This officially marks my first post for the new years and it is also on time. As a heads up, Gokaiger and Fourze shall be on break during this week. Lets hope that 2012 shall be a stronger year for tokusatsu.

When we landed on Christmas Day.

Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger episode 44



Today we have to deal with the inevitable Christmas/New Years special that is mandatory for almost every sentai show. Surprisingly it turned out to better than I expected with the way things were played out in the end. Gai was teaching everyone about the spirit of the holidays and there was some chaos a foot with people being turned into dolls.

For a holiday episode, the story actually got somewhere towards the end. The team is now closer towards completing the requirements to awaken the Greatest Treasure in the Universe. As a nice treat, Gai's imagination played a role in the outcome of this battle, which was good to see in action again. If things go the way we are hoping they do, the major battles to end this series should be coming soon.

Kamen Rider Fourze episode 16



Fourze may be taking place during Christmas time, but the show is still focusing on the plot at hand. As Gentarou is trying to prevent the awakening of a new Horoscope, the second rider finally joins the scene. But at the moment we are unsure of what motives he will being to the table as the plot develops.

Gentarou still has ways to go now as a rider since he had his ass handed to him by Libra. Most likely this is will change once he awakens Fourze's super form later on in the series (Unless they want to change it up.), but lets just hope he gets better as a fighter first. For now, Meteor gains the upper hand with his skills in trying to be all Bruce Lee like when he fights along his with abilities that involve using planets. Kamen Rider Fourze started strong last year, and lets wish it the best in getting even better during 2012.

Header image by musclecar.

2011 has been a major year for me other than my enjoyment of fiction. This year marked a huge risky step in my life that shall lead towards a new path once everything is properly settled. Today I will be giving a brief summary about my opinion regarding various things related to Japan from 2011. Setting up for this moment I did a four day segment about my thoughts on four Kamen Rider films. Now let us set forth on one of my longest segments during this whole year.


First lets start with one of the more popular subjects on this site as we split it between its two specialties.

Anime TV Shows


Guilty Crown



When Guilty Crown was first announced, many were hyped for this show due to it being animated by Production I.G plus having one of the writers from Code Geass on board for the project. The final product turned out to be a show that was slightly similar, but manage to pull off enough to stand out on its own with each passing episode. Sadly, the show fell flat with incorporating a typical cast of main characters.

For a show that is meant to be two seasons, the pacing does not know the definition of taking it slow since we are close to a climatic situation during the halfway point. Despite these flaws, the show does sport an entertaining secondary cast, and I.G does a pretty good job with the animation regarding the colors, giant robots, void abilities, and various other special effects. In the long run, we might probably end up with a beautifully animated semi generic series.

Mobile Suit Gundam Age



So many people considered this show as the fall of Gundam because of the target audience being directed towards children. However, the show had a beacon of hope with the director having had experience with working on the Professor Layton games. At the end of the day, Gundam Age is neither terrible nor ground breaking. On the bright side the series does manage to change it up compare to most Gundam shows since it is not a war between humans. Gundam Age starts off a bit slow, but every episode delivers a set up that could lead towards some interesting things. Since this show is going to span across three generation of Gundam pilots, the other segments might leave a better impression on the viewer.

The series also exhibits a case of bland designs for the robots with the exception of the Age Gundam and the G-Exe, which is a bit of a downer for fans of giant robots. Just because it is a show for kids, does not mean you have to hold back on the designs. I mean look at Gaogaigar, that show sports some pretty darn detailed robot designs and it was also marketed towards kids.

Shakugan no Shana the Third Final



Shana was one of those shows that gave off mixed feelings. The first season had such a great pacing while managing to set us up for greater things to come. However, the second season was filled with lots of filler to the point where only thirty percent of the content was essential to the plot. Now that the final season is here, things are actually taking a good step for the best. Since one of the main protagonists is now working with the main villains, it allows the series to jump into territories that it could never dream of in the previous two. With the way things are going now, we might expect some strong segments during the second half of the show.

Persona 4 the Animation



When this was first announced, I came in with the lowest expectations due to Persona Trinity Soul leaving a bad taste in my mouth regarding an anime about Persona (Thank god it takes place in an alternate universe.). Little did I know that P4A actually manage to impress as a video game based anime. The team at A.I.C really did their research in terms of what to leave in and what to take out so that it paces well as a 25 to 26 episode series.

P4A may have suffered from a few off models here and there plus some segments that felt like a waste of time, but the overall package delivers a great compliment to those who experienced P4. Newcomers can also join in, except that they will have to deal with Yu not showing much emotions since they probably did not have enough of a budget to give him his own personality on how they see him as a main character.

Mawaru Penguindrum



Penguindrum came in with a great team at its table with Brains Base and the man known for directing Utena. As much praise as this show gets for its abstract style of story telling, and bizarre segments. For some reason it did not hit me the way how others were affected by this show. Now don't get me wrong, I loved the plot that Mawaru had to offer with its basic tale that would lead towards revealing the true nature of each character as the story progressed, along with the beautifully animated segments that Brains Base threw in. Its just that the way it was told lead to it being a hit or miss for me. I also felt that Brains Base could have done better with the animation like how they pulled it off with Change Getter Robo (Released in the US as Getter Robo Armageddon.), Baccano, and Durarara since I feel that their strong point are shows that exhibit a bit more action.

Mawaru Penguindrum is still a fine change of pace compare to most anime TV shows nowadays, and it deserves the honor of being among the best of the best in the round table of quality shows.

Fate/Zero



Here we have a prequel to the legendary battle that will result in ownership of the Holy Grail. Unfortunately one has to sit through 47 minutes of dialogue just to be filled in on what to expect from the show. Sure this was in the novel and they could not think of a better way to animate it, so why not skip this whole segment and get to the good stuff right way. Then you just have to shorten the explanations so that they could be thrown in as one or two minute segments before the show starts (Kind of like how Outlaw Star gave you some brief information about its universe before each episode.). As much as this will anger the rabid Type Lunatics, it will do a better job at reeling in a better audience.

Despite this flaw, F/Z is a beautiful show since UFO Table who is known for working on the Garden of Sinners is behind the animation. While only three or four characters in the cast are well written, the others just play as tools to move the main plot forward. As the series leaves us at a cliff hanger, it hints us that the next season will be filled with more action and less blabber mouthing. So we can expect to have our minds blown away even more.

Steins;Gate



Adapted from a visual novel game of the same name, Steins;Gate takes us into a tale that covers the price of tampering with time. Best of all the main character Rintarou is depicted as a crazy mad scientist who is he actually tall (Kind of reminds me of my height at that age.) compare to most 18 year olds in most animes. Most viewers might have found the plot to be somewhat predictable, but the heart of Steins;Gate lies upon its main cast. With the way each character was written, you could not help to but care for most of them regarding the antics they bring with them. It may not be an action show, but Steins;Gate's balance of comedy and mysteries does lead up to an exciting conclusion that shows how one can earn their true ending if they keep at it. It also deserves props for having people experimenting with time travel by using a microwave and a cellphone.

Tiger and Bunny



Now this one takes us way back to a time that was long forgotten in the realm of anime. Sunrise pulled a surprise on us with its choice of having a serious character design style plus an older protagonist that is also a dad. Surprisingly enough it is also a show that seems to have an influence from western superhero stories like X-Men and the Mystery Men regarding the how the setting is along with the fact that superheroes are sponsored by companies.

Tiger and Bunny may have caught the anime world by surprise, but it still suffers from a few things that keep it from becoming a true masterpiece. One would have to be the pacing since it went from a well told dramatic tale against evil to random episodes that felt a bit like filler at times. While it does not add anything new to the superhero genre, it still succeeds at being entertaining with the moments it had.

Madoka Magica



Never did I expect a magical girl show would reign as a masterpiece among anime. And this is coming from one who has never had a good experience with SHAFT and Shinbo. The dark storyline, the progression towards despair, and the bittersweet hope that turned it all around as SHAFT delivered what it does best. Who would expect that this show came from the winter season, which is tends to be the weakest season for anime. I guess sometimes the best shows always take you by surprise since you can never expect them.

I know it may be generic of me to label this show as amazing, but it is what it is. This show is worthy of its following, and one should be grateful that it manage to be as big as it is. Twenty years from now, newer generations will read editorials about how Madoka impacted 2011 just like the many classics we hear from today.



Now let us move on to the part about animes that refuse to hold back, thanks to the power of a greater budget.

Anime Movies and OVAs


Gundam Unicorn episodes 3 and 4



Following in the footsteps of the previous episode, the animation continues to shine at its best with its detailed mech designs and gorgeously played out fights. Everything about this series feels like a classic Gundam show with a coating of modern day OVA quality animation, which is a must watch for any Gundam fan. While episode 4 felt like the weakest of the installments, it manages to create a set up that will shine greatly in the fifth episode.

Carnival Phantasm



Type Lunatics rejoice as they are receiving an OVA that makes fun of everything related to Tsukihime and Fate/Stay Night. Others might be confused with the style of humor that is shown here as it is all reference to various materials from both series. If you have at least some experience with the anime adaptation of Fate/Stay Night or Tsukihime, then there is a chance that you could enjoy the various skits this show has to offer. One segment that always stands strong is the lectures that are performed in the Tiger Dojo at the end of every episode.

Kyousogiga



Thanks to a certain person who has a fascination with staring at water, I was reminded about the existence of this original series. First scene leaves the viewers with a great impression of things to come as we are exposed to colorful explosions, giant hammers, and crazy ass kids causing collateral damage.

Kyousogiga has proven itself that it has plenty of potential to be taken advantage of thanks to its off the wall animation and abstract cartoony designs. One can hope that they decide to release more episode to continue the story that was shown to us so far, and who knows this might end up being the next big hit title that will be talked about for ages.

Macross Frontier the movie: Sayonara no Tsubasa



Love it or hate it, the Macross Frontier movies have both done things to both improve and hinder the story at hand. On one note Alto is aware of the situation at hand where as in the original series he was fighting blindly until the finale of the series. But on the other, the ending does leave a bad taste in one's mouth despite of his decisive choice in picking one of the girls. Which is a bit unfortunate since the cast of this film was better aware of the evil actions that were going on, compare to the TV series.

The movie does deserves props on the animation for outshining anything from the original series, which is always nice for those who want to see their Valkyrie fights made with the best budget at hand. If the ending was similar to the TV show's ending, then it would have been a more enjoyable film.

Red Line



Hater gonna hate because this movie apparently lacks a gripping storyline. Main guy wants to win a race and his best friend is involved with the wrong people, which gets in the way of his dream. From this premise, this technically counts as an enjoyable story since you are following his ordeal on how he manages to succeed regardless of everything that gets in his way. Though in reality we all came here for the high budget 2D animation performed by the pros at Mad House.

If I remember correctly, Red Line is suppose to be Mad House's last film that is going to be fully 2D. As a final piece, it manages to blow practically everything out of the water. From the vibrant colors to the stylized characters(Kind of reminds me of Dead Leaves in regard to the alien designs.) and setting, there is never a flavorless moment in this film. It is also thanks to the basic plot that makes this experience so unforgettable. If you know any people who have been out of the anime loop for a while, Red Line is the perfect kicker to remind them of what anime movies are capable of when one's creative freedom is let loose.



Now that anime is knocked out of the way, let us move on to priority number two.

Video Games


Pokemon White



Originally I was going to hold back on this game and wait for the inevitable third version, but lord and behold I end up getting this game as a gift from one of my close friends. In the long run it basically plays the same as any other Pokemon game. Except your character is more involved with the story this time around, and the game manages to throw a handful of surprises as you make your way towards becoming the champion. Which is a great feeling that one has not had since playing Red and Blue on the original Gameboy and Gameboy Pocket.

If there was one downside it would be the lack of berry patches, plus other features that were thrown into the last games like the various move tutors and applications. Whether you are a fan or a new comer to the series, this generation serves as a way to give people a fresh new start with the pokemon franchise.

Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword



Nintendo finally releases the Zelda game that might be the best in the entry. Before we write it off as game of the year material, let us consider the game's strong points and weak points. Graphically, the game manages to fuse the serious style of Twilight Princess and Ocarina with the cartoony style of Wind Waker thanks to its painting style of graphics. Skyloft is a nice departure from the other games thanks to the vast skies that one gets to explore (Kind of reminded me of my experience with Skies of Arcadia.). There are also a handful of shout outs to every game in the series, which is also thanks to its release landing on the franchise's 25th anniversary (Look at that I am actually as old as Zelda.).

Now this is where it gets difficult as I must briefly talk about the faults that the game holds. The most guiltiest one would have to do with this one mini game segment due to the frustration one can have in the middle of it along with the unnecessary handicaps that you are given. Nintendo is known for making their games to be fun, but there is nothing fun about this ordeal to begin with. Other than that, it has the most backtracking of any Zelda game, which can be a good thing since you will be able to obtain the goodies you could not get before. Officially one of the longest Zelda games, Skyward Sword is a tale that is still worth checking out for anyone who has stuck with the legendary series.



Unfortunately that is all for video games due to having to save money throughout this year. So now let us move to a topic that practically no one cares about.

Tokusatsu


Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger



Since I cover this series weekly, I am going to do my best to sum this up as quickly as possible. Gokaiger is practically the sentai series that people have been waiting for thanks to it showcasing every ranger that has existed plus the premise having to do with space pirates. If you are ever curious about how different Super Sentai is from Power Rangers, then Gokaiger is the perfect gateway to jump into to since knowledge of the previous shows isn't required to enjoy this series.

Kamen Rider Fourze



From a director who was involved in Power Rangers and the writer who did Gurren Lagann comes a high school story about a young man who fights for the awesomeness of space and the opportunity to make friends with everyone. Fourze may be different from what people expect out of Kamen Rider, but the result turns out to be an over the top series that features a comedic cast in a setting that kind of reminds you of high school life in America.



Just when you think this is all over there is one last thing that needs to be explained.


Western Shows that are in collaboration with a Japanese Studio


Power Rangers Samurai



Adapted from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger, the latest Power Ranger series follows a similar premise with a few changes to make it appeal to American children. This leaves us with a decent cast of characters since most of their lines don't seem to hit well for me. However, Bulk, Spike, and Antonio aka the Gold Samurai Ranger do a great job with their lines and comedic antics. Since they are working hard in trying to make this a throw back to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, lets hope that they focus more on the comedic aspects for the next season.

Thundercats 2011



I don't care what people say, but this version of Thundercats is way better than the original in every way possible. To clarify things better, the original involved planet Thundera blowing for no reason causing most of its inhabitants to escape and land on Third Earth. Then they are pit against the forces of Mumm-Ra, and whatever dangers that lurk on the planet as they are stuck in a never ending battle that doesn't go anywhere.

The new series however has an idea of where it is going since we are given a premise of what Lion-O and his comrades must do to complete the story. STUDIO4°C handles the animation, which is always an honor to see their work in action. From the way things are going now, we might get a nice serious storyline that might reach the same level as Avatar the Last Airbender.



This brings this chapter to a close, and to all of you a happy new year. Let us wish 2012 the best of luck in bringing us more great things from Japan regardless of how the winter season is looking so far.

We have reached the end of our climax today. That's right we are on the final day of this segment, and what a perfect way to end it with the Kamen Rider movie to end all films.

Theatrical release: April 1, 2011

Running time: 01:33:08

Seriously, what is with Japan and all these weird titles that are filled with grammatical errors? I guess it sound fine if one were to say it in Japanese instead of English. But as the title says, this film features almost every rider as it is one of the various commemorations to the 40th anniversary of the series.

Deviating from their objective to search for Ankh's medals. Eiji is caught in a fight against a new type of foe. After some unexpected things occur, a bullet train comes out of a portal in the sky and makes its way to the scene. It turns out that this train is known as the Den Liner, and its passengers work together to preserve the Earth's timelines. Did I mention that they also have a Kamen Rider with them that aids them with their task? As they are about to return to their mission, Ankh decides to sneak in as he has his own tricks under his sleeve with Eiji tagging behind him. Unknown to the group, some sort of mayhem is about to occur due to the selfishness of a certain individual.



If you were expecting this movie to focus on every rider from the beginning, think again. The main focus of this film is on the cast of OOO, and most of the Den-O cast as the other riders play a different role in the movie later on. As one whose first series was W, I was able to enjoy every segment created by the passengers of the Den Liner. Every character is very lively in their own way and the comedy that they bring is golden at best. One can see why Den-O ended being one of the more popular series in Japan. The whacky cast and the premise of time travel adds enough material to go beyond its original series (It also has the most movies out of any Kamen Rider series.). It was hard to keep track of all the times I lost it during their segments, especially the ones that involve the Imagins that fight along side of them.

To sums things up shortly, the Imagins are also the ones behind the obstruction of time's balance. I guess that there are a few of them that want to keep time the way it is, which might explain why a some of them fight along side Den-O. As well written as the humor is in this film, there is more that this movie has to offer. Because of Ankh's greediness, he ends up triggering a horrible situation that obstructs the balance of space and time. This also pits the group in some intense situations that require some careful planning to get out of, thus testing Eiji's enthusiasm to make people happy.



Back to the conflict at hand, the movie also acts as another nice throw back to the original series since Shocker (The evil organization that act as the main villains for the original Kamen Rider series.) plays another big role in this film. This time around they are joined by various other villains from the other shows. Which basically acts as the all set up for the climatic battle where every other rider comes to help OOO and Den-O.

Prior to this scene, there are a good handful of fight scenes in the fray. There is even one that involves a swarm of children rampaging on the feeble Shocker henchmen. OOO comes into the fray with a majority of his medals, including two that are exclusive to this film. Den-O (I forgot to mention that this is actually New Den-O who is the second rider for Den-O.) is able to use the Imagins as weapons in battle, which result in some neat one liners as they fight.

As entertaining as this film was, there were still a few things that held it back. Which most of them could be forgivable due to how the budget was spent for the film. One of them being that most of the other riders were not fighting at their full potential, compare to how they fight in their corresponding shows (Which might be applicable to the other movies that featured ever rider.). A good example would be Kamen Rider Kabuto since he is able to (Correct me if I am wrong.) move at a speed where it looks like he stops time, and this ability activates automatically when he performs Clock Up, which he was already in during his appearance.



Compare to Super Sentai's recent 199 Hero movie, it felt that they could have done more with the other riders since there are less riders than sentai teams. But on the other note, the film does exhibit a better use of special effects and CG compare to sentai's film. Despite my complaints about how the riders were handled, there is an exclusive finisher towards the end of the film that exhibits how well the budget was put to use. There are also some other heroes from other works of Shotaro Ishinomori that join in the fray as well.

Lets Go Kamen Rider serves as an entertaining action film with a surprisingly enjoyable plot, so it might just be a fun special instead of a story that is canon. The main cast does a great job with the comedy, and the film also manages to add its serious notes to the plot. Just by seeing the Den-O crew in this film, it has manage to give me a good impression on what to expect when I one day decide to experience the series for myself. So if you are in the mood for having a fantastically good time, then this movie should be right up your alley. Though make sure to have seen at least most of Kamen Rider OOO before jumping on the bandwagon.

Day three is here, which means that we are now past the half way point. Unfortunately today's segment shall be about an unnecessary film that takes place within the continuity of W.

Home release: July 21, 2011

Running time: 01:15:41

Shoutaro and Philip are caught in a battle against a Dopant as they get an unwelcome surprise right after their victory. Looks like someone was not satisfied with them killing off Katsumi during the A to Z movie, and now she wants to take it all out on W. Now that everything is calm, they are now told a story by this person about how Katsumi Daidou wasn't always a bad person (Yet somehow she knew his whole back story prior to meeting him. PLOT HOLE!). Now we begin the story of how Katsumi became a NEVER who eventually ended up being known as that one guy who tried to destroy all of Fuuto City.



There are many thing in this world that should be left untouched, and Eternal just happens to be one of them. First of all, we already have an idea of what his motives were in the movie. It does not help that he was a one time villain compare to everything else in W. So the question is: "Why make a movie about a character that no one probably cares about witnessing his back story?" The answer is simple, money and probably the fact that many people loved Kamen Rider Eternal's design.

If one good thing came out of the movie, is that there were a handful of great action scenes throughout the film. Since the main cast is composed of super undead soldiers, one can get plenty of great choreography through and through. Other than the fight scenes and visuals, we are also shown why Kazu was turned into a NEVER. Along with seeing the T1 version of Eternal, which would make sense on how he was able to recognize the T2 version in the beginning of A to Z.



In the long run, these things only end up as nice extra segments. As hard as the movie was working towards making Daidou and his crew likable, it ends up leading towards some contradictions due to how they were acting during the A to Z movie. Thus making this movie an action packed waste of time. To add more pain to the injury, it was one scene that Eternal could have stopped so easily that lead to his change of heart (CONTINUITY ERROR!).

On the bright side, Rin Takanashi who played as Mako aka Shinken Pink in Shinkenger appears as an important character in the movie. So if you are a fan of her, you will at least get to appreciate her beauty and acting as you watch. Though it is still not enough to save this film.



Kamen Rider Eternal sported such a great design and ability, but he should have remained a one time villain. Yet somehow the action and characters were enjoyable to an extent regardless of this film being a waste of a good film budget. If you can tolerate the contradictions and unnecessary segments of this film, it can work out to be somewhat entertaining. Otherwise you are not missing much if you decide not to watch Eternal as there are plenty of better options for you if you ever want to experience more of W.

Now we begin day two of the Crimson Blade's four days of Kamen Rider movie segment. This time we shall dive into a tale that takes place right after the events of Kamen Rider W.

Home release: April 21, 2011

Running time: 01:11:03

Fuuto City sounds like an interesting place to live, if you can tolerate all the various incidents that have occurred in the past. Even after W and Accel's victory over the great evil that manipulated the city, crime still remains present like in any other metropolis. After thwarting an ingenious pickpocket crime, Terui ends up getting involved in a new case with some new faces to the force. This new scenario might lead to Terui's into a scenario that might ruin his whole life. It looks like one of the culprits might be the key to solving this huge case.

Step aside W because today it is Accel's turn to show us how a true detective does the job. Unlike those private eye guys, this story involves one who is associated with the police. If one has seen the Movie War Core, then you know that this takes place right after due to Akiko living together with Terui after being wed as husband and wife.



One of the strong points of this movie is that it focuses on Terui himself. Originally he was a police detective that was on a journey to avenge his family using the power of Kamen Rider Accel. But as his revenge came to a close, he slowly developed into appreciating the finer things in life outside of vengeance. Every situation in this film manage to put every aspect of his character to the ultimate test. An obvious one being his relationship with his wife Akiko since their marriage was almost devastated in the film due to various misunderstandings.



If there was one issue with this film, it would be that the events don't feel as major as one would expect out of a Kamen Rider series. Instead it is more like a typical episode of W with Terui as the main character, except with better visuals and longer running time. Regardless, it was still an exciting journey since it still stuck to what made Kamen Rider W a good series. Which is in the mystery that is being played out, and the colorful cast of characters that inhabit Fuuto City. As long as you are a fan of Terui's character, you will not be disappointed. Oh and by the way, did I also mention that he might be more of a hard boiled detective than Shoutaro wishes he ever could be.

Kamen Rider Accel is definitely worth checking out for anyone who still feels that there is not enough W in their life. The change of roles regarding the riders is a nice breath of fresh air for the series, and it manages to make you feel right at home. With the way the movie was done, I would not mind seeing another adventure where Terui is the main character again since it turned out to be very entertaining. But at the same time it also played as a nice farewell to Terui's journey as a developing character. Since Den-O is still coming out with movies, you never know what the future could hold for any of the other series.

Tired of these specials being dedicated to one sentai series after another? Well you are in luck, this time the Crimson Blade is going to do a series of specials regarding some of the Kamen Rider movies related to the two series that he has finished. Today we bring you his feelings on the Movie War Core.

Theatrical release: December 18, 2010

Running time: 01:30:16 original version, 01:46:51 director's cut.

Based on the long title that this movie bares, one can tell that this might be a series of segments that will come together as one huge climax towards the end. The first segment involves a new type of yummy that is wrecking havoc in Fuuto City. With the power of a Gaia Memory that it obtained, the yummy manage to use Akiko as a medium to find out about an incident regarding her father who is also known as Kamen Rider Skull. Then we travel to the side of OOO where Kougami resurrects Nobunaga Oda by using the power of the medals. And finally the outcome of both films come together as W and OOO must team up to fight a greater threat that will affect the fate of the world.



While this movie was entertaining in the long run, it was also filled with many scenes that contradict the main plot of Kamen Rider OOO. Because of this, it is very hard to guess where this movie is placed within the show's continuity. To be a vague as possible, one involves the introduction of a scenario that the series explained in a different way. The other two have to do with the introduction of two new abilities that were set up differently in the main series. Unless if this is explained in the later movies, one would have to assume that it might be an alternate universe (Thank you Decade, for making this all possible.) to the actual series. But then that just means that there are now a handful of more questions that need to be answered.

There was also a director's cut version that came out a few months after its home release in 2011, but the extra scenes did not answer any of the questions regarding where it takes place in OOO. On the bright side, it does fill in some the gaps that were left unfilled regarding the important plot points for each segment.

Now that all this confusion is out of the way, we can now focus on the good aspects. The action and visual effects are at their top during each segment, which is always expected from almost every Kamen Rider film. While the lighting may be different from the A to Z movie shown during W, perhaps the effect style used in that movie are saved for the ones that are focused on their main series without any crossovers.



You cannot go wrong with the segment featuring Skull. A film that will impress fans with its take on a film noir hard boiled detective story, while including the action sequences that one can expect out of Kamen Rider. It is not everyday that you see a rider wearing a fedora as he brings his enemies to justice. One of many aspects that makes Skull such a great rider (Wait until you see his rider kick.).

The other two aspects were entertaining in their own way regardless of Skull not being present in any of them. For the OOO part, it was fun to see how they dealt with Nobunaga adjusting to the ways of modern society while introducing on obvious side that was hidden from the rest of the characters. When the two riders come together, the true final battle begins. Which a majority of it involves a massive combination of high quality special effects, CG that you can expect out of Japanese films, and some spectacular sequences performed by the three parties.



The Movie War Core may be a stack of questions and contradictions to the main series, but it is still worth giving it a watch for those who got to experience both W and OOO. The Skull segment is probably the best part of the movie due to it giving us more info on Shoutaro's boss before Shoutaro joined him as his assistant. It is also the only segment that features the least amount of questioning, except for the yummy that appears in it. While you head might be filled with questions at the end, you will come out entertained in the long run. So don't let that discourage you from experiencing the action that is to come.