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Anime Now in Store

Posted by :Joann On : October 21, 2014
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Category: Our Store, What's Happening

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Here is a list of anime and live action that have come in. This list is only for information and not updated as an inventory.

1Aquarion

Baccano Complete Series

The Devil is a Part-Timer!

Dragon Ball z Battle of the Gods

Garden of Words

Ghost in the Shell The Laughing Man

Ghost in the Shell 1

Ghost in the Shell 2nd2

Kill La Kill Volume 2

K-ON Season 1

Last Exile Complete Series

Ouran High School Host Club Complete

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt Complete

Shangri La

Shiki

3Slayer Seasons 1-3

Space Battleship Yamato

Strategic Armored Infantry

Tamako Market

Tenchi Muyo! Complete Series

Tenchi Muyo OVA Collection

Trigun Comlete

4Trinity Blood Complete

Wolf Children

Phantom Thief Jeanne 1 Manga Review

Posted by :Joann On : March 17, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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Phantom Thief Jeanne 1Title: Phantom Thief Jeanne 1

Writer/Artist: Arina Tanemura

U.S. Distributor: Viz Media

U.S. Release Date: March 4th, 2014

Format: manga / paperback/258 pages

Genre: Magical Girl/Romance

Publisher Age Rating: T for Teen

Overall Personal Rating: B-

 

Synopsis:

Maron Kusakabe is a 16 year old high school student. She is part of the gymnastics club, lives by herself in apartment next-door to her friend Miyako, but most notable is that she secretly steals paintings under the name Phantom Thief  Jeanne. One day they meet a new neighbor, a guy named Chiaki Nagoya  who is transferring to their school. He is the kind of guy all the girls seem to fall for, Maron and Miyako are no different.

Maron as Jeanne, steals paintings that have been cursed and infect their owners. The demon lord wants to take over the world . He created the paintings and cast demons into them. Whoever’s heart is moved by the painting becomes possessed by the demon. Jeanne can capture the demons in the paintings because she is a reincarnation of Jeannne DArc. She is guided by a little angel named Finn, who gives her the assignments of what painting to find. During a mission, she encounters another phantom thief, Sinbad. Finn tells her that he is an enemy.

Chiaki keeps flirting with Maron and Miyako is quite jealous. But is he stringing her along? It seems that he has a commitment from his past. They take a trip to an amusement park. Once inside the hounded house, something goes wrong and there is a demon posing one of their classmates.  Suddenly the whole park goes dark…

During a gymnastic tournament, one of the competitors is acting strangely, Maron suspects she is possessed. But when she trying to capture the demon, she is injured, Sinbad comes to her aid.

 

Commentary

Phantom Thief Jeanne  is a magical girl genre of sorts, with the transformation and powers.  It was originally published in America under the name Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne.  This new edition will be released in 5 volumes instead of the original 7. It doesn’t appear that we loose content because this volume one is much thicker.

In this volume, things move pretty quickly. We jump directly into the story, Maron is already Jeanne and working with Finn.  Bits  of information will get revealed later. I didn’t find it as complex as Sakura Hime by the same author(which I can’t help compare it too as the main characters look so much alike). Phantom Thief Jeanne was originally written first, 10 years earlier. There has definitely been a progression of skill in both the story and artwork that is produced

I have a few minor complaints. It was totally easy to figure out who Sinbad is, why can’t Maron figure it out? I wish it hadst least been not so obvious to us, or rather Maron get her first inklings right away. His secrets are revealed by chapter 3 to us, although there is more to come I’m sure, like his motivation. Something I found odd and don’t understand why it is in the stories, is that Janne and Sinbad send out notices when they are going to take a painting. Polite maybe, but doesn’t that make it more difficult?

There are somethings I waiting for and expect to be revealed is how they are actually capturing the demons it isn’t exactlty clear. It goes rather quickly and it seems that they are sealed into chess pieces. Also, reading a little too much background online, somethings are going to be changing. I look forward to getting deeper into the mystery part of the series.

The artwork is the best part of the book, and that is what Arina Tanemura does best. It is this flowing, linear work, sort of like art deco, but not quite. The faces (and some of the figures) seem a bit dated with the pointy chins and way over the type giant eyes, but this is the artist’s style. I guess it was good that ribbons and hair give the chance to really create the beauty.

Overall Grade: B-

 

Kamisama Kiss (Anime Review)

Posted by :Joann On : February 12, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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Kamisama Kiss CompleteTitle: Kamisama Kiss Complete

Publisher: FUNimation

U.S. Release Date: Feb. 11, 2014

Format and Length: Blu-ray/DVD Combo /13 episodes

Genre: Supernatural, Romance, Comedy

Industry Age Rating:

Overall Personal Rating:

 

Synopsis:

Nanami is in high school and lives with her father. When he takes off because of gambling debts, she looses her home. Now homeless, she meet a guy who offers to let her stay at his place that he isn’t using. It turns out it is a shrine that is considered to be haunted. Well, this was a set up and he marked her as the land god of the shrine as his replacement.

At the shrine, there is few worshipers because they think it abandoned and haunted. Nanami meets the yokai (supernatural beings) who also live there and look after the place. There is  Onikiri and Kotetsu who are small and loyal, and the other is Tomoe who is  a wild fox demon. Tomoe doesn’t want to serve a human god which he thinks is beneath him.

Nanami has a lot to learn about being a god, yokai etiquette and running a shrine, all the while still going to school. The yokai help train her for service and teach her how things are done. Tomoe is rather bitter, sarcastic and narcissistic but he has been forced into contract and has no choice. Why is it then that Nanami can’t help but develop a crush on him.

Now gods, yokai, demons and spirits are a part of Namami’s life.  She has many demands asked of her, some kindly and some rather evil. Ever determined to succeed, she faces each one with her naivete, goodwill and a can-do attitude. It can’t be done alone though, the shrine yokai and her new friends are there to help.

For Nanami, life gets weird at school too. Now being linked to the supernatural world, many things aren’t what they seem. A pop star, Kurama, transfers in but there is even more to him than fame. One day a white snake gets into the building and she sets it free but there is even more to it than that. I guess you can see where this is going. In order to protect his master, Tomoe decides to attend school too.

Nanami begins to be comfortable with her position. She decides to hold a festival  to bring people back to the shrine. But the spirit world may be the end to the shrine and the village as evil begins to spread.

 

Commentary:

Kamisama Kiss is a comedy first. It relies on the visual exaggerations quite well. Then there are a few tender moments and this is where the relationships come in.

Nanani is a great central character.  The young, upbeat and determined girl falls for the older, surly and attractive guy. The characters may not be unique in anime but they are successful. Nanami is a very cute and easy to like character. Her biggest flaw in my opinion is her over thinking things, especially when it comes to romance.

The story has a wide variety of settings and events. It is easy to do with a intriguing representation of yokai, the spirit or divine world is very complex. Although the introductory first episode  goes quickly, the pacing is till good. We cleverly get to know the characters and still get more story. There is always something new going on, yet nothing is confusing. Sure, some of it wasn’t really unique, like the one-sided attraction, but it still was good.

I watched the English language option. The voice actors did well and really seemed to fit the characters. This is really important as many Americans have already watched the Japanese version on streaming sites.

Having read some of the manga first, in comparison,  I found that the anime comes across as more comedic than the book with the narrator, voices, pacing and quirky sound effects. It is definitely a different vibe than I got from the manga.

I watched part of Kamisama Kiss with a mixed group of people. It really drew their attention and there was some out loud laughing. It was an enjoyable way to spend the afternoon.

Extras: There is 3 Commentary episodes. Some are better than others. Really the first one was mostly random thoughts and too much laughing. The other ones include comments on the show itself and their thoughts on the characters. The last one had 4 of them in on the discussion where we could see them.

 Overall Grade: A- This is a series that I know several people who have been waiting for it to come out on DVD and it turns out it was worth the wait.

 

 

Bokurano Ours 10 Manga Review

Posted by :Joann On : February 11, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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bokurano ours 10Title: Bokurano Ours 10
Author/Artist: Mohiro Kitoh
Publisher: Viz Signature
American Release Date: February 18, 2014
Format: Manga
Publisher Age Rating: T+ for older teen
Genre: Science Fiction, Suspense, Mecha
Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

Bokurano Ours Series Overview:

A group of middle school students unwittingly enter into a game which is actually a contract to pilot a giant mech in battle against a mech from another universe. Losing has immense consequences for each world. As each kid takes a turn, we explore their back story which helps explains why they make the choices they do and how they end up handling it all.

If you haven’t read the books up to volume 9, please skip the next paragraph because, as it is specific to volume 10, it may give clues that could ruin the natural unfolding of the story but I’m trying not to.

Volume 10:

More of the origins of the game are revealed. Machi explains all she knows to Jun but there is more, even Koyemshi doesn’t understand it all. There is no escaping the game.

Now that only Machi and Jun are left, they try to make their remaining time mean something as they wait for the next battles. They leave on the train to visit the families of the other pilots. They see how things are affecting others, something they hadn’t had thought of before.

 

Commentary:

Whoa, another intense volume. Once again, I have to leave out important stuff, but that is how Bokurano Ours really is. There is so much story in each volume.  This volume doesn’t fail on the twists. There is a real stunner in here and leaves me wanting to see what happens in the next (and last) volume. I’m not even sure what happened at the very end of volume 10 and looking forward, I no longer can assume how I want it all to end.

The art comes across as a bit stark and stiff, yet very concise and clear. It struck me how emotionally deficient their faces usually are. It is more than a sense of calm, which is part of it, but the drawings don’t do much to convey emotion. The emotions come most from the words. I don’t know if it is intentional, an artistic style, or lack of skill. Still, it doesn’t change the overall performance of the series.

Two peeves that I have about this volume are: Not always making it clear when the Machi and Jun arrive at another family, even with a location shot because they were not labeled. There is a large secondary cast with the families and there is no way I could remember what they all looked like or where they lived.  My second issue was something Machi said to Jun, another one of those too adult moments for middle school age kids.

Volume 10 seems wordier than usual, but it makes sense because there is a lot of explaining to do as we near the end of the series. It was unexpected but good to see how the battles and the losses were affecting the families and other citizens. What they were doing now, how they were handling it, how they all adapt to deal with what happened. This really got us out of the group box and brought us closer in as spectators.

Bokurano Ours  is a Viz Signature series and it meant for adults, and I think will best be appreciated by those a little older. Even though it is a story about kids, it is about kids who have to deal with things they shouldn’t because they are kids. These are still adult issues.  This series has a lot of merit, but it isn’t flashy, or romantic, or funny or cool, so I think it might be one of those with a quiet place on the manga shelf but it probably deserves more attention because it can really illustrate what is beyond the typical manga.

 

Overall Grade: A-

 

Store Photos

Posted by :Joann On : September 29, 2013
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Category: Our Store

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Cosplaly at Animeggroll

 

 

Is This A Zombie? of the Dead (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : September 25, 2013
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Category: Reviews

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Is This A Zombie? of the DeadTitle: Is This A Zombie?

Director: Takaomi Kanaski

Studio: Studio Deen

U. S. Distributor: FUNimation

U. S. Release Date: Dec. 11th, 2012

Format: DVD / 325 minutes / 13 episodes

Genre: Harem, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Supernatural

Age Rating: MA (Mature Audience for Violence and Fan Service)

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Similar Titles: Tenchi Munyo, Ai Yori Aoshi and Ah! My Goddess

 

Synopsis:

Season Two gets off to a shocking start as Ayumu breaks Haruna’s magic chainsaw and accidentally exposes his fondness for pretty pink dresses to the entire school! Next there’s an incident with a dreadful dance that turns out to be a curse – and an embarrassing trip to a maid cafe where all the zombie’s roommates work! But the shenanigans take a backseat to bigger problems when Ayumu’s mysterious drinking buddy turns out to be the most powerful magical girl of them all!

To save his friends and defeat this adorable new menace, zombie boy must do the unthinkable: throw a mixer for his own murderer! With a little help from his loyal harem of vampires, magical girls, and the world’s cutest necromancer, Ayumu just might survive to rot another day!

Commentary:

When coming to this second season I was interested to see if they would go further into the back stories of these strange character, but I have to be honest and say that I was disappointed on that front. The other aspect of the series that I looked forward to was the humor and I was not disappointed one this point. The goofy strange humor held this season together. That fact that each one of the lead characters have such strange personalities that the way they work together seems to make it all even more humorous.  I personally like the way that Ayumu moves between being a normal caring person and a rather delusional pervert, but the second season brings out the perversion in several of them. Even though the humor is edgy  it doesn’t cross over to the world of vulgar. I found myself laughing out loud enough times to make the pointless plot line worth while.

This simply unique harem anime does much to prove that you take anything and make it a funny series that works even though there is not point to it. In the worlds of harems there are plenty that follow the standard formula and others like Is This A Zombie where the supernatural ends up being the focal point of the comedic relief. It is easy to like this show for  what it is.

Overall Grade: B-

Although the comedy is great the lack of a plot is a real downer. I thought something was happening just for it to be dismissed and piled on top of the rest of the strangeness that rolls through the series. It was fun to have Ayumu end up having a little more fun and the fact that so many of the rest of the player became more animated, but the way the story just flopped around left it in a sorry state. I just wish they given us something more to latch onto so that all the humor had something to make it all even funnier. This is still one to just sit back and enjoy it for what it is.