![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Beyblade Metal Fusion - First Impressions
May. 15th, 2010 12:47 pm10 years ago, I sat down to watch a new show on YTV called Beyblade. With the tag line of Let It Rip all fart jokes aside, it was engaging as the first episode left you hanging on a thread. You were introduced to the characters of Kai, Tyson and Kenny. Ray and Max would be introduced later. As such with no real knowledge of the anime, and the fact that I had just gotten through Medabots and Johto Arc of Pokemon and my torrid love affair with Yu-Gi-Oh had yet to begin, I watched it with curious eyes.
"Tops. Really?" was my first impression. But I watched it, and I loved it. The sleek anime designs, the engaging characters and the animated tops was more than enough keep my interest.
And then the second series premired. And I hated it with every fiber of my being. They had changed the designs and the new CGI tops looked like shit.
Flash forward to the year of our lord 2010 and Metal Fusion airs. A little disinterested, I turned on the TV and flipped to YTV with only the vague notion that Metal Fusion was airing.
The first thing I noticed was that due to the progression of On Television Airing with the exception of 4Kids offerings, they had foregone the inclusion of giving them dub names. Instead of being introduced right away to the main character like we were introduced to Tyson, we're given a look at a kid who was good enough to take the Junior National Championships, a small green haired kid named Kenta Yumiya. He's your average kid and there just happens to be a group called Facehunters who is an organized gang who gangs up on bladers and bullies them into battles. A point system is used which marks national standings, and since Kenta's too small to do anything, he's got to get himself saved by Ginga.
Upon looking at Ginga, he's your average Shounen hero. Not serious but fun loving, he's sort of a little bit like Judai from GX with the point that everything comes from the heart. His signature blade is Storm Pegasus, a attack type blade which excels in aerial attacks. Seriously, don't freaking kick this guys blade into the air, you just cost yourself the battle.
After trouncing the Facehunters blades in a 5 v 1, Ginga and Kenta become fast friends.
A few other things happen but you're also introduced to the protagonist which suffers from the Kai Syndrome, a teenager and leader of the Facehunters named Kyouya. Like his opponents, he has a blade that is based on the Lion. Also you're introduced to the character of Madoka Amano who functions as the "Kenny" of the group in the way that she's the so-so blader, but her real strengths line in with repair. She's more of a Winry than she is a Kenny. Kenny just offered advice and strategy, Madoka can actually bully people into doing things.
Off the bat, there's a central Constellation theme to it. Pegasus, Lion, Wolf, Bull, Sagittarius. While I figure there's a underlying mystical theme, there's also a point that these blades are commonly used, and seem to have at least some form of rudimentary AI. I mean, seriously. Highly Advanced Technology used as playtoys.
So yeah, Beyblade Metal Fusion. While it hasn't exactly grabbed me and twisted, the fact remains that I did enjoy the first four episodes, and I'll be watching this every saturday.
"Tops. Really?" was my first impression. But I watched it, and I loved it. The sleek anime designs, the engaging characters and the animated tops was more than enough keep my interest.
And then the second series premired. And I hated it with every fiber of my being. They had changed the designs and the new CGI tops looked like shit.
Flash forward to the year of our lord 2010 and Metal Fusion airs. A little disinterested, I turned on the TV and flipped to YTV with only the vague notion that Metal Fusion was airing.
The first thing I noticed was that due to the progression of On Television Airing with the exception of 4Kids offerings, they had foregone the inclusion of giving them dub names. Instead of being introduced right away to the main character like we were introduced to Tyson, we're given a look at a kid who was good enough to take the Junior National Championships, a small green haired kid named Kenta Yumiya. He's your average kid and there just happens to be a group called Facehunters who is an organized gang who gangs up on bladers and bullies them into battles. A point system is used which marks national standings, and since Kenta's too small to do anything, he's got to get himself saved by Ginga.
Upon looking at Ginga, he's your average Shounen hero. Not serious but fun loving, he's sort of a little bit like Judai from GX with the point that everything comes from the heart. His signature blade is Storm Pegasus, a attack type blade which excels in aerial attacks. Seriously, don't freaking kick this guys blade into the air, you just cost yourself the battle.
After trouncing the Facehunters blades in a 5 v 1, Ginga and Kenta become fast friends.
A few other things happen but you're also introduced to the protagonist which suffers from the Kai Syndrome, a teenager and leader of the Facehunters named Kyouya. Like his opponents, he has a blade that is based on the Lion. Also you're introduced to the character of Madoka Amano who functions as the "Kenny" of the group in the way that she's the so-so blader, but her real strengths line in with repair. She's more of a Winry than she is a Kenny. Kenny just offered advice and strategy, Madoka can actually bully people into doing things.
Off the bat, there's a central Constellation theme to it. Pegasus, Lion, Wolf, Bull, Sagittarius. While I figure there's a underlying mystical theme, there's also a point that these blades are commonly used, and seem to have at least some form of rudimentary AI. I mean, seriously. Highly Advanced Technology used as playtoys.
So yeah, Beyblade Metal Fusion. While it hasn't exactly grabbed me and twisted, the fact remains that I did enjoy the first four episodes, and I'll be watching this every saturday.
