By Mark Rodriguez
Inspired by a webchat with Ryu, Sakura decides to find new and different fighers so she can learn and adapt from their fighting styles. She drags her friend Kei along to watch Rainbow Mika fight against Zangief. After Mika wins the battle, Sakura and Kei meet her for autographs, but suddenly Zangief, not understanding the showmanship of American wrestling/Sports Entertainment (cause I guess in Russia it's real?), comes in looking for a rematch!!!
This issue opens with a flashback as Dan interrupts a training session between Gouken, Ryu and Ken, demanding he take him back as a pupil. Gouken says there isn't room for some as prideful and vengeful as him in his class, and Ken add in 'and besides, you suck'. Dan challenges Ryu and Ken to a fight, at the same time, and Gouken agrees that if he can beat them both, he can return as his pupil. The fight of Ryu and Ken VS Dan goes pretty much as you'd expect, with the duo juggling him in mid-air with their special moves. Gouken says he had enough, but Dan charges in for more.... and as Ryu and Ken sock him around, he's woken up by Sakura's brother (I think??) who is bouncing a basketball off his face.
Dan was knocked out cold by Sakura's bike last issue and the kid tells him that Sakura already left for the wrestling match by now. Dan gets up upon hearing this and rushes off for his rematch against Sakura... only to see a long line for the bus. By the time it's his turn, the bus is already full and leaves without him.
Back to the wrestling, Zangief has just finished challenging Mika to a rematch (with Sakura and Kei being there) and waste no time in trying to hit her with a flying body press. The girls quickly get out of the way. Mika grabs him in a headlock and Sakura surprises her by joining in. Sakura remembers the Double Daydream Headlock Mika used in one of her pay-per-views, and both women leap into the air with Zangief and slam him down hard. This only makes Zangief angry as he smacks the women off him. Mika says he's wrestling for real and Sakura wonders why he'd be faking it. Mika covers up the fantasy of wrestling and agrees with her. Sakura then shoves the female wrestler out of the way and gets clobbered in the face by Zangief's flying dropkick that was meant for Mika.
Mika angrily lands on Zangief with her Moonsault Press. Zangief smacks her off him and hits her with his Red Cyclone spinning clothesline. Then he's about to hit her with his Banishing Flat... which accidentaly pats her on the butt... Mika gets pissed and smacks him around with her finishing move, the Rainbow Hip Rush. Mika asks Sakura if she remembers how her pay-pre-view ended, and Sakura gets on her hands and knees right behind Zangief's feet. Mika kicks him the face and he trips over Sakura, smashing a table in half with his weight. Sakura laughs that he fell for the oldest trick in the book, but now Zangief gets up, directing his anger towards her.
Dan arrives outside and finds out about the random fight that broke out between Zangief, Mika and 'some girls with a white headband'. Mika uses a fire extinguisher on Zangief's face, and now blinded by the foam, he keeps trying to grab Mika for his super move. Dan just happens to be in his way and is grabbed. Zangief slams Dan into the pavement with his Final Atomic Buster. Once he wipes the foam away, he is confused by seeing Dan lying there. Mike then leglocks him from behind and sends him flying with her Wingless Airplane. Sakura then smacks him with her Shouoken (her version of the Shoryuken), smacking him with the championship belt as she does so. Zangief is finally out cold and the fans ask Mike how she was able to defeat him. She says she couldn't have done it without her tag team partner Sakura.
Karin Kanzuki is watching this on her mega-huge tv screen and angrily tosses her portable tanning device at it. She's tried of Sakura 'stealing all the glory with skills that aren't even in her league'. She says Sakura will soon get what's coming to her, and then yells for her butler to get her more lemonade and another TV.
Two days later, Sakura is showing off her pics with Mika to her Rival School's friends, Natsu and Hinata. After they leave, Kei asks Sakura what martial arts style will she tackle next. Sakura says she's not too worried, the fights always seem to come to her. Just then a helicopter shows up and it rolls out the red carpet. Karin steps out and tells Sakura that it's time for their rematch.
My Opinions:
This was a fun read. Most of the highlights of the book are showcasing most of Rainbow Mika's moves and combos and Zangief is a good a target if any. The flashback was cool, it was nice seeing Ryu and Ken training alongside Gouken, now that we can actually see their master. For the most part everyone acted just like the games, with Karin's rivalry and jealousy towards Sakura and Gouken refusing to train Dan since he was mostly in it for revenge (Sagat killed his father). The only thing they kinda forgot was that Mika was supposed to be a big fan of Zangief and should act just as awestruck towards him as Sakura did towards her. Here she just treated him as nothing more than just her challenger. Oh well. Minor change one can overlook. The scene of him accidently tapping her on the ass was funny though.
One thing that was entertaining was the letter column, especially the mentioning of modern technology. One reader pointed out Sakura and Ryu's webchat with instant messenger in the last issue... and the guys that answer the letters say they're always trying to modernize the characters even though chatrooms and stuff didn't exist when Street Fighter 2 first came out. He also mentioned that in the next issue of the on-going Street Fighter 2 series someone will be using an MP3 Player. Man... those were the days. For me the first game I ever bought that actually had Capcom's website on it was the PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha 3. The comic itself comes with an ad for Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for the PS2 that has the Alpha series and Pocket Fighter. Such sweet gaming memories.
Stay tuned for the next issue as Karin lays down a challenge for Sakura, but not exactly the kind that you'd expect.
Inspired by a webchat with Ryu, Sakura decides to find new and different fighers so she can learn and adapt from their fighting styles. She drags her friend Kei along to watch Rainbow Mika fight against Zangief. After Mika wins the battle, Sakura and Kei meet her for autographs, but suddenly Zangief, not understanding the showmanship of American wrestling/Sports Entertainment (cause I guess in Russia it's real?), comes in looking for a rematch!!!
This issue opens with a flashback as Dan interrupts a training session between Gouken, Ryu and Ken, demanding he take him back as a pupil. Gouken says there isn't room for some as prideful and vengeful as him in his class, and Ken add in 'and besides, you suck'. Dan challenges Ryu and Ken to a fight, at the same time, and Gouken agrees that if he can beat them both, he can return as his pupil. The fight of Ryu and Ken VS Dan goes pretty much as you'd expect, with the duo juggling him in mid-air with their special moves. Gouken says he had enough, but Dan charges in for more.... and as Ryu and Ken sock him around, he's woken up by Sakura's brother (I think??) who is bouncing a basketball off his face.
Dan was knocked out cold by Sakura's bike last issue and the kid tells him that Sakura already left for the wrestling match by now. Dan gets up upon hearing this and rushes off for his rematch against Sakura... only to see a long line for the bus. By the time it's his turn, the bus is already full and leaves without him.
Back to the wrestling, Zangief has just finished challenging Mika to a rematch (with Sakura and Kei being there) and waste no time in trying to hit her with a flying body press. The girls quickly get out of the way. Mika grabs him in a headlock and Sakura surprises her by joining in. Sakura remembers the Double Daydream Headlock Mika used in one of her pay-per-views, and both women leap into the air with Zangief and slam him down hard. This only makes Zangief angry as he smacks the women off him. Mika says he's wrestling for real and Sakura wonders why he'd be faking it. Mika covers up the fantasy of wrestling and agrees with her. Sakura then shoves the female wrestler out of the way and gets clobbered in the face by Zangief's flying dropkick that was meant for Mika.
Mika angrily lands on Zangief with her Moonsault Press. Zangief smacks her off him and hits her with his Red Cyclone spinning clothesline. Then he's about to hit her with his Banishing Flat... which accidentaly pats her on the butt... Mika gets pissed and smacks him around with her finishing move, the Rainbow Hip Rush. Mika asks Sakura if she remembers how her pay-pre-view ended, and Sakura gets on her hands and knees right behind Zangief's feet. Mika kicks him the face and he trips over Sakura, smashing a table in half with his weight. Sakura laughs that he fell for the oldest trick in the book, but now Zangief gets up, directing his anger towards her.
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| Years later when Street Fighter V would come out, someone dug this old fight up and smeared Zangief's name all over social media |
Karin Kanzuki is watching this on her mega-huge tv screen and angrily tosses her portable tanning device at it. She's tried of Sakura 'stealing all the glory with skills that aren't even in her league'. She says Sakura will soon get what's coming to her, and then yells for her butler to get her more lemonade and another TV.
Two days later, Sakura is showing off her pics with Mika to her Rival School's friends, Natsu and Hinata. After they leave, Kei asks Sakura what martial arts style will she tackle next. Sakura says she's not too worried, the fights always seem to come to her. Just then a helicopter shows up and it rolls out the red carpet. Karin steps out and tells Sakura that it's time for their rematch.
My Opinions:
This was a fun read. Most of the highlights of the book are showcasing most of Rainbow Mika's moves and combos and Zangief is a good a target if any. The flashback was cool, it was nice seeing Ryu and Ken training alongside Gouken, now that we can actually see their master. For the most part everyone acted just like the games, with Karin's rivalry and jealousy towards Sakura and Gouken refusing to train Dan since he was mostly in it for revenge (Sagat killed his father). The only thing they kinda forgot was that Mika was supposed to be a big fan of Zangief and should act just as awestruck towards him as Sakura did towards her. Here she just treated him as nothing more than just her challenger. Oh well. Minor change one can overlook. The scene of him accidently tapping her on the ass was funny though.
One thing that was entertaining was the letter column, especially the mentioning of modern technology. One reader pointed out Sakura and Ryu's webchat with instant messenger in the last issue... and the guys that answer the letters say they're always trying to modernize the characters even though chatrooms and stuff didn't exist when Street Fighter 2 first came out. He also mentioned that in the next issue of the on-going Street Fighter 2 series someone will be using an MP3 Player. Man... those were the days. For me the first game I ever bought that actually had Capcom's website on it was the PS1 version of Street Fighter Alpha 3. The comic itself comes with an ad for Street Fighter Alpha Anthology for the PS2 that has the Alpha series and Pocket Fighter. Such sweet gaming memories.
Stay tuned for the next issue as Karin lays down a challenge for Sakura, but not exactly the kind that you'd expect.
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