I really didn't think I'd get into this title, but as with some other titles, it grew on me and I couldn't look away any longer. Hare+Guu is an anime that deals with 2 kids in the jungle, supposedly Malaysia. The alternate title is Jangura wa Itsumo Hare Nochi Gu, which is something that remotely translates to The Jungle Was Always Nice, Then Came Guu. That said, you know some silliness is gonna happen.
Meet Hare (pronounced Ha-Rey), a boy with a seemingly Oedipus complex towards his mom, Weda. With that, he is generally at odds with any other male that tires to approach her. As per the title, his life in the jungle is usually tame, mild, fair... until Guu appears and causes havoc. Because of this (well this being one of the main causes) Hare goes into a series of rants and such, to Guu's amusement. Thoughout the anime, we see not only the conflicts dealing with his family overall, but also the many antics of Guu and how they affect him and the other residents of the Jungle.
The anime is considered a parody as well as a comedy, of what I do not know. The anime ran for 26 episodes, licensed by AN Entertainment and Bang Zoom! Entertainment, with Funimation being the licensor. It made its TV debut on the Funimation Channel. This title saw two succeeding OVAs: Hare+Guu DELUXE and Hare+Guu FINAL. One of the manga was made by Enix, before they merged with Square Co. to become Square-Enix, and the succeeding one was made under the newly merged company. Stephanie Sheh voices the eccentric Guu, while the comical Hare is done by Philece Sampler.
Hare + Guu scores a 6.8 in the books, not to flame it, while it did seem interesting, it wasn't as on my radar, sadly. It's pretty decent though.
2011/07/28
CXXXII: "Eureka Seven"
I've yet to speak of this one. Eureka Seven is an anime that combines the science of mecha and the elements of sports, mixed with a touch of romance to create a unique title of sorts.
Renton Thurston loves lifting, a sport that has the elements of surfing, but in air using a trapar, something akin to a surfboard to use in the sky. His father died saving the world in events prior to the anime. Living with his grandfather, Renton feels that he leads a boring life, and wants the chance to ride with his idol Holland and his renegade group: Gekkostate. Oddly enough, he gets his wish, as a machine called the Nirvash crashes into his room, with the enigmatic Eureka on board. However, he finds out after being invited to join that not everything is as cool as it is written in their magazine ray=out. Renton embarks with these people in a life-changing adventure, the only thing preventing him from truly jumping ship being Eureka.
Eureka Seven began as an anime initially, spanning a total of 50 episodes starting from 2005. The animation was done under Bones studio, with Bandai Entertainment licensing it for the US. An animated movie was made in 2009 titled Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers, but not before the manga and a set of video games released prior to it. The anime has slight differences from the manga, though the plot, for the most part, is intact. The movie contained a different mythos, though it still had Renton and Eureka as key characters. At one point, this title was thought of by very few to be a clone of Neon Genesis Evangelion, yet those claims were later dismissed by the fans, supposedly without even watching the episodes. Renton is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, with Julie Ann Taylor voicing his younger self, while Stephanie Sheh voices Eureka in the English localization.
Eureka Seven was an eye opener, scoring an 8.2 in the book. Nice visuals, a complex but worthwhile story, and a few other things made this a standout mecha title.
Renton Thurston loves lifting, a sport that has the elements of surfing, but in air using a trapar, something akin to a surfboard to use in the sky. His father died saving the world in events prior to the anime. Living with his grandfather, Renton feels that he leads a boring life, and wants the chance to ride with his idol Holland and his renegade group: Gekkostate. Oddly enough, he gets his wish, as a machine called the Nirvash crashes into his room, with the enigmatic Eureka on board. However, he finds out after being invited to join that not everything is as cool as it is written in their magazine ray=out. Renton embarks with these people in a life-changing adventure, the only thing preventing him from truly jumping ship being Eureka.
Eureka Seven began as an anime initially, spanning a total of 50 episodes starting from 2005. The animation was done under Bones studio, with Bandai Entertainment licensing it for the US. An animated movie was made in 2009 titled Good Night, Sleep Tight, Young Lovers, but not before the manga and a set of video games released prior to it. The anime has slight differences from the manga, though the plot, for the most part, is intact. The movie contained a different mythos, though it still had Renton and Eureka as key characters. At one point, this title was thought of by very few to be a clone of Neon Genesis Evangelion, yet those claims were later dismissed by the fans, supposedly without even watching the episodes. Renton is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, with Julie Ann Taylor voicing his younger self, while Stephanie Sheh voices Eureka in the English localization.
Eureka Seven was an eye opener, scoring an 8.2 in the book. Nice visuals, a complex but worthwhile story, and a few other things made this a standout mecha title.
CXXXI: "Tenjou Tenge"
Crazy martial arts mayhem is seen in another anime called Tenjou Tenge. Through the anime, at least this is what I thought, I felt like I was watching the fighting antics of Ranma 1/2 blended with the plot from Rosario + Vampire. I'll explain why I felt such watching this for the first time...
As it opens up, two students, Souichiro Nagi and Bob Makihara, are about to begin their first day in Toudou High Shchool, with intent on ruling the school as they did others before it. However, they learn first hand that this is not your typical school of bookworms and delinquents. Oh, no... this Toudou High has students that learn and integrate fighting styles of many, and even have their share of supernatural-able students. Getting into a scuffle with the Executive Council, they participate in the only surviving group that serves as the Council's opposition: the Juken Club. This club has 3 members: Aya Natsume, a first year student, Masataka Tanakayagi, the younger brother of the Council's head, and the captain Maya Natsume, a skilled third year who is able to use body manipulation to change form. However, the squabble between Juken and the Executive Council may have deeper meaning, as oppose to them merely not liking one another...
The anime ran for 26 episodes, with the addition of 2 OVAs and an animated film called The Past Chapter. The content of the anime was toned down from the original manga, which was localized by CMX, a subgroup of DC Comics. Supposedly, it had a dosage of pornographic imagery and profanity, and in conjunction with Shueisha and Ito "Oh, Great!" Ogure, they were toned down a great notch. However, Viz Media soon picked up the licensing last month, supposedly releasing it to be faithful to the original manga, in other words uncut. Anime-wise, it was licensed by Geneon, though this probably isn't true for the anime film. All of the animated work was under Madhouse studio. Among the voices we hear, we have Wendee Lee voicing Maya, and Steve Staley voicing Souichiro, to name a few.
Tenjou Tenge is the mix of school and martial arts, with a bit of romance here and there, gaining a 7.3 in my scale overall.
As it opens up, two students, Souichiro Nagi and Bob Makihara, are about to begin their first day in Toudou High Shchool, with intent on ruling the school as they did others before it. However, they learn first hand that this is not your typical school of bookworms and delinquents. Oh, no... this Toudou High has students that learn and integrate fighting styles of many, and even have their share of supernatural-able students. Getting into a scuffle with the Executive Council, they participate in the only surviving group that serves as the Council's opposition: the Juken Club. This club has 3 members: Aya Natsume, a first year student, Masataka Tanakayagi, the younger brother of the Council's head, and the captain Maya Natsume, a skilled third year who is able to use body manipulation to change form. However, the squabble between Juken and the Executive Council may have deeper meaning, as oppose to them merely not liking one another...
The anime ran for 26 episodes, with the addition of 2 OVAs and an animated film called The Past Chapter. The content of the anime was toned down from the original manga, which was localized by CMX, a subgroup of DC Comics. Supposedly, it had a dosage of pornographic imagery and profanity, and in conjunction with Shueisha and Ito "Oh, Great!" Ogure, they were toned down a great notch. However, Viz Media soon picked up the licensing last month, supposedly releasing it to be faithful to the original manga, in other words uncut. Anime-wise, it was licensed by Geneon, though this probably isn't true for the anime film. All of the animated work was under Madhouse studio. Among the voices we hear, we have Wendee Lee voicing Maya, and Steve Staley voicing Souichiro, to name a few.
Tenjou Tenge is the mix of school and martial arts, with a bit of romance here and there, gaining a 7.3 in my scale overall.
CXXX: "Gravion" series
Let's see: a squadron of mostly female pilots and maids, a world that is victim to sentinent beings bent of erasing humanity, and one deraged genius holding the fate of our world... at the time, the only anime that clicked with these traits was
Gravion. Years after seeing it, I feel bad for not speaking of it before.
Earth is in for one hell of a shakeup, and beings known as the Zeravire begin their plan to eradicate all life on the planet. Bringing the warning of their coming is Klein Sandman, who speaks of this during a party he hosted for the leaders of the Earth Federation Alliance. It's all taken lightly until one of the beings reveal its ugly head and cause chaos. Fortunately, even though EFA is useless against it, Sandman and his defense team, Earthgertz, stand ready to fight against them.
Then we have protagonist and central character Eiji Shigure. Seeking his lost sister Ayaka, he is sent a letter, supposedly by her, which ultimately leads to Sandman. He is tricked, however, into piloting one of the 4 Gran Divas, the G-Attacker. Even though he is reluctant to do so, he becomes a member of Earthgertz. Should the world be in peril, Eiji must combine with the other 3 Gran Divas, piloted by females, and the Gran Kaiser, controlled by Toga Tenkuji (the only boy besides Eiji there), in order to summon the mechanical graviton savior: Gravion.
Gravion ran for 2 anime series: Gravion and the sequel Gravion Zwei. The first ran for 13 episodes, while the second ran for 12, answering any questions left from the first anime in the process. Both were originally licensed and released by ADV, and currently by AEsir Holdings. There are many mecha involved, the titular machine being combined by 5 of them. Even the combined mecha itslef undergo a few changes between series, and almost in the fashion the original Mobile Suit Gundam was, there are mass produced ones as well. Now to sum it up, EFA and Earthgertz are not actually allies with one another, as there is some tension between them. In any case, Eiji is voiced by Chris Patton in English, and Toga is voiced in the same manner by Greg Ayres. Music wise, JAM Project did both the opening songs, as well as their respective insert songs, for both anime. The ending for Gravion is "Wish" by YURIA, and it is "La La Bye" by Honey Bee for Gravion Zwei. While it has no games of its own, the giants were included in the Supa Robotto Taisen game series, debuting in Super Robot Wars Z for the PS2 in 2009, 5 years after Gravion Zwei's debut
In all, I say this anime was a good as it could be mechawise, but it also has its share of comedy. Gravion get's a 7.5 of 10.
Gravion. Years after seeing it, I feel bad for not speaking of it before.
Earth is in for one hell of a shakeup, and beings known as the Zeravire begin their plan to eradicate all life on the planet. Bringing the warning of their coming is Klein Sandman, who speaks of this during a party he hosted for the leaders of the Earth Federation Alliance. It's all taken lightly until one of the beings reveal its ugly head and cause chaos. Fortunately, even though EFA is useless against it, Sandman and his defense team, Earthgertz, stand ready to fight against them.
Then we have protagonist and central character Eiji Shigure. Seeking his lost sister Ayaka, he is sent a letter, supposedly by her, which ultimately leads to Sandman. He is tricked, however, into piloting one of the 4 Gran Divas, the G-Attacker. Even though he is reluctant to do so, he becomes a member of Earthgertz. Should the world be in peril, Eiji must combine with the other 3 Gran Divas, piloted by females, and the Gran Kaiser, controlled by Toga Tenkuji (the only boy besides Eiji there), in order to summon the mechanical graviton savior: Gravion.
Gravion ran for 2 anime series: Gravion and the sequel Gravion Zwei. The first ran for 13 episodes, while the second ran for 12, answering any questions left from the first anime in the process. Both were originally licensed and released by ADV, and currently by AEsir Holdings. There are many mecha involved, the titular machine being combined by 5 of them. Even the combined mecha itslef undergo a few changes between series, and almost in the fashion the original Mobile Suit Gundam was, there are mass produced ones as well. Now to sum it up, EFA and Earthgertz are not actually allies with one another, as there is some tension between them. In any case, Eiji is voiced by Chris Patton in English, and Toga is voiced in the same manner by Greg Ayres. Music wise, JAM Project did both the opening songs, as well as their respective insert songs, for both anime. The ending for Gravion is "Wish" by YURIA, and it is "La La Bye" by Honey Bee for Gravion Zwei. While it has no games of its own, the giants were included in the Supa Robotto Taisen game series, debuting in Super Robot Wars Z for the PS2 in 2009, 5 years after Gravion Zwei's debut
In all, I say this anime was a good as it could be mechawise, but it also has its share of comedy. Gravion get's a 7.5 of 10.
CXXIX: "Captain America: The First Avenger"
For Hollywood's third attempt at a Captain America film, I wasn't expecting a good piece, given many other titles that had the Marvel label did relatively bad. Captain America: The First Avenger doesn't make up for the other two, but as a live-action film, it was good.
Looking back in 1942, the setting was the time of the war against Hitler and his Nazis. The antagonist, seen as Hitler's shadow, aspires plans of his own, and comes across (more like steal) an artifact whose power man isn't ready for. With this, he supposedly has an ace in the hole, which meant defeat for the US Army... if they didn't have one of their own. The Army was looking for soldiers, yet one certain potential kept being turned down. Steve Rogers wanted to be a soldier no matter what, but his frail and sickly features prevent him from doing so. Meeting a Bavarian doctor, he is enlisted to a squad in New York under Col. Philips and SSR officer Carter. Around this time, his soldiers were being trained, one of which to be the test subject to an experiment for creating a super soldier. From here on, frail Rogers becomes the American super soldier, ultimately having the title Captain America. While he is initially perceived as entertainment, he makes a name for himslef as he brings back prisoners of war, among which his best friend Sgt Barnes. Together with Barnes, and a squad of refuges from the rescue mission, Rogers sets out to destroy the bases of HYDRA and confront the man who also has strength beyond measure: Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull.
Lasting for 2 hours plus, this film was made by Marvel Studios, being a stepping stone for The Avengers film. As with the Iron Man titles, this film was successful, receiving little criticism behind it. Chris Evans played the titular character(s), who also did Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four films. In addition, other well known faces like Tommy Lee Jones appears in the film. The movie hints a sequel, and a hardcore fan of Marvel can basically guess what's to come after the film, and talks for a sequel are already under way.
Captain America: The First Avenger was a film I saw needlessly in 3D, but otherwise worth checking out. This film gains 8.3 of 10, which gives me a faint hope that the Avengers could be just as good. I'll just have to hope that transition plays through.
Looking back in 1942, the setting was the time of the war against Hitler and his Nazis. The antagonist, seen as Hitler's shadow, aspires plans of his own, and comes across (more like steal) an artifact whose power man isn't ready for. With this, he supposedly has an ace in the hole, which meant defeat for the US Army... if they didn't have one of their own. The Army was looking for soldiers, yet one certain potential kept being turned down. Steve Rogers wanted to be a soldier no matter what, but his frail and sickly features prevent him from doing so. Meeting a Bavarian doctor, he is enlisted to a squad in New York under Col. Philips and SSR officer Carter. Around this time, his soldiers were being trained, one of which to be the test subject to an experiment for creating a super soldier. From here on, frail Rogers becomes the American super soldier, ultimately having the title Captain America. While he is initially perceived as entertainment, he makes a name for himslef as he brings back prisoners of war, among which his best friend Sgt Barnes. Together with Barnes, and a squad of refuges from the rescue mission, Rogers sets out to destroy the bases of HYDRA and confront the man who also has strength beyond measure: Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull.
Lasting for 2 hours plus, this film was made by Marvel Studios, being a stepping stone for The Avengers film. As with the Iron Man titles, this film was successful, receiving little criticism behind it. Chris Evans played the titular character(s), who also did Johnny Storm in the Fantastic Four films. In addition, other well known faces like Tommy Lee Jones appears in the film. The movie hints a sequel, and a hardcore fan of Marvel can basically guess what's to come after the film, and talks for a sequel are already under way.
Captain America: The First Avenger was a film I saw needlessly in 3D, but otherwise worth checking out. This film gains 8.3 of 10, which gives me a faint hope that the Avengers could be just as good. I'll just have to hope that transition plays through.
CXXVIII: "Chibi Vampire/Karin"
Here we go again, with another crack at an anime dealing with the supernatural, revisiting the matter of "human X vampire". This time around is Karin, legally known in the English manga as Chibi Vampire. It tells of a vampire that is... different from the kind you usually hear of.
Meet Karin Maaka, the eldest daughter of a family of vampires that moved to Japan some time ago before the initial episode. Compared to her parents, Karin and her sister Anju are special cases. In Anju's case, she is a normal vampre, but not fully awakened as such, and can still walk during the day under certain conditions. However, Karin's is another story. She walks quite sound during the day, and lacks many traits seen in the normal vampire. Oh, and there are those two little details: she has an urge at a certain time period when she enters a berserker-state after not sucking blood for too long. Second, should she still be unable to suck any blood, or try to hold the urge in, she suffers a massive nosebleed. This fault makes her kind of an un-vampire.
It doesn't help when transfer student Kenta Usui appears, and her urges shoot ahead of schedule. After Kenta manages to find out about her being a vampire (he speculates this after seeing teeth marks on him mom's neck), he is entrusted by her family not only her secret, but also the knowledge of their existence. And with his life already hard, he's gonna have to man up for both responsibilities.
Karin is a 24 episode anime made in the J.C. Staff Studio, with Geneon licensing the anime, though thanks to a deal made with them, Funumation has exclusive rights to distribute some of Geneon's works in North America via DVD, this being among them. Karin is the orignal name of the series from Japan, and though the manga's title was changed to Chibi Vampire, the anime retained the original title. Once more, there's a plot difference between the manga and anime. Some characters were made specifically for the anime, such as Winner Sinclar, and some for only manga, like Glark. Because of this, the antagonist for the anime was Victor Sinclair, grandfather of Winner and strong-willed vampire hunter. The anime's plot dealt with him, while the manga's was much more complex and mature, mostly due to discovery for what Karin REALLY was. Karin is voiced by Chelsea Curto, and Kenta is voiced by Kahav Rom in English.
Again, a concept of "human x vampires" that isn't new to media, but Karin was sort of humorous in the aspect. I'm grading a 7.1 of 10 here.
Meet Karin Maaka, the eldest daughter of a family of vampires that moved to Japan some time ago before the initial episode. Compared to her parents, Karin and her sister Anju are special cases. In Anju's case, she is a normal vampre, but not fully awakened as such, and can still walk during the day under certain conditions. However, Karin's is another story. She walks quite sound during the day, and lacks many traits seen in the normal vampire. Oh, and there are those two little details: she has an urge at a certain time period when she enters a berserker-state after not sucking blood for too long. Second, should she still be unable to suck any blood, or try to hold the urge in, she suffers a massive nosebleed. This fault makes her kind of an un-vampire.
It doesn't help when transfer student Kenta Usui appears, and her urges shoot ahead of schedule. After Kenta manages to find out about her being a vampire (he speculates this after seeing teeth marks on him mom's neck), he is entrusted by her family not only her secret, but also the knowledge of their existence. And with his life already hard, he's gonna have to man up for both responsibilities.
Karin is a 24 episode anime made in the J.C. Staff Studio, with Geneon licensing the anime, though thanks to a deal made with them, Funumation has exclusive rights to distribute some of Geneon's works in North America via DVD, this being among them. Karin is the orignal name of the series from Japan, and though the manga's title was changed to Chibi Vampire, the anime retained the original title. Once more, there's a plot difference between the manga and anime. Some characters were made specifically for the anime, such as Winner Sinclar, and some for only manga, like Glark. Because of this, the antagonist for the anime was Victor Sinclair, grandfather of Winner and strong-willed vampire hunter. The anime's plot dealt with him, while the manga's was much more complex and mature, mostly due to discovery for what Karin REALLY was. Karin is voiced by Chelsea Curto, and Kenta is voiced by Kahav Rom in English.
Again, a concept of "human x vampires" that isn't new to media, but Karin was sort of humorous in the aspect. I'm grading a 7.1 of 10 here.
2011/07/27
CXXVII: "Tekken: Blood Vengeance"
The third film, Tekken: Blood Vengeance, gives fans a taste of the Mishima quarrel that has been a key feature in nearly all the games in the Tekken franchise. After seeing a one night viewing, this movie will be packaged along with an HD remastering of Tekken Tag Tournament, exclusive for Blu-Ray machines (mainly Playstation 3). I just so happened to catch this one night showing in theaters, and here's how it went down...
The movie opens up as Nina Williams faces her sister Anna, showing a familiar assortment of moves. Nina reports back to the Mishima Zaibatsu and its leader Jin Kazama, while Anna returns to G-Corporation, the Zaibatsu's opposition, and to Kazuya Mishima. Later, it would be a normal day of school for Ling Xiaoyu, if not for being employed as a spy by Anna. Told to gather intel on Shin Kamiya, she is transferred to a prestigious international school in Kyoto, where she meets Alisa Bosconovitch, who also has her sights on Shin. After meeting each other, it's revealed that he was a student of the same school Ling and Jin went to, though under the surface, there are some mysteries about him, apart form personally knowing Jin. In addition, a 3rd player, Heihachi Mishima, also seeks the boy, yet Shin has his own ideas. With Alisa and Ling as witnesses, the 3 generations prepare for what is to be their final battle: vs. each other!
Much of the plot revolves around events between Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection and Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, but more towards Tekken 6, due to the war already taking place. Namco Bandai's Youichi Mori, who directed the openings for Tekken 5 and 6, directed this film, which was entirely CGI. While it may not have as much characters, they do sport familiar moves adapted from the games, and the characters/outfits are easily recognizable. The movie follows Ling Xiaoyu as the main heroine, accompanied by her familiar furry companion. Carrie Keranen voices Ling in English and Maya Sakamoto in Japanese, while Alisa is voiced by Christina Vanezuela English-wise. Her Japanese seiyuu is that of Tekken 6: Yuki Matsuoka.
Truly follows that "third time's the charm" scenario, as this was more worthy than both Tekken: The Motion Picture, and Tekken live action. I had my doubts, but I'm calling this an 8.1 of 10, seeing as how it bounced back from its other two movie mishaps. Great job, Namco Bandai!
The movie opens up as Nina Williams faces her sister Anna, showing a familiar assortment of moves. Nina reports back to the Mishima Zaibatsu and its leader Jin Kazama, while Anna returns to G-Corporation, the Zaibatsu's opposition, and to Kazuya Mishima. Later, it would be a normal day of school for Ling Xiaoyu, if not for being employed as a spy by Anna. Told to gather intel on Shin Kamiya, she is transferred to a prestigious international school in Kyoto, where she meets Alisa Bosconovitch, who also has her sights on Shin. After meeting each other, it's revealed that he was a student of the same school Ling and Jin went to, though under the surface, there are some mysteries about him, apart form personally knowing Jin. In addition, a 3rd player, Heihachi Mishima, also seeks the boy, yet Shin has his own ideas. With Alisa and Ling as witnesses, the 3 generations prepare for what is to be their final battle: vs. each other!
Much of the plot revolves around events between Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection and Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion, but more towards Tekken 6, due to the war already taking place. Namco Bandai's Youichi Mori, who directed the openings for Tekken 5 and 6, directed this film, which was entirely CGI. While it may not have as much characters, they do sport familiar moves adapted from the games, and the characters/outfits are easily recognizable. The movie follows Ling Xiaoyu as the main heroine, accompanied by her familiar furry companion. Carrie Keranen voices Ling in English and Maya Sakamoto in Japanese, while Alisa is voiced by Christina Vanezuela English-wise. Her Japanese seiyuu is that of Tekken 6: Yuki Matsuoka.
Truly follows that "third time's the charm" scenario, as this was more worthy than both Tekken: The Motion Picture, and Tekken live action. I had my doubts, but I'm calling this an 8.1 of 10, seeing as how it bounced back from its other two movie mishaps. Great job, Namco Bandai!
2011/07/24
Ev3: Animania @ FYE in Ballston Common Mall
It's me again. Returning from this relentless heat, I was in Arlington for the first time in half a year, with Otakon 6 days away. The event in question is regarding Animania, something held monthly at FYE stores. During this time, anime and things of the like go on sale.
I was out there with some great friends of mine, and while it wasn't as lively as normal, it was entertaining to say the least. One of my friends made some inappropriate jokes while we were there, but it was all fun and games (still, my head is basically burned now.)
All I can say is that I hope is more lively next year. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be tempted to get not only that special controller, but also that DVD i found. Anyway, Seiko, signing off!
I was out there with some great friends of mine, and while it wasn't as lively as normal, it was entertaining to say the least. One of my friends made some inappropriate jokes while we were there, but it was all fun and games (still, my head is basically burned now.)
All I can say is that I hope is more lively next year. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be tempted to get not only that special controller, but also that DVD i found. Anyway, Seiko, signing off!
2011/07/23
CXXVI: "Godannar"
This is another mecha I saw by chance, but isn't really as popular as others, Godannar is an odd one, but the concept of mecha versus aliens isn't so new.
Goh Saruwatari is a hero that defeated the Mimetic beast race 5 years prior to the anime's events, after these beings laid waste to Japan. To end the battle, he in his machine Dannar defeated the boss of the Mimetic beasts, saving his fiance Anna Aoi in the process. That was in the year 2042. Five years later, Goh and Anna are to be wedded, but Goh is forced into combat before the vows are said to combat the Mimetic once more. He's not alone, however, as Anna discovers the Neo Okusaer, and joins her fiance in combat to form Godannar. Over time, however, they learn that the world is under the epidemic of the Insania virus, which turns males into Mimetics, the very beings they're to destroy. While females are normally unaffected, males who pilot machines are at great risk. Knowing this, how will Goh make it out, and will he and Anna ever be officially married?
Created by studio AIC, this title is known for it's dosage of fanservice, something Gravion is also guilty of. This anime was featured on Anime Network, licensed formerly by ADV, and picked back up again by AEsir Holdings for English localization. Aside from having a game, it has a 26 episode anime. Brett Weaver and Hillary Haag voices Goh and Anna respectively, who are the lead male and female roles of the anime. It maybe implied as such, but this doesn't count as a harem.
Godannar is an odd one, gaining a 7.1 of 10 on the scale. Not one of my favorites, but I don't mind looking at it time and again.
Goh Saruwatari is a hero that defeated the Mimetic beast race 5 years prior to the anime's events, after these beings laid waste to Japan. To end the battle, he in his machine Dannar defeated the boss of the Mimetic beasts, saving his fiance Anna Aoi in the process. That was in the year 2042. Five years later, Goh and Anna are to be wedded, but Goh is forced into combat before the vows are said to combat the Mimetic once more. He's not alone, however, as Anna discovers the Neo Okusaer, and joins her fiance in combat to form Godannar. Over time, however, they learn that the world is under the epidemic of the Insania virus, which turns males into Mimetics, the very beings they're to destroy. While females are normally unaffected, males who pilot machines are at great risk. Knowing this, how will Goh make it out, and will he and Anna ever be officially married?
Created by studio AIC, this title is known for it's dosage of fanservice, something Gravion is also guilty of. This anime was featured on Anime Network, licensed formerly by ADV, and picked back up again by AEsir Holdings for English localization. Aside from having a game, it has a 26 episode anime. Brett Weaver and Hillary Haag voices Goh and Anna respectively, who are the lead male and female roles of the anime. It maybe implied as such, but this doesn't count as a harem.
Godannar is an odd one, gaining a 7.1 of 10 on the scale. Not one of my favorites, but I don't mind looking at it time and again.
CXXV: "Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ"
Some time ago, I covered Z Gundam, the successor to the original Mobile Suit Gundam anime. Succeeding this title is Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, featuring not only new machines and characters, but also the return of the mobile suits seen in the previous series, namely the Zeta Gundam, Gundam Mk. II, and Hyaku Shiki.
Long after the Gryps Conflict concluded and Paptimus Scirocco was defeated by Kamille Bidan, both the Earth Federation and AEUG, after dealing with old subsidiary, the Titans, are worn down as they face down Axis, know known as Neo Zeon, led by Haman Karn. But AEUG's Argama fleet lost its 3 star pilots: Emma Sheen, who was mortally wounded, Quattro Bajeena (who is Char) after losing to Haman Karn, and Kamille, who's brain was dragged by Scirocco as he passed on. As a result, veteran Commander Bright Noa enlist some teenage junk dealers from Shangri-La to help. Well, one actually came to him. Meet the protagonist Judau Ashta, who attempted to steal Zeta Gundam for a little extra cash in his pockets, mostly to help his sister Leina. However, while he was dragged into the war, he becomes more involved when his sister is captured, thanks to Neo Zeon soldier Glemy Toto (who does so, mistaking her for his crush Roux Louka.) Even though his main reason is to save Leina, Judau, along with Roux, Mk. II pilot Elle Viano, and fellow pilot/friend Beecha Oleg, fight alongside Noa to end Neo Zeon and their leader, Haman Karn.
Unlike Z Gundam, Gundam ZZ never saw an English translation/licensing of the anime, and are only adapted to English though the games, namely Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs Gundam Zeta, and the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam trilogy. As with all Gundam titles, Gundam ZZ was made in the Sunrise studio, running for 47 episodes. This would be succeeded by the movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, in which Amuro Ray, Char, and Bright returns to their respective sides from Mobile Suit Gundam. Char was supposed to return in Gundam ZZ, but was dropped when the creator was given the okay to make the film. Chronologically, all mentioned titles fit in the Universal Century storyline, which started with the original Gundam anime.
Gundam ZZ wasn't as great as Z Gundam, but with the in-game adaptions, I understand the story somewhat. I only regret they did not think of licensing the anime for the US, as they have a cast to do so, as well as them going through enough trouble to incorporate that in the games in English, much like how Toei did so for Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans. I can't really blast it, so I'll leave it at a 6.7 of 10 for now.
Long after the Gryps Conflict concluded and Paptimus Scirocco was defeated by Kamille Bidan, both the Earth Federation and AEUG, after dealing with old subsidiary, the Titans, are worn down as they face down Axis, know known as Neo Zeon, led by Haman Karn. But AEUG's Argama fleet lost its 3 star pilots: Emma Sheen, who was mortally wounded, Quattro Bajeena (who is Char) after losing to Haman Karn, and Kamille, who's brain was dragged by Scirocco as he passed on. As a result, veteran Commander Bright Noa enlist some teenage junk dealers from Shangri-La to help. Well, one actually came to him. Meet the protagonist Judau Ashta, who attempted to steal Zeta Gundam for a little extra cash in his pockets, mostly to help his sister Leina. However, while he was dragged into the war, he becomes more involved when his sister is captured, thanks to Neo Zeon soldier Glemy Toto (who does so, mistaking her for his crush Roux Louka.) Even though his main reason is to save Leina, Judau, along with Roux, Mk. II pilot Elle Viano, and fellow pilot/friend Beecha Oleg, fight alongside Noa to end Neo Zeon and their leader, Haman Karn.
Unlike Z Gundam, Gundam ZZ never saw an English translation/licensing of the anime, and are only adapted to English though the games, namely Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs Gundam Zeta, and the Dynasty Warriors: Gundam trilogy. As with all Gundam titles, Gundam ZZ was made in the Sunrise studio, running for 47 episodes. This would be succeeded by the movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, in which Amuro Ray, Char, and Bright returns to their respective sides from Mobile Suit Gundam. Char was supposed to return in Gundam ZZ, but was dropped when the creator was given the okay to make the film. Chronologically, all mentioned titles fit in the Universal Century storyline, which started with the original Gundam anime.
Gundam ZZ wasn't as great as Z Gundam, but with the in-game adaptions, I understand the story somewhat. I only regret they did not think of licensing the anime for the US, as they have a cast to do so, as well as them going through enough trouble to incorporate that in the games in English, much like how Toei did so for Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans. I can't really blast it, so I'll leave it at a 6.7 of 10 for now.
2011/07/21
CXXIV: "Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans"
This is a doozy. Much like another OVA, Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans is a title that was never released in the US, as well as being the first OVA made of the series. Well, I'd say that would be true for good, but it made it's official US appearance in 2010, reanimated as part of the game Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, featuring graphic detail seen in the opening to the DBZ: Budokai games, the previously mentioned OVA I'll cover later, and in the opening to Dragon Ball Z Kai.
The OVA starts off as the Saiyans wreak havoc on the Tuffle planet, something mentioned by Baby in Dragon Ball GT. A survivor, Dr. Raichi, plots revenge against them after seeking refuge in the Dark Planet. It was told that the Saiyans not only massacred the race, but stole their technology and planet, renaming it to Planet Vegeta. Among this technology were the formerly prominent Scouters. Part of his revenge is using Destron Gas, which kills all life on the planet once released. The remaining Saiyans (Goku/Kakarot, Vegeta, Gohan, and Future Trunks) and Piccolo sets out to destroy the devices, but still has foes to deal with: Ghost Warriors of the past, as well as the machine that makes them: Hatchiyack!!
The first OVA was made in 1993, 3 years before the show itself would ever find its way to the US. At this point, in Japan, based on what was in the OVA, it was around pre-Cell Games saga, though it's not canon to the story. Moreover, the Ghost warriors were from the DBZ movies, save for Frieza who was in the anime series itself from his namesake saga prior to any movie features. This would later be packaged with DB: Raging Blast 2 as a bonus feature in game, remastered, reanimated and re-scripted from its older counterpart. Even while remastered, it still wasn't in official English, though subtitled according to region. This title would be bundled in with an in-game storyline of the OVA, as well as Hatchiyack as a playable character, making the first official American appearance alongside Tarble. However, there's a load of irony in it, mainly dealing with Turles. Note how the title is "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans." I guess you can say using Turles sort of contradicts this. Even more so when he states his hatred of the Saiyans exceed that of his phantom comrades. I found this a bit hard to swallow, considering Turles is one himself, in fact, the very definition of what Raichi depicts as an evil Saiyan, and in his movie The Tree of Might, he is highly proud of his heritage.
Still, for the first one, I admit: it seemed mundane, so I'll leave it at a 6.3 of 10 for now, and will update if I ever catch the remake of it in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.
The OVA starts off as the Saiyans wreak havoc on the Tuffle planet, something mentioned by Baby in Dragon Ball GT. A survivor, Dr. Raichi, plots revenge against them after seeking refuge in the Dark Planet. It was told that the Saiyans not only massacred the race, but stole their technology and planet, renaming it to Planet Vegeta. Among this technology were the formerly prominent Scouters. Part of his revenge is using Destron Gas, which kills all life on the planet once released. The remaining Saiyans (Goku/Kakarot, Vegeta, Gohan, and Future Trunks) and Piccolo sets out to destroy the devices, but still has foes to deal with: Ghost Warriors of the past, as well as the machine that makes them: Hatchiyack!!
The first OVA was made in 1993, 3 years before the show itself would ever find its way to the US. At this point, in Japan, based on what was in the OVA, it was around pre-Cell Games saga, though it's not canon to the story. Moreover, the Ghost warriors were from the DBZ movies, save for Frieza who was in the anime series itself from his namesake saga prior to any movie features. This would later be packaged with DB: Raging Blast 2 as a bonus feature in game, remastered, reanimated and re-scripted from its older counterpart. Even while remastered, it still wasn't in official English, though subtitled according to region. This title would be bundled in with an in-game storyline of the OVA, as well as Hatchiyack as a playable character, making the first official American appearance alongside Tarble. However, there's a load of irony in it, mainly dealing with Turles. Note how the title is "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans." I guess you can say using Turles sort of contradicts this. Even more so when he states his hatred of the Saiyans exceed that of his phantom comrades. I found this a bit hard to swallow, considering Turles is one himself, in fact, the very definition of what Raichi depicts as an evil Saiyan, and in his movie The Tree of Might, he is highly proud of his heritage.
Still, for the first one, I admit: it seemed mundane, so I'll leave it at a 6.3 of 10 for now, and will update if I ever catch the remake of it in Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2.
CXXIII: "F3"
F3, or longly said as Frantic, Frustrated & Female is a H anime I found in the most unlikely of places. How I came across this was through a game created with the M.U.G.E.N. fighting engine. In one of its stages, I happen to see clips from this very title, did a search, and found it.
Hiroe Ogawa is the girl who is the central character of this series, and she has a hard time reaching orgasm. The story follows her attepmts to reach orgasm with the assist of other people, though it does tend to me more or less comedic. For someone trying to get off, she sure has it bad...
Not much of a plot is in it, but this seres was just 3 episodes. Licensing was done by SoftCel Pictures, a subsidiary of the now inactive ADV Films, and was re-licensed later by Critical Mass, who is under Right Stuf International. This was produced in the AIC and Pink Pineapple studios. Some has claimed this to be the parody of a horror hentai. It's worthy to know that originally, only the 1st episode was done in English, while the rest were subtitled. Moreover, licensing the title challenged the mores and laws between other countries. Kept as it was upon creation, the title would have been tagged for incest involved, mainly from the first episode. The people responsible for bringing it here covered this as the Sis and Mom of the title to be the neighbor and landlord who are addressed as the former (respectively).
I can see the comedy aspect, but it wasn't all that funny to me, and the visuals were old, as this was made back in 88. Still, a 6.8 of 10 for F3.
Hiroe Ogawa is the girl who is the central character of this series, and she has a hard time reaching orgasm. The story follows her attepmts to reach orgasm with the assist of other people, though it does tend to me more or less comedic. For someone trying to get off, she sure has it bad...
Not much of a plot is in it, but this seres was just 3 episodes. Licensing was done by SoftCel Pictures, a subsidiary of the now inactive ADV Films, and was re-licensed later by Critical Mass, who is under Right Stuf International. This was produced in the AIC and Pink Pineapple studios. Some has claimed this to be the parody of a horror hentai. It's worthy to know that originally, only the 1st episode was done in English, while the rest were subtitled. Moreover, licensing the title challenged the mores and laws between other countries. Kept as it was upon creation, the title would have been tagged for incest involved, mainly from the first episode. The people responsible for bringing it here covered this as the Sis and Mom of the title to be the neighbor and landlord who are addressed as the former (respectively).
I can see the comedy aspect, but it wasn't all that funny to me, and the visuals were old, as this was made back in 88. Still, a 6.8 of 10 for F3.
2011/07/19
CXXII: "Vandread" series
Aliens and pirates, men and women... The only name that comes in mind dealing with this is Vandread, and I'm quite fond of it. It's a mecha and a harem, both of which I'm drawn to these days.
In Vandread, the female and male species are at war with one another. The women reside on the planet Mejere, while Taraak houses the males. In the midst of battle, Hibiki Tokai tries to steal a Vanguard, a new weapon Taraak planned to use against the Mejerian females. Things sort of go to hell when the females attack the very ship Hibiki is stuck on, and he, along with two others: Bart and Duelo, are captured and treated with abuse. Over time, these three and the female pirates develop some sort of understanding, whereas they fight alongside each other, with Hibiki on the frontlines with his Vanguard. However, should one of the female ships, a Dread, contact his Vanguard, it undergoes a fusion, due to a reaction affecting both sides when the Taraakan battleship collided with their pirate vessel. The first fusion is done when Hibiki meets with Dita, a girl who named him "Mr. Alien". Doing so formed a new power, known as a Vandread.
Together with different female pirates, they plan to head to Mejere, and learn about the sentinent beings known as harvesters, and discover why they're being attacked by them. Of course, Hibiki, personally, has to deal with the 3 pilots in particular: Dita, along with the cold Meia, and the spoiled Jura. If neither of them tires him out, he may come out of this alive!
Vandread has 2 series as well: Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage. Separately, the anime is 13 episodes a piece, making 26 in all, with 2 OVAs, each being a compilation of the events of each season. Both were made in the Gonzo studio, and were licensed by Geneon, and licensed currently under Funimation. In terms of Englisn networks, Encore WAM has shown this title, the same channel that featured Street Fighter II V. It's recent showing was on Encore Action's Animidnight block, which has most likely ended at this point. I point out often that some anime has a good difference compared to the manga, but the changes seen in here are radical. The majority of characters seen in the anime never show up in the manga, and the characters that do appear are a huge difference from their anime counterparts, such as Dita being mature in the manga, while seemingly childish in the anime. Dita is voiced by Jule Maddalena in the anime, while Tony Oliver voices the male protagonist, Hibiki.
Vandread was wacky in the harem department, but I feel curious to read the manga knowing the difference in the nature of the characters, as well as those exclusive to the manga. The anime is satisfactory, so a 7.8 of 10., which isn't too shabby.
In Vandread, the female and male species are at war with one another. The women reside on the planet Mejere, while Taraak houses the males. In the midst of battle, Hibiki Tokai tries to steal a Vanguard, a new weapon Taraak planned to use against the Mejerian females. Things sort of go to hell when the females attack the very ship Hibiki is stuck on, and he, along with two others: Bart and Duelo, are captured and treated with abuse. Over time, these three and the female pirates develop some sort of understanding, whereas they fight alongside each other, with Hibiki on the frontlines with his Vanguard. However, should one of the female ships, a Dread, contact his Vanguard, it undergoes a fusion, due to a reaction affecting both sides when the Taraakan battleship collided with their pirate vessel. The first fusion is done when Hibiki meets with Dita, a girl who named him "Mr. Alien". Doing so formed a new power, known as a Vandread.
Together with different female pirates, they plan to head to Mejere, and learn about the sentinent beings known as harvesters, and discover why they're being attacked by them. Of course, Hibiki, personally, has to deal with the 3 pilots in particular: Dita, along with the cold Meia, and the spoiled Jura. If neither of them tires him out, he may come out of this alive!
Vandread has 2 series as well: Vandread and Vandread: The Second Stage. Separately, the anime is 13 episodes a piece, making 26 in all, with 2 OVAs, each being a compilation of the events of each season. Both were made in the Gonzo studio, and were licensed by Geneon, and licensed currently under Funimation. In terms of Englisn networks, Encore WAM has shown this title, the same channel that featured Street Fighter II V. It's recent showing was on Encore Action's Animidnight block, which has most likely ended at this point. I point out often that some anime has a good difference compared to the manga, but the changes seen in here are radical. The majority of characters seen in the anime never show up in the manga, and the characters that do appear are a huge difference from their anime counterparts, such as Dita being mature in the manga, while seemingly childish in the anime. Dita is voiced by Jule Maddalena in the anime, while Tony Oliver voices the male protagonist, Hibiki.
Vandread was wacky in the harem department, but I feel curious to read the manga knowing the difference in the nature of the characters, as well as those exclusive to the manga. The anime is satisfactory, so a 7.8 of 10., which isn't too shabby.
2011/07/18
CXXI: "The King of Fighters (live action movie)"
Granted this is an anime blog, as I've long established, so seldom do I speak of, let alone review, any live action takes of anime or video games of the sort. I'm making an exception today while I'm covering the movie The King of Fighters, a live action film created last year.
A bit of an FYI before we start: King of Fighters, shortened as KOF, is the name of a fighting game series created by SNK Playmore, in the same sense Street Fighter is with Capcom, and Tekken is with Namco Bandai. The game is not as popular here as it is with other countries, and save for those lucky enough to have any Neo-Geo, or any SNK-related console back then, would only know of the series now through King of Fighters XI-XIII, KOF Maximum Impact 1 and 2, and the crossover games SVC Chaos: SNK vs Capcom, and Capcom Vs SNK 1 and 2. Like Tekken and Street fighter, there is a story involved, which is carried through different arcs. What separates them is that KOF was a team fighting system, as in a squad of 3 going against another squad of 3. In addition, other people from other SNK games take part, which happens a lot more than in the case with Capcom's characters Sakura and Ingrid. I'll cover more about KOF in my other blog, Seiko's Gamer Base, if you're interested, that is...
Now for the movie itself. Now I've had a lot of problems with it, but let's speak of what the film is even about. The plot's devices are the 3 treasures by three different clans: the Kusanagi Sword, the Kagura Mirror, and the Yagami Necklace. These 3 items are keys to a portal where a dormant beast, the Orochi, lies in wait. Whoever was to control Orochi could gain limitless power, so the legend says. Almost as if timed, antagonist Rugal Bernstein appears, shooting everyone insight and slashing Chizuru Kagura, who the mirror is sort of named after. Now Mai Shiranui, one of the witnesses, must go after him, but not before being warned about preventing her boyfriend, Iori Yagami, from getting involved (Yeah, explain THAT one to the press.)
Adding to this, she is told by the now hospitalized Chizuru to visit Saisyu Kusanagi, the one who knows where the REAL Kusanagi Sword is, the one in the museum being a fake. While there, she meets his son, Kyo, who appears uninvolved with not only Chizuru, but also the sword. Just when things grew quiet, a visit from Iori blows everything. Seisyu, holding mild resentment towards the Yagami, wakes up from his comatose with threats towards Iori, and abruptly dies. Only then, through brief talk with Mai, and a confrontation with Iori, does Kyo Kusanagi decide to become involved. However, his reasons are personal. For him, it's a mix of duty, and for revenge.
The target of Kyo's vengeance, Rugal, has hacked the registration for the titular King of Fighters tournament. The tournament itself takes place in an alternate dimension, and are accessible though a special bluetooth headset. However, by this time, he has drawn in various people worldwide, among which are 2 female fighters Mature and Vice, who are soon beaten and enslaved. With the tournament in chaos, how will Mai, Kyo, Chizuru, Iori, and CIA agent Terry Bogard make it out alive, if at all?
Like I said before, there were a few good things about this movie that bothered me. First off, a different dimension? With Orochi, that kind of make sense, but this occurred while it is still pretty much asleep. Second, the whole Iori X Mai thing really bugs me, as Mai is usually chasing someone else. Third, Terry as a CIA agent, that really threw me off. In fact, to my knowledge, there was no CIA characters in the franchise EVER. Lastly, the representation of them. Unless you have a really keen eye, you couldn't tell initially who every one is supposed to me, for most of them look different compared to their VG counterparts.
The movie was made in the Mandalay Pictures and Aja Tan Studios. The film is in English, but like most films of this nature, was never truly backed by the very people behind the franchise, this case being SNK Playmore. I get that it's loosely based, but... it bother me, I would say WORSE than DB Evolution, but maybe that's being too harsh. The movie was spotted on the American Film Market in 2009, while other areas, including Japan, didn't see it until the following year. It has special effects in it, but when brought to live action, sometimes it just doesn't look legit. This is sadly one of those movies that proves my theory.
Bittersweet indeed, as I had to play some KOF games to try and forget this film ever happened. Some people are great at forgetting or not counting any film terrible to them. I cannot, and even today it still haunts me. The King of Fighters movie gains a 3.4 of 10 on my scale, so you can already guess how it is on a scale to 100.
A bit of an FYI before we start: King of Fighters, shortened as KOF, is the name of a fighting game series created by SNK Playmore, in the same sense Street Fighter is with Capcom, and Tekken is with Namco Bandai. The game is not as popular here as it is with other countries, and save for those lucky enough to have any Neo-Geo, or any SNK-related console back then, would only know of the series now through King of Fighters XI-XIII, KOF Maximum Impact 1 and 2, and the crossover games SVC Chaos: SNK vs Capcom, and Capcom Vs SNK 1 and 2. Like Tekken and Street fighter, there is a story involved, which is carried through different arcs. What separates them is that KOF was a team fighting system, as in a squad of 3 going against another squad of 3. In addition, other people from other SNK games take part, which happens a lot more than in the case with Capcom's characters Sakura and Ingrid. I'll cover more about KOF in my other blog, Seiko's Gamer Base, if you're interested, that is...
Now for the movie itself. Now I've had a lot of problems with it, but let's speak of what the film is even about. The plot's devices are the 3 treasures by three different clans: the Kusanagi Sword, the Kagura Mirror, and the Yagami Necklace. These 3 items are keys to a portal where a dormant beast, the Orochi, lies in wait. Whoever was to control Orochi could gain limitless power, so the legend says. Almost as if timed, antagonist Rugal Bernstein appears, shooting everyone insight and slashing Chizuru Kagura, who the mirror is sort of named after. Now Mai Shiranui, one of the witnesses, must go after him, but not before being warned about preventing her boyfriend, Iori Yagami, from getting involved (Yeah, explain THAT one to the press.)
Adding to this, she is told by the now hospitalized Chizuru to visit Saisyu Kusanagi, the one who knows where the REAL Kusanagi Sword is, the one in the museum being a fake. While there, she meets his son, Kyo, who appears uninvolved with not only Chizuru, but also the sword. Just when things grew quiet, a visit from Iori blows everything. Seisyu, holding mild resentment towards the Yagami, wakes up from his comatose with threats towards Iori, and abruptly dies. Only then, through brief talk with Mai, and a confrontation with Iori, does Kyo Kusanagi decide to become involved. However, his reasons are personal. For him, it's a mix of duty, and for revenge.
The target of Kyo's vengeance, Rugal, has hacked the registration for the titular King of Fighters tournament. The tournament itself takes place in an alternate dimension, and are accessible though a special bluetooth headset. However, by this time, he has drawn in various people worldwide, among which are 2 female fighters Mature and Vice, who are soon beaten and enslaved. With the tournament in chaos, how will Mai, Kyo, Chizuru, Iori, and CIA agent Terry Bogard make it out alive, if at all?
Like I said before, there were a few good things about this movie that bothered me. First off, a different dimension? With Orochi, that kind of make sense, but this occurred while it is still pretty much asleep. Second, the whole Iori X Mai thing really bugs me, as Mai is usually chasing someone else. Third, Terry as a CIA agent, that really threw me off. In fact, to my knowledge, there was no CIA characters in the franchise EVER. Lastly, the representation of them. Unless you have a really keen eye, you couldn't tell initially who every one is supposed to me, for most of them look different compared to their VG counterparts.
The movie was made in the Mandalay Pictures and Aja Tan Studios. The film is in English, but like most films of this nature, was never truly backed by the very people behind the franchise, this case being SNK Playmore. I get that it's loosely based, but... it bother me, I would say WORSE than DB Evolution, but maybe that's being too harsh. The movie was spotted on the American Film Market in 2009, while other areas, including Japan, didn't see it until the following year. It has special effects in it, but when brought to live action, sometimes it just doesn't look legit. This is sadly one of those movies that proves my theory.
Bittersweet indeed, as I had to play some KOF games to try and forget this film ever happened. Some people are great at forgetting or not counting any film terrible to them. I cannot, and even today it still haunts me. The King of Fighters movie gains a 3.4 of 10 on my scale, so you can already guess how it is on a scale to 100.
CXX: "Angelic Layer"
I spoke of this before in my Chobits review, but never did review it... until now. Angelic Layer is another series made by CLAMP, and much like Chobits, tries the concept of bonding between human and machine. As it deals in the same universe, it not only crosses over with at times, but precedes Chobits chronologically.
Misaki Suzuhara is just starting out as 7th grader who recently moved to Tokyo, Japan. She catches wind of the titular game, Angelic Layer, and notices the small, but skilled matches seen using them. Under the urgings of an eccentric man, she makes her own Angel, Hikaru, and becomes a Deus, or player, of the game, save the fact she knows nothing about it at first. Friends and rivals appear before her, and tough challenges await her. She is going to have to bond well and control her Angel as an extension of herself, but while she does this, she still has memories of her past haunting her, not knowing that the person she thinks of is close by in the city...
The anime ran for 26 episodes, licensed by A.D. Vision and created in the Bones studio. Like with other CLAMP works, characters from this series and Chobits, its successor, make cameos through other CLAMP works, most of which appearing in the latter made Tsubasa: Reservior Chronicle. In fact, the artwork for Tsubasa: RC and Chobits were derived from that of Angelic Layer. Misaki is voiced by Jessica Boone (who I spoke of as the voice of Magikano's Ayumi Mamiya and Maburaho's Yuna Miyami)
Definitely up there as one of the unexpectedly great ones. Angelic Layer gets a 9.6 of 10. Though, CLAMP's knack for making cameos of other characters from other series by them get's kinda tedious at times...
Misaki Suzuhara is just starting out as 7th grader who recently moved to Tokyo, Japan. She catches wind of the titular game, Angelic Layer, and notices the small, but skilled matches seen using them. Under the urgings of an eccentric man, she makes her own Angel, Hikaru, and becomes a Deus, or player, of the game, save the fact she knows nothing about it at first. Friends and rivals appear before her, and tough challenges await her. She is going to have to bond well and control her Angel as an extension of herself, but while she does this, she still has memories of her past haunting her, not knowing that the person she thinks of is close by in the city...
The anime ran for 26 episodes, licensed by A.D. Vision and created in the Bones studio. Like with other CLAMP works, characters from this series and Chobits, its successor, make cameos through other CLAMP works, most of which appearing in the latter made Tsubasa: Reservior Chronicle. In fact, the artwork for Tsubasa: RC and Chobits were derived from that of Angelic Layer. Misaki is voiced by Jessica Boone (who I spoke of as the voice of Magikano's Ayumi Mamiya and Maburaho's Yuna Miyami)
Definitely up there as one of the unexpectedly great ones. Angelic Layer gets a 9.6 of 10. Though, CLAMP's knack for making cameos of other characters from other series by them get's kinda tedious at times...
CXIX: "Duel Masters" series
I spoke of Yu-Gi-Oh! a good while ago, with the movie of the original series, and a bit of Pokemon not only in terms of voice actors from various shows, but also posts of the games on my other blog. Today I'll be speaking of Duel Masters. At first I thought it was a joke series, but it has a setting of its own, as well as media and cards of its own.
Duel Masters centers in on Shobu Kirafuda, a boy with a positive spirit. He aspires to become a great duelist like his father before him. From then on, he ventures to various duels, making friends, and becoming an apprentice under Knight, who is wise, but rarely able to assist Shobu in his duels very much. From then on, he duels while upgrading his deck, which started as a Fire Civilization Deck, and competes against skilled foes of different cards.
Mock the sayings all you wish, but despite of the commercial products sold (which might not be around anymore), the anime has been deemed a parody of sorts. In fact, let's talk about the anime itself for a little bit. Apparently, there's a lot of anime under this title, which falls in the similar fashion that Beyblade, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Bakugan as a metaseries (Chaotic only had one series, albeit a large one.) However, in comparison to the others, only 3.5 animated series were shown in the US. Not only that, but the second one onward heavily deviated from one another. Duel Masters' first season was loosely derived from the manga, while the succeeding 2nd season for US was entirely original, and the same was true for the third season. The .5 comes in where the Japanese 2nd season, Duel Masters Charge, was localized, but only half of the season was aired as Duel Masters 2.0. The rest was never seen here as a US release.
Next, what's in the anime. To deviate itself from the other card shows, mainly Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Masters had more of a comedy element seen in the Americanized version. You can say that the comedy portion was just as prominent, maybe more, as the action it had in it. On top of adding things unseen from the original version, typical anime cliches were joked about, and plenty of pop culture references and fourth wall breaking moments are recurring. In spite of the comedy, the storyline is technically dramatic, just flooded in humor and puns. Sonic X, a anime made as the 4th TV adaption of Sonic the Hedgehog, was also guilty of this somewhat, but not in the sense Duel Masters was.
Duel Masters ran for a total of 65 episodes, airing from late 2002-2006. It was under different productions with different actors, so it's hard to call who exactly voiced what overall. In fact, doing so given this would be a pain, so I'll omit it this time. Just know that voice actors such as Wendee Lee, Liam O'Brien, and Derek Stephen Prince had roles in the series overall, at least what was shown in the US/Latin American versions. While the anime here is pretty much finished, as with the card game itself, the series is still ongoing in Japan.
Duel Masters I won't say it's the butt of all jokes, but the comedy seen in it was just too much. I respect them trying to be different, but it more or less hurts them so, 5.8 of 10 for this title overall.
Duel Masters centers in on Shobu Kirafuda, a boy with a positive spirit. He aspires to become a great duelist like his father before him. From then on, he ventures to various duels, making friends, and becoming an apprentice under Knight, who is wise, but rarely able to assist Shobu in his duels very much. From then on, he duels while upgrading his deck, which started as a Fire Civilization Deck, and competes against skilled foes of different cards.
Mock the sayings all you wish, but despite of the commercial products sold (which might not be around anymore), the anime has been deemed a parody of sorts. In fact, let's talk about the anime itself for a little bit. Apparently, there's a lot of anime under this title, which falls in the similar fashion that Beyblade, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Bakugan as a metaseries (Chaotic only had one series, albeit a large one.) However, in comparison to the others, only 3.5 animated series were shown in the US. Not only that, but the second one onward heavily deviated from one another. Duel Masters' first season was loosely derived from the manga, while the succeeding 2nd season for US was entirely original, and the same was true for the third season. The .5 comes in where the Japanese 2nd season, Duel Masters Charge, was localized, but only half of the season was aired as Duel Masters 2.0. The rest was never seen here as a US release.
Next, what's in the anime. To deviate itself from the other card shows, mainly Yu-Gi-Oh!, Duel Masters had more of a comedy element seen in the Americanized version. You can say that the comedy portion was just as prominent, maybe more, as the action it had in it. On top of adding things unseen from the original version, typical anime cliches were joked about, and plenty of pop culture references and fourth wall breaking moments are recurring. In spite of the comedy, the storyline is technically dramatic, just flooded in humor and puns. Sonic X, a anime made as the 4th TV adaption of Sonic the Hedgehog, was also guilty of this somewhat, but not in the sense Duel Masters was.
Duel Masters ran for a total of 65 episodes, airing from late 2002-2006. It was under different productions with different actors, so it's hard to call who exactly voiced what overall. In fact, doing so given this would be a pain, so I'll omit it this time. Just know that voice actors such as Wendee Lee, Liam O'Brien, and Derek Stephen Prince had roles in the series overall, at least what was shown in the US/Latin American versions. While the anime here is pretty much finished, as with the card game itself, the series is still ongoing in Japan.
Duel Masters I won't say it's the butt of all jokes, but the comedy seen in it was just too much. I respect them trying to be different, but it more or less hurts them so, 5.8 of 10 for this title overall.
2011/07/17
Ev2: Reni Mimura's Maid Cafe
I was out today in DC, Dupont Circle, to be exact. Turns out on P Street, there's a place called Cafe Japone. I remember seeing it before, but not really paying mind to it a long while back. My first time inside there was great. Of course, spacing was an issue, but I have no complaints of the food.
It was today of all days that Jpop idol Remi Mimura was in DC, and her Maid Cafe was here for the first time. I've actually seen her before, but I felt honored to actually see her in the area. There wasn't much of a crowd, but she performed, very well I might add, and I ate a Japanese Omelet, which was surprisingly better than any omelet I ate before. I think her little charm, as silly as it was, made it better.
Too bad this is no longer happening in the DC area, but she has others, and should I end up in Boston or New York, I'll try to come by, though chances are, I'll end up seeing her in a local event here at some point (which makes me happy alone, honestly!) This is Seiko Takeda, signing out for now!
It was today of all days that Jpop idol Remi Mimura was in DC, and her Maid Cafe was here for the first time. I've actually seen her before, but I felt honored to actually see her in the area. There wasn't much of a crowd, but she performed, very well I might add, and I ate a Japanese Omelet, which was surprisingly better than any omelet I ate before. I think her little charm, as silly as it was, made it better.
Too bad this is no longer happening in the DC area, but she has others, and should I end up in Boston or New York, I'll try to come by, though chances are, I'll end up seeing her in a local event here at some point (which makes me happy alone, honestly!) This is Seiko Takeda, signing out for now!
CXVIII: "Rosario+Vampire" series (updated)
Ah, Rosario+Vampire... In the wake of the Twilight movies, I've found an anime about vampires actually worth enjoying. It is another romantic harem comedy, but it has it's action moments as well.
Tsukune Aono just failed his entrance exams for high school once again, much to his dismay. With others moving onward ahead of him, things aren't looking up for our protagonists. That changes drastically, however, when his father happens to come across an enrollment form to this private school called Youkai Academy. What they don't know until Tsukune arrives is that Youkai exist in a world different from his own, and is a school built by monsters for monsters to attend. Any human discovered will be killed mercilessly without hesitation. Before then, he is hit by the bike of a female student. Moka Akashiya, also a freshman, reveals herself to him as a vampire, though she fails to look the part of one. This all changes when he is put in danger, and aside from her biting him, this is where her claims are proven. When the rosary on Moka's chest is removed, not only does her true strength awakens, but she shows drastic changes in personality, as well as form. The innocent pink-haired Outer Moka turns into a strong silver-haired, crimson-eyed threat to other monsters: the Class-S Vampire Inner Moka! The battles against other monsters after his life aside, Tsukune is the center of another: between Moka and other female monsters! As if being out of place isn't bad enough for him, now he has to deal with those after his life (and his heart), while keeping his human identity under wraps. It will not be an normal, easy school life for Tsukune Aono, THAT'S for sure.
Rosario + Vampire has 2 anime, the original series and the second season, known as Rosario + Vampire Capu2. Both run for 13 episodes each, made under the Gonzo Studio, and licensed by Funimation. I have long watched this subbed, so I can't vouch how the series is in English, but there are voices for the US Localization. Nana Mizuki, who I spoke of before in my post reviewing Seven of Seven, is the singer for all openings and endings as well as the seiyuu of Moka. In English, she is voiced by Alexis Tipton, while Tsukune is voiced by Todd Haberkorn. In addition, as with most media, it is censored for the broadcast version, shown by the narrative bat Nazo Komori covering areas, while it features much less of that in the DVD version. Insert songs are sung in English in the Funi dub, while the title and ending themes retain their Japanese vocals.
Not to spoil anything, but a few things. First, a common gag in the anime is that Nazo, called Batty in the manga, usually keeps time for how long a battle lasts whenever Inner Moka is involved. Second, Inner Moka sometimes tells her foes to "know their place" when she beats them (to which they comically respond), but this is more prominent in Capu2. Also, as it is different from the manga, some elements aren't included, and some are pretty much rushed or pushed back in terms of sequence (Mizore's introduction and the battle against Kuyou, to name a few respectively.) To add, another gag is between Moka and Tsukune. You can hear her saying "capu-chu" as she bites/kisses Tsukune in the subbed version, while dubbed features a sound that's romantic-like. It's not seen much, but the other girls involved does that as well at least once in the anime. Lastly, in the anime, Tsukune is seen put in danger a lot, as he is a human. In the manga, this is also true, but it's in there that we also see a totally different side of Tsukune, though this side is also featured in the concluding episodes of both seasons. Even so, in addition to featuring more plot and circumstances, perhaps to prevent a long-ran series (ala One Piece and Bleach), it made a completely different closure compared to its manga counterpart, which omits a good number of characters overall.
Rosario + Vampire has that 'human x vampire' concept that isn't new (titles like Chibi Vampire also feature this), but it got my approval. I'd say an 8.0 of 10 should suffice, and gains a fave spot in my titles to watch.
Tsukune Aono just failed his entrance exams for high school once again, much to his dismay. With others moving onward ahead of him, things aren't looking up for our protagonists. That changes drastically, however, when his father happens to come across an enrollment form to this private school called Youkai Academy. What they don't know until Tsukune arrives is that Youkai exist in a world different from his own, and is a school built by monsters for monsters to attend. Any human discovered will be killed mercilessly without hesitation. Before then, he is hit by the bike of a female student. Moka Akashiya, also a freshman, reveals herself to him as a vampire, though she fails to look the part of one. This all changes when he is put in danger, and aside from her biting him, this is where her claims are proven. When the rosary on Moka's chest is removed, not only does her true strength awakens, but she shows drastic changes in personality, as well as form. The innocent pink-haired Outer Moka turns into a strong silver-haired, crimson-eyed threat to other monsters: the Class-S Vampire Inner Moka! The battles against other monsters after his life aside, Tsukune is the center of another: between Moka and other female monsters! As if being out of place isn't bad enough for him, now he has to deal with those after his life (and his heart), while keeping his human identity under wraps. It will not be an normal, easy school life for Tsukune Aono, THAT'S for sure.
Rosario + Vampire has 2 anime, the original series and the second season, known as Rosario + Vampire Capu2. Both run for 13 episodes each, made under the Gonzo Studio, and licensed by Funimation. I have long watched this subbed, so I can't vouch how the series is in English, but there are voices for the US Localization. Nana Mizuki, who I spoke of before in my post reviewing Seven of Seven, is the singer for all openings and endings as well as the seiyuu of Moka. In English, she is voiced by Alexis Tipton, while Tsukune is voiced by Todd Haberkorn. In addition, as with most media, it is censored for the broadcast version, shown by the narrative bat Nazo Komori covering areas, while it features much less of that in the DVD version. Insert songs are sung in English in the Funi dub, while the title and ending themes retain their Japanese vocals.
Not to spoil anything, but a few things. First, a common gag in the anime is that Nazo, called Batty in the manga, usually keeps time for how long a battle lasts whenever Inner Moka is involved. Second, Inner Moka sometimes tells her foes to "know their place" when she beats them (to which they comically respond), but this is more prominent in Capu2. Also, as it is different from the manga, some elements aren't included, and some are pretty much rushed or pushed back in terms of sequence (Mizore's introduction and the battle against Kuyou, to name a few respectively.) To add, another gag is between Moka and Tsukune. You can hear her saying "capu-chu" as she bites/kisses Tsukune in the subbed version, while dubbed features a sound that's romantic-like. It's not seen much, but the other girls involved does that as well at least once in the anime. Lastly, in the anime, Tsukune is seen put in danger a lot, as he is a human. In the manga, this is also true, but it's in there that we also see a totally different side of Tsukune, though this side is also featured in the concluding episodes of both seasons. Even so, in addition to featuring more plot and circumstances, perhaps to prevent a long-ran series (ala One Piece and Bleach), it made a completely different closure compared to its manga counterpart, which omits a good number of characters overall.
Rosario + Vampire has that 'human x vampire' concept that isn't new (titles like Chibi Vampire also feature this), but it got my approval. I'd say an 8.0 of 10 should suffice, and gains a fave spot in my titles to watch.
2011/07/16
CXVII: "Rozen Maiden" series
How many times have I heard "desu" in an anime? Well, too many of it came from a certain character in Rozen Maiden. Despite that the word rang in my head like a woodpecker, the series is a keeper. Let's see, I suppose it's another title I didn't expect to like so much, but it got my approval.
Jun Sakurada is a hikikomori: a person who experiences acute socially withdrawal. Because of this, caused by being traumatized by an embarrassing situation, he refuses to go back to school. Because of this, he is known to make online orders for certain products, only to return them during the grace period. He turns skeptical when he receives a letter stating that he won a contest of some sort. Following the instructions provided, his "prize" was a realistic doll. After being wound up, it reveals itself to be Shinku. She is one of the Rozen Maiden series dolls, names after their creator, and Jun becomes her medium, using his life force to move freely and use magic.
Of course, it doesn't end with just this, as there are seven in all, Shinku being the fifth. With Jun as the medium, he and Shinku are participants in the Alice Game, in which one of the Rozen dolls defeat the other 6 and capture their Rosa Mystica, their life force. Should one succeed in doing so, the last standing becomes a being of purity and beauty known as Alice, and the other dolls become inanimate: losing their ability to move. This also means that the medium's link with the fallen doll is also cancelled. It seems like an ordinary game, but for Suigintou, the first antagonist, it's more than just a game, and it's personal when dealing with Shinku. Maybe, just maybe admist all the chaos, Jun will open up more...
The anime has two titles, one succeeding the other: Rozen Maiden, and Rozen Maiden: Traumend. Both titles were made in the Studio Nomad, licensed by Geneon Entertainment, and ran for 12 episodes each. A two-part title Rozen Maiden: Ouverture just got green-lit for US licensing, and took place between episodes 6 and 7 of Traumend, revealing insight on the creation and past of Suigintou, as well as reveal the source of her animosity towards Shinku. In addition a special 7 minute episode featuring Detective Kunkun, a character seen in a show the Rozen Maidens watch, foiling a gem heist, though unlike Ouverture, this was available only through a visual novel Rozen Maiden: Duellwalzer. Jun is voiced by Mona Marshall in English, while Shinku is voiced by Mela Lee. It is also noteworthy that Traumend has a different story, compared to the manga.
Rozen Maiden is up there in my book, though hasn't reached perfect status. Still, I guess a 9.6 of 10 is a great score for it.
Jun Sakurada is a hikikomori: a person who experiences acute socially withdrawal. Because of this, caused by being traumatized by an embarrassing situation, he refuses to go back to school. Because of this, he is known to make online orders for certain products, only to return them during the grace period. He turns skeptical when he receives a letter stating that he won a contest of some sort. Following the instructions provided, his "prize" was a realistic doll. After being wound up, it reveals itself to be Shinku. She is one of the Rozen Maiden series dolls, names after their creator, and Jun becomes her medium, using his life force to move freely and use magic.
Of course, it doesn't end with just this, as there are seven in all, Shinku being the fifth. With Jun as the medium, he and Shinku are participants in the Alice Game, in which one of the Rozen dolls defeat the other 6 and capture their Rosa Mystica, their life force. Should one succeed in doing so, the last standing becomes a being of purity and beauty known as Alice, and the other dolls become inanimate: losing their ability to move. This also means that the medium's link with the fallen doll is also cancelled. It seems like an ordinary game, but for Suigintou, the first antagonist, it's more than just a game, and it's personal when dealing with Shinku. Maybe, just maybe admist all the chaos, Jun will open up more...
The anime has two titles, one succeeding the other: Rozen Maiden, and Rozen Maiden: Traumend. Both titles were made in the Studio Nomad, licensed by Geneon Entertainment, and ran for 12 episodes each. A two-part title Rozen Maiden: Ouverture just got green-lit for US licensing, and took place between episodes 6 and 7 of Traumend, revealing insight on the creation and past of Suigintou, as well as reveal the source of her animosity towards Shinku. In addition a special 7 minute episode featuring Detective Kunkun, a character seen in a show the Rozen Maidens watch, foiling a gem heist, though unlike Ouverture, this was available only through a visual novel Rozen Maiden: Duellwalzer. Jun is voiced by Mona Marshall in English, while Shinku is voiced by Mela Lee. It is also noteworthy that Traumend has a different story, compared to the manga.
Rozen Maiden is up there in my book, though hasn't reached perfect status. Still, I guess a 9.6 of 10 is a great score for it.
CXVI: "Project A-ko"
This is a doozy of an anime. Project A-ko is an oldie, also short, but good. Some people have joked that the titular character is the possible result of Superman and Wonder Woman ever getting together. Of course, this title isn't related to DC Universe in the least.
A-ko, or Eiko Magami, is a girl with incredible superhuman strength and speed. She is seen with her childhood friend C-ko, or Shiiko Kotobuki, not too far behind. She tries to lead a normal life as a transfer student in Graviton High School, though this is kinda difficult with her abilities. Adding to her troubles is the popular girl, and daughter of an industrial tycoon: B-ko, or Biko Daitokuji. What also doesn't help are two individuals hunting down C-ko, one of them getting hurt accidentally as A-ko rushes to class. Among the sights, the troubles, and her constant fights with B-ko, A-ko has one heck of a new live in Graviton City.
The title originally started as a movie, which came to DVD release in the states. Released in 1986, Soeishinsha and Studio A.P.P.P. were the studios behind it. The movie, which ran for 84 minutes, would be succeeded by OVAs of the same name. This past May, a remastered version called Project A-Ko R1 was released by Eastern Star. Originally, Project A-ko was planned to be a hentai title under the Cream Lemon label, and the animation style is more or less reminiscent to it. At the last minute, it was decided that it would be a mainstream title instead. A-ko/Eiko is voiced by Stacey Gregg in the first movie, while every title onward would have Teryl Rothery as the voice of A-ko.
Project A-ko is indeed strange, and has it's surprising bundle of characters (watch and you'll get what I mean.) Still, it remains a classic even to this day, and gets a respectable 7.9 of 10.
A-ko, or Eiko Magami, is a girl with incredible superhuman strength and speed. She is seen with her childhood friend C-ko, or Shiiko Kotobuki, not too far behind. She tries to lead a normal life as a transfer student in Graviton High School, though this is kinda difficult with her abilities. Adding to her troubles is the popular girl, and daughter of an industrial tycoon: B-ko, or Biko Daitokuji. What also doesn't help are two individuals hunting down C-ko, one of them getting hurt accidentally as A-ko rushes to class. Among the sights, the troubles, and her constant fights with B-ko, A-ko has one heck of a new live in Graviton City.
The title originally started as a movie, which came to DVD release in the states. Released in 1986, Soeishinsha and Studio A.P.P.P. were the studios behind it. The movie, which ran for 84 minutes, would be succeeded by OVAs of the same name. This past May, a remastered version called Project A-Ko R1 was released by Eastern Star. Originally, Project A-ko was planned to be a hentai title under the Cream Lemon label, and the animation style is more or less reminiscent to it. At the last minute, it was decided that it would be a mainstream title instead. A-ko/Eiko is voiced by Stacey Gregg in the first movie, while every title onward would have Teryl Rothery as the voice of A-ko.
Project A-ko is indeed strange, and has it's surprising bundle of characters (watch and you'll get what I mean.) Still, it remains a classic even to this day, and gets a respectable 7.9 of 10.
2011/07/12
CXV: "Urusei Yatsura"
I mentioned this in my last post, and thought I covered this long ago in my first blog. Urusei Yatsura is a title made by Rumiko Takahashi, the same person who made Mermaid Forest, Inuyasha, and Ranma 1/2. This title is the first one she made, gaining the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1981, the same year it became animated.
Urusei Yatsura has a pretty silly beginning, as the alien race called Oni show up on Earth with the intention of invading it. The invasion concept isn't uncommon in media involving aliens, but the Oni gives humans a rather strange fighting chance: instead of by force, a competition is held similar to the game of tag, in which a human player grabs the horns of the Oni player, the time limit being a week. The human player chosen is Ataru Moroboshi, who is reluctant at first. This changes when he meets the Oni player Lum, who is the daughter of the leader behind this invasion. A typical high school student, Ataru is lecherous, and uses this trait as an advantage when he claims victory: stealing Lum's top to have her cover her modesty instead of the horns. The romantic comedy starts after a misinterpretation. Prior to the competition, Shinobu Miyake pledges maqrriage to him should he win. As he gets excited over this, she misunderstood it as a proposal to her, accepting it live on TV. From then on, Lum falls in love with Ataru, in spite of him constantly rejecting her.
As it is Takahashi's first work, the animation style is quite old, though it more or less stands as the foundation of the art style seen in her later works. The anime lasted for 195 episodes, licensed by AnimeEigo. It is said that this series would go out of print later this year. In addition, 11 OVAs and 6 theatrical films were also made. The origin behind this anime was Takahashi's Those Selfish Aliens, a wacky boy meets alien romantic comedy made in 1977. The manga series, created a year later, is pretty much played from this, containing similar concepts. This title is known in the US roughly translated as Those Obnoxious Aliens, similar to the work it was based from. Ataru has 3 different English voice actors: Michael Sinterniklaas in the TV anime, and Steve Rassin and Vinnie Penna for the movies. Lum has 4 voice actresses, as Martha Ellen Senseney voiced her in the TV anime, while Larissa Murray dubbed her in BBC Choice's Lum the Invader Girl (their dubbing of Urusei Yatsura), and Shannon Settlemyer and Roxanne Beck for the movies.
Urusei Yatsura is old, but still a goodie, getting 7.9 of 10.
Urusei Yatsura has a pretty silly beginning, as the alien race called Oni show up on Earth with the intention of invading it. The invasion concept isn't uncommon in media involving aliens, but the Oni gives humans a rather strange fighting chance: instead of by force, a competition is held similar to the game of tag, in which a human player grabs the horns of the Oni player, the time limit being a week. The human player chosen is Ataru Moroboshi, who is reluctant at first. This changes when he meets the Oni player Lum, who is the daughter of the leader behind this invasion. A typical high school student, Ataru is lecherous, and uses this trait as an advantage when he claims victory: stealing Lum's top to have her cover her modesty instead of the horns. The romantic comedy starts after a misinterpretation. Prior to the competition, Shinobu Miyake pledges maqrriage to him should he win. As he gets excited over this, she misunderstood it as a proposal to her, accepting it live on TV. From then on, Lum falls in love with Ataru, in spite of him constantly rejecting her.
As it is Takahashi's first work, the animation style is quite old, though it more or less stands as the foundation of the art style seen in her later works. The anime lasted for 195 episodes, licensed by AnimeEigo. It is said that this series would go out of print later this year. In addition, 11 OVAs and 6 theatrical films were also made. The origin behind this anime was Takahashi's Those Selfish Aliens, a wacky boy meets alien romantic comedy made in 1977. The manga series, created a year later, is pretty much played from this, containing similar concepts. This title is known in the US roughly translated as Those Obnoxious Aliens, similar to the work it was based from. Ataru has 3 different English voice actors: Michael Sinterniklaas in the TV anime, and Steve Rassin and Vinnie Penna for the movies. Lum has 4 voice actresses, as Martha Ellen Senseney voiced her in the TV anime, while Larissa Murray dubbed her in BBC Choice's Lum the Invader Girl (their dubbing of Urusei Yatsura), and Shannon Settlemyer and Roxanne Beck for the movies.
Urusei Yatsura is old, but still a goodie, getting 7.9 of 10.
CXIV: "Lolita Anime"
At first I hardly new what a Lolita was. Spending time with an anime club introduced me to what they were. Years later, it would surprise me that there would be a hentai under that name. And it's been around for a while too. The title bothers me, because it says Lolita Anime.
Where to begin with this one... this title had no solid plot, but had plenty of situations dealing with sex and the associated matters. However, I will point out that in this case, this hentai dealt with underage sex, referred to some now as lolicon. I'm only guessing this is how the term Lolita fits in this one, which is kinda scary, for that is also a name for a fashion style. From what I've heard, episode 3 is the more memorable of all 6, featuring characters in likeness to those such as Lum Invader of Urusei Yatsura, and Minky Momo of self-titled series Magical Princess Minky Momo.
Shocking as it is disturbing, it is the first hentai OVA ever made, dating back to 1984, created in the Wonder Kids studio. The OVA ran for 6 episodes, varying in time length. To add to this, Nikkatsu Video released a H anime under the same title the same year. This one lasted 3 episodes however, and was made to captialize off of Wonder Kids' work. Another way this statement is supported is that in the Nikkatsu version, the girl in the 3rd episode bears a passing resemblance to Miu, a girl seen in the 3rd episode in the Wonder Kids' version.
In terms of history, it gains my respect as one of the earlier hentai titles (both versions), but when I look at this, compared to some of those I've watched and reviewed up until now, I won't lie when I say that watching both kinda disgusted me. Much respect to them being legends, but I gotta call this a 4.5 of 10.
Where to begin with this one... this title had no solid plot, but had plenty of situations dealing with sex and the associated matters. However, I will point out that in this case, this hentai dealt with underage sex, referred to some now as lolicon. I'm only guessing this is how the term Lolita fits in this one, which is kinda scary, for that is also a name for a fashion style. From what I've heard, episode 3 is the more memorable of all 6, featuring characters in likeness to those such as Lum Invader of Urusei Yatsura, and Minky Momo of self-titled series Magical Princess Minky Momo.
Shocking as it is disturbing, it is the first hentai OVA ever made, dating back to 1984, created in the Wonder Kids studio. The OVA ran for 6 episodes, varying in time length. To add to this, Nikkatsu Video released a H anime under the same title the same year. This one lasted 3 episodes however, and was made to captialize off of Wonder Kids' work. Another way this statement is supported is that in the Nikkatsu version, the girl in the 3rd episode bears a passing resemblance to Miu, a girl seen in the 3rd episode in the Wonder Kids' version.
In terms of history, it gains my respect as one of the earlier hentai titles (both versions), but when I look at this, compared to some of those I've watched and reviewed up until now, I won't lie when I say that watching both kinda disgusted me. Much respect to them being legends, but I gotta call this a 4.5 of 10.
2011/07/11
CXIII: "Negima!: Magister Negi Magi" series.
It was thanks to this anime I even knew what a harem anime was. That, and this was the title responsible for me liking anime with unusual teachers. Negima!: Magister Negi Magi or Mahou Sensei Negima! is under Detective Conan as a personal favorite, and it's the one that introduced me to Ken Akamatsu's style. FYI: he's the guy I spoke about in the previous review of Love Hina.
Negi Springfield is a mage in training born from Wales, United Kingdom. As young as he is, he's is a skilled individual, and the son of the legendary Thousand Master: Nagi Springfield. As the final phase of his training, he is sent to Mahora Academy in Japan, sent there as a teacher. It sounds nerve-wrecking, but he isn't alone, as the dean and Takamichi Takahata, a personal friend, is there to help him. The thing is that Mahora Academy is an all female school overall. The class he is assigned to has 26 of them, one of which he gets a bitter start from early. In addition, he is not allowed to reveal his existence as a mage. A litle hectic for a 10 year-old boy, but he has to make it through somehow...
Negima! is another harem, and the key anime that got me interested in anime with unusual teachers. However, my only complaint is the anime continuity, but I'll address that a little later. The first anime, Mahou Sensei Negima!, ran for 26 episodes, 29 if you include 3 introduction OVAs set before the anime's release, though this was a Japan exclusive. Around this time, the manga of the series wasn't complete, which ended up with a huge contrast between this and the anime. Some things happens out of place, and to a certain extent, it follows what transpires in the manga up until a certain point. Another complaint, by others this time, was the animation itself. In Japan, there were errors seen in there such as one character having 6 fingers instead of 5. After the minor revisions, it came to the US under Funimation licensing. From the latter half of episode 22 onward, the series featured content that were original, as a way to draw the series to a close. As this was so, this content never appeared in the manga.
The second anime, Negima!?, was an alternate retelling, and not only emphasized more on the magical action the original has so little of, but also a radically different art style, courtesy of Studio Shaft. The palettes of the characters and the storyline aside, a key difference, which was seen in the OVAs as well, was that Asuna Kagurazaka, the heroine of the series, had blue eyes, where as in the original, one of her eyes were green. The anime also ran for 26 episodes, and some of the characters undergone voice changes. The anime's first few episodes, while retold in a different way, reenacts the battle between Negi and Evangeline. From then onwards, the plot, the enemies, and the key antagonist differ. Even though this focuses more on magical battles, comedy is involved, and adding to this is the original characters Shichimi and Motsu. Another noticeable difference is the ermine Chamo. Unlike in the original anime, he is less perverse and rarely smokes at all in Negima!?, while these were more prominent in the original anime. The anime had a 7 volume manga accompanied with it known as Negima!? Neo, and even that manga had a few differences from it's associated animation. This would be also licensed under Funimation.
Also made in Studio Shaft were two OVAs: the Spring (Haru) and Summer (Natsu) OVAs. One of the OVAs is depicted in the manga as a filler of sorts, featuring discord between Negi and Asuna. In the manga, the plot is similar, but how it got to such circumstances differ. Alongside this were two exclusive OAD series: Shiroki Tubasa Ala Alba and Mou Hitotsu no Sekai. Both of these were made under Shaft in cooperation with Studio Pastoral. Kotaro, a character seen in the manga, makes an animated appearance. And in the second OAD set, the series antagonist, Fate Averruncus, is seen as the major villain, though he initially appears in the 1st anime series. These were by far never licensed for English release. Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba had 3 episodes, while Mou Hitotsu no Sekai had 5 episodes.
Negi is voiced by Greg Ayres in both anime adaptions in English, and the same is true for Asuna and her voice actress: Luci Christian. In terms of opening, the seiyuus of class 2-A, Negi, Nekane Springfield, and Anya sung the opening, "Happy Material Go!" in different versions, and the ending, "Kagayaku Kimi e", was sung by 3 different seiyuu groups before the final version sung by the entire class at the end of the 1st anime. Likewise, the second anime went in that format as well, with "1000% Sparking" as the opening and "A-LY-LA!" as the ending. The latter anime also had another opening, "Eien no Toki o Koete", sung by the seiyuu of Ayaka midway into the anime, and another ending that was used in the first few episodes, "Starry Sky Letter", sung by Asuna's seiyuu. Both openings, as well as the endings, saw English versions when they were localized.
I know, this post took forever, but I felt I had much to point out. Still, the series overall gets 8.25 of 10, not far from Love Hina, and it remains a personal favorite.
Negi Springfield is a mage in training born from Wales, United Kingdom. As young as he is, he's is a skilled individual, and the son of the legendary Thousand Master: Nagi Springfield. As the final phase of his training, he is sent to Mahora Academy in Japan, sent there as a teacher. It sounds nerve-wrecking, but he isn't alone, as the dean and Takamichi Takahata, a personal friend, is there to help him. The thing is that Mahora Academy is an all female school overall. The class he is assigned to has 26 of them, one of which he gets a bitter start from early. In addition, he is not allowed to reveal his existence as a mage. A litle hectic for a 10 year-old boy, but he has to make it through somehow...
Negima! is another harem, and the key anime that got me interested in anime with unusual teachers. However, my only complaint is the anime continuity, but I'll address that a little later. The first anime, Mahou Sensei Negima!, ran for 26 episodes, 29 if you include 3 introduction OVAs set before the anime's release, though this was a Japan exclusive. Around this time, the manga of the series wasn't complete, which ended up with a huge contrast between this and the anime. Some things happens out of place, and to a certain extent, it follows what transpires in the manga up until a certain point. Another complaint, by others this time, was the animation itself. In Japan, there were errors seen in there such as one character having 6 fingers instead of 5. After the minor revisions, it came to the US under Funimation licensing. From the latter half of episode 22 onward, the series featured content that were original, as a way to draw the series to a close. As this was so, this content never appeared in the manga.
The second anime, Negima!?, was an alternate retelling, and not only emphasized more on the magical action the original has so little of, but also a radically different art style, courtesy of Studio Shaft. The palettes of the characters and the storyline aside, a key difference, which was seen in the OVAs as well, was that Asuna Kagurazaka, the heroine of the series, had blue eyes, where as in the original, one of her eyes were green. The anime also ran for 26 episodes, and some of the characters undergone voice changes. The anime's first few episodes, while retold in a different way, reenacts the battle between Negi and Evangeline. From then onwards, the plot, the enemies, and the key antagonist differ. Even though this focuses more on magical battles, comedy is involved, and adding to this is the original characters Shichimi and Motsu. Another noticeable difference is the ermine Chamo. Unlike in the original anime, he is less perverse and rarely smokes at all in Negima!?, while these were more prominent in the original anime. The anime had a 7 volume manga accompanied with it known as Negima!? Neo, and even that manga had a few differences from it's associated animation. This would be also licensed under Funimation.
Also made in Studio Shaft were two OVAs: the Spring (Haru) and Summer (Natsu) OVAs. One of the OVAs is depicted in the manga as a filler of sorts, featuring discord between Negi and Asuna. In the manga, the plot is similar, but how it got to such circumstances differ. Alongside this were two exclusive OAD series: Shiroki Tubasa Ala Alba and Mou Hitotsu no Sekai. Both of these were made under Shaft in cooperation with Studio Pastoral. Kotaro, a character seen in the manga, makes an animated appearance. And in the second OAD set, the series antagonist, Fate Averruncus, is seen as the major villain, though he initially appears in the 1st anime series. These were by far never licensed for English release. Shiroki Tsubasa Ala Alba had 3 episodes, while Mou Hitotsu no Sekai had 5 episodes.
Negi is voiced by Greg Ayres in both anime adaptions in English, and the same is true for Asuna and her voice actress: Luci Christian. In terms of opening, the seiyuus of class 2-A, Negi, Nekane Springfield, and Anya sung the opening, "Happy Material Go!" in different versions, and the ending, "Kagayaku Kimi e", was sung by 3 different seiyuu groups before the final version sung by the entire class at the end of the 1st anime. Likewise, the second anime went in that format as well, with "1000% Sparking" as the opening and "A-LY-LA!" as the ending. The latter anime also had another opening, "Eien no Toki o Koete", sung by the seiyuu of Ayaka midway into the anime, and another ending that was used in the first few episodes, "Starry Sky Letter", sung by Asuna's seiyuu. Both openings, as well as the endings, saw English versions when they were localized.
I know, this post took forever, but I felt I had much to point out. Still, the series overall gets 8.25 of 10, not far from Love Hina, and it remains a personal favorite.
2011/07/10
CXII: "Love Hina" titles
Oh, Ken Akamatsu. I never thought I would be a fan to his works, but as with most of these titles, they grew on me, Akamatsu's especially. One of his works was the series Love Hina, which I'm covering today.
Love Hina is a harem anime, if you didn't guess by the name alone, and the male character of interest is Keitaro Urashima. He is a student striving to attend Tokyo University, based on a promise he made to a girl years prior. Getting inside is hard enough... and even harder when you're actually flunking the exams, and Keitaro has done so twice already! Just when he is about to get the boot, his grandmother Hinata calls for him to go to Hina Inn, which is owned by her, and ironically near the very university he seeks to go to. Unfortunately, he learns first hand (through misunderstanding) that the dorm is female-only, making him the only male around. As if it was hard enough just trying to get inside Tokyo-U, but thanks to the bustling news from his aunt Haruka, Keitaro is also the dorm's landlord! He has one hell of a job on his hands...
Love Hina ran for 25 episodes and 5 OVAs, three of which known as Love Hina Again, the final piece of the anime overall. through complications, it was difficult for the now inactive ADV to license this, though Bandai managed to do so for North America. When that expired, Funimation took over licensing of the anime. A common gag is Keitaro being knocked into the air, if not into buildings and other structures. Normally, the key female lead Naru Narusegawa is doing the damage, but the other girls and elements play a hand in his torture as well. Thankfully, he's not the only male character, but he is the key character we usually focus on in the anime, more or less. Keitaro is voiced in English by Derek Stephen Prince, while Naru is voiced by Dorothy Elias-Fahn.
Love Hina, in general, was something I didn't expect to like, and it surely wasn't this title that introduced me to him, but this is the title that had me ultimately become a fan. I'm grading this an 8.1.
Love Hina is a harem anime, if you didn't guess by the name alone, and the male character of interest is Keitaro Urashima. He is a student striving to attend Tokyo University, based on a promise he made to a girl years prior. Getting inside is hard enough... and even harder when you're actually flunking the exams, and Keitaro has done so twice already! Just when he is about to get the boot, his grandmother Hinata calls for him to go to Hina Inn, which is owned by her, and ironically near the very university he seeks to go to. Unfortunately, he learns first hand (through misunderstanding) that the dorm is female-only, making him the only male around. As if it was hard enough just trying to get inside Tokyo-U, but thanks to the bustling news from his aunt Haruka, Keitaro is also the dorm's landlord! He has one hell of a job on his hands...
Love Hina ran for 25 episodes and 5 OVAs, three of which known as Love Hina Again, the final piece of the anime overall. through complications, it was difficult for the now inactive ADV to license this, though Bandai managed to do so for North America. When that expired, Funimation took over licensing of the anime. A common gag is Keitaro being knocked into the air, if not into buildings and other structures. Normally, the key female lead Naru Narusegawa is doing the damage, but the other girls and elements play a hand in his torture as well. Thankfully, he's not the only male character, but he is the key character we usually focus on in the anime, more or less. Keitaro is voiced in English by Derek Stephen Prince, while Naru is voiced by Dorothy Elias-Fahn.
Love Hina, in general, was something I didn't expect to like, and it surely wasn't this title that introduced me to him, but this is the title that had me ultimately become a fan. I'm grading this an 8.1.
2011/07/07
CXI: "Ruroni Kenshin / Samurai X"
There are titles that pertain to, or somewhat reference, days of old day Japan. To name a few, there's Inuyasha, Ronin Warriors, Basilisk, and Ruroni Kenshin. The latter title is what I'll be covering today, though it is also known as Samurai X.
Ruroni Kenshin's protagonist, lead and titular character is Kenshin Himura, a wanderer traveling with a unique sword: it's a blade that doesn't kill, as his sharp end is on the opposing side, making the sword unable to even cut, let alone slice. There is more to this weirdness than just his blade: his past life was that of the infamous assassin Hitokiri Battosai, participant in the Bakumatsu war. To atone for his sins, he becomes a wanderer with an entirely different demeanor than the days of old, offering protection and aid to those around him. However, his fame brought two kinds of people: those that abuse the name Battosai, and those who want him dead. Even if he seeks to be a pacifist, Kenshin must raise his blade once more if he wants no harm to come to his new friends.
Licensed by Viz Media, the anime ran for 95 episodes, a moderately long TV series, accompanied with the anime film Samurai X, and 2 OVAs of the same title. The anime and the OVAs were wonderful, but there were some criticism, even from the man behind it himself, about the ending to it overall. Again, another conclusion that did not meet my fancy. The first 65 episodes were made under Studio Gallap, while the rest were made under Studio Deen. As Samurai X, it was licensed by Sony Entertainment for the UK, while in the US, the TV anime went by Ruroni Kenshin, licensed by AnimeWorks. Richard Cansino (credited as Richard Hayworth) voices Kenshin in the anime, while his OVA voice is done by J. Shanon Weaver.
This anime is perhaps the one that got me interested in swords, giving me an idea for my current story back then. Ruroni Kenshin is definitely good (save for the overall conclusion), and scores an 8.6 of 10.
Ruroni Kenshin's protagonist, lead and titular character is Kenshin Himura, a wanderer traveling with a unique sword: it's a blade that doesn't kill, as his sharp end is on the opposing side, making the sword unable to even cut, let alone slice. There is more to this weirdness than just his blade: his past life was that of the infamous assassin Hitokiri Battosai, participant in the Bakumatsu war. To atone for his sins, he becomes a wanderer with an entirely different demeanor than the days of old, offering protection and aid to those around him. However, his fame brought two kinds of people: those that abuse the name Battosai, and those who want him dead. Even if he seeks to be a pacifist, Kenshin must raise his blade once more if he wants no harm to come to his new friends.
Licensed by Viz Media, the anime ran for 95 episodes, a moderately long TV series, accompanied with the anime film Samurai X, and 2 OVAs of the same title. The anime and the OVAs were wonderful, but there were some criticism, even from the man behind it himself, about the ending to it overall. Again, another conclusion that did not meet my fancy. The first 65 episodes were made under Studio Gallap, while the rest were made under Studio Deen. As Samurai X, it was licensed by Sony Entertainment for the UK, while in the US, the TV anime went by Ruroni Kenshin, licensed by AnimeWorks. Richard Cansino (credited as Richard Hayworth) voices Kenshin in the anime, while his OVA voice is done by J. Shanon Weaver.
This anime is perhaps the one that got me interested in swords, giving me an idea for my current story back then. Ruroni Kenshin is definitely good (save for the overall conclusion), and scores an 8.6 of 10.
CX: "Super GALS!"
Heaven forbid to reason how I came across this title, or why I even watched it from start to finish. I won't say it's under the same belt as Fancy Lala, but I came across another title not meant for me... and found myself watching it from the beginning to the end. Part of the GALS! series, the anime adaption, Super GALS!, was another anime coming out of left field to me.
Super GALS! mainly deals with the kogal (in sort, a high school gal) subculture in Japan, and the anime follows mainly behind the self-proclaimed world's greatest gal, Ran Kotobuki of Shibuya. The only thing that can contradict this, as well as her dreams, is coming from a family of police officers, which is initially shown by her parents and older brother. Though she does inherit the spirit and justice of her family, she has her own aspirations, mainly to live out the rest of her life under the gal lifestyle. The series doesn't always showcase her point of view, but whenever it is, her friends Miyu Yamazaki and Aya Hoshino aren't too far behind. The series mainly deals with her lifestyle, love interests that arises, and any conflicts that happen to come up, whether it comes from out of the blue, or the past...
The anime ran for 2 seasons worth, showing 52 episodes. Sometimes, there are little segments that shows the definition of certain terms, and this isn't the only anime to do so. There are some things in this lifestyle, such as enjo kosai or compensated dating (that some would ultimately tie to prostitution) that Americans would find offensive, so despite how lighthearted it may appear, it was given a 15+ rating by ADV, who initially licensed the 1st season. The second season was licensed by The Right Stuf International, and the anime entirely was made in Studio Pierrot. Ran is voiced by Luci Christian, Miyu is voiced by Kira Vincent-Davis, and Aya is voiced by Kim Prause.
Still, no idea how I manage to watch it without puking, but I didn't find it that bad. Super GALS!, as weird as it is for me to say, get's a pretty decent grade, a 7.1 of 10.
Super GALS! mainly deals with the kogal (in sort, a high school gal) subculture in Japan, and the anime follows mainly behind the self-proclaimed world's greatest gal, Ran Kotobuki of Shibuya. The only thing that can contradict this, as well as her dreams, is coming from a family of police officers, which is initially shown by her parents and older brother. Though she does inherit the spirit and justice of her family, she has her own aspirations, mainly to live out the rest of her life under the gal lifestyle. The series doesn't always showcase her point of view, but whenever it is, her friends Miyu Yamazaki and Aya Hoshino aren't too far behind. The series mainly deals with her lifestyle, love interests that arises, and any conflicts that happen to come up, whether it comes from out of the blue, or the past...
The anime ran for 2 seasons worth, showing 52 episodes. Sometimes, there are little segments that shows the definition of certain terms, and this isn't the only anime to do so. There are some things in this lifestyle, such as enjo kosai or compensated dating (that some would ultimately tie to prostitution) that Americans would find offensive, so despite how lighthearted it may appear, it was given a 15+ rating by ADV, who initially licensed the 1st season. The second season was licensed by The Right Stuf International, and the anime entirely was made in Studio Pierrot. Ran is voiced by Luci Christian, Miyu is voiced by Kira Vincent-Davis, and Aya is voiced by Kim Prause.
Still, no idea how I manage to watch it without puking, but I didn't find it that bad. Super GALS!, as weird as it is for me to say, get's a pretty decent grade, a 7.1 of 10.
CIX: "D.N.Angel"
I've seen a lot of titles at this point, from the most sugary like Fancy Lala, to the more intense such as Akira. This next title is an anime known as D.N.Angel, and before I go into it, it mostly doesn't have anything to do with the genetic code, unlike DNA², which I covered a few entries back.
D.N.Angel's character of interest is Daisuke Niwa, a a normal 14 year old boy whose name oddly matches to the initials in the title, making him the titular character somewhat. As the anime opens, he confesses his love for Risa Harada, only to be rejected. Following this is a strange transformation he undergoes, part of which is thanks to his broken heart. It is later revealed by his mother Emiko that, as with the males before him, he gained a genetic trait: he harbors a coutenance, or another being, in side of him. This being is known as Dark Mousy, a phantom thief. Not helping matters is that not only does Risa have feelings for Dark, but Dark has his own feelings set towards her tomboyish sister, Riku, who's in confliction about her own feelings for a certain someone. Oddly enough, there is Satoshi Hiwatari, who serves as both Daiskue's friend and the antagonist, as he suffers a curse of his own. While Daisuke and Satoshi are friends with one another (due in part to their similar troubles), Dark and Satoshi's alter-ego, Krad, detest one another. How their frinedship is maintained with this, I will never understand. To return to normality, Daisuke must have his unrequited feelings returned. And with him raiding items as Dark while trying to avoid the police, and even going through conflicts with Krad, he has his work cut out for him...
The anime is 26 episodes long, launching initially in 2003. Another title formerly licensed for US release by ADV, Discotek picked the title up after the aforementioned company went defunct. Kevin Corn voices Daisuke in the English dubbing, while Vic Mignogna (popularly known as Edward Elrich of the Fullmetal Alchemist titles) voices Dark. I won't say I fell in love with it, but at the time, this anime was kinda special to me.
While not the kind of special that I'm referring to, this series has a really unique love chain of sorts, adding to which is Satoshi's, which possibly hints yaoi. This is not addressed in any form in the manga, from what I hear. On the contrary, in the anime, this is hinted many times, if not made apparent. Granted that such feelings for someone (like Daisuke's for Risa) brings out the curse's form, that possibility looms throughout the anime, notably when told by Dark that Daiskue brings Krad out of Satoshi. What interested me was that the whole deal of light and dark were not only on opposite sides, but opposing natures as well. Normally, it's the other way around of sorts, but Dark has a brotherly bond with Daisuke as his host: though they tend to bicker a lot, Dark has shown to take care of his host, as to not cause any harm to the body. This is saying a lot compared to the relationship between Krad and Satoshi. For a being of light, Krad is more sadistic and homicidal, not caring for his host's well being, though he acknowledges that Satoshi is the tamer. This marks the first anime I've seen where something usually loathed turns out to be the protagonist.
In any case, D.N.Angel is kinda on the soft side, even with the action scenes it contains. No matter how many times I look at it, the anime still comes across as that of an romantic drama, not that it bothers me in the least. I grade this a 7.6 of 10.
D.N.Angel's character of interest is Daisuke Niwa, a a normal 14 year old boy whose name oddly matches to the initials in the title, making him the titular character somewhat. As the anime opens, he confesses his love for Risa Harada, only to be rejected. Following this is a strange transformation he undergoes, part of which is thanks to his broken heart. It is later revealed by his mother Emiko that, as with the males before him, he gained a genetic trait: he harbors a coutenance, or another being, in side of him. This being is known as Dark Mousy, a phantom thief. Not helping matters is that not only does Risa have feelings for Dark, but Dark has his own feelings set towards her tomboyish sister, Riku, who's in confliction about her own feelings for a certain someone. Oddly enough, there is Satoshi Hiwatari, who serves as both Daiskue's friend and the antagonist, as he suffers a curse of his own. While Daisuke and Satoshi are friends with one another (due in part to their similar troubles), Dark and Satoshi's alter-ego, Krad, detest one another. How their frinedship is maintained with this, I will never understand. To return to normality, Daisuke must have his unrequited feelings returned. And with him raiding items as Dark while trying to avoid the police, and even going through conflicts with Krad, he has his work cut out for him...
The anime is 26 episodes long, launching initially in 2003. Another title formerly licensed for US release by ADV, Discotek picked the title up after the aforementioned company went defunct. Kevin Corn voices Daisuke in the English dubbing, while Vic Mignogna (popularly known as Edward Elrich of the Fullmetal Alchemist titles) voices Dark. I won't say I fell in love with it, but at the time, this anime was kinda special to me.
While not the kind of special that I'm referring to, this series has a really unique love chain of sorts, adding to which is Satoshi's, which possibly hints yaoi. This is not addressed in any form in the manga, from what I hear. On the contrary, in the anime, this is hinted many times, if not made apparent. Granted that such feelings for someone (like Daisuke's for Risa) brings out the curse's form, that possibility looms throughout the anime, notably when told by Dark that Daiskue brings Krad out of Satoshi. What interested me was that the whole deal of light and dark were not only on opposite sides, but opposing natures as well. Normally, it's the other way around of sorts, but Dark has a brotherly bond with Daisuke as his host: though they tend to bicker a lot, Dark has shown to take care of his host, as to not cause any harm to the body. This is saying a lot compared to the relationship between Krad and Satoshi. For a being of light, Krad is more sadistic and homicidal, not caring for his host's well being, though he acknowledges that Satoshi is the tamer. This marks the first anime I've seen where something usually loathed turns out to be the protagonist.
In any case, D.N.Angel is kinda on the soft side, even with the action scenes it contains. No matter how many times I look at it, the anime still comes across as that of an romantic drama, not that it bothers me in the least. I grade this a 7.6 of 10.
2011/07/03
CVIII: "Detective Conan/Case Closed"
The series is still ongoing, but ever since episode 1, Detective Conan, known in the US as Case Closed, remains a personal favorite of mine. Compared to the amount of episodes in this series, only 100+ was seen here, so I guess you can call it an anime that seems to be endless, much like One Piece. However, this particular anime I wouldn't mind having around for a while.
The anime follows a 17 year-old student Shinichi Kudo (Jimmy Kudo in the dub), who is not only a fanatic when it comes to mysteries, but is also gifted with abilities of a soccer player. Unfortunately, during a date with his childhood sweetheart Ran Mouri (Rachel Moore), he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. After he solves one murder, he witnesses an illegal transaction. He's caught off guard when one of the men struck him down from behind. Intending to kill him, they feed him an experimental drug. While the outcome isn't fatal, Shinichi learns that something did happen: his body regressed. Visiting his friend Dr. Agasa, he tells him what happened, only to be warned that none of it was to be revealed to anyone. When Ran suddenly shows up, he assumes the identity of the titular child detective: Conan Edogawa. As he lives with and assists from behind a bumbling Koguro Mouri (Richard Moore), who is Ran's father and a detective, he has to find leads tying to the Black Organization, the people responsible for his regression. He must try to gain his body soon, lest the members find out that he is still alive, which will spell the end for not only him, but for Ran as well!
Detective Conan ran for 20 seasons and it's still ongoing, exceeding over 600 episodes in the TV anime alone. Some episodes were compiled in the original showing, breaking up into different episodes in the Funimation dub, who licensed the series as Case Closed. In America, 104 episodes were initially licensed, with 50 being shown on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. This would get pulled later due to low ratings. It also shown on Funimation Channel, as well as Colours TV, who was their affiliate at the time. Even with the anime no longer showing, 130 episodes totaled were licensed to date, counting 5 seasons. There were even special episodes and movies, among which a crossover titled Lupin the 3rd vs Detective Conan, where the young detective and co. cross paths with the crew of the famous titular theif: Donkey Punch's Lupin the 3rd. Jerry Jewell (the voice of Kyo Sohma of Fruits Basket) powers the voice of Shinichi/Jimmy in the English dubbing, while his younger self, Conan, is voiced by Alison Viktorin (who voices both Fuuka and Fumika Narutaki of Mahou Sensei Negima!)
Detective Conan seems basic at first, but I got into it, and got really absorbed into it later. Another hands down, flawless 10 of 10 in my books. This series will be retained as a personal keepsake.
The anime follows a 17 year-old student Shinichi Kudo (Jimmy Kudo in the dub), who is not only a fanatic when it comes to mysteries, but is also gifted with abilities of a soccer player. Unfortunately, during a date with his childhood sweetheart Ran Mouri (Rachel Moore), he finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. After he solves one murder, he witnesses an illegal transaction. He's caught off guard when one of the men struck him down from behind. Intending to kill him, they feed him an experimental drug. While the outcome isn't fatal, Shinichi learns that something did happen: his body regressed. Visiting his friend Dr. Agasa, he tells him what happened, only to be warned that none of it was to be revealed to anyone. When Ran suddenly shows up, he assumes the identity of the titular child detective: Conan Edogawa. As he lives with and assists from behind a bumbling Koguro Mouri (Richard Moore), who is Ran's father and a detective, he has to find leads tying to the Black Organization, the people responsible for his regression. He must try to gain his body soon, lest the members find out that he is still alive, which will spell the end for not only him, but for Ran as well!
Detective Conan ran for 20 seasons and it's still ongoing, exceeding over 600 episodes in the TV anime alone. Some episodes were compiled in the original showing, breaking up into different episodes in the Funimation dub, who licensed the series as Case Closed. In America, 104 episodes were initially licensed, with 50 being shown on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. This would get pulled later due to low ratings. It also shown on Funimation Channel, as well as Colours TV, who was their affiliate at the time. Even with the anime no longer showing, 130 episodes totaled were licensed to date, counting 5 seasons. There were even special episodes and movies, among which a crossover titled Lupin the 3rd vs Detective Conan, where the young detective and co. cross paths with the crew of the famous titular theif: Donkey Punch's Lupin the 3rd. Jerry Jewell (the voice of Kyo Sohma of Fruits Basket) powers the voice of Shinichi/Jimmy in the English dubbing, while his younger self, Conan, is voiced by Alison Viktorin (who voices both Fuuka and Fumika Narutaki of Mahou Sensei Negima!)
Detective Conan seems basic at first, but I got into it, and got really absorbed into it later. Another hands down, flawless 10 of 10 in my books. This series will be retained as a personal keepsake.
CVII: "Angel Blade" series
Another hentai from the Vanilla series, Angel Blade used to be the trigger to my nightmares. Looking back at it now, it's not as creepy anymore.
In the future, Earth's city is no longer suitable for habitation by humans, thanks to mass pollution. Humans live in 99 cities above the smog. however, there are still residence on the polluted planet, though they are mutants at this point. From out of nowhere, a castle appears from the smog looming over City 69, ruled by the organization Dark Mother. They commit devious machinations by hunting down and raping women. Amidst all the chaos, a magical heroine, Angel Blade, fights as the hope for the cities' inhabitants.
The hentai parodies other magical girl themed anime, such as Cutie Honey. There are 3 episodes for the original Angel Blade, and 3 more in the sequel Angel Blade Punish! Both are directed by Masami Obari, though the original is licensed for US by Anime 18, while Punish! was by Kitty Media. There is an English cast, though it is also subbed.
Angel Blade isn't meant for minors, and you best not have a faint heart if you plan to watch it. I grade it a 7.2 of 10, seeing it as one of Vanilla's better titles.
In the future, Earth's city is no longer suitable for habitation by humans, thanks to mass pollution. Humans live in 99 cities above the smog. however, there are still residence on the polluted planet, though they are mutants at this point. From out of nowhere, a castle appears from the smog looming over City 69, ruled by the organization Dark Mother. They commit devious machinations by hunting down and raping women. Amidst all the chaos, a magical heroine, Angel Blade, fights as the hope for the cities' inhabitants.
The hentai parodies other magical girl themed anime, such as Cutie Honey. There are 3 episodes for the original Angel Blade, and 3 more in the sequel Angel Blade Punish! Both are directed by Masami Obari, though the original is licensed for US by Anime 18, while Punish! was by Kitty Media. There is an English cast, though it is also subbed.
Angel Blade isn't meant for minors, and you best not have a faint heart if you plan to watch it. I grade it a 7.2 of 10, seeing it as one of Vanilla's better titles.
CVI: "Anyone You Can Do... I Can Do Better"
Here we go again, the first H-review for the month covering Anyone You Can Do... I Can Do Better. I'm assuming that the title is kind of an indirect and inadvertent pun on the classic song from the broadway feature Annie Get Your Gun.
As typical of most hentai, if there was a plot behind it, it isn't much of one. This one is kinda lacking in that department. Anyway, the male lead is Yusuke Mizuhara, who is asked by the well endowed Reina Toyohara to tutor her. Staring at her bosoms, he agrees to do so with a motive of his own. Adding more to this is her mother Mitsuki, more well endowed than her own daughter (according to the OAV and reviews, a FFF cup... wtf!?) As he's having his fun with both of them, it causes a bit of a discord between the two for his affection. We can all guess what happens next, right?
The OAVs, which is a small part of the Vanilla Hentai series, is only 2 episodes, and it's been made for English release, complete with distributor and voices. The episodes run for roughly 30 minutes each, and as it is a hentai, not meant for minors. From what I've seen, there is no censoring, and the only sex scenes it has deals with either one of the two women. There is another male, but his part doesn't seem that major. While I saw it in Japanese subtitle, there is indeed an English cast.
I frankly didn't find it all that impressive, though like some televised anime done by Gonzo, they went overboard as far as the boob size. Still, I'll grade it a 6.7 of 10.
As typical of most hentai, if there was a plot behind it, it isn't much of one. This one is kinda lacking in that department. Anyway, the male lead is Yusuke Mizuhara, who is asked by the well endowed Reina Toyohara to tutor her. Staring at her bosoms, he agrees to do so with a motive of his own. Adding more to this is her mother Mitsuki, more well endowed than her own daughter (according to the OAV and reviews, a FFF cup... wtf!?) As he's having his fun with both of them, it causes a bit of a discord between the two for his affection. We can all guess what happens next, right?
The OAVs, which is a small part of the Vanilla Hentai series, is only 2 episodes, and it's been made for English release, complete with distributor and voices. The episodes run for roughly 30 minutes each, and as it is a hentai, not meant for minors. From what I've seen, there is no censoring, and the only sex scenes it has deals with either one of the two women. There is another male, but his part doesn't seem that major. While I saw it in Japanese subtitle, there is indeed an English cast.
I frankly didn't find it all that impressive, though like some televised anime done by Gonzo, they went overboard as far as the boob size. Still, I'll grade it a 6.7 of 10.
2011/07/01
CV: "Haruhi Suzumiya" series
Finally cleared this series after a while of hearing about it. The name Haruhi Suzumiya is the name of the series in general, containing 2 TV anime, net animations, manga, novels, games and an animated film.
The titular character is indeed Haruhi, though narration, as well as the other major character focused on, goes by the name Kyon (keep in mind that this is only a nickname heard throughout the anime, his real name is never truly revealed.) He lived a normal life, who isn't a believer in things nonexistent (such as Santa Claus.) In a sense, his normal life guadually turned into that of the strange upon meeting Haruhi Suzumiya, who seemed at the time quite eccentric. Loathful towards normal people, she calls out for aliens, time travelers and espers, making a rather awkward introduction. Fed up with the people she deals with, as well as the clubs she joins (and abruptly leaves), she forms her own club after conversatinjg with Kyon (who's forced to help.) After finding members Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina, and later Itsuki Koizumi, her new club is formed: the SOS Brigade.
However, there's more to Haruhi's nature, as well as the identities of Yuki, Mikuru, and Koizumi, than Kyon realizes. Conversating with them in that order, he learns of the existence of aliens, time travelers and espers (respectively), as well as the power Haruhi unknowingly possesses, and ultimately how he is linked to her, despite being an ordinary human. Through may bizarre, and sometimes life-threatening situations, Kyon reluctantly accepts that Haruhi holds the worlds fate in her hands, and Kyon is the only one preventing the worst-possible outcome.
Originally, the anime ran for 14 episodes released in 2006, licensed by Bandai Entertainment for the US, under the name The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The episode order was set chronologically, or known as the Haruhi Order, but there were 2 different orders as well, called the Kyon Order (or nonlinear), and the DVD Order (the way the episodes were packaged in the DVD.) After finding this out, I called it an anime that couldn't make up its mind. However, 14 more episodes were made, called The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya S2, or Season 2, came out 3 years later and licensed by Bandai again. With 14 more added, the anime was 28 episodes long, and the true chronological order was finally set. Coincidentally, all 28 episodes were re-aired in 2009, and since S2 episodes had no previews, at the end, all the re-aired episodes were of DVD quality, which contained extra footage unseen in the original broadcast. The S2 episodes were mixed in with the original, or Season 1 (S1) episodes.
A few of the episodes referenced other media, one such instance taking after the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney game series. Aya Hirano is the singer behind the anime's 1st and 2nd opening, and Hirano, along with co-stars Minori Chihara and Yuko Goto sung both ending themes, with Goto singing The Mikuru Lengend of Love as the opening to "Episode 00" (the 25th episode in the 2009 re-airing. Hirano voices Haruhi, as well as Konata Izumi of Lucky☆Star. English wise, the roles are the same in the case of Wendee Lee for both anime. Crispin Freeman voices Kyon (who does others like Zero of Cosmic Warrior Zero), Michelle Ruff voices Yuki (known as Bleach's Rukia Kuchiki), Stephanie Sheh voices Mikuru (Akira Kogami of Lucky☆Star), and Koizumi is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, another known name who voiced Ichigo Kurosaki (also from Bleach.) The anime in general was extremely popular. To help promote the English Dubbed S2 episodes in 2010, a new set of videos were made, with Cristnia Velenzuela (or Cristina Vee, who will voice Alisa Bosconovitch in the film Tekken: Blood Vengeance) to fill the role of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Season 2 wasn't as well received as Season 1, but the anime in its entirety was successful. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya gains an 8.9 of 10. I didn't think it would do so well, but I see now why the series is as popular as it is.
The titular character is indeed Haruhi, though narration, as well as the other major character focused on, goes by the name Kyon (keep in mind that this is only a nickname heard throughout the anime, his real name is never truly revealed.) He lived a normal life, who isn't a believer in things nonexistent (such as Santa Claus.) In a sense, his normal life guadually turned into that of the strange upon meeting Haruhi Suzumiya, who seemed at the time quite eccentric. Loathful towards normal people, she calls out for aliens, time travelers and espers, making a rather awkward introduction. Fed up with the people she deals with, as well as the clubs she joins (and abruptly leaves), she forms her own club after conversatinjg with Kyon (who's forced to help.) After finding members Yuki Nagato, Mikuru Asahina, and later Itsuki Koizumi, her new club is formed: the SOS Brigade.
However, there's more to Haruhi's nature, as well as the identities of Yuki, Mikuru, and Koizumi, than Kyon realizes. Conversating with them in that order, he learns of the existence of aliens, time travelers and espers (respectively), as well as the power Haruhi unknowingly possesses, and ultimately how he is linked to her, despite being an ordinary human. Through may bizarre, and sometimes life-threatening situations, Kyon reluctantly accepts that Haruhi holds the worlds fate in her hands, and Kyon is the only one preventing the worst-possible outcome.
Originally, the anime ran for 14 episodes released in 2006, licensed by Bandai Entertainment for the US, under the name The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The episode order was set chronologically, or known as the Haruhi Order, but there were 2 different orders as well, called the Kyon Order (or nonlinear), and the DVD Order (the way the episodes were packaged in the DVD.) After finding this out, I called it an anime that couldn't make up its mind. However, 14 more episodes were made, called The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya S2, or Season 2, came out 3 years later and licensed by Bandai again. With 14 more added, the anime was 28 episodes long, and the true chronological order was finally set. Coincidentally, all 28 episodes were re-aired in 2009, and since S2 episodes had no previews, at the end, all the re-aired episodes were of DVD quality, which contained extra footage unseen in the original broadcast. The S2 episodes were mixed in with the original, or Season 1 (S1) episodes.
A few of the episodes referenced other media, one such instance taking after the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney game series. Aya Hirano is the singer behind the anime's 1st and 2nd opening, and Hirano, along with co-stars Minori Chihara and Yuko Goto sung both ending themes, with Goto singing The Mikuru Lengend of Love as the opening to "Episode 00" (the 25th episode in the 2009 re-airing. Hirano voices Haruhi, as well as Konata Izumi of Lucky☆Star. English wise, the roles are the same in the case of Wendee Lee for both anime. Crispin Freeman voices Kyon (who does others like Zero of Cosmic Warrior Zero), Michelle Ruff voices Yuki (known as Bleach's Rukia Kuchiki), Stephanie Sheh voices Mikuru (Akira Kogami of Lucky☆Star), and Koizumi is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, another known name who voiced Ichigo Kurosaki (also from Bleach.) The anime in general was extremely popular. To help promote the English Dubbed S2 episodes in 2010, a new set of videos were made, with Cristnia Velenzuela (or Cristina Vee, who will voice Alisa Bosconovitch in the film Tekken: Blood Vengeance) to fill the role of Haruhi Suzumiya.
Season 2 wasn't as well received as Season 1, but the anime in its entirety was successful. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya gains an 8.9 of 10. I didn't think it would do so well, but I see now why the series is as popular as it is.
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