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Devils and Realist The Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 19, 2015
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Devils and RealistTitle: Devils and Realist The Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Chiaki Kon

Written By: Michiko Yokote

Creator: Madoka Takadono

Studio: Dogakobo

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: March 17th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 300 minutes / 12 Episodes

Genre: Supernatural, Fantasy, Comedy

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Synopsis:

When William Twining breaks into his bankrupt family’s vaults seeking funds for his tuition, he has no idea what he’s about to pay for his higher education. Instead of cash, William discovers that he’s supposed to choose the (interim) ruler of Hell! That would be a bedeviling predicament under any circumstances, but when the bearer of said dread tidings is also hitting William up for the job… Well, it’s just not a good thing. Nor is it easy to put the would-be Devil behind you, as the impish Dantalion quickly roots himself into William’s school life while simultaneously jockeying with an unholy host of other Arch-Fiends-To-Be for the coveted position of Devil in Charge.

With a surprisingly large percentage of both students and faculty at William’s school turning out to be demonic in nature, he’ll need the Wisdom of Solomon to find a way to get all these devils off his heels – and fortunately for him, William apparently WAS Solomon in a former life! Will the hallowed halls of Stradford become host to the hordes of hell?

Commentary:

Devils and Realist set me back on my heals at first. I thought for sure it was going to end up as a yaoi series or at the very least a shonen ai. In many way I have to call it a shonen ai which pretends to be closer to a shojo comedy with the supernatural slant. It works for a while, but it becomes rather tedious after a while. The real disappointment comes in the story development. This use of an ancient soul of the wise Solomon and the control over the demons of hell could have been so much more interesting. It could have laid out a powerful interaction between the demons under covenant with Solomon and the powers that wanted him out of the pictures. It is not until the very end that I felt like it began to work.

The sexual tension between these fellas just seem silly and the character of William Twining / Solomon lacked any likable aspects. I know it was important to make William a cold calculating arrogant snob who didn’t believe in the occult, but he could have been a little more sympathetic and friendly. When it was important to have the other come to his aid and wish for him to make the right decision I’m not really sure why anyone cared.

Overall Grade: B-

Devils and Realist did have some solid points and most of the other characters were likable and well developed. The animation was above par and the products was superb. I just wish the story stood up along side the rest of the attributes.

I can see why it would have a fan base. There are plenty of pretty guys in this one and there is the demonic connection that attaches the demon to the human. I wonder where we heard that story before. Just in this case the demon doesn’t get to eat the soul of the contractee. It is also a slick production that doesn’t require much thought or effort. So, if you are looking for a light anime that focuses on pretty guys with a dark edge, Devils and Realist is for you.

The World Only God Knows : Goddesses season 3 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 18, 2015
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The World Only God Knows GoddessesTitle: The World Only God Knows : Goddesses season 3

Director: Satoshi Osedo

Writer: Hideyuki Kurata

Studio: Manglobe

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: March 10th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 minutes

Genre: Harem, Romantic Comedy, Gaming Parody

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Grade: B-

Synopsis:

Dating Game master Keima Katsuragi’s skills at conquering hearts in the virtual world have translated into real life so well that he and Spirit Hunter associate Elsie have already captured 14 of the runaway spirits attaching themselves to the souls of different girls. But is even the God of Conquests up to the task of romancing six REAL Goddesses?

The fate of the world may depend on it, because if Keima can’t do it six more times, a renegade faction of demons will use the Goddesses power to unleash an even more dangerous and powerful group of demons. That could mean the devastation of both Heaven and the Earth! (Not to mention Keima losing his own head.) And if the situation wasn’t difficult enough, it seems that the Goddesses’ souls are hidden inside girls that Keima has already had to make fall in love with him before. As part of the magic spell, they’ve all forgotten about him… or have they?

Commentary:

It is understandable that the overall popularity of the series pushed the studio to make a 3rd season. It is also understandable that there was some attempt to use the earlier plot line to help drive the current story. I can appreciate both, but as it all too often comes to pass I can say that The World God Only Knows: Goddesses doesn’t even come close to being as entertaining as the first two seasons.

It is great to see all the characters come back and to have the wide array of personalities to play off of it just felt forced and more than just a little contrived. Of course it is natural that anime come across contrived because it is contrived. Once in a while an anime will feel somewhat natural, but most of the time you walk away thinking to yourself that they really pushed it this time. The World God Only Knows: Goddesses doesn’t pull any punches in that category.

In the first two seasons I kind of felt sorry for Keima and his delusional personality. In this installment I wanted to punch him one minute and praise him the next. I guess that this emotional response is a positive reaction for the overall feel of the series. It says that I did care about his character enough to get mad at hime or applaud his naive heroics. Either way I will mark that up as a plus. The characters I ended up not caring for at all where the goddesses. They came across rather dense and silly at times.

Overall Grade: B-

The overall writing for The World God Only Knows: Goddesses  is where it failed the most. The story seemed to advance with a somewhat even flow over the first few episodes but as the series developed it slowed down and became very even and ended felling rushed and carelessly produced. I guess that if we had a better understanding of the struggles and evil forces at play along with a longer development of the final battle things could have come across much more coherent. There was way too much time spent on how Keima was going to figure out which one of his conquest had the goddesses in them and in the end it seemed obvious from the opening episode what he needed to do.

In the long run I know that the fans of the series are going to love this. It has everything they would want. That being said, I am a fan and thought the plot had some real opportunities to be a home run. I just feel like they got off track and by the time they realized it the story was over and thing just happened at that point.

This is a buy for the hard core fans and I would recommend that if you are interested in the series that you start from season one and work your way up.

Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the Gods (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 15, 2015
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Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the GodsTitle: Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the Gods on Blu-ray

Director: Shin Misawa

Anime Writer: Hiroshi Yamaguchi

Creator: Sayori Ochiai

Studio: Diomedea

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: March 31st, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 minutes

Genre: Supernatural, Slice of Life, Comedy

Age Rating: PG (All Ages)

Overall Personal Rating: A

Synopsis:

In Japan, it is said that if you pray to a deity with sincerity, you will surely feel the divine presence. However, as the successor of the Saeki Inari Shrine, Makoto Saeki can do more than that. She’s been seeing and speaking with spirits, kami and other messengers of the Gods since her mother’s funeral. It can be difficult, especially when her classmates can’t know about her latest “issues” with Gintarou, the irritable fox-like Herald who’s protected the Saeki shrine for hundreds of years. But at least Makoto’s father, who runs the shrine, knows that Gintarou is more than an imaginary friend.

Between them, the shrine maid and mystical Herald can usually manage to cooperate long enough to help those who need it. However, when a young man with a similar “gift” to Makoto’s arrives with his own shrine and Herald issues, it’s going to take more than just prayers to sort things out. After all, if there’s one thing that both human and supernatural can agree on it’s that the Gods often work in convoluted and mysterious ways. Just because you’re working for a higher power doesn’t mean you always agree with their intentions.

Commentary:

Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the Gods just hit my list of the top 10 releases for 2015. It is a simple yet heart warming coming of age story that brings people together and create new friendships and at the same time helps to save the hopes and dreams of a couple young people. I don’t want to put too much on the shoulders of this series because it is a easy and simple story that in its own special way says a lot about all of us. Makoto and Satoru have been gifted with the sight to see the Heralds (sprits) who reside at the shrines and watch over humanity. They are gifted with the sight a young ages and well before they knew what they wanted to do with their lives. In their struggle to understand the importance of who they are and what they should do the  journey they take manages to give them the help and clues that need.

Even though I am an old softy when it comes to these type of stories and end up shedding a tear as I watch it became very clear to me that this series says a great deal about all of us, not just these two and their friends. It clearly points out that our paths may never be as obvious as we think and that we need to keep our eyes and minds open to the possibilities in front of us.

Overall Grade: A

From the opening episode I was hooked and ended up going through Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the Gods in a very short period. I found myself want to see if they came to an end or even better if there is something that they learn that makes the difference. I’m not going to tell you but I can say that I wasn’t disappointed.

Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the Gods is a series for everyone. I think the younger viewers will enjoy the Fox Gods and the older you get it will the story itself that draws you in. The only negative I have for the series is that Sentai Filmworks did not dub the series. I think that all too many possible fans will stay away because it does not have a english voice over. I find sub titles easy to follow, but younger viewers can’t read that fast and miss a lot of the story, or even some can’t follow along at all. I hope that there is enough interest in the series that at some point the money is put into the series to give it a solid english dub. In the mean time I will be pushing this series on everyone I know.

In today’s anime market It is great to see a heart warming series brought over that isn’t full of bloody fights, over the top silliness or even loaded with fan service. Some of the most heralded creators coming out of Japan give us stories that touch our hearts without beating over the head. I’m sure you can think of a few like Studio Ghibli, Makoto Shinkai and Mamoru Hosoda. There are plenty of other great story tellers out there and I for one would love to see them make it over to our country and be given the same marketing push that something like Attack on Titan got or even Space Dandy.

Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the Gods is a hit in my eyes and I bet if you gave t a try that you too will find it very special.

Yakitate!! Japan Part 1 Anime Review

Posted by :Joann On : March 13, 2015
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Category: Reviews

1Title:Yakitate!! Japan Part 1

U. S. Distributor: Nozomi/Lucky Penny

U. S. Release Date: Mar. 3rd, 2015

Format: DVD / 27 Episodes / 625 minutes

Genre: Comedy, Shonen

Age Rating:

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Kazuma Azuma is a 16 year old boy who has spent his life trying to create a bread that is the embodiment of Japan that will become the bread associated with the country just like French bread is for France. He calls his creations Ja-pan, a pun on the Japanese word “pan” which means bread.

In order to further his baking, he travels to the city to get a job at the famous Pantasia bakery. Competition is fierce,  Kazuma has a natural talent but his lack of technical knowledge puts him at a disadvantage. He has always experimented with his bread on instinct.

Kawachi is another young baker who wants to fulfill his father’s un-achieved dream of working at the main Pantasia. Technically he has learned well, but he is restricted in his thinking. His lack of creativity and inventiveness will hold him back.

The pair of young bakers don’t end up where they planned, and find themselves working at the South Tokyo Pantasia bakery with Tsukino, the granddaughter of the company owner, Ken the scary bodybuilder manager and finally, the other employee whom everyone seems to forget.

A competition springs up with a rival bakery, and things are getting out of hand as the whole thing ends up televised.

Next, the Pantasia Rookie competition is taking place. It is huge and only the best of the best can advance.  Azuma and Kawachi maybe competing against one another, but they are also in it to win for their shop.

Commentary:

This was a light and fun series. With a bit of a “can do” attitude, anything is possible if you set your mind to it, giving this comedy heart. It is hard to really categorize it, but it is supposed to be shonen. But I see it more as a family anime equally meant for boys or girls.The action is more like exaggerations in the competitions, and the themes of family and friends are explored, but no romance.

Yakitate has a bit of a strange setting for Japan because it focuses on bread, but I’ve learned that anything can be a setting for anime. With the popularity of cooking and reality shows, this all blends in fine. The repeated base for the show is the competition revolving around bread. They’ve come up with 4 different reasons so far to engage Azuma in competition,  and it looks like this keeps going in Part 2.

Generally, the characters have enough definition for the lightness of the series. They are distinct people, although some are stereotypical. Attempts to make them a little deeper come in their stories. The manager is always filling in the character’s or the plot’s background information. He is the go-to guy for information.

The comedy is a mix of subtle , bad puns and over the top shojo reactions. How people react when they eat amazingly good bread becomes weirder as the series progresses. To me, this was the weakest part of the anime, when they just got strange for the sake of being strange. Weird does not equal clever.

Something I did enjoy was the interaction and mix of the two young bakers, Azuma and Kawachi. Since one had a natural talent and in anime typically can’t lose, it is refreshing to see someone else keep pace with them by their hard work, training and perseverance. It was nice to have that balance.

As a first part only, it still finished satisfactorily. It doesn’t seem to beg us to watch the rest. There is an over series plot building slowly with the heirs to the Pantasia chain. We are given a peek to let us know this is going to escalate in the second half .

 

Overall grade: B

 

Chronicles of the Going Home Club (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 12, 2015
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hronicles of the Going Home ClubTitle: Chronicles of the Going Home Club Complete Series Premium Collection

Director: Hikari Sato

Witten By: Go Zappa

Music: Go Sakabe

Studio: Nomad

U. S. Distributor: NIS America

U. S. Release Date: Mar. 3rd, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 288 minutes

Genre: Comedy, High School Slice of Life

Age Rating: T for Teen

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

It’s the beginning of a new year of high school, and school clubs are diligently recruiting members to take part in their activities. However, Natsuki Ando has decided to join the “Going Home Club,” a fictional club which students who have no club affiliation and simply go home right after school jokingly claim to be members of. But Natsuki and her new friend Karin soon discover that this particular school has a real, bona fide Going Home Club!

Teaming up with club members Claire, Botan, and Sakura, the official unofficial Going Home Club gets up to all kinds of kooky trouble and hilarious fun!

Commentary:

There has been several newer slice of life series released in the U. S. lately and Chronicles of the Going Home Club stretches the genre a bit but it does manage to keep the story simple enough to make some sense. The comedic aspects of the series also stretch humor a bit, but that tends to hit more than miss. The point of taking 5 cute girls and making them a strange bunch with one somewhat serious member sets the story up for plenty of opportunity to just be silly. And that is exactly what happens.

From the very opening thing get a little strange and silly and they just go from there. There is plenty of fun to be had and on several levels it is very funny. There is even the obligatory swimsuit vacation episode that places the girls in a potentially sexy fan service situation, but instead they go straight for the weird and graciously keep everything modest. I have to give them high marks for this. I’m sure the audience is not the standard 16 to 28 year old male, but rather the younger female audience. I appreciate that approach and thing that give real strength to the series.

Overall garde: B+

Out of the last three or four releases served up by NIS America I have to say that this one comes in second behind The Eccentric Family and just ahead of Genshiken Second Generation. The main reason for this is because I del like the subject matter was easy to watch and the humor was just plain silly. Chronicles of the Going Home Club was very honest with itself and stuck to its original premiss and played out the series unapologetically.

I found the character development somewhat anemic, but for this story all you needed to know was the oddity to each personality and then watch them interact. The animation fit well even if I never have been a fan of chibi art styling it was use well enough that it help further the comedic relief and proved to be enjoyable enough.

If you are loping for a series that is silly and doesn’t demand much of anything from the viewer except that they just sit back and try to envision these silly hoping women really existing. This believe is needed to help aid in the over all enjoyment. I for one remember a few girls in high school that were this strange and almost everyone liked them because they just manage to always make you smile. If you enjoyed Daily Lives of High School Boys you will fit right in with this odd little series.

Extras:

This premium edition contains episodes 1-12 packaged in an artbox and comes with a hardcover, 64-page art book filled with detailed character info, interviews with cast members and production staff, original letters from the voice actors, and full-color illustrations.
10t

You’re Being Summoned, Azazel DVD Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 10, 2015
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Azazel, You're Being SummonedTitle: You’re Being Summoned, Azazel DVD Complete Collection

Director: Tsutomu Mizushima

Studio: Production I. G.

U. S. Distributor: Lucky Penny, Nozomi

U. S. Release date: Feb. 3rd, 2015

Format: DVD / 26 Episodes / 338 Minutes

Genre: Comedy

Age Rating: TV 17

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Have a stalker you just can’t shake? Fear your spouse is being unfaithful? You might consider hiring Akutabe, a detective who summons demons to do his dirty work. While his methods might seem unorthodox, he always gets results. However, as powerful as Akutabe is, manipulating demons is a delicate art. His new part-time employee Sakuma, a young college girl, doesn’t get to spend too much time exploring the finer points of controlling demons before Akutabe forces her into a demonic contract with Azazel. Azazel is lazy, lustful, and depraved… Everything you’d expect a demon to be. Sakuma needs to keep Azazel on a tight leash, but to do that, she may have to dabble in a little depravity herself.

Commentary:

There are plenty of shows out there that aim to push the boundaries of absurd and questionable. As for Azazel, You’re Being Summoned will be treated some of the best and worst of this style of comedy. After the first episode I thought it might stay somewhat straight forward, but with the introduction of  Beelzebub any chance for redemption goes straight down the toilet. Or rather it should go down the toilet. Any time you have a major character that feeds on feces you can be sure that things will only get stranger from there, and they do.

This comedy is fine and sometimes funny, but I began to find it rather tedious and unnerving. I did appreciate the way that Rinko developed and ended up becoming a little more edgy, but in the end she still retained some of her original humanity. Akutabe on the other hand is the kind of person that I typically detest and in this case he still ends up being nothing more than a jerk, but the fact that he doesn’t have any eyebrows is cool.

Now when it comes to the demons I almost would have preferred that they didn’t revert to their chibi form when they come to the human world, I could have gotten a better sense of what they really were. The story line was simple and stayed on tract which I think help make it easy to watch and maybe even saved it for some of the over the top things that happen.

Overall Grade: B

Azazel, You’re Being Summoned is not for the under 16/17 age group and at time was hard for this middle aged man to watch. There were plenty of other moments where I laughed out loud and found the humor to be spot on. It reminded me very much of an Austin Powers movie that was mashed up with something like She Devil or even a stranger Elfin Lied or even Archer. Much of the story made fun of the weakness in our own human nature and in a few rare occasions made a valid point about the dichotomy of humanity.

If you are looking for a comedy that pushes the boundaries of what humor is and will make you uncomfortable at the same time then you should pick this up. The base humor is in line with American sensibilities and may make you laugh and at the same time be a little sad that you are even watching it.

Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons-The Complete Second Season (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 2, 2015
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Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moonsreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons-The Complete Second Season

Director: Yuu Kou

Studio: J.C. Staff

Author: Noboru Yamaguchi

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 10, 2015

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

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Action, Adventure, Magic, Romance, School, Harem

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Familiar of Zero, The, Toradora!, and Shakugan no Shana

Synopsis:

Louise the Zero and Saito are back in Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons. However Saito has distinguished himself as a hero with Louise has started to get a handle on her Void magic. Saito is also Louise’s familiar of his own free will, but has that made any difference in their “professional” relationship?

Let’s just say that their relationship could be a ride at Six Flags because it is so full of ups and downs such as that perfect romantic moment and messy explosions. However, that does not mean they are not ready to spring into action the moment Queen Henrietta is kidnapped. With this new war brewing, will they be able to find a way to work together that does not end up with Saito getting the wrong end of Louise’s magic wand? Or will Louise still end up hurting the one person besides her family that she cares about? You will have to watch Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons and find out for yourself.

Commentary:

I really believe that the Tristain Academy of Magic needs to invest in bomb squad, or build things much, much stronger. Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons continues where season one left off, however this season seems to be more aimed at character development. There are still parts that are very easily predicted but they are occasional. The plot mainly focused on the relationship between Saito and Louise, the ongoing war with Albion, and Agnes’ story.

Agnes is the Captain of the Tristain musketeers in service of Henrietta. She is a military woman who loves her discipline. She hates Mages, especially fire Mages, with a vengeance. Apparently fire Mages burned her village to the ground when she was a child and she is the only survivor. Most of the episodes for this season focus on this and Agnes getting her revenge on the Mages who burned her village to the ground.

The relationship between Saito and Louise is interesting to say the least. Saito is his same perverted self and Louise does not put up with it at all. She seems to instantly know when he has a perverted thought and makes him pay for it. You would think he would eventually learn, but he does not. The character development has much more depth in this season with a few new characters and significantly more family back story for both new and old characters alike. We also meet the rest of Louise’s family and I fully believe that they might be the cause for her magic being like it is.

The art was just as beautiful as the first season. The backgrounds were very colorful and the characters were drawn well. The voice actors did an amazing job and you really connect with the characters thanks to them. The opening and closing animations were well done and the music was catchy. There is quite a bit of fan-service as Saito is a pervert, but there really is not anything too over the top.

Extras:

Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons-The Complete Second Season includes 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: A-

I truly enjoyed watching Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons and I cannot wait for the third season to be released by Sentai Filmworks. I would recommend the entire Familiar of Zero series to anyone who enjoys the fantasy genre.

Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 26, 2015
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Outbreak Companyreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection

Director: Kei Oikawa

Studio: Feel

Author: Naruhisa Arakawa

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 3, 2015

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

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Parody

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: The Ambition of Oda Nobuna and The Familiar of Zero

Being an Otaku is not just a hobby, it is a government sanctioned mission…

Synopsis:

It really is not surprising that Shinichi Kanou turned out to be a fan of comics and science fiction since his father writes novels and his mother illustrates erotic video games. But, instead of channeling his efforts into writing or illustration, he has instead become one of the world’s foremost experts on “moe,” with an encyclopedic knowledge of all things cute and adorable in every conceivable form of animation and media. This expertise explains Shinichi’s recruitment as an ambassador more moe to the Holy Erudanto Kingdom, a parallel world where things that previously only existed in anime actually exist! How will Shinichi react when de is dropped into a world with actual cute and adorable elf maids and dragons? How will the citizens of the Holy Erudanto Kingdom react to the world’s foremost experts on “moe?” But, why does the Japanese government feel the need to send someone to represent Japan’s moe interests? You will have to watch Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection and find out!

Commentary:

Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection is a light-hearted, silly and fun series that is very interesting to watch. The first few episodes are serious but it quickly becomes the daily life of Shinichi Kanou. Personally, I would have liked a bit more of the seriousness as the progress of the spread of anime and manga in the Holy Erudanto Kingdom is completely behind the scenes. Eventually we see it, but most of the time we only see soccer playing, the beach episode, making of movies, and such. The plot escalates quickly for the last two episodes and questions from the first few episodes are finally answered.

The characters in Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection were interesting to say the least. Myucel Foaran plays the role of a typical maid with the additions of elf ears and over the top politeness. She always puts the other characters above herself and her actions always speak louder than words. Myucel is able to make friends and her relationship with Shinichi is one of the most dynamic pairs of Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection. Shinichi sees her as a fantasy fulfillment at first as she refers to Shinichi as her master, however he does not abuse or treat her badly. Instead he befriends her as if she was a human being. Myucel is constantly trying to please Shinichi and apologizes for any behavior she interprets as misdeed. She was my favorite character and I really loved the elf ears. The Empress of the Holy Erudanto Empire is Petralka Anne Eldante III. She represents more of a spoiled child because she is a selfish, stubborn brat. She was very jealous of the relationship between Myucel and Shinichi and treats Myucel horribly because of it. By the end of the series though, Petralka learns from her mistakes and starts to treat Myucel with respect.

The art work was spot on. The Holy Erudanto Empire looked beautiful and the colors were amazing. The music was okay, but nothing stood out to me. The voice actors were alright. I thought that Petralka’s voice actress was really annoying but the rest did a good job at bringing the characters to life.

Extras:

Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection includes clean opening and clean closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection includes both English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: C

I really wish Shinichi’s parents had been mentioned in the series. I only remember reading about them on the back of the box. That really bothered me and lowered the overall grade. Otherwise, Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection is a lighthearted series that would be good to watch in between some serious series.

Space Dandy Season One (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 22, 2015
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Space Dandy season oneTitle: Space Dandy season 1

Director: Shinichiro Watanabe, Shingo Natsume

Studio: Bones

Producer: Square Enix

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: March 3rd, 2015

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

Genre: Sci Fi, Comedy, Absurdity

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B-

“Space Dandy is a Dandy Guy in Space!”

Synopsis:

Rocket into the outer limits with the one and only Dandy! This dreamy space case and his to-die-for pompadour jet across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Capturing rare species may pay the bills, baby, but Dandy would rather kick back and enjoy the scenery at the nearest Boobies. Joined by his misfit sidekicks – a rundown vacuum cleaner robot called QT and Meow the alien space cat – Dandy boldly goes where no daper don has ever gone before. Hotly pursued by the chimp-faced Dr. Gel, the adventures of Dandy and the gang will make you laugh, then cry, and then laugh till you cry all over again. Buckle up for blast off, baby! You’re cruising with the Dandy now, and he don’t stop till the end of the universe.

The only real question you have to ask yourself is why are you crying?

Commentary:

Hailed as the next Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy blasted onto the market with a larger than life marketing campaign by Funimation and a mega hyped ideal that can only lead to one possible outcome. That outcome is undoubtedly disappointment and a sense that the sales man got the better of you. Now I can say that it is a home run in the 14 to 25 male age group because of the fixation on the female form and the insane way it confuses the viewer in a large number of the episodes. Of course, the real test is how does if fair amongst the rest of the anime fandom. Strangely enough there is a simplistic following that is not surprising yet rather discouraging.

Space Dandy is not totally devoid of entertainment factors and in many ways it tries to take on the absurd mantle similar to series like Fooly Cooly. It certainly throughs some curve balls at you and leaves you scatting your head as to what is really going on. There is also plenty of comedic relief throughout the series. I did find myself laughing and shaking my head at some of the antics.

Overall Grade: B-

Without being to harsh on this nonsensical series I was disappointed in how the first season has played out. It is very possible that this is a trap the lead us into something new and different in the second half, but until I have see episodes 13-26 I just won’t be able to comment.

The animation is the highlight and the bold artistry provided by the people at Bones is evident and much appreciated. They continue to prove that they take a series and help create something special unto itself. This ability to adapt and give us an art style or styles that compliment the series rather than look like everything else they have done. For Space Dandy Bones has given us a bright and colorful experience that keeps the action moving and also provides eye candy for the brain when the story failed to meet the challenge. I have a funny feeling that the video game would be much more entertaining.

If you love fast funny and somewhat stupid series that are bright and tend to provide a little adrenaline  as to sit back and take it in then Space Dandy is for you. If you are looking for the next Cowboy Bebop then you really need to look elsewhere.

Space Brothers collection 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 18, 2015
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Category: Reviews

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Space Brothers collection 1Title: Space Brothers collection 1 on Blu-ray

Director: Ayumu Watanabe

Music By: Toshiyuki Watanabe

Studio: A-1 Pictures

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Feb. 24th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 13 episodes / 325 minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Slice of Life, Action, Drama

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Grade: A-

Synopsis:

Mutta’s life has hit rock bottom. He’s been fired, blackballed from his profession, and even had to move back in with his parents. Meanwhile, the career of Mutta’s brother, Hibito, has taken off like a rocket as he trains for the job Mutta once dreamed of: becoming an astronaut. But is it ever too late to go after your dreams? Through a little coercing and a bit of covert activity, Mutta’s family and friends can get his resume on the right desk, but from that point on it’ll be up to Mutta himself.

Does he have what it takes to turn his life around and put his footprint on the moon? The first step on the highway to the stars is always the hardest, and in a job where crash and burn isn’t just a euphemism, it’ll be the biggest risk Mutta’s ever taken. But with the right support team, maybe he’ll find what he needs to rekindle the spark inside him and light the biggest candle of them all!

Commentary:

Space Brothers is a breath of fresh air in a room filled with sexual innuendoes. I have been loving this series for its simple straight forward story telling and the fact that it doesn’t need a bunch of young partially dress girls or boys to make it interesting. Space Brothers doesn’t pretend to ben anything other than a warn hearted story about two brothers who once dreamed the same dream but got separated and are now back on the path of realizing a special bond they experienced in their youth.

Of course, there are strange quirky things happening to keep it lively, but in its true essence it is all about he incredible optimism of youth and the though road that must be taken to follow those dreams. We may not know much about Hibito, but Mutta feels like he could be one of us. He has his odd quirks and his self doubt along with a relatively strong sense of self awareness that helps him stay on corse.

The writing of this series is what makes it special. The characters feel like normal humans with both fears and joy that go along with the big and little things that make up our daily lives. I think that if this series was about two brothers that wanted to be truck drivers it would still work based on the presentation of both the story line and the cast of characters.

Overall Grade: A-

There is a lot going on in this series even though it appears to follow a simplistic glide path. Knowing that it has a long way to go is a both frustrating because they manage to get the viewer involved and rooting for Mutta in a way that makes us want to know if he gets to his special goal. On the other hand that built in tension with the progression of the series makes it special to watch and it is even better if you space out the episodes.

Space Brothers is not a series that I would recommend binge watching. There are just too many episodes and the story needs to set in your mind so that you can discover the real pleaser that the series will provide.

I am finding Space Brothers to be a genuine pleasure and am looking forward to the next collection. I think that anyone who is close to a sibling and at one time dreamed about the future with them or even a best friend will find this series something to treasure.