Chivalry of a Failed Knight - Anime

Sometimes I have to ask myself why I still get surprised at today’s level of ‘plot’ that gets dished out in anime. I mean you watch enough anime and you’re bound to figure out the formula that’s behind it, so why be surprised, right? Yet every time it gets to me without fail as I watch a new series with fresh innocent eyes, unsuspecting of what’s to come and then BAM! Ecchi here, ecchi there, ecchi seemingly everywhere as you continue to watch what you assumed was an action and fantasy show that just had really gifted girls and that one lucky guy in the middle of it all.

Chivalry of a Failed Knight is without a doubt your average harem anime where you have your main protagonist, who is a guy that is striving to reach his goal which in this case is to fight in the Seven Star Sword Art Festival. This annual event is held by the seven Mage Knight Academies in Japan to determine the strongest apprentice Knight between the schools.

Our lead guy, Kurogane Ikki, dubbed a failed knight strives to fight in this festival despite being ill-equipped when it comes to having overall supernatural abilities like the rest of his peers, whom are referred to as Blazers and can each materialize a device though their soul to fight with.

On his journey to fighting in the festival he comes across an A-class Blazer, Stella Vermillion, whom he accidentally stumbles upon in an awkward time leading to various misunderstandings and adorable moments that bring them closer together. The two duel it out and upon Ikki’s defeat of her, declare to fight each other again at the festival leading to them becoming rivals and, quite suddenly, lovers.

The anime goes on to show bits and pieces of the couples battles that showcase the rise in popularity and the story moves fairly quickly as it covers their journey to the festival. However, I can’t help but feel the anime slow down at some points and focus on those ecchi moments a bit too much while it lacks a bit of character development for any of the characters.

I have to be honest and say it drags for me a bit when I have to sit through more ecchi than story and I feel lost as to where the whole thing is going and feel like I could have watched another anime. Of course this is all just my opinion, so yeah.

One Punch Man - Anime

I love it when a show plays on clichés, it’s especially fun when those clichés have something to do with superheroes. They take what you know and further exaggerate things as they play out the story in a new and refreshing way, just like this recent anime has done with its protagonist. It really is fun and exciting to watch.

One Punch Man takes place in a world where there seems to be a constant threat of some kind to the people in the various cordoned off cities and because of this there exists an organization that employs various individuals who step up to fight against threats, aka our heroes. These heroes sign on to be recognized for their efforts and are allowed to be part of the Hero Association after signing up and being ranked by the organization.

But now aside from all that paper work and rules, we have our protagonist who stands apart from the other heroes as he comes along and does his own thing right off the bat, unaware of the organization rules and regulations. All he wants to do is be a hero for the heck of it. The anime starts off by showing us him saving the day multiple times with an amazing feat of strength, yet seemingly with no recognition as he remains a nobody in the eyes of the public.

Saitaima, our protagonist, remains clueless to all this as he roams around saving the day here and there in places where other highly ranked heroes fail to do so and soon it becomes clear he is in a league of his own, despite the fact that when he eventually joins the Hero association he ranks fairly low.

Enter Genos, a cyborg who witnesses Saitama’s great strength and begs the carefree hero to be his master and teach him his ways in order to grow stronger. Here we have someone that excels so well in all things ‘hero’ that the association practically drools at the idea of having him on board and ranks him in the highest rank straight of the bat.

The story is pretty interesting to watch unfold as you see how the strongest man around doesn’t get your average praise and glory and he doesn’t seem to mind because ultimately he is just doing the whole ‘hero’ thing because he wants to do it and not to get any sort of praise and glory. It’s pretty deep stuff, you know.

The story even gets more interesting as you follow Genos as his character develops and he learns more about his seemingly airheaded master, who might be even more amazing than he actually is. It gives room to admire, through the eyes of learning disciple, the good points of a straight forward personality.

In the end I’d say it’s a pretty good and inspiring anime to watch as it twists and exaggerates a few clichés here and there, while also bringing home a new bald headed hero you can’t help but picturing on your eggs every so now and then.

Limitless - TV Show [CBS]

The mind is a brilliant thing and messing with it has been mankind’s greatest dream since possibly the dawn of science. In a recent TV show we see just how deep someone has messed with the mind as they create a drug that actually unlocks what could arguably be the brain’s full potential.

Based on a movie, like another series I won’t mention, Limitless proves to be a successful attempt at bringing the cinema to the silver screen as it carries on the story it initially created but with new characters you can’t help but like and follow as they create a story you will enjoy keeping track of.

The plot follows Brian Finch, a man who has seen better days in his life as he holds on to a dying career while watching the world move on, seemingly without him, until one day he comes across an old friend who gifts him with one dose of NZT as a helping hand to change his perspective on his life. Obviously our down and out lead doesn’t take the drug seriously and takes it with little to no expectation, until he learns what the rest of us who have watched the movie know very well to expect.

Things move fast and soon Brian Finch lands himself in the middle of a very sticky situation that has quite an interesting revelation at the end where viewers get to see how big an impact the movie really did make on the TV series as it brings in the lead actor in the movie for a one on one with the series lead.

Of course it is only a brief return, but it’s effective as it gets the message across while leading our new hero into his role as a consultant for the FBI, or rather their asset. The other characters also hold their own as they come across mildly interesting, but it must be said that it remains Brian Finch’s personality that draws you in and keeps you hooked as well as the way in which the show is structured.

The cinematography is pretty amazing and the use of lighting is spot on. My favourite though is the dialogue between the characters that keeps one entertained. The whole detective theme works as well as when you factor in ways to best exploit the different abilities NZT is supposed to gift the user, so there’s that too.

Over all, I loved the show and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a good action/light science fiction type of show.