Title: Typhoon Noruda on Blu-ray

Director: Yōjirō Arai

Studio: Studio Colorido

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Jan. 23rd, 2018

Format: Blu-ray / Short Film / 26 Minutes

Genre: Sci fi, Fantasy, Slice of Life

Age Rating: TV PG

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

In Typhoon Noruda, an unexpected typhoon bears down on a small tropical island, and a group of students trapped at school find themselves forced to put aside their personal issues and work together. Not only to save themselves, but possibly the lives of everyone on the planet! Because there’s something very strange about this storm, and as the driving rain, hurricane-force winds and multiple lightning strikes threaten to tear their world apart, everything seems to revolve around a mysterious girl who appears as suddenly as the storm itself. Only hours before, Shuichi Azuma and Saijo Kunta were at each other’s throats over baseball; now they’ll have to join together to unravel the secret of the ultimate rider on the storm!

Commentary:

Typhoon Noruda is definitely a short film and packs a lot into its 26 minute run time. That is were I run into any issues I have with the film. Typhoon Noruda is just too short and leaves you feeling somewhat left out. There are several heavy plot points that arise during the film and in the end only one seems to get resolved. I think that if the creators would have focused the main plot line and left out the struggle between the boys there would have just been the missing a single plot point and may have been easier to digest but with the other stress points way too much is left up to the imagination.

Overall Grade: B+

Even with the short subject film packing too much into a small space I really like Typhoon Noruda. I found the characters likable and sympathetic. I just wish I truly understood what was going on. I got the basic just of the film and felt like there was a solid effort to give us just enough information that made it understandable.

The animation was above par with a rather solid attention to detail. The overall production quality made the short film easy to watch and help keep your attention on the action. This comes from the hard work of everyone at Studio Colorido. Colorido is a newer studio that has only produced a handful of films and web series. I have a feeling they are trying to establish themselves as something new and more akin to Studio Ghili that some of the other larger studios. It is clear that they have a stylized vision and hopefully will have more time to establish themselves as a studio that has something special to offer.

Typhoon Noruda does stand out as something special to me. I just wish it was 90 minutes or longer. There is a rich story deep inside the film and it should have been given a chance to come out. Even with its failures, Typhoon Noruda is a film work seeing and once you have experienced it you just might want to own it.

Also, you must watch the extra short Control Bear Wonder Garden. It is a true enigma and worth seeing.

Title: Haikyu!! 1st Season on Blu-ray

Director: Susumu Mitsunaka

Studio: Production I.G.

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Nov. 14, 2017

Format: Blu-ray / 25 espisodes / 625 minutes

Genre: Sports, Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life, High School

Age Rating: TV 14 (really it should be PG)

Overall Personal Rating: A

Synopsis:

Shoyo Hinata isn’t a large guy, but he’s got huge ambitions. Ever since seeing a small player score in a National Championship, he’s been determined to become the next big thing in High School Volleyball. Unfortunately, the one time he was able to pull enough players together to form a team in junior high, they were completely trashed in their first and only match against a team led by up-and-coming setter Tobio Kageyama.

Now, enrolled at the same high school where his idol once played, Shoyo’s finally going to get his shot to join and play with a top team. There’s just one problem: Tobio Kageyama’s decided to attend the same school, and he’s already considered one of the best players in the game. Can a kid out of nowhere hold his own against the King of the Court? Or could the rivalry and competition actually be the best thing for both of them?

In the wake of the blistering practice match against the Nekoma High School team, the Karasuno High School volleyball squad digs in and vows to bring their game up another level. Prior to the arrival of the new freshmen, the general belief was that Karasuno’s day in the sun was over, but while the ongoing rivalry between Hinata and Kageyama has inspired everyone to push themselves even further, there’s still a lot of friction that’s ultimately slowing down their game.

It’s not until the announcement of the brackets for the Inter-School tourney are announced that the reality of what they are attempting to do finally takes hold. As talented as each of the team members may be individually, they have no chance of winning unless they can finally come together as a seamless unit. Can Hinata and Kageyama put their battle for dominance on hold long enough to take on the overwhelming brilliance of the Aoba Johsai squad?

Commentary:

The number of sports anime that are being released in the U.S. has managed to hit an all time high and Haikyu!! is a pleasant addition. The story is simple and and the outcome is easy to guess, but the way it is coming together is pleasing and fun to watch. Shoyo reminds me a lot of a Naruto on the volleyball court. He is the little engine that can and with his desire to be on the court he manages to infect everyone around him. On the other hand Tobio is rather talented and arrogant but once these two are forced to be toghter they discover that they balance each other out and a natural team is born.

My only issue with Haikyu!! is that it falls into the trap that most sports anime fall into. This is another down and out team that has a bigger heart than talent and it comes down to the fact that they must rely on each other to make it happen. The first 13 episodes take us to that point were they discover that they still have a long way to go and set us up for a big comeback as the rest of the series develops.

Sports anime tend to make everything seem really hard and then pull out the magic at the end to prove everyone is a super hero. Haikyu!! takes a little different approach and just makes these wannabe champs and makes them something much more believable. They just become flawed heroes who try their best and long to stay on the court.

This passion to win is what makes the series worth while. Not all of the team members are superstars and those with natural abilities have issues. They learn the importance of trust and believing in themselves and come to understand what it means to be a part of something that on the surface may be meaningless to most, but ends up being important to them just because of each other.

Overall Grade: A

The great thing about Haikyu!! is that you get a blending of characters that make up the team and how they manage to work out the problems they face. I also like the fact that Shoyo has that never say die attitude but is only a little annoying. Most of the time you want him to succeed.

Most anime fans don’t really line up for sports anime and to be honest Haikyu!! is a true sports anime. The thing that sets it apart is the fact that these players have are human and it is very easy to identify with because they are rather typical students who know they have to try harder to be better.

The series is full of feel good moments with an ending that speaks to more of us than those who are the superstars in life. The writing gets a tad preaching from time to time and maybe that is just the way it should be. I just think that some of the growth they have is a bit melodramtic with overall the development of the main characters is worth watching and rooting for.

Haikyu!! is a wonderful series that is a true feel-good story that takes on a hopeful ride and reminds us that even great stories don’t always end the way we might want them to.

Title: Mezzo Forte

Director: Yasuome Umetsu

Studio: Arms / Green Bunny

U. S. Distributor: Softcell, Section 23

U. S. Re-release Date: Nov. 14th, 2017

Format: DVD / 2 episodes OVA / 60 Minutes

Genre: Action, Girls With Guns, Erotica, Sci Fi

Age Rating: 18+ (sex and violence)

Overall Personal Rating: C

Synopsis:

In Mezzo Forte, mob boss Momokichi Momoi has one way to deal with those who fail him: he kills them. Even when they’re not criminals, but simply people who work for his legitimate businesses, no one is safe. Needless to say, that kind of poor employee relations has earned Momokichi a lot of enemies, and someone has recruited the elite Danger Services Agency to take him out of the picture.

But the D.S.A., comprised of ex-cop Kurokawa, tech guru Harada, and the lovely but lethal Mikura, is going to have their hands (and other body parts) full handling this case. Because while Momokichi kills for profit, his daughter Momomi is even worse and kills because she gets off on it! Two ultimate bad girls face off as the blood and bullets fly in the adult-only anime classic that tops sex and violence… with a side helping of EXTRA violence: MEZZO FORTE!

Commentary:

I guess it has been a long time since the original Mezzo Forte was released in the U. S. and that release did not contain the pornographic footage. This release has it all along with the original edited version just incase you don’t care about the sex. I for one found the sex scenes to be distracting and pointless. I guess it was a way to show how good they are at animating sex scenes, but they ended up being more sexist and violent than anything.

The story was a little better but had a hard time defining itself. The Danger Services Agency is borderline criminal and at times straight up wrong. The only redeeming aspect was the humor that ran through most of the action sequences. There is a real tongue and cheek aspect to the violence and that is a positive in my mind.

Overall Grade: C

Mezzo Forte is a great look back at the Girls with Guns genre and also points out how much of these violent anime also have the propensity to be rather one sided in both the violence and in the pretrial of women and sex. In todays society anime like Mezzo Forte is a solid reminder of the work that is still needed to be done to get over the violence to and from women.

Other than that I guess I found the action to be rather fun and at time well animated. The sex or pornography was not my bag but I see how Mezzo Forte could make some fans very happy.

original reviews provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! Season 1 & 2 on Blu-ray

Director: Tatsuya Ishihara

Studio: Kyoto Animation

Author: Jukki Hanada

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: Nov. 7th, 2017

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 26 Episodes / 650 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Yuta Togashi has a huge problem. He is a former “chunibyo” (literal translation; Eighth Grade Syndrome) one of the thousands of Japanese students so desperate to stand out that they have literally convinced themselves that they have secret knowledge and hidden powers. However, since he is starting high school he is determined to put aside his delusions and face life head on.

The biggest problem is his upstairs neighbor, Rikka Takanashi. She is just a little bit chunibyo herself and she knows all about his hidden past. Yuta thought all his delusions were behind him and now he is not so sure. Will Yuta be able to hide his embarrassing past or will Rikka be the downfall of his normal high school career? You will have to watch Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! and find out!

Yuta Togashi thought he had problems dealing with one delusional girlfriend in the person of Rikka Takanashi, but now things are about to go totally insane as his former “one true soul mate” from when he was a chuni himself returns with a vengeance! How bad could Satone Shichimiya’s re-entry into Yuta’s chuni-verse likely to be? Let’s just say that she’s so epically off the deep end of the chuni-scale that she prefers to use the name Sophia Ring SP Saturn VII and that she’ll joyfully tear Yuta’s real world to pieces in order to get him back in her imaginary one!

Some girls just want to have fun and some want to break down the walls between their boyfriends and themselves. But when a girl’s idea of fun is breaking down the wall between their presumed boyfriend and reality, retreating into a fantasy world might just be Yuta’s best option. Especially since Satone knows where ALL the skeletons from his past are buried. Toss Rikka’s equally delusional friend Sanae into the mix and girl-crazy begins to take on a whole new meaning!

Commentary:

As a lot of us can attest, our teenage years were hard, and we all probably have embarrassing moments we would all want to forget about. Yuta is no exception, as he goes to extreme lengths to forget his previous life as the chunibyo, Dark Flame Master. He even goes as far as transferring to a school none of his previous classmates go to, and completely leaving his previous life, in hopes for a fresh start. Unfortunately is seems that chunibyo follows him like a bad curse. Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! The Complete Collection follows his new life as a ‘normal’ teenage high school student, if there is such a thing.

All is going well, as he looks forward to leaving his embarrassing past behind, until a cute girl in cosplay, and an eye patch, falls from the sky, or at least repels from the balcony above with a rope. Meet Rikka, a first year high school student, still very deep in her chunibyo. She catches Yuta, unbeknownst to him, in one final act of chunibyo before starting his new life. Much to his shock, he finds she is in his class. And now that she knows of his chunibyo, she instantly finds him as a possible ally in the battle against the dark organization known as the Invisible Boundary Line Administration Bureau. Not only is love blind, but in this case, it’s also stark raving mad.

Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! The Complete Collection is a must for romcom fans. Every character is likable, well developed, and brings something to the story. Yuta, the former chunibyo, looking to get away from it and to being a normal teenager. Rikka, a fully fledged chunibyo, follower of the Wicked Lord Shingan. Dekomori, the pig tailed middle school student, servant to Rikka, and wielder of the Mjolnir Hammer. Nibutani, the seemingly popular girl, cheer leader, class president, and general fantasy of all the guys, that seems to be the oddball-out in this group. And Kumin, who just wants a club she can nap in. They all bring a high level of moe, and you will quickly fall in love with them all. Watch as imaginary fights come to life, with overactive imaginations of the chunibyo. Plus you get a taste of the fascinating martial art of cooking utensils. If that’s not enough for you, enter the comedy. Well thought out 4koma style gags, mocking of cultural clichés and overall random insanity assist the whole thing along. Need some drama? Well aren’t you demanding… Well guess what, it has that too. There is a lot of love in this story too, so you know. How can all this work together? They did a great job of combining it all together, and giving it a balance of reality, and the fantasy of escaping reality. They also included some cultural clichés than have transcended Japan, like capcom code, role playing, slapstick comedy, and issues more serious in nature like dealing with loss and the pains of growing up. Some of us may not understand that last one, since we never actually grew up, but that’s a story for another day.

Overall Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! The Complete Collection offers a lot, from a touching story, well developed characters, heartbreaking truths, emotions that everyone who has led a normal life can relate to, and with comedy and fantasy colliding in a massive accident, the ones you do not want to stare at, but you find you can’t look away. Some of the craziest weapons you can imagine from umbrellas, to cookware, to weights on the end of long hair. Even the music is catching. There is something for everyone or everything for that someone who wants it all in a good anime.

I really liked the first season and I was quite happy when Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb was released but now I wish I would not have been so excited because I believe I had too high expectations for this season. The storyline was not as deep nor complex as Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions but it was still cute and funny. I really wish they would have progressed the romance between Yuta and Rikka in Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb as I was looking forward to it after watching the first season. But instead, Yuta and Rikka are awkward and shy around each other even though they have been “dating” for six months. This is a slice-of-life series that is mainly episodic but some episodes to flow into the next one.

There was also a new character introduced, Satone Shichimiya. She is a childhood friend of Yuta and she takes chunibyo to a whole new level. She adds a large amount of drama between Yuta and Rikka that really was not necessary. Plus, she is kinda in love with Rikka and that makes Rikka jealous. But I think that would make anyone jealous. I really wish they would have given Nibutani some more attention but instead she was relegated to the background during the important scenes as a sort of cheerleader who pushes Yuta and Rikka forward because they are too childish to take that step themselves.

The animation was pretty and vivid. The colors jumped off the screen and the characters and backgrounds were well drawn. The music was catchy and enjoyable. I found myself humming along after a few episodes. The voice actors did a good job bringing the characters to life and made the series enjoyable.

Overall Grade: B
Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions! is an interesting and amazingly cute anime that is fun to watch.

While Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Heart Throb has some issues, it was still interesting to watch and it had some cute moments. I recommend this series if you have seen the first season and want to see what happens next.