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Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : January 24, 2016
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Review provided by Andrew and Katieblade-dance-of-the-elementalers

Title: Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection

Director: Tetsuya Yanagisaw

Studio: TNK

Author: Takao Yoshioka

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: February 2, 2016

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

Genre: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Fantasy, Harem, Romance, School, Supernatural

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: The Familiar of Zero and IS: Infinite Stratos

Synopsis:

In order to enroll at the Areisha Spirit Academy, where young priestesses learn how to form contracts with Spirits, the ideal prospective student must be pure, chaste, and of a superior lineage. They must also be female as only one man has ever made a Spirit contract and He was the Demon King.
The entire Academy is thrown into chaos and confusion when Kamito Kazehaya arrives at the Headmistress’ request because not only is he very obviously a guy, but he also managed to form a Spirit contract in the short time it took him to walk through the woods surrounding the Academy.
And what other secrets might the new enrollee have hidden? The unexpected intrusion of something male is certain to work the female student body into a tizzy as the answers are revealed in Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection.

Commentary:

Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection is your basic magical harem anime series. There is nothing original about the series and that saddened me. Basically, the plot is full of holes and does not explain much of anything. A great example is how Kamito Kazehaya won a Blade Dance three years prior to the setting of the series, but no one knows that as he was in a robot suit. It seems as if they decided to use the first eleven episodes as filler and the actual series began in the final episode. The battles reminded me of Pokémon battles due to the use of “spirit animals” and the battles lasted far too long for my taste. There was also an over-use of fan-service and there was one scene that bordered on hentai so I personally believe that the age rating should have been higher.

Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection included every character archetype, but mostly focused on tsundere, that harem animes use but there was hardly any development done to the characters. Kamito Kazehaya is the only male spirit contractor in the series so naturally the rest of the characters are wary of him. He has a good nature personality but also teases the other characters. Kamito is a competent fighter and uses his head more than his emotions in his fights. Claire Rougeis one of the tsundere’s in the series; however she is heavy on the tsun and light on the dere. Her contracted spirit is a flame cat named Scarlett. Rinslet Laurenfrost is also a tsundere but instead of tsundere to Kamito she is mostly tsundere to Claire, her childhood friend. Her contracted spirit is an ice wolf named Fenrir. Ellis Fahrengart is another tsundere, but she uses the tsundere to protect her school as a Knight. Her contracted spirit is an eagle named Simorgh. Those are the characters that stood out the most to me. There are others including Fianna Ray Ordesia and Est.

The characters were well drawn but the background animation seemed to get lost. The music was standard for this genre and did not stand out in any way. The voice actors did a good job but some left something to be desired.
Extras:
Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection includes Japanese Promos, Blade Dance Special Mini OVA’s, 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: C
While I was somewhat let down by Blade Dance of the Elementalers: Complete Collection I believe that someone who loves the harem genre will enjoy it.

Momokyun Sword (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : January 23, 2016
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momokyun-swordTitle: Momokyun Sword

Director: Shinsuke Yanagi

Writer: Tsuyoshi Tamai

Studio: Tri-Slash, Project No.9

Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

Format: Blu-ray, 12 Episodes, 300 Minutes

Genre: Fantasy, Action, Ecchi

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: C

Synopsis:

Not every girl starts life as a baby inside a giant peach that was found floating in a river. But Momoko did. And most girls’ best friends aren’t Inugami the dog god, Sarugami the monkey god, and Kijigami the pheasant god. But that’s who’s been teaching Momoko how to use a sword and fight since she was little. With all this, one would expect that Momoko’s life is going to be an unusual one.

So when an army of evil Oni starts rampaging through feudal Japan and a team of Heavenly-sent Celestial Goddesses arrives to stop them, is it any surprise that Momoko finds herself being recruited for an epic quest? Well, it is for Momoko, but for a champion of the Gods, she’s a bit slow on the uptake. When it comes to fighting, she’s peachy-keen and if there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that the bad guys are about to get totally creamed in Momokyun Sword!

Commentary:

Okay, the simple fact about Momokyun Sword is how important Momoko’s breast are to the animation. Of course when the story revolves around  collecting a magical peach you know it is going to have bounce to it. And I mean bounce. I’m real sure if I have seen a large breasted young lady move in such dramatic fashion before. When she runs her ample bosom moves up in down in such a violent way that I would think it would do some physical harm to her.  I understand the point of the series to to attract young and maybe even older men because the plot and overall story misses the mark.

Overall Grade: C

Understanding the point of the series make it a little easier to watch because I know it is not about the story. The animation is rather standard fair with a solid prostitution value layer on top that helps to bring a easy to watch series to the viewer. I didn’t expect much going into Momokyun Sword and I got what I expected. It is clear that the rosy bosom are more important than anything else.

So, if you are wanting some milder fan service and plenty of breast bouncing across the screen then Momokyun Sword is for you.

 

Dai Shogun Great Revolution (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 18, 2015
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dai-shogunTitle: Dai Shogun Great Revolution; Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Takashi Watanabe

Writer: Dai Sato

Studio: J.C. Staff, A.C.G.T.

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: January 1st, 2016

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Harem, Pseudo Historical, Action, Ecchi

Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

In a world where history took a different path, Japan has been isolated from the outside world by steam-powered robots that repel all invaders. Inside Japan, however, the people are divided into feuding and fighting feudal factions. Feisty Keiichiro Tokugawa dreams of changing this and unifying Japan, and he just may be the one man who can use the legendary giant robot Susanoo.

Unfortunately, just touching a woman makes him break out in hives, and the Susanoo ALSO requires a female copilot. In VERY close quarters. And just to twist the katana, while there seem to be plenty of women who might covet the copilot’s seat, not all of them have his best interests at heart! Who can he trust? Kiriko the Ninja? Chiharu the fox-demon? Or will Keiichiro’s rash ambitions be thwarted by rashes and a totally rational phobia of the female form? It’s a giant robot show like no other as the birds, the bees, and the giant robots take flight in Dai Shogun!

Commentary:

Dai Shogun is a series that, simply put, fun to watch. Of course it gets a little lost in the fan service and sexually provocative situations. This is more of a typical harem anime than I expected it to be and it does give us someone to root for other than the bouncing breasts everywhere you look. The story sets itself up for plenty of jokes and some of them are funny but most are rather contrived. Where the series succeeded was in the dramatic aspects and the central love story. Take the dense young man with something to prove and the beautiful, talented, shy woman who falls for his simple boyish charm and make them both virgins who must work together to save Japan. Well, add in plenty of other large breasted women and center the story at a bath house and it equals lots of peekaboo.

Once the series settles in and gets serious about the plot, things get entertaining and much of the sexual tension takes the back seat. This change in posture works, and makes most of the rest of the series worth watching. The writing was strong enough to carry much of the series, but the animation was a let down. It almost as if the series was given a cut rate budget and rather than push the limits, they cut every corner they could. The simple static figures with a moving background left me cold. I would have loved to see someone like Gonzo or even Sunrise animate this series rather than the sloppy work that was done by J. C. Staff.

Overall Grade: B

Now, Dai Shogun isn’t for everyone, but for adults it is a series that I think both men and women can enjoy. It has all the great trappings that a solid Harem anime needs and some of the perversion that a light ecchi anime would have. There is plenty of action and a solid moral backbone to the series that does make a difference.

I would have liked to see more background development on a few of the characters, but I understand that not every anime can tell all of the story. The ending is left open in the event some money should come their way, but I fear that some of the failure in the series will leave it destine to be a one shot series.

Anyway, if you want a decent love story that has a lot of action and plenty of well built women in it then Dai Shogun Great Revolution is something you need to check out.

Dragonar Academy: The Complete Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 29, 2015
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Dragonar-Academyreview provided by Andrew and Katie

Title: Dragonar Academy: The Complete Series

Director: Shunsuke Tada and Tomoyuki Kurokawa

Studio: C-Station

Author: Noboru Kimura

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: November 24, 2015

Format and Length: Blu-ray –DVD Combo Pac / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Fan Service, Harem, School Life, Ecchi

Industry Age Rating: 17 and up

Overall Personal Rating: D

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: The Familiar of Zero

Synopsis:

Learning to ride and tame dragons comes easy to most students at Ansarivan Dragonar Academy.
Known by his fellow classmates as a “problem child”, hot tempered student Ash Blake is one of the only students who have yet to get his own dragon companion. Many of his fellow students also hate the fact he has a skill no one else has, the power to ride other’s dragons, any dragon. Poor Ash is the laughing stock at school because, despite his unfashionably large star-shaped brand that marks him as a future dragon master, he has nothing to show for it. His dragon has never appeared. However that day finally came, and Ash’s dragon awakes in full glory, but appears different than any dragon ever seen before—in the form of a beautiful girl! What’s worse, Ash soon discovers that this new dragon has attitude to spare, as she promptly informs him that she is the master, and he, the servant. Ash’s problems with dragon riding have only just begun.

Commentary:

Every once in a while an anime series comes along that looks like it’s going to be absolutely awesome. Then you watch it. Very few animes have disappointed more than Dragonar Academy. Two dimensional, excessively cliché characters, who do not know how to keep their clothes on, combined with lack of story and uninspired storytelling, and unfortunately, horribly excessive fan service (bordering on adult) combined to ruin a very promising premise. Anime is full of time honored clichés that never seem to disappear and Dragonar Academy is so packed full of them, it shows just how void this show is of any creativity or imagination. Giant bouncing breasts on all women characters, naked magic girls showing up from nowhere and mood swinging tsundere characters are ripe and abound in this series. It felt that it could not even do that right, not bringing anything original in, but more a copy/paste of many similar series that did equally as poorly.

There was hardly any plot in Dragonar Academy as it was abandoned, or completely sidetracked within the first three episodes. The premise behind it all was great but the execution was horrible. It seems as if they decided they could not fit everything from the source material into a twelve episode season, so they just did what they did. The characters were very boring and none seemed interesting in the least. None of them stood out from the others and made the series drag on.

I was also disappointed when I saw the dragons as I thought they would be more along the looks of a Chinese style dragon more instead of what was shown, which looks like a t-rex mated with a European style dragon and that was their kid. The dragons looked like a fantasy dragon with grossly exaggerated character designs. The dragons are also pushed into the background so that the fan service can take over the series. The rest of the art was okay but nothing special. The voice actors did a good job but I do not think anything could have made these characters interesting.

Extras:

Dragonar Academy: The Complete Series includes episode commentary, commercials, promotional videos, clean opening and closing animations, U.S. trailer, and Funimation Entertainment trailers as special features. This series was released with both English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: D

Dragonar Academy was a letdown across the board. It had so much potential but they instead went the fan service way. I would recommend watching The Familiar of Zero or any other series like that instead of watching Dragonar Academy.

The Comic Artist and His Assistants: The Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : September 3, 2015
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The-Comic-Artist-and-His-Assistantsreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: The Comic Artist and His Assistants: The Complete Collection

Director: Takeshi Furuta

Studio: Showgate

Author: Aki Itami

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: September 15, 2015

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes + 6 OVA’s / 205 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Harem, Slice of Life

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Kill Me Baby!

The term NSFW was invented to describe this guy.

Synopsis:

Perversion, lechery, and a lack of respect for the feelings of others are all qualities that would normally look really bad on a resume, however for Yuki Aito they are the fundamentals of his art. His art is good enough that managing editor Mihari Otosuna will put up with a lot, including panicked panty runs, barrages of breast jokes, and other even lower-brow forms of self-amusement that Yuki wallows in.

However, when the continuing carnal crudity causes Yuki to fall behind schedule, Mihari is forced to bring in a team of assistants for him. But those assistants are of the young and attractive female type so that schedule will be going right out the window. Will Yuki’s assistants be able to fight him off and keep him on schedule? You will have to watch The Comic Artist and His Assistants: The Complete Collection and see.
Commentary:

The Comic Artist and His Assistants: The Complete Collection is set up in a very interesting way as each of the twelve episodes are less than fourteen minutes long and the OVA episodes are less than eight minutes long. Each episode consists of three to four mini-stories that revolve around one of the assistants and their day with Yuki. There is a large amount of fan-service in each episode and Yuki also cross-dresses in a couple of episodes.

The assistants really made the show enjoyable. Sahoto Ashisu has a high tolerance for Yuki and is his main assistant. This means she takes the brunt of Yuki’s perverted actions. She aspires to be a manga artist herself and when she is not working for Yuki she attends art classes. Mihari Otosuna is Yuki’s editor and is also the tsundere of the series. She is very focused on her work as an editor and is also tolerant of Yuki’s perversions. Fuwa Rinna is Yuki’s fan-girl. She took the assistant job when she had no experience and basically agrees to go along with whatever Yuki wants her to do. She must really like him because he can come up with some crazy ideas. Finally we meet Kuroi Sena. She is somewhat sadistic and proud but she also has a soft spot for cute things. She is also known as “Super Assistant!” in the manga world. She is usually the one to put Yuki in his place and sometimes she has to us a whip to do so.

The animation was normal. Nothing really stood out as amazing but everything looked good. The voice actors were chosen well and added to the characters. Personally, I believe that this series was given the wrong age rating. I think it should be a rating of 16 and up with all of the ecchi scenes. But that is just my opinion.

Extras:

The Comic Artist and His Assistants: The Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations, Japanese promos, episode 12 closing karaoke version, and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with Japanese with English subtitles as the only language option.

Overall Grade: C

The Comic Artist and His Assistants: The Complete Collection is interesting to say the least. However, that is not a good thing this time. If you enjoy the ecchi genre then you will probably like this series.

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 20, 2014
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High School DxD New: The Complete Second Seasonreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season

Director: Tetsuya Yanagisawa

Studio: TNK

Author: Takao Yoshioka

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: November 11, 2014

Format and Length: DVD/Blu-Ray Combo / 12 Episodes / 321 Minutes

Genre: Action, Comedy, Demonic, Ecchi, Romance, Harem, Shounen

Industry Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: High School DxD or Rosario + Vampire

Synopsis:

Issei Hyoko and the rest of the Occult Research Club are back, only this season Issei has more power than ever before. The Excalibur swords and Michael the Archangel join Issei and the rest of the gang in battling against the deadliest of foes yet and only time will tell if the Occult Research Club will continue to thrive or if new leadership is needed to usher in a new magical era. Will Issei be able to survive these battles or will everything crash down around him? You will have to watch High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season and find out for yourself.

Commentary:

*Fair warning to those who are wanting to watch this series but are still on the fence about it…there is a large amount of fan service / ecchi scenes. However, High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season can actually pull off this amount of fan service and still have a decent plot line to be considered a good anime.* Also, why is it always an Occult Research Club?

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season picks up soon after the end of the first season with hardly any change. This season focuses on the conflicts and interactions between the devils, angels, and fallen angels. I felt the plot was more interesting than the first season and the comedy undertones continue to reappear frequently. I did not notice the fan service as much as the first season because the story line kept my attention. This season was split up into two arcs, the Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard and the Vampire of the Empty Classroom. I felt that the first arc, the Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard, to be the conclusion to the first season and it was quite dark. The second arc, the Vampire of the Empty Classroom, really leaves the story line open to a third season and also includes the required beach episode that is needed in harem animes. I thought this arc went a little bit out there with all the mecha-like fighting that took place.

We finally see the character development that was missing in the first season and we also get to meet a few new characters. We learn how the characters were turned into devils and how their lives were prior to that. The new characters add to the story and created some interesting subplots. Plus they really added to the shenanigans between the girls and Issei. And yes, Issei is still obsessed with creating his harem, very much obsessed. Of course, it is slightly annoying for every female character to randomly fall in love with the main character for little to no reason but he is unable to act for whatever silly reason he comes up with.

The art work was average and they really focused on drawing the female characters. However, that is to be expected in this genre. They did a great job animating the fight scenes though. The voice actors brought the characters to life with their very real and refreshing emotions. The music was okay. By the end of the series I did find myself humming along with the opening and closing songs.

Extras:

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season includes Yoko Hikasa’s Voice Acting School, clean opening and closing animations, promotional videos, Funimation Entertainment trailers, commercials, New Material from Ichiei Ishibumi! Fantasy Full-blast Gentleman’s Disc Club Promos and Not Seen on TV! Deleted Scenes as special features. This release is available with both English and Japanese with English Subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: B-

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season is a good anime for the genre it is. Just take the above warning to heart and give it a shot.

Kampfer: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Posted by :Patches On : September 23, 2014
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Kampfer: The Complete CollectionReview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Kampfer: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Yasuhiro Kuroda

Studio: Nomad

Author: Toshihiko Tsukiji

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: September 23, 2014

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes + 2 OVA’s / 350 Minutes

Genre: Action, Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, School, Super Power

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Ikki tousen, IS: Infinite Stratos, and Sekirei

Synopsis:

Waking up transformed into a beautiful girl might be the stuff of some guys’ fantasies, but when the suddenly effeminized Natsuru is informed by a stuffed tiger that he is now a Kampfer, a mystical fighter who has to fight other Kampfers in female form, his life becomes a living nightmare. Putting aside the obvious issues of turning into a girl, Natsuru’s best childhood friend turns out to swing the other way and she has a crush on his new female body. But that is not complex enough for Natsuru as his school has separate sections for boys and girls, so he and she are now double enrolled. The rumor-mill is running wild saying that he is dating herself. Then there are those other crazy Kampfers who want to take her out. But does that mean on a date or permanently?

Things get even trickier when Natsuru becomes convinced that it would be a good idea to move in with his three Kampfer friends for their “mutual defense.” Natsuru must become a full-fledged wonder woman or die trying in this full-contact, no-holds-barred, Amazon action-fest that is Kampfer: The Complete Collection.
Commentary:

Let me start by saying I am somewhat separating this review. Kampfer: The Complete Collection is true to its name as it included both the TV series and the OVAs on this Blu-ray edition. I am extremely happy to see that they grouped them together instead of separating them, not making you have to buy an additional set to finish it off. Good work Sentai Filmworks!

Kampfer: The Complete Collection is a series that packs a lot in. Want action? Fighting? There’s some of that. Romance? Yep, got it. Echhi fan service? Why not. Comedy and humor? Boy you want a lot don’t ya, but it’s in there. A poor high school boy that wakes up one day to find that ‘its’ not there anymore, replaced by the parts of the other sex, and a disemboweled stuffed animal tiger with an eye patch, is talking to him, telling him he is now a Kampfer? Yep, just what you wanted, right? You ask for a lot. But that’s not a problem. You can have all this, and without the need for a shrink afterwards. Awesome! Kampfer: The Complete Collection is that series.

Kampfer: The Complete Collection manages to combine all those attributes and does it successfully. Not overpowering any one aspect, it covers all you could ever want from a series like this, except for being a bit more unique. It does share many of the same themes as other series, with a few exceptions. The male lead is forced to become a female to fight. That’s a bit different. Another thing is that though action is considered a main theme, there was some, but never was it a main theme. No crazy multi-episode bouts, with heavy destruction and the elimination of a character. Just kinda fun little skirmishes meant to keep things lively. The other thing that sets it way apart is character development. Most of the time character development will be non-existent in series with similar themes. Kampfer took the time to develop the characters, and give each their own personalities.

Kampfer: The Complete Collection is a very funny anime series to say the least. The humor, though not necessarily blatant, is clouded in heavy innuendo and sexual jokes. They don’t say what they mean outright, but anyone with any intelligence will know what they are going for. Not quite over the top but close. Kampfer does primarily focus on echhi and romance, and has a shounen fighting feel to it at times, but that does not last too long, and neither is overpowering one or the other. Though it seems every girl in that school ‘prefers the company of other girls’, it hardly stops whatever romance they can come up with. There was fan service for those who like it, again not too overpowering or dominating everything else out of the equation.

The two OVA episodes are the continuation of season one of Kampfer and explain what really happened after the final battle of the series. They also added an additional special episode just for the laughs. If you liked the original Kampfer, you will also like this one. There are more girl on girl battles, more guy trying to figure out how to be girl while trying to handle a love, multi pointed two-dimensional object crazier than any triangle, and more all female harems. That and fan-service; must not forget the fan-service. There was a ton of comedy in the two OVA episodes but there was also a ton of fan-service, much more in these two episodes than in the entire TV series in my opinion.

The animation was pretty good and the opening and closing themes were catchy. The voice actors did an amazing job and really brought the characters to life. I really wish that Kampfer: The Complete Collection had wrapped up the series because I hate that I do not know what will happen in the end. The story line was actually interesting and they could have made additional episodes or a movie to wrap everything up. They really had a good concept with the Kampfer’s fighting battles on earth that decided the future of far away planets. They could have done so much more but I am hopeful that eventually they wrap up everything and release either more episodes or a movie.

Extras:

Kampfer: The Complete Collection includes the short animation “Amazing Bowel Familiars”, clean opening and closing animations, and Sentai Filmworks trailers. This release is only available in Japanese language with English subtitles.

Overall Grade: B

Kampfer: The Complete Collection is a really interesting anime and I recommend it for anyone who is into the fighting ecchi genre of anime.

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : August 2, 2014
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Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash!

Review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series

Director: Takashi Watanabe

Studio: Artland

Author: Takao Yoshioka

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: July 29, 2014

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

Genre: Action, Drama, Ecchi, Shounen

Industry Age Rating: TV-MA

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Samurai Bride, Battle Girls: Time Paradox, and Ikki Tousen

 Synopsis:

There was a time when there were amazing ninja serving the powerful, hired for intelligence missions, destruction, or assassination. While the times have changed, the need for ninja has not gone away. However, the type of ninja has changed through the ages. Asuka and her friends may look like any other girls at Hanzo Academy, but they’re secretly studying the ancient art of Ninjutsu! They push their bodies to the breaking point in pursuit of their perfect form while the other students at Hanzo Academy do their homework. Days are spent in sparring session after sparring session until a rival clan of evil ninjas ambushed the Hanzo ninjas and steals their sacred ninja scroll. These evil ninjas are their toughest enemies they have ever faced and Asuka and her friends will have to go further than ever to prove they have mastered the art of the ninja.

 Commentary:

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series takes ninja anime series to new heights and lows at the same time. The story line was not the best; however it was enough to develop the plot and give a little bit of insight to the characters. The fights that occur between the good ninjas and the evil ninjas were pretty good and showed off both side’s rivalry with each other. Eventually, there seems to be a bigger evil force working behind the scenes among the evil ninjas. However, the premise of the plot was the age old good versus evil ploy and while it gets old eventually it was entertaining to say the least. To be honest, if Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series would have had less fan-service and perverted old men I may have liked it more.

The characters in Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series were your cliché ecchi characters including the pervert (Katsuragi), the timid and shy girl (Hibari), the cool genius (Yagyuu), the willful protagonist (Asuka), and the straight and narrow girl (Ikaruga). However, the girls look very similar and if you know these types of series then you will understand why and how they are similar. But their personalities are all very different. The characters listed above are the good ninjas. We are also given some background on the characters, which I was not expecting in an ecchi anime. Each characters background story is sad and depressing save for Hibari. If I had to choose a favorite character I would choose Hibari followed closely by Asuka. The Ninjutsu teacher is Kiriya and the owner/director of the Ninjutsu is Hanzou, Asuka’s grandfather. Both men are slightly perverted and enjoy watching the girls practice more than they should.

The art was good but they focused far too much on the sex appeal of the ninjas and did not put enough attention into anything else. The voice actors were spot on and brought the characters to life. I usually watch all anime in Japanese with the English subtitles but the English voice actors for this series were not bad. I found myself switching between languages after a few episodes. The opening and closing animations were well done and the music was okay. All in all, if you enjoy this type of anime series then you will enjoy Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series.

Extras:

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series includes episode commentaries, promotional videos, clean opening and closing animations, Japanese commercials, U.S. trailer, and Funimation trailers as special features. Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series has both English and Japanese with English subtitle language options and both are great options.

 Overall Grade: C+

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series is a decent anime and if you enjoy ecchi anime or loads of fan-service then I recommend that you check this series out.

Ebiten: The Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : April 19, 2014
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Ebiten: The Complete Collectionreview provided by Katie

Title: Ebiten: The Complete Collection

Director: Hideki Okamoto

Studio: AIC Classic

Author: Kira Inugami and SCA-ji

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 2

U.S. Release Date: April 1, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 10 Episodes + OVA / 275 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Ecchi, Parody, Harem, School

Industry Age Rating: 17 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Maria Holic and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

Sometimes friendship is all about chemistry! And sometimes chemistry is just about blowing stuff up!

Synopsis:

What do you get when you take one group of crazy fan girls with questionable grips on reality, toss out all rules of proper social behavior and mix them together in a basement with more twisted anime parodies and allusions than you can imagine? Besides a recipe for disaster, hilarity ensues when you meet the members of the Astronomical Club where mayhem rules and the wall between the real world and total fantasy crumbles at least once every five minutes.
Commentary:

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Or so the old adage says. Ebiten: The Complete Collection takes this concept and completely warps it to something that can only be described as beyond over the top. Parodies are hard to accomplish and are often done incorrectly, becoming nothing more than a mockery of what they intend to pay tribute to. For the most part this is not the case. The story revolves around the adventures of the members of the Ebisugawa High School “Asstronomy” Club. That’s their spelling, not mine. Gotta love Japanese wordplay jokes. It’s a small club that’s not really all that popular, has few members, no budget or funding, an absent teacher adviser, being shoved into a small room in the basement of the oldest part of the school, and has a club president who does not participate, and wants to disband the club for any reason she can find. But all that doesn’t discourage the members from their daily activities.

Ebiten: The Complete Collection’s story mostly revolves around Kyouko Todayama, the unofficial head of, and most outspoken member of the club. Her only check is Hasumi Ooba, club vice president, and she really only intervenes when Todayama goes too far. But that scale is full of blurry lines and undefined limits that nearly don’t exist. And with little adult supervision, since the teacher sponsor, Shouko Oomori is more interested in ‘pursuing’ her love life, and her lover for that matter, than doing her job, she leaves her cat Oomori Neko Sensei in charge, and of course, the cat rubberstamps everything with a “nyan”, the adventures get quite crazy. Followed by Rikei Hiromatsu, the quiet and obedient member with a strange fetish, Hakata Kanamori, the club’s ditzy cosplayer, manga and dojinshi collector, and easy target for jokes and fan service, and freshman member Itsuki Noya, the story revolves around the club’s atypical activities, which has little to do astronomy, minus a small reference from time to time. Throw in Izumiko, aka Elizabeth, an unexpected visitor from a different school, Yuka Iseda, the unsupportive club president, and member of the student council, and the poor unsuspecting man Shouko is stalking, and you get Ebiten: The Complete Collection.

Though the story is a bit off the wall, chaotic, changes from a bit from one episode to another, and kinda seems written as they went, there was lots of humor to be had. Of course the story line was second to the parodies, and had to change a little to match what they were doing a parody of. Each episode parodies a different anime, and some of the parodies followed the characters themselves. When watching it, I found myself more concerned with trying to figure out what they were doing a parody of, than how consistent the story line was. Ultimately I did find it difficult to pick out a few of the animes they were doing a parody of, because at least half of them never made it here, or are old and have been forgotten, having been out of print since the 90s. At one point I had to look it up online to find a few of them, but for some reason I enjoyed doing all that. Normally if you have to work to understand something, they are doing it wrong, but not in this case. I have to mention though that I am old enough to remember most of the older animes they parodied, so I did have that advantage, and it added even more enjoyment, remembering the early days of anime, before it was cool, mass produced, or easily obtained. Also I need to note that there was fan service, quite often just to have it, but it’s nothing really excessive or over done.

Extras:

Ebiten: The Complete Collection includes Heart Throb Hot Springs, Japanese commercials and promos, music videos, clean opening and closing animations, and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features.

Overall Grade: B

Ebiten: The Complete Collection will make you laugh with all the parodies they use in each episode. You have been warned.

Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 28, 2014
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Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutorreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor-The Complete Series Plus OVA “Shugaku Toshi Keppu-Roku”

Director: Series-Koichi Ohata  OVA-Rion Kujo

Studio: Series-TNK  OVA-Arms

Author: Series-Koichi Ohata  OVA-Koichi Ohata

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: March 11, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 12 Episodes + 1 OVA / 300 Minutes

Genre: Action, Ecchi, Martial Arts, School, Super Power

Industry Age Rating: 17 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Ikki-Tousen

Synopsis:

The fourth season of Ikki-Tousen delivers double the ditz when Hakufu gets a disciple. But training a pupil is tiring work and catching some sleep at random times puts a delay on her dreams of combat conquest. Hakufu is ready to rumble when word of a tournament gets around and that is when a sinister force sabotages the rival schools’ into submission. Can Hakufu muscle her way to victory and save all her friends from repeating their fatal past? You will have to watch Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor-The Complete Series Plus OVA to find out.

Commentary:

I can only describe Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor-The Complete Series Plus OVA as more of the same that you come to expect from the series. The story line, however small it was, moved at a very fast pace and I was lost most of the time. There are many flashbacks right off the bat in the first episode that can confuse you if you have not watched the first season of Ikki-Tousen lately.

However, they did decide to introduce two new characters, Kentei the self-proclaimed “True King” and Mouki Bachou, Hakufu’s disciple.  Kentei is the one planning a new tournament for the Great Fighters so he can force them to fulfill their destiny from eighteen hundred years ago. He lures each fighter with a Magatama to an island under the name of Nanban High School where may hardships await them. Mouki Bachou’s main objective is to fight and win a battle against the person who killed her precious older brother and that person is Sousou Moutoku , the head of Kyoshou Academy. Mouki can be described as being reckless, oblivious to her own limitations, and a leaping and kicking disaster in pink sneakers. I saw her as the comedic relief among the massive amounts of fan-service.

The characters were drawn well and the fight scenes were interesting. However, the fight scenes overpowered everything else in the series because they took up most of the episode time. The rest of the time was spent filling the screen with fan-service aka shirt shredding and looking up skirts for panty shots. The plot is Ikki-Tousen classic, girls from different schools fighting until their clothing shreds apart. Nothing special there but with the two new characters added in this season we do see some character development, but not much.

The OVA, Shugaku Toshi Keppu-Roku, the three major schools are off to Kyoto seeking spiritual energy tokens called Tsubas. You also finally get an explanation for why there are no innocent bystanders hurt during the battles. Shugaku Toshi Keppu-Roku is supposed to be the sequel to Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor-The Complete Series but it feels more like an abbreviated retelling of the series.  Nothing special in the plot or characters but it was nice to get a refresher for the series.

Extras:

Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor-The Complete Series Plus OVA includes “Six Dreamy Views,” promotional videos, clean opening and closing animations, Japanese commercial, U.S. Trailer, Funimation Entertainment trailers, and episode commentary as Special Features. Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor-The Complete Series Plus OVA has English and Japanese languages with Japanese subtitles.

Overall Grade: C

Ikki-Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor-The Complete Series Plus OVA has an extreme amount of fan-service and it takes away from the story line. However, it is an okay anime for what it is.