Fate/Zero is the prequel to Fate/stay night, the keystone entry of the Fate media franchise created by Kinoko Nasu. It is a part of the Nasuverse, which spreads across visual novels, anime, light novels, and other video games. Fate/Zero is a light novel written by Gen Urobuchi, the infamous author of Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It was adapted into an anime in 2011. It takes place ten years before Fate/stay night, which we shall cover afterward – all three different versions to be exact. The premise of Fate/Zero and most other titles in the franchise are centralised around the Holy Grail War, a mystical battle royale that occurs every sixty years. The Grail is an omnipotent wish-granting device summoned by three mage clans – the Tohsakas, Einzberns, and the Makotos (later the Matou). They wished to reach the Root, the universal source of magic. But, the clans fell out, leading to the Holy Grail War. Seven mages are chosen by the Grail to be Masters. They in turn summon Servants, seven

Future Diary is a manga and anime written by Sakae Esuno. Surely one of the most disturbing manga I’ve ever read, it has some memorable characters, a morbid premise, and a lot of crazy stuff going on! Meet Yukiteru “Yuki” Amano, a wimpy, lonely 14-year old who lives in Sakurami City. After his parents divorced, Yuki became an antisocial outcast who jots down life’s events on his cell phone. His only friends are imaginary: Deus Ex Machina, the mechanical God of Time and Space, and Muru Muru, a demonic chibi girl who serves as comic relief. Deus turns out to be real, turning Yuki’s phone into a Future Diary, which accurately predicts his future. Yuki uses his diary to cheat on a maths exam, somehow alerting the local serial killer to start stalking him. Yuki is then stalked even more by Yuno Gasai, his pink-haired classmate who turns out to be obsessively in love with him, and even has a Future Diary. The serial killer also has a diary, but when the duo break it, he is sucked into a

Future Diary (or Mirai Nikki) is a fantasy/horror/sci-fi/romance manga by Sakae Esuno, and has remained one of the most impactful stories I’ve ever read and watched. An often insane and violent psychological story of desperate love, it certainly is a harrowing but fascinating, addictive manga/anime. The story revolves around Yukiteru Amano, a lonely 14-year old who has no friends and spends his days chronicling his surroundings on his phone. His imaginary friend, Deus Ex Machina, turns out to be an actual god, turning Yuki’s phone into a Future Diary, able to accurately predict the future. Unfortunately, Yuki finds out he and eleven other people are in a survival game, each with Future Diaries which they must use to identify and kill one another. The winner shall succeed Deus as god. Yuki finds himself helped by Yuno Gasai, who has been stalking him for years, obsessively in love with him, and will do whatever it takes to protect him and keep him for herself. That’s the basic jist of

Artemis Fowl is the latest film adaptation of a beloved YA fantasy novel series, one of which no one really asked for. I have never read Eoin Colfer’s books, but that might be a good thing, as I would likely have had unbridled rage at how awful this film is. Instead, I found myself frustratingly bored watching this empty, hollow train wreck of a fantasy flick. Right from the start, it was obvious that Disney had little faith or interest in this film. It has been in development hell since 2003, going through the motions, until Kenneth Branagh got into the director’s chair. It was filmed a couple of years ago, delayed repeatedly, until receiving a tepid release on Disney+. A bland release for a bland film. Artemis Fowl underwent some reshoots and heavy editing, leaving us with a confused, dull mess that has been Frankenstein’d together. The biggest headache watching the film was the constant hand-holding exposition delivered in every scene. The film is orbited by a frame narrative

An updated character sheet for RWBY, and their literary origins. Not every character is on the list, primarily those who have confirmed or implied inspirations, though some have been left with ????. Ruby Rose = Little Red Riding Hood, Dorothy Gale Weiss Schnee = Snow White Blake Belladonna = Belle, The Beast Yang Xiao Long = Goldilocks Jaune Arc = Joan of Arc Nora Valkyrie = Thor Pyrrha Nikos = Achilles Lie Ren = Mulan Professor Ozpin / Ozma = Wizard of Oz, Princess Ozma Oscar Pine = Wizard of Oz, Princess Ozma/Tip, Dorothy Qrow Branwen = Scarecrow, Odin's Ravens (Muninn) Maria Calavera = La Calavera Catrina, mascot of the Day of the Dead Salem = Wicked Witch of the West, Rapunzel Cinder Fall = Cinderella Tyrian Callows = The Scorpion and the Frog Arthur Watts = Dr. Watson, Dr. Frankenstein Hazel Rainart = Hansel Emerald Sustrai = Aladdin Mercury Black = Mercury Roman Torchwick = Lampwick, Alex DeLarge (A Clockwork Orange) Neo = Neopolitan ice cream Tock = Tick Tock, the crocodile

Welcome to our recap of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the 2009 second anime adaptation of Fullmetal Alchemist. This anime directly adapts the completed manga, so has a completely different story arc from the first. So much so that three quarters of the 2003 anime were done about 20 episodes into Brotherhood. As such, the first part of the recap will sound very familiar. In the military state of Amestris, alchemy is a major form of science. It can be performed using transmutation circles, and can only be carried out within the laws of science and equivalent exchange. Our heroes are brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric, young talented alchemists who live in Resembool with their mother Trisha Elric. Too bad Trisha dies of vague illness, prompting the Elrics to resurrect her using the taboo human transmutation. This backfires spectacularly, as they encounter Truth, a godly figure who trolls those who break the laws of nature. Truth destroys Ed’s left leg and Al’s whole body as