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.
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