One word: WOW!

The writers of this episode did their job perfectly here, covering a lot of topics in the series thus far. And the way things were played out kept with nonstop surprises. This episode had it all: action, plot developments, and one helluva plot twist in the ending.

This episode is a prime example of why WMDs are so feared, and why they cannot be taken lightly. Suzaku's determination not to use Nina's Fleija superweapon keeps with his character, but even he is unable to prevent disaster in the end. And his use of it has devastating consequences, both for himself and for Lelouch, who arguably also had a hand in Suzaku's action.

The fights between the best of the best in KMF combat are sheer art in this episode, displaying the talents of nearly all the major and minor combatants in the series. Lots of characters (mostly minor ones) die, but there are also a few major losses.

The main loss, presently, may be Nunnally. Whether or not she's dead remains to be seen, but I honestly still have hope from subtle clues scattered through the episode. But whether or not she's dead, her disappearance is going to probably drive Lelouch off the deep end.

The rest of the episode is what fans would expect from the series: stellar production values and excellent combat. Kallen's entry into the battle in her new Guren Seiten is borderline ridiculous, making her seem nearly unstoppable. But I couldn't care less; she was flat out awesome, killing Luciano with ease and nearly wasting Suzaku just as quickly.

Other topics were touched on in earnest in this episode. The issue of Toudou receiving evidence against Zero spells definite trouble for Lelouch, while Gino's attempts to win Kallen over work with character development from previous episodes. Rolo's desire to be Lelouch's only sibling is quite disturbing as usual, and Anya's seizure whilst fighting Lelouch only raises more questions about her. In other words, this episode had a lot to it.

I'm left to continue looking over the episode for clues as to Nunnally's possible fate, but I know I won't know anything until the next episode. I can only hope it will be as high caliber as this one was.

When I first watched a few episodes of this show, I thought it was a blatant attempt to rip off Yu-Gi-Oh that would likely be as bad as the original. After watching it some more (for review purposes), I found my assumption was mostly wrong. Mostly...

Chaotic, like a lot of shows today, is based around a gaming fad that entails an esoteric community. It'll appeal to that audience, but not entirely to those who are new to the concept. But unlike shows like Bakugan, Beyblade, or the aforementioned Yu-Gi-Oh, Chaotic is better at being more appealing to a diverse audience. It's not so much about showing the gameplay; it more shows the action and unique art style, not worrying so much about game mechanics.

The art style of Chaotic is quite unique, and the action sequences are quite decent for such an archetypal show. Other shows such as Full Metal Alchemist, Avatar: The Last Airbender, or Transformers Animated, do have better action sequences, but Chaotic's combat is at least good.

But Chaotic is not without one major flaw: its characterization and its script. The dialogue of the characters is pretty much a geek-fest, with corny insults and terrible puns and one-liners. The use of slang doesn't help it at all; if anything, it makes the problem worse. Character development is also a problem. Even though it's there, it isn't very awe-inspiring or very deep.

If you can get past the bad dialogue, Chaotic is decent. I won't suggest that you change the channel instantly upon seeing it, but its certainly not a show you should become devoted to.

When I first watched this show about ten years ago, I was too young to really understand the in-depth jokes of the series. Now, ten years later, I look back at Pinky and the Brain and say, "Damn, this show was funny!"

Starring two genetically altered lab mice, the show follows Pinky and Brain as the latter continually attempts to conquer mankind with ludicrous, yet ingenious schemes. Both characters are well-voiced and play to their roles extremely well; Brain is a highly sophisticated individual, whilst Pinky clearly has his lights on, yet no one home. The way the two interact is truly amusing, and I'd call you a liar if you said you didn't laugh while watching them.

Though by today's standards its jokes might not be entirely valid, Pinky and the Brain took a big risk in making multiple insults toward celebrities and political figures, such as Bill Clinton, Paulie Shore, and various others. And you know what? It worked: the jokes are extremely clever and seem to be like a lightweight version of what would be shown in Southpark. These are mixed in with other clever jokes that are bound to put a smile on your face.

If you're ever in need of a good laugh, try to find an episode of Pinky and the Brain to watch. You'll probably laugh yourself to tears.

I'm not saying Spider Riders is an abysmal show, but it definitely has a lot of flaws that make it an unimpressive anime.

Spider Riders is a bit of an example of how a decent anime becomes rotten when translated to English from Japan. The voice acting in the English dub is flat out terrible, with the characters stopping their sentences repeatedly to match mouth animations. The voices are also uninspired and the emotion is quite bad. It doesn't have nearly the right feel to it most of the time.

Second on the list of flaws is the changes made in between the versions. Things like music are altered, changing from the original Latin-inspired chanting to poorly done rap and rock. Though this was probably done for religious reasons, it really weakens the overall effect.

It's the same issue with action scenes; one of Spider Riders' strong points is a few good combat sequences, but there are too few of them to make a real impact against the lame ones. Also, quite a few of the combat sequences are altered for censorship reasons.

But the biggest problem is the storyline. Even without the English dubbing, Spider Riders has a lame story. It might have a few funny or serious moments, but overall it is a bore to watch. There's too many anime cliches littered throughout the series, so much so that it makes the experience really generic and stale.

Spider Riders isn't awful, but it's definitely not good. You'd probably be better off finding another anime to watch.

A lot of animes Japan has been turning out and porting to North America these days are filled with crappy gimmicks and a lame story and characters. Bakugan is one of them, and exemplifies how not to make a good show.

I shouldn't be so shocked, though. This has just kept coming ever since Beyblade and Yugioh. Both had a lot of potential, but collapsed under bad dubbing and a lame gimmick. It's the same story here, and each time it happens things only seem to get worse.

If I had one main criticism of this show, it's that it makes little to no sense to the casual viewer. Half of the time, I'm left sitting thinking "what the hell are you talking about, boy?".

Just... stay away from this show. You'll thank me later.