Kira Kira Precure Ala Mode Ep 29 Review: The Darkness in my Heart

Let's Cooking! This is my review of Kira Kira Precure episode 29 and Yukari is upset that Akira is paying attention to others rather her.

The Good: I have really nothing good to say other than Cure Chocolat carrying Cure Macaron princess style.

The Bad: I felt Yukari is kinda of inconsiderate since she has a thing for Akira who is oblivious of her feelings and was thinking that Akira has never consider her feelings. To be honest, Akira is just a nice and helpful person.

Furthermore Yukari never express her feelings to Akira and she decided to went head on into Elysio's trap. I find that Yukari's inner child is just making her accept that she is a lonely person which she did accepted but she accepted the friendship with everyone else which I think it is kinda of making things too easy to resolve.

After the battle, Yukari just accepted the status quo between her and Akira as if nothing happened before. I felt the resolution is too cliched for a Precure show and will rather have Yukari fell into darkness with the others falling it too but no, this is not a midnight anime show so screw that idea!

Overall, Yukari is just not interesting since she bottle everything up and behave like a spoil kid. You can tell I don't have much to say for this episode since the current arc is basically getting the girls to accept their weakness for their next power up.

Compare to previous seasons where the trial of getting their next form is more emotional and over the top, (Smile Precure did this part very well when they got their Ultra Form) it has been so far a snooze fest.

Next is Akira's turn and her sister Miku returned. Elysio tried again to lure Akira into a trap with Miku as bait. Until then, see you in the next post!

Kira Kira Precure Ala Mode Ep 28 Review: Himari and the Giant Sponge Cake

Let's Cooking! This is my review of Kira Kira Precure episode 28. Today Himari get to meet her favourite author-Tachibana Yuu aka Dr Sweets.

The Good: Himari actually learn how to be open in her thoughts rather than the shy persona she is used to. Especially when she took the responsibility to assist Dr Sweets in his open door experiment which is basically making a large sponge cake.

Himari also used her knowledge during the battle with Grave's monster of the week and create different mixtures by using her fellow cures' attacks. It is interesting however being attacked by large amount of cream isn't really that exciting compared to previous seasons more flashy attacks.

The Bad: I find that their shop need to have better security since Dr Sweets just barged into their kitchen which seriously it is considering trespassing into private property. But then their shop is non-existent so everything get thrown out of the window.

Next was the lesson that Dr Sweets was trying to teach Himari which is the usual "trust your feelings" which kind of conflict with what Dr Sweets mentioned earlier since he used science to explain his theory and feelings isn't really scientific.

Grave was boring since he just crash the party and create a monster from his lackeys. Said a few taunts and got his ass kicked by the girls. Give me Bibury anytime! At least I enjoyed her crazy psyche with her doll.

Overall, it was better than last week Aoi's episode but then all the yellow cures have the best character development in Precure history. Other than a battle which could have been more flashy rather than "Creamy," the story was all right with Himari getting her Squirrel Crystal.

Next, we have another Yukari and Akira conflict episode. (Seriously, after 3 episodes ago?) But this time Elysio aimed in turning Yukari into a Dark Precure since her mind is really messed up. Until then, see you in the next post!

King of Fighters Destiny Ep 3 and 4 Review

Hi everyone! Let's continue the KOF Destiny series with episode 3 and episode 4 (Which was leaked online somehow) and see how Terry learn that he get tongue tied when a hot lady sit next to him.

Yuri has been known to make silly faces since her appearance in AOF 2..

After some hilarious exchange between Kyo's company and AOF Ryo and Robert Garcia, (which include learning that Yuri has run away after being rejected to join her brother in the KOF tournament) we find Terry quietly drinking in a bar when a hot lady named Angeline sat next to him.

Angeline even mentioned that she is Geese's daughter in law but doesn't mind flirting with Terry. Of course, Joe Higashi who was there for some reason got into a brawl with Geese's men. But not before Terry score first base with Angeline however the two fighters fled the bar and meet up with Andy at their old father's home. Andy even explained that Joe was a friend of his and he agreed to help take down Geese.

Andy was determined to take down Geese however Terry claimed it is too risky with Geese surrounded by his men including Billy Kane. But when a trailer which was heading towards Geese Tower passed them, the trio sneaked in but was immediately ambushed by Billy and his men.

Power Geyser actual command is Quarter Back, Forty five degree Left, Right and Heavy Punch

This is where it got since we get to see Terry and Billy go head on which include Billy's Fire Whirlpool and Terry's Power Geyser (Although the command for Power Geyser isn't really that correct) Geese also appeared (with an awesome intro from his theme music) however something seems off with him.

The trio retreated thanks to Joe's Screw Upper and Clark Steel who was doing recon nearby and reporting back to Heidern. Later Kyo who was resting in his room felt a deadly presence...

First some interesting moments which SNK will never address which it is Ryo is nicknamed "The Invincible Dragon" but has skills named after Tiger while Robert is nicknamed "The Raging Tiger" but has skills named after Dragon. Even Benimaru question Ryo in the episode but was interrupted by Robert who broke the news about Yuri's runaway.

A little disappointed that Robert behave like a doffus and isn't his family super rich? Why does he need Benimaru's help to find Yuri? Anyway, the highlight was Terry meeting Angeline which is paying homages to the Fatal Fury OVA: Legend of Hungry Wolf when Terry met Lily who is Geese's adopted daughter.

Compared to Lily and Angeline is like comparing a real life Lilly flower and Red Rose. One is gentle while the other is sexy. (Given the fact that Angeline is voiced by Miss Versatile Sawashiro Miyuki who voiced many sexy female characters including Catherine of the famed video game, Cammy from Street Fighter and Towa/Cure Scarlet of Princess Precure)

Not really sure how Angeline's fate will be by the end of the Geese Howard Arc but looking at Terry's relationships with women, it is not going to end well. 

The fight scene at Geese Tower is pretty fun but Geese has to show up but looking at his aura, we are getting hint of the Orochi power pretty early in the story. But I doubt Geese will stay long since we will be getting Rugal and even Goenitz later as seen in the voice credits.

Anyway, this episode is fun of homages and Easter eggs. The only issue I have that it is a bit too short in it's running time. I also understand that Angeline's singing scene before she sat beside Terry was cut due to copyright issues if you watch from SNK Youtube channel but is restored in the Chinese Subtitles version. Apparently Angeline was singing a redone version of the Carpenters' Close to you song. (The song title Angeline sing is called "All to me, All to you" if you want to know)

Overall, some fun moments for episode 3 and 4. But it seem the next episode we are going to look at Geese's past and his hate relationship with his half-brother Wolfgang Krauser (If he come in, I want his theme song to play with a full orchestra behind at the background) and Jeff Bogard. Until then, see you in the next post!

Kira Kira Precure Ala Mode Ep 27 Review: Hard and Sour

Let's Cooking! This is my review of Kira Kira Precure episode 27. From now on, I will just talk about the good, the bad and overall thoughts of the episode since Kira Kira Precure is kinda of getting 'Meh' unless something happened.

The Good: We finally have an Aoi episode after her last one with her butler which is like a few months ago. So when Aoi got to play in the Blue Fes open concert, she felt the pressure especially when her idol, Misaki is playing next field with a capacity crowd and Aoi's concert had a subtle crowd.

Furthermore, she mistaken Ichika's words (about hard and sour gummies) thinking that her friends are looking down at her. It led to an interesting scene that Elysio successfully influenced Aoi/Cure Gelato in creating havoc in the concert which should lead to a better climax however it failed.

The Bad: After 27 episodes, the girls are not really united in both heart and soul. Thanks to many episodes that focus on Ichika, Ciel and Julio, the remaining four girls had little development or even understanding of each others' strength and weakness.

So when Cure Gelato got turned evil, I was expecting some heads on with the girls as they realised one of their own is now creating havoc but because of no-fists rules, the girls just shouted to Cure Gelato about how she feel and she recovered which it is really a face palm on the face. (Yes, it is a facepalm!)

Although Aoi's blue crystal changed into a lion crystal but because Elder and Pekorin are pretty useless throughout so far, we don't know what this means and because we are only halfway through the season so padding is confirmed.

But why didn't Akira and Yukari's crystals changed shape during their episode? Does that mean we are getting another Akira and Yukari centric episode again? (Lord, I have nothing against those two but can we get to the main plot or at least get some ideas what the girls are suppose to do?)

Overall, a mixed bag for me. It will be interesting to at least see one of the Cures joined the bad guys for a while and see how things will work up seeing that the girls are not invulnerable to outside influences.

Next episode, Himari finally get the spotlight as she become an assistant to her favourite author who is Dr Sweets?! (That's what I am calling him next week!) Until then, see you in the next post!

P.S: I have just finished watching Season 1 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and it is pretty interesting and now halfway through Season 2. If you want my thoughts of the first season, Leave a comment and you will probably get the review real soon.

Kira Kira Precure Ala Mode Ep 26 Review: A Cold Reception

Let's Cooking! This is my review of Kira Kira Precure episode 26. Sorry for the delay as I have just recovering from my wisdom tooth removal and still feeling the side effects. Let's get straight to my thoughts.

Thanks to Ichika's mess up for using all the kira sponge to make a float around the Patisserie, (Although why no one even notice there is a building in the ocean is anyone guess) So the girls ended in a deserted island and guess who they found?

Biburi who is upset that Noir has abandoned her and her doll, Iru has lost her power. We do get some back story of her being abandoned by everyone and Noir created Iru out of her darkness. Somehow Iru represented all her hated towards human. She was shocked to see Ciel who found her on a hilltop but since Biburi lost all her power, she was sulking to herself and ran away.

Ciel who feel sorry for her tried to make up with Biburi after Ichika and company make the Penguin Shaved Ice. Instead Biburi absorb the Kiraru energy from the Shaved Ice to power up Iru. However Iru went out of control and started attacking her too.

Biburi fell off a cliff but Cure Parfait saved her and told her she want to help no matter what grudges they have in the past. After a quick battle with Iru, Ciel offered the Shaved Ice again to Biburi and she took it. But she absorb enough Kiraru energy into Iru to leave the island. Ciel's crystal ball also changed shape into a Pegasus cup which she wonder why? Although what happened to Akira and Yukari's crystal balls when it was glowing last episode? We didn't get an explanation for that.

Overall, it is an okay episode with Ciel trying to show empathy to Biburi as she is a victim by Noir. Although Biburi refused to admit that Noir has abandoned her but didn't show total hated towards Ciel in the end. Perhaps she will have a change of heart in the end seeing how the two new generals are complete jerks so far, I hope Biburi will survive to join the girls in the future.

Next episode, it is Aoi's story and she is joining in a rock concert competition but her idol, Misaki is joining too. Will Aoi crack under pressure or Elysio will used his influence to ruin Aoi? Until then, see you in the next post!

The King of Fighters Destiny Ep 1 and 2 Review: A Faithful Video Game Adaption!?

After countless of video game adaptions to big and small screen, can the King of Fighters (KOF for short) make it or become another lost piece in the ocean of video games adaption?

KOF is no stranger to other media from a 4 part OVA called Another day that cover the events in between the Ash Crimson and Maximum Impact Arc that make fans want more but never got it since SNK has countless finance issues and other video games companies (Capcom, Namco, etc) has stepped into the 3D genre with success and SNK is still struggling with their problems.

So after a major overhaul that lasted for 4 years, SNK finally came back this year with a new KOF (KOF 14) and the announcement of a 3D animated series with China CG company, IDragons Creative Studio and the first two episodes is already out.

So if you are still confused on what is going on after watching the first 2 episodes (or never play any of the older KOF or SNK games) Here is how the story goes chronically.

In the older days of Japan, the evil eight headed snake demon known as Orochi invade Japan and the three big families-Kusanagi, Yasanaki and Yata defeated Orochi with their three sacred weapons. 10 years before the first KOF tournament, Geese Howard murdered Terry and Andy Bogard's adopted father, Jeff over the control of an ancient martial arts scroll. This led Terry and Andy to pursue different fighting styles to prepare the day for their revenge against Geese.

Nice Ass, Mature!

However a mysterious third player is watching everything from the shadows as seen in the first scene of the first episode, a female assassin and her men hijacked an army convoy carrying the mysterious "Black Crystals"

Of course, we can't forget the main character, Kyo Kusanagi and his two faithful friends/rivals-Handsome Electric Fighter, Benimaru Nikado and Judo Master, Goro Daimon. The first scene of them was hilarious with Kyo and his father, Saisyu fighting over a fish ball a la Kung Fu Panda parody. After Saisyu was being dragged away by his wife, the three fighters packed their bags and headed to South Town for the KOF tournament.

The show also did a good mix-mash of the three big SNK fighting games-KOF, Fatal Fury and Art of Fighting (AOF for short) since all three storyline intertwined with each other despite how previously, there was no canon in their respective games.

Product Placement-Download our game!

Oh Mai, I can watch you all day!

Furthermore, the story is also set in current modern time with cell phones and social media like Benimaru trying to make friends with AOF sweetheart, Yuri Sakazaki through Facebook and SNK Poster Girl, Mai Shiranui playing a KOF app game on her phone while complaining of her boyfriend, Andy Bogard running off to South Town for the tournament.

We even get some comical moments from AOF Main lead, Ryo Sakazaki as he comically try to ride his motorcycle with little success and decided to make his way to Geese Tower by foot. The show also gave us of how the action scenes were done with Ryo, Stick Welder/Geese's bodyguard Billy and Benimaru. With their iconic moves like Ryo's Tiger Roar, Billy's Multi Sticks and Benimaru's Flying Drill displaying, it is a KOF Fan's dream come true.

Despite how the CG graphics on some of the characters looked like Barbie dolls, I really enjoyed the story so far and can't wait to see more. With 24 episodes being announced for the first season, it looked like we might go all the way to the Orochi Saga. (KOF 94-97 timeline)

Is Heidern trying to be DC Comics' The Question?

As seen from the opening, fan favourites like Athena Asamiya, Heidern, Kim Kaphwan and everyone favourite Sociopath, Iori Yagami will gradually make their appearances in the upcoming episodes. But for now, the story is focus on the First Fatal Fury game and some homages from the Fatal Fury OVA: Legend of Hungry Wolf with a female love interest, Angelina for Terry.

If you want to watch it, it is available for free on Steam and somehow the 2nd episode was leaked on Youtube. Overall, a good start for KOF Destiny and let's hope it get better by the end!

Update 11/08/2017: Both Episode 1 and 2 are now uploaded on SNK Channel on Youtube.