Strange, huh? Ever since March, I've put on full blast any and every review I can think of, and was steadily in the double digits until last month. Never thought I'd keep going towards 2012 with this blog. Of course, there's still the vlog in progress that I still intend on making possible, and the Gamer Base Blog that has much less posts than this one. Seriously, thanks to all that has been with me through the lifespan of Seiko's Otaku Pad. When it was just Life of Seiko Wolf, I never even thought about doing this, but I ended up managing 2-3 different ones, and the one taking most of my time just happens to be this one.
It's been one hell of a trip, going to so far 183 anime posts in general, and the ride's not over as long as there's some being made. Of course there's other events as well, if I get a chance to go to them. Well, 2012 is rolling in, and with a possible job, I'm not sure how much events I'll venture to and review, but if it's anime, I'll be here as I always have. Stay true fans, anime lovers, and I'll see you next year!
- Seiko Wolf
2011/12/31
2011/12/29
CLXXXIII: "Digimon" (franchise)
Normally, I don't deal highly with mainstream anime. I'm going to make an exception today, brcause it suddenly came back to me out of the blue. Digimon is not similar to the co-existing Pokemon franchise, yet the friendship aspect is generally seen in both. Keep in mind, however, that there is no relation linking them together. Digimon serves as an acronym for Digital Monsters, much like how Pokemon is for Pocket Monsters.
Spanning 6 series, not all tales and characters are the same. The key principle here is that a group of kids team up with Digital Monsters (Digimon), one assigned to a human each. From then on, they are partners as they battle threats to both the Digital World as well as the real world. To help their partners, each human partner carries a "digivice", an article that assists their monster partners in battle, mainly "Digivolving", the evolution of a Digimon. However, at the end, they can return to base form. Feelings play a strong part in this process, and the stronger the feelings, the more powerful they become when digivolving (CORNY, I know, but I call them as it's shown.)
Like I said, this franchise spans 6 series as of now, so it's quite lengthy. Furthermore, as it progresses, the purposes of the digivices, the ways Digivolving happens, and the cast and story changes. As follows, we have:
Movies and games were also made under this name, though US diudn't see much in that aspect. The only well-known one would be 2000's Digimon: The Movie. Sadly, despite that it blended scenes from different movies released in Japan, it received negative responses. In addition, this essentially blended the heroes of Digimon Adventures and Digimon Adventures 02. The plot is made of 3 different scenarios: Eight Years Ago (before Digimon Adventure, in which Agumon first appears to a younger Tai and Kari), Four Years ago (when the team is formed, and it takes some time after their departure from the Digital World), and Present Day (following through the events of the new DigiDestined of Digimon Adventure 02.) It was composed of the three movies Digimon Adventure, Our War Game, and Hurricane Touchdown. Moreover, the movie introduces various other Digimon, at least two of which would appear in the animated series. The two in question would be Cherubimon and Omnimon, who would be seen in series 4 and 6 respectively.
Digimon is mainstream, and it's not necessarily a miss, but it's something I'm not crazy over. In its entirety, I say a 6 or 7 of 10 does it justice.
Spanning 6 series, not all tales and characters are the same. The key principle here is that a group of kids team up with Digital Monsters (Digimon), one assigned to a human each. From then on, they are partners as they battle threats to both the Digital World as well as the real world. To help their partners, each human partner carries a "digivice", an article that assists their monster partners in battle, mainly "Digivolving", the evolution of a Digimon. However, at the end, they can return to base form. Feelings play a strong part in this process, and the stronger the feelings, the more powerful they become when digivolving (CORNY, I know, but I call them as it's shown.)
Like I said, this franchise spans 6 series as of now, so it's quite lengthy. Furthermore, as it progresses, the purposes of the digivices, the ways Digivolving happens, and the cast and story changes. As follows, we have:
- Digimon Adventures: Simply called Digimon here in America, it premiered in 1999, a year after Pokemon debuted. Naturally, people thought Digimon was trying to be a knockoff of Pokemon, though this is obviously untrue. Even though it was considered merely a cartoon by some, for an anime it had a unique trait about it at the time (see below). The plot dealt with seven kids who enter the digital world while at summer camp. From that day, they become the DigiDestined, thrown into battle to save both the Digital World and theirs from evil. Assigned a digital beast (Digimon), they fight against the evil forces lurking about, assisted by Gennai and the digivices, which are essential (with their feelings) to invoke Digivolution.
[Unlike that of others released at the time, Digimon happened to be one of the very few anime that not much alteration, or "Americanizing" happened in terms of characters. While some titles undergone complete name changes in others, Digimon more or less retained the character names, despite that most of them were shortened. An example of this would be the sibling characters Taichi and Hikari, and Takeru. In the American version, they are shortened respectively to Tai, Kari, and T.K. However, common to the way anime was shown in the states, the title was simplified, and had its own set of soundtrack music that played in the title, ending, and inserts. Even the opening/ending tracks were different completely from the overseas counterpart.]
- Digimon Adventures 02: The successor to the first series, the plot had little difference, but the timeline is three years after the 1st series/season. Unlike how it was certain Digimon serving the antagonist role in the first series, the enemy is actually human, dubbed the Digimon Emperor, who enslaves and controls Digimon with black rings and Control Spires. This also makes Digivolving quite impossible by normal means. Though most of the previous team help out occasionally, their new lives in junior high prompts a new team to be formed. And it happens when three new characters, Davis, Yolei, and Cody, team up with DigiDestined veterans Kari and T.K. to make up a new generation of the team, armed with a new digivice known as D3.
- Digimon Tamers: Much like how it's received here, Digimon Tamers featured the namesake franchise as a card game, toy and anime franchise. However, when the monsters become real, three fans of the card game tame real Digimon themselves to combat them. Again, Digivolving is changed, and even abilities can be enhanced using the Card Swipe, known as Digimodify in the U.S. It even grew to the point where they could merge with their partners in one version of Digivolution, called Biomerge Digivolution. The show featured 3 main protagonists, while the main enemy is an AWOL program called D-Reaper. The series is darker in theme in comparison to the other two.
- Digimon Frontier: Another series significally different from others, Digimon Frontier also deals with the digital world, with 5 protagonists using Digimon Spirits, leading them to become Digimon themselves with use of their D-Tectors. The enemies this time are other legendary spirits led by Cherubimon, who plans to conquer the Digital World, and are after the heroes' spirits in the process! The series discards the Card Swipe aspect, showing off a new feature called Fractal Code Digitize, used as a means of purification against possessed Digimon.
- Digimon Savers/Digimon Data Squad: Called Digimon Data Squad in the U.S., it's the 5th series of the franchise, and a fresh take after a nearly four year haitus as a series. However, it bears no connection to the other four, making a different title in theme and art style. Another trait is that unlike the formers, it was aimed for more of family view as opposed to just children, aside from featuring, to date, the oldest set of main characters, the age range of them between teens to early 20s. This time around, they try to keep the Digital and the Real worlds separated, preventing others from knowing about its existence. However, there are still Digimon that cross over into the real world unofficially. To this end, the D.A.T.S. was formed, and escapee Agumon meets with 14 year old Marcus Damon, the undefeated ultimate fighter. After going at each other, they become on good terms with one another, and after many events, join up as part of DATS. Antagonists appear to be Digimon of God status, but there maybe yet another reason as to who may be behind it, which connects to Falcomon and his partner Keenan...
- Digimon Xros: The current series active right now, Digimon Xros is the only series not dubbed as of yet, even though via Crunchyroll, this series has seen airtime outside of Japan. Moreover, the series has 3 titles under its belt. The plot dealt with the Xros Wars, hence the title. The protagonists are known as Team Xros Heart, who are a considerable threat to Emperor Bagramon and his Bagra Army. Though, other problems follow soon after, leading to the current issue at hand where they must stop rampart Digimon and face off against rival hunters. The main head for all 3 titles is Taiki Kudo, who as with the majority of Digimon mains, have a partner and some form of a Digivice. In this instance, the device is called the Xros Loader, and his partner is Shoutmon.
Movies and games were also made under this name, though US diudn't see much in that aspect. The only well-known one would be 2000's Digimon: The Movie. Sadly, despite that it blended scenes from different movies released in Japan, it received negative responses. In addition, this essentially blended the heroes of Digimon Adventures and Digimon Adventures 02. The plot is made of 3 different scenarios: Eight Years Ago (before Digimon Adventure, in which Agumon first appears to a younger Tai and Kari), Four Years ago (when the team is formed, and it takes some time after their departure from the Digital World), and Present Day (following through the events of the new DigiDestined of Digimon Adventure 02.) It was composed of the three movies Digimon Adventure, Our War Game, and Hurricane Touchdown. Moreover, the movie introduces various other Digimon, at least two of which would appear in the animated series. The two in question would be Cherubimon and Omnimon, who would be seen in series 4 and 6 respectively.
Digimon is mainstream, and it's not necessarily a miss, but it's something I'm not crazy over. In its entirety, I say a 6 or 7 of 10 does it justice.
2011/12/25
CLXXXII: "You're Under Arrest!" series
You'll never believe this. A while back, I reviewed the series Ah! My Goddess, which was created by manga author Kosuke Fujishima. Well, even though this became his most famous piece, there was one before this, titled You're Under Arrest! (and yes, this is an actual title, feel free to do your own research.) It left me dumbfounded because, like many I have reviewed, I crossed this title by sheer chance, when I was just getting into anime. Seeing this was my 5th on the list, so I'm surprised at myself for waiting until THIS post to cover it.
The anime follows two female Tokyo Metropolitan Police Officers stationed at the fictional Bokuto Police Precint. Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa are the central characters, and throughout the series, we not only see the on-duty and off-duty lives of those two, but as well as other officers near them. Some could be slice of life, some could be humorous, but at the end of the day, it just shows how the Police are in and out of uniform.
You're Under Arrest! has a hefty sort of media under that name. The first OVA series, which lasted 4 episodes, came out in 1994, around the same time Ah! My Goddess had their last of their 1st OVAs put out. A year later, their 1st TV anime would start, lasting for 51 episodes. These two were licensed for US under AnimEigo. Next, a 21-episodes OVA series, You're Under Arrest! Specials, released in 1999, and there was also a movie out the same year, both of which was licensed under ADV Films, which is sadly inactive now. A second TV anime series, You're Under Arrest!: Fast & Furious, came out in 2001 and lasted for 26 episodes, though per usual, US didn't see it until a year or two later. A single OVA came out the following year titled You're Under Arrest!: No Mercy. Lastly, in 2008, the 3rd TV Anime You're Under Arrest!: Full Throttle released with 24 episodes. Save for the single OVA, the recently mentioned ones were licensed for US under Sentai Filmworks. Even though the licensing groups, directors (and perhaps cast) may differ, every You're Under Arrest! piece was made in Studio Deen.
There isn't much to expect from this series, but that's not saying it's terrible. Depending on the taste in anime, this may/may not bore some of you. I'm grading this a solid 7 of 10. It's unusual for me to see an anime that has police that's not intense, but heck, I can't hate this title worth anything.
The anime follows two female Tokyo Metropolitan Police Officers stationed at the fictional Bokuto Police Precint. Natsumi Tsujimoto and Miyuki Kobayakawa are the central characters, and throughout the series, we not only see the on-duty and off-duty lives of those two, but as well as other officers near them. Some could be slice of life, some could be humorous, but at the end of the day, it just shows how the Police are in and out of uniform.
You're Under Arrest! has a hefty sort of media under that name. The first OVA series, which lasted 4 episodes, came out in 1994, around the same time Ah! My Goddess had their last of their 1st OVAs put out. A year later, their 1st TV anime would start, lasting for 51 episodes. These two were licensed for US under AnimEigo. Next, a 21-episodes OVA series, You're Under Arrest! Specials, released in 1999, and there was also a movie out the same year, both of which was licensed under ADV Films, which is sadly inactive now. A second TV anime series, You're Under Arrest!: Fast & Furious, came out in 2001 and lasted for 26 episodes, though per usual, US didn't see it until a year or two later. A single OVA came out the following year titled You're Under Arrest!: No Mercy. Lastly, in 2008, the 3rd TV Anime You're Under Arrest!: Full Throttle released with 24 episodes. Save for the single OVA, the recently mentioned ones were licensed for US under Sentai Filmworks. Even though the licensing groups, directors (and perhaps cast) may differ, every You're Under Arrest! piece was made in Studio Deen.
There isn't much to expect from this series, but that's not saying it's terrible. Depending on the taste in anime, this may/may not bore some of you. I'm grading this a solid 7 of 10. It's unusual for me to see an anime that has police that's not intense, but heck, I can't hate this title worth anything.
2011/12/24
CLXXXI: "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" series
So far, my least favorite. First time hearing about them, I considered Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, and its successor Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny the black sheep of the Gundam franchise. Over time, my feelings for it changed, but it didn't have the flair that I see in both the older titles and Mobile Suit Gundam AGE, which is the current anime out. It bounced from my most hated to the briefly liked in terms of anime in general.
In Gundam SEED, the story centers around young Coordinator Kira Yamato. In this timeline, there are 2 different people: the Natruals, people born and raised of Earth that live normally, and Coordinators, genetically altered humans that learn faster, and feature bodies that are quicker and stronger than normal. As with most media, he is a teen that is thrown into war when the antagonists ZAFT attack the colony he is on. Upon impulse, he pilots the Strike Gundam, and during his encounters, he ends up piloting the Gundam alongside the Earth Alliance, encountering foes like his childhood friend turned foe Athrun Zala. In Gundam SEED Destiny, the setting is two years after Gundam SEED's conclusion, and a third pilot joins the fray. Destiny follows the viewpoint of ZAFT soldier Shinn Asuka, though the regulars Kira and Athrun return as well. The war participants overall are the Earth Alliance, ZAFT, PLANT, Orb Alliance, and the terrorist group Blue Cosmos. What will be the fate of these 3 pilots?
Per usual, it features similarities seen in other Gundam media. The Coordinators introduced in SEED revisit the "different human" aspect featured since the original Gundam anime, which introduced Newtypes. In addition, the antagonist are seen with Z in their name, which carries on from other Gundam media: to name a few, the original Mobile Suit Gundam (Principality of Zeon), and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (OZ). There are many machines, on top of featuring more than a few Gundams. In fact, aside from it's political themes, it features the Gundam vs. Gundam concept, something also seen in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, which was released prior to SEED's development.
Gundam SEED lasts for 50 episodes, alongside an OVA. Gundam SEED Destiny also went for 50 episodes and an OVA. Two films, Gundam SEED: Special Edition and Gundam SEED Destiny: Special Edition, were compilation movies dealing with their namesake titles. Somewhat related, there was a 2 part animation dealing with the manga Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Astray, as well as a 3 part net animation titled Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73 Stargazer. The C.E. stands for the universe's setting, called Cosmic Era. As with other titles to different Eras, SEED is exclusive to the Cosmic era timeline. Both anime were made in the Sunrise studio, licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Like the others, it saw merchandise dealing with the title, such as model kits and appearances in video games like Gundam Battle Assault and Dynasty Warriors Gundam, both of which are under Namco Bandai Games. Kira Yamato, Athrun Zala, and Shinn Asuka are voiced respectively by Matt Hill, Samuel Vincent, and Matthew Erickson. Their voice roles are also done in the games by the same actors.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, as a whole, gains a 7 of 10, but must I choose to separate them, SEED Destiny retains the score, while the original SEED will get 6 of 10. I like the mechas, not so much the story, but I no longer dislike SEED as much as I did originally.
In Gundam SEED, the story centers around young Coordinator Kira Yamato. In this timeline, there are 2 different people: the Natruals, people born and raised of Earth that live normally, and Coordinators, genetically altered humans that learn faster, and feature bodies that are quicker and stronger than normal. As with most media, he is a teen that is thrown into war when the antagonists ZAFT attack the colony he is on. Upon impulse, he pilots the Strike Gundam, and during his encounters, he ends up piloting the Gundam alongside the Earth Alliance, encountering foes like his childhood friend turned foe Athrun Zala. In Gundam SEED Destiny, the setting is two years after Gundam SEED's conclusion, and a third pilot joins the fray. Destiny follows the viewpoint of ZAFT soldier Shinn Asuka, though the regulars Kira and Athrun return as well. The war participants overall are the Earth Alliance, ZAFT, PLANT, Orb Alliance, and the terrorist group Blue Cosmos. What will be the fate of these 3 pilots?
Per usual, it features similarities seen in other Gundam media. The Coordinators introduced in SEED revisit the "different human" aspect featured since the original Gundam anime, which introduced Newtypes. In addition, the antagonist are seen with Z in their name, which carries on from other Gundam media: to name a few, the original Mobile Suit Gundam (Principality of Zeon), and Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (OZ). There are many machines, on top of featuring more than a few Gundams. In fact, aside from it's political themes, it features the Gundam vs. Gundam concept, something also seen in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, which was released prior to SEED's development.
Gundam SEED lasts for 50 episodes, alongside an OVA. Gundam SEED Destiny also went for 50 episodes and an OVA. Two films, Gundam SEED: Special Edition and Gundam SEED Destiny: Special Edition, were compilation movies dealing with their namesake titles. Somewhat related, there was a 2 part animation dealing with the manga Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny Astray, as well as a 3 part net animation titled Mobile Suit Gundam SEED C.E. 73 Stargazer. The C.E. stands for the universe's setting, called Cosmic Era. As with other titles to different Eras, SEED is exclusive to the Cosmic era timeline. Both anime were made in the Sunrise studio, licensed by Bandai Entertainment. Like the others, it saw merchandise dealing with the title, such as model kits and appearances in video games like Gundam Battle Assault and Dynasty Warriors Gundam, both of which are under Namco Bandai Games. Kira Yamato, Athrun Zala, and Shinn Asuka are voiced respectively by Matt Hill, Samuel Vincent, and Matthew Erickson. Their voice roles are also done in the games by the same actors.
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, as a whole, gains a 7 of 10, but must I choose to separate them, SEED Destiny retains the score, while the original SEED will get 6 of 10. I like the mechas, not so much the story, but I no longer dislike SEED as much as I did originally.
2011/12/23
CLXXX: "s-CRY-ed"
Such an odd name for an anime, s-CRY-ed is another title I waited forever to finally review. Bearing likeness to both Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and Marvel's X-men, it has people with freakish powers and discrimination left and right. But let's get to the core of what this title's about.
s-CRY-ed deals with people that can use Alters, which is power deformed, reshaped, and crystalized at the users will. Originally, it was only a special few that bore such a trait, but over time, their numbers began to rise, causing human life to be inferior to Alter users. Even so, this doesn't happen without its perks, and the setting of s-CRY-ed is proof of that. In the anime, even amongst Alters, there is some form of segregation, that of which is between HOLY, which is a subsidiary of HOLD that does missions to bring justice to renegade Alters, as well as to maintain government operations, and their opposition the Native Alters, those who wish for nothing to do with HOLD, some of which exhibiting resentment towards them. The plot device here is stemmed from a rivalry between a specific character from each side. From the Native Alters, we have the protagonist Kazuma. Not much people know he's an alter user, and as HOLY finds out, he's their biggest issue to deal with. Armed with an Altered fist and a brash temper, he is perceived as a troublemaker, but is shown to have a caring side, especially when he does what he has to support himself and Kanami Yuta, the little girl he lives with. On the other, there's HOLY's strongest user, Ryuho Tairen, alongside his humanoid alter Zetsuei. Having his mother slain by an alter user, his personality has become cold, determined to find and punish that user. After Kazuma escapes HOLY, he develops a rivalry with him, as he is the only person to face Ryuho and not lose to him instantly. Their fight evolves to merely besting one another as opposed to a mere sense of duty as the story progresses, but that's not to say there aren't times they see eye-to-eye.
Not entirely extensive plotwise, the anime runs for 26 episodes in length, being featured on Adult Swim. Like Gundam and Dirty Pair, it was created in the Sunrise studio, and its original run before its localization dates back to 2001. It is licensed for US under Bandai Entertainment. In the middle of its anime run, a 5 volume manga was also produced, ending in 2002, and licensed by Tokyopop, who is now no longer active in the US for now. Kazuma is voiced by Steven Jay Blum, who took over as the voice of Toonami's host TOM in September 2000. Ryuho is voiced by Jason Spisak, who voiced Kiyo of Zatch Bell!, and Geo Stelar of the short-lived anime Mega Man Star Force, made from the namesake game series.
s-CRY-ed was eye catching enough, but to me pales in comparison to other works created and licensed by the same people. Even so, I think a 7 of 10 deems pretty fair for this title.
s-CRY-ed deals with people that can use Alters, which is power deformed, reshaped, and crystalized at the users will. Originally, it was only a special few that bore such a trait, but over time, their numbers began to rise, causing human life to be inferior to Alter users. Even so, this doesn't happen without its perks, and the setting of s-CRY-ed is proof of that. In the anime, even amongst Alters, there is some form of segregation, that of which is between HOLY, which is a subsidiary of HOLD that does missions to bring justice to renegade Alters, as well as to maintain government operations, and their opposition the Native Alters, those who wish for nothing to do with HOLD, some of which exhibiting resentment towards them. The plot device here is stemmed from a rivalry between a specific character from each side. From the Native Alters, we have the protagonist Kazuma. Not much people know he's an alter user, and as HOLY finds out, he's their biggest issue to deal with. Armed with an Altered fist and a brash temper, he is perceived as a troublemaker, but is shown to have a caring side, especially when he does what he has to support himself and Kanami Yuta, the little girl he lives with. On the other, there's HOLY's strongest user, Ryuho Tairen, alongside his humanoid alter Zetsuei. Having his mother slain by an alter user, his personality has become cold, determined to find and punish that user. After Kazuma escapes HOLY, he develops a rivalry with him, as he is the only person to face Ryuho and not lose to him instantly. Their fight evolves to merely besting one another as opposed to a mere sense of duty as the story progresses, but that's not to say there aren't times they see eye-to-eye.
Not entirely extensive plotwise, the anime runs for 26 episodes in length, being featured on Adult Swim. Like Gundam and Dirty Pair, it was created in the Sunrise studio, and its original run before its localization dates back to 2001. It is licensed for US under Bandai Entertainment. In the middle of its anime run, a 5 volume manga was also produced, ending in 2002, and licensed by Tokyopop, who is now no longer active in the US for now. Kazuma is voiced by Steven Jay Blum, who took over as the voice of Toonami's host TOM in September 2000. Ryuho is voiced by Jason Spisak, who voiced Kiyo of Zatch Bell!, and Geo Stelar of the short-lived anime Mega Man Star Force, made from the namesake game series.
s-CRY-ed was eye catching enough, but to me pales in comparison to other works created and licensed by the same people. Even so, I think a 7 of 10 deems pretty fair for this title.
CLXXIX: "Blue Gender"
I never thought I'd be speaking about this title. Blue Gender is another post-apocalyptic anime that has its touch of romance and horror. Imagine traits from Alien being animated into a piece where life on Earth has literally gone to hell... The end results pretty much resembles what the world of Blue Gender is like.
As it begins, Yuji Kaido is one of the few humans diagnosed with having B-Cells in their bodies. Deemed incurable, he, along with others like him, was put in suspended animation until a cure was at last found. The time of this was Earth year 2009. In 2031, he wakes up to a horrific time. Earth as he knew it was gone, its terrains overrun by a insect-like species called "Blue". The life he knew faded and gone, he has fear in his heart. Encountering one, he meets Marlene Angel of Second Earth, whose emotions were shut-in, becoming a cold soldier as she terminates the Blue. Over time however, though warfare, Marlene's emotions starts to unravel and Yuji becomes more hardened as a soldier, the two of them forming a bond with one another. However, while things between them happens, they still have the Blue to worry about, especailly when the plot takes a turn for the worst...
Blue Gender lasts for 26 episodes, created in AIC animation studio. A compilation movie, Blue Gender: The Warrior, was also dune under AIC, with redone scenes and an alternate ending, due to the latter 1/3 of the series original arc being removed. Both are under the Funimation label for US release. Originally, this title was to be featured in Cartoon Network's Toonami block, but instead saw its way on their Adult Swim action block. Because of their intent, all graphic violence, nudity and sex scenes were omitted. It was also shown in UK under Sci-Fi Channel (which are all known as SyFy currently). Funimation as well featured this anime, though chances are that they were more lenient on content, having shown it in a specific time period. The original run for this was back in October 1999 - March 2000. Marlene is voiced by Laura Bailey, while Yuji is voiced by Eric Vale.
Blue Gender is a piece that has futuristic warfare featuring mechas, aliens, and a space colony. In all, the romance between them seems to be as prominent as the hell they go through with the Blue, and I grade this an 8 of 10 overall.
As it begins, Yuji Kaido is one of the few humans diagnosed with having B-Cells in their bodies. Deemed incurable, he, along with others like him, was put in suspended animation until a cure was at last found. The time of this was Earth year 2009. In 2031, he wakes up to a horrific time. Earth as he knew it was gone, its terrains overrun by a insect-like species called "Blue". The life he knew faded and gone, he has fear in his heart. Encountering one, he meets Marlene Angel of Second Earth, whose emotions were shut-in, becoming a cold soldier as she terminates the Blue. Over time however, though warfare, Marlene's emotions starts to unravel and Yuji becomes more hardened as a soldier, the two of them forming a bond with one another. However, while things between them happens, they still have the Blue to worry about, especailly when the plot takes a turn for the worst...
Blue Gender lasts for 26 episodes, created in AIC animation studio. A compilation movie, Blue Gender: The Warrior, was also dune under AIC, with redone scenes and an alternate ending, due to the latter 1/3 of the series original arc being removed. Both are under the Funimation label for US release. Originally, this title was to be featured in Cartoon Network's Toonami block, but instead saw its way on their Adult Swim action block. Because of their intent, all graphic violence, nudity and sex scenes were omitted. It was also shown in UK under Sci-Fi Channel (which are all known as SyFy currently). Funimation as well featured this anime, though chances are that they were more lenient on content, having shown it in a specific time period. The original run for this was back in October 1999 - March 2000. Marlene is voiced by Laura Bailey, while Yuji is voiced by Eric Vale.
Blue Gender is a piece that has futuristic warfare featuring mechas, aliens, and a space colony. In all, the romance between them seems to be as prominent as the hell they go through with the Blue, and I grade this an 8 of 10 overall.
CLXXVIII: "Kodocha"
It goes without saying that voice actor Laura Bailey has been in a number of anime and gaming works. That said, whenever I see her name or hear her voice, the anime Kodocha instantly comes to mind for some reason. Don't get me wrong, her name is in a lot of things, but Kodocha felt kind of special to me.
Kodocha centers on the life of the 11 year-old child star Sana Kurata. Plot wise, there isn't any deep dwelling story, but it is a dramatic, yet romantic comedy. Trying to balance her career and school life, she faces problems like any other person, one of which happening to be Akito Hayama, who terrorizes teachers he doesn't like. Yet, he has his own backstory, a painful one at that. While trying to put up with him, Sana becomes closer with Akito. Amidst the chaos that occurs in school, the zaniness of her acting and personal life and the scenarios of those close to her, we follow the both of them as they mature through the series.
Before I move on to the anime, the manga was written by one person, Miho Obana, who also wrote Deep Clear, which crosses this title with another one of her works Honey Bitter. As of now, the manga is no longer in print, formerly under Tokyopop before they lost the license in 2006. Around this time, Funimation released the anime under their license for the US, even featuring it on Funimation Channel. The original run for this was back in April of 1996, ending the run March of 1998. In total, there are 102 episodes, which is quite lengthy, but only the first half of the series was actally dubbed, leaving the others in a limbo as to whether or not they'll be dubbed as well, all of which were made under Studio Gallop and NAS. An opening wasn't used in the Funi dubbed product, due to complications with the boy band Tokio, their name being omitted from even the Japanese episodes and replaced by XXXXXX and their name silenced out. In addition, save that the actual footage was retained, the premier 2 dubbed episodes removed references to Rei being her pimp (people would doubtlessly blow a gasket had they heard/seen that in the anime.) Had it not been hinted enough, Sana is voiced by Laura Bailey, and it came back to me when I heard her voice Omochao and Blaze the Cat in the recently released game Sonic Generations, though she has done other works such as Marlene Angel of Blue Gender and Keiko Yakamura of Yu-Yu Hakusho. Jerry Jewell, who has voiced Kyo Sohma of Fruits Basket and Kaworu Nagisa of the Rebuild of Evangelion films, voices Akito.
Kodocha is touching, yet wacky altogether. And enjoyable for my preferences. 7 of 10, close to 8, will be my call for this anime, and someday, I hope that the latter half also gets dubbed at some point.
Kodocha centers on the life of the 11 year-old child star Sana Kurata. Plot wise, there isn't any deep dwelling story, but it is a dramatic, yet romantic comedy. Trying to balance her career and school life, she faces problems like any other person, one of which happening to be Akito Hayama, who terrorizes teachers he doesn't like. Yet, he has his own backstory, a painful one at that. While trying to put up with him, Sana becomes closer with Akito. Amidst the chaos that occurs in school, the zaniness of her acting and personal life and the scenarios of those close to her, we follow the both of them as they mature through the series.
Before I move on to the anime, the manga was written by one person, Miho Obana, who also wrote Deep Clear, which crosses this title with another one of her works Honey Bitter. As of now, the manga is no longer in print, formerly under Tokyopop before they lost the license in 2006. Around this time, Funimation released the anime under their license for the US, even featuring it on Funimation Channel. The original run for this was back in April of 1996, ending the run March of 1998. In total, there are 102 episodes, which is quite lengthy, but only the first half of the series was actally dubbed, leaving the others in a limbo as to whether or not they'll be dubbed as well, all of which were made under Studio Gallop and NAS. An opening wasn't used in the Funi dubbed product, due to complications with the boy band Tokio, their name being omitted from even the Japanese episodes and replaced by XXXXXX and their name silenced out. In addition, save that the actual footage was retained, the premier 2 dubbed episodes removed references to Rei being her pimp (people would doubtlessly blow a gasket had they heard/seen that in the anime.) Had it not been hinted enough, Sana is voiced by Laura Bailey, and it came back to me when I heard her voice Omochao and Blaze the Cat in the recently released game Sonic Generations, though she has done other works such as Marlene Angel of Blue Gender and Keiko Yakamura of Yu-Yu Hakusho. Jerry Jewell, who has voiced Kyo Sohma of Fruits Basket and Kaworu Nagisa of the Rebuild of Evangelion films, voices Akito.
Kodocha is touching, yet wacky altogether. And enjoyable for my preferences. 7 of 10, close to 8, will be my call for this anime, and someday, I hope that the latter half also gets dubbed at some point.
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