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Busou Shinki-Armored War Goddess: The Complete Collection (anime review)

review provided by Andrew & Katie

Title: Busou Shinki-Armored War Goddess: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Yasuhito Kikuchi

Studio: eight bit

Author: Masahiro Yokotani

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks/Section 23

U.S. Release Date: February 14th, 2017

Format and Length: DVD / 13 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Action, Science Fiction, Slice of Life

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Angelic Layer, Rozen Maiden, and Chobits

Juggling four girls at once is never easy, even when they are small enough to actually juggle!

Synopsis:

Some guys wait their entire life, and then some, to meet the girl of their dreams, but high school freshman Rihito is already living with four of them. Plus, they are almost always ready and willing to help him with whatever difficult task their “Master” needs to be handled. So, how did Rihito get to be so darn lucky? Well, while Hina, Ann, Ines and Rene may not be exactly high maintenance, Rihito does have to make sure they are lubricated regularly and recharge their batteries as needed. He does this because they are Shinki—tiny, six-inch tall, customizable androids (Now would be a good time to get your mind out of the gutter.) But do not let their tiny size fool you because these little ladies have more than full-size intelligence and emotions, there is also friction because each one would prefer to be Rihito’s favorite. Make way for the sparks that are going to fly as these battery powered princesses take charge of Rihito’s world.

Commentary:

Busou Shinki-Armored War Goddess: The Complete Collection is an anime series that was produced as an advertisement for the Shinki action figures and as such it is an original storyline written for said figures. With that being said, I thought Busou Shinki-Armored War Goddess: The Complete Collection was an average Slice-of-Life anime. The story follows the four Shinki as they perform their daily chores and the trouble that they always find themselves in. You can watch any episode after the first one and it will make almost perfect sense. Being as this was an advertisement there was not much character development but you do get to see an example of each Shinki by the end of the series. Rihito basically treats his Shinki as if they were human and the Shinki take really good care of him. Basically the Shinki are depicted as cute, tiny androids living in an apartment in the middle of Tokyo.

As for character development, there is none. Rihito is basically seen as a generic avatar that the target audience can relate to. Ann is the caring character who is pure of heart, Rene is the clumsy big sister, Ines is the tsundere character who is mean but cares deep down inside and Hina is the cool loner girl who cannot relate to the rest of the cast. I basically saw every overly done character type in one anime. I did enjoy the Christmas episode though because it showed how much the Shinki care about Rihito and at the same time it showed how much Rihito loves his Shinki.

Extras:
Busou Shinki-Armored War Goddess: The Complete Collection includes Japanese promos, clean opening and closing animations, and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series is available in Japanese language with English subtitles.

Overall Grade: B-

Busou Shinki-Armored War Goddess: The Complete Collection was produced as an marketing tool for the Shinki figures and I have been noticing this has been the case for a few series created around this time. When I began watching the first episode I was expecting this series to be pretty good as it reminded me of Angelic Layer and I really enjoyed that series. Within a few episodes I realized that while this series has potential it was never expanded on and really leaves something to be desired.

The Devil is a Part Timer (anime review)

The Devil is a Part TimerTitle: The Devil is a Part Timer

Director: Masahiro Yokotani

Studio: White Fox

U. S. Distributor: Funimation

U. S. Release Date: July 22nd, 2014

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Harem, Comedy, Romance, Supernatural

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis: 

When Satan is run out of his infernal kingdom, he finds himself virtually powerless in modern-day Tokyo. Stuck in a feeble mortal body and desperate for cash, there’s only one way for the dark lord to survive: by getting a job manning the deep fryer at “MgRonald!”

As Satan flips burgers and tries to regain his evil magic, he’s pestered by a righteous hero who tracked him to Earth, a video-game-loving fallen angel looking for a way back into heaven, and the most unholy of enemies: a rival fast food franchise. Will he figure out a way to reclaim his homeland and throne? And if not, will this demonic burger king at least sell enough featured menu items to be promoted to shift supervisor? The devil can’t survive on minimum wage!

Commentary:

The Devil is a Part Timer follows in the path of many light comedy harem series, but in several ways it stands out on its own for humor and pointed parody. The story is rather simple with the Devil being upon the verge of having his butt handed to him in battle by the righteous Hero and in order to be able to fight another day he and one of his powerful generals escape through a demential portal and end up in Tokyo. Of course the Hero is able to slip through the portal and also end up in Tokyo. Simply put they all end up loosing most of their magical powers which forces them to become regular humans and struggle through life having to make money just to survive. This basic plot is not what makes the series special, it is the character development and the way in which the story makes the viewer start to root for this unlikely group.

First of all the Devil somehow ends up making some rather monumental changes that make him a very likable person without making him overly sappy. The Hero is a bitter young woman who never seems to want to see the change but it is easy to see that she really see him for what he has become but still keeps her position of his inevitable slayer. This interplay between the characters keeps the story alive and also ends up being much if the humor.

Overall Grade: B+

Devil is a Part Timer has many elements that more recent stores like I Can’t Play H and Maoyu where there is a link between the human and demon world and in essence the connection between the two is at it core and proves to be very necessary.  All three of these stores use that interplay to their fullest and also make the connection something that stands out in the forefront, not a thing that must be discovered later in the series. The ting about The Devil is a Part Timer that makes it special is the writing and character development. I really enjoyed the way the each of these characters puled their own weight and how the persona of the devil ended up making them all stronger.

There was some simple and somewhat unobtrusive fan service in the series and I’m sure it was there just to please a special segment of the fan base, but overall I didn’t see anything about the series that made me want to turn away form it. The only flaw that I have is that it ended up being too short and the ending doesn’t feel complete. I’m not saying it can’t end there I just feel like I would like to see the devil and the hero really get together rather than just leave them in the place they are at the end. I also got a feeling like there is still much more to the story, I am not sure why there was a 13th episode if it wasn’t there to open the door to more. Maybe we will see an OVA come out in the future in order to close the gap between them. Anyway, The Devil is a Part Timer is a fun series that promises to give you plenty to enjoy and keep you smiling throughout the entire 325 minutes .