Another one that qualifies as one of the shortest anime out there to date, FLCL, or Fooly Cooly, is a sleeper that was surprisingly eyecatching. A comedy dealing with a kid acting too mature for his own age, a space pirate that rides a Vespa scooter, and a robot praised as some form of God... this anime was surreal, but worth the buzz.
FLCL revolves around Naota Nandaba, who acts all nonchalant and mature, despite being only 12 years old. His mundane life in Masabe comes to a halt when a woman riding a yellow Vespa scooter runs him over, on top of performing CPR and hitting him AGAIN with a vintage guitar. Nicknamed the Vespa Woman, Haruhara Haruko is a space pirate, who decides to move in as their house maid. Though typical of space pirates, she has another motive, for she seeks Atomsk. To fulfill her duty, she uses Naota in a bizarre way: despite having a small head, he has this uncanny trait of having anything pulled from it, be it a guitar, a robot, or whatever it may be. His seemingly uninteresting life will be taken for a ride.
Again, a short anime, this one lasts only 6 episodes, and was shown on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. Funimation licensed this rather brief anime series for the US, and generally, the music score of the series is pretty much centered on rock from start to finish (not that I have anything against it, it's kinda pleasing to hear, imo.) Every episode seems to have a certain mechanical menace emerging, with Naota serving as a portal for them to come through. Aside from this, there are random scenes involved as well, some of which taking a comic element. Much like Evangelion, FLCL was done in part with Star Child Records, and was made in the studios of Gainax and Production I.G., both of which having a hand in Neon Genesis Evangelion as well: Gainax behind the series, and Production I.G. with the film Evangelion: Death and Rebirth. Naota is voiced by Barbara Goodson, and Haruko is voiced by Kari Wahlgren in the dub.
FLCL is, like I said before, one of the shortest series around, but entertaining nonetheless. I say a solid 7 of 10 in my book goes to this title.
2011/09/27
2011/09/22
CLIX: "MM!"
Okay, I'm at a loss here. You remember like many posts back, I literally degraded Colorful in post XII (12)? Turns out there's another anime of the sort, though this doesn't resort to perverted vignettes. No, in a sense, the anime MM! is beyond perverted than that.
For what I can gather, Taro Sado is a masochist (yeah, didn't expect this coming so soon, did ya?) Tagging alongside his male buddy Tatsukichi Hayama, he attends high school as normal when something interesting happens. For the first time, he actually falls in love with a girl... well someone cross-dressed as a girl. However, to properly confess to "her", he must find a way to be cured of his masochism. To this end, he is told to go, by his friend, to the Second Volunteering Club for help. He meets the self-proclaimed God, Mio Isurugi and the distant Arashiko Yuno. From there the hilarity (or catastrophe, pending on how you see things) ensues...
Let me just say that as an anime blogger, if I had seen this title back when I started, this would have made me quit anime. That said, compared to other perverted anime and hentai, I have to say that an animation dealing with a masochist is a first for me. MM! is a short one, lasting only 12 episodes, and it was made in studio AT-X, licensed by Sentai Filmworks for US, but it is subbed only. This title was made just last year, finished before 2011, yet the manga, which has been active since 2008, is still ongoing. As far as anime type, it seems to be your typical romantic comedy and harem, plus ecchi, so fanservice is probably here-and-there in the anime. Though saying this now would mean nothing, but this one isn't meant for young viewers to see, unless you like comical situations involving Taro's fetish, among other things. To add, this title references other anime as well, some of which are dead giveaways.
I almost wanted to drag this down grade-wise as far as I did Colorful, but the air about it feels different from the other that I can't bring myself to do it. Even so, it's a title that didn't entertain me very much. I'm guessing a 5.9 of 10 should settle for MM!
For what I can gather, Taro Sado is a masochist (yeah, didn't expect this coming so soon, did ya?) Tagging alongside his male buddy Tatsukichi Hayama, he attends high school as normal when something interesting happens. For the first time, he actually falls in love with a girl... well someone cross-dressed as a girl. However, to properly confess to "her", he must find a way to be cured of his masochism. To this end, he is told to go, by his friend, to the Second Volunteering Club for help. He meets the self-proclaimed God, Mio Isurugi and the distant Arashiko Yuno. From there the hilarity (or catastrophe, pending on how you see things) ensues...
Let me just say that as an anime blogger, if I had seen this title back when I started, this would have made me quit anime. That said, compared to other perverted anime and hentai, I have to say that an animation dealing with a masochist is a first for me. MM! is a short one, lasting only 12 episodes, and it was made in studio AT-X, licensed by Sentai Filmworks for US, but it is subbed only. This title was made just last year, finished before 2011, yet the manga, which has been active since 2008, is still ongoing. As far as anime type, it seems to be your typical romantic comedy and harem, plus ecchi, so fanservice is probably here-and-there in the anime. Though saying this now would mean nothing, but this one isn't meant for young viewers to see, unless you like comical situations involving Taro's fetish, among other things. To add, this title references other anime as well, some of which are dead giveaways.
I almost wanted to drag this down grade-wise as far as I did Colorful, but the air about it feels different from the other that I can't bring myself to do it. Even so, it's a title that didn't entertain me very much. I'm guessing a 5.9 of 10 should settle for MM!
CLVIII: "Neon Genesis Evangelion"
What is there to say about Neon Genesis Evangelion? From an otaku's perspective, a lot, seeing as how this mere TV anime spawned other media based on it. Some recognize the anime as a failed result in merging two different religions, on top of blending it in an apocalyptic mecha. Even so, it found its fans.
After the Second Impact in the year 2000, the continent of Antarctica was badly damaged, and nearly half of the human population were wiped out. In the year 2015, life seems to continue as normal in what's left of the world... if it wasn't for a small yet major problem. Areas like Tokyo-3 is in a bind, thanks to malevolent beings called Angels, hellbent on wiping out humanity. With powers unknown to common man (like the AT Field), the United Nations (UN) seems to be powerless to stop them. The planet is doomed, or at least it would be. The people of NERV HQ, led by Commander Gendou Ikari, fights these beings in ways the UN can't, making them the last defense for planet Earth.
Called by Gendou after 3 long years, the protagonist Shinji Ikari is Gendou's son. Bitter at him for reasons explained later, he reluctantly becomes the pilot of the humanoid titan Evangelion Unit 01. As the story progresses, he encounters different Angels, and interacts with his allies, namely Captain Misato Kisaragi, and fellow "Children" pilots Asuka Langley Sohryu and Rei Ayanami. However, while he deals with haqnds-on combat with his Eva, he must also deal with his mental problems as well, should he wish to maintain control of (and understand) Eva 01.
The TV anime originally ran for 26 episodes, licensed for US under AEsir Holdings. Succeeding the 1996 anime were 2 movies: Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and The End of Evangelion. People weren't thrilled with the original conclusion to the series, which was mainly why these two were conceived. After that, as well as tax issues Gainax dealt with, it was proposed years later that another series, called Rebuild of Evangelion, would be made. It was planned that 4 movies would be the series: the first 3 being a retelling of the anime, and the last featuring a new ending. So far, only 2 has been released from this series: Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, and Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance. Originally, they planned for all 4 to be out in 2007 and 2008, but only Eva 1.0 released in 2007, and Eva 2.0 released in 2009. As of now, the 3rd film is in progress. However, there are some differences in the movies that weren't originally there. For starters, as with nearly half of anime titles released in this period, Rebuild of Evangelion features 3D CG Animation. To add, and this is perhaps the main difference, it involves new scenes and characters, among which is Mari Illustrious Makinami And even Asuka features a different last name in the films (from Sohryu to Shikinami). The storyline of the first film is faithful at best, with designs for Rebuild striking a solid, but altered resemblance to the original. The changes happens in the second film, as the story is altered somewhat. Rebuild of Evangelion, at least the first 2 movies, have been dubbed already, licensed for US under Funimation. In all dub works, Shinji Ikari is voiced by Spike Spencer. In fact, his voice is one of the few that were unchanged in all Evangelion dub media, the other two being Asuka's (Tiffany Grant) and Misato's (Allison Keith).
Neon Genesis Evangelion was a mind trip in general, but not an awful one, just... hard to get at times. While the ending failed to meet my fancy, it became a name well known in the anime world for a reason, so in all, I say that the original series gets 7.8 of 10, while Rebuild of Evangelion, for the time being, gets 8.1 of 10. I can only wait to see how they end the series this time.
After the Second Impact in the year 2000, the continent of Antarctica was badly damaged, and nearly half of the human population were wiped out. In the year 2015, life seems to continue as normal in what's left of the world... if it wasn't for a small yet major problem. Areas like Tokyo-3 is in a bind, thanks to malevolent beings called Angels, hellbent on wiping out humanity. With powers unknown to common man (like the AT Field), the United Nations (UN) seems to be powerless to stop them. The planet is doomed, or at least it would be. The people of NERV HQ, led by Commander Gendou Ikari, fights these beings in ways the UN can't, making them the last defense for planet Earth.
Called by Gendou after 3 long years, the protagonist Shinji Ikari is Gendou's son. Bitter at him for reasons explained later, he reluctantly becomes the pilot of the humanoid titan Evangelion Unit 01. As the story progresses, he encounters different Angels, and interacts with his allies, namely Captain Misato Kisaragi, and fellow "Children" pilots Asuka Langley Sohryu and Rei Ayanami. However, while he deals with haqnds-on combat with his Eva, he must also deal with his mental problems as well, should he wish to maintain control of (and understand) Eva 01.
The TV anime originally ran for 26 episodes, licensed for US under AEsir Holdings. Succeeding the 1996 anime were 2 movies: Evangelion: Death and Rebirth, and The End of Evangelion. People weren't thrilled with the original conclusion to the series, which was mainly why these two were conceived. After that, as well as tax issues Gainax dealt with, it was proposed years later that another series, called Rebuild of Evangelion, would be made. It was planned that 4 movies would be the series: the first 3 being a retelling of the anime, and the last featuring a new ending. So far, only 2 has been released from this series: Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone, and Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance. Originally, they planned for all 4 to be out in 2007 and 2008, but only Eva 1.0 released in 2007, and Eva 2.0 released in 2009. As of now, the 3rd film is in progress. However, there are some differences in the movies that weren't originally there. For starters, as with nearly half of anime titles released in this period, Rebuild of Evangelion features 3D CG Animation. To add, and this is perhaps the main difference, it involves new scenes and characters, among which is Mari Illustrious Makinami And even Asuka features a different last name in the films (from Sohryu to Shikinami). The storyline of the first film is faithful at best, with designs for Rebuild striking a solid, but altered resemblance to the original. The changes happens in the second film, as the story is altered somewhat. Rebuild of Evangelion, at least the first 2 movies, have been dubbed already, licensed for US under Funimation. In all dub works, Shinji Ikari is voiced by Spike Spencer. In fact, his voice is one of the few that were unchanged in all Evangelion dub media, the other two being Asuka's (Tiffany Grant) and Misato's (Allison Keith).
Neon Genesis Evangelion was a mind trip in general, but not an awful one, just... hard to get at times. While the ending failed to meet my fancy, it became a name well known in the anime world for a reason, so in all, I say that the original series gets 7.8 of 10, while Rebuild of Evangelion, for the time being, gets 8.1 of 10. I can only wait to see how they end the series this time.
2011/09/18
CLVII: "Pumpkin Scissors"
For the longest time, I thought that Pumpkin Scissors was an odd name to give to an anime dealing with war, crazed destroyers and blue lanterns. Turns out that there is a reason for that name: it's because of the platoon, who are the anime's main group.
Pumpkin Scissors hones in on a military group by the same name. Their purpose is to aid in the war relief effort across the empire, called officially the Imperial Army Section III. The titular name came from one of its officers, supposedly as a metaphor for their work. In regards to it, however, Pumpkin Scissors are usually berated and ridiculed by everyone: by the thieves they are to hunt down, by the army they serve under, and even by the citizens of the Empire. This changes, however, when a soldier with a shady past joins their ranks. A kind giant, Randel Oland is warm and welcoming, and is well mannered with his allies. Nobody would expect that a mysterious lantern could bring such a drastic change to his demeanor. Armed with a mere anti-tank gun "Door Knocker" and many scars, the kind Oland becomes fatally fearless and when he sees an enemy, he'll see to his termination! There is more to him then meets the eye, as they look into the Invisible 9, while bigger plot awakes... a plot that may very well shake the Imperial Army from within!!
Pumpkin Scissors lasts for 24 episodes, licensed for US by Funimation. For a long while, I was reluctant to watch, but by chance saw it and was drawn in. Granted that I see war-related material often, but Pumpkin Scissors stood out to me, as the seemingly 'little guys' of the Army are the main heroes. Of all the characters, Randel is voiced by Adam Dudley, and Alice L. Malvin, the female main protagonist and the one who suggested the name, is by Kaytha Coker in the English Dub. A running gag happens in the anime: in part to Randel being constantly hospitalized, an recurring scenario happens when they request a urine sample from him. Ultimately, the gag is finding a suitable container that's also unbreakable (granted that Randel is a giant, I think the gag is NEARLY self-explanatory.)
A grade of 7.6 of 10 for Pumpkin Scissors. Honestly, I didn't think I'd be interested, but in a way, I'm glad I did look at it on a whim back then.
CLVI: "Jungle de Ikou!"
This is another title I crossed hairs with, found the same time as Maze: The Mega Burst Space. Called Jungle de Ikou!, it is one of the shortest series I came across thus far, found also via Anime Selects On Demand. Chances are it may be a bit costly, but all episodes are available in DVD, thankfully in an English language for those not fluent in Japanese.
Long ago, the spirit of flowers, fertility, and reproduction sacrificed her body to cease the attacks done by the spirit of wood and destruction. Years later in the year 2009, an archeologist comes across a peculiar statuette, unaware that the spirit, Ongo, was sealed in it. He gave this as a gift to his daughter, Natsumi Rokudo, and some time after, she inadvertently breaks this seal, releasing Ongo, who is a pigmy like creature. In addition, she has encountered the earth spirit Ahem, who gives her a necklace and teaches her a tribal dance (albeit a perverted one). When performed, Natsumi becomes the fertility spirit Mii, and therefore has her powers to use at her disposal.
A fanservice anime, this is suggestive, not in the same sense as Golden Boy. In fact, if I had to say so, it's worse in therms of suggestive content. The series is MUCH shorter than most of what I have covered (excluding hentai), lasting only 3 episodes. As I said, this is another one found in the Anime Selects On Demand, around the same time as when I found Maze. In English, the central characters Mii and Natsumi are both voiced by Melissa Fahn, and Eri Sendai provided both their Japanese voices.
A short series, hard for me to truly grade, but I think Jungle de Ikou! wasn't something to be really crazy over. To that, I'll give a 6.5 of 10.
Long ago, the spirit of flowers, fertility, and reproduction sacrificed her body to cease the attacks done by the spirit of wood and destruction. Years later in the year 2009, an archeologist comes across a peculiar statuette, unaware that the spirit, Ongo, was sealed in it. He gave this as a gift to his daughter, Natsumi Rokudo, and some time after, she inadvertently breaks this seal, releasing Ongo, who is a pigmy like creature. In addition, she has encountered the earth spirit Ahem, who gives her a necklace and teaches her a tribal dance (albeit a perverted one). When performed, Natsumi becomes the fertility spirit Mii, and therefore has her powers to use at her disposal.
A fanservice anime, this is suggestive, not in the same sense as Golden Boy. In fact, if I had to say so, it's worse in therms of suggestive content. The series is MUCH shorter than most of what I have covered (excluding hentai), lasting only 3 episodes. As I said, this is another one found in the Anime Selects On Demand, around the same time as when I found Maze. In English, the central characters Mii and Natsumi are both voiced by Melissa Fahn, and Eri Sendai provided both their Japanese voices.
A short series, hard for me to truly grade, but I think Jungle de Ikou! wasn't something to be really crazy over. To that, I'll give a 6.5 of 10.
2011/09/17
CLV: "Maze: The Mega Burst Space"
Another title that seemed to be an odd mix at the time, Maze: The Mega Burst Space dealt with action, fantasy, war, and taboo. Like others such as Birdy the Mighty, this anime dealt with two individuals sharing a body... though not in the way I had hoped...
A woman wakes up to find her room a mess, as well as her memory. All she can recall is that she is known as Maze, and is flown from her own world to one vastly different. She meets a princess named Mill, who is trying to reclaim her rightful spot on the throne. Aside from meeting fellow adventurers, she learns that she possess magical powers, as well as an unforeseen problem: perhaps as a backlash from a taboo in her own time, she is female during the day, and a rather perverse, but powerful man at night!! Bumping heads with his/herself, Maze is going to have to get along with her alterego, as well as Maze's allies, should she ever want to return to the world she knew.
Starting out as a single OVA, it expanded to a TV series, and a movie was made as the sequel to that. The anime and OVA was licensed by Central Park Media, with the tv anime lasting 25 episodes. You can say that an element was grabbed from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with the house falling and another world scenario. It was a frequent entry on Comcast's/Xfinity's Anime Selects On Demand (which is how I even heard of it.) The anime is for both Japanese and English languages.
Maze: The Mega Burst Space left me speechless years ago, but in a way, I can accept it for what it is, so I'm calling a 7.2 of 10.
A woman wakes up to find her room a mess, as well as her memory. All she can recall is that she is known as Maze, and is flown from her own world to one vastly different. She meets a princess named Mill, who is trying to reclaim her rightful spot on the throne. Aside from meeting fellow adventurers, she learns that she possess magical powers, as well as an unforeseen problem: perhaps as a backlash from a taboo in her own time, she is female during the day, and a rather perverse, but powerful man at night!! Bumping heads with his/herself, Maze is going to have to get along with her alterego, as well as Maze's allies, should she ever want to return to the world she knew.
Starting out as a single OVA, it expanded to a TV series, and a movie was made as the sequel to that. The anime and OVA was licensed by Central Park Media, with the tv anime lasting 25 episodes. You can say that an element was grabbed from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with the house falling and another world scenario. It was a frequent entry on Comcast's/Xfinity's Anime Selects On Demand (which is how I even heard of it.) The anime is for both Japanese and English languages.
Maze: The Mega Burst Space left me speechless years ago, but in a way, I can accept it for what it is, so I'm calling a 7.2 of 10.
2011/09/16
CLIV: "Mai-HiME/My-Otome" series
Another multi-review this time around!! Mai-HiME, sometimes called My-HiME, is an anime series that has comedy, drama, fantasy, and... sentai. I kid you not: this is a sentai-type anime, that deals with girls with powers, called HiMEs, which is a backronym meaning Highly-advanced Material Equip. There's a spinoff to this as well, featuring the same characters and similar story concept called My-Otome.
Mai Tokiha is the central character of the anime My-HiME, and perhaps titular as well. A student, she and her younger brother Takumi take a boat ride to Fuka Gakuen, financially supported to take schooling there. However, things take a turn for the strange when they find a girl drowned in the water. She is saved, yet this girl, Mikoto Minagi, and Mai are attacked by another classmate Natsuki Kuga. Arriving, she gains knowledge that she is a HiME, summoned here by the Mashino Kazahana, the young chairwoman of Fuka Gakuen. She informs Mai that she, rather her and other HiMEs are needed to fight beings called Orphans, and each HiME, as she soon finds out, has a Child to fight alongside with, which is a beast they summon. Should they lose their Child, they lose their powers... as well as something else dear to them. Mai must fight Orphans and another organization after them, while dealing with her own troubles.
In My-Otome, Arika Yumemiya searches for her mother, who is somewhere on planet Earl, filled with immigrants from Earth. Old Technology survived in the form of Nanomachines, and with this, virgin females can become Meister Otomes, who serves the royalty of various kingdoms. However, intercourse with men can render these nanomachines weak, causing one to become powerless and immune to any further injection. Arika becomes a student of Garderobe Academy, and the series goes through not only her progress, but also follows machinations for those desiring the said technology for themselves, and the battles that takes place due to this reason.
The animation, My-HiME, is 26 episodes long. The spinoff series My-Otome also had 26 episodes, and it also had has yuri in it. In addition, a 4 episode OVA series My-Otome Zwei succeeded this, and a 3 episode anime OVA titled My-Otome 0-S.ifr was also created as the prequel. For the most part, they're all licensed for US under Bandai Entertainment, and save for the OVA prequel, has English voices as well as Japanese voices. Supporting the spinoff quality is that characters from My-HiME are seen as characters of My-Otome. In the vice-versa scenario, Arika is seen as a character cameo, a short one, in one of My-HiME's episodes, in addition to a joke trailer.
Once more, the differences between the anime and manga are heavy. In My-Hime, one major difference is the fate in which their child is defeated. In the anime, should that occur, they lose their powers as well as something precious to them, which is essentially their reason to fight. This isn't the case in the manga, as they only lose what is the Key to that Child. Their powers as a HiME are retained, and even a new Key can be found to summon their Child. Even more that their powers remain should the HiME star vanish, another trait that isn't true in the anime. In My-Otome's case, one of the characters, Mashiro Blan de Windbloom, is actually male, as opposed to a female in the anime, and the storyline for the manga is an alternate telling of it overall.
I didn't expect this particular series to cross paths with me, but still, 8.1 of 10 should do it for both, since I found them appealing enough to interest me.
Mai Tokiha is the central character of the anime My-HiME, and perhaps titular as well. A student, she and her younger brother Takumi take a boat ride to Fuka Gakuen, financially supported to take schooling there. However, things take a turn for the strange when they find a girl drowned in the water. She is saved, yet this girl, Mikoto Minagi, and Mai are attacked by another classmate Natsuki Kuga. Arriving, she gains knowledge that she is a HiME, summoned here by the Mashino Kazahana, the young chairwoman of Fuka Gakuen. She informs Mai that she, rather her and other HiMEs are needed to fight beings called Orphans, and each HiME, as she soon finds out, has a Child to fight alongside with, which is a beast they summon. Should they lose their Child, they lose their powers... as well as something else dear to them. Mai must fight Orphans and another organization after them, while dealing with her own troubles.
In My-Otome, Arika Yumemiya searches for her mother, who is somewhere on planet Earl, filled with immigrants from Earth. Old Technology survived in the form of Nanomachines, and with this, virgin females can become Meister Otomes, who serves the royalty of various kingdoms. However, intercourse with men can render these nanomachines weak, causing one to become powerless and immune to any further injection. Arika becomes a student of Garderobe Academy, and the series goes through not only her progress, but also follows machinations for those desiring the said technology for themselves, and the battles that takes place due to this reason.
The animation, My-HiME, is 26 episodes long. The spinoff series My-Otome also had 26 episodes, and it also had has yuri in it. In addition, a 4 episode OVA series My-Otome Zwei succeeded this, and a 3 episode anime OVA titled My-Otome 0-S.ifr was also created as the prequel. For the most part, they're all licensed for US under Bandai Entertainment, and save for the OVA prequel, has English voices as well as Japanese voices. Supporting the spinoff quality is that characters from My-HiME are seen as characters of My-Otome. In the vice-versa scenario, Arika is seen as a character cameo, a short one, in one of My-HiME's episodes, in addition to a joke trailer.
Once more, the differences between the anime and manga are heavy. In My-Hime, one major difference is the fate in which their child is defeated. In the anime, should that occur, they lose their powers as well as something precious to them, which is essentially their reason to fight. This isn't the case in the manga, as they only lose what is the Key to that Child. Their powers as a HiME are retained, and even a new Key can be found to summon their Child. Even more that their powers remain should the HiME star vanish, another trait that isn't true in the anime. In My-Otome's case, one of the characters, Mashiro Blan de Windbloom, is actually male, as opposed to a female in the anime, and the storyline for the manga is an alternate telling of it overall.
I didn't expect this particular series to cross paths with me, but still, 8.1 of 10 should do it for both, since I found them appealing enough to interest me.
CLIII: "Myself ; Yourself"
Another title spawned from a Japanese visual novel, Myself ; Yourself is a romantic drama that centers on 5 friends, taking off when one decides to come back to town.
Five years ago, Sana Hidaka left Sakuramori, leaving behind Nanaka Yaysushiro, the twin siblings Shuusuke and Syuri Watatsuki, and Aoi Oribe. Five years have passed since then, and Sana finally comes back to start his new life as a second year transfer student in high school. Everyone seems to remember him and welcome him with open arms... well, save for one. Nanaka has closed herself off from everyone else, and it makes matters worse when Sana doesn't realize that it's her. He is going to realize the hard way how much can change in five years, as he tries to become closer to Nanaka once more.
The anime is a short one, lasting for 13 episodes, and it's only of Japanese language currently. Typical of anime derived from visual novels, its cast is mainly dominant of the story's heroines, with only 2 male protagonists. What's more, I usually see anime of this sort derived from visual novels with adult content (for example: Shuffle!), but this came from an all-ages visual novel, and apparently the second original title developed and published by Yeti. I guess the conflict happens pretty early, but it's more than just Sana simply forgetting who she was. In addition, other conflicts arise between other characters, with even Sana himself having something haunting him.
I say that, as far as anime made from visual novels, this is a first for me reviewing something that wasn't made from an ero novel. I grade Myself ; Yourself a 7.8 of 10.
Five years ago, Sana Hidaka left Sakuramori, leaving behind Nanaka Yaysushiro, the twin siblings Shuusuke and Syuri Watatsuki, and Aoi Oribe. Five years have passed since then, and Sana finally comes back to start his new life as a second year transfer student in high school. Everyone seems to remember him and welcome him with open arms... well, save for one. Nanaka has closed herself off from everyone else, and it makes matters worse when Sana doesn't realize that it's her. He is going to realize the hard way how much can change in five years, as he tries to become closer to Nanaka once more.
The anime is a short one, lasting for 13 episodes, and it's only of Japanese language currently. Typical of anime derived from visual novels, its cast is mainly dominant of the story's heroines, with only 2 male protagonists. What's more, I usually see anime of this sort derived from visual novels with adult content (for example: Shuffle!), but this came from an all-ages visual novel, and apparently the second original title developed and published by Yeti. I guess the conflict happens pretty early, but it's more than just Sana simply forgetting who she was. In addition, other conflicts arise between other characters, with even Sana himself having something haunting him.
I say that, as far as anime made from visual novels, this is a first for me reviewing something that wasn't made from an ero novel. I grade Myself ; Yourself a 7.8 of 10.
2011/09/14
Ev5: Sailor Moon Party
Yesterday, I was at Barnes & Nobles Booksellers in Georgetown, Washington D.C., with fellow anime friends who held a party. But it wasn't just a mere party. We did this to celebrate the return of the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon manga.
Now, to bring you up to speed, I've covered the anime series already, in post LX (60) to be exact, but I don't believe I spoke anything of the manga. Now, and note I learned some of this during the party itself, but Sailor Moon was developed from the manga Sailor V, a manga that focused on one of the 5 sailor scouts as the main heroine. This same character would later appear in Sailor Moon as the 5th scout member, Sailor Venus (ironic, eh?) However, much like how I pointed this out in other anime, the manga has different plot directions, such as one of the scouts turning evil, and even a somewhat different fate for some of the enemies. In Japan, the manga was published by Kodansha, while Tokyopop (which is no longer active) released it here for the USA.
The purpose of this party was to celebrate its return to the states, featuring a whole new translation. Both Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and the Sailor V manga debuted yesterday, but to our dismay, thanks to weathering, much issues weren't sent initially. Even so, I did manage to take a peak at them, both licensed by (oddly fitting) Kodansha Comics USA. Now with this said, even back when it was announced, there was talk going around about a re-licensing of the anime. Now, this I can't really vouch for. I said before in the franchise review that the franchise was license by two different companies for the US, each holding 2 titles of it a piece, save for Sailor Stars (which was never dubbed). The most recognized dubbing thus far was the one done by Disney subsidiary DiC Entertainment. And by that, I speak of it being famous for not only an overhaul of censorship, but also changes in dialogue and format. Anyway, it was rumored that popular anime licensor Funimation Entertainment was thinking about re-licensing the franchise, but as of now, that's all it is: a rumor. Currently, the licensing is under Toei Animation (the same people who licensed Dragon Ball before Funimation did so for USA), with no solid clue as to when it will be licensed for US re-release, if at all.
Anywho, the party was grand, and oddly enough, that party was the first time I ever truly cosplayed, as I was dressed as Malachite/Kunzite, one of the antagonists from the first arc. I thought more would appear, but aside from daily lives, there were other reasons why some couldn't make it. As with any event done by DC Anime Club, it was advertised in the papers, though I feel a slight criticism towards one of those press release groups. I had a grand time, save that there was no food and drinks (outside food aren't allowed in the bookstore, for what I understand), but we did have games and activities, and we made our presence known. Something tells me that, thanks to this, I'll be hearing the word bishounen for a long while.
In any case, the night was great (and fitting with the full moon out, which is truly ironic) and I hope that the rumor of the anime re-licensing upgrades to a confirmed possibility somewhere down the road. Even so, I can honestly say this proudly:
"Welcome back to the USA, Sailor Moon!"
Now, to bring you up to speed, I've covered the anime series already, in post LX (60) to be exact, but I don't believe I spoke anything of the manga. Now, and note I learned some of this during the party itself, but Sailor Moon was developed from the manga Sailor V, a manga that focused on one of the 5 sailor scouts as the main heroine. This same character would later appear in Sailor Moon as the 5th scout member, Sailor Venus (ironic, eh?) However, much like how I pointed this out in other anime, the manga has different plot directions, such as one of the scouts turning evil, and even a somewhat different fate for some of the enemies. In Japan, the manga was published by Kodansha, while Tokyopop (which is no longer active) released it here for the USA.
The purpose of this party was to celebrate its return to the states, featuring a whole new translation. Both Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon and the Sailor V manga debuted yesterday, but to our dismay, thanks to weathering, much issues weren't sent initially. Even so, I did manage to take a peak at them, both licensed by (oddly fitting) Kodansha Comics USA. Now with this said, even back when it was announced, there was talk going around about a re-licensing of the anime. Now, this I can't really vouch for. I said before in the franchise review that the franchise was license by two different companies for the US, each holding 2 titles of it a piece, save for Sailor Stars (which was never dubbed). The most recognized dubbing thus far was the one done by Disney subsidiary DiC Entertainment. And by that, I speak of it being famous for not only an overhaul of censorship, but also changes in dialogue and format. Anyway, it was rumored that popular anime licensor Funimation Entertainment was thinking about re-licensing the franchise, but as of now, that's all it is: a rumor. Currently, the licensing is under Toei Animation (the same people who licensed Dragon Ball before Funimation did so for USA), with no solid clue as to when it will be licensed for US re-release, if at all.
Anywho, the party was grand, and oddly enough, that party was the first time I ever truly cosplayed, as I was dressed as Malachite/Kunzite, one of the antagonists from the first arc. I thought more would appear, but aside from daily lives, there were other reasons why some couldn't make it. As with any event done by DC Anime Club, it was advertised in the papers, though I feel a slight criticism towards one of those press release groups. I had a grand time, save that there was no food and drinks (outside food aren't allowed in the bookstore, for what I understand), but we did have games and activities, and we made our presence known. Something tells me that, thanks to this, I'll be hearing the word bishounen for a long while.
In any case, the night was great (and fitting with the full moon out, which is truly ironic) and I hope that the rumor of the anime re-licensing upgrades to a confirmed possibility somewhere down the road. Even so, I can honestly say this proudly:
"Welcome back to the USA, Sailor Moon!"
CLII: "Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko"
Heaven knows how I manage to come across this, or why I'm even speaking about it, but this post just proves that one could make an anime out of anything these days. Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko is such an example, and honestly, I thought it was just a mere doujinshi series, but it turns out that this was made from a light novel, only being turned into an anime earlier this year.
The character of focus is Makoto Niwa, a disbeliever in anything supernatural (much like Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya series) Sadly, much like Kyon, he is forced to deal with such ideals, thanks to a rather eccentric girl who was initially wrapped in a futon (a freakin' futon!), revealed to be his first cousin Erio Towa. Introducing her to him is her mother and Makoto's aunt, Meme Towa. It's early when he learns about her eccentricity, with claims from Erio herself that she's an extraterrestrial lifeform. This just adds to her weirdness, aside from having no memories from half a year ago. Between his crazy aunt, hanging around Erio, and dealing with unique people, he is going to have quite the life in this new town as a transfer student.
I'll put it like this: if you weren't that much of a fan of Haruhi Suzumiya, chances are you won't find this eyecatching either. As I said before, the anime is quite young, being created April of this year. It premiered on the TBS network in Japan, so with those two facts, it's obvious that this has yet to see licensing for the US, which means it's too early to find English voices. It's 12 episodes long, and it's run is pretty much concluded. Chances are, like with others of the sort, the manga takes another turn.
The music is okay, but honestly... I'm at a loss as to how I feel about this anime. Not that it's bad, just... odd. I still give Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko a pretty decent 7.0 of 10, despite its short length and weirdness.
The character of focus is Makoto Niwa, a disbeliever in anything supernatural (much like Kyon from Haruhi Suzumiya series) Sadly, much like Kyon, he is forced to deal with such ideals, thanks to a rather eccentric girl who was initially wrapped in a futon (a freakin' futon!), revealed to be his first cousin Erio Towa. Introducing her to him is her mother and Makoto's aunt, Meme Towa. It's early when he learns about her eccentricity, with claims from Erio herself that she's an extraterrestrial lifeform. This just adds to her weirdness, aside from having no memories from half a year ago. Between his crazy aunt, hanging around Erio, and dealing with unique people, he is going to have quite the life in this new town as a transfer student.
I'll put it like this: if you weren't that much of a fan of Haruhi Suzumiya, chances are you won't find this eyecatching either. As I said before, the anime is quite young, being created April of this year. It premiered on the TBS network in Japan, so with those two facts, it's obvious that this has yet to see licensing for the US, which means it's too early to find English voices. It's 12 episodes long, and it's run is pretty much concluded. Chances are, like with others of the sort, the manga takes another turn.
The music is okay, but honestly... I'm at a loss as to how I feel about this anime. Not that it's bad, just... odd. I still give Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko a pretty decent 7.0 of 10, despite its short length and weirdness.
2011/09/12
CLI: "Burst Angel"
The day when mecha meets the west was sooner than expected. Burst Angel, or Bakuretsu Tenshi, is a cyberpunk anime that brings East anf the Old West together, creating a title full of shooting, mecha, and a yuri element.
The world of Burst Angel has people of Tokyo suffering from an unusual and unforeseen rise of criminal activity. To this end, firearms were legalized even for lawful civilians, so that they could defend themselves. However, in addition, the Armed Police were also created, which the purpose of taking out criminals as opposed to merely arresting them. The story focuses on, however, a team of psuedo-mercenary females from Bailan, and one unlikely student that becomes involved after his encounter with one of them.
Kyohei Tachibana is a culinary student, who plans to fly abroad to be a pastry chef. Nobody would expect that he of all people would come across a shootout between a mutant and the silver haired Jo. Afterwards he would be hired by the kind Sei, and cook for her, Jo, and two other females: Amy and Meg. However, being dragged into dangerous work is just the tip of the iceberg for him. That aside, the team definitely has their work cut out for them.
Made by Gonzo, this Funimation-licensed title spanned for 24 episodes, created in 2004. Available on Funimation Channel (and perhaps their On Demand service) as well as Animax TV, this series is pretty much complete, with episodes available though means like the PlayStation Store. Three years later, an OVA was made, titled Burst Angel: Infinity. Here's pretty much who you would hear as the English cast:
The world of Burst Angel has people of Tokyo suffering from an unusual and unforeseen rise of criminal activity. To this end, firearms were legalized even for lawful civilians, so that they could defend themselves. However, in addition, the Armed Police were also created, which the purpose of taking out criminals as opposed to merely arresting them. The story focuses on, however, a team of psuedo-mercenary females from Bailan, and one unlikely student that becomes involved after his encounter with one of them.
Kyohei Tachibana is a culinary student, who plans to fly abroad to be a pastry chef. Nobody would expect that he of all people would come across a shootout between a mutant and the silver haired Jo. Afterwards he would be hired by the kind Sei, and cook for her, Jo, and two other females: Amy and Meg. However, being dragged into dangerous work is just the tip of the iceberg for him. That aside, the team definitely has their work cut out for them.
Made by Gonzo, this Funimation-licensed title spanned for 24 episodes, created in 2004. Available on Funimation Channel (and perhaps their On Demand service) as well as Animax TV, this series is pretty much complete, with episodes available though means like the PlayStation Store. Three years later, an OVA was made, titled Burst Angel: Infinity. Here's pretty much who you would hear as the English cast:
- Jo: Monica Rail
- Meg: Jamie Marchi
- Amy: Alison Viktorin
- Sei: Clarin Harp
- Kyohei: Greg Ayres
2011/09/06
CL: "Queen's Blade" series
Queen's Blade is a name I've been hearing a lot. Starting out as a game book series, many media has spun from this, obviously, an anime wasn't too far behind. Hitting the tip of the iceberg, part of its fame comes from a particularly dominant female cast.
Queen's Blade is the name belonging to a tournament held every 4 years to determine a Queen. Only women considered to be beautiful are allowed to participate. The anime focuses on Leina, a warrior who is heir to Count Vance and next in line for the throne. Traveling to Gynos, she encounters other warriors, among which being those like Risty and Melona, who also participate with their own intentions. However, they all share a common goal: to become the new Queen, they must defeat Aldar, the current Queen.
The series has very little men in it, and even at that, they are seldom involved as parts of the story, save for Cattelya's case. The series is sexually suggestive for a few reason. Two in particular I'll go over. For one thing, in the Universe of Queen's Blade, the female breasts are generally big, Cattelya's being the largest out of them. Next is regarding Melona in particular. Though shapeshifting, her hair covers up her breasts, which shows that save for those, she's wearing NOTHING up top. To add to this, one of her attacks are from there, with actions imitating... you know what, you can find this out on your own, because I clearly have no better way to address it. Even though the anime was green lit, it involves some censoring.
Hard to believe that this was actually derived from a game book called Queen's Blade, which had a sequel, Queen's Gate, involving other female characters from other game series (and particularly those with large busts, like Samurai Showdown's Iroha and Soul series' Ivy). The anime, which DOESN'T involve the other game characters, began as a 12 episode anime called Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin, succeeded by Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye, also running 12 episodes. In addition, OVAs of the series were also made, titled Queen's Blade: Beautiful Fighters, running 6 episodes. The cast list is long, indeed, so I'll say it's both subbed and dubbed. All the animations were made in the ARMS studio, licensed for USA under Media Blasters. Manga and video games were also made from this.
Queen's Blade is definitely not meant for young viewers, and it's a fairly infamous title. I score it an 8.5 of 10.
Queen's Blade is the name belonging to a tournament held every 4 years to determine a Queen. Only women considered to be beautiful are allowed to participate. The anime focuses on Leina, a warrior who is heir to Count Vance and next in line for the throne. Traveling to Gynos, she encounters other warriors, among which being those like Risty and Melona, who also participate with their own intentions. However, they all share a common goal: to become the new Queen, they must defeat Aldar, the current Queen.
The series has very little men in it, and even at that, they are seldom involved as parts of the story, save for Cattelya's case. The series is sexually suggestive for a few reason. Two in particular I'll go over. For one thing, in the Universe of Queen's Blade, the female breasts are generally big, Cattelya's being the largest out of them. Next is regarding Melona in particular. Though shapeshifting, her hair covers up her breasts, which shows that save for those, she's wearing NOTHING up top. To add to this, one of her attacks are from there, with actions imitating... you know what, you can find this out on your own, because I clearly have no better way to address it. Even though the anime was green lit, it involves some censoring.
Hard to believe that this was actually derived from a game book called Queen's Blade, which had a sequel, Queen's Gate, involving other female characters from other game series (and particularly those with large busts, like Samurai Showdown's Iroha and Soul series' Ivy). The anime, which DOESN'T involve the other game characters, began as a 12 episode anime called Queen's Blade: The Exiled Virgin, succeeded by Queen's Blade 2: The Evil Eye, also running 12 episodes. In addition, OVAs of the series were also made, titled Queen's Blade: Beautiful Fighters, running 6 episodes. The cast list is long, indeed, so I'll say it's both subbed and dubbed. All the animations were made in the ARMS studio, licensed for USA under Media Blasters. Manga and video games were also made from this.
Queen's Blade is definitely not meant for young viewers, and it's a fairly infamous title. I score it an 8.5 of 10.
CIL: "Black Lagoon" series
Black Lagoon, after resisting for so long, left one hell of an impression on me just from the first episode alone. Crime, blood, cursing, and plenty of bullets... This series sought its fans and the large prescription of action was worth it!
Black Lagoon follows the exploits of the titular Lagoon Company, who handle jobs for a good price. However, they play it rough when it comes to doing what they do, which means someone is getting killed at least. Originally a trio, Revy, Dutch, and Benny do what they can to fulfill a job by any means. Each person has their quirks, but are usually good at what they do. During a mission, they take hostage Rokuro Okajima, a Japanese salaryman and unwilling participant in a smuggling operation, hoping to get a bonus off of him. But after he is abandoned by his boss, not only is he deemed useless, but the shock became a catalyst for pushing him over the edge. After the mission was over (with a risky attack thought of by him), he becomes the pirate known as Rock, the 4th member and the unlikely heart of the group. Throughout his new life as a pirate, Rock's going to come at odds with enemy and ally alike (Revy in particular), and despite his seemingly useless appearance, he'll prove indispensable to the Lagoon. But Rock will soon learn that in a world of criminals, being soft or seeking a God will do so little.
Broken up into seasons, don't think that there's only the 12 episode title. Season 2, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, also has 12 episodes, and their both licensed by Geneon Entertainment. The OVA series, Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, lasts for 5 episodes, and just got acquired by Funimation Entertainment. Despite being an OVA series, this is considered Season 3, marking a total of 29 episodes. There are also 7 omake episodes, which puts the cast in unlikely situations, just for kicks. Brad Swaile, who is known as the voice of the One year War hero Amuro Ray from Mobile Suit Gundam, voices Rokuro "Rock" Okajima, while Revy is voiced by Maryke Hendrikse.
Black Lagoon is entertaining indeed, but with all the violence, brief nudity, and constant swearing that occurs, it's a series not exactly ideal for minors. My verdict: another 10 of 10 hit! With how the anime closed off, it may or may not hold grounds for a follow up, but truly a great anime to dwell in for sure!
Black Lagoon follows the exploits of the titular Lagoon Company, who handle jobs for a good price. However, they play it rough when it comes to doing what they do, which means someone is getting killed at least. Originally a trio, Revy, Dutch, and Benny do what they can to fulfill a job by any means. Each person has their quirks, but are usually good at what they do. During a mission, they take hostage Rokuro Okajima, a Japanese salaryman and unwilling participant in a smuggling operation, hoping to get a bonus off of him. But after he is abandoned by his boss, not only is he deemed useless, but the shock became a catalyst for pushing him over the edge. After the mission was over (with a risky attack thought of by him), he becomes the pirate known as Rock, the 4th member and the unlikely heart of the group. Throughout his new life as a pirate, Rock's going to come at odds with enemy and ally alike (Revy in particular), and despite his seemingly useless appearance, he'll prove indispensable to the Lagoon. But Rock will soon learn that in a world of criminals, being soft or seeking a God will do so little.
Broken up into seasons, don't think that there's only the 12 episode title. Season 2, Black Lagoon: The Second Barrage, also has 12 episodes, and their both licensed by Geneon Entertainment. The OVA series, Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood Trail, lasts for 5 episodes, and just got acquired by Funimation Entertainment. Despite being an OVA series, this is considered Season 3, marking a total of 29 episodes. There are also 7 omake episodes, which puts the cast in unlikely situations, just for kicks. Brad Swaile, who is known as the voice of the One year War hero Amuro Ray from Mobile Suit Gundam, voices Rokuro "Rock" Okajima, while Revy is voiced by Maryke Hendrikse.
Black Lagoon is entertaining indeed, but with all the violence, brief nudity, and constant swearing that occurs, it's a series not exactly ideal for minors. My verdict: another 10 of 10 hit! With how the anime closed off, it may or may not hold grounds for a follow up, but truly a great anime to dwell in for sure!
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