Shouldn't the Youngest Be Stronger?

This is in terms of supernatural powers and energy in siblings. It is usually the younger one who gets to have the glory in fairy tales and parent-and-children flicks like The Little Mermaid and The Godfather. But there are cases where the older sibling is still supreme over the younger one when it obviously should be the other way around.

Case in Point 1: Son Gohan and Goten

I just finished watching all the Dragon Ball Z movies, and I've noticed once again just how small Goten's presence seems to be. Trunks has much more screen time (although I guess it's about time that Vegeta's royal blood run its course and overtake Goku's reputation).

Being brothers, Gohan and Goten should have the same kamehameha energy. Goten is around 6 years younger so he's still got a lot of catching up to do, and it's understandable that Gohan will be stronger than him during Goten's wee years. But even when Goten and Trunks have grown up to manhood there is still no sign of Goten having an edge with his Saiyan blood. He's also the son of Son Goku, he should have a more significant role in the series! Instead he is cast aside like a supporting character while Trunks goes out to be the frontman of the hero Saiyans of the Earth.

But he and Trunks aren't the issue. It's him and his brother, Gohan. When Gohan was introduced in the series, it has been emphasized that his powers have the potential to be stronger than their father's. While time and again it's still Goku who manages to finish up the fight and kill the enemy, there is no doubt that Gohan is poised to become stronger than him. Now I would have expected the same from Goten. His early training with martial arts and entry to the Super Saiyan level (plus fusion with Trunks) made an impression that he may even be stronger than his brother. But nooo... throughout the series he stays as a happy-go-lucky kid who doesn't really fight it out with the others. And he got less and less screen time as the series went.

Why should Goten be stronger? Well, given that Goku was at the peak of his powers the time they conceived Goten, the kid should've inherited more powered energy than Gohan had, shouldn't he? He also achieved Super Saiyan level at a younger age than Gohan or Trunks did (Trunks being older by a year). Yet he just grows up normally instead of kicking alien butt.

Case in Point 2: Wyatt and Chris Halliwell

I'm pretty sure that Chris Halliwell has more fans than Wyatt does. This is due to Chris' major role for the whole of season 6 of Charmed, and his neurotic kind of love for his family. Not that we Charmed fans can blame him, when you've got a brother who happens to be the most powerful witch in history and is on the edge of becoming evil.

I can get how Wyatt would be powerful, as he is a son of a Charmed one and a Whitelighter and born on the Halliwell manor. But for Chris to be not stronger than him? Just because he was born in the hospital instead of at home, he doesn't have powers like Wyatt does?

He should actually be stronger compared to Wyatt. When you think about it, Chris actually has more reasons to be more powerful than his older brother. The main push on this claim would be because at the time of his conception, Piper was already hailed as the most powerful witch of her time and Leo was already an Elder. Put the two together --- strongest witch + Elder --- we should get a child who inherited far more power than Wyatt. True, Chris was able to crush a valkyrie's heart at will, but it was always reiterated throughout the series that he will never be at Wyatt's supreme and all-powerful level.

Ah well.. I guess the distribution of powers isn't all that balanced in the supernatural families. It annoys me though when likeable characters like Goten and Chris are just set aside like they couldn't live up to their family's reputation.

How Animated Fight Scenes Should Be!

I can't help but revel watching the fight scenes of my fave animated shows. Compared to the punch-grab-throw-kick stuff that American animation gives, the Japanese animations are more awesome. And I don't just say 'awesome' lightly. Here are the opening fight scenes of two of my favorite anime.. and I tell ya, this is how animated fight scenes should be!

Seirei no Moribito follows the story of a spear-wielding bodyguard named Balsa and the young prince she has to protect from the assassins sent by his own father, the emperor. It's an anime series made of 26 episodes, and contains great graphics and evolving characters. One of the best animes I've seen, both in visual effects and storyline. It made me appreciate the strength of a spear, too, as I have always viewed this weapon as rather inferior to a sword back then.

This is the opening of the Sword of the Stranger, wherein the star weapon is the sword. Many have said the fight scenes in the movie are badass, awesome, even godly, and I will not be one to disagree. For every synonym of these words, I say yea yea YEAH! Once you've seen the whole movie, how can you say otherwise?

In the video clip, the guy in the red cloak is the villain. As it's the opening fight scene and it's the villain on it, you can only imagine how the next fight scenes would be and how the protagonist of the story is going to kick some serious ass.

Japanese Animated Movies: Short Reviews

One of my goals in life is to have a collection of my favorite animated movies. Me and my anime madness.. tsk. As I collect, I select what to collect, of course. Here are a couple of Japanese animated movies that I have watched these past few weeks as I go trek and check one movie to another:

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: I already made a post on this, concerning time leap. I'll just reiterate my thoughts on the movie by saying that it's certainly one of the great feel-good animated movies from Japan. It's definitely a must-watch --- great story, great animation, believable emotions.

Howl's Moving Castle: Hayao Miyazaki shows how he's one of Asia's most talented artists and storytellers. This guy really has a vast imagination to be able to cook up the many settings and "magical advances" in Howl's Moving Castle. This movie was nominated for the Academy Awards, understandably. The movie reflects a lot of emotions and all the characters are really brought out to life by the flow of the story. Christian Bale voices the childishly charming Howl, although I can only remember little of how Bale's voice sounded so smooth.

Spirited Away: This is perhaps Hayao Miyazaki's most successful film, as it won the Academy Award, again understandably. The movie tells the story of a girl plunged into a world of magic and sorcery, all the while trying to cling to her identity. I think perhaps the morale of the story is to always remember who you are, even if the others try to rule over you. Miyazaki again brings out his big imagination here. He's really impressive.

Vampire Hunter D: Given the fact that this movie was made many years ago, I guess I can excuse the bad drawing (very thick outlines, and that's bad when the movie's setting is already dark). Still, this is not a movie I would want to watch twice. It follows Vampire Hunter D in one of his missions to rid the world of vampires, even with the knowledge that his father is the great ancestor of all vampires, Dracula. While the story remains the same, the book is still more catching.

Vampire Hunter D - Bloodlust: Another Vampire Hunter D movie.. but this time, there's improvement in everything --- drawing, storyline, effects, etc. It features another one of D's missions as a vampire hunter, and lightly touches on his views as a half-vampire. This one is better than the first, no doubt, with a far more intriguing flow and more believable characters (at least in the sense that it's in a vampiric setting).

Sword of the Stranger: I saved the best for last. This movie is so cool! Dramatic cool, like Rurouni Kenshin and Seirei no Moribito mixed in one. The story follows a boy chased for his blood (not clear in the movie why him specifically), and a stranger who turns out to be a very skillful swordsman. The action scenes were impressive, with detailed movements and awesome moves. The drama was equally moving and heart-warming. I even fell in love with the dog, among other things. This movie is definitely one of my favorite animated movies.