Quarantine Control #212: Chillin’ with My Bastard Vices
It was only about a week ago when news of college students protesting at Columbia University in New York City made national headlines, doing so to promote efforts to support a ceasefire and stop Israel’s mass murder of Palestinians in Gaza. The current Columbia regime claimed to learn from prior mistakes during previous protests in history, but sure as hell didn’t show that when they had the NYPD run rampant on campus to attack and arrest students. This, to no surprise, had the opposite effect, and has increased the size of protests. They’ve also spread to several other college campuses across the country, in solidarity. Hopefully we’ll get that ceasefire soon, despite that currently looking like a far-off dream thanks to the United States’ unceasing effort to support Israel.
Geoffrey Barnes
Tokyo Vice (2022-2024)
Source: HBO Max (I always accidentally type “HBO Max” at the start of these.)
Episodes: 18 (The first two seasons)
Tokyo Vice’s concept was intriguing by itself, alongside who was handling it and where it was set to air. It showed how Warner Bros. was open to experimentation when they first launched HBO Max, well before the current penny-pinching regime that’s sacrificed the “HBO” name on the service for the sake of the Capitalism Gods. The show focuses on facets of Japan’s criminal underworld as it existed in the late 1990s and early 2000s, those very much still around today. It does this through the lens of a young American journalist looking for a new life in a country he’s very unfamiliar with, willing to take an alternate path for his writing profession.
This then-young guy is Jake Adelstein (Ansel Elgort — based on the very real Jake Adelstein), who passes the Japanese language exam necessary for remaining and working in the country. This leads to Adelstein getting a job at the Meicho Shimbun newspaper, thus becoming the first non-Japanese staffer at the paper. And boy do they treat him like it. What begins with editor Emi Maruyama (Rinko Kikuchi) reminding Jake that she’s not his friend continues with tough relationships with the other bosses and other staffers, outside a couple of friends. But they’re nothing compared to those he seeks to cover for the paper, chiefly the Japanese Yakuza syndicates. Some are worse than others, but Jake and several others aren’t deterred when it comes to covering and sometimes working with them, despite the increasing danger to their lives.
The TV series format allows for the series to cover all the happenings with the journalists and Yakuza, and there are plenty of them. But hostess/cabaret clubs and the police also factor heavily into the tale. Jake quickly partners up with officer Hiroto Katagiri (Ken Watanabe — once that one Japanese actor everyone knows), who has a strong sense of justice when the department often doesn’t. He also makes friends with Samantha Porter (Rachel Keller) as part of his exploits with covering organized crime, as the cabaret bar she works at is a spot for journalists and especially the Yakuza, considering it’s funded by the latter. Jake is very much a fish out of water when he starts, but he slowly ingratiates himself with the paper and segment of Tokyo being covered.
The series is well written throughout and includes well-paced storytelling, ensuring that there’s plenty of time cover all the major characters and highlight their stakes in the story. They’re all driven to stop Shinzo Tozawa (Ayumi Tanida), a Yakuza boss doing everything he can to rise in power and hold on to it. This includes having a bunch of police and politicians in his pocket, and killing anyone who could even think of crossing him or could pose a future liability. He’s a fantastic villain, and the series’ developments wouldn’t have had the same impact without him. This is exacerbated in the second season, where the stakes for the entire cast considerably increase, resulting in each one of them having more on the line in terms of their social and financial status and higher death count for the main members. The show is great at being tense, and never stops being entertaining.
I say that despite knowing how this series’ claims of being a fictional story based on reality couldn’t receive more emphasis. It’s said that the truth is often stranger than fiction (the only idiom I’ll use in this post, since, you know, writers aren’t supposed to use them), but some events that happen in Tokyo Vice are farfetched. Several are so dramatic that I muttered to myself that there was no way they could have come close to happening, especially when they involve westerners — “Gaijins” as they’re called. Yet, I didn’t think this was a problem because the series never stopped being entertaining. It’s reminiscent of the Yakuza games through how some storytelling and character moments are a bit over the top, but it remains realistic enough to ensure the viewer isn’t taken out of the experience.
(It also helps that Ayumi Tanida, Tozawa’s actor, was literally in a couple of Yakuza games. He knows how to play a villain.)
My biggest concern as the second season concluded involved whether it will get a third season, that I was tackling an unfinished story. But I’m not as concerned about that as I expected. The first season ended on a cliffhanger, but the main story thankfully wrapped up at the second season’s end, while leaving room for more. There’s a sadly low chance of it being renewed for another season under the current Warner Bros. Discovery regime with David Zaslav, but I won’t be too sad if that doesn’t happen. This also means that you’re free to enjoy the series and realize that you’ll get the full story, and I couldn’t recommend it hard enough, especially if you’re interested in shows that largely take place in Japan and you enjoy crime dramas.
Angela Moseley
My anime viewing habits remain several seasons behind what’s currently out, unlike Joseph who’s actually viewing the Spring 2024 season. Urusei Yatsura might be one of the few exceptions to my current predicament. I’m also a fan of all the reboots of anime series that have been a thing for over a decade now. There’s the aforementioned Urusei Yatsura. We also have Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, The Heroic Legend of Arslan, Berserk, and Bastard!! to name a few shows other than the ones Joseph mentioned in last Wednesday’s Random Roar. Lately, Netflix has been a treasure trove of remakes and one particular show caught my eye.
Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy- Season 1 (2022)
Source: Netflix
Episodes: 24
I’m pretty sure I saw at least the first episode of the 1992 Bastard!! OVA. It was an fascinating dark fantasy with an interesting premise– Dark Schneider was a powerful wizard sealed within the body of a young boy named Lucien. I only remember Dark Schneider being an asshole, and not much else from what I saw of the OVA. If you’re curious about the original 1992 series, I’d suggest reading Ahbi’s excellent write-up on Anime News Network. When I learned Netflix was streaming a reboot of Bastard!!, I had to check it out. I’m rather fond older series receiving a reboot with new animation, even if the older 90s character designs are kept. This new Bastard!! anime is certainly an old series with a fresh coat of digital paint.
One day a massive being known as Anthrasax, the God of Destruction, appears in the modern day world. Humanity bands together to attempt to fight it off, but the most technologically advanced weapons of the time have no effect. Anthrasax proceeds to completely annihilate civilization before being sealed away. Hundreds of years pass as humanity has regressed to a medieval time filled with magic and sorcery. Dark Schneider, one particularly powerful and evil wizard seeks to conquer the world with his army. After a showdown in the Kingdom of Metallicana he faces off with the priest Geo Noto Soto and crowned prince Lars UI Metallicana. Lars is able to defeat Dark Schneider and Geo uses his cleric magic to seal the wizard’s soul into the body of a newborn infant named Lucien Renlen.
15 years pass in relative peace, and Geo has a daughter named Yoko. She’s been raised together with Lucien. That peace is shattered when Dark Schneider’s group decides to restart their conquest of the world without their leader. They’re led by Kall-Su and Abigail. Their first target is Metallicana where they hope to release one of Anthrasax’s seals. As the kingdom desperately tries to fight off the dark army, Yoko is tasked with reviving Dark Schneider in order to save the kingdom. Once the wizard’s seal is broken, Lucien transforms into Dark Schneider and the rulers of Metalllicana can only pray that he chooses to fight for them instead of returning to his army.
Bastard!! is not a show that takes itself too seriously despite all its sex and violence. Sure, we have a plot with Kall-Su and his minions trying to revive Anthrasax to take over the world, but season 1 mostly has a monster-of-week format. Because of all the years Dark Schneider spent in Lucien’s body, he’s developed a deep love for Yoko and a smattering of empathy. In this way he’s willing turn on his former allies in order to keep her and those she cares about safe. Of course, this wizard is more anti-villian than anti-hero, so he attacks the army he once led for the sake of chaos and his own amusement. In short, there’s not much tension from if Dark Schneider will win his battles, but how he’ll bounce back and insult an opponent as he claims victory.
Thankfully, this isn’t a mean-spirited series. Dark Schneider has a knack for turning some allies-turned-enemies back into allies. He can also turn other enemies into outright lovers, as he’s willing to bang any cute woman he comes across. Yes, he loves Yoko, but he very much would like his own harem of women. And while Bastard!! isn’t a harem-anime, it sometimes has the feel of one. At least the main character has a personality, good looks, and a surprisingly buff body for a wizard. So it’s easy to see why women would fall for his charms and handsy nature versus the nobody guys in other harem shows that double as bland self-insert characters.
Going back to Dark Schneider being an anti-villian, there is one relationship in this series that does bother me. This guy raised the Dark Elf, Arshes Nei from when she was a child. She’s practically his daughter. At some point after she became of age, he took her as his lover. She had no problem with it, but this part of Bastard!! makes me cringe slightly. It’s pretty much child grooming. While not incest, I do find it disturbing to have a sexual relationship with someone you’ve raised from childhood and who’s practically family. The only way I can settle this in my mind is that again, Dark Schneider is an anti-villian. He’s not meant to be an upstanding heroic character. He has the power to take what he wants and he does what he wants. I’m sure getting it on with his adopted daughter ranks low on the list of awful things he’s done in his long life.
The only other thing that bothered me about this anime was the over-exposition. It’s something older series are known for, but this remake keeps all of those bad tendencies. I felt like the show worried that viewers wouldn’t be able to follow the action, so a character gasps in surprise as they narrate everything happening on screen. It all felt so redundant as I’m sure most people watching this show have working eyes and don’t need their hands held while every second of action occurs. I found myself exasperated at times and wished the show would knock it off and assume the audience would be intelligent enough to keep up with said action. I mean, this isn’t a kid’s show.
Still, watching Dark Schneider’s exploits as he and much of the cast break the fourth wall is just a fun time. It’s sex, violence, and rock and roll in the form of a dark fantasy. If you vibe with high fantasy and the idea of a horny show that doesn’t take itself too seriously is appealing, by all means feel free to check out Bastard!!. Just be prepared for way too many exposition dumps at times.
Joseph Daniels
One of the things I like to look for in an anime is, are there furries among the fantasy races in a show? This is what led me to try the absolutely excellent Tonari no Yokai-san recently, but it can lead to watching garbage like Killing Bites. I don’t mean trash like Geoff Thew likes to talk about on his YouTube channel, shows that can still be entertaining even though they’re terrible. I mean actual garbage that shouldn’t be watched by anyone. This week’s show was chosen because the image used to promote it features what looks like a furry starring opposite its main character, but the question remained, was it any good? Given the kind of anime it is, it’s always a bit of a crapshoot of course, but I gave it a try anyway.
Chillin’ in Another World with Level 2 Super Cheat Powers (2024)
Source: Crunchyroll
Episodes: Ongoing (currently 3)
The first thing one notices when one starts this show is that its isekai protagonist isn’t from Earth. This is one of the few times I’ve seen where the isekai protagonist is summoned from a different isekai, a world where humans and demihumans live in less than harmony, but a merchant named Banaza treats everyone equally. I guess this is what makes him worthy of being summoned as a hero to The Magical Kingdom of Klyrode because suddenly he’s dropped into the new world within a couple minutes of the start of the show.
I think the risk you take when introducing a character and the world he comes from is that you sort of want to see what might’ve happened if he hadn’t been summoned to the new world. I want to see more of the discrimination between humans and demihumans, and maybe see how Banaza works to overcome this racial disparity. I think that would make for an excellent anime. Instead, the one person who treats everyone fairly is now gone from that world and this will potentially make life worse for the world’s demihumans.
But one world’s loss is another world’s gain, especially if the cheat powers in the title are anything to go by. At first glance, Banaza shows up with no powers whatsoever and a starting stat screen which would make even a level one Dragon Quest character laugh at him. What’s worse, another potential hero who was summoned at the same time shows up, at “level one”, with maximum stats across the board. 999 points in everything, as opposed to Banaza, who has barely ten points in anything, and a one in Magic. Even the least lucky Dungeons & Dragons player would still have higher stats than this.
Banaza mostly just wants to go home, being not on board with the hero lifestyle at all, although I’m sure the demihumans back home would think of him as heroic just for treating them better than most. Unfortunately, the kingdom doesn’t know how to send him back home, they never developed that magic, I guess. Instead, they treat him like garbage and dump him in a nearby forest more than half a month away from the kingdom to live out the rest of his days. In this way, it kind of starts out similar to The Rising of the Shield Hero with less steps. On the plus side, the new world he finds himself in seemingly has no racial divide, although given how people with low stats are treated, there’s still discrimination of a sort.
After killing three slimes, Banaza levels up and his stats turn into the mathematical sign for infinity, suggesting that he’s more powerful than the arrogant blonde-haired hero with 999 points in everything. He also gains a voice activated menu which tells him of more of his options including disenchanting his bag (which he suspects was enchanted with spells meant to contribute to a swift end for him) and using his own magic power to remove a negative energy from the forest that generates monsters.
By doing this, Banaza accidentally solves all of the kingdom’s problems with their enemies and the experience points he earns from this grants him 365 more levels, but with stats that are already infinite, there doesn’t really seem to be any point, other than bragging rights. For all intents and purposes, level two is his maximum level and any more levels gained is just experience hoarding. Naturally, the king that sent Banaza away is going to have to eat crow now that Banaza saved them all from the evil forces that threatened them.
Of course, with most of the problems solved during the first half of episode one, Banaza decides to become an adventurer and ends up befriending wolf demons and other adventurers alike. Even in this world, he sees everyone as equal and attempts to bridge the gaps between them. In a way, this means I got the anime I originally wanted, but with an added isekai angle that doesn’t seem completely necessary and only exists to ride the coattails of an incredibly popular genre.
Hang on. A merchant in a fantasy anime… befriends a supernatural wolf that wears a mostly human disguise but can turn into a large wolf whenever she wants… if I had a nickel for every anime I’m currently watching with that exact premise that airs on Monday, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s strange that it happened twice.
As an aside, episode two reveals that the blonde hero’s stats are great for a beginner, but don’t increase as he levels. They may appear maxed out at first glance, but in this world, apparently 999 points of Strength and Magic are about as useful as they are in a Disgaea game, so the blonde hero decides to confine himself to his room and the impression I get is that he’s pursuing carnal pleasure instead of actually trying to make the world a better place.
This series is another pleasant surprise for me from the 2024 anime season. I honestly went into this thinking, “There’s no way this looks any good,” but sometimes you luck out and it’s not complete garbage. It might not be classified as trash either, I guess we’ll see when Geoff Thew releases his Hottest Trash of Spring 2024 video. The first two episodes are great, but that’s because the first two episodes basically set up the premise of the show. Now that Banaza has his powers, the question becomes, how busted is he going to be? Is he going to solve all of his problems easily like in In Another World With My Smartphone and basically rise in power and influence? Is he going to attempt to hide from the kingdom but secretly work to defeat monsters behind the scenes with the help of his powerful wolf companion and rise in the rankings at the adventurer’s guild like in Campfire Cooking in Another World with My Absurd Skill? Is he going to agree to take his wolf companion up north to visit her hometown- okay, maybe not that last one! Still, with how great the writing has been so far, I really hope it continues to be written well, because a premise like this can go so wrong, so quickly.
The last week has made it clear that the students won’t be deterred when it comes to voicing their concerns about the slaughter in Gaza. For all the efforts state governments will make to tamp down on them, some with more brutal tactics than those used during the George Floyd protests in 2020, they’ll keep fighting. Until next week.
About The Author
dcstaff
The collective will of the Damage Control staff combined into a single article.
