The Chaos Axiom

Late update this week, had a super busy weekend. Also not sure about the current format, will revisit later this week. Watch this space! XD

Looks like it’s time for another weekly update! Quite a few gems this week and just as many pebbles unfortunately. Let’s kick this one off with manga!

Naruto 479 – Nothing amazing here this week, sad as it is. Basically all that happens is we learn Danzou’s god-mode has limited uses and that he’s burning through them. Amazing, not like anyone didn’t already guess that. I really hope -someone- dies in this encounter. Otherwise it’ll just be another time waster.

Negima 276 – Much more interesting than Naruto, we get a fantastic show from Mana early on with some amusing banter between her and fake-Asuna. After that there’s a bit of trouble followed by a fairly shocking move by Fate’s crony. Definitely interested in what happens to Craig and Nodoka!

One Piece 571 – An emotional, if short, fight between Luffy and Garp ends with Ace finally being freed! It’s almost a shame since it’ll likely mean this battle will be getting wrapped up soon. Still, can’t wait to see what happens now. If Luffy and co. get out of here they’ll have shamed the navy pretty darn well but he’ll still have to gather his crew again. Truth be told I kinda miss the crew now so it’ll be good to get back to them.

Bleach 389 – Ah, classic filler. We’ve got a lot of bluster and talk, a few loose ends starting to get tied up, but really nothing happens. I’m just waiting for Kisuke to make his inevitable appearance to help out. I’m betting we’re going to have to see a few more people chopped up first though.

Glass is half empty and half full after manga, let’s move on to anime!

Bleach 254 – Fight fight fight, filler filler filler. Nothing interesting at all this week. Even the fighting was sub-par at best. Lines were bad, animation was nothing special. If you wanted a week you could miss without affecting a darn thing, this is that week. Seriously, some more menos are dead and the tear is closed for the moment. That sums up the entire episode. The omake is the only thing worth seeing.

Inuyasha Kanketsuhen 12 – A bit more Miroku/Sango drivel. Honestly aside from a few entertaining drunk Inuyasha moments there was nothing special about this one.

Inuyasha Kanketsuhen 13 – This one was also not so amazing. I know it’s important as a set-up for later, but these episodes are really kinda incidental. Fortunately the Inuyasha people know that if they’re going to subject us to set-up episodes, it’s best to make each one a single episode unlike Bleach and Naruto people, who somehow think that 10 episodes/issues of staring matches and fake-outs make for good watching/reading.

Naruto Shippuuden 144 – Speak of the devil, it’s filler time! This time with a shiny bubble man. Lovely. If it somehow involves another jinchuriki they’ll have officially shown us they have no creativity at all when it comes to filler. At least Team 8 is along for the ride it seems. Small mercies, right?

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood 40 – Mostly a flashback episode but still really cool, I had kinda sorta figured things out but evidently not as much as I’d thought. Ed and Al’s dad is quite the interesting guy in this series, much more so than the old one. I really need to catch up on the manga eventually.

That leaves us one for five on the anime, not so good. Gotta keep on trucking into comics!

Deadpool Merc with a Mouth 7 – Ah Deadpool, you never disappoint. Some definitely funny one-liners (when are there not in a Deadpool comic) and great gags play out in the course of the comic. I’m not sure when they’re going to end this title but I hope it’s not any time soon as it’s pretty much pure gold for humor. P.S. I approve of Lady Deadpool, we need more of her for sure.

Power Girl 8 – Hah, the first few issues of this arc were almost a dead rip-off of the Superman Animated Series episodes with Maxima, but it has taken it’s own direction and remained hilarious. Considering how serious PG is in the JSA titles at the moment it makes for a nice contrast in it’s light-heartedness. I’d love to see more of PG and Terra as well, they have a fun relationship. Thank goodness we also haven’t had to sit through a Blackest Night Power Girl. That would have just been annoying. Overall I definitely recommend the current arc and this makes for a great closer to it. I hope the next one stays good.

The Phantom Stranger 42 (Blackest Night) – Normally I’d still be avoiding BN tie-ins but I do love me some Phantom Stranger and this issue is no exception. A lot of times I find DC writers seem to have trouble with the Stranger, some write him too heavy-handed and others make him seem powerless. This time I think a good balance was kept between too much and too little power with just the right amount of mystery thrown in. I wish we got to see a bit more of him, though that seems unlikely with how the DCU is headed. May all the new heroes go away quickly so we can get back to the ones that matter.

Batman Streets of Gotham 8 – Fairly boring stuff here. Dick continues to be not as good as Bruce at taking care of crime in Gotham. Manhunter’s storyline is getting more interesting though. I have little hope that she’ll get the title to herself someday but it’d be nice if she did. Until Bruce gets back I really wouldn’t mind scaling back the amount of titles Batman is in.

Azrael 4 – Oh Azrael, when did you stop being cool? Oh, right, when you died and got replaced by a chump. Jean Paul might have had his issues, but at least he was halfway skilled and successful. Mike is…weak-sauce at best, absolute failure at worst. Without Bruce it’s like amateur hour in Gotham with a bunch of people filling in for predecessors. Mike is definitely near the bottom of the heap as that goes, won’t be sad if this title gets crammed, especially since it’s kinda horning in on Batwoman’s territory now.

Outsiders 26 (Superman and the Outsiders?) – Lovely, where have I seen a storyline like this before, oh wait! I know. Dr. Doom did the same damn thing with the Asgardians not that long ago. :eye-roll: Seriously though, Bruce leaves for a little while and everyone goes crazy. I sincerely hope that Cassandra, Tim, or Alfred go and whip the Outsiders into shape later. I never liked Brion all that much anyway so good riddance to him and his moronic little country. I do wanna know what’s up with Tatsu though, I hope it’s just PTSD and not something more sinister.

Black Widow and the Marvel Girls 3/4 – I actually like this mini-series quite a bit. I’ve always liked Natasha but the mini-series does well to point out how varied and adaptable she can be. I’m just sad that it’s a mini-series and not a continuing title. Marvel seems to have this trouble with keeping good writers on a project recently, I hope they fix that eventually. Either way, still worth a read.

4/7 on comics, not half bad, if only just so. In total, that puts us at 7/14 this week. Wow, literally half-and-half. I suppose that’s not bad considering it’s been something of a dry spot lately. I’ve also been catching up on my TPs and they’ve had some eye-opening stuff for me there. Kara is really growing on me and Batman seems to have a lot of trouble with people who are his “opposite number” wearing purple. The Wrath and Prometheus coming to mind immediately. Will have to do some more research on that, maybe even a purple-themed feature.

In any case, that does it for my weekly update. Tune in next week for more of the same until I figure out what else to do!

Another week, another update. Lots more content this time around because everyone is back from Christmas break for the most part.

First up, let’s got manga done.

One Piece 570 – This is the first time in a manga I have read a battle this long and not been annoyed. Heck, I’ve enjoyed the crap out of it. It gives attention to -tons- of characters, has a lot of plot development, and all without taking away from the action proper. I really do miss the rest of the Straw-hat Crew but this battle has been so good I’m not upset I haven’t really seen them. Also, I’m a huge Hancock fan. <3

Bleach 388 – Blah blah blah, Ichigo has internal monologues, blah blah, Aizen tells us things we already know, blah blah, everyone not dead yet comes to help out but will probably be cut down all at once next issue to get Ichigo pumped for battle. Meh. Growing more uninterested by the moment. I want Neliel, Grimmjow, and Yoruichi to make appearances.

Naruto 478 – Tobi-dara and Karin do an amazing job being the announcers for the battle, Karin tries to jump in but proves that women in Naruto are there only for decoration. Sasuke uses pwn button, Danzou uses plot shield. Danzou uses pwn button, Sasuke uses plot shield. Danzou prompts flashback, it’s super effective! Sasuke powers up, Sasuke uses new pwn button, Danzou uses plot shield. Repetitive? Very. Super losing interest. Give me some Team 8 action soon please.

Next up, western comics!

Black Widow Deadly Origin 3 – I really like Natasha, I do, and I like the recaps of all the cool stuff she’s done and people she’s met. I also like that, unlike many comic characters, she doesn’t sit and angst over every damn thing that happens to her. She gets up and does something about it. Anyway, only one more issue to go of this limited-series, I hope it’ll be an interesting finish but even if it isn’t, the art and story has been more than enough to keep me interested.

The Incredibles 4 – Ok…this new storyline is achingly familiar. I’m fairly sure I know what’s going to happen next and as such it really isn’t that much fun to read a moment. Filing this one with last week’s WALL-E as possibilities for a reckoning on my reading list.

JSA All Stars 2 – These comics are so 50-50 for me. On the one hand, I love Hourman 1 & 2, Power Girl, and Stargirl. I’m really neutral towards Judomaster, Wildcat 2, Citizen Steel, and and Cyclone. I outright dislike Magog, King Chimera, and Damage. Especially since Magog needs to shut his damn mouth 90% of the time. Power Girl is infinitely the better choice as far as leadership goes, and I really prefer the feel of the old JSA to this one. Ah well, here’s to hoping it’ll be fixed in Brightest Day. :rolls eyes:

R.E.B.E.L.S. 12 – Does a good job of keeping two plot lines running, but I really don’t feel invested in either of them. I -want- to enjoy Vril, but so much of what he does and thinks is unknown that it’s hard to do much more than sit back and watch the show. This isn’t bad, but I’m just not as involved as I could be. I imagine now that Starro is headed to Earth everything will get way more…ah…explosive, let’s hope the Black Lanterns aren’t still there or it will get very confusing very quickly. I highly doubt DC can manage a battle like that, unlike One Piece as mentioned earlier.

Blackest Night Catwoman – Is…decent. The art? Great. The characters? Well-written. The plot? Meh… Especially considering the amount of trouble everyone else is having with BLs, even the human ones, it’s kind of annoying that the Sirens (as all 3 were present) simply wrap it up in one issue with little more than a few cuts and bruises. I suppose it’s good they gave some more drive to Selina’s sister, but I still don’t care about her that much. That and she’s a source of angst/drama, which as I discussed in an earlier post annoys the crap out of me.

Titans 21 – I’m glad Kory is still getting some spotlight, I’m not sure how she found out about Dick…I assume that’s explained elsewhere, maybe. In any case, I’m hoping this new arc they’re embarking on is actually good and isn’t just a quick and dirty story to keep the pages filled until Bruce gets back so Dick and the other currently busy Titans can return. Not that I don’t want them to return, just that it’s annoying when logical character development gets trumped by plot theatrics. That and the crap with Roy is just annoying. Cry for Justice isn’t even over yet and they’re already writing the prologue. :rolls eyes: Also, the panel with Black Canary getting out of her chair? Hideous. Seriously guys, try a little harder.

Adventure Comics 6 – Ah, we get Lex being Lex (asshole) and we get Superboy developing a better and better mindset. I really do like how he is playing out now. Actually, he and Supergirl are surprising me with their character development. Definitely someone to keep an eye on, though I’m told he’ll be moving back to the Teen Titans rather than staying on in Adventure Comics. I suppose we’ll see. Also, not since Hush have I been less annoyed with a Krypto appearance in a series of comics. Nice job guys. Oh, oh! That fireside scene at the end was great,

Batgirl 6 – Blah blah blah, Stephanie makes halfway decent decisions (gasp), Damien makes an ass of himself (no gasp), Dick and Babs play nice again (we’ll see how long that lasts :eye roll:), and Gotham continues to go to hell because the Batclan is fairly incompetent at the moment. Please come back Cassandra, -someone- needs to be professional around here, aside from Alfred who is always awesome.

Batman 695 – Dick continues to do a passable (though not great) job of being Batman. He follows clues to figure things out that Bruce would have had covered weeks ago. Heck, even Tim would have figured this stuff out by now. Ok, ok, my annoyance with Dick as Batman aside, it’s too bad. We get a brief Catwoman appearance, and Dick isn’t as horribly incompetent here as he is in Batgirl, so I guess I can live it with. Especially considering my next item…

Batman The Widening Gyre 4 – Holy cow I’m glad this only has two more issues left. Kevin Smith butchers Batman was few people are capable of. The silly internal monologues, the campy flash-backs (that lack the charm of Adam West doing the same thing), and Silver. Oh Silver, how I dislike thee. A girl like that belongs with Spiderman. Heck, she often seems like some sort of combination of early Mary Jane and Felicia Hardy. I -suppose- she belongs with the idiot pretending to be Batman in these comics, because that is definitely not the real Bruce Wayne. In any case, the art is the only redeeming quality of these comics. Other than that, the only reason I could suggest picking this one up is because Selina makes an appearance and is again confirmed as queen of Bruce/Batman’s lovers.

Anime time!

Bleach 253 – Evidently any semblance of story is being thrown away now for fanfic-like battles. The only good quality of this particular episode is a moment where Chad gets to look cool. That’s about it.

Naruto Shippuuden 143 – Hachibi makes this entire episode worth watching. Man, it’s better in anime form because you get to hear him rapping and see him fighting, awesome. Karin’s little healing trick is…ah…even more ridiculous with sound effects. Unfortunately, it looks like another filler arc is coming up, meaning we will be leaving behind the awesome that is Hachibi and Raikage for more stupid. :grumble:

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood 39 – The first half of the episode is mostly explaining the end of the previous one, still we get a lot of character interaction and some personal growth for a few as well. Additionally, a few more regulars seem to have been added to the cast, which is nice. I’m really enjoying all the intrigue going on now, there’s at least four distinct groups going around doing their thing, plenty of wild cards in the mix, and all this just keeps my interest really well. Additionally, the new intro and outro are fantastic as usual. I can’t wait to see what happens next week, even if it does look like it’ll be another flashback episode.

Well, that about wraps up my weekly update for this week. I think it’s the final format I’ll use and go back to apply to previous weeks. The bat-clan article is coming along slow and steady, will keep stewing on that one because I’d like my first feature to be halfway decent. See y’all next week at the latest.

Ok, so stuff came out late last week and I’m viewing it late because I’ve been super busy. :will be on time this week for sure, hopefully:

Anywho! On to reviews.

Bleach 252 – This week was pretty ok as far as filler goes. I was -kinda- feeling for Kouga during the flashback, but now he’s just lame. Byakuya sadly doesn’t pull out anything new for his battle. A little bit of kidou is used, Kouga’s definitely looks cooler, and he doesn’t use any fancy flash steps, so it’s flashy but kind of a wash. The omake at the end was entertaining as it continues Uryu’s random little story.

Inuyasha Kanketsuhen 11 – This week was a little sad. Not for Inuyasha and Kagome, pfft, they’re same old same old. No, I mean for Kanna. I was really sad with how things turned out with Kagura, and this just reminds the viewers of it. The new ending movie is good as usual with Inuyasha openings/endings. I think the kinda repetitive bit with Kagome and Inuyasha prevented the episode from having as much weight as it could have, but at least it looked nice and had some minor amusements with Shippou and Kilala.

Naruto Shippuuden 142 – This week was kinda meh, been there done that in the manga already. On the plus side, Hachibi is 10x more entertaining to hear than to read. :already know he’s going to love episodes with that guy: Also, the ending credits are cute, and the song isn’t half bad. The omake was also pretty entertaining, and since it had Hinata and Kakashi in it (and Naruto too) I was pretty satisfied. A little more Team 8 in the omake would be great, but I’ll settle for the bit I got.

Deadpool Team-Up was hilarious as usual. Art wasn’t quite as awesome as previous ones, but some of the scenes and one-liners are fantastic.

Doom Patrol was a little bit flashback-ey catch-up-ey, and sad, but hey, what’s Doom Patrol without angst, ya? I’m assuming we’ll have a bit more of that in coming weeks while they stall for Brightest Day.

Mass Effect: Redemption 1 – Wasn’t too bad. I’m glad Liara is getting better at dealing with people, I only hope Cerberus doesn’t mess with her. Like I need more reason to dislike them. :will stab them in the back when ME2 comes out:

Red Robin is…hard to call. On the one hand, I like that Tim is branching out and doing his own stuff while still being true to Bruce (unlike some other former Robin’s I know) but making an enemy of Ra’s -and- this new assassin organization? Stupid. Should have waited it out and sprung it when there would be less to lose, and when Bruce is back. Ah well, kids these days…

WALL-E was another somewhat entertaining little story, though these aren’t amazing, not sure how long I’ll keep picking them up.

I also picked up a few hard-to-find back-issues…

Ballistic Triumph: Oracle (Showcase ‘94) was…meh. It seems to have been an attempt of DC to make Babs look tough even as Oracle, it didn’t work. I’d get into a big chat about it, but I’ll wait till my Bat-clan feature.

Planet DC Annual 2000: Batgirl on the other hand was quite good. Cassandra gets a fair part even though she can’t speak, and though the preachy-ness of the issue was a little annoying, it was good to see her shine a bit and feature her working relationship with Bruce a bit more.

DC 1st Batgirl/Joker was also good. We got some classic Babs kicking butt and taking names, and then we get Cass trying her best to live up to the mantle. All complete with a touching ending. The only off-bit was Babs putting her foot in her own mouth…again. More on that with the Bat-clan article.

Also some less hard to find TPs…

Batman: Harley & Ivy was also good, though what do you think will be the case when Paul Dini and Bruce Timm work on something? Lots of love to both characters, plenty of flirty bits, and almost none of the idiotic Joker worship that characterized Harley at the time. Huzzah!

Titans vol. 1 & 2 I’d already read as TPs, but were still pretty good. If Blackest Night hadn’t just messed all that up, I’d be saying how the Titans were headed in a good direction lately. Oh well.

Speaking of the direction of the Titans…

I like Ravager. I think she’s fantastic and deserves a lot more face time. I also think Miss Martian is woefully under-appreciated in the current run. I think both characters have a lot going for them and are currently pretty drama free. :chuckles: Which is probably why I’m drawn to them, which brings me to my…

Special Feature: Peeve of the Week! – This week, and many others, it’s drama! No, not the lovely stage-acting. I mean the idiotic teenage kind. Blackest Night, in my opinion, started out quite well. There was a lot of potential to fix issues in the DCU as well as making for an interesting pick-up story for all the running stories. What is has turned into, however, is one giant drama-fest. A character is well-adjusted? Let’s kill them, or a loved one. A character is just starting to get back to being a hero/villain (that we like) again? Let’s side-track them with an annoying and long-lasting story. Awesome. Did you catch my sarcasm there? It’s really hard not to be dripping with it by this point. I -liked- where Roy was going, oops, drama time! Titans and Teen Titans finally getting their bearings? Not this time! Flashes are happy? Ha, not anymore! Green Lanterns finally doing their job in our sector? Not with this sideshow going on… I could continue, but I’m sure you get the point.

Conclusion is, I hate drama. I don’t mind -tension- or -suspense- or even a bit of tragedy, but I hate drama. It’s annoying, it doesn’t help anything, and it ruins my favorite characters for months at a time. Weak. Hopefully Bruce will fix everything when he gets back.

Ok, that’s all for this week, another update will be sooner rather than later as I’ll try to get this week done on time. Signing off!

Ok, I have a post brewing on the bat-clan I need to get out, but in the mean time it’s my weekly update!

Comics
Diddly nothing this week, seriously. I bought a bunch of Birds of Prey TPs because nothing came out except Blackest Night, and I’m not -really- interested enough to buy BN comics outside of my normal series. I’ll wait for the TP thanks.

Manga
No new Bleach, Naruto, One Piece, or Claymore this week.

Anime
No new Bleach, Naruto, or Inuyasha this week, but there was a new Full Metal Alchemist. Overall, I thought it was pretty good. This anime is a lot more clever than the previous, but is also quite a bit grittier. Not that it comes out badly, just that they remind you frequently that just because you’re a main character it doesn’t mean you are immune to pain, harm, or death. I think I’ve figured out most of the stuff by now (still haven’t caught up in the manga) so I’m hoping they have a few more twists in store by the end.

Ok, I admit, it was a skip week for almost everything so I -really- got off easy. S’ok, I’ll post lots of meaningless rambling this coming week once everything resumes. Hopefully I’ll get that bat-clan article together as well. In the meantime, don’t anyone die on me.

After much time stagnating I’ve finally a) moved to Slicehost, b) cleaned up my blog, and c) decided I -have- to post something or else the scales of balance will tip.

Anyway, look for weekly comic, manga, and anime rant-type-things here. I’ll try to be interesting but I guarantee nothing.