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Gundam Evolve (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : May 3, 2016
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gundam-evolveTitle: Gundam Evolve

Director: Various – compilation shorts series

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Right Stuf

U. S. Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Format: DVD / 120 minutes / 15 episodes

Genre: Sci Fi, Mecha

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Synopsis: 

Explore the Gundam Universe from fifteen new perspectives!

Experience the ultimate visualization of the Mobile Suit Gundam Universe with fifteen short films featuring a mix of traditional and digital animation styles. You’ll find adventures from multiple Gundam series, including side stories of characters such as Heero Yuy from Gundam Wing, and a retelling of episode 39 of the Mobile Suit Gundam TV series!

Features fifteen short Gundam films by directors like Kenichi Suzuki (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure), Shukou Murase (Gangsta., Ergo Proxy), Takashi Imanishi (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin), and more!

Commentary:

The Gundam universe is broad and wide and Evolve is one of the stranger corners of that Universe. These 15 shorts are all over the place and after a while you aren’t sure what you are watching. It is very clear that the point of this compilation was to show off the awesome CG (Computer Generated Animation) in the early 2000’s.  The flaw in having it released now is that the CG just falls short and is at time very hard to watch. The other major flaw is that the continuity fall s apart with have so many different directors and creators involved.

Overall Grade: C+

Gundam Evolve is something very special in the Gundam franchise, but looses in critical aspect of being well made and coherent. The overworked CG and felling that this is nothing more than a compilation of cut scenes or music videos will leave you wanting for a lot more. I also found the inclusion of SD (Super Deformed) shorts as distracting and not helpful in puling off the grouping.

For most Gundam fans Gundam Evolve will be one of those curiosities that they will buy to add to their collection. For everyone else this set is just a confusing grouping of Gundam shorts that will leave you scratching your head and asking yourself what just happened to the last two hours that you will never be able to get back.

 

Mobile Suite Gundam Zeta: A New Translation Movie (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : April 30, 2016
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mobile-suit-zeta-gundam-a-new-translationTitle: Mobile Suite Gundam Zeta: A New Translation Movie

Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Sunrise Inc., Right Stuf

U. S. Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Format: DVD: Feature Films / 3 Movies / 297 minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Mecha

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Synopsis:

The Earth Federation stands victorious, but are they still on the right side?

Universal Century 0087. The Titans, a bellicose faction among the Earth Federation Forces, grows powerful and tyrannical, even using poison gas to suppress a civil unrest. Dissident soldiers from the same military stand against them, forming a resistance group called the A.E.U.G. Kamille Bidan, a civilian student, gets entangled in this conflict when he accidentally steals the Gundam Mk-II and joins the A.E.U.G., running away from his home space colony. Then he begins to fight along with Char Aznable, a former Zeon ace pilot who has infiltrated the Earth Sphere for reasons of his own.

Contains all three Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam compilation films.

Commentary:

Okay, I’m not real sure why there would be a re-release of these films unless they feel as though the original Zeta story was just too long and boring. Or maybe it is just another money grab. Either way it doesn’t make any real sense to make these films. I did enjoy them and I guess that someone not into Gundam might be willing to sit through these rather than the series, but I still have a hard time for more of the same old push by anime producers to crank out these remake films that just shortcut the story just to make a few more bucks.

Overall Grade: C+

Mobile Suite Gundam Zeta: A New Translation could be a great way to have a non-Gundam fan sit through the series without going through the series. I wish I had more positive to say, but this was something very common to have a series truncated into a movie or movies just to milk it for more.

If you are not familiar with Gundam and someone very close to you is then you might want to check this out it might lead to something greater.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 6, 2016
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mobile-suit-zeta-gundam-Title: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam Collection One on Blu-ray

Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Nozomi/ Right Stuf

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

Format: Blu-ray / 25 Episodes / 625 Minutes

Genre: Mecha, Sci Fi

Age Rating: TV14

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

The Earth Federation stands victorious, but are they still on the right side?

In Zeta Gundam, we see the future world of the Universal Century through a dark mirror. Having defeated the Zeon menace, the Earth Federation has itself become cruel and oppressive. A new generation of Gundam mobile suits is created not to fight for peace, but to punish the enemies of the state, and yesterday’s villains must become today’s heroes in order to balance the scales of justice. When a young civilian named Kamille Bidan is caught up in the rebellion, he little suspects the price he will pay in the fight for freedom.

Commentary:

I really wanted to like Kamille and I wanted to root for him, but that didn’t last. Once he joined the A.E.U.G. he became even more obnoxious. In the beginning he was a thief and then he just became a whinny little Japanese main character. Other than the obnoxious main character I found the series rather enjoyable. To be honest I don’t find the older series rather tiresome, but Zeta Gundam has some interesting points of view that are well developed and explored in a very deliberate manor. The philosophical viewpoint from A.E.U.G. is rather forward thinking for a series that is almost 15 years old.

Overall Grade: B

When the name Gundam is mentioned I know that I am in for a long conversation with a fan who are immersed in a universe of contradictions and  fanciful flights of science fiction that tend to defy any real grounding in physics or understanding of the universe we live in. Zeta Gundam manages to find some reality but the strength of the series is in its viewpoints not the understanding of the physics that surround them.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a fun series and I have a feeling that the second collection will round it out and bring it home with a bang. I know that Gundam fans will grab this one up, but if you are new to the series this is a good one to start with. The animation is reasonable for a TV series and the writing is better than several of the other series in the Gundam universe. So, if you want to dip your toe’s in the world of Mobile Suit Gundam then Zeta is a great place to start.

 

Buddy Complex (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 22, 2015
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Buddy ComplexTitle: Buddy Complex: The Complete Series

Director: Yashiro Tanabe

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: November 11th, 2015

Format: DVD/ Blu-ray / 13 Episodes + 2 Specials / 375 Minutes

Genre: Mecha, Sci Fi, Drama

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

It’s shaping up to be another boring day for high school student Aoba Watase until a bright light appears in the sky and a giant robot attacks the city. As the mechanical menace closes in on him, he’s saved by a classmate who’s piloting a mech of her own. After accepting a cryptic offer to join the alliance she’s a part of, Aoba is thrust into the future where a new world war threatens to tear the planet apart. With no other choice, Aoba must pick a side, learn to pilot a mech, and fight his way through an army of enemies as he tries to find a way back to the past he left behind.

Commentary:

Going into Buddy Complex I was a little concerned that it was going to be just another Gundam want-to-be. Well, to my surprise it managed to be much more. The series started off feeling rather familiar with the innocent high school boy suddenly becomes a hero mecha pilot. I know if there is a plot line it worn out it would be this one, but in this case it becomes a rather impelling story. The key is the writing and the ability to maintain the dramatic focus of the series. The other series I would compare it to is Aldnoah.Zero, but alas it doesn’t hold up to the same standards I found in that newer series. In this case I would blame that on the animation. I know that Sunrise is one of the top studios for mecha anime and I think in the case of Buddy Complex they rested on their old habits which hut more than helped.

Overall Grade: 

Buddy Complex offers a new look at an age old storyline and for all of the heavy history weighing down on it’s shoulders the outcome is positive. I am not sure why Funimation opted not to dub the series, but I am glad that they didn’t. I think that in this case the Japanese voice acting is so strong that I just don’t see any American voice acting doing justice to the series. On the other hand I think the lack of dubbing may end up missing a very important fan base. I just don’t see new younger fans taking the time to read as they watch. I know that there are still plenty out there, but they are looking for series like Danganronpa to quench their thirst.

There is something about the way the series ended that left me a little flat, but I guess that some things are always hard to Finnish off. It was easy to tell that a great deal of effort was put into the overall plot and development of the series and when trying to tie up some loose ends it can get a little messy. I don’t think it really matters much, Buddy Complex is very entertaining and delivers enough drama to keep you going and at the same time provides a story that is reminiscent of older Mecha series.

If Mecha is your game then Buddy Complex is for you.

Mobile Suit Gundam Collection 1 on Blu-ray (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : October 31, 2015
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Mobile Suit Gundam Collection 1Title: Mobile Suit Gundam Collection 1 on Blu-ray

Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Studio: Nippon Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Sunrise

U. S. Re-Release Date: Nov. 3rd, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 21 Episodes / 525 Minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Mecha, Action, Adventure

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Synopsis:

Universal Century 0079. The rebel space colonies of the Principality of Zeon launch a war of independence against the Earth Federation, using humanoid fighting vehicles called mobile suits to overwhelm the Federation Forces and conquer half of Earth’s surface. Months later, the Federation has finally developed its own prototype mobile suits at a remote space colony. But when the colony suffers a Zeon surprise attack, these new weapons fall into the hands of a motley crew of civilians and cadets, and fate places a youth named Amuro Ray at the controls of the white mobile suit Gundam.

Commentary: 

I am not sure how many times I have said this statement this year alone, but sometimes things are better off left in the imagination of the ones who love it. Mobile Suite Gundam Collection 1 is one of those things. The series, to put it quite simply, did not age very well. The one saving grace is that the Japanese language track is provided. I recall how I felt about Mobile Suite Gundam in my youth when it was something different in our anther simplistic world and now I can say that Mobile Suit Gundam has taken on the simplistic moniker. I find everything about it rather difficult to watch. I understand that it is being released to satisfy the hard core fans of the franchise because many of them see this particular series in the franchise as one of the best. I wish I could join that camp, but the story just doesn’t do it for me.

Overall Grade: C+

On a nostalgic level I found it fun to watch and Mobile Suite Gundam provided many laughs, most not intended. The animation reminded me of bad 70’s look that I didn’t even like back then and the choppy writing that tells the story but in a way that is sometimes hard to follow and other times too simplistic. Deep down inside I would have loved to see this re-made with a new writing staff and contemporary animation techniques. I know that won’t happen because it is too easy to just re-release it in its full original glory.

Of course I didn’t think it was all bad. I still believe that Mobile Suite Gundam and a few other series set the stage for the onslaught of great Mecha series that followed and there is also a marketing machine behind the Gundam franchise that needs to be recognized for its unequaled ability to own the ability to keep the fandom alive and growing. I can’t say that about other long live series. So, if you are looking for a trip down memory lane or just need to see where the craze all began then this is worth picking up or at least finding someone who dished out the cold cash and hang out at their place for a few days.

Turn A Gundam part 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 16, 2015
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Turn A Gundam part 1Title: Turn A Gundam part 1

Director: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Writer/Creator: Yoshiyuki Tomino

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Nozomi/ Sunrise

U. S. Release Date: June 30th, 2015

Format: DVD / 25 Episodes / 625 Minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Mecha, Romance, Steampunk

Age Rating: TV 13

Overall personal rating: B

Synopsis:

For 2000 years, a separate race of humanity has lived on the moon. Known as “the Moonrace,” their technology is leaps and bounds beyond those that stayed behind on the Earth’s surface. Now seeking to return to their original home, the Moonrace send three teenagers – Loran, Keith, and Fran – down to Earth on a reconnaissance mission to test the viability of its environment.

After spending a year on Earth, Loran has become good friends with Sochie and Kihel, daughters of the prestigious Heim family, and he looks forward to fully integrating into Earth society. But before Loran gets the chance to make his report, the Moonrace launch a surprise attack. Earth’s primitive airplanes are no match for the superior power of the Moonrace’s mobile suits. However, in the midst of the initial attack, Loran and Sochie uncover a long-forgotten relic: a white mobile suit. As a Moonrace, Loran is quickly able to grasp the basics of piloting it, but by doing so, he inadvertently places himself in the middle of a war.

Commentary:

Gundam Fans get in line for here come the resurrection of the mysterious Turn A Gundam. Reaching back to the year 1999 Sunrise with the help of Nozomi have brought back a slick version of the a series that many people can’t waited to get the next installment of and everyone else figures it may be time to give it a rest. Personally, I am a believer that the Gundam franchise may have seen better years, but honestly I found Turn A Gundam every enjoyable. Of course it felt dated and the writing fell flat more than a few times. Even with those detractors the story held my interest and gave me a reason to think there is more to this than meets the eye.

Compared to most of the older Gundam renditions I feel as though Turn A Gundam builds on a simple story and support both our future and past. There is obviously the leaning to the earth bound humans and a slightly sinister approach to the Moonrace humans. I’m not sure that there is a real need to make one more sympathetic than the other and I think that ben though the Moonrace has better technology that doesn’t mean their lives are that much darker. If I was human and bound to a dead rock where we have to manufacture everything even the air you breath I would be a little bitter about the selfish earth bound humans who are too ignorant the understand what they really have.

I’m not saying that all of the Earth humans are portrayed as naive or even good natured and not all Moonrace humans are evil. That would be against all anime doctrine and would also fail the entire Gundam universe. What I am saying is that I could see myself siding with the Moonrace and wanting to drive out the stupid Earthlings so that someone who would appreciate the earth for what it is could be in control.

Overall Grade: B

Turn a Gundam is a new twist on an old Gundam plot, but it does a good job of telling the story. I just wish the animation was better. By 1999 – 2000 anime productions values had really found a new look and Turn A Gundam held on to some rather tired old artistic values in this series. I get that it is  a Gundam series, but for gods sake they should have made it look a lot better than they did.

One other thing that I reality like about Turn A Gundam was the fact that human technology was all about the steam power and Steampunk ruled the day. This added romantic ideal did help give some beauty to the visual aspects to the series and it helped give me a reason to keep watching in some of the slower moments.

Even with the poor production value I still find it to be a solid series with plenty of Gundam goodness packed into it. There is one other thing that I must mention and it is the disc art work. The five disc have possibly the best disc art covers i have ever seen. If the series would have looked that good it would have overtaken the Gundam and Mecha anime world and blown everyone away.

I am looking forward to seeing the second half of the series.  So all you Gundam fans get ready for the one true Steampunk Gundam coming at you.

Short Peace (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : July 5, 2014
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Short PeaceTitle: Short Peace

Directors: Possessions; Shuhei Morita, Combustile; Katsuhiro Otomo, Gambo; Hiroaki Ando,  A Farewell To Weapons; Hajime Katoki.

Writer / Creator: Possessions; Shuhei Morita, Combustile; Katsuhiro Otomo, Gambo; Hiroaki Ando, A Farewell To Weapons;  Studio is Sunrise.

Studio: All Short Films are done at Sunrise.

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Aug. 5th,

Format: Blu-ray / 4 short films / 68 minutes

Genre: Fantasy, Edo Period, Sci Fi

Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

In 1995, Katsuhiro Otomo’s anthology Memories showcased the work of upcoming superstars of the anime world. Now, Otomo’s spotlight shifts to a fresh generation of master creators with an all-new anthology of visionary films.

A lone traveler is confronted by unusual spirits in an abandoned shrine in the 2013 Academy Award nominated Possessions (Tsukumo), directed by Shuhei Morita (Coicent, Kakurenbo). A mysterious white bear defends the royal family from the predations of a red demon in the brutal Gambo, directed by Hiroaki Ando (Five Numbers!) from Redline’s Katsuhito Ishii’s original story with character designs by Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion).

The focus shifts from supernatural to science fiction for the action-packed A Farewell To Weapons (Buki Yo Saraba), as Mobile Suit Gundam designer Hajime Katoki helms Otomo’s tour-de-force saga of men battling robotic tanks in apocalyptic Tokyo, while grandmaster Otomo himself assumes the directorial reigns for a spectacular tale of love, honor and firefighting in ancient Japan with the multi-award winning Combustible (Hi-No-Youjin).

Prepare your senses for the animated films that are taking the critical world by storm as a new era in anime is ushered in with Katsuhiro Otomo’s Short Peace!

Commentary:

Compilation sets are not as common as they used to be and for as much fun as they are there was often a real letdown when they came out. The expectation that we would see something amazing was always followed by dashed hopes and a sense that the future for anime is nothing new. Now comes Short Peace and a look at four short films that approach animation in very different ways.

Before I get into the films I have to mention the opening sequence. In some ways it was very special in itself and managed to heighten my expectations for the films. Now as the films go I was immediately shocked by the look of the first film, Possession, looked. I thought I was looking at a edo period version of Appleseed. Now this could be construed as something great because I really like Appleseed and feel like it was a ground breaker for its time. Now-a-days  this blocky style of Computer Graphics looks dated and somewhat naive, but as soon as you get into the story this feeling of obsolescence fades away quickly. The story is based on an old Taoist belief and brings the idea to life in an imaginative way. By the end of the story I didn’t care about the animation style.

Combustile is a different story all together. This is another Edo period film that quietly takes on a simple story of the loss of childhood and dreams. I loved the look, but found the story to be lacking in substance and ended up leaving me flat. I think that what really happened is that there just wasn’t time to connect with the characters  and the complex human aspect to the story needed a larger opportunity to develop. None-the-less, it comes off as the weakest of them all.

Gambo is a interesting story of alien devastation and also during the Edo period. The look of Gambo is outstanding and gives a slick stylized look to a naturalistic film. The story is straight forward but the overall look is what takes this one home. There is also a battle at the end that is rather intense. This clearly is what helps make this a memorable anime.

The last film, A Farewell To Weapons, is by far the slickest of all the films. It is not based on the past but rather in the future and carries with it a rather realistic opinion of what happens after humanity is done playing god with weapons and weapon systems. It may also be the one with the least complex of all the stories. Even though is is simple in form the animation is beautifully done. It matched the subject matter and came across with a realist impression. It also managed to show us how good Computer Graphics have gotten.

Overall Grade: B+

Unlike other compilation sets like Voices of a Distant Star, by Shinkia , or Heavy Metal, Short Peace doesn’t seem to providing us a glimpse of the next great director / creator. Although, I was impressed with Gambo and A Farewell To Weapons for their ability to give us a slick anime that left a real impact.  Short Peace does provide a solid hour of entertainment and because of the variety of styles it keeps us engaged. In closing, this compilation set could be a genuine addition to any anime collection.

Tiger and Bunny vol. 4 (manga review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 24, 2014
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Tiger & Bunny vol 4Title: Tiger and Bunny vol. 4

Art By: Mizuki Sakakibara

Planning / Original Story: Sunrise

Script: Masafumi Nishida

Character Development: Masakazu Katsura

U. S. Distributor: Viz Media

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

Format: Manga, 184 pages

Genre: Sci Fi, Super Hero, Comedy, Action, Adventure, Seinen

Age Rating: T for teen

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

The heroes face down the deranged NEXT killer, Lunatic. Lunatic’s vigilantism has the city on edge, and the heroes find themselves having to convince everyone that NEXT are working for the good of Stern Bild City. Lunatic is in the wrong, but there is much more to the madman than anyone knows.

All the while we find Origami, Tiger and Bunny asked to visit Origami and Bunny’s alma mater. This sends Origami into a real funk and makes him question his entire existence as a hero. Tiger is quick to be supportive and is also put on the spot by the students to judge their powers. Of course they all have very strange powers and it forces him to come up with powerful idea for them. All of his enthusiasm from Tiger  and Bunny just listening ends up helping  Origami out and giving him something that he has needed for a long time.

Bunny is still charging forward looking of anything or anyone connected to Ouroboros and when he gets the chance to confront Lunatic he learns something he would have never expected. Does Bunny get any closer to discovering the truth and will Origami become a Hero who is interested in being in the forefront rather the side line?

Commentary:

As much as I like the Tiger & Bunny anime, I must say that it is a much better story in manga form. I don’t typically have that reaction, but in the case of this series there is something more personal about these heroes that is not caught in the animation format. I get a much better sense of who these characters really are by the emotional essence of their personas thought the print media. I think that when animated everything moves rather fast and some of the nuances are lost. Most of the time voice acting is able to bring the character to life and portray the emotional aspects of the character, but for  Tiger and Bunny I see it the other way. It may also be this volume that brings that to the forefront because of Origami’s personal struggle.

This volume also is a great example of the difference between Japanese graphic novels and American Graphic Novels. In most American hero stories there might be some emotional issue that the characters are dealing with but they tend to be rather dark and depressing. In Tiger & Bunny and many other super hero style manga the personal issues tend to be somewhat more mundane or even something that most of the readers can connect with. There seems to be a real empathy for the reader that we just don’t get with many American stories. I’m not saying that it doesn’t happen, but most of the time the personal trauma’s are much more melodramatic and supercharges.  They just don’t spotlight a young mans lack of self confidence because he is having a hard believing in himself.

Overall Grade: B+

Tiger & Bunny is a many layered series that reaches across the ocean to try and blend with the west’s superhero genre and at the same time add that very eastern touch to the story. For all american comic and graphic arts fans I would seriously recommend Tiger & Bunny. I might not be as dark as the new generation heroes on our side of the pacific, but it does provide a great picture of a group of heroes that still have to live their lives just like everyone else.  Don’t be afraid to give it a try!