That Guy With The Glasses Week(s) - Y Ruler of Time

             This guy is pretty awesome. He clearly has a large knowledge of manga, and it is very clear both from his review show and weekly podcast. He is able to pick out exactly why some series stop being good, and do so in a way that is hard for fans to disagree. I'm not that much of a manga guy, I stick closer to Anime, but his series makes me want to read more. It got me to read Bakuman, one of the only manga series I finished, and Rookies...which I really need to finish. Overall I recommend giving his show a chance, if you like manga or anime.

           Favorite episode-Naruto

((Sorry for the late post, just finished packing. Moving tomorrow.))

That Guy With The Glasses Week(s) - Angry Joe

          I don't have that much to talk about with Angry Joe. I'll say this: we play different kinds of games most of the time, so his videos and my interests don't line up that often. But when they do I find his passionate performance amazing, and really enjoy the experience. He's a very solid reviewer, albiet one who follows his heart more than his head most of the time. Still, a great guy.

         Favorite episode: Top Reasons Why Fable III Sucks.

That Guy With The Glasses Week(s) - Jesuotaku

              Let me start it off with this: she is one of my favorite reviewers on the site, despite several major disagreements we have. Why? She's very funny, covers a subject near and dear to my heart, and most importantly, she does it very intelligently. The way she talks about something really allows you to see that she is very objective in her reviews, giving good scores to things she doesn't like, and giving bad scores to anime she does. She makes me wish I could write that way, where I could make my points that clear that fast. She also is doing a huge retrospective on one of my favorite childhood franchises, Digimon, and a radio drama based on Fruits Basket, which I love.

            On the flip side, we disagree on several anime more than a little. She loves Wolf's Rain, I...well, I don't hate it. I tried watching it years ago, and quit eight episodes in. I plan on giving it another shot. But here's a big sticking point: She doesn't like Haruhi! She gave it 2 1/2 stars out of 4! Sure, it's not a bad review, but I love it! And the worst part is that objectively all her criticisms are correct, and something I will admit are a decent reason not to like the series. That's why, ultimitely, she's one of my favortie reviewers on the site, by a long shot.

            Favorite episode: Eiken

That Guy With The Glasses Week(s) - The Nostalgia Chick

              Now, I'm going to start off with the negatives this time. Yes, her comedy on some videos is hit or miss. Yes, I can understand why she has offended some people, though I have not been offended myself. But what's good about her? When she's on her game, she is on. I have laughed at several of her videos more than many of her competitors. I also feel she is very fair, and her taste in movies is actually pretty good. Is she one of the best on the site? No. Is she worth your time? Probably. Personally, I would definitely recommend her and her videos to those who haven't given her a shot.

             Favorite reviews: Hercules, Top 10 5 Best Least Awful Disney Sequels

That Guy With The Glasses Week(s) - Todd in the Shadows

        That is right, it's That Guy With the Glasses Week(s), where I review the reviewers! (Insert Inception BWA noise here.) I'll review one a day until the July 14th, when I'll post my list of my Top 13 favorites of them. Kind of a reverse Superhero Weeks here.

        First up is Todd in the Shadows. For those unaware Todd reviews Pop Music. He's actually the most recent of all of them that I got into. I kept putting him off, because I'm really not that into music. But I decided to give him a try, and he's awesome! Not only is he very funny, with some great running jokes and cutaway gags, he also explains everything in a way where people like me who know nothing of music can understand. With his help, I can now laugh at Driveby for how silly the lyrics are. He takes his field of interest and makes it more accessable for those like me who aren't in the know. For me, that is a crucial part of a good reviewer. Really, I'd recommend him to anyone reading who hasn't tried his reviews. And no, before you start typing, I don't always agree with him. I do not like rap and hip hop, while he does, and I really like Lady Gaga, while he does not. I good reviewer isn't one you agree with, it's one who is funny and explains their opinions so you can understand their viewpoint and accept it.

        Favorite review: Driveby or Top 10 Worst Songs of 2011

The Legend of Korra Episodes 11 and 12

      All right, this episode cemented it. Book One: Air of The Legend of Korra ties with Book Three: Fire as my favorite season in this franchise. Let's break this finale down. The action was...breathtaking. I am not going too far to suggest the action is his finale may be the best in the franchise yet. It was very funny. But most importantly it rapped up the season well, hell better than well. They didn't ruin Asami's character, Bumi got one line, General Iroh was awesome, and Katara returned. But most of all, I am amazed at the gonads on Bryan and Michael, the showrunners. They walked into Nickelodeon Studios, with an episode this dark and serious, and it aired. I don't think anyone else could have done that. There is two character's backstories, those same character's fates, and a scene with Korra, that all never would have been able to get made by anyone else on this channel. It brought the franchise to a new level, and I hope that next season is just as amazing as this one was.

        Wait a second. Korra, MLP, and Game of Thrones are between seasons, and Young Justice is on another hiatus. Great...So guys, this is the last Once a Week for a while, but when these shows come back, so will I. Laters.



P.S. New theme week that lasts two weeks starting tomorrow. K, thx bai.

The Brony Bookclub Episode One-Darkfics

       Here it is! The first episode of my new podcast, all about Pony Fanfiction! Here is a download link. GIVE ME FEEDBACK! Email questions and comments to be read next week at thebronybookclub@yahoo.com

Watashi wa Anime ga daisukidesu/In Front of the Silver Screen-Castle in the Sky

        Alright,it's time I admitted it, at the time of me typing this out I have seen 7 Miyazaki movies. Seriously. It's a huge shame for me, because I love the man and his films. I am working on changing this, and finished watching Castle in the Sky about a week ago. The film is, expectantly, gorgeous, but what really impressed me was how funny it is. I laughed pretty hard several times. The story (Bronydom has robbed me of the p-word now.) worked pretty well, and the characters were ranged from decent to awesome. Special mention goes to the Sky Pirate leader and the Big Bag played by none other that Mark Hamill. Mmm, I love that ham. Overall, it is super-duper-above average when it comes to animated movies, or movies in general. As a Miyazaki film I liked it more than Howl and Kiki, but less than all the other Miyazaki films I've seen. You'll see more of the great creator soon enough. Laters.

Nope

      Internet went out yesterday, still out today. Using a library computer for this quick post. Be back soon.

The Legend of Korra Episode 10, Allegrezza, An Eccentric Trespasser, and a hint to a future post

       SUPER HUGE POST FOR MY RETURN!

       Legend of Korra-Very good episode. The Holy Shit Quotient was through the roof, the ending was awesome, the fight scenes were cool. My only problem is that I feel the creators are going in a certain direction with Asami's character I thought was already shown to be a no go, and I hate that direction. I won't spoil my fears, but I really hope they're preparing for a fake-out.

       Allegrezza by CoffeeGrunt is MLP ship fic between Vinyl and Octavia. That alone guaranteed me reading it. This fic is hilarious, silly, and amazingly heartwarming. The end had me in tears, and I really love and recommend it. However, I have two problems. I'm of the camp that Equestria would be pretty okay with gay couples, while the fic portrays it more like America 5 years ago. I also found the way Lyra and Bon Bon were characterized very different from how I always saw them. Neither is a fault really, just personal preference.

      An Eccentric Trespasser is a Doctor Whooves MLP fic by Tales. It's...okay. I laughed a couple times, a couple ideas are okay, but overall I was not impressed. I really love the idea that Doctor Whooves is the Doctor turned into a pony from dimensional travel, or at least a Time Pony. But here he's just some Earth Pony who's part of a ancient society of Doctors. The perspective is also a bit wonky, switching from character to character with little notice, and I don't know why he couldn't get the same information across by having it one character per chapter. It doesn't really stick out to me, and I can't really recommend it.

      Future review-I am currently down two paths out of five on a visual novel game. I will not review the game or reveal its identity until I've played it all, but I did want to say I was really enjoying it, and of the ten or so of the genre I've played it is easily the best. Laters.

Bad news nobody

         Actually, it's not that serious. I'm going camping with my family, so no updates for a week. Sorry guys, but at least when I come back I'll have some stuff to review!

Stop Rolling Your Eyes and Try It-A World Without Rainbows

        ((Quick aside: the reason I haven't reviewed any fanfics lately is that I have an upcoming project dealing with fanfics, and was saving those I've been reading for it. It just got delayed a few weeks, so I can review some stuff now.))

        A World Without Rainbows by Uber Phoenix is a MLP:FiM fanfic. Now, I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't like Dark fics, let alone Grimdark ones. But for my aformentioned project, I needed to read another Dark fic, so I chose by far the most popular. I kinda pecked at it at first, keeping it in a tab but barely reading it. That's because what I'd heard about it wasn't what it was about at all, and it took a while for me to realize that. What you'll hear everywhere are the synopsis is that it's about an AU where Rainbow Dash didn't succeed in her Sonic Rainboom, altering the fates of the Mane 6 so that they never defeated Nightmare Moon. It is about that, but in that that universe is called Moonside, and some dimension hopping between Sunside and Moonside occurs. See, already way cooler.

      On the one hoof, this fic is funny, touching, well-thought out, and incredibly well-written. On the other, Uber made Trixie turn out to be Twilight's sister. What. I've seen this several times in the fandom, and I find it just as weird as the Trixie/Twilight ship. Personally, I saw nothing that could lead to either in Trixie's episode. But whatever, at least when she's in the story Trixie acts in character. Overall, this is very highly recommended to bronies everywhere. Laters.

Superhero Week-Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle)

                 ((Please note this is all about the character pre-52 reboot. I have read the first couple issues of his new series, and to say it depresses me is an understatement. I might review it later.))

                  Jaime Reyes was a pretty normal high school student living in El Paso, Texas. One day while walking with his best friends Paco and Brenda, he found a strange scarab-shaped artifact. While sleeping it imbedded itself in his spine, giving him a super-suit while incredible powers, while the scarab itself has an AI only he can hear, who is very kill-happy. Jaime decides to use these powers to be a Superhero, the third Blue Beetle.

                  So why is he my favorite superhero? First off, he's very funny, incredibly relatable (more than any other hero I've seen), and has a really good heart. Second, the storylines for his series were amazing, and some of my favorites in any comic ever. But the third and probably biggest factor was that from the get-go, he told his parents, little sister, and two best friends about his secret identity. The whole 'Hiding your secret from your loved ones to protect them' shtick has really gotten old for me, and ultimately it makes far less sense than actually informing them. Not only that, but it really only serves as a tool so the writers can add drama of their friends/family almost discovering the secret. Those plotlines are the worst for me, and take away from good character interaction and actual storytelling. By removing this lame idea from the process, the comic runs a lot smoother, and is easily my favorite series of all time. If you have not read any, I'd recommend to start with issue #14 It's a Guy Thing, which is a great test to see if you'll enjoy the series. Laters.

Superhero Week-Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

        I don't think I need an image here either. Peter Parker is one of the most recognizable superheroes of all time. He's one of Marvel's biggest sellers, and has had several movies, a plethora of cartoons, and a freaking stage play all based on him.

        Now, you might wonder why I don't have that many Marvel heroes on my list. It's because I'm not a big Marvel fan. For the most part, there heroes don't strike a chord with me. I'll never say they're bad, or that I hate them (except for Wolverine, fuck him), but they're not my heroes. Spider-Man is the big exception. There are so many reasons I love Spidey. He's a nerd, but is shown to, for the most part, get along decently well with a lot of people in high school. He's a science genius, and created his web shooters. My favorite thing though, is his dialogue. Spider-Man's pithy comebacks in fights always have me laughing, and they ground the character for me. He's someone who is so scared during these fights that the only way not to shut down entirely is to say whatever comes to mind, hoping his fake bravado will become real. I also like that for the most part, he keeps things small. He fights bank robbers and gangs. He doesn't fight intergalactic overlords or huge terrorist organizations, he protects his home area. No matter the prefex, I always gotta love that Amazing, Spectacular, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.



       Oh, and Joe Quesada.

Script

So, guys, I just finished and sent in my script for the Summer Funimation Contest, where bronies are making their own episode. I hope my script wins, but if it doesn't I'll put it up for download here so everypony can read it. Laters.

Superhero Week-Cassandra Cain (Batgirl)

              Ohmigoshohmigoshmohimgosh! It's finally time! I get to talk about Cassandra Cain. Now, if you didn't read DC Comics during the early Oughts. you have no idea who she is. Let me explain. Cassandra Cain is the third Batgirl, whose solo series ran from 2001-2005. Her father was famous assassin David Cain, and she was his special project. He never taught her any form of speech, only ever teaching her fighting. Because of this, her speech centers in the brain became used for body language, meaning she could always tell what someone would do before they did it. She was the ultimate assassin and an unbeatable warrior. But when she did her first kill, she was able to perfectly read how he felt while dying. This horrified her, and she vowed never to kill again. She left her father and roamed the world. At the time, she was like eight. Several years later she wandered into Gotham, and in a fight Batman noticed how amazing she was. He took her into his care, and trained her himself. Under his tutelage she became Batgirl.

             So what makes her my 3rd favorite superhero? To get the obvious out of the way first, yes her 'powers' are awesome. They are not why I like her. I like that she is a kind, awkward (especially because she can't understand speech), and loving person, who cares deeply for the friends she makes. Her struggles to learn English are really heartfelt, and her vow to never kill again feels both much more personal and deep than it does with Batman.

          So what happened to this incredible hero? Adam Beechen (Cue lights doing off and lightning.) Now, I don't want to pick on the guy too much. After Batgirl's series ended, Nightwing's story was doing a big arch with a secret villain behind it. The writer, Beechen, was simply told that it had to be Cassandra Cain as the villain. So yes, her being evil isn't his fault. What is his fault is how he did it. The guy did minimal research into her character, which led to baffling developments where not only could she talk perfectly normal, but she had also learned Navaho. Oh, and she choose to be evil for...some reason. After that the fans raged very hard, as they should. So DC started a subplot of her getting better written by...Adam Beechen. He explained his own story away as Deathstroke using drugs to mind control her, which was used again in the terrible Titans East storyline. Then out of bucking nowhere Stephanie Brown is back from the dead, apparently having never died, and because Bruce Wayne was dead at this point, Cassandra had to reason to stay in Gotham or be Batgirl, so she gave Stephanie permission to be Batgirl. There is so much wrong with that sentence it hurt to type it. Stephanie was beaten to death by the Black Mask, and the reactions from those who knew her, including Cassandra her BEST FRIEND, were really good. And Cassandra wasn't in Gotham or was Batgirl because of Bruce Wayne. By this point Gotham was her home, and Batgirl was her life. She had many friends, and she would never just leave like that. This bullshit is one of the worst derailments of a character since, well, we'll get to that tomorrow. Laters.

Superhero Week-Wally West (The Flash)

                Wally West is another character that occupies a weird place in comics history. Most people know there's a hero called The Flash, and that he has super speed and a red costume. But there is a difference depending on who where's said costume. Are we talking about Barry Allen or Wally West? Allen was faster, and had better control of his powers, but Wally was just plain smarter. Wally also had a great sense of humor. So how did he become the Scarlet Speedster? He, as a teenager, made the same experiment that gave Barry Allen his powers. It worked on him, just not as well. He made a costume and became The Flash's sidekick, Kid Flash. When Barry disappeared after Crisis on Infinite Earths, Wally took up the mantle of The Flash and the rest is history.

                So what do I like so much about The Flash? Like I said, he's very funny, plus intelligent. That's great, and the way he was handled in Geoff Johns run on his series was amazing. I also love his rogues gallery, specifically The Rogues. Their idea is interesting, and the individual villains are all cool. Laters.

Superhero Week-Bruce Wayne (Batman)

         No image is required. This is the superhero whose movie has made several billion dollars, and whose sequel is hyped up beyond belief. He is the no-powered superhero, and the second most recognizable superhero of all. Everyone knows who he is. So what will I talk about? First off, Batman is a superhero. I find the idea that he isn't ridiculous. He's a guy with abilities far beyond anything you've ever seen, who puts on a costume and fights crime. BAM. Superhero. Second, Batman not killing people doesn't just make sense, but makes him better than most heroes, at least for me. It isn't that killing people is hard. He's bucking Batman. He could kill people easier than almost any other hero. The problem is how easy it is. And once he crosses that line, just once, it's now always an option. It's now a tool to be used as he sees fit. And that's not what Batman stands for. Everyone deserves the chance to reform, and depriving them of that is not how Batman roles. So yeah. Batman's pretty cool. He breathes in space and doesn't afraid of anything. Laters.

Superhero Week-Mayday Parker (Spider-Girl)

             Okay, this one's gonna take some backstory. During the 90's, there was a really, really bad story arch in Spider-Man called the Clone Saga, and it ended up lasting two years. At this part in Spider-Man mystery (before Joe Quesada raped it), Peter and Mary Jane were married and expecting a baby. Someone had the bright idea soon after the Saga ended of it ending much earlier, and in a different way. Then jump forward to the future, where May (Mayday) Parker is the teenage daughter of your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It seems this new ending to the Saga involved Peter loosing a leg, and giving up being Spider-Man. One day Mayday discovers she has super-powers, and her father was Spider-Man. Remembering all the ideals he has raised her with, she stole his old costume and became Spider-Girl, which became it's own comic series after being a What If? one shot. From this comic series other series about superheroes in this new universe spun off, eventually becoming the universe MC2 (Marvel Comics 2).

          So what do I love so much about this web-slinging heroine? First off, she's funny like her old man. Second, she shares the relateableness of her father, while adding to it (for me) in that she doesn't really have a tragic backstory, she's a hero because it's the right thing to do. Third, she and her stuff in high school are good enough for me to care about what happens there, with specific story arcs being amazing. The only problem I have is that sometimes the art is a bit...wonky. But I'm not that into art, so I rarely notice it. Please go out and get the (exceedingly rare) trade paperbacks, and read this about this spectacular heroine!

Superhero Week (Continued)-Hal Jordan (Green Lantern)

                 Thanks to the recent movie, I don't think there's anypony reading this wondering who Hal Jordan is. He's the original Green Lantern. (Alan Scott does not count, he was the first hero named Green Lantern but he was not a Green Lantern in the way that his followers in the title are.) Hal Jordan is remarkable as the Green Lantern for several reasons: he is (almost) fearless, and the best at combating Sinestro because of it; he's very moral, and unbending in his beliefs; and he is precise, his use of the ring is the most focused.

                 A lot of people call Jordan boring and uninteresting...and I'd like to know which comics they were reading. I think he's a very interesting character, and will always give a book with him on the cover a chance. Now, I also have to say I completely agree that if any person was born to play this man, it is Nathan Fillion. Sadly the chance to play the awesome space cop in live-action has passed him by, but he can (and does) still play him in animated adaptations. If you want some specifics on what to read, I'd suggest anything by Geoff Johns, but most specifically Green Lantern: Rebirth. This is the first of a trend: I'm a bit of a Johns fan.

Young Justice Episode 32-Bloodlines

        This episode rocked. It brought a great character to the team, was funny, and developed the plot more. Not my favorite episode of the season, but very good nonetheless.

Avatar: The Legend of Korra Episode 8-When Extremes Meet

           This episode was pretty good. It had some great plot twists, the fights were awesome, Team Avatar is officially back, and it was hilarious. Just another damn good episode from that great team.