the wire its Erza and Minerva and of course our favorite armor mage goes on top and Fairy Tail wins! Minerva later appears in the Sun Village as a member of the Dark Guild, Succubus Eye. Another member of that guild notices the arrival of Fairy Tail, Minerva then says that she didn't expect to get her revenge so soon. So she says but she fails once again to Erza(evil doesn’t pay kids). Minerva returns to the headquarters of Succubus Eye only to discover, to her shock and horror, that all of the members have been turned into small black figurines by Kyouka, a member of Tartarus. She is taken as she is said to have the qualities that the Netherworld requires, and is turned into a demon to fight for Tartarus. Minerva later makes her way to the location of Kyouka's battle with Erza, where she tells Kyouka, who is fleeing the scene that she planned on taking care of the Fairies. When Erza tries to reason with her while sparring, Minerva reminds the other woman that she has been reborn as Neo Minerva, the "UltimateMage"(……really?). And, once yet again, fell to the knight mage. Minerva, realizing her mistakes as well as her own weakness for succumbing to darkness, asks from Erza to kill her. Erza then reminds her that there are still people out there waiting for her to come home despite her fall into darkness. And right on cue Sting and Rouge come to bring back their comrade.

Story (Nelliel)

After ascending into power by allying with the Arrancar, Aizen Sousuke managed to gather what'll eventually be known as the Espada. Nelliel, prior to becoming acquainted with Ichigo, was considered the 3rd Espada and constantly at ends with fellow 8th Espada, Nnoitra Gilga. Her outlook on being an Espada as well as her philosophy of power & responsibility varied different from Nnoitra. Nnoitra, not wanting to look bad anymore in front of Nelliel, took it upon himself (along with some help) to devise a ploy to kill Nelliel. However, even after a successful ambush, Nelliel didn't die ~ she reverted back to her childlike form & forgotten everything prior to having a fatal blow to her skull. It was then that Nelliel, alongside her subordinates, ran off. To protect Nelliel, Nelliel's fraction promised to help Nelliel forget everything that has happened and be her older brother. Everything changed, however, upon meeting Ichigo. At first, Nelliel & her fraction saw Ichigo as another threat ~ a pest that needed to be terminated. However, looks were deceiving at first & Nelliel ended up taking a liking to Ichigo. In her accompanying with Ichigo, a familiar face shows up and is surprised by Nelliel's status ~ Nnoitra. Nnoitra, taking an interest in Ichigo's fight against Grimmjow, took it upon himself to duke it out with our main hero. In seeing Ichigo struggle & almost die, Nelliel reverts back to her Adult-Form and dukes it out with Nnoitra. However, their encounter is brief and it ends with Nelliel reverting back to her child-like form. During her brief time as an Adult, Nelliel explains that Nnoitra was the one responsible for her childlike form and that she was once an Espada. Sometime WAY later, Nelliel is shown again in her reunion with Ichigo. Nelliel explains of the Wandenreich's appearance and is currently (last we've seen) accompanying with Orihime. 

Personality (Minerva)

Minerva is an outwardly calm and confident person, she is very mature and wishes that the people around her act accordingly. However, during the Naval Battle event of the Grand Magic Games, Minerva shows a sadistic side of herself, purposely keeping Lucy within the water sphere during the fourth event when she could easily have removed her, whilst at the same time continually beating and striking her with both her body and Magic despite Lucy's inability to fight back. Just like her father, she views Sabertooth as the strongest guild and believes weaker Mages to be nothing more than "trash". Minerva also doesn't hesitate in taking a hostage to achieve the ends to her own means, even if the hostage is a comrade, like Lector. When her enemies manage to thwart her significantly, Minerva's usual cold, smug attitude gives way to anger, as shown when Erza managed to get past her Magic to wound her. Due to the cruelty of her father's upbringing, Minerva desires to be in a position of superiority, going to great lengths to keep Sabertooth the number one guild.

Personality (Nelliel)

Contrary to popular belief, Nelliel was one of the few Espada that aren't @$$holes or batsh*t crazy. She cares for her subordinates and puts their lives upmost over her own. She dislikes conflict and is rather calm when having to deal with Nnoitra's constant challenges. She is best scribed as mature, composed, logical, reasonable, and intelligent in her ADULT form. She, however, can also be seen as childlike in her ADULT form just as she was defeat Nnoitra, she ran over to Ichigo and joyfully bear-hugged him so hard that he lost the will to breathe (Ichigo is a lucky bastard). She is composed much like the other 3rd Espada (now ruler of Hueco Mundo) Tier Harribel. During her time as an Espada, she was loyal, respectful, and trustworthy. In her CHILD form, her English is underdeveloped and she has a childlike affection towards Ichigo. However, her demonstration for helping others is shown in both her forms. 

Attraction/Appeal (Minerva)

Now she might be rotten on the inside but she does have some beauty on the outside. Curvy body, long black hair, luscious lips and her outfit a very attractive strapless dress with the slit that leads all the way up to her thigh. Ah Fairy Tail you never displease when it comes to fan service. When joining Tartarus, Minerva undergoes a transformation into a Demon. She then has two curled horns on her head, a black patch covering her right eye that continues to her left leg. She wears a long black cloak and bandages which cover most of her torso and a pair of underwear underneath, on her arms she wears light colored arm bands and black gloves covering her hands and her guild mark is located on her left waist.

Attraction/Appeal (Nelliel)

Not going to lie, Nelliel is one of the hottest chicks in Bleach IN HER ADULT FORM. Sorry I have to reiterate that, but when people think of Nelliel as being cute, they turn to two possible answers: As a kid or as an adult? Of course it's when she's a adult ~ her BEEWBZ sums it all up. Having a gorgeous beauty like her develop a childlike affection for you, Ichigo's one lucky bastard. Nelliel is definitely on the Top 10 Hottest Bleach Babes. It's unfortunate we rarely see Nelliel in her adult form, but during her brief moments, it was nice seeing her with her cleavage exposed and exposing a lot of skin. Nelliel, she's one fine Espada. 

Verdict (By MIKandIK3)

And the winner is…

Well now that was an interesting line up, a sadistic adversary verses a childlike master swordsman. Story wise I found it difficult to determine the more relevant character. Minerva is indeed the vile villain, but she is seen many times even after the Grand Magic games. Also, Nelliel is only involved in a few arcs as well, but her closeness to Ichigo gives her a more important role, thus I called it a draw. Onto the personality aspect, Nelliel is more innocent and has a childlike side to her. Even though she is afraid of Ichigo at first, she comes to like him and even fights for him when they try and save Orihime. Nelliel also allowed her enemy Nnoitra live, something an enemy wouldn't normally do to their doe . Minerva……well pretty on the inside not so much on the inside. She was told by her father that weakness is the worst thing anyone could have and only the strongest can survive. Minerva follows this very as she harms and threatens anyone so she can be at the top. So easily Nelliel’s victory there. And finally the attraction the two have. Minerva defiantly has a good body, can’t lie ~ with her outfit and all,  she is defiantly a looker. I found the open leg dress very appealing, not so much on her face though(with her eyebrows like that she just looks wired). Nelliel has a very attractive body with curves to spare, IN HER ADULT FORM! Yes she has a child form, which is cute, and is childlike even in her original form.  But you can’t tell me that she doesn’t turn your head, especially with them melons! So Nelliel is this week’s victor, sorry Minerva it’s not always about what’s on the outside that counts. Congrats Nelliel this is Bleach’s 2^nd win, meet everybody back here next week for more SGABR!   

So who do you think won? Minerva from Fairy Tail or Nelliel from Bleach? Comment below and let us know. Look forward to SGABR posts on Fridays (11 weeks). Until then, you all stay classy now. Fairy Tail still leads 5-2 against Bleach. Throwback post is posted below.