Rss

  • youtube

Archives for : Reviews

The Life of Budori Gusuko- Anime Review

Posted by :Joann On : March 16, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Tags:

Title: The Life of Budori Gusuko

Director: Gisaburo Sugii

Publisher: Sentai Filmworks

U. S. Release Date: 3-27-18

Format: Movie, Blu-ray, 105 Minutes

Genre: Drama

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: C

Synopsis:

Going from a charmed family life on the edge of an idyllic village, Budori’s life turns tragic when the weather causes a famine. He is reluctant to leave the only life he has known, but with the circumstances so dire, he must set out on his own. He lucks into a good job and a place to live. However, once again, the changing weather forces him to move on. Now older, he seeks opportunity and education. Budori intends to live a life of service and purpose. With a new position,  he has the chance to learn and prove his worth, but nature will again challenge his world. What Budori finds in himself is the stuff of legends.

Commentary:

The Life of Budori Gusuko is essentially spun off from the 1985 anime, Night on the Galactic Railroad, a fantasy novel originally by Kenji Miyazawa, written in the 1920s. Its connection to the early anime is easily apparent, having the same director and character design. But the story isn’t a sequel, time is at least concurrent in the beginning. It doesn’t seem to be a development of the story, there isn’t enough of the same elements to function that way. I have yet to see.

For me, who has not seen Night on the Galactic Railroad, The Life of Budori Gusuko is nothing special. It started out well, with beautiful scenery and an idyllic story beginning. But then, what did it have? Bits and pieces of good things and drama but not really knitted together to make a cohesive story. Each little section was good and had some quality animation but they didn’t fit as a whole. The fantasy elements seemed to be headed somewhere strong, but most turned out to be dream sequences. The caped cat, who is apparently the grim reaper, is the only fantasy element to be part of the reality, and with that being the lone fantasy element, it felt out of place and not woven into the fabric of the story.

I couldn’t figure out who the target audience for The Life of Budori Gusuko is supposed to be, I mean who is this for? If it’s for kids, some of the story elements are in the wrong vein and too serious/depressing with no big lesson.  The “lesson” of what kind of person do you want to be, and what will you be willing to do to be that, is just sort of tucked in to something the teacher read and mentioned again in the sudden pivot ending. Okay, if there’s not a lesson, then entertainment? Uh, well, it’s a downer, no action to speak of  and nothing thrilling. It’s not funny or cute. Okay, the people look like cats, but that is it. It may be cute on some, but like the dad who is bearded and depressed, not so. And there is no reason at all for them to be cats. They don’t even have any cat like tendencies, they even eat tomato soup- totally un-cat like. If it’s for adults, there wasn’t the development of the story to draw me in. Here is where the lack of the sequences fitting together as a whole really hurt the film. With it seeming like separate stories, there just wasn’t the time to ripen anything.

So, for me, the strongest aspect of the movie is the visuals. Sometimes well developed, sometimes very creative. With the beginning, great attention was given to the scenery and settings. A close second, was the soundtrack support. I don’t know that listing to it on its own would be good, but it did a great job setting the mood with a range to keep it interesting.

 

Overall Grade: C      Piece by piece, there is plenty to enjoy but the elements weren’t mixed well together to make the story solid.

 

 

 

Chihayafuru Season 2 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 13, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Chihayafuru Season 2 on Blu-ray

Director: Morio Asaka

Studio: Madhouse

Author: Yuki Suetsugu

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 20, 2018

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 25 Episodes / 625 Minutes

Genre: Drama, Game, Romance, School Life, Sports

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Hanasaku Iroha: Blossoms for Tomorrow and Chihayafuru Season 1

 

Synopsis:

Chihaya’s determination to become a master karuta player has not changed, but as a new semester begins, the team’s focus switches to recruiting new members for the club in order to keep their meeting space. Unfortunately, while a number of students initially express interest, few are willing to put forth the effort it takes to play on the level of the existing members. Enter Sumire Hanano, who split with her boyfriend on the first day of school. Now seeking a replacement, she thinks that Taichi might just fill the role nicely, even if it means jumping into a pool with a shark like Chihaya! Now all the cards are on the table or, in this case, the floor and the games are really about to start!

 

Commentary:

I will first try and explain Karuta but it will not be short. Karuta is not to be compared with playing cards in the sense of the Western World. It is not Poker, Rummy or Skat. It would be most comparable to Memory. There are different types of Karuta that can be played. Uta-Garuta is played in Chihayafuru. The card game consists of 200 cards, 100 of which are called Yomifuda, this are the reading cards and 100 Torifuda, which are the cards that are use by the players itself. On the Yomifuda are the first three verses of a traditional Japanese poem. The Poetry comes from the Hyakunin Isshu (100 poems of 100 poets, each poet one poem). The Torifuda (game- or field-cards) contain the last two verses of the respective poem. The challenge consists in recognizing the poems during the reading and to catch the corresponding play card in front of the opponent. Karuta fulfills everything a sport should have, high concentration, excellent memory, lightning reflexes, strategic thinking, endurance, resilience, mental strength and a tremendous commitment to the long training for coordination and precession. The person who touches the right card on the field first gets the card, when you take a card from the opponents side you can give them one of yours, when your half of the playing field is empty you win.
It sounds simple and quite boring but it’s NOT. In order to touch the right card quickly, cards get flung of the playing field, people are sweating, thinking and reacting at full speed and crazy-eating chocolate in between these intense games. To really play Karuta at top level you need memorization skills, good hearing and senses, good posture, analytic and strategic skills, precision, strength, speed, perseverance, an emotional connection to the cards and so much more. As you can see, Karuta is very difficult to play but when it is played by people who love it, it is a beautiful thing.

 

Chihayafuru Season 2 starts off right where season one left off. We are introduced to two new characters who are the only students who join the club in the new semester. We first meet Sumire Hanano, an incoming first year, and she has decided to only join the club and learn to play Karuta in order to get closer to Taichi. Eventually, she is moved by everyone else’s passion and becomes a proper member of the club. She uses makeup, especially mascara, as battle armor and is never without it. We then meet Akihiro Tsukuba, an incoming first year student who has played Hokkaido-style Karuta (second verse karuta using two hands) and wants to join the club and learn how to play first verse karuta. He is the annoying/creepy character that you want to hate but instead learn to love. He has three younger brothers who look up to him and he plays off their attention to the extreme. He is drawn to pretty people so of course he looks up to both Chihaya and Taichi. Both characters added to the plot and made a great addition to the series.

 

Chihayafuru Season 2 focuses more on the competitive karuta than the love triangle between Arata, Chihaya and Taichi. The love triangle was there but we saw a lot more karuta games, both individual and the group games. The Tokyo finals and the High School Nationals were both shown and the other schools from season one were back again, along with a few new ones. Chihaya also faces off against the current kurata Queen and once again loses but she learns an important lesson while doing so.

 

The animation was beautiful and breath-taking. The background animation popped with color and the music really set the mood. I truly cannot wait for the third season to air so I can see what happens next.

 

Extras:

Chihayafuru Season 2 on Blu-ray includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with both English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options.

 

Overall Grade: A

Girlish Number: Complete Collection

Posted by :Patches On : March 10, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Girlish Number: Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Shota Ibata

Writer: Wataru Watari

Studio: Diomedea

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: March 6th, 2018

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: C

Synopsis:

Chitose Karasuma wants to make it big as a voice actor, but while she looks and sounds adorable, she’s also self-absorbed, inattentive, selfish, and lazy. However, since her manager is also her big brother, she’s still getting bit parts and dreaming of landing the big role that will make her famous.

Unfortunately, karma bites Chitose in the worst way possible when her big chance finally arrives, because the producers who’ve hired her are even more clueless than she is! Now, she’s trapped in a nightmare production where nothing goes right, the ratings are in the toilet, and swimsuit photos and live stage shows take priority over making quality programming! Can Chitose and her fellow trapped actresses turn things around and save their careers? Or will they all go down with the sinking ship?

Commentary:

I am always a sucker for a fun easy slice of life anime and Girlish Number fits the bill. Of course you have to navigate through all of the silliness to get to some meaning. In the case of Girlish number you are given a look into voice actors and their approach to dealing with other voice actors. Most of them are rather fake about how they portray themselves and at times it becomes a little annoying. Chitose is one of the biggest offenders of this fake persona which  is my main problem with the series.

Overall Grade: C

Girlish Number peeked my interest because of my affection for these types of Slice of Life anime, but in the end it fell a little flat for me. I was thinking that I would find some connection with Chitose and what I found was something much different. I ended up siding with the more seasoned and crass voice actors who did not hide their feeling or persona the way Chitose did. Of course we did get to see who she really was, but it took some time and several episodes of cringe worthy character development.

The overall production values of the series are high enough to help keep the viewer entertained and they followed the tried and true artistic stylings of most girl centered slice of life anime that made it pleasing to watch. The one area that I was really disappointed with was the writing , but of course it may have been too real to make me want to enjoy the story. From the incompetency of the producer and director to the general lack of motivation of the production staff and the off putting personalities of the voice actors I found the series difficult to get into.

If what you want in an anime is a look at the voice acting world and some of the trouble with anime production then Girlish Number is right up your ally.

 

 

 

 

 

Initial D Legend 2 Racer

Posted by :Patches On : March 2, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Title: Initial D Legend 2 Racer

Director: Masamitsu Hidaka, Tomohito Naka (co-director)

Studio: Sanzigen & Liden Films

Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

Release Date: March 13th, 2018

Format: Blu-ray / Feature Film / 60 minutes

Genre: Car Racing, Coming of Age

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Synopsis:

In Initial D Legend 2: Racer, sometimes the only thing that beating a champion accomplishes is making you the next target for a long line of challengers, which is why Takumi Fujiwara’s defeat of the RedSuns’ Keisuke hasn’t ended anything. In fact, it’s only served to draw the reluctant delivery driver even further into the dangerous world of drift racing. Takumi’s fate is sealed when his friend Itsuki accidentally accepts a challenge from Takeshi Nakazato, leader of the Myogi NightKids. Now it’s a matter of honor, and Takumi will have to pit his gutter technique against the 4WD skills of a much more experienced driver! The race is on as the legendary street racing series returns in a second explosive new motion picture!

Commentary:

As with many anime film series there is almost always a letdown as we move through the story. Initial D Legend 2 Racer is just that. While watching it I felt like there was a typical answer to a strong start. Simply put they turn our reluctant hero into the focus of all the racers and give him a tarnish that is not deserved. Now there is a honest push of tension in how all of this plays out, but the writing did fall flat for me.

I did feel like some of the action was solid enough and the racing was given a rather slick production overall. I do feel as though some of the story felt forced and rather uneventful. The overall production values were good, but I can see where the original series emulation was a little to much in the minds of the creators.

 

Overall Grade: B-

If this Initial D movie series was reworked with higher end production and a stronger writing team then it is very possible it would have been a home run. Drift and street racing is not what it used to be and it comes across in the film as more of a historical oddity. It is very possible that it still has a solid following in Japan but here in the States it is dated. The story itself is somewhat of a classic trope that ha a racing theme and it plays out just that way. For all you Initial D fans you will not be disappointed. For all those newbies out there just be warned, it does come across a little worse for the wear.

 

New Stock Arrivals 2.14.18

Posted by :Patches On : February 14, 2018
0

Category: Our Store, Reviews, What's Happening

Here is a list of Stuff we received today 2.14.18:

Super Saiyan Son Goku “Dragon Ball Z”, Bandai Figure-rise Standard

A-Z Gundam “Build Fighters”, Bandai HGBF 1/144

M61A5 Main Battle Tank, Bandai UCHG

#175 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn (Destroy Mode) “Gundam 
UC” , Bandai HGUC

#178 Full Armor Unicorn Gundam (Destroy Mode) “Gundam UC”, 
Bandai HGUC 1/144

#08 Gundam Mk II (AEUG) “Z Gundam”, Bandai RG 1/144

Chopper Robo Super 3 Horn Dozer “One Piece”, Bandai Chopper 
Robo

Black Action Base1 Display Stand 1/100, Bandai

Gray Action Base1 Display Stand 1/100, Bandai

White Action Base1 Display Stand 1/100, Bandai

Clear Action Base1 Display Stand 1/100, Bandai

Button: Fullmetal Alchemist – Group 1.25”

Button: Tokyo Ghoul – Kaneki

Button: Tokyo Ghoul – Kaneki & Kirishima 1.25”

Assassination Classroom Vol. 20 (Manga)

Berserk Vol. 18 (Manga)

Black Butler Vol. 25 (Manga)

Black Clover Vol. 10 (Manga)

Blood Lad Vol. 9 (Manga)

Blue Exorcist Vol. 1 (Manga)

Bride’s Story Vol. 1 (Manga)

Deadman Wonderland Vol. 8 (Manga)

Erased Vol. 1 (Manga)

Food Wars! Vol. 20 (Manga)

FullMetal Alchemist Omnibus Vol. 1 (Manga)

Haikyu!! Vol. 20 (Manga)

Hatsune Miku Presents: Hachune Miku’s Everyday Vocaloid Paradise Vol. 2 (Manga)

Judge Vol. 3 (Manga)

Kemono Friends: Welcome to Japari Park! (Manga)

Legend of the Galactic Heroes Vol. 2 (Manga)

Legend of the Galactic Heroes Vol. 3 (Manga)

Magi The Labyrinth of Magic Vol. 28 (Manga)

My Hero Academia Vol. 1 (Manga)

My Hero Academia Vol. 4 (Manga)

My Hero Academia Vol. 6 (Manga)

My Hero Academia Vol. 9 (Manga)

My Hero Academia Vol. 20 (Manga)

My Neighbor Totoro Vol. 1 (Manga)

New Lone Wolf & Cub Vol. 1 (Manga)

No Game No Life Please! Vol. 3 (Manga)

Not Lives Vil. 7 (Manga)

Noragami Stray God Vol. 1 (Manga)

One-Punch Man Vol. 12 (Manga)

Plum Crazy! Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat Vol. 1 (Manga)

Plum Crazy! Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat Vol. 3 (Manga)

Plum Crazy! Tales of a Tiger-Striped Cat Vol. 4 (Manga)

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea Film Comic Vol. 1 (Manga)

Record of Lodoss War: The Grey Witch (Gold Edition) (Manga)

Silent Voice, A Vol. 1 (Manga)

Spice and Wolf Novel Vol. 1 (Novel)

Spice and Wolf Vol. 5 (Manga)

Terra Formars Vol. 1 (Manga)

Trinity Blood: Rage Against the Moons Vol. 4 – Judgement Day (Manga)

Your Lie in April Vol. 1 (Manga)

your name. Vol. 1 (Manga)

Zelda Legendary Edition Vol. 3 (Manga) (Majora’s Mask/A Link to the Past)

Zelda Legendary Edition Vol. 4 (Manga) (Minish Cap/Phantom Hourglass)

Zelda Legendary Edition Vol. 5 (Manga) (Four Swords)

Key Chain: Ajin – SD Kei

Key Chain: Black Butler – Ciel School Outfit

Key Chain: Tales Of Xillia – Tipo Plush

Inuyasha: Kirara Large Plush

Tales Of Xillia: Jude 8” Plush

Tales Of Xillia: Milla 8” Plush

Keijo!!!!!!!! Blu-ray/DVD

Sword Art Online the Movie Ordinal Scale DVD

Your Name Blu-ray/DVD

Summer Wars DVD/Blu-ray (Hyb)

Terra Formars Blu-ray/DVD

 

Flip Flappers: Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 13, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Flip Flappers: Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Kiyotaka Oshiyama

Writer: Yuniko Ayana

Music By: To-Mas

Studio: Studio 3Hz

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Feb. 27th, 2018

Format: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Magical Girl, Absurdity, Adventure, Sci Fi

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Grade: A

Synopsis:

As a middle school student, Cocona has been trying to decide what to do with her life. Magical Girl, however, wasn’t a career path that she’d ever considered. When suddenly a strange girl named Papika thrusts her into a secret organization called Flip Flap, Cocona’s outlook does a radical flip-flop. Her views start to change when she is dragged into an alternate dimension called Pure Illusion where she’s charged with gathering crystal shards and fighting strange creatures.

Now, between running missions and facing off against a rival organization, Cocona doesn’t have much time to consider alternate career choices. What are these shards, and why is gathering them so important? There’s a mystery to be solved and multiple worlds to be saved!

Commentary:

Flip Flappers is another great example of the direction anime has begun to explore as we see new creative teams finding the financing to create new and imaginative series. Only 13 episodes long there is a great deal of action, weirdness and story packed into Flip Flappers. Looking at the series as a whole I can say that I see Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Fooly Cooly, Puella Madoka Magica and even Space Dandy all rolled up into it. In fact I feel as though that the list is on the short side. I would consider Flip Flappers a true post modern production the way it takes the past and manages to deconstruct so many anime and reconstructs it into a crazy series that leaves you smiling and scratching your head at the same time.

Overall Grade: A

Just the animation for Flip Flappers makes it a winner for me. With some solid absurdity and plenty of surreal surroundings take the series over the top. There are a few weaknesses and I think the the character development of Cocona and Papika could have been drawn out a little better with more hints and story development earlier on. The real meat of the series doesn’t come into play until later in the story line and it would have been nice to give more glimpses of their past together before we get to episode 9/10.

I think Flip Flappers is a big surprise for the winter releases but I am afraid it will be over looked for other big name releases. So, if you are looking for a series that will keep you guessing and make you smile all the way down the rabbit hole then Flip Flappers is the series for you. It is not too often that we get treated to a new series that will blow your mind from the very beginning and keep blowing it all the way to end.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Complete Collection Blu-Ray (anime Review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 11, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

series was reviewed by Andrew and Katie

Title: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Complete Collection Blu-Ray

Director: Ai Yoshimura

Studio: Brian’s Base

Author: Shotaro Suga

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 13rd, 2018

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 25 Episodes / 650 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, WataMote: No Matter How I Look At It, It’s You Guys’ Fault I’m Unpopular, Haganai, and Haganai: NEXT

Synopsis:

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Complete Collection contains episodes 1-13 of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU and episodes 1-12 of My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU TOO!

Caution! Opposites may attract, but putting them together may result in chemical burns, electric shocks, and explosions. Enter Hachiman Hikigaya, a pessimistic high school student with no friends and absolutely no interest in making any, and the firm belief that everyone else’s cherished high school experiences are either delusions or outright lies. Hachiman finds himself forcibly coerced by his well-meaning student advisor into joining the one member Service Club. There he encounters club founder Yukino Yukinoshita, a smart, attractive, walking superiority complex who looks down on the entire student body.

These two negative personalities are quick to attract Yui Yuigahama, who’s cute, bright, cheerful, and needs the Service Club’s help to… bake cookies as she should not be allowed in a kitchen by herself. Is this a recipe for romance or the precursor for a nuclear meltdown? Will there be cookies or a reason for everyone to play hooky? Get ready for rom-com gone totally wrong as the three members of the Service Club is unleashed on the unsuspecting student body!

The stampede of recent events may have herded the awkward members of the Service Club into something closer to a real bonding, but the upcoming field trip to Kyoto threatens to reverse those tiny steps forward. Alongside a list of attractions to see, they will also be taking along a lot of emotional baggage, and helping others with their personal and romantic issues may just cause the entire luggage rack to collapse.

Between Hachiman’s growing realization of how much he can manipulate others, Yukino’s underlying battles with responsibility, and Yui’s shifting needs and insecurities, the tenuous thread that holds their relationship together is more fragile than ever. Even as the path ahead is strewn with psychological traps, the feelings that each of them refuse to acknowledge may end up being the true pitfall in My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Too!: Complete Collection.

Commentary:

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU: The Complete Collection is the opposite of a rom-com but at the same time it is one as well it just depends on the episode. My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU: The Complete Collection gives you a fresh and exciting spin on anime stereotypes that will leave you bawling in laughter. The storyline is mostly episodic and character-driven. The last few episodes flow together but the rest of the episodes do not need to be watched in order after the first episode.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU: The Complete Collection really gets its characters and empathizes with them, but it does not make excuses for them. The characters are wonderful and well thought-out. Hachiman Hikigaya, or Hiki, is your cynical and somewhat pessimistic lead male character and his dissections of everyday occurrences and his appreciation for the little things in life bring hilarity to the story. The way he thinks and acts changes drastically throughout the course of the show as he meets new people and learns more about how to be a friend. Yukino Yukinoshita is the incredibly cunning and calculative tsundere of the series. She and Hiki are in the same boat when referring to lack of friends because she lacks them due to her perceived perfection and elitist attitude; while Hiki lacks them for his mistrust of others and cynical behavior. It was amazing to watch them grow on each other in a way that is not very predictable, but extremely well done. Yiu Yiugahama is the air-headed and inexplicable nice member of the group and serves as the glue that sticks them together with her much needed comical outbreaks and genuine emotions.

The animators brought these characters to life and it was amazing to watch. The character designs were bright and the facial expressions added the realism to the series. The opening and closing songs were fun to listen to and were easy to sing-along with. The voice actors did a great job and helped bring the characters to life before your eyes.

I loved the first season and I was really looking forward to the conclusion that My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Too!: Complete Collection would give the story. Boy was I wrong about that conclusion because Hachiman, Yukino, and Yui end up not talking about their feelings at all and instead shove them all to the side so they can just be friends. There was no plot progression, actually it crawled at a snail’s pace and never really went anywhere, and the characters did not change or develop at all.

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU Too!: Complete Collection starts off where the first season left off at the school festival and Hachiman’s behavior is explained to some degree. Then they all go off to Kyoto and that is where all the problems for our three main characters start. Hachiman decides to go off and change the outcome of one of the club’s projects and they did not care at all for how he handled it. Yukino’s older sister comes back into the story and just causes all sorts of trouble and eventually brings their mother into the picture because she is worried that Yukino is just copying her older sister and not becoming her own person. That situation is what forces Yukino to set her true feelings aside and it changed her personality. Yui is just too shy to say her true feelings and instead just wants everyone to be friends and get along. She knows that cannot happen but she still pushes for it every chance she gets.

The animation changed a bit from the first season but it still looks great. The colors are bright and lively and the backgrounds do not detract from the characters. The voice actors did a great job as always. The opening and closing animations were catchy and I found myself singing along with them within a few episodes.

Overall Grade: B

My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU: The Complete Collection has made it onto my list of favorite series and I found it quite enjoyable. It is a refreshing and interesting take on the rom-com genre. It is great that Sentai Filmworks has put both together in one package.

Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn) Blu-Ray Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 10, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title:Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn) Blu-Ray Collection

Director: Kazuhiro Furuhashi

Writer: Yasuyuki Muto

Music by: Hiroyuki Sawano

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Right Stuf

U. S. Release Date: March 6th, 2018

Format: Blu-ray / 7 Episodes / 450 Minutes

Genre: Mecha, Sci Fi, Action, Adventure, Drama

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Grade: A-

Synopsis:

Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn) Blu-ray Collection contains episodes 1-7.

Universal Century 0096. Three years after the last conflict between Neo Zeon and the Earth Federation Forces, the tentative peace of the Earth Sphere is about to be shattered again. Cardeas Vist, the head of the powerful Vist Foundation, has decided to hand over “Laplace’s Box,” the secret of the Foundation’s prosperity, to the supposed enemy, Neo Zeon. Banagher Links, a student at the space colony Industrial 7, rescues a mysterious girl who calls herself Audrey Burne. Audrey is seeking to prevent a war, but it seems she has come too late. As Banagher’s home colony is devastated by the attacks of the enemy mobile suit Kshatriya, he finds his strange destiny and is forced to fight in the formidable weapon system known as the Unicorn Gundam.

Based on a bestselling novel by the famed writer Harutoshi Fukui and animated with theatrical quality, this new chapter in the Gundam saga is a cutting-edge anime series for all coming generations.

Special Features: The “Story So Far”, Episode EX “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, Episode Recaps, Episode 5 Ending with Lyrics, Trailers, Promotional Videos, Commercials, MS & Character Highlights, Episode 3 Textless Ending.

Commentary:

In the wide world of Mobile Suit Gundam there are few series that I find as well put together as Unicorn. This short but exceptional series does something that others did not manage to do. It makes the characters mostly likable and less melodramatic than most of the other series. Unicorn does play fast and loose with physics and makes some aspects a little hard to believe but it remains fun and entertaining. Maybe not as much fun as MS 08th Team or dramatic and hard hitting as Thunderbolt,  but it still hits most of the high points and leave little to disappoint.

The one thing that I felt was a little to tried and true for a Gundam series was the way Banagher was whinny and somewhat of a punk. This model of the anti-hero is something the Japanese love to have as the star protagonist. At least they toned it down somewhat and didn’t allow him to ruin the series the way Camille or even Amuro Ray for that matter. This whinny hero boy archetype is always the weak link in gundam and it is not surprise that most fans will levitate toward  Char or Full Frontal as the real favorite.

Overall grade: A-

One great benefit to being produced in the last 10 years is the quality of animation. Unicorn is top flight and it really does make a difference. Being easy to watch make all the difference in the world. I found it much easier to overlook the bad physics and melodramatic writing when the overall look is fluid and appealing.

Overall Mobile Suit Gundam: Unicorn is one of the best short series for Gundam, next to MS o8th Team. I know that this group of disc were out already, but the repackaging in a single group is much appreciated and I have a feeling that plenty of Gundam fans will be standing in line on March 6th to get their copy. I know I am glad to have mine.

 

Food Wars: The Second Plate (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : January 28, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Title: Food Wars: The Second Plate on Blu-ray

Director:  Yoshitomo Yonetani

Studio: J. C. Staff

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: February 13, 2018

Format: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Comedy,  Food Battle,  Slice of Life, Harem

Age Rating: TV-MA

Overall Personal Rating: A

Synopsis:

At the Tohtsuki Culinary Academy, the first rule is survival of the fittest, and if you don’t have what it takes to become a master chef, you need to get out of the kitchen before you get burned. With the wheat of first-year students separated from the chaff, cocky former diner cook Yukihira Soma is one of the handful of kitchen whizzes still standing.

As the next round of the Autumn Elections gets underway, can he survive a brutal bento boxing match with the chemistry-obsessed granddaughter of the Academy’s director? And which of the other contenders; Megumi, Ryo, Akira, Hisako, Takumi or sinister dark-horse Subaru; will advance to fight for the gold medal? Get ready for another cut-throat season of eat, beat, and defeat!

Commentary:

I was shocked and surprised when I was done watching Food Wars: The Second Plate. To be blunt I didn’t expect it to get any better, but it did. In the first season Food Wars tended to focus on the comedy and the orgasmic food tasting, but in The Second Plate there was a defined focus on discovering something new about these characters and showing a new maturity in our favorite characters was a real delight. From the opening episode through the last there was a honest focus on giving our characters some depth and adding plenty of reasons to root for all of them to move forward in their pursuit of culinary greatness.

Most anime will provide a antagonist and make them dark a mean. When provided a bad guy in Food Wars we end up liking them in the end and wanting to see more of them. Now I think there is someone behind the scenes that has a even darker motive but we haven’t been show much yet and I am sure that will show up in the third season.

Overall Grade: A

I have to raise the grade of Food Wars: The Second Plate to a full A because it moved the overall comedy to the side and focused on the development of the characters and story. In both cases there was a heightened improvement that shinned through like a bright star without blinding us and loosing the flavor of the series. The flavor of the series is key to all of this and if you like the opening 24 episodes then the next 13 will not disappoint.

Soma became more of a force that in the opening 24 episodes. We see a maturity come out of him that is almost unreal for the short amount of time he has been at the school, but it works well with the task that are presented to him. There is a bit of humility added to his character that is welcome and needed. Even Erina Nakiri and her cousin Alice show some humanity that is very much appreciated.

Overall, I found Food Wars: The Second Plate is a wonderful extension of a series that manages to hit most of the best aspects of what makes anime great. If you haven’t seen any Food Wars then you should get with it and check it out. If you have then I know you will be very happy with The Second Plate.

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : January 18, 2018
0

Category: Reviews

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Title: Tanaka-kun is Always Listless on Blu-ray

Director: Shin’ya Kawatsura

Writer: Akemi Omode

Music by: Hiromi Mizutani

Studio: Silver Link

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Jan. 30th, 2018

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes/ 300 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

Age Rating: PG

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

Tanaka-kun can’t help it. Put him someplace nice and warm, and he’ll start nodding off, even in class or on the way to school. You would think that this would eat into Tanaka’s social life, but, fortunately, our consciousness-challenged protagonist has a guardian angel in the form of his best friend Ohta, a gentle giant who (literally) carries Tanaka from place to place. Then there’s class-rep Shiraishi, who’s convinced that Tanaka’s unique perspective lets him see past her beautiful appearance; Miyano, their hyper pint-sized classmate who somehow becomes Tanaka’s unwanted apprentice in listlessness; and Echizen, a self-proclaimed delinquent who’s determined to fight him. As for Tanaka, being the center of attention is the last place he wants to be, but the world just won’t leave him alone.

Commentary:

I find Tanaka-kun is Always Listless to be a very interesting series. That fact that someone that sleepy has such devoted fiends says a lot about the Japanese culture. Tanaka being one of the most tied characters in all of anime manages to lead a full ice life. If he were in an western series he would be a side character who manages to get in the way every once in a while, but to see him have not just friends but a cute girl who has a crush on him is outrageous at best.

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless has a full variety of characters and that is where it really shines. I found Ohta to be one of the more interesting character with his stoic manner and unwavering friendship to be spot on. Most of the rest of the group are standard fair for most slice of life anime, but with this series you get to enjoy them in a much different way because of Tanaka and his sleepy nature.

Overall Grade: A-

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless hits the mark on many levels and even though it has its slow moments I found it to be vey likable. I would not recommend Tanaka-kun is Always Listless if you are tired because you might fall asleep just watching Tanaka and his listless nature.

I did find the animation style to be perfect of the series and the English voice actors did a great job with understanding their character. Most of the overall production was spot on. The only area where I found any issues was with some of the basic plot line and character development of a couple of the secondary character.

I found it to be a much more positive experience than with some of the other recent slice of life series and would suggest that if you are looking for something that is straight up funny thenTanaka-kun is Always Listless is of you.