Feeling as if your life is suffering from a severe lack of "girls beating the bejeezus out of each other"? Then this ought to keep you satiated for the next couple of decades...
Montyoum's Dead Fantasy 1 [ HQ version ]
Dead Fantasy 2 [ HQ version ]
Weird, goofy, cartoony, and violent... I've never heard of this Soul Eater anime before, but it looks pretty cool.
 Series OverviewDVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= C+ Story = B- Video = B- Audio = C |
Yurie Hitotsubashi was just an average middle school student living in the city of Onomichi on Japan's inland sea in the easygoing times of the 1980s. She spent her days worrying about exams and trying to get Kenji, the clueless boy she likes, to notice her. Then during lunch one day she suddenly announces to her friend Mitsue that the night before she had become a goddess. Their classmate Matsuri quickly latches on to Yurie’s newfound divinity as a way to promote her family’s bankrupt Shinto shrine. She hopes that replacing their hapless local god, Yashima-sama, with Yurie will make the shrine more popular (and profitable). Now, with Matsuri as her manager, Yurie has to grant wishes, cure curses, meet aliens, and attend god conventions. All the while attending school and working-up the courage to confess to Kenji. (Source: ANN)
Kamichu is about a young girl who one day becomes a god; but not the Mount-Olympus, throw-fire-bolts-from-the-clouds kind of god. She is still the same person that she always was -- she looks the same, acts the same, and has the same troubles that kids her age always have. It's just that she happens to also be a god. And everyone around her seems to be just fine with that.
Kamichu tries to use the concept of girl-become-god to highlight the innocence of youth, with varying success. When it's at its best, the show plays out like a slice-of-life anime with a twist. Even though Yurie is a god, she is not sure what kind of god she wants to be. She's shy, hesitant, whiny, and lazy; and probably would never have ended up using her god-powers if not for the constant prodding of her new-found friend Matsuri and the occasional responsibility of having to answer people's prayers. The fact that Yurie is so hesitant to use and abuse her powers keeps the tone of the show low-key. As a result, much of the show is calming, quiet, and at the best of times can elicit a youthful nostalgia.
There are a couple of other reasons the show has such an understated tone. First of all there is relatively little interpersonal conflict. Everyone in the town seems perfectly happy accpeting that Yurie is now a god; so there's no issue with her having to either keep her powers secret or convince people that she isn't lying. And even though she is a god everyone treats her pretty much like a normal girl, just one with an exceptional talent. Save for one episode, no one worships her; instead they treat her more akin to someone who was known for getting good grades or being good at sports. So in that respect, it's kind of like Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service -- where Kiki's a witch, but everyone treats that like it's an everyday occurance.
And while we're bringing up Ghibli movies, another good comparison would be Spirited Away. That's because, like Spirited Away, this movie has a whole host of odd-looking gods walking around. Of course, only Yurie can see them (though nobody in the show doubts their existence); but there they are just hanging out and being weird. Like a shark that is on the docks fishing. Or a little spirit that is always rolling a soda can around. The hodgepodge cast adds a fun element to the show, and since they are all acting so casually it keeps the tone light.
One thing that might make or break the show for some people is that it has so many Japanese cultural and religious references that a US audience wouldn't understand. There's all the gods for one thing, but on top of that there are terms and traditionals and certain visuals that I wasn't familiar with. Even the mechanics behind how and why Yurie becomes a god in the first place is never explained at all, and I wonder if the actual reason for it is implied in some way that a Japanese audience would pick up on, but which went right over my head. So on one hand all these cultural references can be fascinating, but for other people it might be confusing.
So that's how it is when the show is at it's best; but it's far from solid gold, and there are two main reasons why. First, there are some episodes that deviate from the simple, slice-of-life tone and end up being -- for the lack of a better word -- stupid. The most obvious example is episode four. First of all, it involves an alien which totally breaks with the slice-of-life tone. Then, it seems like it tries to balance this sci-fi element by making the alien obnoxiously cute. Then it gets the military involved and -- well it's just all over the place. Those kind of episodes that make Yurie's god status so blunt and break the easy-going mood may well drive some people away from the show entirely.
The other thing that I didn't like is that the puts so much stress on the cuteness of the characters. I know that the whole point is to have an immature and weak character with superpowers, but I can only watch a character hesitate, and mumble, and blush so many times before it gets annoying, if not downright nauseating. In fact, I think the only show I have seen characters blush more was SaiKano -- where it was actually part of their permanent character design. Although, that being said, the second half of the show balances out the cute/shy/moe element by adding some amusing storylines with a bit more conflict, which allows Yurie's character to become a little stronger.
As far as the animation, it is consistently solid throughout. The character designs themselves are pretty standard anime designs, but the animation itself is relatively smooth and I didn't notice any episodes where the quality dipped.
The music is appropriately cheery but subtle, in keeping with the tone of the show.
So overall I'd say that this is a good show if you are looking for something low-key to relax with. But you really have to watch it all the way through to get the most out of it because some episodes may turn you off.
One more note I wanted to add is that this show is very family friendly, and I'd have no problem watching it with kids of any age. Can't say that about a lot of anime, so I thought I'd point it out.
Promo image courtesy of Alafista
According to AnimeNation, the fourteenth and final volume of the Trigun Maximum manga in Japan announced that an all new Trigun animation is scheduled for release in 2009.
From the article:
According to the Japanese Moon Phase message board, the advertising "obi" on the freshly released Japanese Trigun Maximum volume 14 manga includes a confirmation that "Trigun the Movie," an original story motion picture promising "Vash vs Wolfwood!?" will hit Japanese theaters next year. The movie will be animated by Madhouse, directed by Trigun television series director Satoshi Nishimura, and written by Yasuko Kobayashi, the screenwriter of the Gilgamesh and Guyver TV series.
That's right! "Movies" plural. And with a target summer 2009 release date. It looks like they are going to be based more on the actual manga than the anime movie, which is a wise choice since the manga is a lot easier to understand.
From the article:
Leonardo DiCaprio and Warner Bros. are set to team up for a series of live-action motion pictures based on anime artist, Katsuhiro Otomo's masterpiece, Akira . According to The Hollywood Reporter, Gary Whitta has been hired to write the adaptation, which DiCaprio will produce through his Appian Way production company. The films are being fast tracked for release in summer 2009. Each feature will be comprised of three of the books in Otomo's series.
Akira set in a neon-lit futuristic post-nuclear war Tokyo in 2019 where a teen biker gang member is subjected to a government experiment which unleashes his latent powers. The gang's leader must find a way to stop the ensuing swathe of destruction. The anime classic originated in 1988 as manga and then was made into an animated film by Katsuhiro Otoma, which is considered by many fans of Japanese animation to be among the finest works in the genre.
Warner Bros has the rights to Akira up until several years ago when they allowed the rights to lapse. They regained them after a spirited bidding war. Warner's executives are describing the double-bill as Blade Runner meets City Of God.
Warner Bros. and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way has not yet announced when production for Akira is scheduled to begin.
Source: Super Hero Flix
 Book OverviewRating: Overall = A- |
For high-schooler Yoko Nakajima, life has been fairly ordinary--that is until Keiki, a young man with golden hair, tells Yoko they must return to their kingdom. Once confronted by this mysterious being and whisked away to an unearthly realm, Yoko is left with only a magical sword; a gem; and a million questions about her destiny, the world she's trapped in, and the world she desperately wants to return to. (Source: Amazon)
I watched the Twelve Kingdoms anime a couple of years ago and loved it; but the one thing that always bothered me was that the anime only told a fraction of the story from the original novels. Now, thankfully, all seven volumes from the original book series are being translated and released in the US, and the first proves to have all the qualities that I loved about the anime and more.
The story in this first book can be broken down into three main parts: First Yoko meets Keiki and is whisked away to another world. Then she ends up getting lost in the new world and has to fight her way through all kinds of physical and mental battles in order to survive. Then eventually she finds out why she was forced to come to this world and what she needs to do. That's mostly the same story as was in the anime, but the major difference is that this version focuses entirely on Yoko. That means that her two fellow students -- Asano and Sugimoto -- are totally absent in this version. But that works out well since it allows the story to be told from one consistent point-of-view, giving it the ability to focus on Yoko's personal development.
And that personal development is a huge part of what makes this a great story. The person Yoko is at the beginning of the novel is very different from who she is at the end. The anime has that same kind of development, but the book goes into greater detail to describe Yoko's emotional reactions and mental reasoning, so it's easier to follow exactly why she makes certain decisions throughout the story. This mostly occurs during the second part, when Yoko is trying to figure out who to trust and whether or not it's worth fighting to stay alive. I think some people will think that this middle portion is boring compared to the action packed beginning and the revelations from the end, but personally I love it when a story goes into depth about what a character is thinking because it adds depth to her character. Plus it keeps me from having to question she does certain things, making her easier to empathize with and understand.
The other thing that makes this story so impressive is the intricately developed world in which it takes place. You can tell that the setting -- much of which is based on Chinese mythology -- was fully realized before the author wrote a single page. The world of the Twelve Kingdoms runs under a very specific set of rules, and to break those rules warrants divine punishment. It's like the gods were trying to create a world that worked under a system that allowed humans to have free will, but also kept it from falling into total chaos. So as a result, everything from the way that the land is divided to the social hierarchy is extremely organized. The political structure has a series of checks and balances that are meant to ensure that only the most qualified rulers are chosen and that they make the decisions that are best for the people. But despite all that, it still doesn't keep some rulers from becoming corrupt and some countries from falling into chaos. It's almost like the author is commenting on the fallacy of humanity, saying that even when gods create a fool-proof system, people will still find some way of screwing up. But thematic analysis aside, the more I learned about the world of the Twelve Kingdoms, the more fascinating and engrossing it became.
Since I'd never read a translated version of a novel before, I was worried that the translation from Japanese to English might make for some awkward writing, and that some concepts might get lost. But as it turns out, this book is very well written. It is a very fast and easy read even with its depth and details.
The one major disappointment was the ending. It builds up to what you expect to be a huge battle, but then it skips any description of the fighting or invasion of the castle, and instead goes right to the resolution. My guess is that the author had spent so much time showing Yoko's personal struggles, that she had used up her page allotment and she was forced to wrap up quickly. Although, I supposed that the argument could be made that the victor of the battle is a foregone conclusion so any further description is unnecessary; but given that the rest of the novel is so detailed in showing how the action unfolds, it is jarring to have it end so suddenly.
Despite that though, overall I loved this book and can't wait to read the remaining six volumes. Whether or not you are a fan of anime, I think this is a well-developed story from beginning to end that has believable characters and a lot of depth that almost anyone could enjoy. Very highly recommended.
 Manga OverviewBook Info Rating: Overall= A+ Story = A+ Art = A- |
College freshman and ACG lover Kanji Sasahara settled down his extracurricular activity in Genshiken (The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture) in order to become a true and thorough otaku. Meanwhile, Saki Kasukabe, the girlfriend of another freshman Genshiken member (also a bishounen) Makoto Kohsaka, was dragged into Genshiken's otaku-ish activities reluctantly, yet her resentful attitude towards otakus is changing without her notice. (Source: ANN)
When I first started reading Genshiken it was a shock to my system, because I didn't expect to be able to relate so much to so many of the characters and in so many different ways.
And Genshiken really is all about the characters. There's no overarching plot; it's just a group of otaku hanging out together talking about anime and manga and doing things that otaku like to do, from building models to going to conventions to commenting on their favorite shows. It does an especially great job of highlighting and explaining different types of otaku quirks, habits, and mannerisms in the context of a comedy with realistic characters. So in that way, it's kind of like the otaku's version of Seinfeld, where Jerry's apartment is replaced by the Genshiken clubroom.
The thing that distinguishes this from other similar otaku-focused stories like Otaku no Video, is that the comedy doesn't come so much from parody or satire; instead the comedy a natural result of the characters' personalities and how they all interact with one another. It's neither mocking nor endorsing anime/manga fandom, it just showing anime fans and how they are. So you don't laugh at them because they are otaku, you laugh because -- otaku or not -- the situations they end up in and their reactions to them are funny. And a lot of it is the "yeah, I've been there before" kind of humor that almost anyone could relate to. For instance, there is one chapter where Madarame and Kasukabe are in the clubroom when Madarame notices that Kasukabe seems to have a nose hair sticking out. He spends the rest of the chapter trying to figure out whether it is actually a hair or a piece of lint, and whether or not he should tell her.
But even more than the comedy, it's how much I could relate to the characters that really hit home. In fact, I think that except for maybe Madarame and Kasukabe, I could find something to relate to in just about every character, and not just their general personality but specific thoughts they had or specific situations they've been in or reactions they've had. That makes the manga incredibly cathartic because those characters were expressing ideas I've always had but never actually verbalized.
And that catharsis is intensified all the more because of the manga's theme of "acceptance". Kasukabe, as a non-fan, has to learn to accept the Genshiken because she is in love with one of the members. Sasahara finds acceptance for from the club for his love of anime, manga, and video games even though he has always been embarrassed about said fandom. Oguie has to accept otaku because, despite the fact that she hates them, she is in fact one of them. This theme makes for a kind of wish fulfillment for otaku readers because, let's face it, justified or not, Japan or US, the interests of otaku are often regarded by most people as odd -- if not freakish. And for an anime/manga fan to find a group of people, like Sasahara did, that not only accept but also encourage those interests is like a gold mine. And reading about such characters feels a lot like hanging out with any group of good friends.
As for the art, it fits the manga perfectly. The details put into everything from the setting to the characters and their clothes make the manga fun to read but without forcing you to linger so long on a page as to ruin the pace of the story. The character designs are relatively realistic, which is good because it makes it easy to distinguish the characters from the anime that they watch.
So overall, I'd say that this really is a manga that any true anime/manga fan would love. For me, I'd definitely say that this is one of the best manga I have ever read and I am really going to miss it. Non-fans probably won't be able to empathize quite as much, but they may find it useful to help understand how a lot of otaku think.
 Manga OverviewBook Info Rating: Overall= B- Story = B- Art = C- |
Journal
In this alternate retelling of Neon Genesis Evangelion everything is different. Shinji and Asuka have grown up together as childhood friends, Rei is the new kid at school, Misato is their teacher, NERV is just beginning to assemble teenagers for their experiments, and the second impact never happened. The story proceeds as a romance rather than an action series, with love triangles a-plenty. (Source: ANN)
I'll start out by saying what this manga is not. First, although it does begin with the alternate-universe scene from the series, the manga is not a sequel or prequel or tied in any direct way to the timeline of the original Evangelion TV series. Second, this manga will not give you any insight into the unsolved mysteries of the series' storyline, so fans who are hoping to uncover revelations into the series' plot best look elsewhere. Third, there is not a lot of action in this manga. There is a short battle or two, but it certainly won't satisfy those looking for high-intensity Eva/Angel action.
Despite all that, most of the major ideas are still here -- the Evangelions, NERV, Adam, the Angels, even Seele -- but they serve more as the context under which the characters develop their romances as a "kids trying to be kids during hard times" kind of story. Hints of mystery and intrigue are still here though; for instance, NERV's reason for their experiments on the children, and the origin of the white giant Adam. Plus the origins and intentions of Kaworu (whom fans will be happy to hear gets plenty of face time in this manga) and Rei, and their connections to NERV add to the intrigue. But again, these mysteries are more there to advance the romantic struggles and introspection of the characters than anything else.
Of course, the thing those fans will mostly react to -- for better or worse -- are how the characters' personalities are altered. Hardcore fans will vilify this as a bastardization of the original series since the manga lacks much of the series' angst. But those critics aside, I think this manga will fulfill a need in a lot of Eva fans because the characters are so much more open and... well... sane. The personalities are all still the same -- Shinji is still trying to please others and Rei is still unsure of herself -- only they have less neurosis, more extroversion, and overall a more relaxed, sometimes silly tone. Personally, I loved the emotional angst in series as much as anyone, but I still think that Angelic Days' alternative take was a refreshing change of pace.
The first four volumes cover Shinji and the gang during the days of the Angel attacks; but after that story arc wraps up, the fifth volume flashes back in time to tell about the budding romance between Gendo and Yui, then the final volume flashes forward in time to show everyone when they are older and basically ties up all the romantic threads that were covered in the first four volumes. Those last two volumes were a good way to wrap up the story, but since they don't have the backdrop of Eva and the Angels like in the first four volumes, they seem more like strait love stories.
The art of the manga is disappointing; but I think that is mainly due to the fact that it is so different from the original TV series and manga. Sure the character designs are familiar enough where you can tell who is who, but the style isn't as clean and the facial proportions just seem out of whack.
So in summary, Angelic Days is essentially Evangelion-lite, with hints of the some of the qualities of the series, but is as much -- if not more -- interesting in how it deviates from the original than how it is similar. The best way to think of it is as a fairly well done doujinshi that uses elements from the original series to create an "if only..." type of story. Whether or not you enjoy it depends on how much of a hardcore Evangelion purist you are and how much you enjoy shojo romance. As for those who have never been exposed to the original series, I can only imagine what your reaction would be.
 Manga OverviewBook Info Rating: Overall= C Story = C Art = C |
In the post-apocalyptic future, the complex networks of machines have created chaos and the human world was destroyed. The robots known as the "Constructer" continued to build a meaningless structure with no one to guide them. Soon these cities reach out to the outer planets and another breed of life form emerges. Follow the journey of a strange man, name Killy, in his search for the understanding of the chaotic world being run by Silicon lifeforms out to destroy him and every living thing in their path. (Source: ANN)
I did not particularly like this manga, but despite that I just could not stop reading. Much of that is due to the fact that it is so easy to read. I don't mean that the plot is easy to understand, because it isn't. The plot essentially involves a character named Killy going around an unimaginably massive structure shooting these huge semi-organic creatures called "Silicon Creatures" with his compact-but-insanely-powerful Graviton Beam Emitter while withstanding their onslaught with a superhuman healing capabilities all the while searching for something called "Net Terminal Genes" which will allow him to access the Megastructure's network dubbed the "Netsphere". That's about as much as I was able to comprehend across all ten volumes of this manga, partly because there is little to no dialogue to explain what is going on. And what little dialogue there is involves cryptic terminology that is never fully explained (at least as far as I could tell). Character and plot development take a back seat to the action. Characters show up, then leave or die, then come back in another form for reasons I could never understand, all the while Killy stoically goes about his business babbling about "Net Terminal Genes" and blowing stuff up.
And the artwork didn’t do much to clarify things. Well, actually the art is pretty cool taken by itself. The visuals are dark, and at times look more like a rough sketch than completed artwork, sometimes being extremely detailed and other times extremely minimalistic in order to emphasis the scale of the Megastructure. The dark artwork fits nicely with the dark, ominous setting without being too angst-ridden or moody.
But even though the art style is impressive, it makes it very difficult to follow the action. It's like there will be a bunch a panels, but I could not tell how they were all connected. You'll see Killy in one panel, and a Silicon Creature in another, and some kind of blur in another and then an explosion, but what any of that stuff has to do with each other is vague. It is especially difficult given that the plot and characters’ motivations are so obscure to begin with.
So if everything is so confusing then why the heck would I say that it is easy to read? Well, for one thing, since there is so little dialogue, it is easy to breeze through a volume in a few minutes, even if you might not understand what happened. And even though the action can be difficult to follow at times, it's still hard not to get caught up in all the unrestricted destructive fun of it. But the main thing that attracts me to this manga is its sheer scale of concept.
Killy goes throughout this metal dungeon and for a while it's hinted that at some point he will reach the surface. But the more I got into the story the more I realized that there actually is no surface; and though the total size of the structure is never definitely given, some online research revealed that it could be as large as the Jupiter's planetary orbit! That gargantuan scale gives artist/writer Tsutomu Nihei plenty to play with in terms of setting designs. In fact this is probably the first manga I've read almost purely due to the setting alone. In each volume, I couldn't wait to see what place Killy would wander into next because each "room" or "level" is so different from the one preceding it. The fact that Nihei is a former architect probably contributes to the boundless imagination of the setting. Plus, given that scale the idea that "constructors" are constantly adding onto the Megastructure, and the Netsphere and Authority somehow manages it all, fascinates the heck out of me.
So in summary, Blame! is purely cerebral storytelling with plenty of action with a larger-than-life scale. So while I was not particularly impressed by the lack of character development, the confusing plot, and hard-to-follow action scenes; I am still likely going to pick up the prequel and sequel volumes and maybe even the anime at some point (if they are ever released in the US) simply because I am fascinated by the world of the Megastructure itself.
 Series OverviewDVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= B- Story = C+ Video = B+ Audio = C+ |
During the time when Louis XV still ruled France, a certain woman was found dead in the coffin floating through the Seine river. D'Eon, the woman's brother, determines to seach for the killer of his sister, Lia. But there are some strange movements in France. And things become more strange when Lia's soul enters D'Eon's body... (Source: ANN)
I have mixed reactions to this show. I like the way that it incorporates real historical settings and characters because they give it a sense of legitimacy. Plus whenever I watch these kinds of period series, it always makes me curious about the real historical references (which is conveniently satisfied by the DVD extras the talk about the real-life version of the characters) and just how possible the events in the story really are.
The art and animation added to the sense of realism and authenticity. The setting and costume designs were ornate and detailed and at least appeared to be authentic for the period. The characters designs were very realistic, especially with regards to their facial expressions, which were complex without being exaggerated like you see in other anime. The action scenes were also animated with a great deal of detail, especially the fencing scenes which looked to be expertly choreographed.
What I didn't like so much were the more fantasy-type elements. The show starts out building up a good sense of authenticity as to its historical setting and characters, but then at the end of the first episode it introduces these zombie characters called "gargoyles". That whole zombie element really ruined a lot of the show for me because you have this realistic historical adventure/drama interspersed with what can only be described as a campy horror cliché. There were other inexplicable visuals that were meant to represent the magical element to the show -- like how the words to the Psalms would come out and surround whomever the spell-caster was trying to control, or how D'Eon's hair ribbon would just suddenly fall out whenever Lia's soul would take over his body. These visuals just seemed blunt and out-of-place compared with the more realistic parts. Of course, without the fantasy elements, there wouldn't be much of a story, but I just wish they were handled with a bit more subtlety.
So in summary this is a well-plotted adventure/drama with realistic characters and top-notch animation. Unfotunately the magical/horror elements distract from the realism and can detract from the quality of the story. Overall though, I did enjoy the show and would recommend it for those who enjoy historical fiction.
 Series OverviewDVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= A- Story = A- Video = B+ Audio = B+ |
On the first day of high school a beautiful girl named Haruhi Suzumiya introduces herself as having "no interest in ordinary humans". She asks for any aliens, time travelers, sliders or espers to join her. Watching her weird behaviour is Kyon who sits in front of Haruhi and is the only person who talks to her. When Kyon comments about Haruhi's joining every club in school and then quitting he unwittingly gives Haruhi an idea to start her own after school club. Thereafter Kyon and several others find themselves dragged, literally, into the Save our world by Overloading it with fun Suzumiya Haruhi's Brigade (the S.O.S. Brigade for short). (Source: ANN)
To be clear, this is a show directed at anime fans. It is intentionally full of all kinds of cliché storylines and characters from moe to tsundere to child detectives and RPG gaming. But it is presented in such a self-aware manner that they act as a parody of themselves by highlighting just how ridiculous such clichés are.
But it is the way that parody is executed within such an original concept that really makes this show rise above other similar anime. As the show eventually reveals, Haruhi's boredom is a dangerous thing because she unknowingly has the power to unconsciously manifest the things that she desires to happen. It's a power that could have cataclysmic consequences if not kept in check, so the members of the SOS Brigade need to keep Haruhi entertained enough to prevent her from destroying and recreating the universe according to her own whim. That story concept could be used to do show kinds of crazy stuff, but for the most part her powers end up manifesting with such subtlety that the characters have a hard time determining what events happen on their own and which are a result of Haruhi's power. And as a result, the show seems more like a regular high school comedy sprinkled with odd occurrences than an all-out magical fantasy. And while I can't say that this make the story more realistic, it does make it seem more grounded and adds a subtle tone of sci-fi mystery to parody which makes it interesting as well as hilarious.
Of course, the other thing that makes this a great show is Haruhi herself. Even without her powers, she is like a force of nature who drags people kicking and screaming into her schemes for achieving self-amusement. Watching the way that she obnoxiously manipulates characters in order to get her way is really what drives the show's character-driven comedy. The other characters also rise above their cliché personalities in order to have genuine and reasonable reactions to the wacky events that Haruhi drags them into. And the unspoken romantic tension between Kyon and Haruhi is another thing that adds a layer of genuineness of the characters.
As far as the art and animation, it ranges from very high quality to above average. The character designs are -- as you might image -- cliché to fit their purpose, but they are also detailed and colorful enough to make them engaging.
The soundtrack for the show is phenomenal. The musical scores during each scene fit perfectly, but what really makes the show are the actual songs that are played during the ending animation (or the full-length version) and during the (chronologically) final episode. Each of which illustrates just how fun this show really is.
One issue that is most controversial issue among fans is what order to watch the show in. When it was originally broadcast in Japan, the episodes were shown out of chronological order. The regular version of the US DVD release only allows you watch the episodes in chronological order, but if you get the special editions you have the added option of watching them in the original broadcast order (subtitled only). I decided to watch them in the original broadcast order and am glad that I did. I think it makes for a better build up and climax due to the order in which the show reveals certain mysteries and the way it develops the characters and their relationships. So I think as long as you are aware that you are watching them out of order, that is the most satisfying way of viewing this show.
So all in all this is a highly entertaining anime that is just plain fun to watch, especially if you are an anime fan. It hooks you with its parody and its genuine and wacky characters and original concept will keep you coming back for more. Recommended for otaku everywhere.
A couple of extra notes... First of all, the last DVD has a scene from what seems to be a similarly themed show called Lucky Star. The scene includes the Haruhi cast and can be seen here. My guess is that fans of Haruhi will end up liking Lucky Star too (though I haven't actually seen it, that's just my guess). I'm not sure of the US release date.
Also, in case you are wondering why I have this review labeled as "season 1", it's because a second season is currently being produced. I'm not sure when it will be aired in Japan though, so stay tuned.
 Movie OverviewDVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= A+ Story = A- Video = A+ Audio = B+ |
When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to, quite literally, "leap" backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends. (Source: ANN)
This is a spectacular character-driven drama and is probably one of the -- if not the best movie I have seen all year (that being 2007).
Part of what makes this movie so easy and enjoyable to watch is that, unlike most time travel stories, it doesn't have the characters traveling across great spans of time or trying to alter world history. The time travel involves leaping back hours, or at most a few days in order for Makoto to make her own life easier so she can do things like sleep in without being late for class, or allowing her to ace tests easily, or avoid awkward social situations. And because the story focuses on short-term time travel and simple every-day events, it is much more believable and easier to relate to. That simplicity also allows the movie to focus fully on the characters and their actions and relationships without having to be distracted by a grandiose plotline. All of this simple, believable, character-driven drama gives the story plenty of emotional range, with both fun (and funny) moments, as well as moments that are dramatically intense.
The animation is simple but the movement of the characters are detailed and extremely realistic. It ranks right up there with the best of studio Ghibli in terms of animating the most minute details of a character's life in order to add depth and realism (which makes sense since some Ghibli staff was involved in making this movie). The artwork is simple with fluid and soft line work that adds to the relaxed easy-going tone of the movie.
That's not to say that the movie is perfect, as it does have a few flaws that distract from its tone. The most significant flaw is that it deviates from that simple every-day storyline in order to give an explanation for the time travel. Personally, I would have been happy if it would have been something like the movie Groundhog Day, where they never really explain why she is able to travel through time since that is not as important as what she does with the ability and how it changes her. But as it is, the movie does add an extra layer of complexity to the plot by bringing in another time-traveler, and as a result makes for an awkward sci-fi shift in tone.
And this issue is compounded all the more because the events that follow are confusing and at times self-contradictory. Plus there are plot threads that are never fully explained (i.e., what exactly is the significance of that painting for the people of the future?). But personally I was able to mentally work my way around these flaws, because the successes of the movie still far outweigh its shortcomings.
One thing that people may be confused about is Makoto's aunt, whom Makoto goes to for advice. The story never explains who this aunt is or why she is so knowledgeable about time travel. As it turns out, this movie is actually a sequel to a live action movie from 1983, which is in turn based on a novel. This anime movie takes place 20 years after that original movie, and the aunt is supposed to be the main character from that live action movie. You don't need to see the original film to appreciate this anime version, but understanding where her character comes from does help alleviate some confusion.
So in summary, this movie is just incredible and even with its flaws ranks right up there with 5 CM Per Second as one of my top picks of 2007. Highly recommended for all audiences.
 Movie Overview(Not yet released in US) Bittorrent Download Trailer Rating: Overall= C+ Story = C- Video = A Audio = A |
When 11 year old Wataru's father leaves home and his mother is taken ill to hospital, he decides to change his fate by travelling through the door shown to him by his friend Mitsuru. In a land of magic and monsters, Wataru must summon all his courage and embark on a journey with several comrades to meet the Goddess of Destiny and change this "mistaken fate". (Source: ANN)
Story
This movie has a pretty average "kid travels off to a fantasy world and has an adventure" type of story. But honestly, that's exactly what I was hoping it would be. I've always liked those kind of movies because they remind me of the fantasy adventure movies -- like Neverending Story -- that I watched when I was younger -- and still have a nostalgic fondness for.
And to its credit this movie does have some great fantasy elements. As the movie starts out, Wataru stumbles upon a door to another world called "Vision". He discovers that if he enters that world and completes a quest, he will be able to have one wish granted. So, after his mom falls ill, he decides that he will take up the journey in order to cure her. During this quest, he meets all kinds of odd creatures, fights monsters, and even gets to travel on the back of a flying dragon.
The problem is that the story is so rushed that it never gives the story enough time to develop the plot or characters. It introduces a character or story arc and then moves right on to the next thing without ever providing a natural transition from one event to another. For example, you see that Wataru's mom collapses but the movie never explains what her illness is. So throughout the movie I was actually wondering if she was sick at all. At another point, Wataru is in the world of Vision, and is imprisoned. He is subsequently released after his innocence is proven, and then, for no reason in particular, the woman who imprisoned him makes him an honorary "Highlander" (i.e., soldier of Vision). No explanation, she just does it out of the blue. As I was watching the movie I got the feeling that the writers knew exactly how much ground they wanted to cover and exactly how much time they had to do it, so they paced each scene accordingly, but provided only the bare minimum necessary to show each event or introduced each character. As a result the movie seems like the outline of a story instead of one that is fully realized.
The other thing that bothered me is that this is supposed to be a story about Wataru being brave in order to earn his wish, but it seemed to me that 9 times out of 10, whenever he was in trouble, it was someone or something else that saved him -- whether it was his sword (which appeared to act on its own at times) or his friends. But none of which had anything to do with his own bravery. So again, both plot-wise and theme-wise the movie failed to satisfy.
Art/Animation
From a purely visual standpoint the movie is incredible. From the designs of the setting to the characters to the costumes, everything is simple, but also lush and colorful and just fun to look at. The designs of the large monsters and especially the dragons alone make this movie worth watching.
Music
The soundtrack is exactly what I would want for a fantasy adventure movie. It is a full, booming, emotional track that could practically carry the movie all on its own.
Summary
So overall, I would say that this movie could have been great if it only dedicated more time to making a fully fleshed-out story and characters. But at the same time I have to give huge kudos to the incredible visuals and music, which are phenomenal.
 Series OverviewDVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= B+ Story = B+ Video = B Audio = B+ |
Okajima Rokuro is a Japanese businessman…in a town full of Japanese businessmen. His normal day consists of social drinking with clients and being kicked around by his bosses. He finally gets a break though, as he’s sent by his company to the tropical seas of Eastern China to deliver a disc…only his boat gets hijacked by a band of mercenaries that were hired to steal it. “Rock” (as he is newly dubbed by his captors) catches the interest of the only female merc “Revy” as she thinks he’s worth a ransom, taking him hostage. However, the disc turns out to be more trouble than its worth, and complicates things both for Rock, and the mercenaries known as Black Lagoon. (Source: ANN)
Story
The first thing that hit me about Black Lagoon is that everybody smokes. For some reason, even more than it's graphic violence, that me that hit me as being the biggest indicator that this was going to be a fun series with bad-ass characters. And as it turned out, that expectation was met and exceeded because this show was easy to watch with a cast of cool, strange, and violent characters that I looked forward to watching episode after episode.
The show is all about criminals doing jobs for other criminals in order to gain the upper hand on even more criminals. There are no real good guys. And the members of the mercenary group Black Lagoon only seems to be the good guys when taken in comparison to even worse characters, like say a group of neo-Nazis. But at other times it's like no one is really the good guy, because all the characters are equally tough, cool, criminally violent, and at times just plain goofy...like a maid who is tough as nails and packs a umbrella with some serious fire power. Of course my personal favorite is Balalaika from the crime syndicate "Hotel Moscow", with half her face scarred and smoking that giant stogy, she is easily the coolist of the cast.
There is, of course, plenty of violence but it is the kind of violence where the characters are giddy and enjoy it so much, while at the same time being casual and matter-of-fact about it -- but without making the kind of corny, lame quips that you see heroes make in similar scenes in American movies -- that it's hard not to feel the adrenaline rush right along with them.
Another part of what makes the characters so enjoyable to watch is that they have multifaceted personalities. For instance, Dutch, the leader of Black Lagoon, is a tough fighter, but is intelligent and level-headed and has a gift for being able to read people. Another example is Revy, who has a mysterious past that partially explains why she is so violent and makes her all the more empathetic. And even though she seems to have fighting in her blood, she also seems to envy Rock's old life of normalcy. Rock, on the other hand, is constantly weighing that normalcy and morality against his involvement in the criminal activities of Black Lagoon. This causes a lot of arguments between Rock and Revy; but that conflict is also what causes Rock and Revy to develop such a deep connection. Rock's need to choose between those two lives is the driving force of the show and by the end Rock must make his final choice of whether to give himself over the the dark side or to return to his previous life.
Art/AnimationThe animation is top quality throughout. The character designs fit the character personalities. The weapons are detailed. And the overall art design is just solid.
Music
The opening and closing animations are incredible. The opening animation really gets you into the mood with its blunt, violent, action-oriented attitude. And the closing animation... it threw me off at the end of just about every episode. It was so subtle and understated that the first time I saw it I wasn't sure if it was the end credits or a continuation of the episode. But it has with a such dark, mysterious tone that it's like ending each episode with a question mark.
SummarySo suffice to say that I really liked this show. In fact as the show reached its final episodes I was a bit anxious. Revy and Rock were developing their relationship and it was just so cool to watch that I just did not want it to end. Though I guess it's just as well that it did end on a good note for me. At least I have the memory.
The first season is available on DVD now, but the second half is in limbo since Geneon halted its distribution of anime. So you can obviously download, or you can just wait for some other company to pick up the second half. Either way, I definitely recommend this show if you enjoy anime with action, compelling characters, and plenty of attitude.
 Movie OverviewDVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= B- Story = B- Video = B- Audio = B- |
Yagami Light is a brilliant college student who, one day, finds a notebook simply titled "Death Note." Inside of this book is a list of rules and details as for the use of the "Death Note." When he realizes the power he holds, he decides he's going to make over the world. He wants to make it into a better place by killing those who do others harm. He has been nicknamed by the police "Kira." L, a brilliant detective who lives in secrecy, rises from the shadows and puts his life on the line trying to capture Light. Both L and Light believe themselves on the side of Justice, and the two match wits trying to show exactly which of them is "good" and which of them is "evil." (Source: ANN)
Have you ever watched a movie based on a book, and -- regardless of the quality of the movie -- had a hard time enjoying it because you were constantly comparing it to the source material? Well, that pretty much describes my experience watching the live action Death Note movies. That's probably because this is the first live action movie where I have both read the manga and seen the anime versions, so the story is so ingrained in my head that it's hard not to compare. But to be fair, I'm going to at least try to review it from both the perspective of someone who is coming into it fresh, and someone who has previously experienced the story. So here goes.
One good thing for newcomers is that this is a re-telling of the Death Note story so you won't need any previous experience to understand it. Essentially it revolves around a notebook which will kill anyone whose name is written in its pages. The notebook was previously owned by a Death God named Ryuk who dropped it in the human world just to see what would happen. The notebook is picked up by a genius college student named Light who decides to use the notebook's powers to rid the world of criminals. The UN, having recognized the unnatural number of deaths occurring within the world's prisons, decides to hire internationally renowned detective L to uncover the murderer's identity. A battle of wits between Light and L commences, each trying to protect their identity from the other.
I think that regardless of the medium in which you experience the story, the initial draw remains the same -- that being the whole concept of the Death Note as being an easy and discreet way to kill anyone you choose provided you know their name. What would you do if you had that kind of power? That's the question the viewer starts to ask himself and what sparks curiosity. And then, when you find out that Light is going to use it to kill "bad" people, you have to ask whether or not that action is justifiable, and that moral quandary sparks all the more curiosity. Then you are introduced to the master detective L, and you wonder how it would ever be possible to uncover the identity of someone who had possession of such a covert killing power. And when you see L's genius at work the question becomes how is Light going to keep himself from being uncovered. And that's when it really draws you in.
Then there are the characters themselves. First there's Light. Watching him as he his well meaning intentions are corrupted by the power of the notebook is part of what makes the story so fascinating. And L, with his quirky and unexpected mannerisms, is far from you standard Sherlock Holmes type of detective, making him as much amusing as he is ingenious. And the dynamic between the two -- each believing he are on the side of justice -- is the clincher that completely draws you in.
That's pretty much how the fascination with the story works for any of Death Note's various incarnations. But there are a few things that makes the movies different from the others -- some of which may or may not improve the story depending on your thoughts about the originals.
There are a few complaints that some readers of the manga had with that version, and most all of them came about whenever the L/Light dynamic was interrupted. First there was the whole Yotsuba Group arc where L and Light worked together to get the Death Note away from a group of corporate big-wigs. Another time was at the manga's half-way point, when L was replaced entirely by Near and Mello. The Yotsuba arc is still in the movie, but it is compressed and instead of eight businessmen it involves one woman -- the TV anchorwoman Saeko Nishiyama. And Near and Mello never show up -- it's Light and L all the way to the end which fans should be pleased with.
The major change that fans' reactions will vary for is the addition of Shiori Akino -- Light's girlfriend. I wasn't quite sure what to make of her at first, and originally thought she was just there to act as someone for Light to debate with over the ethics of killing criminals. But as it turns out she plays a much more significant role at the end of the first movie, and acts to illustrate just how far Light has fallen.
Another thing that fans may or may not care about is that there is no internal monologue in the movie like there was in the manga. I personally thought that was the biggest detriment to the movie since, in the manga, I enjoyed seeing how the characters reasoned out their actions. Plus seeing their reasoning added a lot to the suspense. I also think the absense of the thought process detracted from Light's character because without it, he seemed less intelligent and more like he was just purely evil.
I'm sure fans are also wondering how well the actors play those all-so familiar characters. To me the best acting was performed by Light's dad and L. Ken'ichi Matsuyama who played L had the mannerisms down as well as any actor could. From the way he held the cell-phone to eating the candy bars, you can tell he put a lot of effort into studying the source material. (Although, seeing L eat so many sweet in live action is a lot more nausiating. And what that stuff he's eating near the end?! Liquid sugar?) Takeshi Kaga also did a good job as Light's dad playing the stern, focused, dedicated cop who also wants the best for his family. I was less impressed by Tatsuya Fujiwara who played Light. His acting just seemed wooden because he seldom changed his expression. Maybe that was intentional in order to show that Light was hiding something, but it just didn't work very well. A few of the other actors had just the opposite problem, they over-acted. The worst example was with the heart attack victims. Now, I have never actually seen someone have a heart-attack, but the way they portrayed it in the movie was just so over-the-top that I couldn't take it seriously.
Of course the other character in question is the Shinigami Ryuk. How did he do as a CG animation? The results varied between movies. In the first movie he looked okay as long as he didn't move much. But as soon as he starts laughing in the first scene, the animation looked so jerky as to seem amateurish. The second movie improves on the CG quality a lot, especially with the introduction of the new Shinigami Rem.
I actually didn't notice much for the movies' soundtrack. The only thing that I did notice is that the theme song is Dani California by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It sounds cool in the trailer, but to me it didn't seem to fit in the movie.
So I'm not sure if this review helped to either show my own opinion of these movies or help determine whether you would be interested in them. At the end of the second movie my thought was something like, "That was kind of okay, but the anime and manga were so much better." I think I'd have to watch the movies a second time -- when my preconceptions are out of the way -- to get better grasp on what I think. But that probably won't happen.
 Series OverviewTV Broadcast Info DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= A Story = A+ Video = A- Audio = B+ |
Journal
Yagami Light is an ace student with great prospects, who's bored out of his mind. One day he finds the "Death Note": a notebook from the realm of the Death Gods, with the power to kill people in any way he desires. With the Death Note in hand, Light decides to create his perfect world, without crime or criminals. However, when criminals start dropping dead one by one, the authorites send the legendary detective L to track down the killer, and a battle of wits, deception and logic ensues... (Source: ANN)
I can hardly see much point in writing a review for this show. Part of that is because Death Note has gotten so popular that I think most anime fans have made up their mind about it. The other reason is that I read the manga before the anime came out, and since the two versions follow almost the exact same storyline, any review I could muster up would essentially be a reiteration of my review of the manga with the added commentary that the anime has a darker gothic tone, is occasionally more melodramatic, and has high quality animation; but both versions are resounding successes.
So in lieu of being so redundant, I thought it might be fun to instead make a list of some of the most surprising story elements (to me anyway) from the manga (They would be mostly the same in the anime, but that at point they obviously weren't a surprise to me anymore), as well as a list of some of the unexpected (though not always better) alterations/additions in the anime. Warning: Spoilers abound here, so if you have not finished either version, you best stop reading now. Otherwise, here goes:
Stuff that surprised me in the manga
Ryuk's design: It's not the usual cloak and sickle reaper that you'd expect. Ryuk -- as well as all the other Shinigami -- each have original, weird, and demonic designs. And at the same time they have such snappy dialogue!
The number of the rules of the Death Note: One rule after another after another. Some seemed more necessary than others, but the level of detail that the author went to to cover every possible scenario was incredible.
Light hides the notebook: It's in the drawer, but no, it's under the drawer, and if you don't open it just so the whole house may burn down. What?? I think that's the point where I just started realizing that this would be something different.
L pinpoints Light's location: If that scene doesn't hook readers, I don't know what will.
L and Light working together: Handcuffs anyone?
Misa's appearance: What a moron! Lucky for Light she was willing to pretty much be his Death-Note-whore for most of the story.
Light imprisoned: I really thought that the story would end there. But no, that's just the quarter-way point.
Watari shoots Higuchi: That whole Yotsuba Group storyline had me worried until I saw Watari nail the guy pinpoint on the hand from a helicoptor with a sniper rifle. Yee Haw!
Light kills Rem, Watari, and L: PWND defined.
That contraption that Mello uses to get the Death Note: Most of Near/Mello story arc was less impressive than the part with L in terms of the characters, but was still just as good from a strategy standpoint. Most notable is that contraption that Mello used to get the Death Note from the police in exchange for Light's sister. Impressive.
Mello's death: It happened so suddenly and without fanfare that I wanted to shake the book and say, "Hey, wake up! You can't really be dead."
Final scene with Light and Ryuk: The look Ryuk gives Light... Bone-chilling.
Surprising changes in the anime
English voice actors: I caught a few episode in of the English version on Adult Swim. Not totally horrible, but not particularly good either. Of course on the plus side, it does give us that classic line: "I'll take a potato chip... and EAT IT!".
Ryuk's dark laugh: No more goofy "hyuk hyuk", but instead a dark ominous chuckle.
Motorcycle-guy gets creamed: It's the same scene as in the manga, but the way it was done in the anime still made me jump a little.
Light writing in the Death Note: Let's hear it for cool shaky-camera effects!
That scene between L and Light just before L dies: Borderline yaoi material.
Light's sudden mood change in the end: The melodrama in the anime worked against it in this scene. The same scene in the manga was a bit unnatural but more acceptable because it was more subtle. In the anime it just seems totally forced.
The final scene between Light and Ryuk: The manga's version worked for the manga, and the anime's version worked just as well for the anime -- but in a different way.
Well, that was a lot of fun. Maybe I should do that kind of thing more often.
Anyway, if you want more Death Note goodness, there are two live action movies (review coming soon) and prequel spin-off. Plus I heard a few of the TV episodes were rebroadcast with some extra scenes. The live action movies will hit US DVD soon. Not sure about the re-cut TV episodes though.
 OAV OverviewDVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= C Story = C- Video = C Audio = C- |
Journal
Rei goes to an anime convention and ends up in a world created by the desires of anime fans. Rei doesn't know how to get back and the world starts to collapse as the convention is coming to a close. (Source: ANN)
Back in my entry on Yukikaze I said something like "I hope I don't have to wait as long for Mave-chan as I had to wait for the final episode of Yukikaze." That was about a year and a half ago. So was it worth the wait? ... Not really.
This one-episode OAV is a simple fantasy story about a boy named Rei who goes to a convention and ends up stumbling into a world that is a manifestation of fans' love of anime. The characters in this other world represent parts of a particular anime -- in this case Yukikaze -- and as the anime's popularity wains the characters of this world start to fade away. Can Rei save the world -- and the anime it represents -- from fading into total obscurity? Watch and see!
Obviously the whole thing is pretty goofy, but if you really think about it, it's kind of funny because the theme is essentially, "Please keep Yukikaze popular!"
And that is just as well because in truth, the only people who will find any real value in this show are Yukikaze fans. Sure, non-fans may be able to understand what is going on in general, but they won't get the references (ie, what the different characters are supposed to represent), which means you loose 90% of the amusement-factor. And it's not like it has mind-blowing animation or an incredibly engaging plot that might interest non-fans. Heck, even if you have seen Yukikaze, it would be hard for someone to justify forking over another ten bucks just for this one half-hour throw away episode with no significant extras. It would have been ideal if this was included on the last Yukikaze DVD as an extra (as was originally planned). That way it would have ensured that the episode reached its target audience and would have been more worthwhile. As a stand-alone DVD I can't imagine many people giving this much consideration.
