dracophileupdate Reviews

Bakugan Battle Brawlers (2007–2011)

Not terrible, but not good either

[3/10 · 10 December 2021]

Characters: The main characters range from ok to pretty bad. The best characters are the villains or the side characters.8 The protagonist, Dan, is far from the worst protagonist I've seen but he does not make this show any better

Plot: It exists, it's not too convoluted. It's also not that interesting. The lore is vague and not elaborated on enough

Action: The main selling point of most shows like Bakugan (including Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, and Beyblade). Bakugan's battles are bad. The animation uses repeated frames and not in a good way (Beyblade has resued animations for launches, but Bakugan reuses frames for almost everything). The rules of the game are never properly explained, which means there is no tension because you don't know who has the upper hand or what is even going on. The focus on numerical power levels instead of different strategies makes it somewhat easier to follow, but not any more entertaining to watch.

Beyblade: The Movie - Fierce Battle (2002)

Not the best of the franchise, but still good

[7/10 · 7 December 2020]

This movie is far from the best of the Beyblade franchise. But it's much further from the worst. The characters are fairly likable, the pacing is better than some seasons, and the battles are fun. Really this feels more like a series of episodes combined together into one, since the tone is very similar to that if the show. My only complaint is their attempt at using CGI for the bit-beasts. While in most other series, the spirits are drawn while the beys are done in 3d this movie makes both 3D and it just feels off

BattleBots (2015– )

They found the perfect format

[10/10 · 7 August 2020]

Builders create fighting robots that battle it out in the Battlebox. With the new fight card format, we get to see more fights as well as many fan-favorites battling it out every episode.

The fight card format makes each robot have 4 hand-picked fights throughout the season, and the 16 with the best record advance to the single-elimination bracket. This format allows bots like former champion Tombstone to take on strong opponents without having to wait for the quarterfinals or semis. It also makes matchups fans want to see happen much more often.

Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja (2012–2015)

Despite being very unrealistic in its premise, it manages to make any realistic moments hilarious

[10/10 · 6 August 2020]

The main duo is a pair of high schoolers who are written surprisingly realistically. What do you think a teenager would do if they suddenly got superpowers? Use it for personal gain and generally disregard the authority meant to help him control said powers. The humor is strange in that it can be viewed as trying to be funny and failing, or trying to mock teenage humor and succeeding. Personally I view it as the latter.

Just replace the made up slang used in this show with swear words and you have the most accurate depiction of high schoolers I've ever seen. Also, the theme song perfectly conveys the tone of this show, with lyrics like "what the hey? Come on you? What the juice? He's so bruce.

Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil (2010–2012)

The writers knew what they were doing. And it shows

[9/10 · 6 August 2020]

This show is about a kid who tries to be the most badass daredevil on earth while living in the suburbs. So what do the writers do with it? Have him be awesome in a mundane setting. Missed the school bus? Rock-music-powered windsurf to get to school on time. Yeah. I didn't make that up. That scene perfectly sums up the entire show. The guitar riffs sound like something straight out of AC/DC. It's epic

Mech-X4 (2016–2018)

Great show with engaging plot

[9/10 · 6 August 2020]

The thing that stands out the most from this show is that lots of episodes are better in hindsight. A plot twist may seem predictable when it's first revealed, until the writers throw in another twist making the previous, "predictable" twist much more clever. I won't go into specifics to avoid spoilers, but the villain side of things always keeps getting better.

Characters: Every character has good characterization and decent acting. I just wished Spyder got more screen time as he is by far the least developed hero.

Action: The fight scenes are well made, besides the cgi. The monster designs make up for it though, being both awesome and bizarre, such as a squid-snake.

Overall: the cgi knocks a point down, but the plot and characters are brilliant.

Beyblade Burst (2016–2023)

Gets better the more you watch it

[7/10 · 29 July 2020]

This series is a reboot of Beyblade. Again. This is the fourth "saga" of the franchise. It changes the format to a point based system for battles and now bursting your opponent is a win condition. The plot is also less "save the world/stop evil organization" and more "kid enters tournament. Tries to win"

Characters: some characters are unbeatable while others are great. The protagonist Valt isn't very enjoyable and can be irritating at times. Wakiya and Lui are constantly unbearable. Daigo's characterization is inconsistent. But Shu is very well-written. Zac and Xander always make an episode better. And Rantaro aka Honcho hasn't some very memorable moments ("Man cannot survive in green onion alone") Characters like Ben and Quon can feel underutilized at times but when we do see them they're great. Orochi is by far the most underused character this season despite also having the best voice acting on the show as well as a very interesting ability to hear burst finishes.

Plot: Valt enters the district tournament. There he battled bladers like Honcho, Ken, and Daigo. The winner gets to compete at the nationals. He also starts a Beyblade club at his school, which aforementioned opponents join. After Valt loses to Shu in the finals, he gets an invitation to the regional tournament. Winners of each block at the regionals get to go to the nationals as well. Every member of the beyclub gets an invitation, plus Orochi, Wakiya, Hoji, Yugo, and Ukyo. The latter two are part of Sword Flames. Valt and Wakiya win their blocks and get a spot at the nationals. Each competitor at the nationals can become a team captain for a team tournament being held before the individual matches. Valt forms a team with Honcho, Daigo, Shu, and Wakiya. Other teams include the Superstars, which include Zac and Orochi, Sword Flames, with Xander, Yugo, and Ukyo, Ice Blaze, captained by Quon, Beasts, with Ben and Ken, and Rideout, which include Gabe and Lui. We are also introduced to the supreme four. They are the top 4 ranked bladers in Japan, being Lui, Shu, Zac, and Xander. Valt's team comes in second place to Rideout, and Valt promises to beat Lui in the individual matches. We are introduced to more characters in the individual matches, like Naoki and Jin, but they are mostly irrelevant. Valt beats Xander and Zac if the supreme four on his way to the finals, while Lui beats Shu. Lui takes the win and his 5th consecutive title after what he himself describes as a "freak accident." Valt accepts the loss, and claims that he will beat Lui someday. The plot is alright. However, the final battle was terrible. It was intense and I was invested in it, but then Valt lost to his bey tripping on a crack in the stadium. Valt was going to win, but the stadium damage beat him. Not Lui. Even Lui demands a rematch, but for some reason Valt denies it. Not only is this completely out of character for Valt, it disposes of huge potential for Lui's development.

Action: The CG looks better than it ever has and stands out without feeling out of place. The point system also prevent battles from being too long, a problem previous series had. However, there isn't much variety. Most defense and stamina bladers sill simply take the center and wait. Previous series gave each character a unique style when battling, but in burst Honcho, Ken, Zac, Yugo, and Ukyo all use the exact same strategy, just to name a few. This lack of variety takes away from the action, as attacks like Quake Launch become forgettable because everyone else has something similar.

Music: not the best this franchise has seen, but still very enjoyable. The background music from battles is very intense. But there weren't any particularly memorable moments for music. There was no equivalent of Jack's or Damian's theme from the meta series. Or the battle music from the original. It was good, but not great.

Overall: enjoyable, but with some flaws. If you can look past Valt, this series should be enjoyable

Beyraiderz Shogun (2013– )

Series could improve in the faults of its predecessor. It sadly didn't.

[3/10 · 29 July 2020]

This show is a sequel to Beywheelz. Sho, Jin, and Leon return. No other season 1 character returns or is even mentioned.

Characters: Beywheelz didn't have the best characters. So instead of bringing back those who were interesting, the show brought back our three main heroes, who also happen to be the main flaw of the previous season. Sho gets even less characterization than before. Leon's existence is irrelevant. Jin's personality went from barely existent to nonexistent. Our new characters are only a bit better. Rachel only serves to provide exposition. Jimmy exists for no reason. Most one-off characters also don't have a reason to exist nor do they bring anything to the show. Ricky, Armes, Task, and Kaiser are the only ones worth talking about. Ricky stated that he came from another world, much like Sho, but that is never expanded upon. Armes wants to prove that he is the strongest battler, and actually hasn't character development. Task serves Kaiser and is willing to go through with Kaiser's plan even when it harms him. Then he joins the heroes for no reason. Kaiser tried protecting the world but realized that the only way to do so was through a totalitarian regime, where threats to the people could not arise. Overall, Armes' plan was intriguing, but that the highlight.

Plot: Once upon a time, six mythic beasts brought prosperity to the land. A villain by the name of Tempest tried using them for his own selfish goals, but the hero Flame managed to stop him, costing his life. Then the six beasts disappeared, and drought came upon the world. Now the six chosen battlers must help each beast regain energy so they can rise again. The main plot is uninteresting. The side plot of Armes helping Task revive Flame as Kaiser Grey to then defeat him and prove that he is the best battler was stupid, but also entertaining. But because that plot happens so late in the season, it can't save this show

Action: by far the worst of any Beyblade season. Each blader in the other seasons has some sort of unique ability, but here everyone's battle styles are the same. It took me a while to realize why, but then I noticed there were no special moves. If you're familiar with other Beyblade series, you probably remember some special moves, like Starblast Attack or Galaxy Twister. Each move gave a sense of uniqueness to the characters, even if they had little screen time. Here, everyone battles the same way. And it's not even in an exciting manner

Music: again comparing it to other Beyblade series, I usually remember it. Whether it be songs that played during battle or a particular character's theme. Here, I don't. The fact that I can remember that Ryan's theme in Beywheelz is based off of Damian's theme from Metal Masters but can't remember any music from this show says enough about it

Overall: I finished the series, so it can't be that bad. It's not unbearable, but it certainly isn't enjoyable either

Beyblade: Metal Fusion (2009–2013)

Great in every department but voice acting

[9/10 · 10 July 2020]

A reboot of the original Beyblade series, this show brings a contentedly new cast of characters and plots. The battles are between spinning tops with powers such as controlling fire, controlling wind, and crating pocket dimensions.

Characters: Ginka is our main protagonist. He is by far the least interesting part of this show. And his voice becomes more grating as time goes on (it was alright in the first episode) Most of the likable characters are on the side. Ryuga goes from villain to antihero to hero. Masamune starts off as annoying and cocky but later we learn his true motivations for becoming the strongest. And of course Blader DJ, who announces battles and occasionally becomes slightly meta (after not being present for some time in season 3 "I haven't done this in a while. Could you guys let me commenate?" and the Furious DJ Battle which is the show self-parodying) Minor characters like Tetsuya, Ryutaro, Tobio, Jack, and Nile all add a lot to the show. Both with their personalities and fighting styles (illusion that simulates a pocket dimension while the air currents pick you up and launch you out of the stadium. Or ricocheting around the stadium with a calculated launch. Or, you get the idea)

Plot: Season 1 is about stopping Lightning L-Drago, a bey that can steal the souls of its enemies. After the villains at the Dark Nebula organize a tournament to "feed" L-Drago with strong opponents, our heroes enter in an attempt to stop them. Several stolen souls (11 on screen. 1 off screen) later L-Drago is defeated and its balder, Ryuga, is greed from its control. In season 2 a world championship is organized. While the plot of a world championship is pretty simple, things like Kyoya leaving Japan to lead his own team and Zeo joining Starbreaker to provide his terminally ill friend better treatment keep it interesting. Tsubasa and Hukaru have both been traumatized from their battles with L-Drago in season 1, Hikaru developing PTSD and Tsubasa becoming possessed by the same power that lied in L-Drago. Season 3 is about finding and recruiting the 9 legendary bladers to prevent the revival of Nemesis by a cult. It has as many different locations as season 2 and with many new characters. However, introducing so many new characters meant that established ones like Yu and Tsubasa got less screen time.

Action: main strength of every Beyblade season. The styles of each blader are unique as well as their beys. Minor characters like the twins in season 1 still have a unique style to their fighting. For example, the twins used Gemios, and battles by wearing their opponent down as they defend with Blaze Wall and counter attack with Icicle Edge. Or Klaus, who relies on raw force. Or Jigsaw's invisibilty.

Overall: if you ignore the voice acting, it's a pretty good series. It can get a little over the top (Moses split the Red Sea with a bey. And pun intended) but depending on the viewer it can add to the fun.

BeyWheelz (2012)

Had potential. Could be better

[6/10 · 10 July 2020]

This show had potential to be as great as any other Beyblade series. The villains had personality and the plan at the end was mind blowing. However, our heroes are bland and the plot doesn't seem very though-out until the end. And even at the end, several events still don't make much sense.

Characters: our heroes are Sho, Jin, Leon, Covey, Marche, and Nicole. Most are pretty boring, stock shonen protagonists. The exception is Leon, who isn't much better. Our villains in this series consist of Ryan, Matthew, Lucy, Odin, Glen, David, Gigante, Jake, and Sting. Most of the conflict I was invested in wasn't heroes vs villains, it was villains vs villains. Sting's and Glen's trauma and recovery made for a better story than anything the heroes did, and in a way, the heroes caused said trauma in the first place. Jake stole every scene he was in. The villains didn't get enough screen time though. We ended up with portions of great story arcs instead of a full series of them.

Plot: it's strange. We start at the world championship finals. Sho vs Jin. Sho wins, claiming his second title and becoming Team Estrella's best wheeler. Team Estrella is currently comprised of Sho, Jin, and Leon. And a member of the team has won the world championship for 3 straight years now. Suddenly, the Dominators start terrorizing the streets, and Team Estrella tried to protect people. The Dominators challenge Team Estrella to a tournament, where there will be 4 1v1 matches and one 2v2. Each team will have 6 wheelers and whoever Wong 3 out of 5 matches wins. If the Dominators win, Estrella must stop their attempts at defeating the Dominators, and if Estrella wins, the Dominators must leave Destection City. Sho, Jin, and Leon recruit Covey, Nicole, and Marche to be a part of their team. At the tournament (called Judgement Bey, love the name) Team Estrella wins the 5th match, claiming its 3rd win. Ryan then reveals he was the behind the Dominators' attacks, and that he organized this tournament in order to find strong wheelers that could help him open a gate to another dimension. He says that when he was younger, he found the gate but when he tried opening it, his hand was scarred and he could no longer launch, making him retire. Because of this, he needed other wheelers to open the gate for him. Sho nearly accepts, until he finds out Ryan is attempting to take over the other world. Battles ensue as Estrella tries getting to the gate before the Dominators open it. As Estrella gets closer, Ryan tries using a mechanical hand to launch and it works. Ryan beats Odin when he turns on Ryan, and the final battle is Sho bs Ryan. Ryan is defeated, but the gate does open. This leads into season 2, Beyraiderz.

Action: Can't say I'm disappointed. Despite the battles being between wheels, there was emotion tied to them as well as captivating visuals. Probably the best part of this series. Moments like Herculeo setting itself on fire, Fireblaze and Destroyer causing a landslide were cool to watch. The final battle between Pegasus and Kerbecs was very well made and had great music

Overall: the blandness of our heroes drags this score from probably a 9 or 10 down to a 6. Jake, Sting, Gigante, and pretty much every character except for our heroes, Matthew, and Lucy were strong enough to carry their own story. Jake managed such a strong characterization with so little screen time I can't help but think what could happen if he got more. But we didn't get more.

Beyblade (2001–2005)

Great show, even if it has some occasional missteps

[9/10 · 10 July 2020]

The premise of this show is probably the dumbest thing possible. It's about kids playing with spinning tops. The execution is surprisingly good. It creates interesting characters, compelling plots, and always delivers in the action.

Characters: This show has many characters, but all of them feel unique. Even "filler" characters like the Majestics each have their own personalities and fighting styles. Personally, I like Tyson's grandfather (big props to the voice actor. It must be hard playing a elderly man who speaks in outdated surfer slang) and the battle commentators AJ Topper and Brad Best (they really make Beyblade feel like a real sport)

Plot: Every season has a different plot, but all of them involve our protagonist Tyson and his team trying to win the world championship. In the first season, we see the Bladebreakers being formed and go up against the White Tigers, the All Stars, and the Demolition Boys. Of course, these are just the main teams. There are a total of 12 teams we see at the world championship. Not counting the Majestics and Dark Bladers who didn't compete but had matches against the Bladebreakers in other events. Season 2 sees the Bladebreakers trying to protect their bit-beasts (spirits that live within the Beyblade) from the likes of Team Psykick, the Saint Shields, and Dr. Zagart. The villains this season range from mad scientists to sentient robots to members of a clan dedicated to sealing away all bit-beasts to prevent them from being used for evil. Season 3 is about the Bladebreakers splitting apart as each member leads their own team in the world championship. Later when we get the BEGA arc, we have a conflict between BEGA trying to commercialize the sport and the BBA, trying to keep it open to everyone.

Action: The battles are between spinning tops. But they are still action-packed. The inclusion of bit-beasts (spirits that live in the Beyblades) also make battles more intense. Each character has a unique fighting style, so battles don't feel repetitive. The stadiums they battle in also vary, from a standard bowl-shape arena, to a stadium modeled after the Great Wall of China, to a low-gravity stadium provided by NASA (yeah you read that right. NASA made a Beyblade stadium. Also, the Pentagon sponsors the American team) The special moves used give each Beyblade a sense of uniqueness. Phantom Hurricane creates a tornado. Flame Saber sea the Beyblade on fire. Novae Rog creates a pocket dimension. Even minor characters have special moves like creating illusions that their blade has multiplied to a divebomb attack.

Music: amazing. The Japanese openings are called Fighting Spirits, Off the Chains, Jet, Go Ahead, and Identified. The dub opted for songs that would play during battles. The Beyblade wiki has a complete list. If you want to check those out, search for Always be in the Game, Switchblade, Underdog, or I'm not Going Down.

Overall: great series. It can be a little over the top (pun intended) such as when the president of the United States (modeled after George W. Bush) battled in a stadium that was a replica of the White House. Or the aforementioned NASA providing a stadium. But that is what makes it fun.

Boku No Pico (2006–2008)

Lack of character depth

[2/10 · 10 July 2020]

Before proceeding, be warned this series is yaoi shotacon hentai. In English, gay underage porn.

This series was obviously created as someone's fetish fuel. That said, the genre of hentai and good storytelling should not be mutually exclusive. This series suffers from little character depth and a plot with no significant thought put into it. I'll go over the first episode

The first episode sees a man, whom Pico nicknames Mokkun, look through a tower viewer and he finds a naked feminine-looking boy. The time runs out, but by the time Mokkun places another coin the by is gone. At the time Mokkun thought he saw a girl. Mokkun then goes to a bar owned by his grandfather. There, Pico serves him a drink. Mokkun thinks Pico is a girl, as he isn't rather feminine looking, and is the same boy Mokkun saw earlier.

Mokkun tries seducing Pico with poorly written dialogue, and somehow succeeds. His grandfather tells Mokkun to spend some time with Pico, as Pico does not have many friends. They decide to enjoy ice cream in Mokkun's car. Sex scene ensues. Just like that. That scene highlights one of the main problems with this series. Sex scenes are there without a valid reason. They just met. They haven't done anything to get close to each other. Yet here we are, with a grown man and a little boy having sex in a car (to which they both consented)

Then we move on to what I assume is Mokkun's house. Mokkun giving Pico girl's clothing. Pico grows to enjoy cross dressing and another sex scene ensues. This one at least had a better reason to exist. It is implied that time has passed and that Mokkun and Pico have been together for some time now. After the sex scene, Pico asks Mokkun a question about where their relationship is going. When Mokkun does not answer, Pico runs away. And child protect services apparently don't exist in this world. Mokkun goes looking for Pico.

When Mokkun finds Pico alone at night, Pico has cut his hair. It seems it was in an attempt to appear more "boyish" but is never expanded on. Then they walk in the beach together at night and we get another sex scene. This one has even less reason to exist than the first.

Overall, only one part of this episode comes close to bordering on good storytelling: when Pico runs away and cuts his hair. Everything else is meaningless and boring. The only thing saving this from a 1/10 is the music