Anime Review: The Seven Deadly Sins Season 1

Quick Info

Director: Tensai Okamura

Distributor: Netflix for streaming, Funimation Entertainment for home video release
Runtime: 600 minutes
Release Date: May 16, 2017
Availability: On Blu-Ray and DVD, buy on RightStufAnime or Amazon

Story Summary

Elizabeth, the third Princess of Liones, sets out to find the Seven Deadly Sins, an order of knights composed of the most despicable knights in all the kingdom. She is searching for them to battle the Holy Knights that have taken over the kingdom.

Traveling in disguise, she stumbles across a tavern called the Boar Hat and meets the young owner after he helps her after she passes out. Pursued by the Holy Knights, she inadvertently gets him involved, only to learn that he is the Captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, Meliodas, the Dragon's Sin of Wrath. Together, they set out to find the other Sins: Diane, Ban, King, Merlin, Gowther, and Escanor.

The Story is Cliche

The story of The Seven Deadly Sins is very cliché on the outside. The Princess searches desperately for the rogues who supposedly did horrible things. The pervy male lead, the clingy, jealous giantess, the lazy but good fairy king, the greedy jerk with a heart of gold, the mysterious female mage, and the emotionless smart guy.

Even if many of these character tropes are cliché, they're still very interesting characters, and that's why I like them. The plot is also very well done, and even though some complained about how predictable it is, I still enjoyed the story overall, and I found it to be very entertaining, and it kept me watching, and I couldn't wait to see the next episode so I could find out what was going to happen to all the characters.

The Animation Looks Good

A-1 Pictures did an amazing job with this anime. The animation is very fluid, the fight scenes are very well done, and I like the character designs. The animation looks especially good during the one-on-one fight scenes between various characters. It looks good throughout the entire anime, and the world designs and art style are very appealing, and I can clearly remember various characters because of how they look.

I Enjoyed The English Dub

The Japanese voice track is great, but I'm primarily focusing on the English dub of the anime, and it's terrific. Bang Zoom picked an excellent voice cast for the characters, and the actors did a fantastic job as their characters.

Bryce Papenbrook does a great job as Meliodas. I will admit, I'm on Brice Papenbrook overload because I'm currently watching voice acting in him in Durarara!! X2, Fate/Stay Night, and Attack on Titan, but he brings his A-game to this role, giving Meliodas both comedic and serious to his character, and he's mastered the art of very loud screaming, as can be seen from other roles he's played.

Cristina Vee is delightful as Hawk, the animal sidekick. Being a pig, the character can't do much, but Hawk is still an important member of the group and gets his chance to shine much later in the series, and Christina Vee is also excellent in this role as she's great at portraying the character in the anime.

Erika Harlacher does a great job as Elizabeth Liones, but the fact that her character's main job is to be the damsel in distress is cliched and annoying. Fortunately, she goes through a lot of character development and is a much stronger character by the end of the first season, but the cliche is still annoying.

Ben Diskin portrays all the different sides of his character when he voices Ban. Ban is a character that embodies the jerk with a heart of gold trope, and he gives an excellent performance. I like how Ban and Meliodas play off each other, and their dynamic is really fun to watch.

Erica Mendez does a great job as Diane, portraying her character's jealousy over Meliodas and Elizabeth's relationship. I also love her interactions with Max Mittlerman's King. I think their relationship is really adorable and fun to watch.

Max Mittelman's portrayal is interesting when it comes to King. There are multiple facets to his personality and character, and I like that even though he may seem lazy, there's a lot more to him than just one trait, and his relationship with Diane and the fact that he just can't spit it out make the two of them adorable.

Erik Kimerer is very interesting in his role as the aloof and eerily emotionless Gowther. What makes his character so interesting is that he's very different and more aloof than the others, and his powers are very different than the others.

Lauren Landa is excellent as Merlin. She doesn't appear until much later in the series, but she did a great job, and I like her character a lot.

Robbie Daymond voices the primary antagonist Gilthunder, and like the other characters, there's more to him than just being the cliched evil villain. And Robbie is very good in his role, and he makes a great antagonist.

Kaiji Tang is also very good as Hendrickson. He's also another important character on the antagonist's side, and he did a great job in this anime.

Soundtrack, Openings, and Endings

Hiroyuki Sawano's musical soundtrack is good, but it doesn't exactly stand out. But the music does sound good and fits the tone and mood of the story, but unfortunately, I can't recall any particular musical themes outside of the opening and ending songs of the anime.

The first opening for The Seven Deadly Sins is "Netsujō no Spectrum" (熱情のスペクトラム) by Ikimono-gakari. It's a very good opening that sounds really good and gives you that sense of adventure.

"Seven Deadly Sins" by MAN WITH A MISSION gets you really pumped up for the episode and gives off the exciting vibe that, yes, this episode is going to be awesome.

"7-seven-" by FLOW x GRANRODEO gets you all excited and pumped up for the next episode. Season" by Alisa Takigawa has a very soothing and hopeful tone, and you'll need it for the latter half of the anime.

The Perv Jokes Get Old Really Fast

One main criticism I have of the anime is that Melodas is a perv, and not just that he talks about girls in a pervy fashion, he tends to grope them, a lot, not that I get "offended" by this as a female fan of anime, I'm used to fanservice, and so I expect it. In fact, Melodas' perverted behavior is a running gag that becomes annoying because it's funny the first few times, and then it's like, "Okay, I get the joke, now it's old!" and now

 it's unfunny.

Unfortunately, it can also reinforce the perception that anime is just a bunch of pervy jokes and that every single anime is always like this when it comes to fanservice and gag jokes, and it could possibly turn off new viewers from what is a very fun and enjoyable anime to watch.

Not Everything Is Explained

Another flaw of the anime is that not everything is explained, such as how the Seven Deadly Sins got their powers and how magic works in the world. But with a second season coming, there should be more explanations.

It's also too bad we don't even see Escanor, and I was hoping we'd see all Seven Sins. Fortunately, he'll be in season 2, so I have that to look forward to.

Parental Warning

There is violence, but it's mainly fantasy-style violence, and it's not too bloody or gory. It's mainly magic spells.

There isn't too much profanity, but characters do swear sometimes.

Meliodas being a pervert towards Elizabeth is annoying, and there is fan service, as in, Meliodas trying to look up her skirt and being a pervert around her.

My Rating: A-

With a stellar story based on Arthurian legends with a fun and engaging cast, excellent animation from A-1 Pictures, and another great English dub from Bang Zoom Entertainment, The Seven Deadly Sins is a series that is so much fun, especially if you love fantasy anime like I do. It does, however, have a lot of anime cliches that might turn off some people and the Meliodas is a perv gag wears out his welcome. Fortunately, it does stop after a while, and not everything is explained completely, but I had a fun time watching this anime, and I recommend it to anyone who has a Netflix streaming account.

If you watched the fansubs already, please support the official Netflix stream since the Japanese do look at the viewing numbers from official sources and not fansub sites. I found this out by listening to a Funimation podcast on Anime News Network, so even if you just get a free trial of Netflix just to watch this show, the official creators are paying attention. The viewing numbers are enough right now that they've already started making season 2, so officially support the stream.

There are also multiple language tracks and subtitles to choose from.

Seven Deadly Sins: Signs of Holy War, the four-episode OVA, has been uploaded to Netflix on February 17, 2017. The second season comes out this year.

Funimation has licensed Seven Deadly Sins for home video release.

© 2015 ReViewMeMedia

Movie Review: Iron Man (2013)

 

Quick Info:

Director: Shane Black 

Studio: Marvel Studios 

Release Date: May 3, 2013

Runtime: 130 minutes

Availability: On 4K blu-ray, blu-ray and digital, streaming on Disney+

Story Summary

Tony Stark faces off with the mysterious villain, the terrorist known as the Mandrin, after he starts attacking cities around the U.S. Tony and Pepper are attacked in his mansion, and he must survive and fight back.

I Enjoyed Everything About This Movie

This movie was fantastic. It did everything right. There’s a twist in the movie that I won’t spoil; not everyone liked it because it wasn’t just like the comics, but I really liked it. Just when you think that nothing could top Iron Man 1, this movie does. The plot was great, the storytelling was even better than Iron Man 2, and I really enjoyed that movie and The Avengers, too. Everything was so excellent, from the acting to the visual effects and the music.

The Visual Effects Are Amazing

The visual effects of Iron Man 3 are incredible. The movie uses computer-generated images, such as when they had to completely replace Robert Downey Jr. after an injury. The CGI is so flawless that the viewer can’t tell the difference between the real actor and his digital replacement.

The fight scene choreography is stunning, and it’s an edge-of-your-seat sort that keeps you wondering how Tony’s going to get himself out of trouble and keep himself from getting killed. There are also a lot of stunning and clever ways that Tony uses the suit as Iron Man, which is very fun and exciting.

The cinematography is stunning, and the way everything is shot makes this movie an incredible experience just to look at. The editing is also very well done, and the film is easy to follow.

The Acting Was Excellent

The acting was excellent, and everyone who returned topped themselves compared to The Avengers and Iron Man 2.

Robert Downey Jr. is fantastic as Tony Stark/Iron Man. I loved his performance as he’s doing a different take on the

character than in the other movies, and that is a great thing for his character, and it keeps giving Tony Stark character development.

Gwyneth Paltrow was awesome as Virginia “Pepper” Potts, Tony’s girlfriend. She had a much more interesting role in this movie, and I loved her role in this film. She was great. She is also very important in the film, but this review does not contain spoilers.

Don Cheadle is great as Col. James “Rhodey” Rhodes, and he did a really great job, improving on his last performance in Iron Man 2. His character was a lot more involved, and that was a nice thing to see. He doesn’t feel like a replacement for Terrence Howard, the first actor for Rhodes from the first movie. He was also more important in this movie, and it’s nice that he is more involved in the story and is very proactive in the movie.

Guy Pearce is really good as Aldrich Killian. I liked the character, and he was very interesting. He is very enjoyable in this film. There’s much more about the character, but that would involve spoiling the story, and you’ll just have to watch the movie to see the importance of Killian.

The Soundtrack

Bryan Taylor’s score for this movie is so good. Everything about it fits, nothing feels out of place, and it’s perfect. It’s a fantastic musical score that I enjoyed.

Not All Fans Like the Film's Plot Twist

The flaw that a lot of these people don’t like about the movie is the huge twist in the movie regarding the villain, the Mandarin. I loved the twist; it’s not like the comics, but comic book movies are never a carbon copy of the source material, so I liked the twist. If I want to see how the original Mandarin is, I’ll pick up a comic book. It’s a great twist for the movie, and I like it.

Quick Thoughts

What Does Work:	What Doens't Work:
Great plot, story, and characters	Not everyone likes the plot twist
Visual Effects are amazing
The soundtrack is good

Parental Advisory

This movie is rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, and some suggestive themes. It’s mainly very violent, and it’s what you’d expect from a superhero movie.

Overall Thoughts

Iron Man 3 is a really fun movie. I enjoyed the story, the characters, the visuals, everything about this movie. I’m not enough of a Marvel Comics fan to complain about the twist, but I understand why some fans don’t like it. It’s a movie that I recommend everyone see, especially if you love superhero movies.

 

Overall Rating: A

This is an amazing movie. It is one of my most spectacular films this year, and it’s fun to watch. It’s now out on DVD and Blu-Ray for everyone to watch. It moves at a fast pace, and it never stops, and that’s what makes it so much fun. This movie is highly recommended to anyone who loves Marvel Comics or the Marvel movies. Buy this for your movie collection. It’s a terrific, fun summer blockbuster; a treat for both comic fans and people who love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is definitely worth your time and money to see and own. There is also something after the credit sequence.

© 2014 ReViewMeMedia

Website Review: Amazon.com

What is Amazon.com?

Amazon.com is a website that is a very large online store. You can buy electronics, books, movies, video games, and clothes and shoes. You can browse through products, read reviews, ask questions, engage in discussions on the forums, and order products from the website. You can either have them shipped to a P.O. Box or have them shipped directly to your house. Some products can only be shipped to your house, so keep that in mind when placing an order.

 Shopping at Amazon.com

Another great thing about Amazon.com is that they offer free shipping, called Super Saver Shipping, for products that cost over $35.00; it used to be $49.00, but since they have to pay taxes in my state, they lowered the minimum free shipping cost.

Although I do not shop for other items as much as I used to, it's still cheap to buy books from Amazon, as it offers free shipping on books if you buy over $25.00 worth of them.

I have had a great experience shipping on and the only times that an order has not arrived are when it wasn’t available, and they emailed me telling me that it wasn’t available.

 Buying Through Third Parties at Amazon.com

I have purchased items used on Amazon.com. I’ve never had a problem with any used products, but I would definitely only recommend sellers that have a 99%-100% seller rate, that way you know that the product you purchased will actually work when it arrives. I bought Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Special Edition DVDs, and they work like they’re brand new, even though they were used. I still prefer to buy new over used if I can help it.

 Amazon's Verified Customer Reviews

Amazon reviews have a label called “Verified Customer Reviews”, and it proves that the person reviewing the item purchased it because anyone can submit a review to the site. When it comes to video games, I did hear that Amazon was removing low ratings of verified customer reviews and people noticed it.

 User Reviews

Amazon.com is a very helpful website because users can leave reviews about their experiences with the products they’ve purchased from the website. I find that these reviews are informative, most of the time, and have convinced me to either buy a product or not buy it.

 Amazon Forums

Amazon has forums, and they can be very helpful if you want to ask about a product before buying it. There are also all sorts of discussion forums, and it’s pretty entertaining to look at the forums.

Flaws in Amazon Customer Reviews

If there are any flaws with Amazon.com, it would be that you have to be careful when buying used items from sellers; you have to look at their feedback percentage and what buyers have said about them. I only buy from sellers that I know are good and have sent me items I’ve ordered. I haven’t had any problems with buying used, and I’ve always received items I’ve ordered.

Retruns

I have only ever had to return a few things to Amazon, and I did get a refund, but not a full refund, but it was easy to return them.

Buying eBooks for Kindle

I recently got a free Amazon Kindle Touch, and I find it very easy to purchase books on Amazon for it. It's easy, you just touch the buy button, and it purchases the e-book. It also accepts Amazon gift cards as payment, so you can get free books using Amazon gift cards.

Just the other day, I bought a book by accident while browsing through the Kindle Store. I was able to cancel my accidental purchase, and they refunded my money the same day.

My Rating: A

Overall, Amazon.com is a great website that lets you buy anything you want and has a lot to offer its customers. I’d recommend using this website since it’s easy to find and purchase items from the store. Just be careful when buying new or used from 3^rd party sellers. I’ve never had a problem but I’m very careful when choosing a 3^rd party seller to purchase from. I try to buy straight from Amazon when possible. You can’t go wrong with this website and I buy a lot from Amazon.com. If you want a good online shopping experience, I’d recommend Amazon.com.

Video Game Review: Assassin's Creed (PS3)

Source

Quick Info

Studio: Ubisoft
Game Genre: third-person, pen-world, action/adventure, historical
Platform: PlayStation, Xbox360, PC, Version played was PS3
Release Date: November 13, 2007

Plot Summary

Assassin’s Creed is about a man named Desmond Miles who is kidnapped by the mysterious Abstergo Industries and put into a machine called the Animus, which lets him relive the life of his ancestor through his DNA.

Abstergo is looking for something in Desmond's ancestors' memories, and now he has to relive Altair's life as an assassin.

Source

Gameplay

The game itself is pretty fun; it does get repetitive at times. You have to ride to a city, find viewpoints to get a better view of the city, which will update your map, perform investigations to learn about your target, and then assassinate them. There are also optional missions like killing Templars and rescuing citizens who will become vigilantes and help you when you get into fights with guards.

It does get annoying when Altair won't quite run in the direction you want him to, and sometimes he won't jump off the roof quite the way you want him to.

Combat is also somewhat repetitive, but you can cheese most fights except against Templars by using the block button (for PS3, the Square button). The knife aiming isn't perfect, and sometimes you won't hit your target. The horse riding is also a little clunky as well.

Source

Graphics

The graphics look quite nice and still hold up, but there is some texture pop-in. Overall, the presentation is good, and the cities are very large and interesting to explore. It’s very fun to go rooftop all over the cities and look around.

The viewpoint synchronization sequences are really pretty, and they've become a staple of the franchise, even if Assassin's Creed has sequelitus-ed itself to the point of becoming "meh", I still enjoy playing the game, and it does look pretty good, even if the graphics look much better now in the sequels than the first game did in 2007.

Story Thoughts (Spoiler Free)

The story itself is pretty good, although it’s kind of hard to care about Desmond Miles because he barely has any character development whatsoever. Lucy is okay, but everybody in the modern world is kind of boring compared to the characters in the Third Crusade.

It's a problem when you don't care about many of the characters. I like it when we see Altair's story; everything else feels like padding.

I also find it interesting that the story takes potshots at Christianity, saying that it never happened and that it was all a lie, but won't ever say anything offensive about Islam, even though the setting is during the Third Crusade.

And it makes sure to say that the development is made up of various people of different faiths and religions, but that just feels like a religious flame shield, so they can avoid the criticism that they're only criticizing one religion and not another.

Assassin's Creed Intro Video

The Flawed, Overalert A.I. is Annoying

The game isn’t perfect, though. The A.I. can be a little annoying. Guards will be suspicious if you just start to run, especially later in the game. If you’re not walking and blending, they’ll notice you no matter what you do, and you find yourself either running away to hide or fighting them a lot, and that can get annoying.

Voice Acting

The voice cast is pretty good. Nolan North is good as Desmond Miles; he tends to be in a lot of games I’ve been reviewing lately. Kristen Bell is also very good as Lucy Stillman; she’s one of the characters who are actually likable, unlike everyone else. Phil Proctor is also good as Warren Vidic, and he does a good job of making his character come off as a jerk.

For the characters in the Third Crusade, Phil Shahbaz is the best voice actor in this game as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, who gets the most character development and seems to be into his character. Peter Reneday is excellent as Al Mualim, and he has an interesting character.

Parental Advisory

This game is rated M for Mature, which is ages 17 and up. It has strong profanity, including the F-word. It also has graphic blood and violence, but you can turn the blood off in the options menu, but not the profanity. This is a game for adults, so it’s up to you as a parent if you want your younger teens to play this game.

Quick Grade

What Works:	What Doesn't Work
Good Story in the Historical Period	Don't feel attached to modern characters
Fun gameplay	"Real world" segments feel like padding
Nice environments	A.I. can be over-alert and annoying
Pretty open world	A one-sided view on religion won't address the other aspects of religion in the game

"Assassin's Creed" was Fun Before it became a Franchise Zombie

Assassin's Creed is a fun game, and it was unique and special. when it came out. It's not that way anymore. It was so different when it came out because there weren't open-world games that were like this. It was interesting and had a good story.

Nowadays, Assassin's Creed is stale, and every game feels the same, but back when this was first released, it was refreshing. But it is still fun, as long as you don't play one after the other, it's a game I enjoyed a lot.

Overall Grade: A-

Assassin’s Creed is a pretty good game. I do feel I got my money’s worth out of it, but it’s not necessarily a must-buy for people. It’s interesting historical fiction, but if you’re a Christian, you might be offended by it; if you’re Muslim, you might be offended by it too, but it just depends on what you’d find offensive about it.

I recommend it to people who want an interesting historical adventure. It is repetitive, and the A.I. is not perfect, but it’s pretty fun. Check it out if it seems interesting to you.

You can buy the game on Steam for Windows, Mac OX, and Steam OS + Linux and GOG.com.

© 2015 ReViewMeMedia