Welcome to the Fantasy Zone
This Zone is dedicated to the lesser known elements of anime hosted by the cast of Victory Script.
What weapon is the best?
Who will win in this Death Battle?
Is this costume practical?
You name it, it's all covered here in the Fantasy Zone!
Recently I went on a binge watch of several anime titles and it's brought up some interesting subjects to discuss.
"Magical Girl Anime is going extinct"
I don't want to agree with this but after seeing the symbol of Precure be given to a pet dog has started adding nails to the coffin. Magical girls these days fall into three categories; copy Madoka Magica, have the entire cast wear whole battle ship parts or be a magical idol show, and with Precure going off the rails, I'm sorry to say that the genre is on life support.
"Anime isn't mature enough"
You want to tell that to him?
Real talk, anime has been willing to tackle subjects that every other medium avoids like the plague, the problem is that the current generation can't handle it, to someone like me, the first episode of Goblin Slayer was tame compared to anything from the forgotten ultra violent era, if anything we've evolved the maturity subject matter to a point that it's covered in a respectable manner as opposed to before when violence, language and sex was thrown in because everyone thought it was more appealing.
"Gundam are out of ideas"
Witch from Mercury definitely takes more from Utena than from Gundam, the issue is that the well has been running dry since Gundam 00, it doesn't help that the demand for Gundam is giving less and less returns, Suletta Mercury being the first female lead isn't exactly competing with Monkey D Luffy for ratings but I did hear positive things about the new Gundam Seed movie so maybe Gundam isn't done yet.
"Romance anime feels cheap"
It's actually getting better, the romance anime I did watch over my binge session over the last four weeks had believable romances, Banished from the Heroes Party was my favourite romance as Red and Rit were legitimately a good couple. Japan is going through a horrible birth rate so having stories of legitimately great romances gives some more credibility to the pursuit of romance, way better than the tsundere era we had grown too used to.
"There will never be another big shonen title"
With Akira Toriyama sadly passing away, the symbol of Shonen anime, it's hard to see if anyone other than the original big three of Naruto, Bleach and One Piece can join Dragonballz as legends. B tier shonen like Fire Force just isn't enough to take the crown, Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen will likely fade into obscurity years after they ended, even Naruto and Bleach are struggling to stay relevant.
I've done the cures now time for the series themselves, all 22 will be ranked today.
Precure as a franchise doesn't do bad, at worst it's okay at best it's in my top ten so I rate none of these entries as bad.
22. Wonderful Precure
They really dropped the ball with this one, Precure was built on the foundations of it's cast being able to throw a punch and removing that element doesn't make it a Precure. Doggo Precure or not.
21. Fresh Precure
Precure prides itself on it's influences and likes to pay homage to them, especially if certain staff worked on other shoujo series, however Fresh takes so much that it can't stand as it's own show, the influences are hard to ignore and are distracting not helped by the fact it was released in the genre's stale years.
20. Healin Good Precure
Beautiful setting in a very plain environment. Largely uneventful for Precure and very stale and a very stupid ending.
19.Futari Wa Precure Max Heart
Shiny Luminous wasn't really needed as the duo were plenty strong enough as characters to not need support, too many episodes made this season drag.
18. Yes Precure 5 GoGo
Season fatigue was the problem here, a near 100 episodes of the same team is just too much and never found any real boost from Precure 5.
17. Delicious Party Precure
The plot is back to basics but hardly ground-breaking.
16. Precure Full Bloom
An opportunity to showcase former Yes Precure 5 and Splash Star Precures as adults, great idea that failed to stick the landing, 20 years of Precure and still no adult Precure, at least effort was made.
15. KiraKira Precure A La Mode
This series made the homage so obvious you could almost call it plagiarism but at the very least it's still colourful and the characters although familiar to magical girl veterans were fun.
14. Doki Doki Precure
Contains two of my least favourite precures and one of my least liked villains and possibly worst costumes, but there is some entertainment to be witnessed.
13. Hirogaru Sky Precure
A season that plateaued hard by mid season but ended better than it had any right to, it brought alot to the table but ultimately never hit it's true potential.
12. Tropical Rouge Precure
A laid back offering with not much agency in the plot and utterly dominated by argubly the best Precure ever made.
11. Star Twinkle Precure
The story wrote itself into a corner that they never recovered from but at least it was fun.
10. Suite Precure
It's position after Heartcatch gave it the impossible task of trying to recapture the same glory but I found myself loving the art style along with a certain guitar haired Precure.
9. Precure Splash Star
I can't ignore the fact that the two Precures can easily be mistaken for the original duo but the fighting set a high standard to follow.
8. Yes Precure 5
I've grown to appreciate this season more but again, so many cures that I don't rate highly.
7. Mahou Tsukai Precure
The best duo since the original pair along with the most beautiful Precure. Strong in characters, weak in setting.
6. Go Princess Precure
The most fabulous Precure, no, Magical Girl series ever. Every transformation produces an ever bigger dress, it's pure unapologetic fun.
5. Futari Wa Precure
The first season is showing it's age but there's no denying that without it, the franchise would not reach such heights.
4. Hugtto Precure
Anniversary year aside, this is proof that Precure still has a place in the world, packed full of the most heart warming, emotional scenes Precure has ever had.
3. HappinessCharge Precure
This was when Precure was at it's most creative and deserves more praise than it gets.
2. Smile Precure
The last two I consider the seasons that best represent Precure. Fun, colourful, memorable precures, memorable villains, not afraid to get silly yet deliver an experience worthy of it's name.
1. Heartcatch Precure
Same reasons as Smile only this series is in a different league altogether. Every good quality that the franchise has is showcased here in Heartcatch, this season will never be topped.
I waited an entire year before I decided to review the cast of Hirogaru Precure and I have to say, it's very much improved.
Sora came out the blocks with a massive boost and quickly gained a good arc which later ended in such a good climax.
Mashiro was a good partner for Sora even though she fell into the same category as plenty before her, the more shonen built Sora makes the dynamic much stronger though.
Tsubasa as the first main line male Precure needed more to do but ultimately sat in the generic role of making up numbers.
Ageha had the sass and the personality of the older Senpai of the group but even she had to step aside and keep to a support role.
Ellee is just Cure Ace with a more convoluted backstory, also getting sick of having baby characters in Precure now.
Sora Harewataru - Cure Sky - 8.0/10
Mashiro Nizigaoka - Cure Prism - 7.6/10
Tsubasa Yunagi - Cure Wing - 6.7/10
Ageha Hijiri - Cure Butterfly - 7.4/10
Ellee - Cure Majesty - 5.6/10
Best Dressed Award - Cure Prism
Vshojo has been active since 2020 and became my official entry into Vtubers and over the years, each talent has become a staple of Youtube and Twitch.
I'll be ranking every talent in chronological order including talents who have since left the group.
Ironmouse
The Puerto Rican has been around the longest and most people know of her condition where in basic terms, she has practically no immune system but this didn't stop her from being a gremlin who brings her feisty latina routine to every stream along with her incredible singing voice, her main appeal is how well she plays off other people especially CDawgVA.
Her position as the top talent in the agency is well deserved.
Zentreya
Zentreya has the strongest presence among the talent and regularly uses an electronic voice to hide her real voice suggesting she's either well known in real life or is more than one actor as it's often suggested that Zentreya's model is used by more than one person, but the mystery is irrelevant as it's Zentreya's relationship with her chat, comedy timing and material along with the deadpan delivery of her electronic voice makes her a joy to watch.
Silvervale
Silvervale has the presence of being sexy, wholesome and altogether fun to watch, her models often stood out the most by how much detail each one has, her main appeal is that she has her family join her on stream most notably her mother. She since left VShojo to go independent, her reasons are widely speculated including a feud with the agency or jealously over more popular talent but my theory is that she left after the Hogwarts Legacy incident made her feel vulnerable and VShojo didn't help her through it that well.
Projekt Melody
From revolutionizing the cam girl industry to becoming the lewdest vtuber on the planet, Projekt Melody's goal is to normalize the discussions of the often taboo subject of sex while also bringing her brand of innocent lewd humour, up with Zentreya and Kson, she's an absolute genius of her craft.
Nyanners
Having since moved agencies, Nyanners is the last of the founding members of Vshojo and arguably the weirdest among them, older than she acts she brings a host of weird and wonderful streams everything from classic PlayStation to toy streams from fun collabs with partner Lord Aethelstan to butchering 80s ballards. The only thing I miss about Nyanners is how wholesome her friendship was with Ironmouse, the two haven't interacted since she left.
Apricot Froot
Froot brings the British flavour into Vshojo, her appeal is that of an artist that never left the 00s emo era of metal, from butchering metal songs to being the straight froog girl in a game room of chaos, Froot is always a joy to watch.
Hime Hajime
Better known as Sydsnap the degenerate Queen, Hime Hajime rarely plays her character mostly only for promotional events, why she bothers to stay as a vtuber is beyond me especially as she is married to Trash Taste's Garnt.
Veibae
I probably learned more about Veibae from her interview with the BBC, not much to say about her, she's probably the only talent that doesn't have a gimmick to offer, it's unknown why she left but considering she's also from Britain it was likely a logistical decision rather than any fallout.
Kson
Formally the world renowned vtuber Coco, Kson returned with Vshojo and quickly reminded us why she's the best Vtuber on the planet, not afraid to use sex appeal, Kson brings the best of Japanese Vtubing mixed with a blossoming career with Sega's Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. Kson truly is the best of the bunch.
Nazuna
Formally Rushia, Nazuna had a good start but it was becoming abundantly clear over time that the former star didn't want to do Vtubing anymore having left Vshojo only a couple of days ago.
Haruka
Having been a regular among the Vshojo talent right from the beginning, the Canadian finally joined in 2022 being a big source of the comedy routines with the other talent.
Henya
Formally Pikamee, she became an innocent victim of the whole Hogwarts Legacy incident, having joined Vshojo as Henya, she's become her best self with her kettle like reactions to just saying Dayo, Henya is always a joy to watch.
Geega
Basically Veibae with more gremlin energy, she has a much better presence than the devil maid but you still can't get over the fact that there are a high number of vtubers that use a similar look. Good actress though.
K9 Kuro
Originally reaching out to Vshojo just to help with a tax issue as well as help debuting as a vtuber, the British talent became Vshojo's first male, fitting very well amongst the all female talent, it's like Vshojo just gained it's first little brother character.
Matara Kan
So what was missing from a roster of degenerates, gremlins, comedy geniuses and just raw fun? A dommy mommy, which Matara Kan happily gives, whether she is older than the other talent is hotily debated but two things are apparent, she somehow made cockroaches sexy and she quickly cemented herself as the perfect mommy character for the other talent.
We'll be using a tier grade system to rate the talent today.
Ironmouse - S
Zentreya - S
Silvervale - B
Projekt Melody - S
Nyanners - A
Apricot Froot - A
Hime Hajime - C
Veibae - C
Kson - S
Nazuna - D
Haruka - B
Henya - S
Geega - B
K9 Kuro - B
Matara Kan - A
But none of these 15 talents are my favourite, my actual favourite vtuber will be getting her own entry.
Welcome back to Hot Take Review, these takes today are video game related, these are takes that frequently get brought up by my close friends group.
"Fortnite is a bad/great game"
Oh boy starting with this one.
My biggest issue with Fortnite is how much it basks in it's own ego, popular IPs seem to get dunked in with no respect for the source material, the game itself looks at least functional but the Battle Royale gameplay, it's main selling point is a really poor selling point as winning feels impossible, as for build mode, Roblox and Minecraft have you covered. The other issue is, I'm terrible at shooters.
"You can't hate a game you haven't played"
Yes, I can, it's easy.
Real talk, gaming has come a long way from it's renaissance period of the 90s where the only thing you have to go on were game magazines and maybe Blockbuster rentals if you're lucky enough to live close to one, these days there are enough streamers playing the games to give you a sense of what to expect, when the average new release is $75 or £60, it's more important than ever to have as much information as possible, this is why over the last three years I've turned down quite a high number of so called triple A titles.
"Loot boxes and microtransactions need to piss off"
The issue isn't so much the loot boxes and microtransactions but the companies behind them, this evolves from the rising mobile gaming market where the only way to beat Candy Crush is to spend real money, because all these games are free they have to make the money back somehow, Pokemon Go has the right idea where spending is optional, not so much for gacha, Japan's lootbox lottery where lonely males are duped into spending tons of money to get a sexy lady to play as who jiggles their ass on screen, looking at you Goddess of Victory Nikke.
The free model reluctantly does have a place in gaming, my most recent complaint is essentially renting the game for a year in order to play it, this ruined Trackmania and Pinball FX for me.
Also if you're a parent that's been stung because your kid spent $100 on game cosmetics that you let them have to shut them up, then you are a stupid parent.
"Why are games so woke nowadays"
This sounds like an old man yelling at a cloud. We've evolved post pandemic to be a lot less tolerant society and games are no exception, Saint's Row is a prime example of this where the insanity of wacky murder and crime is replaced by cringy tiktok streamers whose idea of crime is review bombing a restaurant. The term woke also feels constantly misused as its more like they only want game writers to spin stories based on what the main political environment is spouting to win favour with a small vocal group of people, it also doesn't help that plenty of skeletons are getting dug out of the closets of the likes of Blizzard, Ubisoft and other big publishers. My attitude is, don't try to adjust your IP for an audience that won't play your game to begin with.
"Achievement Hunters don't play real games"
This gets directed at me alot as an Xbox player.
Much like anime, gaming isn't just ten games, it's a much bigger media spectrum, being an achievement hunter allows me to play games I would otherwise not touch normally, Gamepass and rewards services help to afford this hobby as well.
I get that more often than not you are going to end up playing your fair share of shit games and even the most well known cheevo hunters like Cheevo Guides, Patrick Maka and Welsh Hunter do achieve varying levels of burnout, this isn't helped by Xbox's loose rules system on how achievements are put into games, it all came to a head when Aabs Animals thought that 1000 minutes of staring at animals was acceptable to charge $15 for which lead to Microsoft tightening the rules.
For me these days, it's finding gems among rocks, I would not have discovered games like Vampire Survivors and Hades if I wasn't an achievement hunter and I consider novelty games like Powerwash Simulator free content for my gaming reviews. Lastly, I'm not a young gamer, life takes priority and many of these games average three hours and are easier to return to than say Halo or Forza.
