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Disappointing Manga Adaptation! -- Vice Pit

| Saturday, August 31, 2013
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Disappointing Manga Adaptation! -- Vice Pit



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Disappointing Manga Adaptation! -- Vice Pit

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AV MOD MATERIAL: ONE PIECE Ch. 718 Review

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AV MOD MATERIAL: ONE PIECE Ch. 718 Review



The Totantta Warriors begin to ride out to go to war with the Don Quixote Family, and the rest of the Straw Hats are in trouble acrossDressrosa.

The Good

Smurfette doesn't have anything on Bian.
Smurfette doesn't have anything on Bian.

Some weeks back, I posed my theory of character-spacial mechanics as it relates to ONE PIECE. I theorize that one day the cast of Oda's adventure will one day grow so massive that it will collapse in upon itself and create a hole in time-space. The Dressrosa Arc has been one of the most character heavy arcs in recent memory. Thus bringing our galaxy ever closer to its inevitable doom.

It may surprise you that Oda wasn't finished with just the tournament line up. We're still learning about the Tontatta People of Greenbit, and many of them are still as of yet unnamed. The designs are so unique among them that I can't image that Oda hasn't given them names. I hope the little, bearded-mohawk guy is called Zangief.

This diminutive clan makes me call back to my childhood memories of the Smurfs. The biggest differences would be in both their gender demographics, and in the fact that they're not just willing to go to war. They have the tools and power for it. Just image how cool it would have been if Papa Smurf called for a full scale assault on Gargamel.

The Bad

So, Giolla isn't the toy maker
So, Giolla isn't the toy maker

The chapter may have been all over the place, but I wouldn't really say it was in a bad way. It's just a tad frustrating that so much is going on all over the place, but the best we get are flashes. I want to see howNami and the others get out of their mess. I want to see more of how Trafalgar struggles in his fight withDoflamingo. It's exciting but also cruel to tease us with this.

Verdict 4/5

My criticism of NARUTO this week was that it's a good chapter that had little happening in it. If I used fraction to my points, I would have given it a 3.5. ONE PIECE had so much going on, but it was more samples of the full cast. It would have seemed like a mess if it hadn't been structured so well. Every scene has a hint that leads into the next. Never underestimate how powerful it can be to entertain as you inform.

You might be surprised that we're a step away from September, but the Dressrosa Arc is basically only twenty chapters deep. When you take that into consideration and think back, it almost shocks you with how eventful this arc has been. I think we can point to all the repeated breaks of the year for the lagging feeling. But we're all well aware as to the cause for that. Let's hope Oda is feeling better.

Next week, the English digital of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP will be officially publishing ONE PIECE Chapter 0: STRONG WORLD. Just in time for FUnimation's release of the movie later this year.

About the Author

Kristoffer Remmell (FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek. Follow for news updates: @AnimeVicers / @FoxxFireArt








AV MOD MATERIAL: ONE PIECE Ch. 718 Review

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AV MOD MATERIAL: Community Spotlight 8/30/2013

| Friday, August 30, 2013
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AV MOD MATERIAL: Community Spotlight 8/30/2013



Greetings, Anime Vice Community. Tom had solo duty on many of this week's Vice Pit episodes, but he was aided by special guest Metal Mike. Among the topics discussed was what games could be made into anime. Did you share your thoughts? Sam did have a special video to share with the community involving the theme song from FIST OF THE NORTH STAR. You'll have to see it to understand.

Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!

Anime Vice Task Initiative: Alphabetical: HERE

Anime Vice Task Initiative: Wiki Style Guide: HERE

Wonderful Wikis

WANTED Wikis

Blog-o-sphere & Formidable Forums

  • FAIRY TAIL CHAPTER 348 REVIEW: FLARE’S STORY…HADES.. by katmic HERE
  • End of Summer Project Progress Report by takashichea HERE
  • DREAMcast Ep 40 - The Longest of Trends in Anime by Donwun HERE
  • IS ALL ANIME DOOMED IN THE END? by katmic HERE
  • Unknown 2013 Trailer: Yamada and the 7 Witches by takashichea HERE
  • UQ Holder! Review (Minor Spoils) by Destinyheroknight HERE
  • Oreimo season 2 Ending. What are my thoughts about it exactly... by AnimeReviewDaily HERE
  • The worst feeling than an Otaku can have by AnimeReviewDaily HERE

Anime AMV Showcase

DUSK MAIDEN OF AMNESIA is an anime that I really enjoyed but never got around to finishing. This AMV may just inspire me to go back and finish watching.

Remember, if you would like to submit something for the Spotlight. You can send me a PM, but please be sure to add "Spotlight" to the subject line.I can't stress how important that is because it might just be lost in my Inbox when I clear it. Even if you have worked on something yourself and are really proud of your work. Get to work, and make more content for the next Spotlight!! Jana!!

About the Author

Kristoffer Remmell (FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek. Follow for news updates: @AnimeVicers / @FoxxFireArt








AV MOD MATERIAL: Community Spotlight 8/30/2013

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AV MOD MATERIAL: NARUTO Ch. 643 Review

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AV MOD MATERIAL: NARUTO Ch. 643 Review



Wonder Ninja powers activate!
Wonder Ninja powers activate!

Obito's biggest weakness may have been finally revealed, but he's not going to fall victim to the same trick twice. He has just the plan to finish off the alliance with a bang to celebrate a special anniversary.

The Good

Some fathers just give their kid the key tot he cards for their birthday.
Some fathers just give their kid the key tot he cards for their birthday.

My theory from last week that Naruto will be getting a huge power up is becoming ever stronger after this chapter. The two Nine Tails are starting to share power, and I can only image that this will lead up toMinato passing all the power back to Kurama. It's almost a scary idea that Naruto has only been working with half of his potential. That would make quite the present for Naruto's coming birthday.

The concept of the fist bump has started to wear a little thin on me in this series. It started mainly as aKiller Bee thing. Now everyone's doing it. I don't have a real problem with the expression. In fact, I like it. Manga is littered with a vast series of cornier moments. It's a right side better than the Fusion Dance. I'm just concerned that Kishimoto is starting to abuse it.

The Bad

When did they start?
When did they start?

Someone tell me the point of this whole Hashirama versus Madara monster mash? That's a rhetorical question, of course. This whole clash serves a single purpose. It's to explain why Hashirama isn't helping in the fight with Obito. However, we're expected to believe that these two are fighting with such enormous creatures but have only moved a few feet of where their battle started.

I have to question the wisdom of Naruto explaining his Sage Mode technique to the person he expects to challenge in the future, and the person who has vowed to kill him.

Verdict 3/5

This all seemed pretty exciting up until I started thinking about events for the review. It then dawned on me. Remarkable little happens in the chapter, and it more serves as a slow build up for what is a pretty exciting cliffhanger. I almost wanted to give this a 4 out of 5, but does it really deserve that? It's a good chapter with some great art, but this entire arc has been little else than a series of one cliffhanger after the next. Perhaps it's more a case of the length of this arc testing my patience.

About the Author

Kristoffer Remmell (FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek. Follow for news updates: @AnimeVicers / @FoxxFireArt








AV MOD MATERIAL: NARUTO Ch. 643 Review

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AV MOD MATERIAL: NARUTO Ch. 643 Review

| Thursday, August 29, 2013
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AV MOD MATERIAL: NARUTO Ch. 643 Review



Wonder Ninja powers activate!
Wonder Ninja powers activate!

Obito's biggest weakness may have been finally revealed, but he's not going to fall victim to the same trick twice. He has just the plan to finish off the alliance with a bang to celebrate a special anniversary.

The Good

Some fathers just give their kid the key tot he cards for their birthday.
Some fathers just give their kid the key tot he cards for their birthday.

My theory from last week that Naruto will be getting a huge power up is becoming ever stronger after this chapter. The two Nine Tails are starting to share power, and I can only image that this will lead up toMinato passing all the power back to Kurama. It's almost a scary idea that Naruto has only been working with half of his potential. That would make quite the present for Naruto's coming birthday.

The concept of the fist bump has started to wear a little thin on me in this series. It started mainly as aKiller Bee thing. Now everyone's doing it. I don't have a real problem with the expression. In fact, I like it. Manga is littered with a vast series of cornier moments. It's a right side better than the Fusion Dance. I'm just concerned that Kishimoto is starting to abuse it.

The Bad

When did they start?
When did they start?

Someone tell me the point of this whole Hashirama versus Madara monster mash? That's a rhetorical question, of course. This whole clash serves a single purpose. It's to explain why Hashirama isn't helping in the fight with Obito. However, we're expected to believe that these two are fighting with such enormous creatures but have only moved a few feet of where their battle started.

I have to question the wisdom of Naruto explaining his Sage Mode technique to the person he expects to challenge in the future, and the person who has vowed to kill him.

Verdict 3/5

This all seemed pretty exciting up until I started thinking about events for the review. It then dawned on me. Remarkable little happens in the chapter, and it more serves as a slow build up for what is a pretty exciting cliffhanger. I almost wanted to give this a 4 out of 5, but does it really deserve that? It's a good chapter with some great art, but this entire arc has been little else than a series of one cliffhanger after the next. Perhaps it's more a case of the length of this arc testing my patience.

About the Author

Kristoffer Remmell (FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek. Follow for news updates: @AnimeVicers / @FoxxFireArt








AV MOD MATERIAL: NARUTO Ch. 643 Review

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Date :Thursday, August 29, 2013
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5 Video Games That Must Become Anime! -- THE VICE PIT

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5 Video Games That Must Become Anime! -- THE VICE PIT



Recent Vice Pit sessions on...

Recent sessions in Vice Pit: Undercover...

You can check out every episode of the Vice Pit here.

Be sure to submit questions and topics for a future Vice Pit session here. We will answer them!








5 Video Games That Must Become Anime! -- THE VICE PIT

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Disappointing Manga Adaptation! -- Vice Pit

| Wednesday, August 28, 2013
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Disappointing Manga Adaptation! -- Vice Pit



Recent Vice Pit sessions on...

Recent sessions in Vice Pit: Undercover...

You can check out every episode of the Vice Pit here.

Be sure to submit questions and topics for a future Vice Pit session here. We will answer them!








Disappointing Manga Adaptation! -- Vice Pit

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An Entire World of Anime Fans! -- THE VICE PIT

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An Entire World of Anime Fans! -- THE VICE PIT








An Entire World of Anime Fans! -- THE VICE PIT

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FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #4 - - Watch & Learn

| Tuesday, August 27, 2013
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FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #4 - - Watch & Learn



One of you lunatics recently pointed out a series of clips on YouTube
that cleverly redub FIST OF THE NORTH STAR episodes with new, snarky dialog. This
might be the first case where such a parody simply can’t be as funny as the
source material, because this show is already so utterly ridiculous that
I’m cracking up over every scene.

I mean...

  1. This one opens up with a morbidly obese, black-hearted behemoth
    rampaging around, howling “
    It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!” because he got
    a little cut on one of his fingers.
  2. He then murders a bunch of his cronies by
    bouncing their steel clubs back at them with his fat.
  3. Later on, Ken literally gets his arm stuck in
    the bad man’s fat folds (SEE ABOVE).
  4. As if that were shaping up to be any
    kind of a setback, our hero basically just shrieks until he figures out another
    technique that instantly renders this seemingly-invincible man into
    all-too-dead pile of goo.

…there’s really not much left to parody after that?

== TEASER ==

This episode didn’t even seem to bother with setting up conflict and
just vengeance in the way that the three previous ones did. The scenes of the
bad guys oppressing innocents to earn their righteous comeuppance from Ken are
so negligible that they might as well not even be there. The show’s basically
just saying, “Look at these jerks. You know they’ve got it coming!” before
devoting most of the episode to Ken gloriously shredding through the scumbags.

I might criticize the show for not developing its plot much ,
but the simplicity of this non-stop carnage is just so sublimely perfect. I
could watch Ken powering up and crushing skulls all day. Hell, I’ve already seen the
exact same animation
of him doing just that (this episode’s already starting to recycle quick sequences from the last couple episodes).

It’s going to get harder to say anything new about this show (in the
interest of this column
), but watching it is just never going to get old.

Watch this
episode,
“Attack the Bloody Cross! The
Secret Technique, Death by Soft Strikes!” here and decide for yourself, then
read my comments on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #4 - - Watch & Learn

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Top 3 Favorite Anime Tropes! -- THE VICE PIT

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Top 3 Favorite Anime Tropes! -- THE VICE PIT



Recent Vice Pit sessions on...

Recent sessions in Vice Pit: Undercover...

You can check out every episode of the Vice Pit here.

Be sure to submit questions and topics for a future Vice Pit session here. We will answer them!








Top 3 Favorite Anime Tropes! -- THE VICE PIT

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HUNTER X HUNTER #3 - - Watch & Learn

| Monday, August 26, 2013
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HUNTER X HUNTER #3 - - Watch & Learn



Did I seriously just watch an entire episode about a rival
hunter trying, and repeatedly failing, to trick his competitors into drinking
laxative-laced soda? Isn’t this iteration of HUNTER X HUNTER supposed to be
like FMA: BROTHERHOOD (in that it’s presumably tightening the pacing of the
previous series)?

Y’know, I’m not sure if I even necessarily object to this. From an
ironic, removed perspective, there’s a wonderful kind of inanity to appreciate
in a shonen adventure taking such a long pit stop over such a banal act of
villainy. Why, it’s like having an another whole episode about another rival who insistently
doesn’t wash his hands after going to the bath room - - and Gon has to
evade getting touched by his grossness!
Certainly, these are relatable kinds of
unpleasantness. We don’t WANT to see Gon getting germ-ed up or hosing the ol’
Hershey highway, so there’s instant sympathy here.

== TEASER ==

Again, I can’t help feeling like this series was borne out of some bet
Togashi made about whether he could hook an audience with only storytelling tricks, and
not anything that actually sounds exciting on paper. I mean, despite all my grumbling, I’m
still rooting for Gon when he thwarts this baddy with his nigh-superhuman sense
of mountain-tested taste. And likewise, the white-haired kid ‘gets over’
immediately with me when his intro’s coupled with him being so cooly immune to
this poisonous attack. Like some karate master who insists on you waxing floors
for hours, Togashi knows what he doing, and I guess he knows the value of
putting the audience through such a seemingly mundane stretch so as to make
sure they’re properly empathizing with... the heroes… and… and...

No. Enough ironic, removed relativism today. I’ll still be back for the next episode,
but this one was silly and overlong. Twenty odd minutes devoted to orange soda with
a mickey. That’s plain ridiculous.

Watch this episode, Rivals x in
x Survival
" here and decide for
yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







HUNTER X HUNTER #3 - - Watch & Learn

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An Entire World of Anime Fans! -- THE VICE PIT

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An Entire World of Anime Fans! -- THE VICE PIT








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AV MOD MATERIAL: Community Spotlight 8/23/2013

| Sunday, August 25, 2013
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AV MOD MATERIAL: Community Spotlight 8/23/2013



Greetings, Anime Vice Community. Were you all lonely without my WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP reviews this week? Tom and Sam were sure to keep you company on the front page. There was a Vice Pit video posted on the topics of ATTACK ON TITAN, and they answered user questions in another video. Some spoilers were covered in the videos.

In case you haven't been keeping up, it appears that the bug that was causing new pages to not appear in the search tool has been repaired. A lot of appreciation toward the staff for dealing with that issue for us. Now, if your new pages still aren't appearing. Simply go to those pages and make some minor edit. That should fix the problem.

Anime Vice Task Initiative: Alphabetical: HERE

Anime Vice Task Initiative: Wiki Style Guide: HERE

Wonderful Wikis

WANTED Wikis

Blog-o-sphere & Formidable Forums

  • FAIRY TAIL CHAPTER 347 REVIEW: BYE BYE SYLPH LABARYTH... by katmic HERE
  • Quick Picks: Erotica Version 2013 by takashichea HERE
  • Ani-Crap Review #27: Dark Blue by Dream HERE
  • Characters with ridiculous number of swords by bigz007 HERE
  • SOUL EATER: MANGA FINALE... by katmic HERE

Anime AMV Showcase

ATTACK ON TITAN seemed to take up much of the oxygen in the front page this week. A similarly themed AMV seems appropriate.

Remember, if you would like to submit something for the Spotlight. You can send me a PM, but please be sure to add "Spotlight" to the subject line.I can't stress how important that is because it might just be lost in my Inbox when I clear it. Even if you have worked on something yourself and are really proud of your work. Get to work, and make more content for the next Spotlight!! Jana!!

About the Author

Kristoffer Remmell (FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek. Follow for news updates: @AnimeVicers / @FoxxFireArt








AV MOD MATERIAL: Community Spotlight 8/23/2013

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HUNTER X HUNTER #2 - - Watch & Learn

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HUNTER X HUNTER #2 - - Watch & Learn



As I’ve mentioned, my re-visit of DBZ is coming to an end soon. I’ve
been eying at FIST OF THE NORTH STAR as a replacement for W&L, already, of
course. However, as I’ve mentioned, it’s tough to resist when there are so many
shows just sitting there, waiting for instant streaming… so here we are.

You lunatics have been insistently recommending HUNTER X HUNTER to me.
First, while I was watching Togashi’s other epic (my beloved YU YU HAKUSHO),
and then any time I’ve ever griped about the quality of any current, long
running shonen. There’s something appealing about it being the ‘best kept
secret’ in anime, right now. I mean, it’s been trucking along steadily
for however many episodes, yet somehow not getting nearly as much as fanfare as ONE
PIECE, TORIKO, FAIRY TAIL, et al.

== TEASER ==

Of course, if I’ve being totally honest, I feel like I’m trying to like
this show in spite of itself. It’s a very specific quality to quantify, I
realize, but this feels like Togashi’s honed the storytelling fundamentals of
shonen so well that he can maintain audience interest even when the actual
ingredients of the show aren’t actually that compelling. Like, there’s really nothing
that memorable about Gon and his cohorts. Weirdly, they almost look like the
mascots of some junior appliance line at IKEA (as bizarre as that sounds) - -
cartoons that are as basically appealing as they are inoffensive.

At the same time, however, the whole trial of virtue that our heroes
pass in this episode was actually a well-constructed ‘Riddle of the Sphinx’
scene. Also, the concluding chase/battle with the monsters was making the
needle on the ol’ ‘thrill meter’ dance properly - - even if the critters didn’t
seem to fit that cohesively into this world. I’m not excited about coming back
for episode 3, but I am intrigued to watch it, neverthless, so I suppose that’s
Togashi’s aforementioned invisible craft at work?

Watch this episode, Test x Of
x Tests
" here and decide for
yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







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Anime Caption Contest! -- 8/20/13 -- AV MOD MATERIAL

| Saturday, August 24, 2013
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Anime Caption Contest! -- 8/20/13 -- AV MOD MATERIAL



Welcome back to the Anime Vice Caption Contest! You know the drill; we have three new images that need some funny captions! See who won the previous contest below!

Rules

  • You can caption any or all of the images!
  • You can caption the same image more than once, but not in the same post!

Your captions will be judged by the hosts of THE VICE PIT themselves; Tom Pinchuk and Sam Weller! The winners and their winning captions will be featured in the next Caption Contest post!

HELP! THE IMAGES WON'T INSERT CORRECTLY!

I've noticed some users don't always insert the images correctly in the comment section. To make sure you post the images properly, you should copy them from this post and paste them into the comment box, rather than upload the images again yourself. To do this, highlight some of the text below the images (try starting from "want to recommend") all the way up to some of the text above the images (try highlighting up to "fill in the captions!") and then right-click on that text and select "copy", go to the comment box, right-click inside that and select "paste" - then all you need to do is fill in the captions! Hope that helps, have fun!

Winners!

"Bring me a shovel and a melon."
~SamJaz
"TAKE THE SHOVEL AND START DIGGING! NOW!!"
~SamJaz

All in all, this wasn't the worst first day at school Chris had ever experienced.
~SamJaz

New Caption Contest!

So, are you up to the challenge? Just copy the images (see instructions above) into the comment box below and fill in the captions!

"Caption me!"
"Caption me!"
"Caption me!"
"Caption me!"
"Caption me!"
"Caption me!"

Want to recommend some images for the contest? Go to my profile and send them to me in a PM and I'll check them out.

Have fun and good luck!

About the Author

Daniel Newton is an Anime Vice moderator and occasional guest writer with a dangerous Wine Gum obsession. Follow his personal and community Twitter feeds: @Daniel_Newton and @AnimeVicers







Anime Caption Contest! -- 8/20/13 -- AV MOD MATERIAL

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ATTACK ON TITAN Spoilers! -- 8/22/13 -- THE VICE PIT

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ATTACK ON TITAN Spoilers! -- 8/22/13 -- THE VICE PIT



Recent Vice Pit sessions on...

Recent sessions in Vice Pit: Undercover...

You can check out every episode of the Vice Pit here.

Be sure to submit questions and topics for a future Vice Pit session here. We will answer them!








ATTACK ON TITAN Spoilers! -- 8/22/13 -- THE VICE PIT

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FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #3 - - Watch & Learn

| Friday, August 23, 2013
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FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #3 - - Watch & Learn



You should all know that I pressed the Five Second Rewind button on the
my Hulu viewer about twenty times while watching this. What could I have
possibly wanted to re-watch that many times? What short snippet of screen time
was so intrinsically amusing that it made me chortle, over and over?

Well, there’s a part where Ken steps forth from the shadows to interrupt
another scumbag’s sadism session. The villain
smirks, wryly remarking, “What’s this? I’ve never seen one so eager to be sent
to hell.

And what is Ken’s response? Is there a clever comeback? Does he trade
witty barbs with this jerk? Not quite…

== TEASER ==

Ken goes straight to shrieking, flaring his battle cry. A powerful aura
surges around him. His chest swells enough that it literally just bursts right
out of his denim get-up. And then he fans his arms around… more ready to throw
down than anybody on the planet.

Sure, this exact same scene plays out, with minor differences, in every
single episode of FIST OF THE NORTH STAR. Sam called it out correctly during
our recent Vice Pit - - the ultra-violence in this show is taken to such an
absurd degree, and so insistently, that it basically plays like TOM &
JERRY. Of course, I never enjoyed TOM & JERRY that much when I was a kid. I
said I t was because the slapstick gags were predictable (it was more so
because I could never get behind a ‘Tom’ losing every time
), but I
think the quality that keeps this funny business from getting stale is
that it’s juxtaposed with such a direly grim setting.

Like, the world of the show is so incessantly grim that Ken’s shrieking
tension releases are always that much more cathartic. It’s like some stand-up getting
on stage and delivering some ultra-serious monologue for ten minutes that's punctuated with him getting an abrupt pie to the face.

A pie stuffed with cherry filling of such a crimson hue that it looks
like entrails spilling out, of course...

Watch this
episode,
“In the City Without Light, a
Lone Fist Burns! The Furious Death by the Five Exploding Fingers” here and
decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #3 - - Watch & Learn

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DRAGON BALL Z #35 - - Watch & Learn

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DRAGON BALL Z #35 - - Watch & Learn



I have no idea why Hulu deigned to remove the three specific
episodes
between #31 and #35. Maybe whoever runs programming there is
just a DBZ fan with very strong opinions about which installments aren’t
up to snuff. Alas, my Saiyan Saga experience is irrevocably compromised.

Even if I’ve missed a few of the final steps that brought us to this
finale, it was still an absolutely thrilling experience. Yajirobe’s last stand is a moving act of
clumsy valor. Krillin's hesitation about killing Vegeta is one of the tensest
scenes I’ve seen in any anime. And it feels bizarrely appropriate that this
epic battle concludes with Gohan smashing his giant monkey butt on Vegeta.

== TEASER ==

To slide another bead on the abacus that we’re constantly using to
measure the differences between DBZ and supeheroes, the way the kill-or-don’t-kill-konundrum
is handled here certainly offers a meaty discussion point. People’s objections
to Batman’s refusal to kill the Joker have always been a little narrow-sighted
by my reckoning. The futility of locking a killer way, knowing that he’ll
simply break out again and kill more innocents, only ‘exists’ due to the plot conceits of
an ongoing superhero serial. ‘Realistically,’ it’d be more like the new movies,
where the hero locks the villain up and that’s the end of it (barring one or
two prison breaks at most
).

There doesn’t seem to be any super jail in the world of DRAGON BALL,
so the mercy Goku begs Krillin to show Vegeta here is far more insensible. There’s a difference between taking the high
road and simply allowing a mass-murdering psychopath to go free while you’re all half-dead and he’s also swearing to come back and do the exact
same thing again. Of course, Goku’s ultimately proven right and Vegeta proves
to be a valuable ally… but that’s just as much as a plot conceit as the Joker
escaping Arkham likes it’s got a revolving door, isn't it?

I’m searching for a more conclusive statement about the Saiyan Saga
but, between however many episode write-ups and however many Vice Pit sessions,
I’ve probably said as much as I’ll never need to about this arc, anyway.

Watch this
episode,
Mercy" here and
decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







DRAGON BALL Z #35 - - Watch & Learn

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ONE PIECE #608 - - Special Review

| Thursday, August 22, 2013
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ONE PIECE #608 - - Special Review



Well, as far as earning ‘antipathy points’ for your villain goes, you
can’t do much than having the baddie just ignore an assassin while he’s on a phone
call. I don’t know if the would-be avenger with the arsenal of ‘finger guns’
was introduced prior to this, or if Oda just pulled her out of the ol’ rabbit
hat, but the scene of her thwarted vengeance distills the distinct and
contradictory nature of the show nicely. It makes me think of the whole bloodied
smiley face visual metaphor from WATCHMEN, actually.

No bones about it, the character and the scene she’s in are patently
ridiculous
. Like, it’s just free-association absurdity. Yet, there is still
an undeniably tragic pathos in her tearful, desperate attempt to avenge her boyfriend.
It’s just pushing on a lot different buttons at once - - playing like the
sickest black humor gag and the most exaggeratedly-rendered human drama
-
- and I guess a lack of hesitation about
blurring lines is what ultimately defines ONE PIECE.

== TEASER ==

If I remark on this every episode, from one angle or another, it’s
because I’ll never get used to this show’s tone.

Now, some of you have lunatics have been rather insistently teasing me
about how Luffy’s eventually going to get madder than we’ve ever seen him after he
learns about something horrible that Caesar’s done. Considering how this
episode ends with an unusually understated cliffhanger revealing that the dragon
is actually the samurai’s mutated son (after we’ve watched that samurai
brutally pummel the dragon, no less
) I’ll go ahead and point my nose to
that as the surest candidate for this forthcoming, unforgivable transgression.

Which probably means that the dragon’s going to die next episode… and
that’s is just as tragi-diculous as the scene with ‘gun hand’.

Watch this
episode,
"A Mastermind Underground! Doflamingo Makes
His Move!” here and decide for yourself, then read my comments
about the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







ONE PIECE #608 - - Special Review

Posted by : Unknown
Date :Thursday, August 22, 2013
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ONE PIECE #608 - - Special Review

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ONE PIECE #608 - - Special Review



Well, as far as earning ‘antipathy points’ for your villain goes, you
can’t do much than having the baddie just ignore an assassin while he’s on a phone
call. I don’t know if the would-be avenger with the arsenal of ‘finger guns’
was introduced prior to this, or if Oda just pulled her out of the ol’ rabbit
hat, but the scene of her thwarted vengeance distills the distinct and
contradictory nature of the show nicely. It makes me think of the whole bloodied
smiley face visual metaphor from WATCHMEN, actually.

No bones about it, the character and the scene she’s in are patently
ridiculous
. Like, it’s just free-association absurdity. Yet, there is still
an undeniably tragic pathos in her tearful, desperate attempt to avenge her boyfriend.
It’s just pushing on a lot different buttons at once - - playing like the
sickest black humor gag and the most exaggeratedly-rendered human drama
-
- and I guess a lack of hesitation about
blurring lines is what ultimately defines ONE PIECE.

== TEASER ==

If I remark on this every episode, from one angle or another, it’s
because I’ll never get used to this show’s tone.

Now, some of you have lunatics have been rather insistently teasing me
about how Luffy’s eventually going to get madder than we’ve ever seen him after he
learns about something horrible that Caesar’s done. Considering how this
episode ends with an unusually understated cliffhanger revealing that the dragon
is actually the samurai’s mutated son (after we’ve watched that samurai
brutally pummel the dragon, no less
) I’ll go ahead and point my nose to
that as the surest candidate for this forthcoming, unforgivable transgression.

Which probably means that the dragon’s going to die next episode… and
that’s is just as tragi-diculous as the scene with ‘gun hand’.

Watch this
episode,
"A Mastermind Underground! Doflamingo Makes
His Move!” here and decide for yourself, then read my comments
about the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







ONE PIECE #608 - - Special Review

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HUNTER X HUNTER #2 - - Watch & Learn

| Wednesday, August 21, 2013
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HUNTER X HUNTER #2 - - Watch & Learn



As I’ve mentioned, my re-visit of DBZ is coming to an end soon. I’ve
been eying at FIST OF THE NORTH STAR as a replacement for W&L, already, of
course. However, as I’ve mentioned, it’s tough to resist when there are so many
shows just sitting there, waiting for instant streaming… so here we are.

You lunatics have been insistently recommending HUNTER X HUNTER to me.
First, while I was watching Togashi’s other epic (my beloved YU YU HAKUSHO),
and then any time I’ve ever griped about the quality of any current, long
running shonen. There’s something appealing about it being the ‘best kept
secret’ in anime, right now. I mean, it’s been trucking along steadily
for however many episodes, yet somehow not getting nearly as much as fanfare as ONE
PIECE, TORIKO, FAIRY TAIL, et al.

== TEASER ==

Of course, if I’ve being totally honest, I feel like I’m trying to like
this show in spite of itself. It’s a very specific quality to quantify, I
realize, but this feels like Togashi’s honed the storytelling fundamentals of
shonen so well that he can maintain audience interest even when the actual
ingredients of the show aren’t actually that compelling. Like, there’s really nothing
that memorable about Gon and his cohorts. Weirdly, they almost look like the
mascots of some junior appliance line at IKEA (as bizarre as that sounds) - -
cartoons that are as basically appealing as they are inoffensive.

At the same time, however, the whole trial of virtue that our heroes
pass in this episode was actually a well-constructed ‘Riddle of the Sphinx’
scene. Also, the concluding chase/battle with the monsters was making the
needle on the ol’ ‘thrill meter’ dance properly - - even if the critters didn’t
seem to fit that cohesively into this world. I’m not excited about coming back
for episode 3, but I am intrigued to watch it, neverthless, so I suppose that’s
Togashi’s aforementioned invisible craft at work?

Watch this episode, Test x Of
x Tests
" here and decide for
yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







HUNTER X HUNTER #2 - - Watch & Learn

Posted by : Unknown
Date :Wednesday, August 21, 2013
With 0comments

Anime Questions Answered!!! -- 8/19/12 -- THE VICE PIT

|
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Anime Questions Answered!!! -- 8/19/12 -- THE VICE PIT



Recent Vice Pit sessions on...

Recent sessions in Vice Pit: Undercover...

You can check out every episode of the Vice Pit here.

Be sure to submit questions and topics for a future Vice Pit session here. We will answer them!








Anime Questions Answered!!! -- 8/19/12 -- THE VICE PIT

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ATTACK ON TITAN #18 - - Watch & Learn

| Tuesday, August 20, 2013
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ATTACK ON TITAN #18 - - Watch & Learn



So we’ve got Eren, Armin and Erwin, now? Wonderful. They won’t be hard
to mix up in dialog, at all.

This episode puts a fine point on why I had less patience for the
amount of ‘tactical exposition’ we’ve had to sit through over the past few
episodes (and why I have less patience for any serious discussion of power
levels, in general
). Levi has an absolutely lucid strategy, here, luring
the female Titan into the forest. The 3D gear is all-but-useless on an open
field with nothing elevated to grapple onto, and the Titans have a much greater
advantage there, because they have plenty of room to move around in and an
unobstructed view to spot humans.

In the logic of the story, the team should have completely switched the
balance of this battle to their favor by changing the location. Instead, the show just junks that for the sake of the story. We see
the Female Titan continue to stalk our heroes with just as much as ease,
swatting guardsmen like flies and plowing through giant evergreens like they
were made of cardboard.

== TEASER ==

On the one hand, that bolsters TITAN as a horror. The Titans get the same kind of menace that Jason Voorhees and the Terminator exude when they
just shrug off any number of death traps that should’ve killed them.

On the
other hand, it makes it harder not to see how irrelevant all the screen time
devoted to 'shop talk' is. I knew that
when they were laying out all the attack plans for the last battle. You only
show the heroes succeeding, hypothetically, because you’re then going to show
them failing when they actually go ahead with it.

Well, I’ve already seen this trick before, so it’s harder for me to sit patiently while it's set-up a second or third time.

Watch this
episode,
"Forest of Giant Trees -
57th Expedition Beyond the Walls" here and decide for yourself, then read
my write-up on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







ATTACK ON TITAN #18 - - Watch & Learn

Posted by : Unknown
Date :Tuesday, August 20, 2013
With 0comments

ATTACK ON TITAN #18 - - Watch & Learn

|
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Anime Vice News Feed





ATTACK ON TITAN #18 - - Watch & Learn



So we’ve got Eren, Armin and Erwin, now? Wonderful. They won’t be hard
to mix up in dialog, at all.

This episode puts a fine point on why I had less patience for the
amount of ‘tactical exposition’ we’ve had to sit through over the past few
episodes (and why I have less patience for any serious discussion of power
levels, in general
). Levi has an absolutely lucid strategy, here, luring
the female Titan into the forest. The 3D gear is all-but-useless on an open
field with nothing elevated to grapple onto, and the Titans have a much greater
advantage there, because they have plenty of room to move around in and an
unobstructed view to spot humans.

In the logic of the story, the team should have completely switched the
balance of this battle to their favor by changing the location. Instead, the show just junks that for the sake of the story. We see
the Female Titan continue to stalk our heroes with just as much as ease,
swatting guardsmen like flies and plowing through giant evergreens like they
were made of cardboard.

== TEASER ==

On the one hand, that bolsters TITAN as a horror. The Titans get the same kind of menace that Jason Voorhees and the Terminator exude when they
just shrug off any number of death traps that should’ve killed them.

On the
other hand, it makes it harder not to see how irrelevant all the screen time
devoted to 'shop talk' is. I knew that
when they were laying out all the attack plans for the last battle. You only
show the heroes succeeding, hypothetically, because you’re then going to show
them failing when they actually go ahead with it.

Well, I’ve already seen this trick before, so it’s harder for me to sit patiently while it's set-up a second or third time.

Watch this
episode,
"Forest of Giant Trees -
57th Expedition Beyond the Walls" here and decide for yourself, then read
my write-up on the previous episode here.

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







ATTACK ON TITAN #18 - - Watch & Learn

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FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #2 - - Watch & Learn

| Monday, August 19, 2013
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FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #2 - - Watch & Learn



Since I’ll be wrapping up the Saiyan Saga soon, I’ve already started
thinking which classic series to re-visit after DBZ. Of course, I’m in
impatient guy and Hulu’s instant streaming makes it hard to resist my
entertainment impulses… so I went ahead and picked FIST OF THE NORTH STAR up
again.

Amusingly enough, I didn’t realize that Toei produced this show - -
meaning it’s part a lineage of top shonens which went into DRAGON BALL,
and then continued up into ONE PIECE before its current permutation in TORIKO.
Considering how Toriko himself seem likes Ken in Goku’s uniform, I’m also
starting to understand the shonen formula a little more holistically. There’s
probably some greater point about Japanese pop culture which can be read into
here (how the hyper-masculinity of a more grounded series like GOLGO 13 eventually mixed with the high fantasy of a show like VOLTRON, for one)… but we’ll hold
off on that for now. == TEASER ==

As Sam and I both mention in the Vice Pit episode running today, there’s
something fundamentally appealing about the clear simplicity of the morality
plays in this show. I get the feeling that this comes from the more episodic
era of anime TV, before there was this insistence on advancing a macro plot with
every single installment. I figure that, much like how GALAXY EXPRESS 999 episodes fit
into five or six basic plots, the typical structure of FIST episodes will start
to get very familiar, very fast.

(Of course, what’s amusing is that, while 999 more or less kept
confronting Tetsuro with injustices that he just had to learn to accept, FIST
confronts Kenshiro with injustices that he’ll always deal outrageously bloody
retribution upon. At least that’s how it seems to be…)

What can I say, though? Skulls collapsing, heads exploding and organs rupturing
will never, ever get old for me.

Watch this
episode,
“The Fist of Lingering Regret and
Certain Death!! The Future is sighted in the Barren Wasteland!!" here and
decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode .

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #2 - - Watch & Learn

Posted by : Unknown
Date :Monday, August 19, 2013
With 0comments

FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #2 - - Watch & Learn

|
Read more »



Anime Vice News Feed





FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #2 - - Watch & Learn



Since I’ll be wrapping up the Saiyan Saga soon, I’ve already started
thinking which classic series to re-visit after DBZ. Of course, I’m in
impatient guy and Hulu’s instant streaming makes it hard to resist my
entertainment impulses… so I went ahead and picked FIST OF THE NORTH STAR up
again.

Amusingly enough, I didn’t realize that Toei produced this show - -
meaning it’s part a lineage of top shonens which went into DRAGON BALL,
and then continued up into ONE PIECE before its current permutation in TORIKO.
Considering how Toriko himself seem likes Ken in Goku’s uniform, I’m also
starting to understand the shonen formula a little more holistically. There’s
probably some greater point about Japanese pop culture which can be read into
here (how the hyper-masculinity of a more grounded series like GOLGO 13 eventually mixed with the high fantasy of a show like VOLTRON, for one)… but we’ll hold
off on that for now. == TEASER ==

As Sam and I both mention in the Vice Pit episode running today, there’s
something fundamentally appealing about the clear simplicity of the morality
plays in this show. I get the feeling that this comes from the more episodic
era of anime TV, before there was this insistence on advancing a macro plot with
every single installment. I figure that, much like how GALAXY EXPRESS 999 episodes fit
into five or six basic plots, the typical structure of FIST episodes will start
to get very familiar, very fast.

(Of course, what’s amusing is that, while 999 more or less kept
confronting Tetsuro with injustices that he just had to learn to accept, FIST
confronts Kenshiro with injustices that he’ll always deal outrageously bloody
retribution upon. At least that’s how it seems to be…)

What can I say, though? Skulls collapsing, heads exploding and organs rupturing
will never, ever get old for me.

Watch this
episode,
“The Fist of Lingering Regret and
Certain Death!! The Future is sighted in the Barren Wasteland!!" here and
decide for yourself, then read my comments on the previous episode .

About the Author

Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk







FIST OF THE NORTH STAR #2 - - Watch & Learn

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