Jan 29 // Red Veron
[embed]35521:6041:0[/embed] "Megumeru ~cuckool mix 2007~ (メグメル～cuckool mix 2007～)" Anime: Clannad Now this is a show known as "the sad one that will reduce you to a bawling baby on the floor" and I have not seen it yet. Not because I don't want to be sad and cry, which is something I regularly do anyways, but I am saving it for when I do want to feel those emotions.   [embed]35521:6042:0[/embed] "Allegro Cantabile Sound" Anime: Nodame Cantabile A great Josei (shoujo's big sister) comedy drama about a guy who wants to realize his dream in music and meets an odd woman who happens to be a brilliant pianist. A fun and funny show with good drama which also has a fantastic live action adaptation.   [embed]35521:6043:0[/embed] "Prism" Anime: Dennou Coil I describe this show as Ghibli meets Ghost in the Shell with a splash of Satoshi Kon's surrealness. It focuses on a group of kids who live in a world where digital technology in the form of digital augmented reality being part of daily life. It's so integrated that things like urban legends that kids come up with are part of the new reality where technology is basically like magic. This show is now available in the US on home video and I recommend it to anyone who loves Sci-Fi and the Miyazaki Ghibli films. A very forward thinking anime that is much more impressive now that we are seeing the precursors to the technology seen in the show.   [embed]35521:6044:0[/embed] "Hito toshite Jiku ga Bureteiru" Anime: Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei A very odd show about a pessimistic teacher who is prone to despair with everything that is troubling and he meets the most optimistic highschool student. A ridiculous show that features a lot of satire on a lot of things which focus mainly on Japanese culture but is still interesting with all the crazy imagery and presentation by renowned studio SHAFT.   [embed]35521:6046:0[/embed] "Motteke! Sailor Fuku" Anime: Lucky Star A show that I initially dismissed because of mainly on the rather slow pace of the first episode but later loved years later. A fun slice-of-life that's one of those "moe" or "Cute girls doing cute things" show that gets really funny as the show goes one. I would recommend this for those looking for something light and chill.   [embed]35521:6045:0[/embed] "Sorairo Days" Anime: Gurren Lagann The show that is still popular and everyone's blood pumping, Gurren Lagann is a classic that still gets cosplays at conventions which is a testament to its timelessness. If you haven't seen this one, go see it. If you've loved Kill La Kill, you will love this show because it is basically the predecessor of Kill La Kill.   Is there a show from 2007 that you still love? SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! I wanna know!

Jan 29 // Soul Tsukino
Episode 14 So here we are after the big reveal that Yellow Devil was not who everyone hoped he was. You would think this episode would be a big step into where things go next and in a way it is, just not in the direction I was expecting. On the GWM side of things, Takuma confronts Billy the Kidman on the plane about Yellow Devil. Billy is in rough shape in a hard neck collar, but Takuma roughs him up anyway. Turns out the Yellow Mask from 3 years before is a mystery and no one knows who he is or where he is now. Kevin has to pull Takuma off of Kidman. Later when Takuma and Kevin are going back to the Tiger's Den, Takuma explains the whole thing to Kevin. Once in the bottom of the mountain, Odin is overjoyed that the "great hope of the Tiger's Den" has failed and will be the tackling dummy for rookies now. Takuma decides to enter "Hell in the Hole" instead of rotting away down here. Kevin also signs up, and Odin finally does as well. Meanwhile, Miss X is having problems of her own. It seems that the GWM can't draw flies in their new arena and they are losing money FAST. In a conference with Mr. X. he tells her that she was only allowed to live after Tiger Mask won the tournament, but that it was time to exploit him to fill the arena. Later Miss X tells Tiger that he has to appear on the GWM cards or else he will have to pay a huge penalty. Sucks to be you, dude. Now, if this was all to the episode it would actually be interesting. Instead, that is only the first ten minutes. THE REST of the episode of is Naoto running around to go on a totally-not-a-date date with Ruriko, Daisuke's nurse at the hospital who wants to go see the matches at the Sumo Hall. So a majority of the episode is Naoto running around trying to avoid Haruna and wrestle (against Bad Luck Fale of all people) as well as be with Ruriko. This has 80s sitcom humor all over it and is just a waste of time. Why can't Naoto tell Haruna or even Takaoka that he is doing this is beyond me? Anyway, this all leads to Ruriko saying at the end of the night that she is leaving her job at the hospital, since it was a job her Father got her, and becoming a ringside nurse for the GWM at the Max Dome. So they spent almost an entire episode of bad romantic comedy just to set up that Ruriko and Naoto will be at the Max Dome together, but that Ruriko doesn't know that Naoto is Tiger Mask. Ummm okay. This episode did provide some good story points coming off the last episode. You at least know what both sides are up to, but the romantic stuff between Naoto and Ruriko really doesn't do anything for me. I'm hoping this isn't the main storyline for the rest of the season, but it looks like it will be a major one. Episode 15 Oh boy. This episode. This will stretch your suspension of Disbelief like a high tension rubber band. So the GWM has Tiger Mask bound to appear at the Max Dome, and it works to increase profits as having him on the bill sells out the arena in advance. Miss X holds a press conference to announce Tiger Mask's opponent and it is Bigfoot. Yeah. I think the animators got a little too fanciful with this one. He appears to be over 9 feet tall and demonstrates how awesome he is by cutting down a tree with only his grip. I'm sorry but this is stupid. Yeah, it's a cartoon I know, but up until now it has kept things largely very realistic (mostly) and didn't stretch things beyond the realm of the plausible. This crap pretty much kills it. They try to justify it by having a flashback later from the Original tiger Mask show by talking about Gorilla Man, but that doesn't really help. However, another announcement is made that plays into one of the other subplots. Remember the Divas match from the Masked World Tournament? Well, it seems those two women, Queen and Payne are now teaming up! They will compete for the first ever GWM Diva tag team title. Their opponents are The Candy Pair: Mint and Milk.   The differences are noticeable. What is also interesting here is that they actually say "divas" here instead of Joshi. After the conference is over, our favorite reporter asked Miss X about Tiger the dark and Miss X says he joined the "farm team" and goes on a spiel about how sometimes you lose everything after only one loss and how it makes you better building yourself back up. Back at the garage, Haruna is in awe of the women and tries to train by lifting weights. Of course, she puts to much weight on the bar and can't lift it.   At the arena, the show begins with Fukuwara Mask against Tiger the Dark's other running buddy Mike Rodriguez. Backstage Tiger Mask goes to check on Ruriko in the medical office, under the guess of wanting a roll of medical tape. She secretly tells Tiger she is rooting for him. I should also mention Mike hit on her right out of the medical office earlier, so she must be loving her new job. Haruna goes out and happens to come across the dressing room for the Candy Pair. She is amazed that they are fighting Americans on the GWM stage and they are only 20 years old. She might be impressed, but most Japanese women get into wrestling much younger than that so it's not THAT big of a deal.   Things don't go well for the Candy Pair. They pretty much get massacred. Haruna goes by their dressing room and they are crying. Ruriko and the doctor come by and eventually are let in. Makes you just want to dive in there and fight doesn't it Haruna? Tiger's match goes as you'd expect. You can only win by a knock out 10 count or "forfeit". I think they mean submission here as I've never heard of a match where you expressly have to win by not having the other guy show up. He does the smart thing by going for speed and technique against the big guy. But it turns out that Bigfoot has better stamina and can mat wrestle way more than anyone thought. Tiger overcomes the odds and Bigfoot well... you can make your own "A giant wrestler walks into a bar" joke here. This episode kept the subplots going that's for sure. I'm really not a fan of them stretching reality here with Bigfoot, but that's just me. The Haruna wanting to be a wrestler storyline has me wondering how it will pay off. At first, it just seems like a silly thing so we can get bits of Haruna trying to train and failing, but seeing the Candy Pair crushed like that makes me wonder if things are going to get more serious with that. The Ruriko storyline was there as well, but not nearly as dominant as last week's show. So if anything this episode had me wondering more than anything.  Episode 16 What the hell is this? Did I accidently get an episode of Ranma 1/2 or something? This episode may be funny but it is completely useless! The plot of this episode is that the New Japan guys are holding a show in some village in the middle of nowhere to a bunch of old people. Along for the ride is this woman who is a big shot Mexican promoter. She is trying to get Nagata to let her have Tiger Mask to go to Mexico. Evidently, GWM bought up all the big Mexican stars and Lucha Libre is suffering for it. Nagata explains that Tiger is freelance and that he has a manager. She literally kicks him in the junk for that. So promoter woman calls Haruna and works out a deal where he would go to Mexico for a one time match for 5,000. You can already guess where this is going since she doesn't exactly say 5,000 of what she is offering. Haruna thinks it's dollars and thinks they are getting $50,000 for one match. Haruna hops in her car and bolts right to the village only to find out it was 5,000 pesos or only 278 bucks. They then hatch out a wager that if Tiger loses the match tonight against the promoter's son, The Saboten, Tiger will have to do it but if Tiger wins, they get a vacation in Acapulco. While the other wrestlers are directed to the villages secret hot spring, Tiger and Haruna go explore the villages old school. Lucha manager directs her son to go follow Tiger and hurt him before the fight, but he is so stupid he hurts himself more than anything including falling out of a second-story window. Meanwhile, at the spring, We have peepers! It's the village's old ladies taking pictures! Nagata and the boys are about to have them arrested when the mayor of the village says they are taking pictures of the guys so that the ladies send them to women in other villages in the area so that they bring their husbands to the show. With that, every is willing to pose for pics. And if the idea of a septuagenarian taking a cell phone pic of Bad Luck Fale in nothing but a towel makes you vomit in your mouth a bit, you aren't alone. As if I'm expecting anything other than lunacy at this point, Tiger and Saboten have their match. It's as insane as you should expect at this point as Tiger is attacked before the bell but quickly regains control. Mexican promoter lady then attacks Tiger and gives her son a cactus (WTF?!?) to use. He sticks his own mother in the ass with it and she flips out and chases him out the door. Saboten is counted out and Tiger wins as all the old people throw money and seating pads in the ring like a sumo match. Even Tiger Mask himself wonders why we have this episode. Yeah, this episode is complete filler and has absolutely no effect on the story at all. That being said it was funny in a slapstick kind of way. This feels like a typical anime troupe type of episode for yuks than anything else. Completely passable. Well, this batch of episodes was completely all over the place. They may be setting up things for down the road but that hot spring episode really makes me think they are killing time and stumped on ideas. If this kind of inconsistency keeps going, it's going to be a long road for the rest of the 39 episodes. Bonus Match! We go to the real life Tokyo Dome for this match from WrestleKingdom 11 on January 4, 2017. Since this match won't be shown on AXS TV, We are covering it here instead. This match kicked off the big show and we have ROH's Kevin Kelly and Steve Corino calling the action for us. TV Animation Special Match: Tiger Mask W vs. Tiger the Dark Tiger the Dark makes his way out first. We get a Crunchyroll plug from Kevin Kelly as he tries to explain how good the show is, even explaining Tiger the Dark's backstory accurately. The man under the mask is no big secret here as it is former Ring of Honor star ACH, who not only is a huge anime fan but also used to dress like Goku and Luffy for some of his matches. While to us fans this might not look like the best spot in the world, he is kicking off the biggest show of the year and gets to cosplay from a show he probably watches. So he is probably in hog heaven right now. Tiger Mask W comes to the ring first and he is accompanied by Suzuko Mimori, the voice of Haruna on the show. She is cosplaying Haruna here. Steve Corino talks about him and his 3-year-old son watching this show. Steve also puts in that the two men under the Masks will give it their all, even if the moves aren't the same from the show. I've heard that Kota complained about the Mask he wore when he wrestled as Tiger Mask last time and it does appear the mask has been redone slightly. The Bell rings and we are off! Tiger with a headlock and he gets shot off into the ropes and gets a shoulderblock. He hits the ropes again, Dark with a leapfrog and gets in and armdrag to take Tiger down. Tiger gets in an armdrag of his own and then both guys go for dropkicks at the same time. They both kip up and we have a staredown to the applause of the Tokyo fans. As they circle around Kevin explains how Haruna calls herself Tiger's manager and that Steve Corino should check out Miss X on the show. "Why is that? I'm a married man?". Dark gets Tiger in the corner and hits a strike before trying to whip Tiger. Tiger tries the reverse but Dark comes out with a backflip into a dropkick. Tiger slides outside to ringside and Dark crisscrosses the ring before launching himself into a backflip and clears the top rope before crashing down on Tiger! Dark throws Tiger back in the ring and tries for a cover but only gets two. Kevin makes a quick plug for Tiger Mask W's second season as Dark picks Tiger up and hits a chop. Corino mentions that both these guys are trained professionals ("Maybe even well known, we don't know.") and still want to win. Dark lands a spinning forearm and goes for a clothesline, but tiger ducks and lands another sweet dropkick. Dark goes stumbling out of the ring. Not a good place to be in this match!  Tiger points to the heavens before launching off a moonsault from the middle turnbuckle to Dark on the floor! Big applause for that! Tiger rolls dark back in the ring at the count of 14 and goes right for the pin. He gets 2. As they stand up Tiger launches into a lightning quick palm thrust and kick combination that literally wows the crowd. With Dark seated Tiger goes for a swinging kick and a standing moonsault, but Dark gets the knees up. Dark tries to get Tiger in the Dark driver but Tiger resists. He instead locks tiger into the Dark lock instead. Both Kevin and Steve mention both moves as favorites of Tiger the Dark in the show. Tiger tries to power out of it, but Dark gives a shot to the ribs before releasing the hold. Dark runs in and Tiger counters quickly by scooping Dark up for the tombstone, but Dark reverses it and nails the dark driver! He goes for the pin but only gets 2. Tiger is the dark is SHOCKED! As Kevin Kelly goes over all the cameos you will see in the series, Dark is left scrambling before he snatches Tiger up for a double underhook suplex but Tiger counters out and gets Dark into a waistlock. Dark wiggles out and goes for a clothesline but Tiger ducks it and locks in a full nelson before switching into a waistlock again and nails the German suplex! Dark gets up and Tiger grabs him in a double chicken with for the tiger Suplex! pin attempt only gets two. Tiger picks him up again in the double underhook and lifts him up. He then picks Dark up real high and hits the Tiger bomb and gets the 3 count! Tiger Mask W wins! "So the light shines bright here in Tokyo dome."- Kevin Kelly. These guys were in a bit of a tough spot here. They were the opener for this huge show and essentially went out there to promote a cartoon more than anything. they didn't get a huge amount of time, but in the end, both guys made the most of it. NJPW really put an effort into this as not only did the wrestlers themselves know how to go with the moves from the show, but the broadcasters genuinely sounded like they knew what they were talking about. I think it was a great job on all parts, and better than anything the WWE would have done in a similar situation. This was no comedy match or crapfest with fans booing it to death. This was fun and entertaining while still doing its job. Good match from everyone.

Jan 23 // Lindo Korchi
After some time, I saw an onigiri in Kyoto. But this was no ordinary onigiri from the convenient store. Instead, it was a handmade onigiri that was prepared on the same day. Time itself had paused and there was only one thing to do: purchase the handmade onigiri, as well as the convenient store onigiri, and have them battle it out to determine which is the supreme onigiri. The battle would be done by a taste test. [embed]35504:6030:0[/embed] Handmade onigiri: It was huge. It seemed like 1 1/2 convenient store onigiri's put together. I was quite glad about that, until I took my first bite -- it was only rice. The ratio between rice and salmon was disproportional. Now, the salmon was great and tasted super fresh, but the amount was so miniscule. The seaweed was moist, which I didn't enjoy. A moist seaweed is chewy and tough to eat. The reason it's moist is because the onigiri is warm rather than cold or cooled down. It's a battle and I don't like to battle with my food. (Konbu onigiri) Convenient store onigiri: It was small and had a cool temperature. Opening it felt like a work of art, as you need to pull the wrapped down, then up, which tears the plastic in half. Then you pull right and left to free the onigiri of plastic. After, the corners of the seaweed sheet blossom a bit, in which you need to lay it across the onigiri in order for it to stick. Finally, the rice ball nearly becomes covered with seaweed. The first bite is full of crunch (since the seaweed isn't moist) and cooled down rice, along with a taste of salmon. Now the ratio between rice and salmon is also disproportional, in my opinion, but not nearly as much as the home-made onigiri. It's as if the homemade onigiri contained the same amount of salmon, but had an increase of rice. Japan Full Course Menu: Before tasting them both, I secretly rooted for the homemade onigiri, as I love homemade food. I also cook, thus I appreciate it as well. But with such a noticeably unbalanced rice-salmon ratio along with moist seaweed, I couldn't add it to the menu. The convenient store onigiri has made it instead. It taste delicious, fresh, crunchy, and cool. It's awesome. But I do hope to find a home-made onigiri that is supreme. (Yes, it's true: I purchased this manga simply because of the onigiri.) I asked a Japanese friend and tourist about their opinion. The Japanese person said they prefer the homemade onigiri, but it's a little more expensive and not as convenient to get as the one in the store. The tourist said he likes the home-made onigiri for its moist seaweed and warm rice, rather than the cool and crunchy one at convenient stores. That, I found interesting. What about you?

Jan 22 // Red Veron
[embed]35505:6031:0[/embed] "What I've Done" For what I've doneI start againAnd whatever pain may comeToday this endsI'm forgiving what I've done   [embed]35505:6032:0[/embed] "Numb" I've become so numb, I can't feel you thereI'm tired of being what you want me to beI've become so numb, I can't feel you thereI'm tired of being what you want me to be   [embed]35505:6033:0[/embed] "Faint" You hear me out nowYou're gonna listen to me like it or notRight now, hear me out nowYou're gonna listen to me like it or notRight now   [embed]35505:6034:0[/embed] "In the end" I had to fallTo lose it allBut in the endIt doesn't even matter   [embed]35505:6035:0[/embed] "Breaking the habit" I don't know how I got this wayI'll never be alrightSo I'm breaking the habitI'm breaking the habit tonight   What's your favorite AMV? SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! I wanna know!

Jan 22 // Nick Valdez
Inzer's Diary of a Tokyo Teen: A Japanese-American Girl Travels to the Land of Trendy Fashion, High-Tech Toilets and Maid Cafes has quite a bit packed into its humble package. That humbleness oozes through each page as you learn more about the author little by little. It's non-abrasive approach also eases the reader into the text. Coming especially handy when Inzer's text eventually drops bits of info about Japan's culture and customs. Thanks to her writing style and art, much of the general Japan-related facts aren't as plain as you would see them in a conventional travel guide and thus more memorable. Because each factoid is tied to one of Inzer's memories (thus filling the "Diary" part of title), it makes each fact a little more tangible. For example, one of my favorite parts of the book is when Inzer discusses Tokyo fashions. She fawns over how well the teens are dressed while highlighting how awkward she felt around them. This bit of self-depreciating humor is utterly charming as it's still oddly positive and heart warming. There's so much emotion packed into these vignettes I was taken aback by how much I had learned about the author's journey throughout.  You can't discuss the bulk of the text without gushing over Inzer's art. Her comics are like the gravy on the already meaty content. It's the extra flare of personality helping hammer her personal story home. Adorable imagery coupled with her adorable perspective just gave me a warm feeling in general. I wish I had other adjectives to use, but I really can't think of a better word to describe the art than "adorable." With each of her self-portraits containing a level of awkwardness, you can almost imagine how small she felt at times in an admittedly big place. This comes through especially during a vignette in which she traveled alone for the first time and was met with confusion. Sure it's not the deepest or the most emotional at times, but it's greatly appreciated these sorts of stories are included in the first place.  I guess my only issue with Diary of a Tokyo Teen overall is that there isn't enough of it. Regardless of how long you spend reading the text and admiring Inzer's comic art, it's still a brief experience. But in that loss, Diary gains an even greater amount of accessibility than even its art and content provide. Diary of a Tokyo Teen is for everyone. If you're slightly interested in Japan and its culture, there are no better eyes to see it through than Christine Mari Inzer's. 

Jan 21 // Christian Chiok
One Piece Film Gold Studio: Toei Animation Licensed by: FUNimation Release Date: July 23rd, 2016 (Japan), January 10, 2017 (North America) Naturally, like most Anime movies based on a long running series, like Naruto and Dragon Ball (for the exception of the latest ones), they are non-canon. It’s been a while since we have seen all nine members present in a story that's implied to take place after the Dressrosa arc since Gold mentions the Straw Hats defeating Doflamingo for him, not to mention, if you keep up with the manga, the crew is once again separated, so it makes it difficult to fit it in a canon setting. The movie starts with the introduction of the movie’s antagonist — Gild Tesoro, the owner of the massive ship with a large entertainment city built on it, and known for having 20% of the world's money in it. This place is known as Gran Tesoro — the setting of the entire movie. Just from this opening sequences, you can witness the quality of the animation, these being Gild Tesoro and his partner Carina dancing and singing while the Straw Hats are fighting off a pirate crew of disposable while introducing each of the crew members, their personalities, unique abilities, and bounties. [embed]35497:6027:0[/embed] Personally, while the Vegas-like setting certainly made the movie quite interesting, story-wise, this was probably the weakest out of the three. I really enjoyed the back story between Nami and Carina — back when they were working together as thieves. As for the rest of the Straw Hats, they didn’t get much development, but they were still the great characters we’ve grown to care and love. While not really a bad antagonist, Gild Tesoro wasn’t too interesting in my opinion albeit he isn’t too generic either. During the movie, it is shown that he went through a rough childhood of poverty. The premise of the movie is that Gild Tesoro tricks people into getting into debt, and because they victims can’t afford to pay back their debt, they become his slaves for an eternity. With the help of his underling, Baccarat, who can steal the luck of anyone by simply touching them, making them extremely unlucky, she was able to trick the Straw Hats into a debt – initiating the main conflict of the movie.   The comedy in the movie was just as you would expect from One Piece — Luffy being the goofy captain and messing up things, Sanji always falling beautiful women, even if they are in the opposing side and thus falling for their trap, Usopp and Chopper alongside Luffy and their shenanigans and much more that had the entire theater laughing throughout the movie. Being disconnected from One Piece’s English Dub for over ten years, since I watched most of the movies with the original Japanese voices and most recent One Piece games only offer Japanese voices, being presented with the English dub once again was refreshing. The cast outdid themselves and hearing the talented Vic Mignogna portray Luffy's older brother Sabo was great. Keith Silverstein’s portrayal of Gild Tesoro was great as well — being able to sound as smooth and confident as the character is supposed to be. Overall, I am glad that I got to experience One Piece Film Gold in theaters. While the movie is certainly the weakest out of the latest three, Film Gold delivered with its great fight scenes, animation, soundtrack, and character interaction. While it’s not something that might captivate newcomers of the series, it’s certainly a ride that all One Piece fans will enjoy. 

Jan 15 // Soul Tsukino
[embed]35489:6017:0[/embed] The Tokyo Dome is ready for some action and the setup is amazing! We get a much different opening with an announcer telling us what to expect tonight and a different opening sequence telling us that this is WrestleKingdom 11. So if I were to guess, this is an American exclusive, instead of a re-edit of the Japanese clip show this is based from. Sweet IWGP Title: "Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada vs. "The Cleaner" Kenny Omega The set up here really starts one year ago. After losing the Jr. heavyweight title at WK10, Kenny turned on A.J. Styles and took over the Bullet Club, declaring he was moving up to heavyweight. He had runs with the IC Title and the NEVER 6 man belts but his eyes were on the prize. He declared he was going to win the G1 tournament MONTHS in advance and win the belt at Tokyo Dome, since, as he said, New Japan was protecting their guys and that would be the only way to have a chance to fight for the belt. Lo, and behold he wins the damn thing earning the shot. Right before this show Omega and the Club got to Okada by driving him through a table with the One-winged-angel to bang up the champ a bit but really just pissed him off. We start right off with Kenny coming to the ring with his Terminator entrance. A video plays of him reenacting the "clothes" scene from Terminator1, only with him speaking Japanese. No trash cans or brooms, he comes out in a leather jacket, half mask, and a prop shotgun. Won't see that in WWE. Okada comes out with belt and Gedo. Okadabucks galore! JR mentions Omega was the first foreigner to win the G1 Climax tournament and first Canadian to headline in the Tokyo Dome. Back from commercial as Omega crumples a fake Okadabuck. Bell rings and there is a stare down before they tepidly circle. Lock up and Okada gets the headlock and Omega turns it into a waistlock that is turned into a series of armlocks. Okada goes for the leg for an anklelock. He slides up into a headlock. Omega goes for the pin but it doesn't even get one. They get up and Omega gets in an elbow to break the hold. Kenny gets in some forearms and kicks but as he gets to their feet Okada counters. Kenny then turns around and gets the headlock back on and really grinds it in. Okada counters into the back suplex but Kenny holds on to the headlock. They get back up and Okada starts elbowing out of the headlock. Okada whips Kenny into the corner and goes for the elbow but Kenny counters and gets a sunset flip into a pin attempt that Okada breaks out of. Kenny goes for another pin but Okada gets out. They get back up and go for a lock up where Okada pushes him back to the ropes and gives a nice little pat to Kenny for the clean break. They whip and reverse back at forth before Okada gets Kenny on the top rope and goes for the dropkick but Kenny kicks him. Okada goes in but Kenny slides over him and tries for the one-winged- angel but Okada slips out. Okada goes for the Rainmaker but Kenny counters and then spits in Okada's face. He poses for a bit before rolling outside the ring. He walks around and kills time. he teases coming into the ring but Okada keeps going forward and the ref stops hm. Finally, Okada's had enough and goes out after him. He chases Kenny right back in the ring and Kenny goes for the ropes but that only serves him to run right into Okada's boot. That's what you get for stalling jerk. Okada sets him up and lands the short dropkick right to Kenny's face! Kenny rolls to the floor in a splat. Okada sends Kenny right into the barricade right in front of Steve Corino and Kevin Kelly. Okada goes for the boot but Kenny catches it. Kenny goes for the suplex but Okada counters it and drapes on the barrier and hits the DDT. Okada grabs a table for revenge from last month but Omega gets a cheap shot to end that. Okada pushes Omega over the barrier again and comes FLYING over the barrier with a body splash to the ground. They get back inside with Okada on the advantage with a slam and a reverse chinlock.  Omega elbows out and tries the offense but Okada gets a neckbreaker into a pin attempt for two. Kenny gets up only to get whipped in, but Kenny ducks the big boot and gets in a low dropkick on Okada's leg. He rakes Okada's eyes with the boots and gets in knife-edge chop on Okada. JR mentions that Japan is the only place someone can fire off a knife-edge and the crowd doesn't go "Woo!". Kenny fires off a forearm into the back that sends Okada down. Omega tries a few elbows but they all miss. Kenny hits another strike to send Okada back down. Kenny goes for the pin and Okada kicks out. Okada gets whipped in but counters with strikes, only to get kneed in the gut. Okada gets a shoot in on the pick up, but Kenny comes off the ropes with a rana to send Okada outside. Kenny gets his Terminator on and does an AMAZING swan dive over the top rope! Flying Canuck! Back from commercial with Kenny driving Okada's back against the apron. He chucks Okada back into the ring and climbs up and hits a flying dropkick to the back of Okada's head! Kenny goes for the pin but Okada gets to the ropes. How is he conscious? Whiplash that bad should have put him in a wheelchair. Kenny locks in an Arabian clutch but Okada gets to the ropes again. Kenny goes to finish it off with a powerbomb position but Okada's blocking. Kenny hits a forearm and an elbow to the back of the head again. Okada counters as he scoops Kenny up and hits a fireman's carry drop. Both guys are hurt but getting up as Okada gets in some solid and quick elbow strikes and finally a double stomp and a DDT. Okada tries the pin but only gets two. Kenny counters the pick up with some elbows but when Kenny goes to the ropes Okada counters into a flapjack. Okada locks in his deep in debt submission hold and Kenny looks about to pass out but he gets to the ropes. Okada gets up and drags Omega over. He goes for the elbow but Kenny kips up and Okada goes right over him. They tussle in the corner but Okada picks up Kenny into the Alabama slam position and drops Omega into the neckbreaker. Okada goes up and nails the elbow to the stomach but Kenny gets outside. As Okada goes for the change, Kenny ducks and Okada goes over the barrier. The Bucks start yelling at the broadcasters to move their tables back as Okada can barely get up and Omega flies with a HIGH altitude flying moonsault over the ropes and over the barrier to nail Okada! Serious air! Just as Okada gets back at ringside Kenny nails him, drops a table on him, and hits a double stomp from the apron! Kenny tosses Okada back in the ring. He picks Okada up and hits a powerbomb but Okada kicks out! Kenny picks him up and hits a doctor bomb! Okada kicks out again! The Bucks have set a table up at ringside. That can't be good. Kenny goes to the apron and drags Okada on out. The ref pulls Kenny back and Okada rolls back in the ring to save himself. Kenny just starts drilling elbows and strikes into Okada's back. Okada whipped into the buckle. Kenny goes for the shot but runs right into a boot, and then a double boot. Kenny counters and picks Okada up for a Finlay roll into a moonsault. Kenny goes for a full nelson but Okada strikes out. Kenny goes for the charge but Okada reverses to set Omega on the top buckle and hits his high dropkick to send Kenny over the ropes to the floor. Okada goes to pick Kenny up on the apron and they fight over the ringside table on the apron. Kenny goes for the One-winged-angel through the table but Okada slides back into the ring. They exchange shots and Okada is knocked into the ropes. Kenny charges but Okada tosses him over the top rope and through the table! We come back from commercial as the Bucks and the ringside doctors are looking over Kenny. Okada says the hell with it and throws Omega back in. Okada scales the ropes and nails an amazing dropkick with Kenny in his knees. Okada goes for the pin but only gets two. He scales the ropes again and nails the elbow drop! He calls for the rainmaker but he can't Omega to stand. Okada nearly gets it but Kenny gets into the ropes. Okada lands a kick to the back. Okada goes for a DDT but Kenny pushes forward into a tackle in the buckle. Okada answers with an elbow but Omega counters with a heel strike. He sits Okada on the top and goes up but Okada elbows him off. Kenny goes back up again with a full nelson and hits the dragon suplex with Okada landing right on his head! Kenny goes for the pin but Okada kicks out! Kenny scoops him up and drives Okada down neck first on his knee! Kenny goes for a running knee but misses and Okada gets the German suplex! Okada goes for the rainmaker but Kenny ducks and lands the knee. He then hits the step up knee! He goes for a third but Okada hits the dropkick! Okada goes for the rainmaker but Kenny counters, he tries the high knee but Okada counters. Kenny then nails the reverse rana! Kenny goes for the angel but Okada counters out! Okada blocks the strike and when Kenny goes for a rana Okada gets him into the tombstone and drops him on his head! He hits the rainmaker but Omega kicks out! DAMN!  Okada goes to pick Kenny up but Omega keeps elbowing Okada in the gut. Okada backs up and hits a low dropkick that makes Kenny shoot back like a chicken from an air cannon. Okada picks Kenny up for another tombstone but Kenny counters into a package piledriver! Okada somehow kicks out! JR announces at this point this is the longest match in the Tokyo Dome's history as we are over 40 something minutes in. They stagger back up and exchange forearms back and forth faster and faster before Omega gets the quick dragon suplex and a knee but when he goes for the pin Okada kicks out! Kenny hits another knee! He goes for the angel but Okada blocks it and turns it around into the rainmaker! Okada can't make the cover! He gets up and goes for it again but Omega nails him in the face with knees and boots but Okada nails the rainmaker anyway.  Okada goes for another rainmaker but Kenny counters and tries one for his own but Okada slips under into the ropes but is met with a dropkick. Kenny nails a knee strike! He goes for the angel but Okada slips out into a tombstone! He hits the 4rth rainmaker! Okada goes for the pin and gets the three count! He defended the title! Holy crap! Spoiler warnings for the 2017 awards, this is match of the year. As Kenny is carried away by the Bucks, Okada gets on the mic. He actually praises Kenny as the strongest foreigner he ever faced. He mentions that there is a lot of new faces for this year's event and thanks the fans for coming out to see the show. It is a heavy burden to carry NJPW on his shoulders but he is doing it. As long as he is carrying NJPW, he will make it rain. As the show ends, they run a memorial graphic to AXS TV executive Darrell Ewalt, who amongst many other jobs, was the executive producer of NJPW on AXS TV. Without him, this kind of action wouldn't have happened on American airwaves. So cheers to you Mr. Ewalt and thank you.   THIS match is one of, if not the best match I've seen on this show EVER. There is a reason both hardcore and casual wrestling fans are talking about this match. It went damn close to an hour and stands over anything in a country known for its amazing wrestling. If you are reading this, FIND THIS MATCH!!! While I'd prefer the Kelly/Corino commentary version, this one was just fine. JR didn't really have time for his usual follies and was right into it as we were. It was the perfect match, and this presentation didn't hold it back. Be sure to check out next week as we take a look at some more of this amazing show! See ya!  

Jan 15 // Red Veron
[embed]35492:6021:0[/embed] "Kagerou (カゲロウ)" by ЯeaL Anime: Gintama. (2017) A new season this soon? Fans of the crazy comedy (sometimes great action) show Gintama will be happy to know that the new season is finally here and last year marked 10 years since the anime's debut in 2006. How did it keep getting adapted for the last decade? Well, because it is good.Mostly a gag show and get really good with its "serious" story mini arcs that pack the same amount great action and story in 4-6 episodes that shounen action shows stretch out to dozens of episodes over years. If you must start watching the show from the beginning, skip the first two filler episodes which are just horrible.   [embed]35492:6022:0[/embed] "TOMORROW" by Machico  Anime: KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! 2 One of the best comedies from last year gets a new season! If you haven't seen this one, it's about Kazuma, a highschool kid who happens to get killed on the way home from buying a video game. He wakes up in the afterlife and given a chance to be resurrected in a medieval fantasy world. Kazuma takes the offer hoping for fame and fortune and finds out soon that things aren't exactly what he expected because he is an idiot.   [embed]35492:6023:0[/embed] "Kimi no Hana (キミの花)" by Hanako Oku Anime: Seiren From the same people behind the Amagami SS romance shows based off dating sims, this shows takes the same style with giving each heroine her own time to shine with mini arcs. A cheesy as hell romance show but it sets up a satisfying end for each arc that doesn't leave you hanging in the end. Great for those wanting some romance and/or waifus.   [embed]35492:6024:0[/embed] "Wagamama MIRROR HEART (ワガママMIRROR HEART)" by Ayaka Ohashi Anime: Masamune-kun's Revenge Teen who got rejected by a girl when he was a fat kid tries to get his revenge now that he is hot. How is he going to get his revenge? By trying to make her fall for her and he will dump her. Not really as mean as it sounds since it's a comedy.   [embed]35492:6025:0[/embed] "Shiny Ray" by YURiKA Anime: Little Witch Academia (TV) A TV series adaptation of the OVA releases of the same name by the anime studio TRIGGER, the same folks behind Kill La Kill (who also worked on the popular anime Gurren Lagann). Wonderfully animated as expected, this show set in a magic school is just so good. Check it out for yourself! The OVAs are available on YouTube for free!   [embed]35492:6026:0[/embed] "Itteki no Eikyou (一滴の影響)" by UVERworld Anime: Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga - Season 2 The second season of this show is finally here after almost 5 years since the first season aired, this show was quite popular. It's about Rin Okumura, a teen who finds out that he is the son of Satan and that he possesses the blue flame which can only be used by Satan. Of course, Rin rebels against his father having lived in the human world and trains to be an exorcist, those who fight against the forces of Satan's ream.   Is there an anime from this new season that you love? SHARE IN THE COMMENTS BELOW! I wanna know!

Jan 15 // Josh Tolentino
To get to the core of that assessment, we’ll have to drill down into why Type-MOON, and more specifically Fate and other associated works by lead writer Kinoko Nasu work as well as they do. At a distance, the so-called “Nasuverse” isn’t all that different from the many game- or light-novel worlds that have popped up over the years. Type-MOON’s various efforts may chronologically predate the light novel boom by a bit, but in many ways they’re the paragon of chuunibyou success, with their intricately constructed settings – always dense with obscure Kanji and idiosyncratic readings -  forming the foundation for a number of engaging, rich stories. In Nasu-verse stories, it’s comparatively easy to see the thematic bones at the core of each story. High-level concepts like Nasu’s notions of eternal, metaphysical conflict between humanity and the world itself lurk in the background of Fate and Tsukihime, there to be discovered by fans who read between the lines or fall deep enough down the wiki hole. In short, the absurd quantities of lore, trivia points, and little rules feel like they exist for a reason, rather than for their own sake, something that's not always as clear when viewing shows like  While flashes of that brilliance can be found in Fate/Grand Order: First Order, the special can’t help but feel far less necessary to the greater Fate canon than even the dopiest Carnival Phantasm skit. Its biggest problem is that it does very little to make the world of Fate/Grand Order – the game – feel like it’s a place worth visiting. That is a huge issue for a show ostensibly made to promote the game. Problems arise at the very beginning. The episode opens with our hero, Ritsuka Fujimura, lying on the floor for no clear reason. Was he sleeping there? Was he kidnapped and dropped in the corridor? Why is he on the floor? We’ll never know, because the story doesn’t bother to go into that detail, or perhaps because they wanted to copy Saber and Shirou's first meeting, but couldn't find a good enough reason for, well, anything to happen in  away that made sense. This isn’t just nitpicking, mind you. It shows how little care First Order has for anything beyond being something tied to the game. If it did genuinely feel the story was worth paying attention to, It’d try to make that connection, taking the game’s vagueness as a sign to fill that gap, or to deviate from the source. The hero then meets up with Mash Kyrielight and the game’s mascot, a Carbuncle knock-off named Fou. Mash is one of the few Fate heroines with about as little personality as your average male light/visual novel lead. She’s as much a cipher as the hero is, and beyond a vaguely deferential personality (like Sakura without the tragic edge), she’s a nonentity. The hero is soon enlightened as a member of Chaldeas, an organization dedicated to preserving humanity’s future. There’s one problem, though: The future seems to have disappeared. Their fancy simulation/time machine can’t see past a dark spot situated in the year 2004, right around the time of the Holy Grail War in Fuyuki City that backgrounds the events of Fate/stay night. A bunch of mooks with “Master Potential” - Ritsuka among them - are to accompany Olga Animusphere, Chaldea's Rin Tohsaka-esque administrator,   on a trip into the past to see what gives.  Ritsuka - again for no apparent reason - falls asleep during this briefing, and is subsequently ejected from the meeting by Olga. But rather than take this as a prompt to have something interesting happen, the show takes this as a signal to kick off another long briefing, this time at the behest of the company doctor. The drama that follows to set up the main thrust of First Order arrives with all the impact of a raindrop. A series of unfortunate events later, Mash gains a bit of prominence. She gets outed as "Shielder" the Grand Order equivalent of a Starter Pokemon. But rather than being a Fire-, Leaf-, or Water-type, she's "Shielder",  Just how much the show and game owe to Fate itself is quickly reaffirmed when its most compelling presence comes in the form of Caster. Or rather, it’s Fate/stay night’s Lancer, reimagined as a Caster-class Servant. He carries the rest of the episode, until the pair, rejoined with Animusphere, go off to defeat a corrupted version of the Saber we all know and love. Followed by a rather obvious heel turn, the hero and Shielder are left with one task: Save the world by hopping across time and space to participate in big ol’ grail wars against heavily anime-fied versions of history’s greatest heroes and villains. Gotta catch ‘em all! And that’s it. Look, it’s one thing for a free-to-play mobile game not to have much of a story. That's usually a given, all things considered, and there’s only so much one can expect from a transparent tie-in designed to spur downloads on the app store. But it’s hard to see the show as anything more than a damp squib. It adds virtually nothing to the larger canon of Fate lore, and doesn’t even make a very good case for the game itself. The story scenes in the game itself are far more compelling, and focus not on the absurd contrivances of Fate but on the franchise’s greatest gimmick, namely its superbly exaggerated takes on well-known figures of myth and history. That's why all the absurd terminology and trite rules work, ultimately, but First Order doesn't capitalize on that strength, thinking the people are watching to see a wiki entry come to life.  Of course, expectations must once again come into play, and it's not as if promotional tie-ins to mobile games are held to an especially high standard, but in the ways that matter most, Fate/Grand Order: First Order is a letdown.

Jan 11 // Nick Valdez
One of the things I noted back when I first covered the series was how impressed I was by its smooth action animation. Luckily that indeed continued as the season rolled on to its end. As the girls' attacks became more ridiculous, so did the animation. Unlike other sports anime, which only bent physics, Keijo!!!!!!!! often incorporates many flashing lights and colors not unlike ones you'd see in traditionally shonen anime. In the last mini-arc, as sort of a graduation exam from their time at the Keijo Academy (which was only a year long, for some reason), the girls found themselves facing off against a rival academy from the East. This meant the series suddenly found itself in even wackier circumstances than before. This mini-arc presented the best episodes in the series as girls suddenly started using spiritual qi attacks, harnessed wind, and, of course, the absolutely nuts "Gate of Bootylon."  But ridiculous as the visuals were, I found myself not caring about any of it. As was indicated in the first episode, these girls have no character beyond what techniques they use. Nozomi had an interesting motive for joining the sport (wanting fame and fortune, which is pretty atypical for the sports genre) but that was dropped after the premiere. Even when the series slowed down for its brief training intermissions, these episodes felt like filler. Just as how it became a shonen series in animation, it took on some of the worst characteristics of shonen storytelling. The filler training episodes were more about developing certain techniques rather than use the development of those techniques for character growth. For example, Nozomi training to use her signature Vacuum Butt Cannon only resulted in her learning the move rather than have the move be a resolution to a personal problem. It wasn't to overcome any weakness, or something a bit more worthwhile character wise, it was just because. While that's characterization in itself, it's still not strong enough to warrant following this character through the series.  But as you've probably guessed, strong character work isn't exactly Keijo's top priority. That's totally fine, but it doesn't save the show from being hollow. At least it does a few different things toward season end that actually might be interesting additions if/when the show continues. Along with the flashier moves and kookier characters, a bit of characterization is introduced in the final mini-arc. The top keijo player in the rival East school is a girl named Maya. We're given a bit of her background in which she's teased for her inhuman strength until her mother introduces her to keijo (by having Maya break a hole in a bed with her butt), but her anxiety over the sport created a second, more antagonistic personality, Kaya (complete with new eyes and hair color). Her inner conflict (solved within two episodes, on par with the series' rapid pace) ends up an outer conflict against Nozomi and it's a bit interesting. Nothing to write home about, but better than the zero character work than I expected. It's just a shame Nozomi doesn't develop herself as a result. All she gets is a 'Super Saiyan' like mode which helps her win the day. I suppose there's an argument for having a blank slate main character as Keijo becomes more of a shonen-action series, but the best shonen anime give their main characters personalities, if small ones. Yu Yu Hakusho's Yusuke was a brash punk, One Piece's Luffy is blindly optimistic and selfish, and even Dragon Ball's Goku more often fights for himself than others. Then again, those series had time to flesh out their characters. Keijo's hugest flaw is how much it wants to cram into its short, 12 episode run. The series just has too many characters doing things at one time to really focus on anyone. Apparently the season took place over the course of a year, and that year was Nozomi's entire time at the Keijo Academy. That's insane. Because at the end of the season the girls start talking about their love for one another, but there's not enough evidence of this before it's all just dumped on the viewer. Much like taking a hip whip to the face, the series blindsides you with how fast it goes.  It's like butt whiplash.  I may not be interested in Keijo!!!!!!!! anymore, but I'm glad it has its fan base. There are already quite a bit of anime productions littered with fan service, so viewers might as well enjoy the competent one. If you're going to look at boobs and butts, then I fully support looking at ones used as tools and weapons.  I mean, when nipples are hardened to the point where they're used as acupuncture to achieve a "Super Saiyan" transformation, I can see the appeal.  [You can stream Keijo!!!!!!!! on Crunchyroll and Funimation Now] 

Jan 09 // Soul Tsukino
Episode 11 If you love training videos then this is the episode for you! This episode takes place just after last week's show has ended. Tiger has a week until his next round match against Tiger the Dark and he needs to come up with a new killer move. Wakamatsu and Tanahashi invite him to train at the NJPW dojo, which Tiger agrees too. This pisses off Takaoka who is so old school he talks about a bodyslam or keylock being a killer move once. Anyway, most of the episode is literally a commercial for New Japan as both Tanahashi and Okada (where has he been this whole time?) take turns beating the crap out of Tiger Mask at the New Japan Dojo. I have to admit the animators must have made a trip to the Tokyo building because they get the inside of the training hall scary accurate! Kudos to them for that. Another interesting point in all this is a random appearance of Tetsuya Naito. He doesn't play a part in the story and is only on for a few minutes, telling Tiger Mask to chill out and Tranquillo and that's it. That was... useless. What the hell was the point of that? Unless Los Ingobernalbes show up to help Tiger Mask beat Tiger the Dark there was no point to this cameo at all. It literally would have made more sense to have Nagata, Fukuwara Mask or hell, even Gorilla Jeet Sign show up here more than that! After his time at the gym, Tanahashi and Wakamatsu take Tiger to a waterfall to stand under, with Tanahashi saying it was something Hirooki Goto did to find his finisher, to which Wakamatsu said that it was to collect himself when he lost to Okada. Either way, Hirooki Goto hasn't even appeared on this show so unless you are a fan of New Japan wrestling, it will just fly over your head. Outside of watching Tiger get his clock cleaned a number of times and pointless mentions and cameos, We see what the GWM guys are doing with their training! It's all atmosphere and pressure chamber space age technology with them as it's just like the training montage from Rocky IV. Tiger the Dark wants to be just as strong as Yellow Devil. We also see Takuma go to the hospital where his father is, but he still can't face him so he leaves some pudding with the nurse and leaves. His father figures out where the pudding from his hometown came from and tries to go after Takuma but he is still wheelchair bound. This episode flat out was not very good. It seemed more like an advertisement from NJPW and its top wrestlers more than anything that really advanced the plot. Nothing here couldn't have been accomplished in a 2-minute flashback and didn't need to be played out like this. Total skippable episode. Episode 12 It's time for the next match as the semifinals of the masked world tournament are tonight. However Tiger is still training with Tanahashi to try and get his new finishing move down at the NJPW gym. I can't say this is a good idea, but this is anime and that changes things. We even get a little bit of Haruna training at the home gym a little bit as she is toying with the idea of becoming a wrestler. The training bag ends up hitting her and knocking her down to the floor. The big show starts promptly at 3 pm and Tiger Mask, Dragon Young, and It's-The-Ace are not there. Tonight's matches are an opener of a couple of jobbers, Ken Anderson and Mike take on Poseidon and Dragon Young, and the two semifinals. Tiger and his buddies don't show up until the opening match is just ending so poor Poseidon is standing there just as his partner shows up (in a cab no less) and they run to the ring and promptly lose because they keep hitting each other. They then start fighting. Umm, okay. Yellow Devil and It's-The-Ace are up next and no surprise that Tanahashi does more damage to Yellow Devil than anyone else. Were you expecting any different? But since NJPW is producing this, Tanahashi loses without actually being pinned or submitted because screw you that's why! When your main villain of the season can't be bothered to pin a dude, that doesn't really look all that great when the final happens does it? Tiger Mask and Tiger the Dark finally go at it. It is actually really disappointing as the match really isn't much to talk about. Tiger the Dark unveils his own new special move, a modified Octopus hold, and Tiger nearly passes out. But Haruna had invited Daisuke and the nurse to watch the show! They arrive just in time and not only does this revive Tiger, but Tiger the Dark freaks out, as you could imagine. It doesn't help that Daisuke is cheering for Tiger Mask and not him. Well, stupid, if you'd actually face you father and tell him what you are doing this wouldn't have happened now would it? Anyway, Tiger Mask unveils his new move, which is a flying knee to the face. Seriously, he got his ass kicked by NJPW's guys, stood in a waterfall, and got jabbed at with sticks on fire just to come up with a flying cartwheel knee to the face. This doesn't put Tiger the Dark down, it just splits open his old scar from Yellow Devil and pisses him off. Dark goes to retaliate but just passes out from the blood loss and Tiger Mask wins. This episode was disappointing. It still was able to hit some plot points but man it was like the match with the two tigers was just an afterthought. That match should have taken WAY more of the episode instead of messing around with all the extra crap. This episode wasn't a total disaster, but I would have done this one a whole lot differently. Episode 13 It's now time for the finals of the Masked World Tournament. But first, it's time for a women's match for no particular reason! Yup. GWM puts on a women's match right before the finals, proving that even in an anime, women matches get the death spot on a card. It's kind of weird as the subtitles refer to it as a "divas" match while you clearly hear them say "Joshi". Both describe a women's wrestling match but have much different connotations. Divas was the term the WWE used for women wrestlers but did away with at Wrestlemania last year as many of the women found it demeaning. Joshi conjures up images of the AJPW women's dojo and beating the tar out of 15-year-old girls before throwing them in the ring. Seriously, look up some vids online of that place. Scary. The only point for this is that originally they were supposed to go 30 minutes, letting Yellow Devil and Tiger Mask rest before the fight, but Miss X shortens it to 10 minutes. They don't actually explain it, but the idea is that Tiger Mask just got done a fight while Yellow Devil is sitting back relaxing. As this match is going on Tiger Mask is PISSED. He yells at Hikari going to his dressing room when she tries to get some questions. Turns out that in the match with Tiger the Dark, he actually screwed up his new big move and that kneeing him in the skull was an accident. Botchamania time for Tiger Mask! Meanwhile, Yellow Devil brings up a good point to Miss X, saying a fighter's top fear is the unknown. He then shows that he is not known for his headbutt but will use it against Tiger. The women's match ends with both unconscious on the mat, with them only going 5 minutes meaning not only does Tiger have to turn around and go back out there, but that the GWM needs to stick their women fighters to some endurance training. Tiger Mask and Yellow Devil start the match and Tiger is ready to kill right out of the bell. He tries for big moves like a tombstone but nothing is working. Yellow Devil is just tossing Tiger around before tossing him out of the ring. Tiger gets so furious he dents the metal barrier outside. Daisuke, Takaoka, Haruna, and Fukuwara Mask all notice Tiger is mad and tells him to calm down (THIS would have been a good Naito reference with Tranquillo). Tiger finally calms down and gets back in. It's around this point that Tiger The Dark wakes up and staggers out to watch the fight too. The match sequence is actually pretty good. Much better than the Tiger the Dark fight. Tiger counters Devil's moves but Devil has had enough of that and strangles Tiger with a choke and then headbutts him so hard Tiger starts bleeding. Daisuke freaks out saying that this isn't the Yellow Devil he knows. Everyone else freaks out as Yellow Mask damn near killed Tiger. Devil picks Tiger back up and goes for the choke and headbutt again but Tiger has a mental episode and counters it. He gets Devil back in the corner and finally hits his move correctly to knock Devil out and win the match. It's a corner cartwheel into a lung blower and monkey flip. I'd stick to the knee to the face. He grabs Yellow Devil and we find out that the masked man wasn't who everyone thought it was, pissing tiger off immensely. As he walks to the back in disgust, Tiger the Dark realizes that Tiger Mask is after Yellow Devil as well. After a couple of duds, this was a good episode. The women's match part of it wasn't the greatest, but they delivered in the actual meat of the episode. Since this was the finale of Season 1 (of 3) I wondered what this show would do. They had a climax with plenty of reason to keep watching (as good wrestling should). Not only does Tiger keep fighting, but a seed has been planted between Tiger and Tiger the dark now that they have a common goal.