inazumaarion

In era where video game film adaptions are starting to gain more traction, it generally warms my heart to see one of my favorite forms of art get the respect it deserves. At least, most of the time. We've had a few stinkers recently like Borderlands and Uncharted, so it makes a little nervous about the future. So whenever I'm feeling down, I like to take a look back at my personal favorite video game franchise, Inazuma Eleven. A soccer RPG that somehow got one of the most authentic and well constructed anime adaptations I had ever seen.

Unlike most video game adaptations that came out in the late 2000's, Inazuma Eleven didn't rely on any cheap tricks or cliches in order to entertain its audience. In fact, director Akihiro Hino would go out of his way to make the anime adaption feel just like the video game. Claiming in an interview that it was one of his biggest pet peeves that even when a video game adaption was done well, it would usually throw out a lot of important elements in order to fit in with the norm.

That's not the case with Inazuma Eleven. On the surface, it looks like another underdogs story, involving a lot of cheesy messages and predictable outcomes. When in reality, it's more of a hybrid of Captain Tsubasa and Dragon Ball Z. Traditional soccer rules are emphasized, but most of time characters will unleash over the top special attacks in order to win the day. But not without meaning.

While their is a lore reason in Inazuma Eleven GO why players are able to create things like fire and ice out of thin air, the special moves are more of a visual representation of a character's development. Which makes the special moves all the more satisfying to discover.

Endou Mamoru's God Hand represents his determination to make his team feel safe. Royal Academy's Death Zone represents the overwhelming despair they bestow upon their opponents. Gouenji Shuuya's Fire Tornado represents his buried passion for soccer. These techniques are more than just cool moves. They give you insight into the characters.

On top of that, this is one of the few anime shows I've watched that posses phenomenal pacing. I love long running shows like One Piece, but it takes far less time to experience the story through the manga. So I usually watch the show to see the highlights. Inazuma Elven on the other hand wastes no time to make you care about its story.

Every single episode is dedicated to either training, character development, or soccer. There is no filler whatsoever. Aside from two recap episodes at the end of Season 2, this show dedicates just enough time to make you care about every story segment from the video game. Some elements being a little different, like Majin Hand being the key to defeat Zeus instead of the Inazuma Break. But most of the time, I'd argue the storytelling is even better in the anime.

It may not be flawless, but it's my own little slice of personal perfection. I mean, this is a Shone Jump style anime that doesn't have any perverted characters or obnoxious filler episodes that hurt the pacing. Honestly, that was really rare to see at the time. The only real thing that bothers me is that the English Dub is subpar. If you ask me, the best way to watch this show is to watch the original Japanese sub version. The writing is way better and the main protagonist is voiced by Junko Takeuchi, the voice actress for Naruto. How awesome is that?

Video game adaptions might be authentic now, but I think we all owe a lot to Akihiro Hino for fleshing out the idea.

A pretty lame season premiere. I don't hate Bad Bunny, but after seeing his performance in Happy Gilmore 2, I don't think too highly of him as an actor. The sketches ranged from okay to really boring. Weekend Update was surprisingly uncomfortable with Bowen Yang's Dobby costume falling apart and a lot of flat jokes from Jost and Che. Most of the sketches felt predictable, making the second half of the show extremely boring. And I didn't really much for the new cast members. Which makes really sad, because one of this show's greatest strengths is to bring the best in greenhorn comedians.

My least favorite sketch being the one where this guy keeps telling his friends that K-Pop Demon Hunters is an adult film. While his friends tell him it's a kids film. Neither are correct. The film is rated PG, meaning that it's targeted towards families. Entertaining kids, teens, and adults. I recommend you avoid this episode.

Dragon Ball Super is an okay followup to Dragon Ball Z, but for the most part it can get pretty boring. Especially in the early arcs that just recap the events of "Battle of the Gods" and "Resurrection F". The pacing is bad, the animation is rushed, and for the most part, the show just feels like a cash grab. For thanks to a terrible production schedule, we had a show that had the potential to amazing from start to finish, but instead felt like a whirlwind of unfinished ideas. That's not to say their's nothing I like about this show, I mean you're talking to a passionate Dragon Ball fan here. If you throw on anything Toriyama related on the screen, I'm going to enjoy myself one way or another.

I like that the main focus of the story is on Goku and Vegeta attempting to shatter their limits and achieve godhood. With Goku hoping to find more powerful foes to fight and Vegeta hoping to become the most powerful being in the universe. Leading them to encounter the most powerful being in the universe, Lord Beerus. Who challenges them to surpass him someday.

He's easily my favorite character in the show. With his cat like design and his usually polite demeanor, he's an excellent edition to the main cast. Like most cats they can seem kind and innocent at first, but if disturbed in some way they can tear apart everything around them. Though after his arc is finished, the story starts to get chaotic.

Freiza is revived by his goons and vows to take revenge on Goku. Training for the first time in his life to obtain unrivaled power. Training we don't get to see. In all my years watching Dragon Ball, I still don't know anything about Freiza's race. You'd think with the show's slow pacing, we'd at least get a nice alternative to the movie. A deeper dive into Frieza's character, that represents his obsession with becoming the greatest being in the universe. But no, it's just the beginning of the Android Terror Saga again, only this time, we don't have that cool Future Trunks plot twist.

And then for a while, Dragon Ball Super became the "Goku and Vegeta Show". Where every challenge or villain would be foiled thanks to the efforts of Goku and Vegeta. Making all of the other characters feel irrelevant.

Future Trunks was once the last hope for humanity, but now it's Blue Raspberry Gogeta. Piccolo shows us why he's an amazing fighter, until his fight is stolen by Vegeta. Gohan vows to become stronger than his father, except he's not allowed to.

And while overtime, the show becomes a lot more engaging once the Tournament of Power begins, the road getting there is pretty bumpy. This is a rare case where the manga has far more advantages than the anime. Not just in terms of pacing, but also quality. Because while there is amazing animation in the Tournament of Power. The beginning of the show doesn't share that advantage. And for a followup to one of the most iconic anime shows of all time, that's a bit of a let down.

If you've seen the first two movies, it's best to start with Episode 28. There are some fun episodes in this show, but it's best to skip any unnecessary filler if you have the option. It's a pretty controversial show, but if you just like to see Goku and Vegeta fight the forces of evil, I'm sure you'll enjoy it fine. It accomplishes more than Dragon Ball GT, but not by much. At the moment, it's mostly a story with unrealized potential. Let's just hope than when the rest of the manga is adapted, it will realize it.