Urban Champion Review

Posted on August 15, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for one of those Nintendo games that was unfortunately very weak. I appreciate that they were trying to make a fighting game and of course this is very old but it just didn’t really land at all. The game is way too limited and there is virtually no replay value to be found here. The entire time you’re just hoping there is something you may have missed but ultimately that is not the case. Definitely give this one a full skip and you will be glad that you did. It is not worthy of the champion’s title.

The game really only has two modes. 2 player mode and then single player mode. In each mode, you only have one stage. You have to knock the opponent out 3 times in order to win. When you knock him into a manhole or off the block, then the fight continues with the same kind of background, except they change the store’s name. Yeah that’s not exactly what I would call top budget now is it? I expected better from Nintendo. Both characters are really the same sprite, only slightly color swapped so even that isn’t very original.

The controls are simple as you have a high punch and a low punch. That’s it, there are no other controls here so I hope you enjoyed throwing those shots. Beyond that you just aren’t going to have much left in the tank. I imagine playing with someone else will add a little bit of enjoyment to the game overall but probably not enough to leave a real dent. I don’t think almost any game can pull off the enjoyment factor with a single stage. Pac Man was one of the original games with 1 stage and probably the only one that could pull it off. The thing is…this isn’t Pac Man. It’s definitely not built for that level of success by any margin.

So the graphics aren’t particularly solid, the soundtrack is forgettable….we’re not looking at a very positive game right here. There are no unlockables so there is no replay value. I guess you could say that it’s fun to see the character sort of looking like Mario as he’s throwing punches but that’s just not enough of a hook to get you to play the game. Also you can cheese the main mode a bit by spamming the punch button. Often times the opponent will not be fast enough to block your moves which means you can completely bypass the strategy elements of the game. Not that there is a ton considering there are only two kinds of moves but clearly the intent was there with how the blocking system works. When you don’t move, you block automatically so that’s something to think about.

Overall, Urban Champion is not a good game. It’s one of those titles that you will forget right away because there’s nothing memorable about it. There is no aspect of this game that has held up well over the years at all. I would like Nintendo to consider a modern remake of the game but at the same time there would be little point. Just restart the series from scratch with a whole new name and brand. If you think about it, that would really be the only way to handle this unless you wanted to target the real hardcore fans for nostalgia. Even for free I wouldn’t bother playing this game. There’s just no reason to do so and it’s so limited that there isn’t even much to talk about for this title. Trust me, you’ll know what I mean if you ever decide to play this title.

Overall 3/10

Godzilla Battle Line Review

Posted on August 11, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time to jump into the next Godzilla app game but I’m afraid to say that this one is not very good. It’s one of those app games that is a clear cash grab from start to finish. Nothing about the game is very enjoyable to me. It was just missing the key elements to make this a high quality title like fast paced gameplay, quality fights, etc. In the end the strategy styled gameplay just didn’t have anything on the console Godzilla games and this one would have been better off with a connect the dots gameplay style like Fruits Mania. At least that gameplay style is always guaranteed to be off the walls hype. I generally play over 100 levels of that gameplay style real quick.

Okay so this is similar to Digimon Championship in that you don’t control the Kaiju themselves. You throw them onto the field and then they move towards the enemy. Along the way you can drop them some assistance, items, and such. These will be the difference between victory and defeat so definitely pay very close attention here. If you make the wrong call then that could be it for you. That’s about it, I mean I’m over simplifying this by quite a lot but that’s about the size of it. It all comes down to who has the better strategy and monster team.

I can say that the cast of Kaiju in the game is pretty impressive though. You’ve got numerous different Godzillas running around and pretty much every Kaiju you can think of. The game didn’t feel too greedy in terms of what you need to pay for but granted, they tend to all seem that way at first. I would probably have to stick with this game much longer to see if that is really true or not. The gameplay just wasn’t fun enough to hold me.

So okay, what’s the problem with the gameplay? Well because I can’t control the Kaiju, it feels more like I’m just watching the A.I. attack each other. It’s not interactive enough for me. It’s like watching computers playing against each other in a game, it may be interesting for a minute but for the whole game? No shottttt, that’s just not my cup of tea. What I need is to be doing something. Let me assume direct control of the Kaiju so I could go over there and take the enemy down. I would pull it off even if my opponent had a higher power level or something like that. You’re missing the human touch with this kind of setup.

The graphics aren’t bad at least. It’s not really something to write home about but the chibi character models are good and I liked the explosion effects. As a whole it really doesn’t look super bad or anything but of course it does completely look like a mobile game the instant you lay your eyes on this one. There is really no escaping that fact, that’s for sure. The soundtrack is completely forgettable. You won’t remember the tunes by the end, it’s definitely not the kind of game to sneak in some kind of lyrical song or big metal tune.

At least I can say that the replay value is basically infinite. You can keep on playing until you are the number 1 ranked player in the world or something like that. It is definitely a tough road to the top but if you keep on practicing then anything is achievable. The fact that the game is still going means that at least some people are still playing here and after taking a quick look online I see a lot of positive reviews for it. Granted, the people who are searching up videos for the game are probably fans first and foremost so that makes a lot of sense. They would be more likely to enjoy the game and so I hope their community is able to stay strong. This may not be a game that I was particularly interested in but the plus side is that it helps to continue keeping the Godzilla brand nice and strong. I’m still waiting for that big Godzilla vs Kong game which is supposed to be coming out in early September. Hopefully that one is a lot more fun.

Overall, Godzilla Battle Line is lacking way too much in the actual battling. You’re not fighting here and I know that this is a strategy game but even then I need to be doing something. If I have my hands empty for so long it just doesn’t feel like I’m really playing a game at all. If you’re going to pull off a strategy game like this I dare say that the levels have to be shorter or you have to find some way to make the player more engaged. The original Godzilla mobile game was also strategy oriented but it was a lot more fun as you planned out your resources. That was interactive and high stakes. This game couldn’t quite match up to that no matter how hard it tried.

Overall 3/10

Noragami Review

Posted on August 11, 2024 by dreager1

Noragami is one of those action titles that actually lasted for a long while. I felt like it would just quietly keep updating with new chapters even though almost nobody really talked about it. At least compared to the bigger titles. It does have a solid fanbase and they’re always waiting for the anime to return but the manga just felt really quiet. It’s a good action title but one that is held back by having one of the weakest supporting casts for a long running title that I can think of. Seriously I didn’t care for just about any of the characters which is absolutely crazy. Most of them were forgettable or annoying.

The series focuses around a god named Yato who is in a bit of a pinch. In this world gods gain power based on how many people believe in them. They need humans to build shrines to them and give them gifts. Nobody knows who Yato is though, the average person can’t even see him. So that’s definitely not a good thing. One day he meets a girl named Hiyori who accidentally hops outside of her body. She now has an astral form and is fully aware of the supernatural. It’s an inconvenient power though as she’ll jus randomly fall out of her human body which causes everyone to just think she fainted. It’s also dangerous for her because she can now be attacked by any number of creatures. Yato vows to protect her and get her back to normal condition but he’s no exactly the most reliable guy around. Can he actually pull this off?

Of course that’s the pre arc plot and as you can guess with 27 volumes, that’s going to change real quick. There are a lot of other dangers out there and people who would have the gods be dethroned. The main villain even hits close to home as Yato’s father ends up being a rather big player in all of this. We definitely cover a lot of ground but this is a series where the anime really helps to elevate it a whole lot. The manga itself is less impressive as a whole but still a good time without a doubt.

As a main character Yato is pretty solid. The guy jokes around a lot but he has a good work ethic and really tries hard. The guy’s entire existence is at stake and yet he still finds time to joke around and have fun. He started the whole small businesses thing in order to stay alive and at least get a little recognition. He’s super desperate but never gives up so I can appreciate that. As the series goes on he is tested a whole lot but rarely falters. It’s not a perfect performance, sometimes the villains do get to him but most of the time Yato pulls through. He’s the kind of guy you can count in and a great main character to follow.

In some ways he reminds me of Kenshin and other older main characters like that. Yato has been around for a long time and seen many things. He has vowed to not be an assassin anymore and it takes a whole lot of perseverance to stick true to that path. He’s one of the stronger characters in the series but in a way Yato has to nerf himself so that he doesn’t just murder everybody. It can be a lot harder than it looks.

Hiyori is a solid heroine as well. I appreciate the fact that she doesn’t lament her fate of being stuck to the spirit world all that much. She guilt trips Yato at times but for the most part isn’t worrying about thing. Hiyori even tries to fight once although she quickly thinks better of this after how the first attempt went and I don’t blame her there. The most important thing for her is to stay safe with how many crazy fighters are all around. It would have been nice if she could have learned how to fight a little mor but at least she has enough abilities to run and get out of trouble.

Yukine is a character I never ended up liking though. To be clear, the kid does have it rough since he has a super tough background. It wasn’t an easy life/death but as a ghost he keeps getting in the way. I should explain the spirit system a bit more here. Every spirit master is a god like Yato and they can use familiars which are people who died. These ghosts are given a new name by the master so that they can fight and turn into weapons/items. It is forbidden to tell a spirit about their former life because it will often end up driving them crazy.

The spirits are basically kept in the dark on this. It’s a reasonable enough system. Naturally I don’t agree with this and think the spirits should be told straight up but unfortunately there is a ton of evidence within the system to support that this doesn’t work. Even the best of spirits will inevitably turn evil or panic and get destroyed. So Yukine goes through this drama more than once. The first time he takes a dive is before we even learn about his prior life. He starts perving on Hiyori for a while there and even becomes a delinquent where he is breaking windows. All of these things start blighting Yato of course which nearly goes to the point of no return.

Yukine was definitely way too crazy there and he’s lucky that Yato is so lenient. Most of the other gods would have absolutely destroyed him by that point. The very fact that this was so close was annoying. Then when Yukine starts to learn about his prior self, he really goes off the deep end and becomes a full on villain. Hey I could overlook part of this the first time, but twice? Nah he was on the hot seat by this point with no way off. Then he started falling for Nora and her advances which was not a good look for him. Yukina was just way worse of a character than I expected him to be.

Yukine’s struggles were a good way to end the pre arc though. While he never became a good character, it helped to finish setting up the main cast so we could really get going. At this point in the story we had mainly seen Yato tackle easy cases and beat the occasional monster. Now we would really see him going all out against some real opponents and what better way to start than with Bishamon. She is a powerful god who is a master of combat and so the idea of Yato beating her is definitely tricky. Or at least it should be right?

In a lot of ways Yato reminds me of Archer from Fate. Everyone tries to gaslight you in universe that he’s super weak and yet he seems to be able to hang with anybody. That’s the case with Yato as well, half the time he isn’t even trying to fight. You actually get the impression that he would completely crush Bishamon if he was fighting seriously. Technically I don’t think that’s even what the author was going for here but it’s definitely what it felt like to me. Yato also had to go through a lot with murdering Bishamon’s army a while back to save her and having to come close to doing it again. Yato’s job really is a thankless one and if anything just creates more enemies for him.

Bishamon also ends up looking a little naive here. Like I mentioned before, getting stung can be absolutely fatal. If the spirits continue to do or even think bad thoughts, then the master get injured and can eventually die. So it’s a huge deal and Bishamon needed to do more about it. Instead without Yato she definitely would have died for a second time. She really lost sight of the forest for the trees which was not a good look. She was also too quick to take Kuguha’s side and banish Kazuma despite the kid being her most trusted advisor for years. That just made no sense. I do happen to like Bishamon though. She definitely has her large set of flaws but she’s a great fighter and is less of a government stooge than most of the other gods who just follow orders. I would like more rule breaking from this series because too many of the gods show that they just don’t have any internal ethics and do whatever they’re ordered to.

I also can’t say that I like Kazuma all that much. He’s a little too arrogant at times and while he respects Yato, he could probably show more gratitude as well. Then he allows himself to fall for Bishamon which is not a good idea since she is literally his god. Kazuma is at least reasonably strong and he was at his best when he joined up with Yato. Still, he’s not really one of the better characters. He’s useful in a fight but that’s about all that I can say for the guy.

Kuguha made for an interested villain but the guy got way too lucky the whole time. I don’t get how everyone trusted him so much considering he was basically a newcomer next to most of the other characters. Sure he was a good healer but that’s about all that you could say for the guy. It’s definitely not enough to be putting him on a pedestal. His plans just didn’t feel all that great even though he got pretty far. Fairly underwhelming villain all things considered and his ultimate motive didn’t help him.

Tenjin is a supporting character who shows up a lot but he tends to be super annoying. This guy pretty much always gives the wrong advice like telling Hiyori to cut ties with Yato. You can feel free to skip all of his dialogue because the guy is nuts. Now granted, he is knowledgeable of course so if you want an info dump then he’s your guy. If you want quality advice and good vibes though? Definitely avoid this guy and he’s so old that he can’t even fight.

Kofuku is a lot more entertaining at least. She brings bad luck to those around her but she never lets this get her down. I appreciate her optimism. She can be a little shady at times like with how people waste their money on her but I do get the logic of it being their choice. Either way she’s a fun supporting character and does step in to help Yato when she can. I would think of her as a good friend without a doubt.

In the next arc Yato basically gets blackmailed by his father into going on another mission. So he takes the stray Nora and heads into the underworld. The god Ebisu is there as well for knowledge and now they have to contend with the ruler Izanami. She is a powerful shapeshifter who really just wants to be loved and the whole thing is pretty rough for her. Nobody ever ends up wanting to stay with her. Personally I feel like she would find a ton of able volunteers if she checked the real world a bit more though. Considering she intends to use force though, you can really only be so sympathetic to her plight.

This arc is fairly big because it starts up a ton of subplots. For one, this is Ebisu’s final appearance as an adult since he is reincarnated back to being a kid after this. That was annoying because he was very interesting as an adult but I didn’t really like him as a kid. He just didn’t have that air of being distinguished anymore and I felt like he lost a considerable amount of his skills in the process. There was just no going back after this point.

We also got to see the stray Nora finally show up in a real role. She’s actually a lot of fun but unfortunately she has basically been brainwashed by Fujisaki into being the ultimate murder weapon. She has tons of names so any god can use her. She really wants to be close to Yato and is jealous of Yukine but he wants nothing to do with her. I do feel like Yato should have found some way to try and bring Nora to the light side though. For the most part I feel like she is always on her own and it’s tough because there is no way she can escape on her own. She absolutely needs some help so can’t anyone show up and actually try to help her? That would have definitely been appreciated.

She is also one of the stronger fighters in the series so she would have been a real asset to the series. If she was a good guy then the final arc would play out way differently. Ah well, things definitely aren’t easy for her but she sure keeps things interesting. It was a pretty solid mini arc and there were definitely some good action scenes while in the underground. You could even argue that Yato is near the peak of his power here since I would still argue that Nora is more powerful than Yukine despite his blessed blade status.

After a pair of arcs we get to one of the biggest arcs in the series where the heavens show up to take down Bishamon. I would say this is around where we see just how weak willed most of the supporting cast are. The heavens are insanely corrupt and yet so many of the characters just watch or decide not to help. I don’t know about you but if the characters aren’t stepping up to help then they are basically accomplices. There’s no easy way to slice it, that’s just how it goes. In this arc Bishamon looks really good though. After Fujisaki murdered one of her guardians, Bishamon has decided that she wants revenge.

As Yato’s father, Fujisaki’s death would mean that the lead dies too so it is a little complicated there but she’s still got to do it. Also I don’t think she knows about the link at this point in time. So she even wakes up a legendary fighter named Nana to help her in the big battle. It’s a pretty impressive climax to be sure and Nana is one of my favorite characters. Here’s someone who loves to fight and is also super talented at it. That’s what I call a very useful combo here. Nana doesn’t get to appear a ton but makes the most of each appearance. Taking on a whole army of heaven’s finest is no easy task after all.

Meanwhile Yato take scare of Takemikazuchi, another yes man who was annoying the whole time. At least getting absolutely demolished helped calm his mind for a while there so he got better. Even then he never left much of an impression on me which does tend to be the case here a lot of the time. This is probably my favorite arc in the series though. It was real solid all the way through and we definitely got a really solid rage mode from Bishamon. It also wouldn’t be the last time that the heavens decide to make a move.

After that Fujisaki causes more trouble like trying to get Yukine to look into his past so his soul will crumble and he turns into a monster or fades away. It becomes imperative that Yato take him out so he turns back to Kazuma. The annoying thing about this is it does mean that once again Yukine has a lot of loyalty issues and thinks Yato is turning his back on him. Solid communication would definitely prevent a lot of the issues that continue to come up here, that’s for sure. We are deep enough in the series though where I wish that Yukine would just listen more. It’s obvious that Yato is here to help and isn’t trying to hurt him. So Yukine should trust him for once instead of constantly being manipulated with ridiculous ease.

Then we quickly approach the ending here which was long enough where I remember getting faked out a few times. The heavens decide to destroy Fujisaki and do their best but they all get absolutely crushed so the task falls to Yato once again. Fujisaki really looks impressive and deserves his hype because he still does great in the fight here. The guy has so many names, powers, and summons at his disposal. He’s a super versatile combatant and proves why his experience is the real deal here. Yato is consistently outgunned the whole time here and has an extremely hard time fighting. There is also still the fact to consider that is Yato wins, he will still die due to how the system works. He also has to worry about Yukine and Hiyori the whole time.

There’s a super boring subplot about Ebisu and the thunder god going to a village to find the root of why Fujisaki is basically immortal. Turns out the guy is like Voldemort and you have to destroy objects that are connected to him as well. I still wonder what the gods were even doing to let things get this far though. We get some cool super forms in the end and a lot of fights so that’s always fun. The ending had me a little nervous there but ultimately it wasn’t bad. The very ending definitely saved it there because things were looking dicey for a minute there.

As a villain Fujisaki is not bad. The guy wants to change the system and is absolutely crazy so you can go far on that kind of combination. In some ways he is like a budget Aizen but the society here isn’t nearly as corrupt as the Soul Society so what that means is it’s a little harder to really sympathize with the guy. Instead it just looks like he is completely off his rocker. I’m no fans of the heavens in this verse either. They seem needlessly cruel with their punishments and murder each other over the smallest infraction. That said, at least they are protecting the human world while this guy is just indiscriminately murdering everyone in his way.

The art is definitely pretty solid throughout the series. At times it can get a little chaotic, especially near the end of the series with all of the big explosions and wide attacks. You can generally tell what is happening without too much fuss though. The fights are on point which is the important thing but it can also be clear during the comedic moments. At worst sometimes there is just so much text on the screen that it can be a little intimidating. That goes back to one of my issues in the series which is that it can be a little too lore heavy at times.

A title like Jujutsu Kaisen or Hunter X Hunter can get away with it because the dialogue is always very interesting but that’s not really the case here. A lot of the time you just really don’t care about what they are saying. It’s basically inconsequential. Most of the lore isn’t really taken advantage of which is why you don’t even want to hear about it. This just isn’t that kind of series in the end and so no amount of lore could really change that. This is mainly an action title with a lot of good comedic moments and the lore is like white noise in the background.

Then throw in the weak cast like I mentioned earlier and that gets thing trickier. Again, I tended to like them all a lot more in the anime so that should help but I barely cared about the gods in the subplot because of this. Every time it would cut to the characters on the boat I would be shaking my heads. Also, so many of the gods died and turned back to kids/new selves that it was a bit annoying. It may be the same soul but they often have no recollection of the previous life so it may as well have been a new character.

I’m still skeptical as well as how close Fujisaki came to winning here. He was outnumbered so badly by the heavens so why are they so weak and ineffectual? He should have been taken down real quick. Also, it’s all not a great consolation to all of the humans down below as they started getting slaughtered for being corrupted. The heavens were certainly not merciful here as they basically told the gods to wipe everyone out. Now that’s just great. In general I’m not sure that some of the world building here holds up. The whole gods being damaged by their minions even thinking bad things still seems absolutely excessive. They can never be sad or mad or anything without blighting the host. It seems to me that you’d basically have to brainwash them in order for anything like that to be possible.

Noragami should have really kept things a little more simple here. In some respects you almost could have gone the full on comedy route here and it would have worked pretty well. Or have your occasional action scene with it but you don’t need this massive cinematic experience of huge world building and hundreds of characters fighting in a big war. That part really felt like the series bit off a bit more than it can chew. If the series played to its strengths on a more local setting it would just be even better but at least that’s the way I see it. I sort of know what it’s like when fans say that for other series now although I tend to disagree 99% of the time and again I may feel differently there when I read it as a marathon.

Overall, Noragami is a good series. I think it’s one of those series that will also play better on the re read when I can binge through all of the story beats. Any that seemed to drag on a lot like the Yukine scenes won’t be as bad this way and you also get the payoff a lot quicker. This series deserves a lot of credit for lasting so long. I definitely look forward to the next anime season because you know they will continue to amp up all of the fun moments and the action scenes. It’s what the anime does after all, they are always ready to pull this off. It looks like that is going to take a while though so in the meantime I definitely recommend reading this series. In a way Noragami is at its best when it’s having fun mixing the action and comedy as opposed to getting ultra serious but in the end it still does good on both fronts.

Overall 6/10

Odd Man Out Review

Posted on August 11, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for a film about how crime doesn’t pay. It’s a pretty fun story with a unique setup. You have an Irish gang trying to steal money from the government and from that point on everything gets a little crazy. The writing is solid and I enjoyed all of the characters. The villains were good in their roles and the cops definitely did a good job on their end. In a sense both factions got to have half of the movie although the point of view is always from the villains and heroine. It’s a film that has good pacing and replay value.

The movie starts by explaining to us that the leader of this gang is a guy named Johnny but he’s been in jail for a long time. After he returned, he spent 6 months hiding out in a house and so the rest of the group is thinking that maybe he has gone soft. Johnny is even talking about how perhaps violence isn’t the answer so jail really has changed him quite a lot. Still, Johnny refuses to step aside and still leads the mission. This goes very poorly due to Johnny freezing at the end and so he ends up falling out of the car and a policeman dies. Now the gang is really on the hot seat. Can they find Johnny or even escape with their lives at this point? Once you down a police officer, the heat absolutely multiplies several times over.

First off, Johnny should take a significant amount of heat for everything that happens in the film. When you really think about it, the guy was not ready to get back into the fold. I admire his enthusiasm and everything but he should have recognized that. Getting dizzy and messing everyone up is what caused someone to be dead. The plan would have went off without a hitch otherwise. There’s also not much point in talking about ethics and everything when you are still going to go ahead with the plan anyway. What this really told me is that at the end of the day, Johnny was going to still keep on going at it with the gang even if he thought it was the wrong thing to do.

The film doesn’t hold back on the high price that he has to pay though. He pretty much gets every kind of injury you can after this. The guy can barely stand or move by the end which is why Kathleen had to make a rather serious move. Johnny definitely could and should have done a whole lot better in order to make sure everything was fine. His deputy actually did the best here in that he was the only one brave enough to tell Johnny directly that this was a bad idea. He tried his best but the guy just wouldn’t listen to him at all. That’s just how it goes I suppose.

It was fun seeing everyone get bumped off one by one though. The worst way to go out was for two of them who stop at an old lady’s house. I think she was a friend of the family or something but how can you trust anyone when the heat is this high. It sure was convenient that she noticed them passing by right? Then immediately they start drinking up a storm so they won’t be in peak fighting condition. As always my sympathy starts to go way down when a character starts drinking because now they are really putting themselves in a rotten position. So yeah W for the old lady. I mean she’s a big traitor and all but that’s just what happens when you’re a villain.

Now I keep calling them villains but I admit I’m not super familiar with the Irish background here. Perhaps their cause was decent and all but as they say, once you start murdering then the line is really drawn. You have to be super sure that you’re on the right side by that point and at least from how this film appears, I would say they were on the wrong side. Nothing within made it seem as if they were somehow the true fighters of justice or anything like that.

If anything, in the second half when the cops are taking them all out, I thought the officers looked really reasonable. They didn’t want to murder everyone but weren’t really given much of a choice. They also had to move with a sense of urgency after losing one of their own. They tried everything in order to find Johnny and it was tough since everyone was helping the guy out. You had a painter, Kathleen, a beggar, random people, and even a priest all being rather sympathetic to the guy. Some of them had their motives to be sure but none were being super helpful to the cops, that’s for sure. Even with all of those obstacles the cops managed to go and take names though.

The ending is definitely intense to be sure. When you can choose how to go out, often that is preferable to being taken alive so I get the logic. Kathleen had to make a difficult call and she did not hesitate. It’s a rather sad ending in some respects but also a sign to be careful who you fall in love with. Kathleen’s mother warned her about this as well but she just wouldn’t listen. It’s not easy to control your emotions of course but if you fall in love with a crook then it stands to reason that your end may not be great.

Overall, Odd Man Out is an interesting gang film. I have to admit that I really enjoyed the accents the whole time. I haven’t watched a super large amount of films taking place in Ireland after all. The plot is interesting and there are a whole lot of characters running around. Johnny is basically on the run for almost the entire movie. He’s out there in the rough conditions for over an hour in the movie which is crazy. He bumps into a whole lot of characters and while this can be the only part of the film that feels a bit slow, it works out well enough. It’s a satisfying movie and the strong script really backs it up every step of the way. You’ll definitely be entertained while watching it.

Overall 7/10

Never Say Goodbye Review

Posted on August 11, 2024 by dreager1

Uh oh, it’s time for a film about the ole rebound so you know this is probably not gonna end well. In some ways you could make the argument that it’s good the main two characters try to get back together but based in large part to the execution I would disagree. Splitting up isn’t great but going back together isn’t either when you know it can’t possibly last. There are a lot of red flags to the relationship in this film.

So the film starts by introducing us to Phil and Ellen who are currently divorced. They each have their appointed time frames with their daughter Flip but she isn’t thrilled with this arrangement. She loves hanging out with both of them and wishes they could all just get along. Life just isn’t that simple sometimes but they don’t really have the heart to tell her that. Flip basically begs them to try and get back together so they give it a shot by going to a date. The problem is that Phil has a girlfriend right now and forgot he was going on a date with her at the same time. He has to try and balance both dates now but it won’t be easy. Can he bring back the marriage?

I mean the obvious answer here is no right? If you already have a new girlfriend then it sounds like you’ve completely moved on. I would feel like the whole thing is completely insincere at this point. Moving on like that is a massive red flag to the point where I would say it pretty much disqualifies you entirely. It’s just such a bad look and it makes them both look bad. Ellen shouldn’t put up with this and should have immediately given up on Phil when she found out. Meanwhile it makes Phil look super greedy like he wants his wife back but still wants to be having fun on the side? I’s clear that he’s not responsible at all so why would you want to re marry him? It would jus be running into the same issues again and again. The reasons why they broke up in the first place would just return for them to break up a second time.

There is really no hope there. Now I know they want to band together for their kid but that’s actually not a great reason to do it. Ultimately all that’s gonna do it lead to more resentment and create more problems. If things were so bad that they had to fully divorce, then it’s not something that can be so easily repaired. They should have just sat Flip down and really given her a detailed reason on why this was not going to be able to happen.

Flip’s a kid so I won’t be super harsh on her but she definitely stirs up a lot of trouble here. No kid wants to be living in a broken home to be sure but it’s something that is really out of her control at this point. Then her final scene is rather rough as she is getting greedy already. It’s supposed to be a very wholesome moment of course but instead you’re just rolling your eyes here. She needs to just calm down a bit.

Since this entire film is really revolving around the main romance, the fact that it isn’t very good definitely ends up hurting the movie as a whole. You can absolutely pull off this kind of premise but only if both characters had not moved on. Like lets say we are introduced to them both and they’re super sad sacks who stay home all day and have nobody to hang out with. Now we actually have something here because that would make sense. You can see how they realized splitting up was a mistake. Since that’s not how the film went though, then you know this was not a good idea.

Phil’s girlfriend Nancy is rather rude the whole time but it’s hard to blame her. On a narrative level you know she is absolutely doomed and from her point of view this is all happening so fast. Why is the ex back in the picture? It’s a risk you always take when you date someone who has a past but it goes without saying that Nancy isn’t going to like Ellen. She has no reason to.

Meanwhile on Ellen’s side you have Rex who likes her but the feeling definitely appears to be more one sided. I dunno it seemed like she didn’t take him seriously and the guy got absolutely crushed by Phil so it’s definitely not like he is anyone special. I can’t say I liked him though, either way as the divorce lawyer it seems like bad practice to fall for your clients in any way right?

Now as I was saying earlier, Flip is always causing a bunch of trouble? Well she strikes again by writing to a marine while pretending to be Ellen so the guy shows up all ready to start a relationship and of course he gets thrown into this whole mess. He ends up taking it extremely well after having his feelings manipulated and everything. You do have to keep in mind that this is primarily a comedic film so all of this is treated rather lightly but from his perspective it definitely sucks.

Also while Luigi is treated well as a loyal friend to Phil for trying to hide his two timing, that’s actually pretty bad. Even if the person is your friend, trying to hide their bad sides is not a good idea. You can hide the ones that don’t affect other people and are mild but when they do affect others, you are making a grave mistake there. The other friend Jack wasn’t really any better and would just show up to create more drama.

Now it’s not like the film is never funny or anything like that. It has its moments and in general I do think the film had good writing. It just is based around a premise that I don’t think worked much at all. The romance should have taken more of a backseat to the comedy and had the film show us why this was such a bad idea. Make the whole thing go absolutely bonkers the whole time and that would have had way more potential. There’s quite a few ways you could have really positioned this in a favorable way. At least that’s the way I see it and you could still have a fairly happy ending.

Just have the main two admit they are not compatible but they will still talk to each other more so they’re not buying Flip the same presents and things like that. I dare say that if you do this, it really fixes all of the issues at once. Then you can enjoy all of the shenanigans more. Flip will probably still be annoying the whole time but what can ya do.

Overall, Never Say Goodbye is a film that tries to make this case but sometimes you do actually have to state your farewells. I get that the film is trying to have a positive message and I appreciate that but in this instance it just didn’t work. The film has its light tone and can be funny but in the end I wouldn’t really be able to recommend this one. There are many other comedies that have a lot more fun with their premises and ultimately they would get the nod over this one.

Overall 4/10

Black Angel Review

Posted on August 11, 2024 by dreager1

Time for a film that reminds you of how your past skeletons will always come back to hide you. The characters here all tend to have shady pasts except for the heroine who is just trying to do her best but ultimately she ends up having to compromise herself as well. I would definitely say this is a movie where nobody really wins and so the victory ends up feeling a bit on the hollow side. Definitely would have been nice if the characters could have been slightly more heroic.

The movie starts with Marty being super drunk and he is surprised when Mavos doesn’t let him into her apartment. He notices that she lets another guy go up so the whole thing is pretty humiliating. What he doesn’t realize is she gets murdered and a guy named Kirk is the primary suspect. Kirk’s wife Catherine is sure that he is innocent and is determined to find out the truth of the events. Marty agrees to help but unfortunately he ends up falling for Catherine right away. So does he really want to help prove her husband’s innocence or is he content to let Kirk be executed so he can steal her away?

That’s definitely one of the most annoying parts of the film. The fact that Marty is so in love with Catherine when she is already married. The guy doesn’t have any real class and it felt like he was flirting since near the beginning. Catherine certainly notices but she is trying hard to save her husband and can deal with that later. It would have been nice if Marty could have been the bigger man about it and put his feelings aside to help her out instead of being such a nuisance throughout the film. He does help to be sure but he’s helping out from a mess that he really created here so it’s not much of a consolation.

We get a twist for Marty and it certainly doesn’t make him look any better. This guy just had way too many issues the whole time so you’re rooting for him to be defeated. I can’t say that I felt bad for him by the end of the film. He really stuck himself into all of this trouble and so he has to pay the price there now. The guy’s a full antagonist when you really think about it.

Meanwhile you feel bad for Catherine the whole time. She’s in a tough situation with a very fast deadline so she’s doing everything she can in order to find some evidence. This even includes going into super shady locations and even having to perform at a location like that. Then she has to put up with Marty being there the whole time and even the boss Marko wanting her. Where the film takes an unfortunate turn is with her having to be with Marko in order to win his trust and get close to the safe. It all ends up being for naught anyway which is a real shame since that’s adding insult to injury at that point.

I never like any plan that involves compromising yourself to that degree. At that point you have to find another alternative even if it’s a longshot. Like just call the cops to have them take a look or bring in Marty and overpower Marko. Marty’s always looking for a fight and he would definitely assist her there even if it’s for the wrong reasons. Catherine never even led Marty on at all, the guy was just being way too desperate. The whole mission was about saving her husband after all, Marty got way too greedy.

I did like Captain Flood from the cops though. He may not have been convinced of Kirk’s innocence at all but why should he be? The case seemed rather open and shut here with Kirk cheating with Mavos. Kirk even admitted to her blackmailing him about exposing the affair so that makes perfect sense that he would take her out. When you add up all of the circumstantial evidence surrounding the case it definitely pans out. Flood seemed reasonable to me and wasn’t someone who easily jumped to conclusions. But after a point there is really only so much that you can do about these things.

This also made it harder to root for Kirk to be innocent here. Sure, he didn’t murder anyone but we already know that the guy is a complete cheater. It’s a super bad look for him and just makes the guy really awful. It’s another reason why it’s a shame that Catherine had to stoop to his level in order to save him. It’s just such a rough outcome that you can barely even call it happy. I don’t see any of the characters being all that well off by the end of the film. If anything their problems are really just getting started. It’s safe to say that Catherine can never really trust Kirk again so the relationship is ruined. Once you lose trust then you never really get it back. It’s time for her to make a fresh start at this point but at least she won’t have to worry about Marty. Again, I can’t say I have any sympathy for that guy. As always I would say to watch out if you like getting drunk because things can get tricky. I am still of the mind that being drunk only makes you a bigger version of yourself so everything you do is still the true you. So if you aren’t sure just how noble you are deep down, make sure you never take a drink.

Overall, The mystery itself is pretty good in this film. As always the writing is on point and you are interested in learning the truth behind the murder. As the film goes on though, that interest starts to wane a bit with how unlikable the characters arc. Marty is a jerk trying to get Catherine to cheat and her husband is a cheater. You feel like Catherine deserves so much better. Then the film going out of its way to lower her to their level was definitely a real low blow. I’m glad that she at least kept Marty at bay and never gave in there but the film just didn’t end up being a super satisfying watch. That keeps it from being higher and more in line with other noir titles.

Overall 4/10

Curse of the Demon Review

Posted on August 11, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for a really old creature feature film. This one deals with an actual demon so you already know that the heroes are going to be in a real pinch here. How do you stop a creature that is basically invincible and moves with such speed? The main character doesn’t even believe in demons but his scientific approach is certainly about to be tested.

The movie starts off with a guy begging Karswell to remove the curse before he gets murdered. The guy will leave Karswell alone going forward but alas it is too late for that and so a powerful demon bumps him off. The poor guy never stood a chance. Karswell isn’t done yet though and he is going to continue inflicting damage onto people. We then cut to our main character John. He doesn’t believe in any of his supernatural nonsense and that’s why he is here. He is supposed to be helping to disprove all of this but with one of his colleagues being bumped off, it’s all a bit suspicious. He supposes the best way to debunk all of this is to confront the guy himself and so that’s exactly what he does. It may end up being a dangerous endeavor.

The weakest part of the film is definitely the really long seance scene hat happens later on in the film. I suppose we needed John to see how crazy this kind of thing could look but it definitely dragged on. Seance scenes rarely ever end up being all that interesting and this one was no exception. The whole time you’re just shaking your head but at least it does give John more time to think that maybe there is nothing supernatural going on since that would help me think everything was a scam too.

Karswell’s first attempt to prove his supernatural abilities wasn’t the most effective either. He made a bunch of wind and while the guy claimed that it never got super windy like that in the area, John could easily just think he was lying. Once we get to the cats turning into panthers, then it all starts to be a little harder to deny. I would have actually liked this part to have been done a bit quicker so we could get to the real intellectual struggles here.

What I mean by this is it turns out that the demon activates in relation to a parchment paper that is passed around. Karswell makes sure to give it to people and whoever gets it, will be murdered by the demon in 3 days. The only way to escape the curse is to give the paper back to the person who gave it to you. At that point you are freed from the curse. It’s a pretty interesting set of rules and of course what this means is the one who cursed you is hyper aware of this. It’s going to be difficult to hand the paper back. Although unless the film specified against this, I would assume just beating the guy up and stuffing the paper into his hand would work. This is a matter of life or death after all so I don’t think a little violence would be outside the realm of possibility right? It’s at least something to consider.

Still, we don’t go the violence route here so instead it’s time for some mind games to trick Karswell. This is all at the very end of the film but was a pretty fun way to end things off. The trick itself was definitely clever so I could believe Karswell being taken in by all of that. John was also a fun main character with how he so strongly opposed the supernatural stuff. I definitely appreciate that in a character. Sure, we know that the magic is real as a viewer but to someone who’s led a life of science, I’m glad he wasn’t converted so easily.

The main heroine Joanna doesn’t get a ton to do though. She helps with some of the info dumps and getting John where he needs to be but inevitably she is hypnotized and kidnapped. Considering that she had more of an affinity for the supernatural it would have been good if she could have had some extra defenses. Something to help keep her safe and running away from this guy. In a way that was definitely Karswell’s undoing though. He shouldn’t have gotten greedy and gone after Joanna. Even if he felt like his victory was inevitable he should have stayed hidden until the days were fully up. Make it very hard for himself to be found by John because there’s nothing good that can come out of meeting the guy. People get awfully desperate when they are about to die after all and you can’t predict what the next move will be.

I’ll give the film a shoutout for the cool demon design. He definitely looked fierce and was one of those opponents you would no want to bump into in a dark alley. A single strike from this fighter would really deal a whole lot of damage. Nobody in the film really tried fighting the demon which is too bad. Sure, it would probably be futile but you’re about to die anyway so you may as well give it a shot right? Better than just lying there and yelling the whole time.

Overall, This film shows why you have to be careful accepting anything from strangers. Sure, it’s pretty unlikely that you will be handed an actual curse with a demon built in but you could still be framed for stolen money or something like that. Odds are if someone is trying to hand you something outside then they have an angle. It could be as innocent as handing out flyers for an event in which case you’re fine…or it could be handing you a bomb and you end up being blown to pieces. So just watch out for your surroundings and be careful at all times. Like in this film, your only shot would be handing it back to the person real quick before anything happens.

Overall 6/10

Murder by Contract Review

Posted on August 11, 2024 by dreager1

Link to the original review: https://dreager1.com/2020/07/11/murder-by-contract-review/

It’s time for a film about a professional assassin. It can always be a tricky balance since you want to come up with a scenario that doesn’t paint him in too bad of a light where you dread seeing the guy on screen but at the same time you probably want to play it straight and not try to make the guy sympathetic. I’d say the film does a good job of this. The balance is there and by no means is Claude sympathetic at all. You are free to root against him the whole time with no real issues there.

The movie starts with Claude convincing someone to hire him. Claude passes every possible test and aces each of his hit. Eventually he even murders his boss as one of the orders. Eventually he is given his biggest mission yet, he has to bump off Billie, a witness who will be taking the stand soon. This will be a difficult mission and Claude usually makes it a point not to go after women because they are more unpredictable. You can’t exactly turn down a hit once you are involved though so for now he just has to suck it up and continue with the mission. If he succeeds then he will be loaded and if he fails then it’s game over for his life.

One thing the movie does to stand out right away is have a good soundtrack. This isn’t a guarantee for any film after all. You never know if a movie will have solid music or not so hearing a good track can go a long way. It’s a very smooth kind of beat that works for all of the scenes and supports the tone. The movie is showing just how casual this business is for Claude. It really just is the guy’s job and he preps for it as he would any ordinary assignment. We see how he works out and exercises so he is always in peak condition.

He’s also not very trusting by nature so he wastes a lot of time when two people are sent to accompany him. Ultimately it’s a good idea not to trust those guys but you never felt like Claude was in all that much danger. He was clearly a step above those two. They had some tough talk and looked good at times but the skill difference was immediately apparent. Even 2 on 1 you knew they weren’t about to do anything.

Claude is just too calm and too skilled. He waited for his quick opening and from there it was curtains. He also seems to have very little patience for anyone who hasn’t managed to become successful. He chews out a waiter on this about the guy allowing himself to be stuck in this job for so long when he could have really done a whole lot more for himself. Then as long as you are stuck you at least need to be good at what you do. I think his lecture ultimately fell on deaf ears though.

Then by the end of the film Claude gets rather sloppy himself. I don’t think it was even a full change of heart or anything like that. I think Claude would have finished the job earlier in the film but by this point he just had way too many doubts and conflicting thoughts. He didn’t believe in the mission quite as much as he once did and there are enough dead people already where the whole thing has become a mess. So for all of his tough talk and preparation, Claude folded when it counted.

Billie may be the big target but I wouldn’t say that her role is that big anyway. She’s the big objective but in terms of character there’s not a whole lot to her. She spends most of her time taking shots at the cops for not protecting her more and I definitely get that. She ends up being in harm’s way quite a lot. Part of it is on her even if she won’t take responsibility though. One obvious thing is to never walk by the door or any windows. Stay out of easy sniper range and that’s really basic safety 101. The cops actually had a good plan in allowing people to think she was dead for a while and it was just bad luck that someone ended up tattling to Claude. They couldn’t really predict that one.

The writing throughout the film is pretty good. I definitely enjoyed the banter with Claude and his boss despite the boss being bumped off fairly early. The characters always know just what to say and they all have a whole lot of confidence about them. I like all of the posturing. Even the two guys who were following Claude were brave enough to talk back to him. Well one of them anyway. Claude would tell him to be quiet and the guy would just keep on talking. Quality writing definitely helps to support a good thriller.

The character cast may be extremely small but that still services the film well enough. It helps to show just how alone Claude is and how all of his relationships are really surface level. He talks to the people giving him the missions or ladies who are hitting on him but at the end of the day the guy is really alone. The thrills of being an assassin are really the only benefits he gets at this point and I’m not even sure if he was totally serious about his whole buying a house explanation. I assume that was made up but am not exactly sure, so that adds to some of the mystery of the character. He strikes me as the kind of character who will say exactly what he hopes you want to hear.

Overall, The film is fairly direct and goes by quickly. It’s mainly about Claude prepping for the big mission and then getting a little more nervous as his attempts aren’t working and the deadline is getting closer. It’s another cautionary tale on why being an assassin is super dangerous. You could have hundreds of successful hits but all it takes is one slip up and there goes your life. There is just no escaping your ultimate fate and while you may have a fun time at first, it just won’t end well. This is definitely a film I could recommend. It ticks enough of the right boxes to be fun for all fans of the genre.

Overall 7/10

Solo Leveling Review

Posted on August 10, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time to talk about one of the biggest Manhwa out there. Solo Leveling really took the world by storm when it came out for the extremely solid artwork and top tier fights. This was a series that definitely held nothing back there and I would say this was consistent throughout its entire run. Even the epilogue managed to throw in a bunch of battles which was definitely cool. It may not have lasted as long as the other big manhwa I’ve read but it holds its own.

The plot follows a guy named Jinwoo who is your every day teenager. His father vanished a while back and his mother is in a coma though so he has to look after his younger sister on his own. In this world there are gates which appear throughout the planet and so hunters are the people who deal with them. When you become of age you can have your power level tested to see just how strong you are. Your power level can’t really change from that point on so it’s really any deal. For example if you are an E rank fighter then the best you can hope for is cleaning up after the real hunters and picking up materials.

Still, you’re better off than those who have no energy since you can still earn some decent money this way. Jinwoo is an E rank and known as the weakest hunter in history. People mock him all the time but he needs money for his mother’s bills so he keeps his head down and gets the job done. One day a dungeon he is in ends up being a little too powerful and almost everyone dies. Jinwoo dies but is them resurrected somehow. He now has video game status windows that appear around him.

In effect Jinwoo is now the first ever hunter who can actually level up and get stronger. His days of being an E class fighter are finally over! As Jinwoo gets stronger though? He feels his humanity beginning to leave him. Does this absolute power come at a price and if so…was he better off being the weakest guy around? They say it’s lonely at the top…time to see if that’s true.

I’m just gonna say it now, the power is obviously worth it! The whole losing humanity plot really starts to vanish early on as well so it’s not really a big deal. It’s good for some quick drama but that’s about it, I wouldn’t think on it too hard. The only real drawback is that he ends up being in way more fights over and over as he takes everyone on but that’s still better than just being immediately murdered. If Jinwoo had stayed weak then everyone would ultimately be dead so that should answer the question on if it was worth it or not.

The character cast is rather small in a way. Technically there are a lot of characters but many of them are one shots or quickly get written out for being too weak. For that reason you don’t really remember too many of them all that much. There are a select few who really stand by until the end but they tend to be the exception. I dare say this is the smallest cast I’ve read for a series of this length but that’s not really a bad thing. The most important thing is having strong villains and a good main character. Fortunately this series has both of those things.

The artwork is top tier like I mentioned before so no worries on that. Each fight gets better and better and you could really just enjoy this as a top quality picture book if you want. It’s one of the few titles where it can almost be hard to imagine how the anime will be able to do it. Still, at the end of the day you know a good enough studio can pull it off as needed. It does have to be a high end studio though. You’d be wincing if an anime adaption ended up using a bunch of stills or anything like that.

The world building in the series is also great which is definitely key. We learn a whole lot about how the ranking system works, the demon realms and how they function, etc. Then as the series goes on you learn even more like who is behind the leveling up system, the true cosmic/demonic forces at work, etc. You get satisfactory answers to basically every question in the series which is really nice to see. Even with a sequel that started pretty much right away, they didn’t decide to just hold off on you here. The sequel will tell its own story but this is really a complete adventure all the way through. It doesn’t end on a massive cliffhanger or anything like that. It’s the kind of ending that can (and did) absolutely lead to a sequel but it doesn’t have to if that makes sense.

This might sound a bit contradictory but while Jinwoo blows past most of the characters and makes them irrelevant there are times when he doesn’t look quite as strong as you expect. There were a few times where he spared with the heroes and didn’t obliterate them the way I was expecting. Yes, it was sparring but the fact that any of them could keep up at all had me a little puzzled. I would argue Jinwoo surpassed everybody even sooner than the series seems to acknowledge this. Maybe I ended up being caught up in the hype I guess.

Either way he is a great character though. You could say that perhaps he is a bit basic but he gets the job done. He has a lot of confidence in himself and even before that, his underdog self wasn’t bad. His internal confrontations with his old self were pretty good. Jinwoo can at times act a little bit too villainous so I can’t cosign just everything that he does but for the most part he is someone you can count on. He has a whole lot of presence.

We’ll go through a bunch of the cast now and who better to start off with than one of the most iconic characters in the series? Beru is easily one of the standout characters here and he is just a blast to root for. His sheer loyalty is awesome on its own and then throw in the fact that the guy can fight and you have a winner. He’s one of the strongest fighters that Jinwoo has by the end of the series and only continues to improve more and more. The fact that he can wipe the floor with over 90% of the verse is really impressive. When you stop and think about how many fighters Jinwoo has in addition to his own skills then you start to appreciate just how broken the main character is. It’s really quite impressive. There are few characters like Jinwoo and it’s why his reputation is absolutely deserved. So having a great captain of the guard like Beru is important so that Jinwoo doesn’t have to waste time with weaker opponents. Beru really keeps these guys in line.

Now lets talk about the S ranks. You know how I was saying earlier how a bunch of them are completely irrelevant? Well you know it’s bad when a bunch of them don’t even have a photo on the wiki and a bunch of others basically didn’t get to do anything. The term S rank ended up getting cheapened early on because of how many of these guys there were. They just couldn’t keep up and in the end even the strongest ones were quickly surpassed without any real effort. Still, there were a few that I liked, so I’ll go into those guys first.

The first one’s a girl actually. Cha is one of the first S rank hunters that we meet and her abilities were definitely considerable. She has good sword skills and overall movement speed. Her gimmick of finding everyone’s natural scent to be gross aside from Jinwoo is definitely an odd character quirk to be sure but it basically stops being a thing after a while. While her abilities get surpassed early on, she maintains a fairly big role for most of the series and was a fun supporting character to have around.

Thomas is an S rank who really does live up to his power the whole time. This guy is near the top of the charts for good reason after all. He is actually able to give Jinwoo a good fight and is relevant for far longer than most fighters. I liked his confidence and while the guy may not always have the best friends around, he is loyal. He’s someone you can count on to have your back at all times. Without him the S ranks would definitely not be the same so he’s someone to keep your eye on.

Liu is another one of the top S ranks to the point where he was a nation hunter but unfortunately he doesn’t get to do a whole lot. He’s caught in that awkward spot where he was introduced but then didn’t get to do anything until it was too late and he could no longer put up a great fight. I think the series should have given him a key fight earlier on to really establish him among the other characters. There’s nothing wrong with his personality after all. He has everything in place to be a quality character and I still liked him but the guy is very forgettable.

Then of course we have Jinwoo’s father who doesn’t get to appear a whole lot but gets a pretty good role when he does show up. The guy is a top rank fighter after all but I didn’t think the reason for him vanishing was all that good. You feel like he could have done more to prepare Jinwoo and the others for the attacks. It’s a fairly common kind of subplot where the series doesn’t convincingly show me why a character vanished for so long. So he is cool and strong but I wasn’t a big fan because of that.

Then we have Jinwoo’s son who is solid enough. I don’t see him being as cool as Jinwoo to be sure but he likes fighting and is a quick study so that’s a good thing. Definitely a lot of potential for that sequel series. In the meantime he gets enough screentime where I can say that he’s good. We have the blueprint so we can see if he continues to be this good later on.

Christopher Reed was one of the cooler S ranks but he also got the unfortunate fate of not really getting a whole lot to do here. He’s really used a lot for shock value and to establish just how dangerous these new villains are. He talks tough and puts up a good off screen fight but ultimately that was game over for him. Still a cool scene though and it was hype enough where you won’t forget him. So he definitely made the most out of his limited appearances.

Go is the chairman of the hunter’s association and so for a while there I was worried that he would end up being all talk despite some early hype. Fortunately that is not the case and we actually get to see him doing things later on. He has a really good fight and was definitely a real likable character. I definitely appreciated seeing him around and he was easy to root for. The guy actually talked sense and was willing to bend some rules to help Jinwoo out. This guy properly understands the stakes here and how to protect the world. If everyone was as smart as he was then there would probably have been less casualties in the series.

Goto was a pretty interesting S rank because he was one of the only ones that I would call a straight up villain. He wants to murder other heroes and so there’s no other real way to frame that. He’s not someone that you could trust to have your back at any point. His abilities were still considerable to be sure though and he was a nice wild card. I thought he was a good character for his role and I tend to appreciate having some dark hunters as a change of pace from the monsters. It’s why I really enjoyed Jinwoo’s first fight against the dark hunters so much. It was just really different from what had happened earlier.

Dongsoo is another example of a dark hunter and definitely not a very smart one. I know I tend to enjoy loyalty in a character even when they’re a villain but this guy was just too much of a punk/bully for me to take him too seriously. The guy was basically asking to get absolutely crushed the whole time. He also loses massive points for the underhanded tricks he used when going after Jinwoo’s sister. That is something that will always lose you a whole lot of points for me. Tricks like that show that you just don’t have much of an honor code here. So yeah I didn’t have any real sympathy for this guy.

Min Byung is definitely one of those tragic characters who didn’t really want to stick around in this dangerous world of being a hunter but ultimately came through when humanity needed him. It can be tough having a strong conscious and doing the right thing but ultimately that’s just how it goes. Definitely a fun character all the way around though and he just seemed like a nice guy. We don’t actually see a whole lot of healers in the series so that skillset was still rather rare.

Then we have Baek who could partially transform into an animal. He gets quite a lot of screentime and was really handy in a fight. He may not have quite been in the top echelon of fighters but the guy was persistent and got his share of wins. I know the series would be too long if everyone got this treatment but this is exactly what a bunch of the other S ranks needed in order to stand out more. They would have really become way more full fledged as a character if that was the case.

Finally to wrap the S ranks up we have Choi. His fire abilities were super handy so he was always fun to have around. The guy gets a big role during the insect arc and was definitely super determined. He could really get a whole lot of opponents all at once. He slowly starts to vanish as the series goes on but had a good impact while he was around. There are many other S ranks of course but most of them don’t get as much of a role.

Joohee is one of the characters from the intro who was a good friend to Jinwoo but ultimately stopped appearing. She was nice enough and always healed him no matter what happened in the dungeons. Ultimately he just kept getting stronger while her trauma didn’t really go away and she retired. I definitely get why, unless you absolutely need to fight in order to survive, only the craziest of souls will go through that whole ordeal. Also there will always be the knowledge that there could be a double dungeon so there isn’t such a thing as a super safe dungeon anymore. I thought she was nice enough so I did miss her a little.

Jinah is Jinwoo’s sister and she’s a fun supporting character. She’s always looking out for him and he knows that she’s got his back. Jinah and Jinwoo have a good bond throughout the series and considering how powerful he gets, it’s nice to know that she is well protected. If anything she gets close to danger a little more than you would expect considering how good his reserves are. You can imagine that this doesn’t go very well for the villain. Jinwoo’s mom is also solid although she gets far less to do.

Igris is another one of Jinwoo’s top fighters and I always like seeing him around. He may start to get surpassed more as the series goes on but he just has such a great design. He will always be known for having one of the best fights against Jinwoo and he does it all with pure technique. He doesn’t have a bunch of fancy skills or super powers or anything like that. Igris just focuses himself and launches devastating attacks the whole time. That’s definitely the way to earn my respect real quick.

Then we have Kamish who is a super powerful dragon, the mightiest beast in the land. He ends up being really handy during the series for quick transportation. The guy had a lot of presence when he first showed up as well. In general he is a fun monster and Jinwoo has a number of super solid ones but this one isn’t often used in a combat way. That tends to be the job for the others like the goblin mage.

Esil was a fun character and whenever she would show up the series would actually allow itself to have a bit of fun. Usually everything was super serious with a bunch of fights and everything but she would add some levity to the scenes. She can fight well enough but never really has to. Esil’s the kind of heroine who can make friends easily and I wouldn’t have minded some slice of life shenanigans in the demon world for a bit although I totally get why the series couldn’t really pause there for very long.

Kim is another one of the characters from pre arc. He wasn’t ready for the opening fight of the series but then again nobody really was. It definitely wasn’t fair how everyone was jumping on him for what happened considering that he had the team take a vote first. He was a good leader all the way through and I thought he was solid overall. He may have left Jinwoo but he did it upon the lead’s request and saved the heroine. So even though he feels guilty early on, he doesn’t have much to be down about. He did what he could.

Then we have Jinho who shows up to try and make the atmosphere light like Esil. He’s the main comic relief but I like how the series handles this. He’s never inept or anything like that. The guy is weak but he knows his limitations and works around them with money and connections. He does a lot of work behind the scenes in setting up a base and working with Jinwoo. The two of them actually become real friends and it’s a pretty nice dynamic. Any scene with him was usually pretty fun.

Antares is definitely one of those big villains you don’t forget. He has an incredible design, great fighting abilities, and a good personality. He was a fun character to see fight throughout and he actually stays as one of the top fighters in the series. You can definitely respect him there even if it takes him a long while to show up. He works well in the final boss type spot and is one of the more memorable villains in the series. So stay patient as you read through the series and wait to see him.

Ashborn is another really solid character. His plans were definitely very detailed and convoluted so you could call him a true genius. In just about any other timeline he probably would have come out on top. He’s got a great design and great powers so you really can’t ask for much more than that. Definitely one of those characters that really pops out of the page the whole time. He also gives us a lot of important lore near the end of the series so you’ll want to get that memorized. He really helped to change the whole game of what was going on.

Baran was definitely the least impressive of the Monarchs to the point where I forgot he even counted as one until checking the wiki. This guy’s okay but not as good as he should be. I suppose he was probably nerfed during the fight but even so, Monarchs tend to set a really high standard and this guy definitely couldn’t keep up with that. He’s a solid villain but definitely not one of the great ones. I won’t really be thinking about this guy much after the initial appearance.

Rakan was a pretty solid villain even if he didn’t go out very well. The guy had a lot of strength and he did have the presence of a Monarch. He’s one of those fighters who was lucky to have a true fight before going up against Jinwoo. You never want to fight the hero first because often times that will end very badly. So this worked out super well for him and helped the guy to stay really memorable the whole time. He also has a good deign so this villain really had everything that you could ask for from an antagonist.

Querehsha isn’t super impressive but again it’s a timing thing. She just took too long to act so Jinwoo had the advantage from the jump here. She had some potential and overall I do think she is a decent villain but not one of the top threats to be sure. Likewise Legia isn’t all that great either. I like his attempts at trickery but the fact that he spends most of his time tied up doesn’t exactly help his case either. How is a Monarch gonna be tied up like this? Definitely not the kind of thing that makes the most compelling case for the character.

Tarnak is more of a whiner than a fighter so I wouldn’t rank him all that high. He has a cool design but doesn’t have the confidence or presence that the stronger fighters have at their disposal. This is what will keep him from really climbing to the top. He’s just not that memorable and doesn’t really have the skills to change any of the outcomes either. So in the end he was just really doomed no matter how you slice it.

Sillad was one of the better villains though. I liked his abilities quite a lot and this guy was strong. He lasted a long while and really pushed Jinwoo. It’s clear that he was really comfortable with his abilities and had long term ambitions. He was really a threat from all sides which is what you would expect from a villain like this. I definitely wasn’t going to forget him afterwards, this guy was really cool. Definitely looking forward to seeing his fight animated some day.

The Architect is another really cool villain with a lot of aura. You never forget that confrontation at the very beginning of the series after all. This guy would strike fear into you immediately. He was an absolute beast in every sense of the word. I love the design and he is one of the most iconic characters in the series for that reason alone. The build up and resolution for this guy was absolutely perfect, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Finally we have Baruka who was a really cool ice elf. Definitely a very blood thirsty villain who would destroy anyone in his path. He was a real threat and really brought Jinwoo to the edge during their fight. The fact that he came closer to murdering Jinwoo than even some of the Monarchs was really impressive. I definitely wasn’t about to forget this villain and you’ll be unable to forget him once you see the guy.

Naturally there are even more characters out there but that’s a good amount to go over. There’s a whole lot that gets to go on in a series that is this massive after all. It was really a super impressive series all the way around. A title like this will ultimately run into a bunch of issues along the way like some scenes of excessive violence and animal violence during its run but fortunately manages to overwhelm this with the sheer flood of good moments. It’s a series I could really recommend to any action fan for sure.

Now some do criticize how each arc can get a little repetitive with the format. It always starts with the heroes running in first and getting demolished, then Jinwoo shows up and saves them with ease. Rinse and repeat for every single arc. I get that this could be annoying but the whole point is that Jinwoo is the ultimate fighter. I don’t really mind because in a power fantasy I would argue that this works really well. For sure it will be more on the annoying side if you aren’t a big fan of Jinwoo though but if you like the guy then you’re all set. The series shows us repeatedly just how good the guy is.

Most of the series is really a bunch of action scenes after all and it’s part of why I love the title so much. I wouldn’t say it has a huge plot either way. Yes, with the lore we definitely get more plot heavy for the back half of the series but the action scenes are absolutely the biggest draw of the series and it delivers on that front. I can’t imagine anybody saying that the series didn’t have enough battles or anything like that. That would be crazy. So in the end I didn’t really have any issues here.

At most, I think Jinwoo maybe went up through the levels a bit too quickly. He hits 100 so fast that they have to show levels after 100 later on. It makes things difficult on the power scaling to be sure. Ultimately once the level ups are removed then the series is able to have a bit more freedom again. I did miss the video game elements though as they appear far less from that point on. Also the ending definitely goes in a very sharp direction. Ultimately I wasn’t a big fan of the ending. I get the logic behind it but I never really enjoy any ending where characters within the story can’t appreciate the full thing. I can’t really say much more without spoilers but it’s not my favorite direction is all. At least the epilogue gave us a fan preview of what things will be like going forward.

Also it gave us more fights which is always worth it. I do really need to underscore that this series absolutely understands the rule of cool and uses it in every single interaction. It’s really a smart way to do it. You could probably pick out an amazing panel in every single chapter. There is always something happening and the pacing is really fast. In general one thing I like about Webtoons is how long each chapter feels. It’s probably in large part due to how much you’re scrolling through the series but it makes the experience really last and that’s a lot of fun. There’s definitely more I could say but if I haven’t won you over by now then it’s not happening. This is absolutely a must read and for once I can say that you don’t have to read it for the plot! Although I recommend that you do since the story is still super enjoyable.

Overall, Solo Leveling is a top tier title in all respects. The art really is as dynamic as everyone says it is and you’re really in for a blast here. While the side cast quickly become irrelevant, they still end up being likable while they are around. Ultimately it is all worth it for the big power fantasy, trust me on that. The sequel is now going so I look forward to seeing how long it lasts and if it can match up to the original. To really appreciate the sequel though you will definitely want to read this one first.

Overall 9/10

Spriggan Review

Posted on August 10, 2024 by dreager1

It’s time for an action title that I really was not familiar with before starting it. It’s got a pretty unique premise and I tend to enjoy government type stories like this quite a lot so that was pretty cool. Pretty much every government makes an appearance in some capacity here and America in particular definitely comes across as rather ruthless the whole time. Definitely not a group that you really want to mess with.

The series follows a kid named. Yu. He works for ARCAM, a global organization that finds all kinds of supernatural relics and guards the, from those who would use these for evil. Basically it turns out that just about every folklore, superstition, rumor, and historical event is real. You’ve got the Holy Grail, and many other items that have been scattered throughout the world and could end it in an instant. Naturally every government would love to have a weapon like this and so everyone is always ready for action. Yu isn’t just any worker though, he’s a Spriggan.

Spriggan’s are the absolute elite of the elite in terms of overall fighting ability. He is many times faster and stronger than the average person and this effect is amplified by a special suit that ARCAM made him. Yu can take out a whole squad of soldiers and he’s not even the strongest Spriggan around. The toughest part is really just trying to pass his school classes while saving the world. He can only be absent so many times in a semester after all and he also doesn’t have unlimited time to cram either.

For the most part the series is very episodic. You will have a case that has 3 parts or so, and then a new case after that. Aside from some very minor plot elements, you could jump into any story with no issues at all. It’s only near the very end that it starts to all go somewhere. It works well enough for this kind of story though as the fun is really in seeing what relic will be used next by the different villain groups. As with just about any story, it probably would have gotten a boost if it actually did have a big plot the whole time though.

The cast also remains fairly small as a result. There are a number of characters running around of course but most of them tend to be one shots or maybe return once. Also while the art is good, I would say it is the kind where the author has a tendency to draw some characters very similarly. There are a few guys who try to murder Yu throughout the series who look a little too similar. I would say this issue also shows up for a number of the heroines who appear and I can’t really tell them apart until they start talking and then that works as their introduction.

For example there are two girls at school (3 if you count the thief) and they look extremely similar the whole time. Neither one of them ever get super important but the tougher one was starting to be played up as a potential love interest at one point. Then you have the transfer student who decided she wanted to break Yu’s cover which didn’t go well but her design wasn’t super unique. At least the childhood friend girl looked a little different but maybe that’s because she was one of the first characters in the series. I was surprised she didn’t appear more.

The jewel thief is definitely the one who stands out the most but that makes sense because she is a lot of fun. I like her personality and she’s one of the only heroines who feels like she can come close to outwitting Yu. Typically he tends to come out on top but she still gets her subtle victories in there most of the time. She’s dedicated and skilled which is always a tough combination to surpass. She also had a gun and could actually use it as necessary so then fact that she was actually useful in a fight was a big deal.

Throughout the series we also get glimpses of Yu’s backstory. Surprisingly I feel like we never got to see the whole thing but it’s easy enough to piece together from what we did get. He was basically in a child soldier program that tried turning him into a robotic murderer. He would take out any target and was one of the best in the biz. One day he was rescued from there and recruited to ARCAM where he can use his skills but doesn’t have to be murdering anyone anymore. We occasionally see him fighting with his past but I don’t feel like that plot fully ended. We have a separate plot near the end where he learns to fight as himself and not in the suit but I felt like that was a little different.

Considering that he surpassed the other murder soldiers you could call it an ending if you absolutely had to I suppose. I’m still a bit 50/50 on it myself. Either way he is a good character though. At the end of the day he wants to protect as many people as possible. Yu also enjoys a good fight but is always able to prioritize the situation so he will complete the mission first. The fact that he is able to duck a fight when the timing isn’t appropriate is fairly unique as most main characters will just keep on fighting for as long as possible. So he is a really solid lead.

The best character in the series is his rival Jean though. Jean has the ability to turn into a werewolf type creature which is pretty cool. He had to go through a whole lot in order to obtain that power so it’s definitely not the most fun ability to have but it definitely comes in handy during a pinch at times. He can already fight super well without that ability though so with it he is one of the most powerful fighters in the series. I like his confidence and he’s the kind of character that is just super cool all around.

The actual strongest character is Oboro though and I don’t think it’s even close. Even by the end you never get the feeling that Yu has actually surpassed him in any way. It’s more like Oboro just started holding back which makes sense. Oboro is able to use Qi in order to amp up his attacks, overcome supernatural attacks and also increase his speed. Basically he becomes an absolutely unstoppable fighter and pretty much every fight in the series is one that he wins without any real effort. For that reason the series has to basically write him out of almost every confrontation. If he is around then there isn’t much danger at all. I do wonder why the group doesn’t assign him to more missions but my headcanon is that he probably just refuses them and the government is smart enough not to call his bluff. Honestly that’s a smart move on their part because you don’t want to make an enemy out of him.

One of the big villains is Bo and while I wasn’t impressed with him at first, he got considerably better as the series went on. He actually has some fairly emotional moments by the end and was working on a redemption arc. Considering that like a few of the other villains he was on the neo-nazi camp that seems unlikely but yeah the guy was definitely a tough fighter and at least he had honor in combat. I never took him seriously as a thread to Yu or anything like that but he could definitely fight.

Then we have Iwao who was real tough at the start. He was treated as being semi equal to Yu but his stocks just crashed after that. He became more of a character who was known for a lot of good banter but couldn’t really back it up when it counted. I’m not even sure if he thought he could hang with Yu by the end of the series and it’s just such a large departure from his original appearances. The guy really sank down and by no means am I saying he was a bad character but he was underwhelming. I wish he had stayed as more of a threat.

Sho ended up being more of a final boss threat but even then he didn’t appear a ton. Still he was a good foil to Sho the whole time. He was also raised to be the ultimate soldier and unlike Yu he never really got out. So you feel bad for him because while he may be a villain, it’s not like he had much of a choice about it the whole time. Sho also took his abilities as far as they could go and you could argue that he had surpassed Yu for a while there. He ultimately just couldn’t match him with Qi.

Like I said earlier the art is good with the exception of how similar the characters can look at times. The fight scenes are all on point and there is definitely a whole lot going on there. I should note now that the series can get rather graphics at times. The characters are all working in a war setting after all and the series makes no attempts to keep that hidden or mitigate that fact. Everyone on the opposing sides tend to get blown away. Yu spares his opponents but he’s really the only one to do that. Everyone else just wants to murder the opponents and complete the mission. Nothing wrong with that considering the stakes and situation but it is nice that Yu goes the extra mile here.

The series has a lot to say about government corruption and people jumping ship but ultimately I don’t think it’s harsh enough on this. For example, at one point ARCAM gets super corrupt with the leader trying to murder everyone and he’s basically just allowed to walk away. I know that the group is secret so it’s not like he can go to court but at least arrest him within a private jail or something. It’s a little much just how easily he got away from repercussions here and it didn’t make sense. He really needed to pay for that.

I was glad Yu started giving Arcam the cold shoulder for a while there. Unfortunately they are still the lesser of two evils here when compared with the rest of the groups but he needs to reform the group somehow. They’ve basically become almost as bad as the rest. The United States tends to look the craziest which is pretty funny. Their rep always gets rather tricky in manga/anime but they make for solid antagonists. There are also quite a lot of Nazis running around here. Hitler himself even shows up although I don’t think he was handled very well. Trying to make him sympathetic even for a moment is a bit iffy to say the least.

I do think it’s reasonable to try and make some of the villains more human though. For some of the Nazi characters we get to see them as full characters as opposed to being super one dimensional. I do think this is important because often times the most evil people will be the ones who don’t act so obvious about it all the time. Real life is often complicated and that’s why you never know where the enemies are at. If the Nazi’s were running around yelling about how they were Nazi’s the whole time that would be a bit much. This way you realize a lot of characters won’t even realize this until it’s too late. It makes for good tension.

Because Yu is so powerful, the series also has to come up with a lot of creative ways for him to have a challenge. One particularly effective one was when he had to take down a living computer along with a squad of normal soldiers. The computer was just too strong so one by one they sacrifice themselves to open a path for Yu. It’s definitely one of the sadder stories and a lot of plot armor is used but it was a good example of Yu seeing his limits. Each off the powerful characters (Except for Oboro) come up to a point where they have to acknowledge their limits at different points in the story. No matter how strong someone is in this verse, they are not invincible after all.

Also the environment is often times very crazy so Yu has to adapt quickly. We’re talking time travel to the dinosaur age, alien artifacts, supernatural powers, etc. There’s always something going on and I appreciate the fact that Yu is really quick on his feet the whole time. He always jumps into action no matter what is going on. The series also blends history and supernatural elements really well. We have some characters who can shoot fire, cause instant combustion, and then other suits that mirror his own. There’s a large variety of different weapons and techniques going on here. If anything it’s a shame that the series ended so quickly because you could really keep on going with different relics and adventures for a very long time. After all, there are millions of different artifacts you could play around with.

It’s also a fun relic of the times with the art being rather old school and the main character being a real punk. In some ways it reminds me of Yu Yu Hakusho. Hey demons exist in this world along with everything else so the extra similarities are there. The series also gets to give us some screen time of Yu outside of the ARCAM adventures which is nice. It’s a series that is fleshed out well within the amount of volumes it got. I’d also say it’s got a good amount of replay value with how dense some of the adventures could get. There’s a whole lot of dialogue and exposition here so make sure you have your reading glasses on.

Overall, Spriggan is a very good title. I had a good time with the various adventures and the way the author handled all of the governments was definitely fun. Yeah ARCAM was ultimately always one upping them but that makes sense as the main group. There is a good amount of action and intrigue to keep you entertained the whole time and the series is still long enough to really get to the various storylines without having to finish too quickly. I would have liked a little more time in the plot based area but I can still recommend this to anyone looking for a fun time.

Overall 7/10

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