Hello again. I originally intended to write and post this recap much sooner, butI have been under the weather lately. So, here I am, ready for the next recap. Last year,I covered several episodes of the anime Bakugan. Boy, was that a bad series. Clich dstories, crappy animation; and cookie-cutter characters. That anime was one of the keyfactors in starting this blog, and I had watched every episode to determine which onesI could work with.
So as you can imagine, it provided plenty of material. I decided to cut my look atthe original series short, in order to look at its sequel series. We're starting Bakugan NewVestroia, and this one is even worse. It takes virtually every complaint about the originalseries and amplifies it tenfold. As we did with the original series, we're starting withthe very first episode. So let's open up "Invasion of the Vestals."
We open on a recap of the end of the original series, with the Bakugan returning homeand Drago becoming the core of New Vestroia. Get ready, folks. It's going to be a long one.
It turns out they have the same theme song. Seriously? They couldn't even get a newtheme song, or at least a remix of it? I'd be more accepting of this if the theme song was good;but it's not! Even worse, now I won't be able to get it out of my head!
Three years have passed since the events of the original series. It seems it has beenpeaceful on New Vestroia; but it has come to an end.
Then we see a spaceship that could not be more obvious CGI. Seriously. It's almostas bad as a hubcap on a string. The ship lands, much to the dismay of the Bakugan. It unleashesa wave that converts the Bakugan into a handy ball form.
Anyway, we see our villains, and- (pfft) (Laughs)- Wow. Those outfits look even moreridiculous than Masquerade's getup! They're making Square Enix costume designs lookpractical!
We cut back to Earth, and we see Dan walking the streets;
Suddenly, a wave of rainbow-colored energy surrounds him. Everything starts slowingdown.
Huh. Well this is weird. I should probably cut down on the drugs.
We then get our title card, and the design has not gotten much more elaborate. A fewcolors changed, and a few effects were added; but that's it.
We then cut to Spectra fighting Baron; another one of the new characters. Baron hasa ludicrously high-pitched voice; and Spectra appears to be wearing his best Gatchaman villainoutfit. Spectra unleashes his Bakugan, Helios. It seriously says something when the monstersare more sensibly-designed than the humans.
Helios then tears through his opponent's shield to attack. Then, Tigrerra, a Bakuganfrom the first season tells Baron not to give up. Clearly I need to readjust to how crazythis anime is. Tigrerra is
Then, Helios speaks. You know, he actually seemed kind of cool before he started talking. Now he just sounds stupid. The animation is still very bad, with stiff movement andwashed-out colors. It feels like they're trying to hit every clichof bad anime people can thinkof.
(Laughs) I'm sorry! I can't even take what Spectra is saying seriously! That mask iseven more silly-looking than Masquerade's Elton John glasses!
So, Tigrerra is defeated, and it cuts to a picture of her and Runo breaking. Just how many clich s are we going to go through in this episode?
We cut to the core of New Vestroia, where Drago consults the six legendary warriors for help. So: invasion by an enemy force, rebel movement, and consultation of a higher power. It is absolutely mind-boggling how many ideas taken from other works there are. We're only six minutes in, folks.
You think your son is safe?! I WILL FIND HIM!
The warriors grant Drago the power to become a Bakugan again and help New Vestroia; but he will be back to the way he was before. He is then sent to join up with Dan again.
We cut to Prince Hydron, who is asking Spectra about the sudden thunderstorm. He may be a very flamboyant villain, but at least he's less blatant about it than his minions.
We cut to Dan and Runo arguing about why Shun isn't returning Dan's phone calls at all. It's little more than a glorified shipping scene.
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Then, it turns out Marucho and Julie are in the bushes spying on them. Isn't this part of the stalker's handbook?
A portal opens, and Drago returns. Of course. Couldn't let their cash cow out of the action; could they? Naturally, Dan is so happy that he starts dancing. No, really. We're nine minutes in. We're not getting that back.
Drago says how it's great to see them again, but mentions he came for Dan's help; as most of the other Bakugan have been captured. It's going to be one of those episodes, isn't it? Dan agrees to help Drago; but Drago cannot let Runo, Julie, and Marucho go. Marucho sneaks in, but leaves Runo and Julie. Hey! Are you seriously telling me you're not going to let the female characters participate? This is total Smurfette bullcrap, man!
Back on New Vestroia, we see a woman named Mira and her partner named Ace saying they're picking up new Bakugan on their scanner. The woman's outfit is every bit as kooky as the others we've seen, with one leg of her pantsuit short and the other long. Who designed these characters?
Anyway, Ace finds out Dan and Marucho, and says they won't last long out there. Another thing: the voice acting is very inconsistent. It's a mess of dull performances and overly-hammy ones; with practically none that are merely competent in between. Drago then tells Dan of how the Vestals arrived. There's a little new footage, but most of it is a flashback to the first half of the episode. That's not a good sign when we're flashing back to what just happened 12 minutes ago. Drago tells of how all the Bakugan were captured. Did they ever read this out loud? They could not have written this with a straight face. I know I'm not.
We then get two more of the villains: Volt and Link. They look like they're ready for an impromptu performance of Shakespeare in the Park.
Dost mother know you weareth her drapes?
It seems Volt's default expression is "scowl", as he tells Dan to go home to his toys. Says the person who's part of a movement to capture as many of these things as he can. They exchange dialogue that's as stilted as can be.
Sure enough, Mira comes up on a motorcycle and gives Dan a Gauntlet. Only $29.95! Some assembly required! Batteries not included! Mira is the leader of the resistance. She explains about the Vexos; the top brawlers of the Vestals. This is getting more trite with each passing minute. So, at 15 minutes in, we finally get a battle.
I love the Power Glove. It's so bad.
The monster designs have not gotten any better. We have a huge beetle and a crazed baboon on the field. Dan takes them out in moments. Well, that was pointless.
Dan asks how Drago likes being back in the saddle. Drago says it's great. I'm gladyou're enjoying this; even if I'm not.
Mira explains how the life gauges work. I don't care, there's only 4 minutes left. Mira summons her Bakugan; and Volt and Link summon their next ones. The battle scenes are even worse than the ones in the original series. They are that bad.
We're just falling further and further into stagnation. There's more and more banter that's badly-written.
Dan gives Mira a hand; and things just keep getting worse. This is giving "A Double Dilemma" a run for its money in terms of utter wretchedness. Of course, they win. So begins another season of Bakugan. We'll be covering more of this, but not right away. I need time to detox.
"Invasion of the Vestals" is an even worse start to a season of Bakugan than "Bakugan: The Battle Begins" was. With every clichpiling up on bad animation, writing, and voice acting; it is remarkable of what I just witnessed. Anyway, The Wolverine is coming out on Friday, and as I promised; I will do a recap of the first episode of the Wolverine anime to mark the occasion. I am also in the process of finishing Binbogami Ga, as well as watching plenty of One Piece and Claymore. After Wolverine, all of August will be the dreaded Endless 8 of Haruhi Suzumiya. I can definitely say that September will be something to detox from that; but you will have to wait to see what I have planned. See you later!
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