Episode two is out and I have watched it. I am now here to give my review, but first:
>>He's not really going out on a limb by saying the Falcoon designed characters seem and look ass. That's a pretty universal opinion; at least here. <<
Just so it's understood, I don't have a problem with Falcoon, per se. I am actually a fan of Falcoon's art, and like both his character design and his costume design, as outlandish as it may be from time to time. So my disinterest in Alba and Soiree has nothing to do with the fact that they came from Falcoon's mind. He is a talented individual in my opinion.
Now, on to my review of the second chapter.
MUCH better than the first. As it was not saddled with the burden of having to watch Iori fight someone I have no interest in, I was able to enjoy what was being presented to me. There was no gratuituous appearance by characters that were on the screen simply to be seen, although it could be argued that Lien Neville's inclusion in the Billy Kane/Rock Howard fight was forced.
However, I understand why they put her in: she is distinctly a KOF: MI character, and this is a commercial effort to sell KOF: MI 2 to the masses. Therefore, this is an attempt to further network the characters into a whole, rather than have them being characters from separate game series crossing paths. While I prefer that KOF be a dream match every year, I welcome their attempts to construct some form of continuity between the various KOF/FF/AOF imprints. And in Lien's defense, at least she was trying to take out Billy Kane. While only a precursor to the Rock/Billy fight, at least they TRIED to give her a reason to be there. Conversely, with Athena and Mai in the first part, even the most clueless fuck could watch and understand that they're only in it for the fan service.
But there's something else going on in this volume that was not really present in the first. The backstory draws from Fatal Fury and Garou and everything that is implied in the Rock/Terry/Geese triumvorate. Terry's guilt at killing Geese and then wanting to raise Rock is a fantastic storytelling dynamic that could be used in any manga or anime, and could on its own be the grist for a 26 episode series or 13 volume comic book.
But as much as Terry's obligation to Rock (and to his own atonement, perhaps) could be the basis of a series, the fact of the matter is that the Fatal Fury universe has moved beyond solely Terry and Geese and Rock is what it's really all about. Rock's questions about what his destiny may be, his connection to Geese and his relationship with Terry are all central issues to Garou, as well as his affection for a mother that he may not have ever really known.
For an eight minute anime to be able to touch on all these issues just proves that Fatal Fury/Garou has the best of the SNK storylines since it's so rich in storytelling potential and not even a cartoon with an abbreviated length can hold it down so long as the subject matter pertains to the source material.
Using Billy Kane, Geese's most loyal and dangerous follower, as a surrogate for Geese himself during the fight is another added stroke of genius. Of course, Billy would disapprove of Rock's path in life, given how loyal he was/is to Geese. It's only natural, and I'm glad to see that the characters all stayed true to the logic behind their various nuances.
Ultimately, this chapter disappoints for a very different reason. It disappoints because it is such a great taste of what could be if SNK could only see what they have with Fatal Fury/Garou, and of how they could really do great things if they continued to use this franchise properly.
How can Alba and Soiree, who are a cut rate Terry and Andy on their BEST day, stack up to the Garou storyline? How could Kyo and Iori, whose story is such a pathetic cliche of what is common in anime and manga these days, even compare to what Terry and Rock have to offer as characters, for that matter?
8 minutes that were well spent. Too bad the next chapter will probably revolve around less interesting fare.
) just like Microsoft and Sony these days...i think.
), but overall I was very pleased with how the Rock/Geese lack of relationship was portrayed. But I do have to agree with Taiso about Lien's inclusion, and it had to be done since she's an MI character. Still I was happy she was about to be nailed by Billy.
