SonNeoKaku

It's been over 20 years, and this game holds up in just about every department except the 3D. Let me start from the beginning.

Personally, I only played 3 and 2 back when they were still relatively new. Don't think I tried out 4 until like 6 years ago or so. While I wouldn't call it a masterpiece, it's definitely overlooked.

I'm reluctant to talk about the story since it's one of the game's strong points. It has few good twists and turns and is one of the earlier examples of a sympathetic villain. It even has a twist that I did not see coming, though maybe a bit obvious in hindsight is still the right amount of dark and messed up.

Let's look at the bad stuff.

It takes forever to really get going. You begin with Nina and Cray in a desert, they flee from the sand dragon, come across Ryu, and then the story very slowly develop. And I do mean slowly. Originally, I didn't really get into the game due to its slow start and I kinda quit after a while. Glad I gave it another shot later.

While the story is good, there's a few very fillerish moments that don't really add to the story or characters. I replayed this game recently to prepare for this entry, and I had completely forgotten about the time they went to a village full of fuzzballs speaking gibberish and with a human leader who is married to one. Cannot give context to justify that sentence, it's straight out of nowhere and never gets referenced again. Though not nearly as bad, I do wish we saw a bit more with Fou-lu in the village. I know the purpose it serves, but the moment he's like "I kinda care for these people", things go to hell. Just one or two scenes with the supposed love interest would have helped.

Of course, there's the giant elephant in the room for those familiar with this game; that being the censorship. Two scenes were cut or shortened, one was altered, but none of those really matter. However, there is one that is very important to the story that gets cut off early due to it showing a beheading. Sort of. It's not graphic, as it's censored like a Sin city comic (imagine activating the instakill ability in Fire emblem awakening), but it's a major turning point for one of the characters. This game was meant to a bit darker than the previous entries (though they could be messed up too sometimes), and I know it was done to try to keep the rating down, but this is just one scene! They really should have kept it. Most of the other localization shit I'm ok with.

What's up with Scias? I don't mean that his drunken speech was changed to a stutter, I mean, why the hell is he here? He barely contributes to the plot and doesn't really say anything in cutscenes. Granted, he's useful in battle, but it's still a bit weird. At least Ursula you can understand since she's from the empire and they have to work together and bond despite it.

The 3D hasn't aged well. The controls and camera is far from the best either. It takes a while to get used to, not to mention how the camera can only be rotated 90 degrees at a time. Very slowly at that. It's also not a difficult game. I was following a guide in my latest playthrough that deliberately avoided XP until about halfway through the game, and I did not really have trouble. Once you get a decent master, you're pretty much set. There are a few ways to farm money and experience, but even without that you won't have too many issues.

The production was very rushed. Some story elements were cut, and the localization didn't even have time to finish the credits or title screen. Wish they had like a month or two to spare, because there's a character I definitely want some comeuppance for.

Now let's gush.

First and foremost: Absolutely breathtaking music. Aside the intro, it was composed by Yoshino Aoki, who like the actual game is very overlooked. Her resume may not look that impressive (mostly Megaman battle network and star force games), but she has great talent. This soundtrack is no doubt her magnum opus. She even provide the vocals for the ending theme! Don't think I've ever seen that, bizzarely. She is incredibly talented and I wish her all the best. Please put all her music on spotify! I mean, bof3 is there, why not 4? Either way, I love the eastern asian influences on the soundtrack, and I don't think there's any game that quite sound like it. Even today. Makes it stand out, which is very important. 3 had a lot of sweet jazz and was more uplifting, but this is in my opinion even better and is probably the thing most people remember the most. Have very little bad to say about it.

Paradoxically, I love the way they NOT use music. Sometimes it's just nature sounds or the music just goes quiet for a bit. Knowing when to blare awesome music and not shows some great sophistication, and it's really rare in video games. I know this doesn't make much sense on paper, but people who have played it might know what I mean.

Despite not interacting with the main cast much, Fou-lu is a great villain and character. His turn makes total sense and it's probably the best parts of the game. The reason why we focus on both him and Ryu also makes sense in the narrative. Won't go into details, but trust me, it's really good! Though it also ties into that I wish Ryu wouldn't be a silent protagonist so they could work off each other, which fits more into the themes of the game. Thankfully, the manga rectify this.

Great cast overall. They all have issues and can be annoying, but they work off each other well and the writing was pretty good for a 2000 game. Which also brings me to the battle system, which is very simple but fun and addicting. Each character feels unique, and I love the backrow system. In most turn-based RPGs, everyone but the ones you're currently using pretty much get the short end of the stick. They don't gain exp and you can't tag them out or the like. Not in this game! They even recover temporary AP in the backline (this game's equivalent to MP). You can swap out any character whenever you want, and you can even heal those in the back. Maybe makes the game a bit too easy, but it's still a great system that I hope to see more of. Not that there ever will be a Breath of fire 7. but maybe indie developers can take note.

This is the only time I've ever seen a character refer to themselves in first person that makes sense AND is a plot twist. Don't think I'll ever see that again.

I also like how you can learn skills from enemies, and how you can combine magic/skills into more powerful ones. Not perfect, as it can fail sometimes, but still helps. Not much else to say here.

The 3D is lacking, but the 2D is some of the best of its era. Heck, they're impressive even today! Very smooth and fluid. Not overly detailed since the game is a bit old, but you can tell they spent great effort on it. I've seen 2D in modern games that look worse than this!

TIME FOR MINOR SPOILERS

I really like the theme of is humanity worth it or not. I'll stay vague on details, since this game is worth checking out for the story alone (or at least read the manga, it's a good adaptation), but it's something I find better the more time passes. Especially with how completely fucked the world has become. It's not the rarest story in fiction ever, but it's done well. Maybe it's a bit rushed at the end, but it's probably because the game was. There are so many memorable moments in the story that I still think about sometimes. Can be very powerful when it wants.

SPOILERS OVER

Why the hell has this never been rereleased? There are so many remasters and remakes, but somehow Breath of fire is except from that? This deserves to be on steam at least. Fortunately, I don't think the game ever gets too dark so you can't say that it wouldn't work in today's climate or whatever. The real reason why is because Breath of fire is just not a recognizable brand enough. They tried to milk it during their crapcom years with a shitty app called Breath of fire 6 nobody cared about. Guess they thought nobody cared about this series and just left it. While I don't think a rerelease or remaster won't break any sales records, it's bound to do as good as Grandia, if not better.

It's such a shame that this game and series is fading to obscurity. It does more things well than not and deserve to be remembered along the finest RPGs of its era. Unfortunately, as I said before, if you're an RPG and don't have "Final fantasy" or "Persona" in your title, good luck. I wholeheartedly recommend this game, but since it's so old and rare it's hard to get your hands on. If you can, please play it! Only if you like RPGs with great story, music and gameplay, of course.

If nothing else, there's always the epic soundtrack:

https://youtu.be/S2rcWZXnx1M

Remember #FucKonami and how it was ok to hate them for nearly 10 years? Why should the announcement of a remake of Silent hill 2 undo that? It's not like they apologized or have made up for their mistakes. Hell, the remake is seemingly not even gonna be developed by them but a different company that happened to want to remake one of their classic games!

Do not give shitty publishers even a cent, and most importantly, not a minute of your time.

Season 1:

Season 2:

Season 3:

Season 4:

Season 5:

WARNING: MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD!!! Though I'll try to keep them brief.

Evolution

Another great start to a season! Pretty much exactly what I wanted and more. Unlike season 2, here we begin with Gabriel losing. Good contrast. While it makes sense that he'd start with the bunny miraculous, time travel episodes tend to be a bit iffy. However, this was done pretty well, since the reason Gabriel lost was because he was only thinking about beating Ladybug and not actually bothering to change his life for the better. It's also the first time we see his wife other than a picture/archive footage/in coma.

Multiplication

Not sure why they jump around time wise. For example, there's a later episode with the scene where Adrien tells Gabriel that he doesn't want to do modeling anymore, and the next episode shows just what the hell happened in the midst of this one. The hell are those rings? Stay tuned! Lame. Anyway, this episode is ok. Just raises more questions than anything.

Destruction

Would have been great had it not been for the fact that half the episode is just explaining the "twist" and how she outsmarted the villain once again. Guess they had to pad it out somehow. Also, why didn't you jump after Monarch into the portal when he escaped? It's not like it closed immediately. Aside that, it's pretty good, especially when Adrien uses cataclysm on a human for the first time.

Miraculous world: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw noir

Putting it here because it takes place around this episode but before Gabriel reconfigures the miraculous[es]. Zagtoon tends to delay or cancel just about everything they work on, and this was probably conceptualized when multiverse shit was all the rage, thanks to Spiderverse. This is of course not up there with that, but it's actually pretty enjoyable. A simple what-if versions of our beloved duo meet up with the canonical ones. Their turnaround is of course kinda sporadic but this whole special is mostly just for fanservice. And to sell more toys. Doesn't make sense if you think about it, like why didn't Gabriel keep trying to go to other worlds later down the line, or did alt-Marinette try to fuse the miraculous of the bug and cat when they came back? It's honesly mostly the timing: Gabriel is a but too powerful and desperate this season for him to really be a standard saturday morning cartoon villain that goes back to basics in the next episode and just forget any and all progress or new powers. Should have probably taken place before Ladybug lost all the miraculous. The action is mostly nice and it IS kinda fun seeing the bizarro versions of these characters. The intro is actually phenomenal, as it tells you exactly what's going on by simply be a warped version of the normal theme song. Even of the turnarounds were predicatable and too quick, they were mostly well done and the evil version came across as sympathetic. Would be cool to see a follow-up episode about their universe later. The end scene where Ladybug kicks Monarch's ass across multiple universes was great!

Jubilation

Not amazing. Just another episode mostly there for fantasies of Ladybug/Marinette kissing or hooking up with Cat noir/Adrien. They've shown it so many times by now that if it actually happens, it's gonna have WAY less of an impact. Just how many times can you blow your load too early?! It's also the second season in a row where they retcon in a new character and don't really flesh her out that much. I honestly thought it was Sabrina in a disguise at first. She's fine, but like with Zoe, she needs more development to really stick.

Illusion

Can't believe he didn't use the miraculous of the fox before this. Pretty solid episode, and a lot of important story happens. Remember how season 1 was just silly stories with no real overarching plot? Those days sure are gone. Good. That said, it's only a little out of character for both Marinette and Adrien to go along with this plan. Since from their perspective, Gabriel is genuinely trying to change and become a good father. Not much to complain about aside that, it's solid and clever Ladybug action I love so much.

Determination

Ok, this is absolutely ridiculous. Though MOSTLY my kind. First off, if that kiss really meant that much to Adrien, he would have mentioned it earlier in either an inner monologue or discussion with Plagg. It's literally only until now that he's bringing it up as a catalyst of his feelings for Marinette. Despite him being the same Adrien "She's just a friend" Agreste until this point. I'll admit there are some scenes that can be seen as him opening up to her more because he has romantic feelings for her, especially the phone call in the beginning of this season, but it's still a bit out of nowhere. I more than understand what they're going for, but it could have been a lot more well set up than this. Wouldn't the kiss at the end if the second season make more sense? Or did the writers forget about that as much as they have the lucky charm Adrien gave Marinette? They were really vague whether they made lip contact during the kiss at the museum, and now they're acting like it was completely obvious. Second, as stupid and predictable as it all is, I absolutely adore the whole love square reversal. I'm sure a lot of people wanted it, or at the very least for Marinette to feel genuine appreciation for Cat noir ever since how the last season ended. I'm sure the image of him stretching out his hand in support alone have made a lot of kids and adults alike swoon like crazy. Granted, she's only now starting to switch over to him from Adrien, and again, this could have used way better foreshadowing. Yes, there are hints, like the dream scenario in the previous episode, but all of a sudden her feelings for Cat noir are so strong it makes her almost drop her act as Ladybug during missions, starting to fidget around and being unable to focus on how to use her lucky charm. Speaking of which, I will give credit that she needs to have a clear mind in order to use that, which the writers keep in mind in the love square, giving her another damn reason why she can't be in love and just be happy for once. She's slowly turning to Peter Parker. All that said, the reason why she's starting to swap isn't too bad. She says she's too afraid that Adrien won't live up to the impossible fantasy she has made him to be in her head, and even acknowledge that she barely talk with him. This is probably a very realistic scenario for a lot of people, especially teenagers. Even couples can to this with their partner. It's no doubt a start to more of her character development, as Adrien's has just begun by finally moving on from Ladybug. As I said in the first sentence of this paragraph, it's absolutely silly in every regard and I love it. Also, if they intend on hooking up Kagami with Luca, I'm all for it. Or not, that's fine too. Great episode, despite its many flaws.

Passion

Lady noir and Mister bug returns! I knew they couldn't stay away. Good episode, as we get more backstory for Natalie. Even I was caught by surprise when she pinned down Gabriel. Not like that! Biggest problem is that she contradict herself by saying that she will be there to protect Adrien from him and then decide to, as she says it, risk it all by akumatizing herself again. How can you protect Adrien if you're dead or too disabled to move? It's like the writers remember that every episode need superhero action even if it doesn't make too much sense. Marinette goes gaga over Cat noir and can't focus, like previously. At least she's like WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME and tries, but still. I love how most episodes have a surprising amount of important story crammed into them is a fairly short amount of time. You really can't miss a single scene, except maybe action ones. Also, Gabriel says he's dying due to the cataclysm. Gonna be pretty harsh for Adrien knowing he killed his dad. Meh, I'm sure they'll never mention this again.

Reunion

Mostly fine, just not great. A bit on the stupid side but much less than I thought. At first, I thought she was gonna summon Joan of arc from her time, but it was actually her ghost with her memories from her time as a holder. Very bullshit how this power only comes up NOW of all times, but it does add to the overall lore. Since it explains what happens to their memories once they give up the miraculous. Drags a bit in the middle when it's more concerned about being educational. I always like it when they defeat villains without brute force. Makes Ladybug a bit more unique. Decent cliffhanger at the end. Though it opens up a massive floodgate of just how crazy the alternate history is in this universe, as they not only had miraculouses back then but also fantasy creatures like dragons. How did no one record these things better? Sure, it was ancient times, but someone must have at least written about it in a letter!

Elation

Have I mentioned that I love this show? Episodes like this is basically why it's easily my favorite. They basically explore every dynamic of the "reverse love square" and even how other characters react to it. Guess every episode where Andre the ice cream maker is the main villain is just set for gold. Think it's the first time Marinette and Adrien (as Cat noir in this case) has kissed and it wasn't a fantasy of some sort. There's plenty of character development for the both of them. You really can't miss a single episode this season, and you have to view them in order. Props to Cat noir for taking responsibility and deciding not to pursue Marinette (as Cat noir), as it's like he's taking advantage of the situation and using her as a groupie. Sure makes him a lot better than most real life celebrities. I genuinely thought Marinette was gonna get akumatized, it was so close! The only thing I kind of dislike is how unceremoniously Cat noir found out that Marinette was in love with Adrien. Even Alya talked in the last episode about how she's obviously just moving her feelings for Adrien to Cat noir, and she should be aware at this point. Then again, she's very stubborn. Poor girl just can't catch a break in her love life. One of this season's best episodes.

Transmission (The kwami's choice part 1)

Random two partner swaps in midst of a season? Sure. The akumatization was very shoehorned, I had trouble picking up on it during my first viewing due to how fast it goes by. Other than that, it's good. Yes, they just want to sell more toys of Scarabella and the new Kitty noir (don't think she even says her own name in this episode, had to look it up), and it's obvious that they'll get their miraculouses back, but still. Had honestly forgotten for a moment that the reason Gabriel made the alliance to begin with was to find out who Ladybug and Cat noir are, and these episodes are basically here just to remind us of that. Glad Adrien and Marinette are advancing their relationship. Slowly but surely. Since her life has basically been Peter Parker's in terms of shittiness, can't wait for to go completely south somehow!

Deflagration (The kwami's choice part 2)

Who knew Garbriel knew how to bust a move? Though why is the song the same one from Emotion? Proof that this show can be predictable and still fun and exciting somehow. Mostly because Gabriel comes so close to winning again. Maybe a bit bullshit how Tikki and Plagg could resist getting pulled into the miraculouses but it's clever how he can cataclysm the ring without the ox power negating it. Though I question why they don't try to snatch everything from him once they try to get the ring and earrings back. Even Marinette figure out quickly that he reconfigurated the miraculouses. I do like how Zoe get a bit more characterization too, since she even stands up to Chloé in front of the whole school. Not to mention how I really appreciate the detail of the resistance somehow not only overpower akumatized Chloé but try to use her powers against Monarch. Sure, he just removes them, but it shows quick thinking and that the writers are using their brains in a good way. Two small things I like: The look on Gabriel's face when Adrien snatches the earrings (it's like he can't believe his son stood up to him and Adrien has no idea) and the foreboding words of him saying Ladybug won't always have someone to help her. Good episode!

Perfection

Because it's not a new season of Ladybug if Kagami doesn't get akumatized. Good episode, but a little split on how Kagami has seemingly been so self conscious about being perfect all the time. Or how they try to retcon that she tried to get into fencing class to get friends. Not out of character, but perhaps a bit out of left field. At least Adrien finally confess, and it's pretty glorious. Would have had a thousand times more impact had they not fantasized about it so often. Makes you think this is just an elongated fantasy. We even finally get a hint as to why Kagami's mom would help Gabriel. She may be ok with him akumatizing people, but at least she draw a line at Gabriel using his powers on her daughter. Makes her a bit better than him, I suppose. Can't wait for Marinette to finally use that character development they shoved in at the end. Also, Lila is such an evil bitch even Chloé has respect for her.

Migration

A much needed follow-up to the fact that Luka knows Ladybug and Cat noir's secret identities. With lots of good character development for him and his dad to boot! I've said before how I'm not a huge fan of Jagged and how episodes with him even in somewhat of a focus tend to be mixed, but this is really good. Bob is unbearable as always, and they all should know he's just as bad as Chloé by now, but it doesn't ruin the episode for me. The action could have been better, as it's pretty much just Cat noir avoiding a golden record, though I like the idea of them singing their secrets when they get hit. I'll admit, even I was a bit surprised when he called Ladybug Marinette. Actually thought this would get forgotten as another missed opportunity, like the lucky charm Adrien gave Marinette (how is that not brought up again, it's a perfect symbol of how his love for her begun!), or they would drag it out a bit more, but nope. Thankfully. One plot hole, though: If Monarch immediately deduce that Luka knows Ladybug and Cat noir's secret identities from the fact that his stress levels went up alone, why hasn't he suspected Marinette of anything despite almost akumatizing her on multiple occasions? Wouldn't YOU be stressed in her situation?

Derision

Learning a lot of new words from these episode titles! Admittingly, I'm a little torn, but ultimately I think this one is great. First things first, not a massive fan of the whole flashback thing. I understand they're trying to humanize Marinette a bit and give character development to Kim, but it introduces a bunch of weird retcons. Not only did Marnette have feelings for Kim, but she apparently got so traumatized by it that it prevents her from confessing and touching people she has romantic feelings for yet somehow this didn't come up until now. Her obsession with Adrien, like learning his schedule, was not something that needed a deep reason for it. Nor her reason from being unable to confess or struggling to hold Adrien's hand. It was fine as it; her just being shy and awkward around the boy she likes. Mind you, it doesn't ruin the character or anything, but it's a really weird decision. They do give some much needed backstory and personality to the new chick, but it's also weird that she has never been brought up before if she helped Marinette with Chloé so much. I know, she graduated, but they should have stayed in touch if they were really good enough friends like they're trying to make 'em out to be. Kim is also a bit too stupid and unbearable, but this is his supposed turning point and I hope he changes for the better like he said. All that aside, the rest is great. Funny action, especially how Ladybug saves the day with a toilet seat. The final scene is especially great! Adrien is getting a bit more unhinged with his willingness to cataclysm people, and now he gave Chloé a much deserved verbal beatdown you'd swear it was Felix in disguise. I wish his voice actor nothing but the best in life, this season is really showing his talent. The final shot of her is the perfect way to end the episode, hope something comes from it. I respect them for what they were trying to do here, but the execution could have been a bit better. The good moments do more than make up for it, though. Cuz I mean, damn, ADRIEN ACTUALLY TOLD OFF CHLOÉ GODDAMN FINALLY

Intuition

Gonna be honest: I forgot about the snake miraculous. Suppose I'll give cred for them retonning that he's been using it the whole season without us knowing and it's been taking a toll on him and also showing why he or Natalie can't rely on it anymore. Though it still feels a bit unnecessary, they could have had an earlier episode of this happening. Also, did he really not use it before he got cataclysm'd? Why has he not activated second chance AFTER the lucky charm's been used? Again, I like that they try to recontextualize things, but it raises more questions than anything. The episode is good, though, make no mistake about that. My favorite parts are when Gabriel actually debates himself. There's at least two shots of him just thinking in silence taking in what Natalie is saying. This show has a tendency of characters making random noises when just moving or thinking, like exaggerated gasps or short grunts, so it's refreshing seeing a character just thinking to themselves. The action is fine, and Gabriel's plan was good. Huge minus on Cat noir for not really attempting to take Monarch's rings when he had the chance. I mean, WHY WOULD YOU ACTIVATE HIS SECOND CHANCE?? Still, really hope episodes like this actually amount to something regarding Gabriel. Also, this is the first hint at why Tsurugi wants to help him with all this shit. Gonna have to give us more than "I wanna recreate the world too".

Protection

FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST, PLEASE STOP AKUMATIZING POOR KAGAMI, I MEAN TWICE IN THE SAME SEASON GODDAMN REALLY Awesome episode, though. Basically made me really like Kagami as a character. Now she has many layers to her personality and is a lot more interesting. Great character development. Follows up perfectly on her relationships with Adrien and Marinette. Sure, she should be smart enough to call Lila (who I hate more than any Game of thrones villain) a bitch for lying to her, or figure out she was being played, but she's not exactly portrayed as stupid either. With this, I hope she get better control of her emotions. It's rare to see an ex couple portrayed so well in fiction. She acknowledge that she still has feelings for Adrien (she even admits to being jealous in the next episode, but Adrien doesn't hear that) but still want to be a good friend to both Adrien and Marinette. That takes a lot of maturity, which is funny because she says that Adrien has changed a lot when she herself has too. Very heartfelt episode. Easily top 5 this season. Yes, this episode basically confirm that Adrien is a sentimonster, as Gabriel says "counter order" in reference to how Nathalie gave Adrien advice, and they both touch their rings when supposedly ordering him. Heck, the next episode even entertain the idea that Kagami might be a sentimonster too. Or just a slave to her mom. Speaking of her mom, her daughter just got akumatized again and she doesn't confront Gabriel about it?

Adoration

Ok, now I'm a fan of Zoe! She now has more character development and feels way more fleshed out. Don't know why they tried to treat her crush on Marinette like a twist, other than that they have to keep shit like that to an absolute minimum otherwise the show will be banned in several countries. It was pretty obvious. Always fun to watch her destroy Chloé. The action is ok, but this episode is mostly about relationships and it's well done in that regard. Zoe even acts like a wingman for Adrien and Marinette despite being in love with her! That is exceedingly rare, especially in kids media. A bit of a retread since one of Kagami's major points this season is having to be ok with Adrien being in love with someone else, but it still feels different somehow. I really like how Zoe and Marinette remain friends after Zoe's feelings are known, and she's consistent in that she thanks her for having those feelings instead of contradicting herself and acting all weird about it. Honestly, the most important part is the last few seconds. I've stated so many times that Marinette's real confession to Adrien is gonna have much less of a bite due to them sort of having it happen so many times before already. I was absolutely right, of course. I'm always thinking "What will go wrong this time?" when she tries to confess or kiss. Pretty sure they DELIBIRATELY made it anticlimactic! As she herself said, there's no music or anything else to make it more grand. They don't even kiss afterwards! Which I'm honestly fine with, I'm just glad it happened, but it was a bit too on the nose that it was due to Gabriel ordering Adrien to stop. They could have cut out the goofy shot of him telling his son no and just have the shot of him touching the ring before vanishing in the dark. We get it, you use the ring to order Adrien! I do respect them for trying something different with the confession, not only by not having much of a build-up in the episode but also make it so that Gabriel ruins it. Though maybe they should have just given us a Hollywood confession that we wanted after 5 seasons. Bizarrely, I still think it's a really good episode, would have been one of the best this season had the subplot about Chloé (ugh) not dragged.

Emotion

"Holy shit" were the first words that left my mouth when the end credits rolled. Still agree with that sentiment. The only episode that not only surprised me, but actually genuinely shocked me. I didn't figure out it was Felix until it was too late (in my defense, Adrien has been more assertive lately, but I was able to pick up on his voice that something was up), but when her lucky charm failed, my eyes actually widened. The magical bullshit that always get her out of trouble failed?! And her suit reverts back!? Sure, turns out that the charm being nothing was the point, it didn't fail, but I still couldn't believe it happened! I do question a bit that Felix somehow seemingly only did all this for Adrien and his supposed sister that he briefly mentions (another thing I didn't see coming and can't wait for them to elaborate on), since he has had no qualms about ruining his life before without a second thought. I do like that they're trying to give him more to his personality other than I ARE EVIL AND LKOO LIEK ADRIAN MUHAHAHA and his voice actor does a good job portraying the newfound aspects of him. At least we see his motivation and he did seem genuinely remorseful when he thought he couldn't bring Marinette back. Yet he's still such an over the top villain that he sings as he's basically snapping people out of existence (you can tell there are a lot of different writers with clashing ideas, but redeeming Felix or making him a way more interesting person is something I'm honestly all for). You'd think the sudden tone shifts wouldn't work, but it does! Spectacular episode, one of the best in the whole show. By far. Top notch facial animations, not too short of Pixar/Disney tier.

Pretension

Very intriguing. I like that we finally see the business side of Gabriel; exactly how he thinks as a world famous fashion designer. The scene with him and Marinette is gold, and I love how she stands up to him but has the humanity to question herself afterwards. She even hugs Adrien and tells him that she'll always be there for him before being forced to leave. Not to mention the great way she tells him that his pancakes suck. Trust me, it makes sense it context. Now for the things I'm split on: Adrien should have told Marinette right away that he's going to London. I've said it before and I'll say it again, trust and communication is the foundation of any relationship, and withholding information is worse than lying. Because if you're lying, you're at least making an attempt at communicating. I'm ok with what they're doing with Felix, and even show that he's not exactly a selfless hero yet by doing morally ambiguous acts like kidnapping, but his relationship with Kagami is a little sporadic. Maybe not even just a little. More than 2 episodes is about what Marinette got with Adrien, but Adrien didn't goddamn doom Paris by helping a supervillan! That said, I do look forward to where this is going. Like I said above, I'm all for redeeming Felix and actually making him a good character. They better not pull a Chloé on us! Oh, the intrigue with the rings and sentibeings (I'm glad the term sentimonster is actually a slur to him, and I've personally preferred that term since they're only monsters if you make them that way). More importantly, this is where Gabriel is beyond redemption for me. The asshole decides to send his son to London for seemingly no other reason other than "it's his destiny" and just to separate him from Marinette and the other friends, AND he's being sassy about it! To his son's face, no less (who rightfully gets legitimately pissed at his dad for the first time)! He KNOWS he's dying, and so is Nathalie, and at worst Adrien will be completely alone, and he decides to force his son to a different city on top of this? It's like the less time he has left, the less he cares about Adrien and more about destroying Ladybug forever. What they say about hate boners really is true!

Revelation

Geez, well played, Lila! Not only do you keep improving your self image to the point that even Alya isn't listening to Marinette's thoughts about you, you also got all the info about Gabriel you could have want! The entire episode can be summarized as "The plot thickens", which goes for almost every episode but especially this one. One of the few times when it doesn't feel like the day was saved, and I mean that in a good way. Like it's just the beginning of the misery to come. Cannot wait to see where it goes from here. Gabriel officially has two hate boners now, and ironically they're both Marinette. Positives aside, I really don't think Alya would take Lila's word over her own best friend. She wouldn't be patronizing when Adrien tried to tell the truth about Lila. Everything goes back to the whole theme of not letting evil people doing whatever they want and yet if you do something you'll sometimes end up making everything worse. There is no way to "help" of "fix" Lila as much as you can with Carnage. Lose-lose situation. Which exactly why it will be interesting to see what her next plan is. Top 5 of the season.

Confrontation

So much story in one episode! Bit of a slow start, as most of the important things happen at the halfway point. More than worth it, though. One of the few episodes that actually fooled me. I really thought people were gonna eat up Lila's lies and Sabrina was gonna give away the proof. Granted, her reputation did plummet a bit and now they're willing to set up a working temporary bathroom for her? Me oh my is it glorious, though! So worth it to have both Cloé and Lila get absolutely destroyed, and Sabrina finally get some character development! Though the superhero stuff is very tacked on, but it's not focused on very long because that's not the point of the episode. I was also surprised by the new hidden abilities of the magical charms. Finally not as useless anymore. For now. Speaking of for now, the very last surprise of Lila having a double life was also something I was not expecting. Makes sense given her lying nature, but still feels a bit extreme. Really makes you want to see what happens next. I also really like the detail of Adrien transforming to Cat noir to encourage Damocles, which is not only sweet of him but also explains how Ladybug knows about the magical charms. Had he not transformed, Marinette wouldn't have a good excuse as to how she knows about their new ability. Very cool detail! Overall, I rate this episode wow/10, one of the best episodes in the entire show. And that's not lie.

Action

Anti plastic PSA that for some reason aired after the season finale, but takes place here chronologically. The only episode that can be skipped, as it doesn't advance the story. Pointless but harmless. Although my dick goes extremely hard whenever I see Marinette and Adrien act as a couple, and this episode has penty of that, so it's not a complete waste! No pun intended.

Collusion

Getting a little too silly here. Lila and Chloé becoming the mayors sounds like something out of a fanfic. I get that they're trying to set her up as the future mastermind as a Machiavellian unstoppable force of nature who can manipulate anyone with her words and look like anyone with her disguises. Kinda coming at the end of the season, though. That said, it's a pretty good episode. The mayor gets character development, which was much needed. Even if it can be a bit too ridiculous for my taste, it IS kinda fun to see Lila manipulate everything behind the scenes. Certainly a bit unique in kids media. Something out of a comic book, in a good way. Mostly. Really like how it kind of stops without giving much of a resolution. If there's one thing this season has done well, it's cliffhangers. Of all things. FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE ADRIEN JUST GODDAMN TELL HER HOW HARD CAN IT BE EVEN CHLOÉ KNOWS

Revolution

Now THIS is more my kind of silly! Absolutely ridiculous circumstances to their awakening, but Ladybug and Chat noir finally have no limits to their powers! Love how Adrien immediately use cataclysm over and over the moment he realize this. Who wouldn't in his position? Of course there's the damn ramifications of not telling your girlfriend the truth in time, though it does lead to a Hollywood kiss we all wanted. And it's GLORIOUS!! Well worth the wait. Although these two unknowingly have kissed each other since season 1. While Chloé is defeated for now, it's just the beginning of Monarch and Lila. Speaking of, they're trying to humanize him a little by saying he's moving Adrien away from Paris so he can start his world domination without worrying about Adrien's safety. Though if you're taking over the world, won't that include London at some point? And why did you think it was a good idea to be sassy about it to your son? Asshole. This episode is easily top 5 this season.

Representation

Weird one to say the least. One of the more surreal ones yet. Felix and Kagami puts on a theater show (sort of) that also acts as exposition? At least it's different, will give them that. We finally learn that Felix is supposedly the sentibeing and Adrien is not. We'll get back to that later. It's nice to see Cat noir kick ass on his own, but he seemingly forgets that he can use cataclysm as much as he wants now. I definitely approve of Kagami overhearing that Marinette is Ladybug but keeps it to herself like a good friend she is. Just hope they don't backpedal on Felix and make him abuse this newfound knowledge. Also approving of Felix and Kagami becoming a couple, even if it's a bit too quick. Again, just hope it leads to GOOD stuff and not them becoming supervillains or some other dumb shit.

Conformation and Re-creation (The final day part 1 and 2)

Lumping them together because duh. To quote Gabriel: Finally! Pretty much everything is wrapped up and the stage is set for season 6. Even if very hastily. I'm very conflicted, not gonna lie. I'm glad I wasn't able to completely predict where it was going, but there's a few decisions that kinda baffles me. Most importantly, Marinette should not have fallen for Gabriel's last trick. It would have been more impactful if he tearfully admitted that he had become a monster, say that he's practically gone anyway and will wish for Adrien's mom to come back in exchange for his life. To which Marinette either shouldn't have agreed or say that Adrien needs both his parents, to which THEN Gabriel stuns her and takes her miraculouses. As it is, it's not exactly like he redeemed himself and Marientte should be smart enough to realize he was up to something. Second, what the hell is that combined form of Tikki and Plagg? True form? Does that mean every kwami has a giant monster form? Intriguing and yet baffling, as I said. I'm fine with Gabriel giving his life for his wife's, but why is Nathalie brought back too? Somehow I doubt the next season will get into that. Speaking of, what the hell am I even supposed to make of that cliffhanger? It's so random and comes out of nowhere. At least the previous season finale had a logical build-up to its cliffhanger. Now it's like, is there randomly a new threat or is Lila gonna be the next Hawk moth after all? Speaking of, that's probably the dumbest excuse I've seen on this show. "I searched everywhere but totally couldn't find the miraculous of the butterfly", fucking bullshit, I say. Why didn't you grab it with your yoyo like you're supposed to be able to do? I know the reason is that if she did, there wouldn't be a season 6, but come up with something better than this, at least! The final fight with Gabriel and Marinette was also a but too short and disappointing. They could have been so creative with all the powers these two have, and it ends up being just an ok brawl. Though I don't mind the general set up for the new season, as Marinette and Adrien are still together and the mom and Nathalie being back opens up for a lot of new possibilities in story and character development. I also like that every member of the team has their miraculous now, even if it will bite Marinette in the ass later. Again, opens up a lot of story possibilities. Now here might be episodes focusing on individual members of the team. Let's just say they need to do something good with Felix and Kagami now, it has so much potential. Bet "X is a sentimonster" is gonna be the default fake spoiler for anything from now on. All in all, a good enough finale. They should have made it a 3 parter and have the last one just be an epilogue and not make another episode again, but they have to milk at least two more seasons since this prints them so much money. Also, what the shit was with Luka and his family? Was there a scene I missed where they said they were gonna study under that master? Very random, but equally as funny and awesome.

Overall, a very flawed, but VERY enjoyable season! Lots of drama and intrigue, not to mention character development pretty much across the board. Which is exactly what I want from my shows! Not holding my breath for season 6, but I do look forward to it.

Not that I've tried a shitton of them, but it's my two cents on it. For people who suck at video games like me, it's nice that it's a lot more forgiving (especially late game) and had a good simulation aspect. Very recommended, but you've probably already tried it already.

Why is it that I barely finished the entry detailing the fact that Namco Bandai can't make a successful mobile Tales game (or on console, for that matter) for the life of them before their latest attempt utterly failed?!

To be fair, I've never played it. Mostly because it seemed unremarkable. Sure, some of the characters seemed all right, and the setting was fine, not to mention that it's pretty ambitious looking for a goddamn app, but I've only heard less than stellar things about it. Broken controls, bad camera, and monetization up the ass. Mictrotransactions can go die. Such a shame that they're so absurdly successful. However, I will say it did had promise. Following 20 characters is no small feat. It's not that bad of an idea if they're properly given tine to shine and have them eventually meet up in some way. Game of thrones did it. No, I haven't seen the show based on this game. It should have been a PS5 game with a giant script, not an app. The worse part is that it seems like they had no idea what they were doing story-wise. Supposedly, there were at least 4 years of story planned, but now that the game is shutting down, the "final episode" isn't even how the story ends. If they really had it all planned and figured out, why couldn't they have skipped to the very end to give closure? Or better yet, release a complete game now and not just do it like Telltale. Remember what happened to them? I can't believe I have to say this to a company that have been making entries in this RPG franchise for over 20 years. How do you not have this figured out by now?

At this point, I'm awaiting the official end of this franchise. It's never going to find an audience on the saturated mobile market, and games with this particular artstyle will always be niche at best. Things like Persona are the exception, not the rule. Tales of arise was the supposed grand return of the Tales series, but 2 million units sold will never compare to Final fantasy or even Dragon quest. I'm not saying I want it to end, but for me, it has run its course. Berseria was amazing, Arise was ok but broken on release (trophies didn't work), and all their apps have failed. These include Tales of link, Tales of crestoria, and Tales of luminaria. Three strikes and you're out.

Tales of symphonia changed my life and greatly influenced how I write characters. Berseria is one of the few rpgs that actually left me with something and my mind keeps coming back to it every once in a while. So clearly this franchise means a lot to me. All of that is in the past. The future (not just of the franchise, trust me) looks grim at best. By now, everything that made Tales unique is so commonplace that it's completely interchangeable with just about anything that looks remotely Japanese. How many action rpgs are made every year? How many of them have taken inspiration from or even surpass Tales? Probably a lot. In the rpg market, unless you're Final fantasy, you're gonna have a very tough time. Trust me, I don't want this to happen, because a lot of people will lose their jobs. I'd root for the staff to leave and start their own company where they make their own Tales clone á la Bloodstained or Yooka-Layle, but the core problem will still be there.

Don't release a product and say that it will eventually be good, make it good NOW. Remember that developers never really have to deliver on the promise that "it will be better later".

I will, however, declare Tales completly dead on the mobile market. Unless they succesfully rip off Genshin impact.

Rest in peace, Tales of luminaria, you will not be missed by me.