Anime REvisited: Chivalry of a Failed Knight Season One Episode Four!

Welcome back guys! We’re now on the fourth episode of our Anime REvisited pick; Chivalry of a Failed Knight. Things are about to get a bit more interesting from here on out, so without further delay, let’s get on with the review!

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The qualifying rounds for the Seven Star Sword Art festival have now begun, as Stella faces her first opponent at the beginning of the episode – only for them to concede 30 seconds later. Later on Ikki is back at the dorm room while watching footage of Kirihara’s previous battle; where his Blazer allows him to hide himself as well as his projectiles, while he aims them at his opponents causing damage in the process. Stella looks at the footage and is disgusted by the way Kirihara fights, but deep down inside…Ikki was actually a little bit nervous about his match with him. After talking with Alice outside by the school water fountain, Ikki discovers that he’s taken a lot of abuse growing up – to the point where he can’t even tell when he’s mentally about to reach his breaking point. (And perhaps it might even affect the outcome of his match.)

By the middle of the episode the match between Ikki and Kirihara was about to begin. Kirihara used his Blazer’s technique to cover the stage in a forest of green in order to conceal himself and his weapon, while Ikki summoned his blade. During the battle it seemed like Ikki had a good idea of how Kirihara’s attack pattern works, that is until he made his projectiles invisible as well. Stella could only watch in horror as Ikki was getting shot by the arrows coming from Kirihara’s bow, and once things went further south, Kirihara chanted to the crowd in calling Ikki the “worst one”.

Officially pissed off Stella raised her voice to the sky and demanded that Ikki man up and take down Kirihara, to which Ikki did just that as he developed a new technique called “Perfect Vision”; which allows him to see everything Kirihara can throw at him. In the span of 2 minutes of episode time, Ikki took down all of Kirihara’s attacks and came gunning for the coward before he conceded defeat; as the sharp part of Ikki’s blade scratched his nose. Automatically everyone in the stands cheered him on after winning, though Ikki quickly collapsed afterwards.

Near the end of the episode Stella was by Ikki’s bedside while he recovered from his wounds. The two of them share a rather touching moment, but they also made a promise that they would meet each other at the Seven Star Sword Art Festival. Thus, this is where the episode and our review on the episode will end. Ikki won the battle against his cowardly obstacle of an opponent, but could there be more obstacles that he’ll have to overcome in the coming episodes? I guess we’ll find out next time!

As always guys n’ gals, stay united and stay safe! 😉

Anime REvisited: Chivalry of a Failed Knight Season One Episode Three!

Yo! We’re back with another installment of Anime REvisited with our pick; Chivalry of a Failed Knight! It’s episode three so let’s get right to it!

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A new battle awaits Ikki and Stella!

So the episode opens up with Ikki and Stella having a sparring match, and so far they’re both vastly improving to get ready for their upcoming matches. With the weekend already here Stella bashfully asks Ikki if he would accompany her on a date – at least that’s what she’s trying to make it sound like without sounding too obvious. There is one small detail that she forgot to take into account; Shizuku. With her around there was no way in hell Stella would get the chance to be alone with Ikki.

Surely enough Ikki, Stella, and Shizuku along with Alice head to the mall in Japan; as the antics between Shizuku and Stella continue between them. Little did they know there’s trouble afoot; as a rouge Blazer named Bishou has taken over the mall with his gang of low-lifes, and holds the people of the mall hostage. Anyone who has seen this scene play out in an anime title such as this knows just how the story ends; with the bad guys getting the snot beaten out of them. Although things looked pretty rough for the moment and it looked like Bishou and his gang was going to win, out comes Ikki from above as he slashes off the right arm of the villain; preventing him from using his blazer. The battle seemed like it was over until Bishou pulled a last-minute trick up his sleeve, and had another member of his gang hide among the hostages pretending she was one.

Then out of nowhere another Blazer appears and kills the female gang member, as he approaches Ikki and a semi-naked Stella – who regains her clothes thanks to Shizuku. Outside of the mall a small group of released hostages crowd around the Blazer by the name of Kirihara, who has some history with Ikki – and has been issued to be his next opponent in one of the battles he’ll be fighting in along with the other students. Stella defends Ikki by telling Kirihara that he’ll win, but…does Ikki think he’ll win?

Since episode one we’ve seen what Ikki can do, so it was only going to be a matter of time until we see what Ikki can do in a real battle. Episode four is going to be interesting to say the least, but until that post, remember to mask up and stay safe! 😉

A Founder’s Thoughts with D.J. Lewis (07/10/20)!

Hey guys! So, we’re ten days into the month of July, and there’s only five months left of 2020. I’m pretty sure I don’t even have to tell you guys what’s at stake for the country come November; as it’s been broadcasted all over social media. At the end of the day, African-Americans and other people of color everywhere just want to be given the same opportunities as their white counterparts. We’re not here to steal your jobs or take your opportunities, because there will always be opportunities available! Honestly as an African-American anime-lovin’ man, it both saddens and sickens me to my core upon seeing all the asinine racism that comes out of the mouths of our so-called president’s people, as well as him! I’m not the political type (in fact I’m an Independent), but I’m pretty sure the world doesn’t want another four more years of this.

The only reason so many African-Americans and people of color are upset is because we’re TIRED! Tired of the racism, tired of the bigots, tired of the ‘Karens’ and ‘Kens’, we’re TIRED of looking over our shoulder – wondering if we’ll even make it home! Black Lives Matter does NOT mean Black Lives Better, it means that for all of our lives to matter, we as African-Americans want to be put on the same playing field; be it entertainment or in life in general. There are other races in countries that are more united than we are, so instead of fighting over our differences, why not find common ground? How do hateful people live like this?! Like they’ve got nothing else better to do than to make the lives of others (especially people of color and LGBTQ+) a living hell! Look, I’m all for the American flag and everything, but we need to put the ‘UNITED’ back in United States.

COVID-19 isn’t going away anytime soon, and even when we get a vaccine in 2021, we still have to deal with the remnants of the virus. Unless we want the country we call home to go down in flames, because it will if we LET it, we need to get our act together! As for anime and gaming conventions moving forwards, they will return – just not in the same format we’re used to. (In fact many of the mega cons will have to downsize if they plan on surviving.) So yeah, this post kinda did turn into a small rant, but at this point in the year…I’m just tired!

I’ll probably be in a better mood next post, so until then…stay UNITED!

Anime REvisited: Chivalry of a Failed Knight Season One Episode Two!

What’s good, anime fam? Welcome back to another installment of Anime REvisited with our latest pick; Chivalry of a Failed Knight! As we mentioned in our last review, we think this series needs a bit more love as it’s flown under the radar of some of its more popular titles. With that in mind let’s move on the review!

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Stella and Ikki, of course!

With all of the main character introductions out of the way (as well as the mock battle), Ikki and Stella are seen jogging with one another as it looks like Stella might kinda be out of breath. Near the end of the last episode, we’ve noticed that Stella’s been taking kind of a liking to him, and though she hated him in the beginning…it kinda looks like she’s a bit flustered in a semi-perverted way. Later on both Ikki and Stella are in Ms. Yuri’s class (who looks a bit zombie-looking and might have a blood disorder that causes her to vomit a liter of blood per day), as she talks about how the students will battle against one another in a tournament until they have the Top 6 selected for the Seven Star Sword Art Festival.

Each student will fight ten matches each, and will have a match every three days. After class Ikki and Stella were on their way somewhere until they met a girl who is starting her own Newspaper club named Kagami; who was a bit clingy towards Ikki – more than she should be. This caused Stella to act upset and somewhat jealous, but what happened next threw her into an emotional frenzy. Ikki’s sister Shizuku found him at the school…and kissed him. (Yep, she’s a ‘little sister’ type character. We can smell that troupe a mile away.)

Confused as hell, Stella tried to ease the tension of the area because the scene was drawing a crowd; however Shizuku had a different idea. She believed that Stella was trying to ‘steal’ her brother away from her, thus introducing another common troupe; the ‘Tsnundere’. (Basically the ‘I will end you, thot!’ type character.) Things got heated after a while as Stella and Shizuku readied their weapons and struck one another, causing an explosion to take out half the hallway; covering it in fire and ice. As punishment both girls had to clean all 26 bathrooms in the academy. Welp, they know what they did…

Eventually as the episode went on Shizuku was introduced to her new roommate Alice, as he told her that she can talk to him about anything. Elsewhere Stella was making dinner while Ikki was taking a bath…and somewhere in the process she thought it was a good idea to join him. Needless to say, the night ended off with a bang – but not in the way you’d hoped it would. So that it for the second episode review of the series, and so far the introduction phase has entered level two. What will Ikki’s battles be like? What kind of opponents will Stella face? Guess we’ll have to wait until the next episode!

As always guys n’ gals, stay safe and stay nerdy! 😉

Anime REvisited: Chivalry of a Failed Knight Season One Episode One!

The time has come guys n’ gals! Anime REvisited is back with a new anime series for us to review; episode by episode! This time we’ve picked a series that honestly needs more love and doesn’t get the credit that it deserves! That series is Chivalry of a Failed Knight! Many fans know this to be an underrated gem with only one season – which is a crying shame compared to other series like it (like Asterisk War…yeaaah…). Hopefully we’ll get another season of this sometime in the future, of course for that to happen you gotta get enough people to talk about it – and even get the attention of the animation studio behind it as well. So, let’s get on with the review!

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The legendary Crimson Princess with Ikki Korugane!

With this being the first episode we’re thrown into an alternate version of Japan, where individuals known as Blazers have the ability to draw weapons (mostly swords) from their own will. Basically they’re known as magical knights who are ranked based on skill, prowess, and magical abilities. One of the most prominent Blazers is a crimson haired princess known as Stella Vermillion (vermillion is an actual color by the way), as she is an A-Rank. At Hagun Academy a student by the name of Ikki Korugane narrates his story at the beginning of the episode about being the underdog and how the gifted are privileged while the ungifted get casts to the side in life. Right away I kinda knew that this was going to be a story about how the underdog protagonist goes against all odds and comes out on top – like a lot of characters we’re all familiar with that have that same mindset!

Ikki makes it back to his room after jogging to find an almost-naked Stella in his room. His response was to get naked himself so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable. (We all know how this story ends! XP) Ikki’s then called into the office of the academy, to which the Headmaster calls in Stella so that he can apologize. Stella accepts but being the ‘spoiled’ princess that she is, demands that Ikki drops dead on his own sword. As the misunderstanding gets worse Stella swears that she’ll incinerate Ikki with her own fire, but to that he responds that he’s never seen a woman so beautiful before. Comedic embarrassment aside Ikki and Stella find out that they’re both living together – which was a shock to them. The Headmaster then suggested that the two of them fight each other in a mock battle to decide on how to handle the co-ed situation with the room.

An hour later Ikki and Stella meet face to face as they agree upon the terms of the battle. Ikki draws his sword from the power of his own will, which is a basic katana that is his primary weapon. Stella then draws her weapon as flames surround her, before a Claymore-type yellow-bladed sword appears. The two then fight each other as their swords clashed while a small audience is watching the action. During the battle Stella notices that Ikki has memorized her attack patterns and is using them against her. Before the battle ends Ikki uses his ultimate blade technique since no one ever taught him how to use it, as he focuses all of his power into one swing of his sword. He struck Stella with a final blow before passing out himself due to using all of his power, thus winning the mock battle.

Afterwards Stella returns to her and Ikki’s room and finds him sleeping; to which her sudden curiosity is sparked at the fact that his back is exposed, and she’s never seen a man’s back before. One can assume she’s never had a real boyfriend due to the restrictions of being a princess, and also the fact that she’s a celebrity in Japan, and her having a boyfriend means so much unwanted media and paparazzi coverage. After Ikki wakes up Stella tells him that she’ll be a little less mean to him after discovering how hard he had it growing up, and realizing that all he can rely on is hard work as opposed to pure talent. Afterwards Ikki jokes with Stella telling her that she still has to abide by the bet she made earlier, and though she gets mad and pouts at him due to what she thinks he might ask her to do, he shocks her and tells her that he just wants her to be his roommate – and wants to be closer to her as friends. Stella responds that she will be Ikki’s roommate, but she doesn’t want him to be close to her. (Although that might change later on down the line as the series progresses…)

So with this being an introductory episode, we’re treated to seeing a battle between the main characters of the series – with Ikki proving to Stella that he more than just an F-Rank knight. Right away on the first episode you don’t even have to wait to see what kind of skill Ikki has with his blade, and though he’s marked as an F-Rank in the academy, he shows Stella that he can go toe to toe with her despite him not having any good magical abilities. It’ll be interesting to see what Ikki’s like down the road, and what kind of relationship he’ll have with the Crimson Princess Stella Vermillion.

That’s all we’ve got for our Anime REvisisted review for now, and until next post, stay safe and continue to stay united! 🙂

D&A Anime Blog: Keep Calm & Wait For It!

If you guys have been on our instagram page as of late, then you might have noticed that we’ve got some BIG news coming your way this weekend! Though we can’t reveal too much due to an NDA that we’ve been given, we can tell you that it has something to do with something that you already know. Until then, feel free to check out many of the pasts posts and reviews that we’ve written about anime titles from last month and even further back. As always, stay safe and sane in this insane world. 🙂

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Paper Mario: The Origami King: What We Know So Far…

It’s finally July, which means 2020 is half over! Life-wise things are still a little shaky at best in more ways than one, but as always we will continue to give you guys some much needed positive news as well as content; cuz’ that’s what we do! Speaking of which there are only 15 days left until the much anticipated Paper Mario: The Origami King game drops on the Switch, and fans are both excited (and scared) as to what this latest installment on the franchise will bring to the table! With that in mind we’ve decided to do a little digging of our own to see what we could be getting from this game, and what we might not wanna hold our breath for in what we think we might be expecting.

Seeing as though we’ve played the original Paper Mario on the N64, the coolest part about the game was not just the plot, but the battles! Since then the battles have become the core of the game’s excitement and success, and that success was amplified with the release of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Many hardcore fans will tell you that T.T.Y.D. was the BEST installment of the series, and that every entry after that was trash. (Trust us, we’ve seen the burns in the Twitter comments.)

There’s been quite a lot of speculation with this title, as many fans are hoping that they bring back a few elements from T.T.Y.D. (like the ‘audience’ and partners). Just last week or last month to be exact, fans saw the full five minute trailer of the upcoming game; that explained a little more what the story and plot was going to be about, and what new gimmick they were going to try with the battle system. Yes, the battle system was the biggest issue among fans that had them worried that the game was going to end up like Sticker Star or Color Splash.

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Talk about putting a new ‘spin’ on things! XP

After watching the five minute video ourselves, we saw that the battle system is something totally different; as if they’ve put a new ‘spin’ on things! During battle players will have to line up enemies in a row in a ring-based arena before fighting them, and you’re given a short amount of time to make your moves. After you’ve made your moves you’ll be rewarded a power bonus for lining them up correctly, and can even deal more damage as a result. This new battle system has caught the eye of the fanbase as well as the fact that they brought back partners and the audience. So far, so good Nintendo! 🙂

All of the enemies will be origami versions of the usual enemies you face in Paper Mario games, but the biggest surprise from this latest installment is the fact that you have to battle against…tape, a pack of colored pencils, a rubber band man, and (maybe) a stapler. Has there ever been a Paper Mario game where you got to fight against office supplies? Well, this one does! They are a group of bosses called the Legion of Stationary, so yes, you will have to fight them in order to progress through the game. Paper Mario is known for its comedic story lines and moments, so its pretty neat they went all out for this one!

Though we’re not sure what they’ve done about the leveling system in terms of experience points, but we’ve heard that after defeating enemies you gain coins and confetti that you can trade in for powerful items and badges. Perhaps that might be the formula they’re going for this time, although we just hope that its executed properly and makes fans ‘feel’ that they’ve accomplished something. Overall everything we’ve seen and know about this game so far is pretty promising, but it’s not until you play it that you’ll be able to give the game a real evaluation.

That’s what we know so far about the upcoming Paper Mario: The Origami King game, and as always continue to stay safe, and stay united! 😉

D&A in July: Anime REvisited gets Chivalrous, Paper Mario Updates, & More!

So we’re closing in on the final couple of days of the month of June; meaning that the third quarter of what has been a crazy year, has finally arrived. Hopefully everyone is doing well, staying safe as well as sane, in these trying times of which we live in. With July around the corner, here’s a quick blog briefing of what we’ve got going on!

Anime REvisited Gets Chivalrous!

That’s right! Anime REvisited returns with our newest pick; Chivalry of a Failed Knight! Honestly, this series needs more love, so why not do an episode by episode review on the series as a whole – in hopes that somewhere down the line we get a second season! It’s an underrated gem that got swept under the radar, so we will be reviewing it.

Paper Mario: Origami King is Coming!!

With 21 days left until the new game drops, we’ll be filling you in on what we know so far about it. We promise we won’t spoil too much info, but you’ll be happy to know once this game comes out, we’ll be buying a Switch and playing it! We might even stream some gameplay too!

The Return of Throwback Thursday!!

You guys might remember a little segment that we did called D&A’s Throwback Thursday, where we did overviews on anime titles from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and early 2000’s. We’ve decided to bring this segment back as a special request, so if you haven’t gotten the chance to see the titles that we announce, you’ll definitely wanna see em’ after this!

Cons Near U: Online Edition 2020!

With COVID-19 shooting down the entire Summer convention season, many of us are having con withdraw (us included). Now digital conventions are popping up all over the place in hopes of curbing our con appetite. In July we’ll be searching all over for digital anime conventions that you can go to (many of which are free), and nerd out with hundreds of your online otaku friends. Yeah, 2020 sucks, but once conventions come back (and they will), we’ll be back in full force doin’ what we do! 😉

Alright, that’s it for our briefing. As always, until next post, stay safe and united! 🙂

New Music From Avidd Minddset! Primetime Album Drops July 24th!!

Three months ago D&A’s own Donte’ J. Lewis (aka Avidd Minddset) dropped his first EP entitled Minddgames on Spotify and other streaming platforms. Now he’s releasing his very first home studio album Primetime, on July 24, 2020! He’s picked up a few new mixing and mastering techniques since March, so be ready to hear his new electronic sound on this 10-track album featuring genres such as Deep House, 80’s Style Electro Hip-Hop, Trapstep (Trap & Dubstep combined), and of course EDM. Although July 24th is about three-and-a-half weeks away, it’ll be worth the wait once you hear the sound coming out of this album! 😉

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This new 10-track album drops July 24th!!

D&A Anime Blog: Third Consecutive Month of Record-Shattering Views!!

Yeah, we can’t believe it either! For the third month in a row, we’ve topped over 1,000 monthly views as well as over 800 monthly visitors! Honestly, we can’t thank our fans enough for all of the love and support that you’ve given us throughout this pandemic. We know that it’s not been easy with conventions being shut down left and right, but we just wanna say that we appreciate our fans and the anime community so much – especially in our fight for equality for black lives and other people of color! As always we will continue to bring you some nerdy and positive content to the site as well as on all of our social media pages. Until next post, stay safe and stay unified! 🙂

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