the-sophisticated-fan

[the-sophisticated-fan]

Requested: TMNT vs The Robin Bros

(This article is also available on tiktok @prismatiqmage)

In a one round team battle I give it to the Robins because TMNT never takes an opponent seriously the first time they encounter them. In a three round match I give it to the TMNT because they are in their element by that time and the Robins do not have the same synergy TMNT has.

That said, I decided to do some one-on-one matches between the robins and the turtles with the given that in a one round fight the robins would win across the board for the same reason that they would win in a team fight. However the topic gets fuzzy in a three round one on one scenario.

I give this fight to Dick. While both are great leaders and tacticians Dick has built a career of flying/fighting solo. Leo hasn’t. When Leo finds himself at a skill disadvantage he goes to mind games and Dick has been around the block too many times for that to work.

IF, and this is a big if, but IF Raph can keep his cool and navigate all the dirty tricks Todd will throw at him I think he will win. Otherwise Todd would neutralize him in the first 2 rounds.

These two would go tit for tat on gadgets and clever use of the environment. I really think this would end with Donnies hands tied and Tim Drake boxed in by a portable forcefield or something. I’m calling it a draw, dude.

This is a fight I’d love to actually see because Mikey’s style is so unorthodox and Damian is such a wild card with control issues. Call me cheesy but my instinct says Mikey. However I also don’t think he’d take Damian seriously no matter what round it is, so it could very well end up Damian’s victory.

HONORABLE MENTION:

I give this fight to April. Carrie is fantastic at disaster recovery but isn’t the type to really go hand to hand but April is. April is also not above fighting a little dirty to get the win and that’s why I think Carrie would get carried.

LIGHTING ROUND MATCH UPS (3 rounds 1v1)

[the-sophisticated-fan]

Anime Review: "STAND My Heroes: Piece of Truth"

A seemingly reverse harem anime set in modern day Tokyo. We follow Agent Rei Izumi along what seems to be a redemption arc to acceptance amongst her male counterparts of the DCD. An undisclosed incident occurred prior to this assignment which has left her superiors skeptical of her abilities and subsequently leads to her nomination as scout for a new experimental division called STAND. Why put a screwup rookie in a key position of a very important project? Easy. She is immune to drugs.

Drugs have no effect on Agent Izumi and in an organization created with the specific intent of catching big time drug dealers that would be an invaluable ability. If it wasn’t public knowledge. Why they thought this super power would be of great benefit to them was beyond me until during an interview a candidate literally dared her to drink an unknown substance in exchange for him listening to her pitch. Besides the previous incident there was only one other time her ability proved useful and that was during a foot chase incited during an operation she accidentally ended up in proximity of.

As our heroine, I will give her points for bravery. It takes a certain type of person to go it alone. She’s also intuitive, kind, smart, has motivations outside of family or a romantic interest and trusts her gut. She’s even flawed in a relatable way. Naïve, reckless and just plain stupid at times but it’s worth it because honestly, if she was perfect how would they love her despite her flaws?

Surrounded by a myriad of attractive and capable men who wish for nothing but her safety and to offer their undying support she continues on with her ACTUAL job of recruiting talent for this new agency.

There are so many paramores and such little time in 12 episodes, I wondered who she would be more drawn to because by episode 4 the love interest is not obvious at all. Personally I was hoping for the blush haired scientist Yui Kotaro in the beginning but lost interest as the story progressed.

So I set my sights on the only one of the harem that seemed to have an even remotely interesting dynamic, Mister Arakida Sosei. With silver hair and an emerald glare, he’s not my normal aesthetic but a better choice than those with far less screen time. He’s also the only possible love interest with any conflict whatsoever in this anime.

I have to think his path was very challenging in the game.

Hold on though, things don’t start getting interesting in this anime until we meet the Kujo Family. This group of handsome young adults has it all. Money, power, loyalty, rebellion, intellect and a delicious mystery at the very core.

Without giving away spoilers, it would have served us all much better in my opinion if the anime revolved more around just this group.

As it is with most anime’s based on an otome game it seems there was a lot of character development and romantic subplot that was lost. However, the drama was very well done. Every episode revealed a new piece of truth. (Get it?) As the story unfolded the suspense was delectable. I was clueless as to the culprit right up to the last moment!

As for the romantic aspect, I would love to have seen an entirely new romance path introduced with a new character than this anime of unfounded and lukewarm connections. Alternatively they could have followed the most popular path and based the anime around that storyline. Even if the love interest wasn’t a favorite it would have been preferable to feel something by the end of the series than to feel nothing at all of a romantic nature.

If the intent was to generate interest to prompt game sales I have to say I’m curious but unmotivated. I will say that the English cast did very well and the highlight of this anime for me was recognizing the voice of Kyoya Otori (Ouran Highschool Host Club) as Asagiri Tsukasa.