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Love Live! The School Idol Movie (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : July 17, 2016
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love-live-school-idol-movieTitle: Love Live! The School Idol Movie

Director: Takahiko Kyōgoku

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: NIS America

U. S. Release Date: June 28th, 2016

Format: Blu-ray / Feature Film / 99 Minutes

Genre: Slice of Life, School Idol

Age Rating: PG (All Ages)

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

The long-awaited finale of the popular Love Live! series is here in Love Live! The School Idol Movie!

Although μ’s, the defending champions of the school idol tournament, plans to dissolve their group after the graduation of their senior members, they receive news that leads them to holding a concert event! The 9 girls continue to learn and grow in this new and unfamiliar world. What is the last thing that these girls can do as school idols? With the clock ticking, what kind of meaning will the μ’s members find in performing the most exciting live performance?

Commentary:

Love Live! is one of those series that is just so positive it is almost impossible to dislike. Love Love! The Movie didn’t disappoint and tossed in some odd encounters that questions reality. Of course it does give us a true end to μ’s time together, but there are glimpses of the future that might just open the door to more from the franchise.

As movies go Love Live! The Movie is better than most. More often than not movies are just silly romps that have nothing to do with the plot of the original series. In this case the original plot is at the core to the film. This concept of sticking with the original premise behind the formation of the group help make the difference for me. As just a romp off to New York to shoot a music video to help promote a Idol performance is less than exciting. It is the back story and the struggles with fame that makes things interesting.

Overall Grade: A-

Love Live! The Movie has its moments of wonderful entertainment and its moments that are nothing more than fluff. I thing that the overall story came together once they got back from New York and had a tough question to answer. I would have liked to see how others in the group dealt with the big question other than Honoka, but with her being at the center of the group it was fitting that she had the dilima thrust upon her.

Love Live! is another in a long list of girl high school series that are both easy to watch and simplistic in nature. If this is a picture of how life is in Japan then it is something that should exported everywhere.

Love Live! The Movie is a hit in my books and a great way to wrap up a series.

Strawberry Marshmallow: The Complete OVA Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : July 17, 2016
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strawberry-marshmallow-ovareview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Strawberry Marshmallow: The Complete OVA Series

Director: Takuya Sato

Studio: Dauma

Author: Barasui

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: July 12, 2016

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 5 OVA Episodes / 130 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life, School

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Strawberry Marshmallow, Lucky Star, Place to Place, K-On!

Good friends are like marshmallows: whether they are being whipped into a frenzy or getting all warm and gooey inside they will stick beside each other, no matter what!

Synopsis:

There is rarely a dull moment when Chika Ito and her friends get together. Whether they are telling ghost stories, playing games, or taking trips to the beach and park, every day brings a new adventure. Of course, not everyone appreciates the constant presence of a pack of 12-year-olds, and Nobue, Chika’s big sister, might sometimes wish that Chika’s friends were not always underfoot. That is especially true of the troublemaking Miu, whose ‘help’ with Nobue’s job hunt is definitely not appreciated! Then again, Miu can cause problems just about anywhere, even when she hits her head and thinks she is in Heaven! Does anyone actually think the girls will make a clean escape and scrub away every single piece of evidence when they make a trip to the public baths? More than likely, no! Either way, the fun is sure to continue as the whole gang reunites in Strawberry Marshmallow: The Complete OVA Series.

Commentary:

Strawberry Marshmallow: The Complete OVA Series is the continuation of the Strawberry Marshmallow and basically continues the “cute girls doing cute things in cute ways” slice-of-life episodes that came before it. These five episodes could actually be placed anywhere within the original series as well since it is a slice-of-life series and there is no real plot between episodes. Each episode flows together well but then a new storyline starts with the next episode.

All the characters are back from the original series and they continue to entertain themselves with the activities they do and the things they say on a daily basis are still as funny as ever. Actually, each character contributed to the comedy this time instead of relying solely on Miu, which is a good thing because the comedy seemed much more polished this time around.

The opening and closing songs were changed but they lost a little bit of life this time around. However, they were still enjoyable and the voice actresses actually sang them. Speaking of the voice actresses, they did a wonderful job with the characters and brought them to life. I love the animation style for Strawberry Marshmallow: The Complete OVA Series because it is really cute.

Extras:

Strawberry Marshmallow: The Complete OVA Series includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with Japanese with English subtitles as the only language option.

Overall Grade: A-

I absolutely loved Strawberry Marshmallow: The Complete OVA Series and I would recommend this series/OVA to anyone who loves the slice-of-life genre.

Gundam Build Fighters (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : July 11, 2016
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gundam-build-fightersTitle: Gundam Build Fighters Blu-ray

Director: Kenji Nagasaki

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Sunrise, RightStuf

U. S. Release Date: August 2nd, 2016

Format: Blu-ray / 25 Episodes / 625 minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Action

Age Rating: TV 14+

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

The time is the near future. Years have passed since the 1980s, when “Gunpla” — plastic models based on the “Mobile Suit Gundam” animation — created a huge boom.

Now, a new wave is sweeping the world, in what could be called a second Gunpla boom. Its popularity is driven by “Gunpla Battle,” in which assembled Gunpla can be controlled and made to fight. With the introduction of this revolutionary Battle System, its popularity has expanded to the point that a Gunpla Battle World Tournament is held each year.

The main character of the story, Sei Iori, is a young Gunpla builder who loves Gunpla and dreams of entering the Gunpla Battle World Tournament. As the only heir to a hobby shop, he has high Gunpla building abilities, but he doesn’t know how to control them in battle and is continually defeated in the opening rounds of tournaments. When he meets Reiji, a mysterious boy with superb Gunpla control skills, they team up to take on the World Tournament.

Sei, the Gunpla builder.
Reiji, the Gunpla fighter.
Sei builds, and Reiji battles.

They’re the Build Fighters everyone is talking about! Their goal is to enter the Gunpla Battle World Tournament — and win!

Commentary:

In the Gundam Universe there are very few series that diverge from the overall Gundam ideal and Build Fighters is one of them. This fun an light hearted series blends a couple anime tropes to create something that seems to illicit strong feelings from the Gundam fandom. Bringing the gaming world to the Gundam world is a blast.  I realize that many Gundam fans feel like it makes fun of the Gundam fandom, but in reality what it does is bring in a new group of viewers.  I see people of all likes watching and liking Build Fighters for what it is and also creating a introduction to the world of Gundam.

The series doesn’t take itself too seriously and also plays with the wide diversity of gundam builders. It would be great if this series pushes more young people to the fun of building and how much variety there is in the building world.

Overall Grade: B

If I had to look at this as strictly a Gundam series I would have to say it comes up short. The funny thing is that it comes a little closer to showing off how serious the building community is and at the same time blending in the gaming world. The initial concept left me with a feeling that Build Fighters was made to exploit the battle card games and maybe make a few more buck s and expand the model building selection. I was very surprised and pleased with the final product and am glade it was made.

I am sure that there are Gundam fans that both love and dislike Build Fighters, but I think the important group that it will draw into the Gundam Universe are non-Gundam anime fans and so,e of the card players that will find this series as nothing more than FUN!

Children Who Chase Lost Voices- Sentai Select (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : July 11, 2016
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children-who-chase-lost-voicesTitle: Children Who Chase Lost Voices Sentai Select (Combo pack)

Director: Makoto Shinkai

Studio: CoMix Wave Films

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: July 19th, 2016

Format: DVD / 117 minutes / Feature Film

Genre: Fantasy

Age Rating: PG

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Titles: Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Vally of the Wind

Synopsis:

Quiet and thoughtful Asuna doesn’t have much time for fun. She works very hard in school and at home because with her father passed away and her mother is working long hours as a nurse. The one thing she does enjoy is going up to the bluff that overlooks the city and try to pickup a strange music with the old crystal radio receiver her father gave her. She is not sure what this strange but beautiful music is but she does enjoy it.

A day after she hear a wonderful song, she is confronted on the railroad track bridge by a odd monster that is acting strange and looks to attack her. Just as it appears to be ready to pounce, a young man rescues her and defeats the monster. He uses a strange blueish crystal that emits a strange light. Before she knows it, this young man, Shun, whisks her away and takes her back up to the bluff where she hears the music.

The next day, she returns to find Shun one more time and she shows him the crystal receiver and he notices the special crystal she uses to listen to the music. Shun then explains that he is from a different land and that he was there to meet someone and that he had finished his journey. The next day he was gone and before too long, a boy’s body was found in the river with Asuna’s scarf. This sends Asuna back to the bluff where she runs into someone else that looks like Shun, but isn’t. They are soon surrounded by a group of soldiers called Arch Angels that are after the other boy and the stone he has. In their escape, the boy, Shin, takes Asuna with him into a cave that leads them to a gateway. Just as they get there, the soldiers arrive and one of them manages to take Asuna through the gateway and Shin just barely makes it through. The gateway leads them to the mythical land of Agartha. The one soldier who forced Asuna into the gateway also happens to be her teacher, Morisaki.

Morisaki is searching for the ancient secret to bring back the dead and now Asuna is coming along with him. They find out quickly that they are not welcomed to this mystical land but through much adversity, they manage to find their way to the gateway of life and death. Will Morisaki revive his long lost love or will they be stopped before he can get to the gods?

Commentary:

Makoto Shinkai has made a dramatic move in his development as a creator. His earlier films, Voices of a Distant Star and 5 Centimeters Per Second took on much different narratives. They tended to deal with relationships and communication and the way in which separation can effect these relationships, but Children Who Chase Lost Voices is something completely different and falls under the genre of a true fantasy. It takes place in the blend of our current world and the ability to travel to a mystical world underneath the surface where we live. There are fanciful beasts and magical stones and a main plot that revolves around the resurrection of the dead. My first impression was that it may not be the best vehicle for Shinkai, but as I moved through this film I was reminded of some of the films produced by Studio Ghibli and most notable is Tales of Earth Sea. But much of the scenery reminded me of Castle in the Sky. Nonetheless, this story does tell a tale of the discovery of the power of love and that we must be able to get past loss of our loves.

As for the animation it also has the feel of a Ghibli film. There is a richness to the background and the fanciful creatures that inhabit the world. The film is very engaging and the story moves along. The typical gorgeous Shinkai sunsets are abundant. I almost began to think the world always had this warm pinkish glow to it. The characters also have a simplistic feel to them that help draws you in and makes you feel comfortable right away. Asuna is one of the young girls that wants everything to work out and her connection to nature ends up being an absolute savior. The music also plays a role in the film because it help set the feel of a mystical world that hasn’t changed for over 2000 years. Mystery and mysticism abound.

Overall Grade: A-

There is a lot to really like about Children Who Chase Lost Voices and it is no sunrise that Sentai Filmworks made it a Sentai Select, but I think it falls a bit short for a Shinkai story. I’m not completely sold on this fantasy world and at times it came across a little too simplistic. I loved the look and feel, but the story ran aground from time to time. One thing is for sure, this is a film that the whole family can enjoy and it does deserve to be mentioned along side the likes of some of Studio Ghibli’s films. I think that this young animator has a great future and I hope to see him continue to expand his repertoire.

Extras: 

In this 4 disc set the special features include: Interviews, The Making Of, Japanese Promo Video, Japanese Teasers, The Works of Makoto Shinkai, Interview with Makoto Shinkai (text).

Hakuoki: Wild Dance of Kyoto

Posted by :Patches On : June 21, 2016
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Category: Reviews

hakuoki-wild-dance-of-kyoto

Title: Hakuoki: Wild Dance of Kyoto on Blu-ray

Director: Osuma Yamasaki

Studio: Studio Deen

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: June 28th. 2016

Format: Blu-ray / Feature Film / 96 Minutes

Genre: Historical, Supernatural, Romance, Drama

Age Rating: TV 14

Overal Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

There’s a war going on in ancient Kyoto. A war fought in shadows, between the forces of the Shogunate’s armed enforcers, the Shinsengumi, and the vampire-like Ronin warriors known as the Rasetsu or Furies. And trapped in the middle is a young woman disguised as a man.

Seeking her missing father, Chizuru Yukimura comes to Kyoto only to find her fate forever intertwined with the destinies of Shinsengumi Vice commander Toshizo Hijikata and his elite force of swordsmen. Because Chizuru’s father has created a secret elixir that enhances the user’s strength, speed and healing, and the furies will do anything and kill anyone in order to control that power!

Historical fact and nightmarish fiction combine as the world of the hit series HAKUOKI returns in a stunning new epic feature film: HAKUOKI: WILD DANCE OF KYOTO!

Commentary: 

The popular series Hakuoki is back with another film that deals with the Shinsengumi and the external forces looking to destroy both their way of life and them if possible. This 96 minute retelling of the first season does a great job of convening the story but leaves a few important parts out. None-the-less it still gives us the feel and context of what is going on. I never have been a fan of the re-telling movies, but in some cases it is a wonderful way to get more people involved in the story and maybe even get a few of them interested enough to dive into the series to pick up the information that is left out.

Overall Grade: B

The animation for Hakuoki: Wild Dance of Kyoto is above average, but it leans on CG a little too much. I find it better if historical stories stick to a rather traditional anime format rather than trying to make things look too slick. It wasn’t anything overly disturbing but it detract a little.

The area that I found to have the greatest impact on the story was the writing and the melodramatic overtures that ran through it. I guess that with so many of the characters so serious it was hard to see some of them come across as less dedicated. I also thought that there was way too much dark presence in the film to allow the viewer to become relaxed and get with the story.

Hakuoki: Wild Dance of Kyoto is a good entry film to the series and it should be approached as just that. If you are looking for a solid historical film with plenty of mystery and a bit of supernatural essence then Hakuoki: Wild Dance of Kyoto is something you should check out.

Cross Ange-Rondo of Angels and Dragons: Collection 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 21, 2016
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cross-age-rondo-of-angel-and-dragon 1review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Cross Ange-Rondo of Angels and Dragons: Collection 1 on Blu-ray

Director: Yoshiharu Ashino

Studio: Sunrise

Author: Tatsuto Higuchi

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: June 21, 2016

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Mecha, Sci-Fi

Industry Age Rating: 17 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Queen’s Blade: Rebellion, Freezing, Akame ga Kill!

Synopsis:

Betrayed by her brother, stripped of her birthright, and declared an abomination is just the beginning of the nightmare for the girl once known as Princess Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi since she does not have to ability to use magic, which makes Ange less than human in the eyes of the human law. Now she has been exiled to certain death as a slave soldier in a war against dragon invaders! However, the people and land that cast her out have made a lethal error as Ange is no longer an innocent Princess being led to rape and slaughter. She has learned the hidden truth about the world she thought she had known. She has discovered that she is willing to kill in order to survive and they have given her the training and weapons in order to do so. Will Ange survive? Will she get her revenge against her brother and her people? You will have to watch Cross Ange-Rondo of Angels and Dragons: Collection 1 on Blu-ray and find out.

Commentary:

Cross Ange-Rondo of Angels and Dragons: Collection 1 on Blu-ray is an interesting mix of genres to say the least. It is basically a sci-fi and mecha series that has a lot of promise to be something amazing with a ton of fan-service and yuri scenes added in that take away from that promise. The plot is interesting because God remade the planet to have no war or anything bad and people gained the ability to use Mana, or magic. However, there are some people who are not able to use Mana and they are called Norma. Norma’s are not considered human in the society where Mana is used to control everything around them thus making life easier. Norma’s are hunted down and taken away from society quiet violently and placed on a prison island called Arsenal. That is where they learn how to hunt dragons.

The character development in Cross Ange-Rondo of Angels and Dragons: Collection 1 on Blu-ray is well done. Most of the characters do not get too much development but two of the main ones are Hilda and Ange. Ange really grows as a character from the spoiled princess to the killing machine she becomes. She has to learn how to deal with her new situation in life and she really takes to it. Hilda is another story all together. She matured from Ange’s bully to one of her friends. She finally learns how to work with the other girls instead of just bedding them. That is when she actually becomes an interesting character instead of just a background one.

The animation was alright; nothing spectacular but it did not look horrible. There was a large number of well known Japanese voice actors in this series and they did a wonderful job as always. The opening and closing songs were enjoyable and the animations were cute. The fighting scenes were short and looked rushed. I wish they had made them look better because the fighting scenes were fun to watch.

Extras:

Cross Ange-Rondo of Angels and Dragons: Collection 1 on Blu-ray includes a special interview by Momoka, commercials, clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: B

Cross Ange-Rondo of Angels and Dragons: Collection 1 on Blu-ray really drew me into the storyline and I would recommend it as long as you can look past the yuri scenes and large amount of fan-service. I cannot wait for the second collection to be released.

El-Hazard: The Wanderers (anime review)

Posted by :Joann On : June 14, 2016
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El HazardTitle: El-Hazard: The Wanderers: Anime Elements Edition

U. S. Release Date: 6/7/16

Format: DVD /26 Episodes / 650 Minutes

Genre: Fantasy

Age Rating: 8+

Overall Personal Grade: B+

Synopsis:

It all starts out at a regular old high school. Makoto is a severe science geek, Nanami is all in to her cooking and trying out ways to turn her circumstances into money making business. Her brother, Jannai, is the most self important student council president that most people have ever seen. His biggest folly though is his jealousy and dislike of Makoto. This leads him to sabotage Makoto’s science project causing a portal that sucks all three of them along with a teacher into the land of El-Hazard.

El-Hazard is a romanticized version of an Eastern kingdom, with  invading Bugrom army of  insect-like beings.  The 4 modern Japanese visitors all find themselves alone in this strange land. Each sets out to make their way, encountering the inhabitants and finding a place in this new world. Makoto ends up under the Princess Rune Venus protection and soon runs into the teacher. Together, they must resist a take over by the Bugrom which it turns out is now led by the evil student council president, Jannai. He has hatched a plan to become supreme ruler and god of El-Hazard.

Makoto begins seeking a way back to his own time and home. This sets him out on a quest as he seeks out the help of the temples and priestesses. More and more he find hims self drawn into this world, and later rather than sooner, he and the teacher run into Nanami, who has been making her living cooking and starting a business anywhere she can. Jannai keeps escalating his reign of evil with his dastardly  plans, eventually risking the destruction of the very land he wishes to control.

Commentary:

El-Hazard : The Wanderers was shown on television in the mid 1990’s. And it shows. I found this series to be really dated in pretty much everything. Starting with the music, I found the opening difficult to listen to. It seems like it was bad back then too. The support music wasn’t bad, since it really did fade into the back ground. The American dub is something I did appreciate. There were none of the overly squeaky kiddie voices for the female characters.

Visually, this is also dated. I like the rich and saturated colors. The faces are the pointy nose and chins of that time. There is a lot of still frames where just the camera moves and zooms in. Not bad on its own, but there is more than I am used to, again, a sign of the times.

As far as the characters go, they were interesting enough. And there was personal and relationship growth that I generally hope for in an anime. They really were able to deliver a good mix of action, intellect, drama and comedy to keep the series interesting. Sometimes a  personality seemed to just be thrown in just for the diversity, but I didn’t mind that. There is a character somewhere for a viewer to connect with.

The bits of this and that thrown in together is kind of El-Hazrd’s personal characteristic. Visually, characters, plot elements, back ground stories, settings, special powers, etc. all have a consistent inconsistancy. There was even a reference to Indiana Jones, which I thought was the highlight of the comedy. Why in the world was that in there? Doesn’t matter, throwing it all together made it more interesting.

Overall Grade: B+ This is a tough one for me to grade. Its dated style and music wasn’t what I am currently enjoying. But this is one of the foundational anime out there. And, a friend of mine was a big fan of this series, so that holds great importance to me. So, even though it isn’t in my top tier of favorites, there is definitely an audience for El-Hazard. The last couple of episodes and the ending really help expose more of the heart of the series. So, to get the best of El-Hazard, this isn’t one where you can watch just 3 episodes to see if it is good enough for your time.

 

Den-noh Coil Collection 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 13, 2016
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den-noh-coil-1Title: Den-noh Coil: Collection 1 on blu-ray

Director: Mitsuo Iso

Studio: Madhouse

U. S. Distributor: Maiden Japan, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: June 28th, 2016

Format: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Mystery, Drama

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Grade: A-

Synopsis:

In Den-noh Coil, Yuko “Yasako” Okonogi and her little sister Kyoko can’t remember a time when they weren’t looking at the world through their digitally augmented glasses. After all, e-space, a series of world-wide overlays of images and information, is where their virtual dog Densuke lives, and like many kids, the girls rarely take their glasses off.

But when their family moves to Daikoku City, the e-space suddenly seems different. Yasako’s new classmates are involved in hacking, and the urban legends about dangerous entities hidden in the programming become much more believable when she learns that one of their friends may have died chasing one.

Scariest of all, Yasako has missing memories from the last time she was in Daikoku City. Did something happen to her? And did it happen in our world or one that shouldn’t even exist? To find out, she’ll have to take a journey through the digital looking glass and learn the shocking secrets of DEN-NOH COIL!

Commentary:

Den-noh Coil is one of the more unique offering so far this year. I’m not completely sure what is going on but the hints lead to an unusual event including Yuko. The funny thing is that even after 13 episodes anything is possible. All I can be sure of is that Den-noh Coil is interesting and fun to watch. The mystery surrounding all of the main characters is deep and wide and with them being children and the goofy old grandmother who seems to know the secret to making things work.

Den-noh Coil doesn’t come across as a slick production with a big budget marketing team behind it and win fact Maiden Japan has provided several titles that still fly under the radar and for some unknown reason the U. S. Anime world appears to be blind to the greatness found in this and some other Maiden Japans offerings.

Overall Grade: A-

Den-noh Coil appears to be a great series based on the first 13 episodes. I hope that the second half of the series stays strong and opens the door to most of the questions that have been raised. The only drawback I have is the fact that the series would have made a lot more sense if the main characters would have been older. The idea that someones past holds the secrets if a great way to hide the plot, but if these characters would have been in their 20’s or 30’s it would have had a much more dramatic effect. Much the 20th Century Boys played off an older history of the main group.

The animation of the series is a little light, but I don’t see that as a detractor. I think the artist selection helps place the importance on the writing and character development. I do feel like the characters are a little slow to come around and that they are falling into some easy and somewhat minor personality traits that may end up failing them and the series. Only time will tell.

If you don’t mind a series where the main characters are kids and that much of the story remains hidden after 13 episodes then you will really like Den-noh Coil. If you are looking for a good mystery they will also like Den-noh Coil. I like it very much and am really looking forward to discovering what is going on and what it all means.

And Yet the Town Moves: The Complete Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 3, 2016
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and-yet-the-town-movesTitle: And Yet the Town Moves: The Complete Series (on Blu-ray)

Director: Akiyuki Shinbo

Studio: Shaft

U. S. Distributor: Sentia Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: June 21st, 2016

Format: DVD / 300 minutes / 12 episodes

Genre: Comedy, Slice of Life

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Titles: Lucky Star, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Synopsis:

Hotori Arashiyama just might be one of the most awkward girls in town. She has difficulty making it to school on time, is very clumsy and is know for being rather delusional, but she does have a special ability to make those around realize how special life really is.

Hotori works in a local Maid Cafe, or should we say, almost Maid Cafe. One of her school friends, Toshiko, who is very smart with a slightly different way of looking at the world decides to join her and become a Maid in order to help turn the place into a true Maid Cafe. The owner of the Seaside Maid Cafe, Uki Isohata, has her own ideas of what she wants her cafe to be and stands back and watches while no matter what these girls try they always end up right back at the cafe as it is. This part of town only caters to the shop owners and now with Hotori working there her math teacher who has caught Hotori without permission form the school. He tries to use this opportunity to help teach her and maybe just maybe see her become more than just a slacker without focus.

There is also Hotori’s child hood friend, Hiroyuki Sanda, who has a crush on Hotori and is the subject of affection by Toshiko. With the added inclusion of Futaba Kon the master plan of this simple series is in place. We follow the lives of these warm and funny high school students to see them interact in ways that we all wish we could have at that age. If life was always that strange and simple, what bliss it would be.

Commentary:

And Yet The Town Moves took a few episodes for it to get me warming up to it. At first it came across as just another slapstick comedy that had a very shallow plot. Once all the characters were assembled something very special began to happen. The development of their personalities bonded them in ways that were very unexpected and provided another almost heart warming edge to the series. I realize that comedies tend to try and give us the softer side of humanity but in the case of this small seaside town and these characters connection it gives us hope that people can really be this involved. Even the local cop has a special connection to these girls and especially Hotori and her inability to be serious.

Most of the episodes were self contained but they did have some continuity that provided the glue for the series. I am very glad that it was only 12 episodes because I’m not too sure that any more would have done any good. It said what it needed to and gave us that light hearted humor and that was all it needed to do. I was very glad that it ended the way it did because it left me with the sense that there is hope for these characters that translated over to a overall hope for all of us.

Overall Grade: B

When it come to slice of life anime many of them fall into a trap of either too goofy or too sappy. And the Town Yet Moves managed to maintain a reasonably good balance even though it did lean to the goofy side once or twice. I still thin it was a very good series and if you are into slice of life anime then you should find this one to be something worth checking out.

Some other fine slice of life series worth seeing are Lucky Star, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Arakawa Under the Bridge.

Log Horizon Season 2 Collection 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 3, 2016
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Category: Reviews

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log-horizon-2-1Title: Log Horizon Season 2 Collection 1 (on Blu-ray)

Director: Shinji Ishihara

Author: Toshizo Nemoto

Studio: Studio Deen

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: May 31st, 2016

Format: Blu-ray / 325 Minutes / 13 Episode

Genre: Sci Fi, Fantasy, Adventure

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: A

Synopsis:

It’s been six months since the event that trapped thousands of players in the online game world of Elder Tales and the situation is far from secure. The People of the Land are engaged in open warfare against the Goblin armies of Zantleaf. Minami spies are infiltrating the populace. And even with the support and guidance of the Round Table Alliance, the cost of sustaining the city of Akihabara is causing the entire infrastructure to teeter on the brink of collapse. With winter coming, Shiroe and his companions are forced to consider their options. Should they stay in Akihabara and attempt to weather the oncoming storm? Or should they gamble on missions to other portions of the world in search of new sources of valuable treasure? The launch of another series of raids will test old alliances while new ones are forged, as the adventure continues in the second season of LOG HORIZON!

Commentary:

Over the last few months I have heard more and more people talking about Log Horizon. That is a great thing because the things I am hearing is what I have already said in the past and that is the fact that Log Horizon is one of the best anime to examine what would need to happen if you and others were trapped in a game. Although Sword Art Online is entertaining and very pretty it doesn’t come close to Log Horizon in story and plot driven writing.

The second season of Log Horizon brings with it new challenges and rewards and these first 13 episodes manage to setup a complicated plot line that is both mysterious and deeply intriguing. I thought that wrapping up one large quest and opening the door to a even bigger threat in this first collection is a great way to keep us coming back for more.

Overall Grade: A

Wow, in reality I wasn’t sure if this series could get any better and with the coming of the second season I was proven wrong. The action and complex strategy that is taking place is farm more than I could imagine. The flash backs to their real lives when dead was brilliant and it gave a solid grounding into who these people really are. There was no holding back when the reality was approached and also added meaning to who they had become in the game. It is a solid reminder of our own failures as a society to truly accept and include all people rather than ridicule and shun people for their introverted personalities and awkward social skills. Owning an anime store I meet people like this on a daily basis and make it point to let them know that they are welcome in my store and many of them have become friends over the years and my little store has become a safe haven for them to actually have a social life that is off line.

Getting off my soap box and back to Log Horizon. There is some thing else that made this collection step up to a solid A rating and that was the way it rolled out the plot. There was a steady pacing and flow of the story line that made it easy to watch and to walk away from each episode feeling as though you were provided something important. It also ended with a great cliff hanger that setup the the second half of the season.

If , for any reason you reading this and not familiar with Log Horizon then you really need to start from the beginning and get caught up. You will be very pleased that you dove in.