Nerd Tutorial Podcast

Ep 83: Full Metal Alchemist Review

 Topic: Full Metal Alchemist Review

 

Part 2 of the Experiment is always seeing the results.  After reading some of the Manga, watching 2 different anime, and then the movie, it’s time to see what mom’s Opinions of these various versions are.

 

 

Manga:

Chapter 1-2: Liore Incident

The primary point of these chapters, along with introducing the Elric Brothers, is to show the Manipulative nature of Religion/Cults, which comes up later throughout the series.

Chapter 3: Youswell, Coal Mine

This chapter also shows more the folly of man, as the government isn’t perfect and has a lot of corruption from within, something that is hinted at much later. 

Chapter 4: Train Hostages

A bit more action to the chapter, it shows off the beginnings of the military, along with the power they might supplant.

Chapter 5: Shou Tucker, Introduction of Scar

Shou Tucker and Nina are meant to be a warning of diving too deeply in to science and forgetting about your humanity.  This also introduces Scar, whose religion plays an active point in the series’ events.

Chapter 6: Ed Loses to Scar

Ed’s Loss to Scar is meant to show that Alchemy can’t solve everything and that an over reliance on it can be the downfall.  Alchemy is a tool, but not the solution.

Chapter 7: The retreat/aftermath

Granted, this chapter is meant to give Ed and Al a way out, but meant to show both of their desperations and reliance on one another, how each out essentially die for each other.

Chapter 8: Doctor Marco, Early clues to Philosopher’s Stone’s creation

Doctor Macro is a person who knows the truth and is running away from it, burying it in a hole never to be found again, but realizes that someone who’s goal is just and moral, offers to help, even thought it will hurt.

Chapter 9: Winry, getting fixed up

We show off Winry and her eventual importance, not just as a sisterly neighbor, but how she is the emotional core of the duo and their reliance upon her.

Chapter 10: Central City, Learning how Philosopher’s Stone is made

Granted, a lot of the chapter is fapping about, but it shows the lengths in which the villains will keep their secrets hidden, less someone realize what they are up to and either stop them, or copy them.

Chapter 11: Visiting the 5^th Laboratory

After learning that the Philosopher’s Stone is made by sacrificing human lives, Ed and Al continue to investigate, even though they both know they won’t rely on this method of making a stone.  The seek out the 5^th Laboratory in hopes they’ll find additional information that could help them.

Chapter 12: After the 5^th Laboratory

After having met two other individuals that had their souls placed in armor, we learn a bit more about how Ed and Al see humanity, with Ed believing that all life is sacred, while Al wonders if he is even truly human or real, which sets up an existential crisis for a few chapters.

 

Overall:

The early manga chapters, the first three volumes, do a good job of laying out a lot of frame work for the series, hinting at later chapters and themes that will run throughout the series.  Namely how religion and strictly held beliefs can do great harm, but also the corrupting power of science, governments, and just power in general.  A lot of dark themes being presented by Arakawa.

 

 

 

Anime (2003)

Ep 1&2: This plays very similarly to the manga’s Liore incident.

Ep 3: Goes back to the beginning and shows the details of how Ed and Al lost their mom, did the bad Alchemy, and got to this point. 

Ep 4: A side story about how Al and Ed getting to central, a detour has them solving a stupid mystery

Ep 5: They get their first introduction to the military, while saving a general on a train.  Very similar to Chapter 4.

Ep 6-7: This tells the story of Shou Tucker, but drawn out to show Ed becoming a State Alchemist and showing how both Ed and Al bonded with Nina before she became a Chimera.

Ep 8: Ed tires to resign from being a State Alchemist, until he is kidnapped by a serial Killer and nearly killed.

 

Overall:

The art style is a bit more cartoony and relaxed by comparison to the original manga.  Characters look like anime characters with slightly more realistic proportions.  The only downside for the original anime is the pacing, which moves along very slow, and a lot of events that happen in the manga have no-barring on later events, and don’t necessarily add to the story/plot, so much is helps hide the fact that the production went to in to it way too early.

 

 

 

Brotherhood Anime (2009)

Ep 1: This episode isn’t cannon to the series, but shows off a lot of what is displayed later on in the series shortly thereafter, including Ed’s automail body parts, Al’s hollowness, and other characters that will come up later.  I’d say skip it, but other episodes don’t linger on certain notions right away.

Ep 2: Plays very similarly to Episode 3 of the 2003 anime, with the events of Trisha Elric dying and Ed applying, and succeeding, in becoming a State Alchemist.

Ep 3. Liore Incident, but instead covered in a single episode

Ep 4. Shou Tuck incident.

Ep 5. This follows chapters 6 and 7 pretty well. 

Ep 6. This follows chapter 8 and 9 pretty well.

Ep 7. This follows chapter 10 very well and leads in to the 5^th Laboratory arc. 

Ep 8. This follows chapters 11 and 12 very well.)

 

Overall:

The story itself moves starkly faster than the 2003 counterpart.  A lot of this is due to the assumption that a lot of people had been keeping up with the manga, again a monthly series, and they were getting toward the end.  As a result of wanting to speed through material that had already been covered, a lot of episodes condensed and simplified, moving much quicker through them. 

 

This is also when we remember that the 2003 anime got announced either late summer or early fall of 2002, a time when only 11-13 chapters had been completed.  By comparison to the 2009 version, as it was announced while nearly 80+ chapters had been out, the 2003 Anime suffers from filler plots and side tracks to character/world building that doesn’t aid the story.  In contrast, the beginning of the 2009 anime suffers from going too quickly through plot beats that are spread out more in the original anime.  Once the first 12-13 episodes get produced of the 2009 anime, it slows down some, but allowing the characters to have more development, and introducing new scenes and character not present in the 2003 anime. 

 

The Art work also represents the later years of character design that Arawaka was using, rather than the very Manga-eque look of the early 2002 years. 

 

 

Movie (2017)

Strange dissonance with music choices

Kids get ‘Wizard of Oz’-ed in very beginning

Liore incident showing the very end of the situation

Why is Father Cornello running?  He has a ring?  He’s well respected and admired in the city?

Lots of… costumes.  Things don’t seem to blend in naturally.

Missing Iconic Clap-Sound when Ed claps his hands together.

Al looks off at certain times.  Would have preferred a practical suit actor instead, you’d think that it wouldn’t be that difficult considering Tokusatou series.

Events are very out of order.

Why would Hughes bring his wife with him for the next month while he’s on assignment?

Gate of Truth with Ed as a teenager, that isn’t right.

 

 

 

Ep 82: Fullmetal Alchemist Tutorial/Experiment

Topic: Fullmetal Alchemist Tutorial/Experiment

 

Ep 82: Fullmetal Alchemist Tutorial/Experiment

 

An Experiment: This week, we’re asking mom and our audience to not only read some Manga, but also to watch some anime, and a movie.  All of these things are the exact same things.  Which makes it even more interesting.  Namely, Fullmetal Alchemist, which is not only a long running manga series that ran for over 9 years, but also two Anime, and a Japanese movie.  So, what happens when print media becomes a TV series and a Movie?  Let’s see what Mom thinks.

 

 

 

What is Fullmetal Alchemist?

Hiromu Arakawa is the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist.  She was born in 1973 and grew up on a dairy farm in Hokkaido.  From young age, she loved manga and would collect it whenever she had money from her allowance.  She initially went to agriculture high school, a theme she would later revisit for her next Manga “Silver Spoon”.  After graduating, she spent another seven years working on her parent’s dairy farm before moving to Tokyo to follow her dreams of becoming a Mangaka. 

 

She initially started as an Assistant before eventually getting her big break with ‘Stray Dog’.  This won her the 21^st Century “Shonen Gangan” award in 2000, and the company, Gangan, would eventually become the publisher for most of her work. 

 

Her next big title, Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, aka Fullmetal Alchemist, began publishing in 2001.  The series was a monthly title, which consisted of roughly 35-40 pages per month in Square Enix’s Monthly Shonen Gangan anthology.  The series would run for the better part of 9 years and become one of the most defining Manga and Anime for a world wide audience, particularly in the west.  This would eventually win her the prestigious Annual Shogakugan Manga Award  in 2003.  The series also spawned two anime series, with two follow movies for each series, as well as a live action movie in 2017.

 

Hiromu’s additional works include:

Hero Tales – Imperial China theme wars/conflicts

Silver Spoon – Agriculture High School, Slice of Life

The Heroic Legend of Arslan – Based off a similar book series

 

 

World/Story

Fullmetal Alchemists tells the story of Edward(Ed) and Alphonse(Al) Elric, a pair of brothers gifted in the science/magic of Alchemy, as they travel around the fictional country of Amestris in search of a way to recover their bodies and become whole. 

 

In this ‘steam punk’ world, closely matching technology of the early 19^th century, alchemy is the most practiced science throughout the world, which allows users who have studied to do transmutation magic.  Given a collection of items or materials, an Alchemist can draw transmutation circles across along a surface and channel energy in to it in order to create something new from the materials.  The magical system primarily operates by first identify the material, breaking it up in to its most natural components, then rebuilding it based off the transmutation circle.  The magic system is a hard magic system, consisting of rules and laws that must otherwise be followed.  The most fundamental being the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which directs that in order to create something, you must first lose something of equal value; and is also referenced at the beginning of every episode in the Anime.  Because of the hard magic System, Alchemists are limited in what alchemy itself can do, these include:

You can’t make something without the proper components.  IE, you can’t make a metal sword out of wood.

You’re limited to making something of equal size as the amount of components you have.  IE, you can’t build a house with only a single plank of wood.

The more complex the alchemy, the more complex the transmutation circle.

 

 

Within the country of Amestris exists the military, an omni-powerful organization that runs the country and is tasked to maintain order throughout the country and its borders, but may have secret motives and directives.  While they act like a standard military army and political organization, the most defining feature is the State Alchemists, Alchemists that are hired and operate for the military on their behalf.  The benefit works for both parties, as State Alchemists receive large stipends of funding from the government, but can be called in to service by the military to act as human weapons against opposing forces.  State Alchemists are also known as Dogs of the Military, a derogatory term as the military likes to throw State Alchemists at their problems, and that Alchemists must heavily rely on the military for funding to continue their research.  Each Alchemist is given a code name, which usually had something to do with their alchemy style, such examples include: Flame, Iron Blood, Crimson, and ofcourse, Full Metal.

 

While not explicit rules of the magical system, Alchemists within the world are limited in doing two major things with Alchemy.  The first not making gold, as this would throw off the entire economy of the country.  This is also a call back to the origin of alchemy, which at the intent of making precious metals, like gold itself.  The second is that human transmutation is outlawed, and considered highly taboo, along the lines of grave robbing or worse.

 

To continue with the Steam Punk nature of the world, people who have lost their limbs can have them replaced with robotic limbs known as ‘Automail’.  Most Automail replaces lost limbs like arms and legs, and rarely is it used to replace sections of the body even.  No electricity is necessary as it uses nerves in the body that already exist and blood to power limbs.  While uncommon, it is well known and entire communities and companies exist as a matter of building various limbs and parts.

 

 

Characters

The story primarily follows Ed and Al as they travel through the world trying to use their knowledge of Alchemy to regain their bodies and become whole.  This is due to Ed and Al attempting to bring back their dead mother using Alchemy using Human Transmutation, but failing to do so.  As a result of this initial failure, Ed lost his left leg and Al disappeared entirely, the toll or price for attempting Human Transmutation.  As a result of Human Transmutation, Ed gained advanced Alchemic knowledge, which he uses to bind Al’s soul to a nearby suit of armor, thus bringing him back to the world, but at the expense of Ed’s right arm.  After a prolonged recovery for Ed to gain an Automail Arm and Leg to replace those lost, the two set forth to find the Philosopher’s Stone, a fabled Alchemy tool that ignores the Laws of Equivalent Exchange, in hopes of resorting their bodies.

 

Edward Elric (Ed)

The main title character of the series, always seen with his signature blonde hair, golden eyes, red coat.  Edward is known as the Fullmetal Alchemist, the youngest State Alchemist, and best known for his signature ability of not needing a transmutation circle to produce Alchemy, a rare gift never seen before in most Alchemists.  Gifted, brave, and fierce, Edward is also a skill physical combatant, using his unique alchemy skills to augment his fighting style by creating weapons out of nowhere, even manipulating plates on his Automail Right Arm.  While a strong individual, Edward is also quite hot headed and temperamental, prone to fits of rage if something sets him off, often his height, which is often considered small for his age.  Despite his hot temper, Edward is very caring, especially toward his younger brother Alphonse, to which he has promised to find a way to recover Al’s body no matter what. 

 

Alphonse Elric (Al)

The younger of the Elric Brothers, he is also a main character, and is portrayed through the series as being a giant, hollow suit of armor.  This is due to his soul being bonded to a suit of armor.  This carries some advantages, such as not needing to eat or sleep, also not getting hot or cold, and seemingly immortality, assuming the blood seal remains undamaged.  However, these same pros are also cons for Alphonse, a very loving and caring soul that would rather shelter kittens than every punch a person, as he struggles to continue living without having a proper body.  Much like his brother, he is also gifted in Alchemy, though not at the same caliber of his brother, but is physically stronger and an even more skilled combatant than his brother.  He travels with his brother, and is often confused for his brother from time to time, as they both are in search of the Philosopher’s stone.

 

Colonel Roy Mustang

The Flame Alchemist, a State Alchemist who used his position to climb the ranks of military, with ambitions of eventually becoming the Fuhrer, leader of the country.  Cocky and reassured, his outward appearance hides his true motives and feelings, which is a commander with pure intentions of making the country a better place.  Much like his name, his manipulate flames using Alchemy; this is accomplished by using his special spark sensitive gloves to snap his fingers, creating sparks and then manipulating the air quality to direct explosions and blasts of fire around. 

 

Winry Rockbell

Best Friends to Ed and Al, she acts as Ed’s mechanic, as it was her who built Ed’s Automail Arm and Leg, even installing them on to his body with the assistance Winry’s grandmother.  A gifted mechanic, she loves machines in all forms and shapes, gawking over them.  She cares deeply for both Ed and Al, thinking of them as brothers and wishing for only the best for both.  She is often the emotional support for both, and even Physical Support for Ed.

 

Scar

An initial Antagonist, Scar is a nick name given to a killer of State Alchemists.  An tall and strong Ishvalan (similar to our Middle Eastern heritage/decent), he known for the X-shaped scare along the front of his face.  He hunts State Alchemists due to them having invaded his country and basically starting open warfare when his country did nothing to Amestris.  To combat State Alchemists, Scar’s right arm is adorned with Ishvalan sigils and runes, similar to Alchemy’s transmutation circles, which allow him to break down anything to its base components.  Using it, Scar can break weapons, streets, buildings, and even begin breaking down a person on to their base components as a means of killing them. 

 

 

Lust

One of three initially introduced Homunculus, seven in total, she is represented by a tall and beautiful woman with an Ouroboros tattoo on her chest.  Much like her name, people lust after her and she uses this to her advantage, often hiding in plain sight amongst others in order to spy upon them.  She is cool and level headed, but also sadistic, she enjoys watching humans scurry and suffer around her.  Her unique skills allows her to extend the length of her fingers to razor like talons, upwards of several feet long, and cut through just about anything as a result.  Like all Homunculus, she is essentially immortal, and if killed, will return to life, or rebuild parts of her body, nearly instantaneously

 

Gluttony

Another Homunculus introduced early in the series, he short and very rotund, not too dissimilar to a ball in many ways.  He is often seen eating other creatures and people, as directed by Lust or other Homunculus.  Much like his name, he is always hungry, and his unique ability, allows him to eat just about anything without feel the ill-effect, or getting full either.  Often a comic relief character, he is also the character with the most child like sense of character, having only an interest in doing what other Homunculus tell him to do , please his master, and eating.

 

Envy

An androgynous Homunculus who is often seen with Lust and Gluttony.  He is amongst the cruelest of all the Homunculus, playing and torturing humans for pleasure.   He is the most likely to kill without hesitation and follow his master’s orders swiftly once given.   He is unique in that he can shape-shift in to other forms, including different people so that he may act like a spy, or transform in to his true, monstrous form.  Just like Lust and Gluttony, his is functionally immortal and will recover from injuries and death with near immediate speed. 

 

 

Adaptations:

 

Manga – The manga initially ran from July 2001 till June 2010, finishing with 108 monthly chapters over the better part of nine years.  All volumes have been release in the state by Viz Media.

2003 Anime – Released after about only 20 chapters in to the Manga’s initial start, the series diverges after a certain point from the original material.  This is due to the manga still be in production, and only being a few chapters in which it was decided to make it an anime.  As a result, while Arakawa was a part of the initial storyboarding process, she was not involved in the filming, writing, or animation, resulting in a different take on the material.

2009 Anime – With the Manga beginning to wind down, A second anime adaptation was announced, this time following more closely to the original manga.  As a result, the 2009 anime is considered the definitive version of Fullmetal Alchemist as a result.  The anime was purposefully set up to end just a few weeks after the manga, and staff were already animating the final episodes in time with the manga. 

2017 Film – In 2017, a live action film was created the follows the first major story arcs of the series.  This film omits quite a bit of world building and simplifies a fair amount of the world, characters , and principles from the original story.  As a result, he’s generally considered the worse adaptation amongst all known adaptation.

 

 

 

 

Anime 2003-2004

https://www.netflix.com/title/70204980

Anime 2009-2010

https://www.netflix.com/title/70204981

Movie 2017

https://www.netflix.com/title/80223731

 

 

Ep 81: Nerdy Collectables

Topic: Nerdy Collectables

 

Nerds LOVE, I do mean, LOVE their collectables.  We love collecting stuff, and who doesn’t?  Everyone has a collection, but nerds have collections that seem to always seem odd and befuddling to most.  So here’s some follow up ideas for what you can give your favorite nerd this Christmas.

 

 

Funko Pop

Started in 1998, the brand was founded because its creator, Mike Becker, wanted a Big Boy Restaurant Mascot coin bank, but couldn’t find one that was affordable.  He created his own company and licensed the brand to make it.  This eventually led to them making Bobblehead of the Big Boy Mascot, which in turn eventually grew to other smaller brands.  In 2005, Becker sold the company to Brian Mariotti, who began aggressively licensing the bobblehead concept to other companies.  By 2011, the Pop! Vinyl line of figures came in to existence, which is what the company is most known for. 

 

The Pop! Vinyl is the company’s best selling product and most often thought of when thinking of Funko.  The style was intended to mimic the Japanese Chibi (Deformed Cuteness) art style and characterization, often seen Nendoroids(Chibi anime action figures).  Pop! Vinyls typically take on licensed works, usually movie, tv, comic, fantasy, and literary characters from a wide range of media brands, alongside real people like World Leaders, Wrestlers, and other celebrities. 

 

It’s popular to not open the Pop! Vinyls, as they work well as display pieces within their original boxes. Much like Vintage Action Figures, they can also lose some of their value if taken out of the box as well, assuming they’re resold.

 

There are some people however, who do not like Pop! Vinyl.  A majority of the criticism, or dislike, comes from the notion of:

• They look disturbing (White eyes)
• True / professional collectors don’t want cartoony collectables
• Too Mainstream
• Cheaply Made
• Mass Produced
• Not a True collection item
• Haters going to hate; OR Some people just hate what brings other people joy.

 

http://popvinyls.com/

 

 

Statues

Action Figures

Two types of action figures types:

• Vintage
• Premium

 

Vintage Action Figures are essentially Old Toys, kept in either Pristine or Good condition over the many years.  Their value differs from brand to brand, but typically follows the following format:

• Rarity
• In Box and/or all original items
• Condition

A toy originally played may do well on the open market if played with sparingly or taken care of over the years, but if it has the box and all original items, it will tend to see for much more.  Most people who by Vintage toys are often getting them for collection sake or re-buying their youth, ie buying something because they had it as child once or because they never had it as a child.

https://www.ebay.com/b/Vintage-Action-Figure-Lot/246/bn_7023219109

 

Premium Action Figures are just as they might sound; they tend to be made primarily for collectors and intended for an older demographic and market.  Unlike traditional Action Figures, these are meant to be taken out of the box and set up as a display.  They also tend to be taller than most Action Figures, ranging from 9inch to 15inch.  Their value may differ from brand to brand, but typically follow the format of:

• Rarity
• Detail / Complexity
• Pose-ability / Articulation

These toys are typically never intended to be played with, but rather, intended to be set up in a pose and marveled at for the remainder of their ownership.  Depending on the figure, they can range in to the $100s of dollars based. 

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/

               

XXRAY

Jason Freeny, an American Pop Surrealist Artist, popularized the notion of a Cutaway toy/cartoon character sculpture that shows one half of a individual and an anatomical inside, similar to a x-ray.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/146648531591273567/

https://mightyjaxx.rocks/collections/xxray

 

Nendoriod

Created by the Good Smile Company in 2006, Nendoriods are typically 3-4 inch toy action figures of your favorite anime / video game characters from Japan.  What makes them unique is their Chibi look, high possibility, and various accessories including various faces, weapons, outfits, and props from their shows.  Because of a universal design of the Nendoriods, you can even swap heads, faces, and other element between various Nendoriods to get new looks and crossovers.  Most Nendoriods are single print runs of the figure, so only a limited amount are available, and pre-orders are available; but that’s not to say they always sell out.  The more popular the character, the harder it might be to find a Nendoroid, but they are around.  They typically set you back about $40-$60, depending on complexity and/or what kind of accessories are included.

https://www.goodsmile.info/en/products/category/nendoroid_series/announced/2020

 

 

 

Plushies

Tsum Tsums

A collectable Disney Plush series that are known for Disney characters shaped like logs.  The name comes from Japanese word tsumu, which means ‘to stack’.  The Plushies are well known for Disney character, including Star Wars and Marvel, though other imitators exist.  They come in a variety of sizes, which include:

• Micro – 2 inches
• Mini – 3.5 inches
• Small – 7.5 Inches
• Medium – 11 inches
• Large – 17 inches
• Mega – 21.5 Inches

Most, if not all, Disney characters have been made in to TsumTsums.  A popular mobile game allows you to collect the Tsum Tsums as additional character so the same, originally popularized in Japan as well: LINE: Disney Tsum Tsum.

 

Nesoberi

A primarily Japanese style of Plush, these pluses are similar to Tsum Tsum in the sense that the character is often found laying on their stomach, but are characterized by their oversized heads and chibi looks.  They tend to have large heads and tiny bodies.  While they aren’t meant to be stacked like Tsum Tsums, they can be.  While there is no Official name for this series of toys, Nesoberi is a brand of Sega Prizes that can be won via Crane Games.  They typically a head about 8-10 inches round, with a small body roughly a foot long.

 

Movie Prop Replicas

Perhaps not just movies, but people love to have replicates of the original items in movies, tv shows, or books.  Typically, original Movie Props rarely ever come on to the market outside of auctions or rare giveaways, and most auctions tend to be in the thousands of dollars.  The next best option are replicas, which instead of the $1000s, instead run in the $100 range instead.

 

Prop replicas can range from prop weapons / items, wardrobe / costumes, patches, parts, and more.  A good place to go is Etsy to find prop replicas that you may have not known existed outside of the main/licensed brands.

 

Most popular Movie replica, light saber from Star Wars.

 

https://www.entertainmentearth.com/s/prop-replicas/p

https://propstore.com/products/

 

 

 

Accessories

Women’s Fashion

Hand Bags

Pillows

Art work

Ep 80: Nerd Tutorial Gift Giving Guide (2020)

Topic: Gift Giving Guide (2020)

 

The holidays are among us, and now is a great time to consider what to get for Christmas for that special someone in your life, or just a nerd you happen to know.  This week we’re discussing gift giving for the nerds in your life.

 

See our Previous Episode Here!

 

Party Games

Jack Box Party Pack

Cards Against Humanity / Apples to Apples

The Resistance

Among Us

Betrayal At House On The Hill

 

 

Game Consoles

Playstation 5

Releasing on 11/12/20

Backwards compatible with 99% of PS4 games

$399 for Digital Version

$499 for HD Blu-Ray Drive

Opinion: New system means Playstation Exclusives will come out only for it, but right now, there isn’t any brand new ‘Killer App’ that makes the system a must get now.  The PS5 is useful to get as an upgraded PS4 if you already have a lot of games for the PS4, but not necessarily worth getting at this time.  Like Buying a new car, but not necessarily any difference in where you’re driving to and from.

 

 

Xbox Series X/S

Releasing on 11/10/20

Series X is bigger and more powerful and Series S.

Similar to iPhone S series.

Some games will be ‘Optimized for Series X’. 

Backwards compatible with 99% of Xbox One games.

$299 for Series S

$499 for Series X

Opinion: A concern over games for the Series S over Series X, as there will be some games that will take advantage of only Series X hardware, and not be playable on Series S.  Much like the PS5, it’s intended to offer a great experience in the future, but doesn’t offer any immediate ‘Killer App’ titles.  If you have an Xbox One, it’s an upgrade, but that’s about it.  Like Buying a new car, but not necessarily any difference in where you’re driving to and from.

 

 

Nintendo Switch

Released on March 2017

Sold 68 Million units worldwide.

$199 for Switch Lite

$299 for Regular Switch

Opinion: Nintendo has a cool niche of offering great family friendly games that you can’t get anywhere else.  Nintendo has a huge catalog of games at this point, and their games always tend to be different when compared to the Playstation or Xbox.  It can be considered childish and colorful, but no less fun and entertaining.  Only downside is that it’s been out for awhile, and so if someone was interested in getting it, they may already have.  An upgraded of the Switch is also rumored for sometime in 2021, so it might not be worth getting if a new one comes out a few months later.

 

 

Show Off Potential

Nerds love to show off their passions as often as possible.  But they also Love to just look at their collections too, seeing the endless possibilities

 

 

835

Cool Statues of Licensed brands

A bit limiting on merchandise, but a great starting place it feels like.

 

This is Why I’m Broke

Truly nerdy stuff worth getting

Nice variety of strange, practical, and desire-able

Links to various Etsy, but Amazon too

 

Geekstore

Lots of Licensed Brands, but not a lot of actual merchandise

Selling the ‘Offical’ licensed merchandise

 

Boxlunch

Good collection of licensed brands

Lots of variety

 

 

 

Etsy

As mentioned last year, Etsy is a great place to look for one of a kind things from makers that make this kind of stuff.  If you’re looking for a cosplay piece, someone out there makes it on Esty, or even better, sells the plans on how to make it. 

 

If you want to request something from Esty, it’s safe to make the assumption it’s going to be delayed due to the holiday season, so it Might not come on time.

 

You can ask for custom orders too.  If you like the look of someone’s work, but you don’t see what you’re looking for, you can always ask if they do custom orders.  This can help the Maker add to their merchandise they can sell, and also be a great relationship in the future for stuff.  Try to stay in someone’s wheel house though; don’t go asking for something that’s outside of their norm.  IE, don’t ask someone who primarily makes jackets or works with leather to suddenly start making dresses all the sudden.  Also, try to stay within a brand: most Makers try to stand out by having their own brands or focuses, IE, some people focus on Mario or Nintendo merchandise, so asking for something from World of Warcraft might be out of their wheel house.  Ask, be generous, and kind, because you’re asking for something from them.

 

 

Loot Boxes

Lootcrate has a number of geeky loot boxes tailored for different focuses, ie:

Marvel

Harry Potter

Rick and Morty

WWE

Anime

Pixar

 

Others exist as well, some offering food or other items:

Lego

Comic Books

Tokyo Treat Box

 

This can be a bit pricey at the end of the day, as it’s considered a monthly subscription, but they often offer discounts for those who purchase multiple months at a time.  You can set the length for as long as you want, so if you want to do only a few months to a year.  Most of the items in a box can will usually cost more if you bought them separately, so while you may pay a $25 charge, you’ll likely receive $40 - $50 worth of value in the box.  And some of the items can also be sold online as they’re collectables that only come in the loot boxes.

 

 

Order Early

Holidays this year will likely be more focused on shipping and receiving stuff in the mail. 

 

 

Ep 79: Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone Review

Topic: Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone Review

 

Finally a chance to see if Print matches Film!  I’ve wanted, and probably some point will, to do this with Anime as there are numerous examples of printed comics (Manga) being turned in to animated shows (Anime), and sometimes the differences are stark, and sometimes, it’s a One to One copy.  This isn’t the case, as Harry Potter itself has numerous changes to it that take an 8 hour read in to a 2 hour film, and with a shortened run time, some liberties are necessary.  So here’s our thoughts on it.

 

Quick Run Down

1. Harry potter is dropped off to the Dursleys after Voldemort’s defeat
2. It is shown how poorly Harry is Treated and the weird stuff that happens around him
3. Letter being sent to Harry about being accepted to Hogwarts are stopped by Dursley,
4. Hagrid introduced and explains how Harry is a Wizard
5. Harry is introduced to the wizarding world, gets his supplied, Hagrid picks up the Philospher’s Stone
6. Harry Travels to Hogwarts via Train, befriends Ron
7. Harry is sorted in to his house, Gryphndor
8. Harry is introduced to His Teachers, along with Snape, who dislikes Harry
9. Harry is tricked in to a duel with a rival student, but learns of Fluffy, a 3-headed dog
10. A troll is in the school, and Harry and Ron defeat it, Hermione befriends them
11. Harry is explained and played Quidditch as a seeker
12. Christmas, Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised and its secrets
13. The Trio learn who Nicolas Flamel and that he created the Philosopher’s stone, leading to them leaning that it’s hidden in the school
14. The trio learn of Norbert the dragon, and in getting out of the school, Harry, Hermione, Nevil, and Draco are sentenced to detention when caught
15. Everyone is sent to the Forbidden Forest for detention, to find a injured Unicorn, Harry encounters Voldemort, but is saved by Centars
16. The Trio journey through the defense leading to the Philosopher’s stone. The Puzzles along the way are:
    1. Fluffy – Calmed by Music
    2. Plants – Stopped by fire Magic
    3. Flying Keys – Harry catches the right key floating in air
    4. Chess – Ron leads the Trio through a chess game, but he is taken out at the end due to his sacrifice.
    5. Another Troll – but already beaten
    6. Potion Riddle – Hermione solves the riddle, but passes out due to the potion making someone fall asleep
17. Harry meets Professor Quirrell, who is trying to use the Mirror of Erised to get the stone. Harry gets the stone, and then confronts Voldemort, who is living on Quirrell’s head.  Quirrell is stopped by Harry’s inherent Protection magic and burned badly, and dies of his wounds.  Harry passes out before Dumbledore arrives to save Harry.
    1. Harry wakes up in the hospital, has a chat with Dumbledore.
    2. Gryphndor wins the House cup due to Dumbledore giving pity points
    3. Everyone goes home for the summer

 

 

Sorcerer’s Stone Vs Philosopher’s Stone

Reason noted was due to Scholastic thinking that Philosopher sounded too archaic for readers, and suggested Sorcerer instead.  Rowling disliked this change and felt that she should have fought harder for it not to be changed, but didn’t have the clout or prestige at the time to do so. 

 

During filming, any reference to the Stone was done twice, one for the British audience, one for the America audience, where they actually used the differing terms.

 

 

Book:

 

Pro

• Enjoyed the comical nature of the Dursleys.
• Easy to understand writing style for children’s literature.

 

Con

• Felt like it took a while to get in to the magical aspects of the books

 

 

Film

Pro

• Children Actors weren’t that bad.
• Depth of Cast, pretty much nailed all the looks
• Love the Castle & music
• CGI is dated, but doesn’t take you out of the movie

 

 

Con

• Seamus Finnigan – Unnecessary character in the film.
• Ghosts could have been used better used to add exposition
• Poor use of exposition throughout film (Ex: Centaur + Unicorn Scene)
• Lack of useful world building, IE not adding much context to prior events or reactions

 

 

 

Changes from Book to Film

• Shortened Dursley elements
• Harry + Hagrid (Birthday in July)
• Getting to the train station
• Draco meets Harry
• Harry meets Ron, George, Fred
• House Points
• How Harry learned of the 3-headed Dog
• Troll Scene (Minor changes)
• Snape v Quirrell
• Missing the Gyphndor v Hufflepuff match
• Everything with the Dragon
• Missing potion test
• Ending Fight (Quirrell + Protection magic)

Ep 78: Harry Potter Tutorial

Topic: Harry Potter Tutorial

 

Eventually we’re going to get to something a bit more literary, and it was a topic that was teased a number of times.  So we dive into Harry Potter and its rather lengthy book series.  Our conversation takes  a bit to get there due to the most recent events regarding the author, but I still felt it was a good discussion.

 

History

Written by J.K. Rowling, she was convinced of the idea while her train from Manchester to London was delayed in 1990.  Between when she finally published the first book in the series, her mother had died, she had her first child, and her husband divorced her, not to mention she was in relative poverty prior to the first book coming out.  She continued to write the books of Harry Potter until 2007 when the final book came out.  She has continued to write books, primarily aimed at young adult, but also some crime stories aimed at adult, under the pen name: Robert Galbraith.

 

The seven books in total were published from 1997 to 2007, each book encompassing a fictional school year in the life of Harry Potter at the fictional Hogwarts School boarding school for Wizards and Witches.  The seven books include:

 

Philosopher's Stone (1997)

Chamber of Secrets (1998)

Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)

Goblet of Fire (2000)

Order of the Phoenix (2003)

Half-Blood Prince (2005)

Deathly Hallows (2007)

 

The first three books each one awards Smarties Prize, a well respected Children Literature award.  Rowling removed her subsequent books, in order to allow other winners.  Each book sold better than the last and was a huge financial success for the author.

 

Although J.K. Rowling did not intend to continue writing any more books in the Harry Potter series after the release of Deathly Hallows, and admitted her next fiction would likely not be fantasy, she mentioned in 2010 that she was working on a new book in the saga.  This new book was intended to be an encyclopedia of various terms, placed, characters, and notes about the Harry Potter universe, intended to continue fleshing out the universe, and include ideas or notes that never made it in to the books.  The encyclopedia ended up being Pottermore.com, which offered an interactive collection of notes, games, and elements of the Harry Potter world.  By 2019, the site was rebranded as WizardingWorld.com, as much of the media outside of the books is branded under the Wizarding World name.

 

An 8^th Story was introduced in 2016, as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which was a stage Play, and eventual book. 

 

The Harry Potter Wiki, is just the Harry Potter Wiki, no clever name.

 

 

Separating the Author from their work

While J.K. Rowling is a professed Christian, but her books often promote magic, a notion which has put her in hot water with some communities.  She is also considered center left of politics, promoting gay marriage in Scotland when it was up for referendum.

 

 In late mid June 2020, Rowling made comments that read:

 

“If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives.”

 

Many individuals took the comments as being ‘Anti-Trans’ and cruel to the community.   The comment seems to be in reference to the phrase ‘people who menstruate’, which is prescribed to transgender men and non-binary individuals, and Rowling’s preference that they be called women.  Many groups found this hurtful, including a many of the lead cast members of the Harry Potter Films.  She eventually returned her Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights (RFKHR) Award after the award’s president called her statement harmful.

 

 

Premise/world

The world of Harry Potter, also known as the Wizarding World, depicts a version of our modern world that has a secondardy magical world layered underneath it.  This world depicts modern humans capable of magic, though keeping it secret from the rest of the world.  At one point, those without magical abilities (Muggles) and Wizards lived together, but as fear and persecution of wizards grew, the Wizarding community eventually went underground.  Much of their world is hidden from public view, through enchantments, barriers, and manipulating memories of those.  While the story of Harry Potter primarily takes place in Britain and the United Kingdoms, Wizards and Witches come from all over the world, even in America.

 

The Wizarding World of Britain primarily centers on the Ministry of Magic, which enforces magical laws and structures, similar to the Prime Minister or President for Wizards.  Their job is to primarily manage magical laws and ensure that Muggles don’t learn of the Wizarding World. While Muggles aren’t allowed to know, some individuals in high political positions, Prime Ministers, etc, are aware of the Wizarding World for security reasons.

 

Unlike the rest of the world however, the Wizarding World does not keep up with modern technology.  As an example, instead of pen and paper, the still use quill pens, ink, and parchment.  Most Wizards and Witches have no greater understanding of modern technology, with some out right despising it.  Most magical areas actually disrupt electricity, stopping them from working all together.  While you can enchant electronic items to work with magic, they often don’t take on the same characteristics.  The Wizarding World itself is considered very old fashioned, often still in the 1500s of technology.

 

Magic in the Harry Potter world is an inherent ability, and while someone may have magical capability, most are not capable of Magic without proper training and study.  To this end, Magical Schools exist throughout the world, including Hogwarts, which acts as a traditional British Boarding school that takes in children throughout the year. 

 

Most magic requires a wand, which is specifically tailored by a wand maker using various types of wood, but also magical cores, such as Phoenix Feathers, Dragon Scales, and other mystical creature’s horns, hairs, and even heartstrings.  While magic is possible without a wand, it is often less precise and powerful.   Most magic requires the precise movement of the wand, in conjunction with an incantation of Latin words that describe the act.  Wands themselves are described as being quasi-sentient, often choosing their owner for themselves; a difficult task for a wand maker is selling their wands to new students, who might have to try out various wands.  While a person can use another person’s wand, the wand is often described as being temperamental, and magic produced from it is often less powerful and less precise.  A wand can change its allegiance though if the original owner is stunned, disarmed, or otherwise defeated or even killed.  Some spells are known to damage or break wands, and as a result, damaged wands perform unexpectedly and are prone to back firing.  A broken wand however cannot be fixed, and the owner will want to procure a new wand as a result.

 

Some magic is available without magical skill, but are commonly found in the magical world.  This includes potions, alchemy, plants, and certainly creatures, which include various dragons, unicorns, and other mystical creatures from around the world.  Entire studies and work goes in to hiding magical creatures, as some people purely study various kinds of animals.

 

 

 

Story

The story primarily follows Harry Potter and his friends as they venture through Magical School over seven years, starting in 1991 until 1997.  Each book covers a year of their lives in the school, starting from age 10 until 17.  The story itself is told from the first hand experience of Harry Potter, so unless Harry Potter sees it or experiences, the actions of other characters and events are left vague or unknown.

 

The story is well known for having lots of recurring characters, however, the most common characters include:

 

Harry Potter

The lead character, he is the audience point of view throughout the series, as also the character with the least amount of knowledge of the Wizarding World.  He is introduced to it at 10 years of age, having learned he is apparently the one who defeated Voldemort 10 years prior to the beginning of the story.  He is easily distinguishable by his unkempt brown hair which hides a thunderbolt scar left behind by Voldemort.  He is described as being a so-so student, but a strong sense of right and wrong, but always put in challenging situations that lead to occasional mistakes.  He eventually comes the Head of Magical Law Enforcement for the Ministry of Magic.

 

Ron Weasley

Harry’s best friend, he comes for a large family of Wizards and witches, each with orange, ginger like hair.  Ron is often a comedic character, being insensitive and immature, but is never the less loyal, strong, and occasionally brave.  He grows over the course of the series to overcome his immaturity, eventually becoming a leader in his own right.  He is described as a poor student, similar to Harry Potter.  He eventually comes to marry Hermione, works with Harry as an Auror for a time, before working with his older brother at the Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes, a magical joke shop. 

 

Hermoine Granger

Harry and Ron’s friend, she is a Muggle-Born witch, a witch whose parents weren’t magical at all.  She noted as being the smart one, with an encyclopedic knowledge of magic and wizarding world.  This often comes off as a know it all, which greatly annoys everyone else.  Much like Harry, who also didn’t come from the Wizarding World, she often see the out-dated norms of magic and it’s beliefs, and it likely the first to try and break or change them too.  She eventually marries Ron Weasley and becomes the Minster of Magic.

 

Albus Dumbledore

The Headmaster of Hogwarts, and a well accomplished Wizard in the Wizarding World.  He is considered one of the most powerful wizards, but is also prone to eccentricity, gentle humor, and unfailing kindness.  He is seen the kind elder statesmen in the franchise and a true hero to all his students.  He his death leaves a profound loss on all those in the Wizarding World.  While never directly expressed in the books, Rowling would later say that Dumbledore was infact Gay, and harbored feelings for his rival, Gellert Grindelwald.

 

Severus Snape

A teacher at Hogwarts, he is initially the Potions Master, Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and eventually Headmaster of Hogwarts.  He is also head of House Slytherin.  He is a mysterious character that appears to be up to no good and holds a deep disgust and hatred of Harry Potter.  His actions, while they would appear to be against Harry Potter and his friends, are often in the end, to their benefit, as he continues to aid the school and Harry Potter, much to his own charging.

 

Voldemort

Originally born Tom Riddle, he rechristened himself Lord Voldemort as he became the most feared and dangerous Dark Wizard of his time.  He is known for his having survived at the hands of Harry Potter when he was a baby, but is eventually revived by his legion of Death Eaters.  While a gifted student in Hogwarts, his thirst power led to his seeking immortality.  He is the primary antagonist of the series, with Death Eater sleeper agents all over the Wizarding World.

 

 

Movie Adaptations

All seven books were eventually translated to movies, with the final book ‘Deathly Hallow’ turned in to two parts. 

 

While the movies are faithful to the books, they omit a large number of background stories and characters, often omitting them due limited run times of the movies, but also their impact on the story.  As the first movies didn’t come out until 2001, after the first four books were released, it is hard to say what minor elements from one book become a pivotal or important moment later on. 

 

One example includes Rita Skeeter, who is an important back ground character during the 4^th book and but minor appearance in later books, her role in the 4^th movie is nearly entirely cut out and never resolved, though she is often seen in the background.

 

The movies also saw the relative growth of several child actors over the course of 10 years of production, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, and Matthew Lewis, all of which have continued in either Film, Tv, or Stage productions, trying to distance themselves from their former Harry Potter Roles as much as possible.  The lone exception being Emma Watson, who has become full blown movie star. 

 

Ep 77: Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works Review

Topic: Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works Review

 

While mom didn’t watch all of it, she actually kind of wants to now, just to see where the story goes.  This isn’t a bad thing, if anything, another person who will finally understand my undying love for Saber.  Okay maybe not undying love, but atleast sees these complicated characters and world for what they are. 

 

 

To help people follow along, here’s a list of the various characters that are seen throughout the series, to better allow you to follow along.

 

Masters:

Shirou Emiya

A lead protagonist, and Master of Saber.  He has a strong sense of justice and wants to be a hero, despite little to no aptitude for magic. While unfamiliar with the rules and true nature of events, he fights in an effort to stop all the fighting and end the war as soon as possible.

Rin Tohsaka

Daughter of a prestigious mage family, she is the Master of Archer, and tends to act as a Tsudere type character. (IE, acts very brash and brutish to the main character, before becoming friendly and loving with them later.)  Rin continues to pursue the Holy Grail due to her family’s strong desire to reach the Root, and joins only out of obligation.

Illyasviel von Einzbern

She is from a prestigious Mage family and is the Master of Berserker.  While she appears to be the youngest participant in the war, she is actually 18 years old, but takes the form of a ten to twelve year old child.  She is actually a homunculi and Shirou’s step sister, for whom she has a conflicted relationship. She believes she was abandoned for Shirou, but in reality, her father was unable to return to the castle to retrieve Illya, leaving her to be lonely and pressured to perfect her magical skills.

Shinji Matou

Sakura’s older brother and Master of Rider.  A chauvinistic and a narcissist, he openly treats Shirou with hostility and derision. He is has no real magical skill, as the Matou family’s magical bloodline has been diluted over the decades.  This is what prompts the head of the Matou family to adopt Sakura, previously of the Tohsaka Family, and raise her to be the Matou’s next heir instead of Shinji. This prompts Shinji to take his anger and frustrations out on Sakura.

Souichirou Kuzuki

A strict teacher of Rin’s Class, he is the Master of Caster.  While he does not desire the Grail, he becomes the master of Caster due to Caster killing her previous master and him wanting to help her.  It’s implied that Him and Caster are potentially involved romantically.

 

Servants:

Saber

Artoria Pendragon(King Arthur), the King of Knights, who was actually a girl.  She a stoic and knightly figure, but brushes up against Shirou, who tries to save her and sees her more as a girl than a knightly figure.  She is in the fight due to her desire to rewind history and stop herself from drawing the sword in the stone.

Archer

A mysterious individual who is capable of summoning sword and turning them in to Arrows to fire from his bow.  He doesn’t remember what Heroic Spirit he is suppose to be, and often acts fickle and teasingly with Rin, and hostile with Shirou, who he dislikes.  Despite being a long range class, Archer regularly uses swords he creates from his magic.

Lancer

Cu Chulainn(Child of Light), a Hero from the Ulster Cycle of Irish Mythology.  His master is unknown, but primarily acts as a watchdog and assassin during the course of the war. 

Berserker

Hercules, one of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology.  He is deeply loyal to Illyasviel, but lacks emotions due to his Berserker class.  His Noble Phantasm is known as his Twelve Labors, which represent his immortality; upon receiving enough damage that would otherwise kill him, he regenerates and loses one of his Labors(Lives). 

Caster

Medea, an unfortunate priestess from the tales of Jason and the Argonauts.  She is renown for her magical prowess, which surpasses most masters and magus of this age.  Due to her killing her original master, and leaving only six known masters, she uses her magical prowess to obtain fake command seals and summon Assassin, thus becoming the seventh Master.

Assassin

Sasaki Kojirou, a mythical swordsman said to have faced Miyamoto Musashi in combat.  Assassin is actually a false servant, as servants summoned by the Assassin class are all former owners of the name Hassan-i-Sabbah(Old Man of the Mountain).  Because he was summoned under false pretenses by Caster, herself a Servant, he is bound to the Ryuudou Temple where both Caster and Souichirou reside, unable to leave the grounds.

Rider

Medusa, the Gorgon of Greek Mythology.  Initially she is the servant to Sakura Matou, but due to Shinji Matou insistence, Sakura transferred her rights as Master to him.  She still seeks to protect Sakura but act Loyal to Shinji’s orders and commands.  Her Noble Phantasm is a Pegasus that she rides, hence of the Rider Class.

 

 

Other:

Sakura Matou

A part of a rival Mage Family, she is a friend to Shirou and often takes care of him.  She does this as her Brother is mean and cruel to Shirou, and she does it as penance for her brother’s actions.  She primarily serves as a support character during the Fate and Unlimited Blade Works routes, but becomes a primary protagonist during the Heaven’s Feel route, where we find out how poorly she was treated and routinely tortured by the Matou’s magical training, and by Shinji.

Kirei Kotomine

An Observer from the Holy Church, he was a former master in the 4^th Holy Grail War and acts as an impartial judge and moderator for the 5^th Holy Grail War.  He is described as a defective person: finding pleasure in the misfortune and suffering of others, but never openly seeking it for them.  He acts as Rin’s legal guardian, and convinces Shirou to participate in the Holy Grail War.

Gilgamesh

The King of Heroes, ruler of Mesopotamia, and considered the first hero due to his record being amongst the first ever recorded.  He was of the Archer Class during the 4^th Holy Grail War, but survived to take on a mortal body following its conclusion.  He acts as a 8^th Servant during the 5^th Holy Grail War.  Gilgamesh is known for believing everything of value belongs to him, including the Holy Grail.  His Noble Phantasm is known as the Gate of Babylon, a massive vault that holds all the treasures he collected during his life time, including all the prototypes of Noble Phantasms, which he launches like bullets and rockets at his enemies.

Taiga Fujimura

Shirou’s legal guardian and English teacher at the school Rin, Sakura, Shinji, and Shirou all attend.  While she a comedic character, she is unaware of the magical nature of the events happening around her, and is oblivious to the events of the series.  She plays limited parts in the various routes, and is primarily a background character.

Ep 76: Fate / Stay Night Tutorial

Topic: Fate / Stay Night Tutorial

 

Today, we dive deep in to one of my favorite Anime Franchise, the Fate series, specifically Fate Stay/Night and its prequel Fate Zero.  I know that the series is very dense and large, especially when you consider all the spin offs and media that exists out there for it.  And that’s before you get to ALL of the Sabers out there…. Let dive in!

 

 

What is it?

Fate / Stay Night, or the Fate Franchise, is a part of a large universe of characters and stories in the Nasu-verse, a fictional universe created by Kinoko Nasu of Type-Moon.  Created initially as a Visual Novel in 2004, and the third major work of Type-Moon, the series was an immediate success and quickly spawned a massive franchise that dwarfs many of Type-Moon previous and future works.

 

While the Fate Franchise is the most popular work, the Nasu-verse comprises of several series, including:

 

Kara no Kyoukai (jp: Boundary of Emptiness / eng: Garden of Sinners)

A series revolving around Shiki Ryogi, a paranormal investigator with the ability to see and cut the mystical lines of mortality in anything, and her friend, Mikiya Kokutō, a fellow assistant investigator who works alongside the powerful Sorceress Tōko Aozaki in her agency.

 

Tsukihime (eng: Lunar Princess)

Tells the story of Shiki Tohno, who like Shiki Ryogi, can see the mystical lines of mortality of anything and cut them, thus ending the their existence.  The story progress as he faces vampires and changes depending on which heroine he chooses follow throughout the story.

 

 

What is a Visual Novel?

A Visual Novel is like a Choose your own adventure in book, though typically takes the form of visuals with characters standing up against a back drop/setting and a serious of dialog boxes express what the characters are saying or doing.  Most games follow branching story lines which lead to various endings depending on the actions taken by the player.  In most games, the Player takes on the role of the lead character and is given a limited pool of options to react or respond to when presented by events or situations in the game.  An example could be a character asking if they look good, with the player being given the choice between various options to respond; and depending on the answer, will trigger a reaction from the character.

 

Visual novels are popular within Japanese media as they are relatively cheap to produce and create, as most Visual Novels rely on beautiful still art of characters, their reactions, backgrounds, and occasional splash pages, along with minimal background music, and focus more on stories.  Few visual novels rely on motion graphics or voice acting, and if they do, it is limited to an opening scene or trailer for the game.  Most games tend to lead toward a particular demographic, and offer fan service for those demographic in an effort to get them to buy the game.

 

Most Visual novels are of the Eroge, or Erotic, variety; which primarily focus on stories that have sexually explicit scenes and graphics depicting those scenes.  Eroge games can range from Teen to Adult rating, with some game being straight Hentai, while others are more titillating and offer fan service.  A popular theme among Visual novels tends to be Harem based games with a single character with multiple love interests of the opposite sex. 

 

 

 

History / Lore

Fate / Stay Night, at heart, is a story revolving around Shirou Emiya, who unwittingly joins a secret Battle Royal involving six other mages and each of their servants in the Holy Grail War.  As the name suggests, the ultimate prize is the Holy Grail, a creation of magic that can grants any wish from the winner of the War.  During the time of Fate / Stay Night, this is the fifth incarnation of the Holy Grail War within the fictional city of Fuyuki City, on the south tip of Japan.  The city was chosen for its strong ley lines, but also due to no magus or holy church involvement in the area during the First War in 1790s. 

 

 

Within the Fate / Stay Night, there are three different routes/stories that exist within the game, each of which change the nature of the story dramatically once they split off from one another.  These include:

 

• Fate Route – Primarily Focusing on Saber and building the world/lore of the game.
• Unlimited Blade Works Route – Primarily Focuses on Rin Tohsaka and her servant Archer, and places more development of the various cast of character than the other routes.
• Heavens Feel Route - Primarily Focuses on Sakura Matou and her servant Rider, and focus more on the background behind the Holy Grail War, along with the darker aspects of the world that led up to the current events.

 

 One must complete each individual route in order to progress on the next route.  While each route tells a different story and aspect of the world and events, they all use the same characters, who each have the same feelings and emotions, but differing motives as the story progresses. 

 

Each Holy Grail War consists of seven Mages and their Servants.  Servants are summoned individuals known as Heroic Spirits, which take on the form of famous historical figures.  These historical figures can be real life individuals or fictional individuals that actually did exist within Nasu-verse. Most characters range from various myths and stories, but most range from stories originating within Europe primarily.  Examples of historical figures include:

 

King Arthur

Gilgamesh

Alexander the Great

Hercules

Medea

Medusa

Gilles de Rais

Lancelot

 

Each Servant being summoned may be one of seven available classes of Heroic Spirits being summoned, with only one class per War, in order to make the war fair. Each servant is referred to by their class, in order for other servants and mages to not realize who the Heroic Spirit is and thus gain a tactical advantage.  IE, might be known as Gilgamesh, but is referred to as Archer.  Each class has benefits and weakness, some are based on strength, while others are based on tactical or strategic advantages or weakness.  These classes include:

 

Saber – A knight who uses Swords in combat, considered very desire-able class.

Archer – A knight who uses ranged weapons, ie Bow and Arrows, guns, or any other kind of projectile.

Lancer – A knight who uses a Lance, Spear, or Medium range weapons in combat

Berserker – A strength based hero who dominates with overwhelming force

Assassin – An rogue typically who is known for killing their opponents from the shadows or in a secretive manner

Rider – An individual known for riding or driving a vehicle or creature

Caster – A Magical Type of individual

 

Each Mage has three Command Seals upon their right or left hand, which symbolize their pact with their servants, and are laid out artfully in accordance with the Mage’s style of magic.  Each Command Seal can compel the servant to act or do as the Mage commands, with the more concrete and forward commands being the most beneficial to the Mage over more broad ranged commands. 

 

Mages and Servants may or may not work well together, as some Servant or Mage classes out right hating each other, while others are distrustful, and others are best bonds in the world.  Most servants act in accordance with their Mages, as Mages supply the very mana necessary for the Heroic Spirit to exist within the physical world.  A Mage is considered disqualified from the War if they lose their Servant and do not make a pact with a new Servant(One that has already been summoned), or dies during the war. 

 

As eluded to earlier, the true purpose of the Holy Grail War is not to grant wishes, but intended to harvest mana and magic from the servants that participate within the Holy Grail War, and then use it to activate the Greater Grail and reach a mythical origin (Root) of magic.  The system however is fundamentally flawed, as the Greater Grail can only be held by a servant, thus limiting it to only granting wishes.  However, during the 3^rd Holy Grail War, the Holy Grail itself was corrupted by a rogue servant, thus causing the Holy Grail to be tampered and would not work properly regardless of the magic absorbed in to it.

 

 

With the Main Story, includes a few notable characters:

 

• Shirou Emiya – Lead protagonist and Master for Saber. He has a strong sense of justice and wants to be a hero, despite little to no aptitude for magic.
• Saber – Artoria Pendragon(King Arthur), the King of Knights, who was actually a girl. She a stoic and knightly figure, but brushes up against Shirou, who tries to save her and sees her more as a girl than a knightly figure.
• Rin Tohsaka – Daughter of a prestigious mage family, she is the Master of Archer, and tends to act as a Tsudere type character. (IE, acts very brash and brutish to the main character, before becoming friendly and gentle with them later.)
• Archer – A mysterious individual who is capable of summoning sword and turning them in to Arrows to fire from his bow. He doesn’t remember what Heroic Spirit he is suppose to be, and often act fickle and teasingly with Rin, and hostile with Shirou, who he dislikes.
• Sakura Matou – A part of a rival Mage Family, she is a friend to Shirou and often takes care of him. She does this as her Brother is mean and cruel to Shirou, and she does it as penance for her brother’s actions.
• Shinji Matou – Sakura’s older brother and Master of Rider. A chauvinistic and a narcissist, he openly treats Shirou harsh and coldly, and often takes out frustrations on his sister. 
• Illyasviel von Einzbern – She is from a prestigious Mage family and is the Master of Berserker. She is the youngest participant in the war, at only 12 years old.  She is actually a half- homunculi and Shirou’s step sister.  She is intended to become the Holy Grail upon the completion of the Holy Grail War, using her body as the catalyst for its creation.

 

To Date, there have been animated version of all three routes. 

Fate / Stay Night (2006) – Studio Deen

While the original Fate Route is fully realized, many fans considered it an inferior interpretation due to its animation issues and the later releases.

Fate / Stay Night – Unlimited Blade Works Movie (2010) Studio Deen

A singular Movie version of the Unlimited Blade Works Route, however, much like the previous work, it is considered inferior interpretation, as it glosses over a lot of the events and details from the game.

Fate / Stay Night – Unlimited Blade Works (2014-2015) ufotable

After the success of Fate/Zero, this is considered the superior version of the Unlimited Blade Works Route, as it more closely follows the route’s events, along with the superior arts and animation from ufotable.

Fate / Stay Night – Heaven’s Feel (Presage Flower), (Lost Butterfly), & (Spring Song) (2017-2020) ufotable

Released as a series of three films, ufotable returned to animate the Heaven’s Feel route and knocked it out of the park. 

 

 

 

Spin Offs

The fate series to date has had a number of spin offs from the original game, some which are better documents in novels, video games, manga, anime, and/or other visual novels.

 

Fate / Zero

The Prequel to Fate/ Stay Night, it tells the story of Kiritsugu Emiya, Shirou’s adopted father, along with his servant Saber, as they participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War, just 10 years prior to the events of Fate / Stay Night.  The prequel is considered a better place to start the Fate series, as it outlines the events of the Battle Royal and sets up the various Fate routes better when viewed later.  It was initially started as a light novel series before being animated by ufotable in 2011.

 

Fate/hollow ataraxia

A continuation of the Fate Story 6 months later, however, from the vantage point of Bazett Fraga McRemitz, a mage sent by the Magus Association to participate in the 5^th Holy Grail War.  She is the original master of Lancer before he is stolen from her.  The story takes place in the dream of Bazett and follows her and her servant, Avenger, as they replay through the events of Fate / Stay Night’s various routes.  While it is a continuation of the story, it’s not the direct continuation of any particular route, and is left to open interpretation as to the true events that actually did happen during Fate / Stay Night.

 

Fate/Prototype

Considered the original Version of the Fate / Stay Night Story, it was the initial draft and documents for the series.  It’s notable as it re-contextualizes a lot of characters, including making King Arthur a man and Shirou as a female with magical aptitude.  It has only a short animation included after Carnival Phantasm, but sparked a lot of interest from the fan community.

 

Fate/Apocrypha

A true Spin Off, it re-imagines the Holy Grail War having been stolen during the Third Holy Grail War, and pits two warring factions (Red and Black) who each summon seven servants to battle against the opposing side.  The Story primarily It’s notable as it introduces Mordred as the Saber of Red and the Son of King Arthur (despite Mordred being a girl too), but also introduces an 8^th Class of Servant known as Ruler (Joan of Arc), a neutral party that acts as a mediator and official for the Holy Grail War.  Originally a Light Novel Series, it was later animated by A-1 Pictures in 2017. 

 

Fate/EXTRA (Extella, CCC)

Another true Spin Off, it re-imagines the Holy Grail War as a tournament with where the final victor will grant a wish.  This started off as a dungeon crawling video game series in 2010-2011, with Sequels including Fate / Extella, and Fate / Extra CCC.  It’s notable for having Red Saber, the first non-Arthurian variation on Saber, despite looking similar to Artoria Saber.  She is actually Nero Claudius Caesar, the 5th Roman Emperor.  It was animated in to a single series: Fate/EXTRA: Last Encore directly to Netflix in 2018.

 

Carnival Phantasm

Existing within the Nasu-verse, this is a light hearted, comedy affair.  Carnival Phantasm re-imagines most of the characters with their personalities and faults dialed up for comedic effect, and includes various other character outside of the Fate Franchise, most notable Tsukihime.  It initially started as a manga in 2004-2005 before being animated in 2011-2012 by studio Lerche.

 

Fate/kaleid liner PRISMA☆ILLYA

A magical girl variation on the Fate Franchise, this variation re-imagines Illya as a human girl who gains the powers of a Magical Girl.  The universe takes influences from the Nasu-verse, but instead of summoning heroics spirits, people equip class cards and summon heroic spirits in to themselves and fight in the war.  Illya uses her magic wand/stick to activate weapons and merge with various heroic spirits available to that class.  The series is known for being very cute looking, but heavy on fan service and heavily implied sexual harassment of various characters.  It started as a manga, and has been adapted to various seasons in anime from 2013 – 2016, with various movies after that.

 

Emiya-san Chi no Kyou no Gohan (Today's Menu for Emiya Family)

A light hearted affair, it imagines the Holy Grail War as not happening and instead various Masters and Servants living together peacefully.  Each episode focuses on preparing a meal for dinner in the Emiya house, which often includes other characters in the Fate / Stay Night story coming to visit for dinner.  Most episodes show someone cooking and going through the process to make the dinner or meal, with Saber as a self insert character having never seen most of the meals cooked.  The light hearted and warm feeling shows a different side of the characters that more homely and healing.

 

 

Home Work:

Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works

CrunchyRoll

Netflix

Ep 75: Lego Review

Topic: Lego Review

 

We’re back again to talk about the tiny little critters that kill your feet in the wee hours of the dark filled morning, especially when you’re least suspecting it.  We dive in to the Lego Movie, some of our purchasing experiences, and what we built this last week.  Personally, I'm a bit upset with how much I passed up the Lego Movie before this, it's SOOO Good!

 

 

The Lego Movie

https://youtu.be/lPnY2NjSjrg

 

 

What Mom Built: Deep Sea Creatures

https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Creator-Creatures-31088-Building/dp/B07GWZNF91/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=lego+deep+sea+creatures&qid=1602819969&s=toys-and-games&sr=1-1

 

 

 

 

What George Built:  Jedi Defender Class Cruiser

https://www.amazon.com/LEGO-75025-Defender-Class-Cruiser/dp/B00C57JERG

Ep 74: Lego Tutorial

Topic: Lego Tutorial

 

This week, we look at the tiniest building material ever, and the rather huge empire it’s spawned as a result.  Both myself and mom have fond memories of this toy, and so what better discussion than Legos!

 

History of Legos

History starts in 1916, when Ole Kirk Christiansen purchased a woodworking shop that had been in business for 30 years prior, primarily building furniture and aiding building houses.  By the time of the Great Depression, he was working smaller projects, but in working on those projects, he was inspired to create toys.  Christiansen held an internal contest to name his company, and Lego was chosen.

 

Lego, a contraction of Leg Godt, or ‘Play well’ in Danish.  It was later learned that in Latin, it’s loose translated to ‘I assemble’ or ‘I put together’.

 

After World War 2, with Plastics becoming available in Denmark, Christiansen purchased a plastic injecting molding machine, and set about creating toys with it.  While the idea of an ‘interlocking building cube’ wasn’t a new concept, Christiansen improved it by making it hollow and locking.  They weren’t initially well received, as many preferred wooden or metal toys, and those that did sell well were not well received because the locking mechanical element wasn’t ideal.  Christiansen later added cylinders inside the hollow space to increase the friction with the studs on top, creating the modern 2x4 Lego Brick.  Christiansen would die that 1958, but his son, Godtfert, took over the company in his stride.

 

Years earlier, Godtfert had developed the idea of a toy that was based off a system rather than a standalone toy.  This meant that any prior or new toys would continue to work with one another.  Seeking to gain market share in the US during the early 60s, they partnered with Samsonite to produce and sell Legos in the US. 

 

1966 saw one of the most popular toy sets come out, the Lego Train, which included tracks and a 4.5v motor for the train.  By 1969, Duplo were introduced for a much younger children. ‘Duplus’ in Latin meaning double, as it was double the size of a normal Lego brick. 

 

By the 1970s, Lego expanded drastically until the early 90s.  Human figures were added, followed by the standard Mini-figure we know today.  The ‘Expert Builder’ series, later known as ‘Technic’ was added as well, featuring gears, differentials, cogs, levers, axles, etc, which allowed for more realistic models, and aimed toward an older audience.  Various themed sets were also begin to be introduced as well, including Space, Medieval Castle, Pirate, along with their Town Series.

 

However, by 1992, profits began to decline.  A change in designers in the mid 90s saw the retirement of many senior Lego Designers and new talent brought in, but this new talent didn’t under toy design, and even less about Lego.  This led to longer development time for sets, and less challenging sets to put together, something that fans were disappointed in.  1999 was also the first time Legos sets themed around licensed properties were being seen; but they too were a double edged sword, as the sets were more expensive due to the licensing agreements, and once the franchises died down, the sets were forgotten as well. 

 

Lego rationalized that they continued to operate the company as though it were growing, rather than looking toward trends in the market, such as: declining child birth in the west, less play time for kids, and not sufficiently interesting toys.  By 2004, the company was almost in bankruptcy.

 

Lego refocused their efforts on their core brands and began looking for ways to expand their brands.  One way was to venture in to video games, where Lego in North America saw licensed Legos as a big seller over other markets.  They also began moving their production to other countries to minimize the cost of production. 

 

2014 saw the release of the Lego Movie, which was a huge success, receiving unanimous praise for it’s quality and storytelling.  2017 saw a spinoff in Lego Batman Movie, which was also well received as a parody of Batman itself.  2019 also saw the sequel to the Lego Movie, but it was not as well received.

 

2019 was also the year that Lego purchased the Bricklink, a website devoted to Lego Fans.  Bricklink offers an amazingly detailed parts list of ever known brick created by Lego, along with all the various sets ever created by Lego, internet forums, and a hub for e-commerce as it sells individual bricks.  A person can design or purchase plans for a set, and order the individual parts from Bricklink and make it themselves. 

 

 

What Are Legos?

Legos as we commonly know them, are plastic, interlocking bricks and pieces that are designed to be connected with one another.  Typically, one buys a package that contains enough bricks to build something out of it, which could be anything from a vehicle, dwelling, creature, or even a setting.  These packages are often called Sets.  Each Set comes with a set of instructions and all the pieces, including a few extras, intended to make the thing displayed in the packaging. 

 

The pieces can be used by themselves to make other creations as well, and are often suggested for alternative creations to make from the instructions or packaging.  The real beauty is that Lego pieces from one set can be combined with any other Lego Set ever created, so the possibilities to make things are relatively endless.  Lego sets from the 70s and 80s will still work with sets from the modern sets. 

 

Most Lego Pieces come in a variety of colors and shapes, with the standard, most well known, piece being the standard 2x4 brick.  Further square bricks include 2x2, 2x1, 1x1, 4x1, and many more.  Some sets include specialty pieces that are only available with that set or its theme.  There have been various themes over the years, from Medieval and Pirates, to space and underwater exploration, along with traditional towns and city construction.  These sets also include the classis Mini-figure, a type of yellow skinned figure meant to represent people in the toys.  Early versions only include a simple smiling face, but as sets have gotten more complex over the years, the mini-figures have gone on to reflect and represent various people as well.

 

In 1977, saw introduction of the Technic Series of Lego, then known as Expert Builder.  These pieces were less brick like and featured rods and tube shaped connectors, along with various gears and other mechanical parts intended to build more advanced items.  These often build more advanced models that featured more complex technical functions intended for an older Audience.  On the flip side were Duplo, a pre-school aged version of Legos that was meant to bridge the gap for younger children.  Both Duplo and Technic Legos can be used with original Legos.

 

Using the knowledge of Legos and their endless possibilities, one can create just about anything out of Legos, and many have.  Some use traditional bricks to make pixilated sculptures and/or art of people, places, or things.  Some use the Legos to recreate various vehicle and items, especially from Tv, Film, Video Games, Comics, and Books.  Some use Lego sets to recreate whole scenes or locations, such as a lego set meant to recreate an amusement park.

 

 

Themed Sets

Legos primarily took off during the early 60s as part of a system of toys, meant to include various toys together in to a play set.  Since this development, various themed lego sets have been released over the years, with different generic themes being introduced.  By 1999, sets based off licensed properties were also introduced to Lego’s catalog of sets.

 

Traditional Lego Theme Sets:

Town – Modern Suburban Life

Castle – Medieval Castles, Knights, Dragons

Space – Featuring space exploration and bases

Technic – Expert/Older mechanic sets

Train – Focused on train sets

Pirates – ARRRRR, Pirates…

Aquazone – Underwater Exploration

Mindstorm – Technic + Robotics

Ninja – Ninjas….

Architecture – Building real life buildings / landmarks

Duplo – For Children under 5.

 

Licensed Theme Sets:

Star Wars

Harry Potter

Toy Story

Marvel

DC

MineCraft

Disney Princess

Jurassic World

Batman

Spiderman

Overwatch

Frozen

Super Mario

Stranger Things

Mickey Mouse

Thomas the Train

 

 

LegoLand

Built originally in 1968 near the Lego Factory in Billund, Denmark, the original Legoland was intended to be a park that visitors could visit to see new and upcoming Lego products.  The original genesis of the idea was due in part to the Lego Factory getting nearly 20k visitors a day, each wanting to see the new sets that would be coming out soon.  The park was intended to celebrate Lego’s toy history, but also showcase Lego’s various sets and creations, including human size sets and creatures.  The park was an instant success, and over the years, has expanded and added rides and water parks to the original park, but also opened other theme parks around the world, including the US, England, Malaysia, Dubai, and Japan.

 

 

Spin Off Media/Games

Lego is not just a simple company anymore, and has branched off in a number of directions. 

 

 

Lego Video Games

Lego games have been available since the mid 90s, with a number of games taking advantage of the building aspect available to computers, and creating various stand alone games.  Many games were released for the Game Boy and other Nintendo handhelds, along with some titles for major consoles.

 

What changed Lego games was Lego Star Wars, which instead of building stuff, you were actually playing through the Star Wars stories as Lego Versions of the characters and world.  It was unique in that it tended to joke around with the Lego nature of the world, with you collecting Lego bits to eventually build bridges or remove obstacles in your way.  Other games were eventually released in a similar format, all based off licensed properties, including Batman, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Lord of the Rings, Marvel, and more. 

 

 

Movies

In the 2000s, Lego released various Bionicle movies, based off the same toy franchise, but ramped up development in the 2010s, when Warner Animation Group was created.  Warner Animation Group was taking up the mantle of Warner Bros previous 2d Feature Film division, with their first movie being the Lego Movie.  Much like the Lego Video Games, Warner Animation Group uses the Lego worlds themselves as stand alone worlds where the people know they are legos, but exist within it. 

 

The Lego movie tells the story of one Mini-figure that is intended to be the chosen one to save all Lego people from being divided and segregated from other sets.  The Movie was a major success and spawned other Lego movies, including Lego batman, which also received wide spread acclaim. 

 

 

 

 

 

Spin Off Brands

 

Ker-o

Close in quality to Lego, with outstanding sets like Transformers and Star Trek

 

Mega Contrux

More closely focuses on Licensed Sets, like Pokemon, Call-of-Duty and Halo

 

Mega Blocks

More similar to Duplo, but intended for Preschool age children.

 

K’Nex

Rather than Lego-ish bricks, it’s more closer related to Erector Sets perhaps, using various rods, connectors, gears, wheels and other components to build various models.

 

 

Homework

The Lego Movie

LEGO Creator 3in1 Deep Sea Creatures 31088