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Please Twins! The Complete Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : September 14, 2015
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Category: Reviews

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Please-Twinsreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Please Twins! The Complete Series

Director: Yasunori Ide

Studio: Bandai Visual, Studio Orphee

Author: Yousuke Kuroda

U.S. Distributor: Nozomi Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: August 4, 2015

Format and Length: DVD / 12 Episodes + 1 OVA / 325 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Drama, School, Sci-Fi, Harem

Industry Age Rating: 16 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Please Teacher!

Synopsis:

Maiku Kamishiro grew up in an orphanage with no history of his family or of his past. Left with only a childhood picture of himself and another person in front of a house, he believes that the other person in the picture is his long lost twin sister. Upon discovering his old home, two young girls, both carrying the same picture as Maiku, show up on his doorstep one day both claiming to be his long lost sister. Maiku’s life is about to be turned upside down and with two pretty girls living under the same roof as him, how will Maiku be able to keep his mind on school and work while trying to figure out which one of these girls is his sister and which one is the love of his life?

Commentary:

Please Twins!: The Complete Series takes place in the same place as Please Teacher and some of the characters are in both series. Please Twins picks up after the UFO TV special in Please Teacher, however we do not see that part as when the series actually begins Maiku is already living in the house from the picture. Somehow he was able to talk the orphanage into letting him live on his own for high school as long as he keeps a good job. I do not believe that he thought that through very well. The story line flows well throughout the episodes and the comedy is always spot on.

The characters are your basic love triangle/rom-com characters. They do not have much in the way of character development but the personalities make up for that. Maiku Kamishiro is the lead male character who is quiet and standoff-ish. All the girls in school are in love with him and think he is the shy and quiet type. However, he is more interested in working and being able to live on his own. Minna Miyafuji is a very outgoing and energetic girl and she is not shy about anything. Karen Onodera, on the other hand, is a shy and polite girl. She seems very delicate and if she gets overwhelmed she will say “nyu” and faint. She has far too much cute packed into her character. Ichigo Morino also makes her appearance known with her evil laughter. She brings some much needed life to the plot and adds some dark humor in places.

The OVA episode is a lot like the OVA for Please Teacher because all of the over-the-top fan-service is packed into one episode along with some possible incest between two minor characters. The rest of the episodes have some fan-service but most of it is in the OVA and it detracts from the story. The animation is colorful and bright and the characters are drawn well. The small town Japanese backgrounds were beautiful and well done. The music was enjoyable and I loved singing along with it.

Extras:

Please Twins!: The Complete Series includes clean opening and closing animations, image vocals, promotional clip, Japanese commercials, and Nozomi Entertainment trailers as special features. This series was released with both English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: B

I really enjoyed watching Please Twins!: The Complete Series and you do not need to watch Please Teacher first but I recommend you do as the characters that cross-over have their development in it.

Please Teacher! (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 8, 2015
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Category: Reviews

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Please Teacher!review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Please Teacher!

Director: Yasunori Ide

Studio: Daume

Author: Yosuke Kuroda

U.S. Distributor: Nozomi Entertainment , Lucky Penny

U.S. Release Date: June 2, 2015

Format and Length: DVD / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Comedy, Romance

Industry Age Rating: 16 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Waiting in the Summer, Please Twins and To-LOVE- Ru

“This is a priority one.”

Synopsis:

Kei Kusanagi isn’t your typical 15-year-old high school student. He is actually an 18-year-old with a rare disorder that puts him into what he calls, a “standstill”! When he was younger, this disorder left him in a deep coma which stunted his growth for three years. So he must make up the time that he lost to his “standstill”. Mizuho Kazami isn’t your typical teacher, either. She’s actually an alien sent by the Galaxy Federation to observe the Earth! As the sole human being with knowledge of Ms. Kazumi’s secret, Kei must marry her?! Between homework, dating, and a gorgeous wife – going to school has never been quite this fun! Will Kei have more “standstills”? Will Kei and Mizuho’s marriage last? You will have to watch Please Teacher! and find out.

Commentary:

Please Teacher! has to be one of the best rom-coms I have seen. Yes, the premise if the story is one of the silliest I have seen in a while; however, what develops out of this turns into a very touching romance as Kei and Mizuho both develop their love and feelings for one another. It was also refreshing to see that all the female characters were not in love with the same guy. Plus, the supporting characters also have romances of their own and those create interest in the plot line. The plot was also well done and did not seem rushed or slow. Twelve episodes plus the OVA is the perfect length for this series. Also, the alien aspect of the series and the real reason for Mizuho being on earth is just a small sub-plot so do not let that keep you from watching Please Teacher!.

Speaking of the characters, there was some amazing character development in Please Teacher! Almost each and every character in the series changed and grew in some way. Kei eventually learns that he must move forward instead of coming to a “standstill”. I really believe that without his marriage to Mizuho he never would have learned that lesson. After his three year “standstill”, Kei moves in with his aunt, Konoha, and his uncle, Minoru. Minoru is the town’s doctor and also faces the wrath of Konoha whenever he acts like a dirty old man. Those moments had me laughing.

Kei also had a few friends at school. They were Koishi Herikawa, Hyosuke Magumo, Kaede Misumi, Ichigo Morino, and Matagu Shidou. Hyosuke and Kaede were especially cute together and they could really have their own series. Koishi Herikawa loves Kei but eventually accepts that he loves someone else and moves on. If Mizuho was not in the picture, I believe they would have made a cute couple. However, I believe that Masami Yamada was introduced for a reason but nothing is ever said or done. Ichigo Morino has her own secret in the series and when it is made known it will probably surprise you. Matagu is the typical perverted teenage male character and sadly they do not really expand past that.

I also really loved Maho, Mizuho’s little sister. Maho is very close to her big sister and initially refuses to accept the fact that Kei is married to her. She follows Kei around town and tries to catch him cheating or doing something stupid. Eventually, Maho accepts the relationship between Kei and Mizuho and becomes one of their biggest cheerleaders. Then there is Hatsuho Kazami, Mizuho’s mother. She is a real piece of work as she is a very sensual, self-assured, and bold but subtly assertive woman. She makes Kei and Mizuho’s lives interesting to say the least. As you can tell, there are some amazing characters in Please Teacher! and it is difficult to choose a favorite.

As for the OVA, that is where all the fan-service for the entire series lives. It also gives you the conclusion you were wondering about after the last episode. Hatsuho interferes once again with Kei and Mizuho’s relationship, however this time it might actually be helpful. Needless to say, that is where the fan-service is and you will either have you use your imagination or watch the OVA.

The animation looked great for the age of the series, but I wish it had been in widescreen format instead of 4×3. However, I am ecstatic that Nozomi/Lucky Penny is picking up these older series and I cannot wait to see what they are releasing next. The voice actors were good and I really enjoyed the Japanese voice actors the most. The opening and closing songs were catchy and reminded me of other series that came out at the same time.

Extras:

Please Teacher! includes clean opening and closing animations, Marie Love Theater, Promotional videos, Music Clips, Commercials, Episode 13 preview, and Nozomi/Lucky Penny previews as special features. Please Teacher! has English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: A-

Please Teacher! is a well done rom-com. I was pleased that it had a conclusion and it was also a sweet series. I recommend watching Please Teacher! if you enjoy the rom-com genre as it is the best of both worlds.

Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 1, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete CollectionReview provided by Andrew and Katie

Title: Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection

Director: Kenichi Yatagai

Studio: Gonzo

Author: Yasunori Ide

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: June 10, 2014

Format and Length: Blu-Ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Comedy

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: The entire .hack series and Magic Knight Rayearth

Synopsis:

Aquafall is a paradise, where water was abundant, lands are covered in green, and everyone lived in peace and harmony, unless you’re the owner of the Key Tail Tavern. But then meteors began to fall from the sky, each impact bringing new hideous creatures. It soon became clear that they were there to take the entire green world for themselves. An invader that would not stop until all opposition had been destroyed. Fortunately, the fairy Syrup was on guard and knew exactly what to do. Working quickly, she began to recruit potential warriors to become the base of the Aquafall Defense Force. On her list are the incredibly strong, but absent minded Jormungandr, the spoiled, extravagant Bahamut, and the stoic, and timid Leviathan. Can these three really turn the tide of an alien invasion? They can when each of the ladies in question is also a member of a Dragon Clan, and when it comes to fighting tooth, nail and claw, the invaders have just met their match!

Commentary:

Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection is an anime series being released virtually concurrently with the mobile game it was based on. Many of us have seen anime series that prequel video games. They usually are a base introduction to the characters, scenes, locations and a basic beginning story. And they tend to have no closure, and leave any possible ending out, so you will have to play the game to find out. Those anime series are usually just promotional, a long commercial if you will, that lead to what will probably be an awesome climax and conclusion, just to cut you off before it happens, and ends it to get you to play the game. Sadly since I am not a gamer anymore, these animes tend to irk me to no end. Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection is one of those, but with a few exceptions that have kept me from pulling my hair out. It’s a simple start to introduce you to who, what, where, and why. It’s not a bad story, at least the story that you get, as the fairy Syrup gathers her team. There is character development, and you get to know them on a decent level. And there is a reasonable conclusion to the story, or maybe at least what I guess could be called a chapter of the story. So I will say that this one did not make me curse the day I picked it up like some that have come before.

Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection was a cute, light-hearted adventure, reminiscent of some classic titles. It doesn’t require excessive amounts of thought to understand, and has no strong philosophical meanings. It has a decent amount of comedy, most a bit cliché and nothing really new, but just because the jokes have been done before does not mean they fall flat. It has its moments where all is serious, but it never reaches the doom and gloom, end of the world like one would expect. It had the feel of a role playing game, as side quests are completed, allies made, and items acquired. To summon your allies, you needed an item of course, so it definitely felt like that I was watching someone play an rpg at times, just no sprites and stat bars. Overall Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection was enjoyable. It had enough story in it to overcome any feelings of incompletion, and the characters are decently developed that by the end, you kinda know what their reactions will be to certain situations. I suppose the single thing that annoyed me the most was the mixing of CG animation with normal animation all around it and flashing in and out of it for certain creatures. But truth be told that has bothered me in most occasions it has been done. I guess the other thing I noticed is if they would have cut down on the dirty jokes and suggestive themes that appear randomly throughout, this series could be suitable for children, and I think they would have enjoyed the simple enough to follow story.

Extras:

Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers. This release is available only in Japanese Language with English Subtitles.

Overall Grade: C

Leviathan-The Last Defense: The Complete Collection is a decent anime that is enjoyable even with all its flaws. Each episode is only 22 minutes including the opening and closing animations so it also does not take very long to watch a few then come back to it at a later time.