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KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection

Posted by :Patches On : August 28, 2014
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KinMoza!review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection

Director: Motoki Tanaka

Studio: Studio Gokumi

Author: Yuniko Ayana

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: August 26, 2014

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

Genre: Comedy, School, Slice of Life

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: K-On! and A-Channel

The British are invading Japan once again.

Synopsis:

Shinobu Omiya loves anything and everything English. While still in middle school, Shinobu had the amazing opportunity to join an exchange program and was able to study in England. Funny thing, she still has problems in her high school English class. The daughter of the family she stayed with in England, Alice Cartelet, decides that it is her turn to study abroad so she comes to Japan to attend high school. Hilarity ensues once Alice meets Shinobu’s friends Yoko and Aya. Then Alice’s friend, Karen, shows up and nothing will ever be the same again. Will Shinobu be able to pass her English class? Will Alice and Karen find their place in the Japanese high school? You will have to watch KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection and find out.

Commentary:

KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection is a very heartwarming anime that brings entertainment and relaxation to its viewers. It is a funny, yet entertaining show that anyone can and will enjoy. However, you will not find any fan-service or complex storylines in KinMoza!, but do not let that keep you from watching this amazing series. The first episode is a little weird and full of Engrish, but do not be frightened as it is not how the rest of the episodes are. The story line flows well for being a slice-of-life anime and the art reminds me of Kiki’s Delivery Service, especially the scenes set in England.

KinMoza! mainly focused on five characters. Those characters include Aya, Karen, Shinobu, Alice and Yoko. Of those characters, I would say that Shinobu and Alice are the main characters with the other girls being a close second. Shinobu, or Shino as her friends call her, is your normal 15-year old air headed girl who is extremely fascinated with foreigners, especially blonde girls. She can get into loads of trouble unless someone looks after her. She dreams of being an interpreter, but she needs to pass English first. Alice is your typical blonde moe loli that likes Shino. Alice is probably the most level headed people in the group, although she finds herself embarrassed when she is in strange situations. Yoko is the energetic and loud big sister of the cast and is described as a convenience store by Karen because of how dependable she is. Aya is bright and graceful but is also timid and shy occasionally. She displays tsundere tendencies towards Yoko. I also think she is in love with Yoko. Finally, Karen is the other English transfer student. She is a half-British and half-Japanese girl who is very energetic, almost more than Yoko. She is also very outgoing and not afraid to show her emotions. Karen loves to make Alice jealous by saying that she loves Shino more than her. That makes for some very interesting scenes.

KinMoza! shows the everyday lives of these five friends that are filled with humorous situations. The characters are drawn so well that they jump to life off the screen and the seiyuus, or voice actors, did an amazing job on making you love these characters. I am so happy that the slice-of-life genre of anime is coming back around because you really can get drawn into the series if you enjoy the characters.
Extras:

KinMoza! Kiniro + Mosaic: Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai trailers as special features. This series was released with Japanese with English subtitles as the only language option.

Overall Grade: A-

KinMoza! is one of the most enjoyable animes I have seen in a while. If you enjoy anime series that are the cute girls doing cute things genre then you will love KinMoza!.

 

Cardcaptor Sakura Complete Series

Posted by :Patches On : August 28, 2014
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Cardcaptor Sakura 1Title: Cardcaptor Sakura

Creators: Clamp

Director: Morio Asaka

Studio: Madhouse

U. S. Distributor: NIS America

U. S. Re-Release Date: Aug. 5th, 2014

Format: DVD / 70 Episodes / 3 volume set / 1750 minutes

Genre: Shojo, Magical Girl, Romance

Age Rating: T for Teen 13+

Overall Personal Rating: A

 

Synopsis:

Ten-year-old Sakura lives a pretty normal life with her older brother, Toya, and widowed father, Fujitaka. Or she did, until the day she returned home from school to discover a glowing book in her father’s study. After opening the book and releasing the cards within, Sakura is tasked with collecting each of these magical cards, while trying to live the life of a normal fourth grader. In the monumental task of collecting all the cards, Sakura must rely on her friends and family, and decide what she finds most important in life.

As Sakura’s journey to recapture the Clow Cards continues. With most of them captured, she finds that the remaining cards are going to put up a fight. Along the way, she must also navigate the struggles of moving on to the fifth grade and contend with the ever-evolving romances in her life. And before long, she discovers that there’s a not so pleasant surprise waiting for her at the end of her card-capturing journey.

After a harrowing journey to collect the cards and prove her worth as their master, Sakura finds herself in a whole new world of trouble as mysterious events begin to threaten the small town of Tomoeda. To make matters worse, Yukito seems to be having some unexplained troubles of his own. With no cards left on the loose, Sakura must form a special bond with her cards to quell each new disturbance, and discover what could possibly be causing them before the lives of Tomoeda’s residents are damaged beyond repair!

Commentary:

It has always been common place to see older shows brought back and re-released. Some of them deserve to be revived and some are better of left to the annals of the anime world. For Cardpator Sakura the re birth just might the biggest one this year with the least amount of fan fair. I know that there is another one slated for November that is an all time favorite for many, but I feel as though Cardcaptor has a lot more to bring to the table than the other super girls coming later this year.

The big difference is the creators and their vision. Clamp has always been known for their shojo and the overall popularity of everything they have created. The anime of the popular manga series had to stand up to the critics because of what it was and yes it still stands the test of time. The fact that there is deliberately written into the show consistent costume changes is seminal for the series and also the high quality of action produced in the magical summoning scenes make a difference in the over all enjoyment factors.

I understand that this series was developed for the younger female audience, but I would not want anyone to shy away from it just because of that. The writing is so well done that all ages and genders can find this series a lot of fun and very easy to watch and get caught up in. With other famous shojo anime there always seem to be a serious dark element to each of the characters, but with Cardcaptor Sakura, the characters are just average kids who are put into these unusual circumstances.

Overall Grade: A

It would be very easy to go on about how well this series was written and developed, but it is very easy to see why it deserved to be brought back to life. Simply put, it is a lot of fun. It is well made and most of all it is easy to watch and enjoy with the entire family. I found myself rooting for Sakura in every episode and also appreciating the aspect that she is aging. I know it is not much, but Sakura does age and change classes, but even more importantly the costumes she wears are great and I for one would love to see a cosplay con be dedicator to this series. I think it would be great to see all of those strange and funny costumes come to life.

If you are looking for something that is for everyone and that is one of the best series going,then you need to go out and pick this up.

Love Lab Anime Review

Posted by :Joann On : August 26, 2014
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1Title: Love Lab

Director:

Studio:

Author:

U.S. Publisher: Sentai Filmworks

U.S. Release Date: Aug 5, 2014

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

Genre: Comedy

Industry Age Rating:

Overall Personal Rating: A

 

Synopsis:

Riko attends an all girl’s school. One day she accidentally walks in on the student council president, Maki, “practicing” romance with a body pillow. In an attempt to keep it a private matter, Riko somehow acknowledges that she had a boyfriend or two. This is exaggerated into a “love master” status by Maki, who really longs to learn how to find a boyfriend of her own. So this is how the love labs start, with Maki deciding what to learn about and Riko being the tutor.

Another extremely shy student council member, Suzu, is so intrigued by the “lessons” that she is able to come out of the shadows and begin interacting with the other girls. However, trouble is brewing when former council members and the newspaper club seek revenge and try to leak information about the love lab to the rest of the school, which has a policy against the students having romantic relationships. This all leads to other students secretly seeking advice from the student council, who either turn to Riko for her expert advice or conduct tests or surveys to find answers. They also must find creative ways to deliver the answers to the other girls.

As the student council and the love labs grow, Riko never corrected the assumptions that she was really knowledgeable about boys and love. When some chance encounters make that lie seem very shaky, her guilt becomes even worse. Feeling that she must confess to spare her friends from humiliation, she is conflicted because she knows telling the truth could also hurt them and maybe their friendship won’t be able to survive.

Commentary:

This was a fun show to watch. In the begging, well, the first episode, I was disappointed to see that this was going to be another middle school girl overly sexual yuri series. Wrong. Although there were some elements which lead me to jump to that conclusion, following through with the next episode really laid out more of the story and comedic content. It became a story of friendship and  the common interest in  boys and relationships. The girls really find comfort in the group and are able to be who they truly are, quirks and all.

The pacing was good, and keep the story really moving and interesting. We seem to quickly get to know the characters, even though later we will see them more thoroughly, this set up set the comedy up for success. One of the people who saw some of this with me was often laughing out loud. They comedy was played out in both the writing and the animation. However, the animation deserves a majority of the compliments. The emotions and inner thoughts were really illustrated well, sometimes cliched, while others were original.

By the end of this series, it was like visiting friends. We get to see the friendship form from basically nothing to the point where they will gladly sacrifice their own needs for each other. They really fit  a lot of content and elements into the 13 episodes.

I was reluctant to give out an A, even though it was a lot of fun and well done, not everything can be the best. But when I looked at it from what I believe the intent of the anime, I really couldn’t see how much at all could be improved. I don’t have any complaints ester, so that why this get my A.

The version I watched was Blu-ray and it is English subtitled only. I think Love Lab can be enjoyed by a wide audience. It has a nice mix of comedy (which is the main focus) with character and friendship development.

 

Overall Grade: A

 

Uta no Prince Sama Season 2

Posted by :Patches On : August 24, 2014
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uta no Prince Sama 2Title: Uta no Prince Sama Season 2 (maji LOVE 200%)

Director: Yuu Kou & Yuki Ukai

Music: Elements Garden

Studio: A-1 Picutres

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Aug. 26th, 2014

Formt: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Age Rating: TV 14

Genre: Romance, Harem, Idol, Comedy

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Synopsis:

After the amazing high note that capped the first season, would it be fair to expect Haruka and her hunky harem of beautiful boy singers to be able to top themselves? What if they had a little more help? Yes, believe it or not, now there are even more gorgeous guys lining up for the attention of the song-mistress!

Fortunately, since she’s moved into the dorms Haruka’s available for even more music making. Only now StArish has some real competition, as the new golden-throated warblers from the Senior Master Course make it their job to show the first six what it really takes to become a J-Pop star. And what about that mysterious seventh member of StArish? He’s back as well in his own catty fashion! But does he plan to take Haruka to fantasyland? Will the boys get kicked to the street if they can’t stay in sync? And will Haruka stay composed and keep composing when the sophomore slump hits her writing?

Commentary:

Uta no Prince Sama season 2 surely takes of where season one began. With it being based on a visual novel / game it clearly carries with it the personality of a product make for the female early to mid teem market. Pop music with the heavy sexual and romantic overtones that only romantic daydreaming young ladies might enjoy. It was decently made for my market (middle age male). With that in mind I tried to approach this series with the mindset of someone who would really enjoy it and be looking for this kind of action. The character development does help make the boys somewhat more romantic and provides a personality for everyone to latch on to. The role of Haruka on the other hand comes across a little flat and more than just naive, she is exceptionally dim from time to time. I not sure it is just that she is so wrapped up in her single minded goal of becoming a great composer or rather it was the intent of the creators to make her this way as to not interfere with the fans attachments to the boys. No matter what the cause I really found Haruka to be a though away character which made the series somewhat lack luster for me.

It is very obvious that the music and the boys are at the center of things and yes the music was really the star. I can see why the series found its place and how it built a fan base. The music is catchy and rather sappy which make for great pop hits. LOVE 2000% is just as silly a sentiment as the purely romantic ideal that love will concur all. It is at the core of all of the tween pop hits that have every made it the chart toping hits. I know, I know, the music in uta no Prince Sama are not chart topers and will never be, but the ideal projected by the series is 1000% percent correct. It is all about the heart when it come to a highly romantically inclined young woman.

Overall Grade: B-

I have to hand it to the thought processes put into the series and the effort put toward creating the music, but I still came out of this feeling a little disappointed. I get that this series is really about the tween culture and their love of pop idol music, but I also felt like there was too much played on and Haruka’s character was really left in the dirt to rent for herself. Maybe just maybe, if I was a 12 year old girl dreaming of becoming a great composer of boy band music I would find this a home run, but alas I am not and find it hard to stand up and applaud uta no Prince Sama for its efforts.  Anyway, don’t take my word for it, you can always check it out for yourself. You just might find me wrong.

Lost Universe (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : August 18, 2014
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Lost UniverseReview provided by TJ

Title: Lost Universe

Director: Takashi Watanabe

Author: Hajime Kanzaka

U.S. Distributor: Nozomi/ Lucky Penny

Release Date: July 1, 2014

Format and Length: DVD; 26 ep; 650 min

Genre: Sci-Fi

Industry Age Rating: 13+

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series: Cowboy Bebop, G Gundam

Synopsis:

Kane Blueriver is something called a Trouble Contractor. Something like a bounty hunter, he takes freelance jobs helping out either the police force, corporations, individuals, or anyone who is offering payment. His partner, Canal Volfield is also the A.I. System of his ship Swordbreaker and has an ability to project a hologram and give it mass so that she can interact with people. On one of his jobs, Kane runs into Millie Nocturne, a woman whose goal in life is to be the best in the universe at everything. Her favorite things to brag about are being the best shot in the universe and the best cook in the universe. Her current goal was to expose an blackmarket auction to become the best detective in the universe, however, once Kane shows up, his job interferes with hers thus screwing up all of her plans. She then decides to tag along on Swordbreaker using the excuse that he owes her for causing her to get fired.

As the story progresses, Kane, Millie, and Canal get targeted by the organization Nightmare whose goal is to destroy all the Lost Ships, of which Swordbreaker is one, to make their ultimate objective of spreading darkness across the universe that much easier. Once Nightmare starts focusing heavily on Kane, he puts his focus on them and puts his job as a Trouble Contractor to the side until he can destroy Nightmare once and for all.

Commentary:

Overall, Lost Universe was a good series. The characters are interesting, if not slightly gimmicky, and many of the episodes are fun to watch. The only complaint I have is that once the story gets focused on the conflict with Nightmare, it actually gets boring. The first 13 episodes are standalone episodes as Kane and crew take various jobs and have silly arguments among themselves. The comic relief is actually really good. The arguments between Canal and Millie are always silly and in one episode Canal’s hologram projection system malfunctions will hilarious results.

However, the second half of the series is when I just started losing interest. Once the conflict with Nightmare became the plot rather than Kane’s job as a Trouble Contractor, it became boring. After episode 13 it almost felt like I was watching a completely different series. The new plot was mediocre at best and left a lot of questions unanswered. The biggest question being what exactly were the Lost Ships. The series makes it seem like they were extremely rare and incredibly powerful ships. However, Kane and crew got into a battle with a Lost Ship at least once an episode, sometimes twice, which made it seem like they weren’t as extremely rare as the series would like to have it seem. And the only real difference that was noticeable between a Lost Ship and a normal vessel was that the Lost Ship had an advanced A.I. with its own consciousness and will.

One last thing that does need to be mentioned is the voice acting. Normally, personally, I have no problem with English voice acting. But it is bad in Lost Universe. I highly recommend watching this series subbed.

Overall Grade: B

Lost Universe starts off really well. The first half is very enjoyable and fun to watch. However, once it develops a focused plot, the quality just drops.

Cat’s Eye season 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : August 17, 2014
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Cat's Eye season 1Title: Cat’s Eye season 1

Director: Yoshio Takeuchi

Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsha

U. S. Distributor: Nozomi Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: July 1st, 12014

Format: DVD / 36 Episodes / 900 Minutes

Genre: Crime Drama, Action, Kaito

Age Rating: 16+

Overall Personal Rating: B

 

Synopsis:

Cat’s Eye is the most notorious group of art thieves in Japan. No one knows their identities, but for most of Tokyo, the mystery only heightens their allure. To bumbling detective Utsumi Toshio, Cat’s Eye is a colossal pain in the neck. They outwit him and the rest of the police at every turn, making them look ridiculous. He would never dream of being in love with someone in Cat’s Eye. Except he already is.

Toshio has no idea that Cat’s Eye is actually his girlfriend, Hitomi Kisugi, and her sisters Rui and Ai. Running the Cat’s Eye Cafe next door to the police station, they bring “hiding in plain sight” to a whole new level. But thievery and romance are difficult to balance. Hitomi will need all the help she can get to stop Toshio from discovering her identity – especially when he starts having feelings for her alter-ego!

Commentary:

It is easy to see why this stylized series was such a big hit in the 1980’s. It was the Disco Era and being a beautiful thief who doesn’t really hurt anyone is very cool. The 1960’s & 70’s introduced us to the handsome mail spies and jewell thieves that everyone want to emulate like James Bond and Lupin the III. So, when Cat’s Eye came along in the early eights it was very easy for the Japanese to gab this story and find it more than just a little alluring.

Even thought the animation is dated and much of the dialog feels like it is from another time and place, I feel like it gives us not only a glimpse at the past but a look at how a story can be told to make it somewhat timeless. Cat’s Eye comes across a bit silly at times but with each individual story it still give the impression of a series that wants to give us action that is not about piling up the body count as it goes along.

Overall Grade: B

Cat’s Eye is something to see for yourself. I seemed to have some rather nostalgic moments with this series. From the opening where they are doing their calisthenics to a disco song, very similar to the 5 minute workouts that HBO used to show in the 80’s of  young woman on a rotating stage performing some rather sensual exercises. I enjoy the simplistic depiction of the bumbling cop who is so close to the thieves he is even dating one of them.

There is plenty to enjoy about Cat’s Eye, but remember it isn’t for kids. There is mild violence and at time rather suggestive. That doesn’t take away from the simple pleasure that comes from the series itself. It is great to see this series revived by Nozomi, but it would also be fun to see it given a real facelift and re-created. I think that in today’s anime world the focus on body found or boob  and panty shots tend to take away from the essence of entertainment and it would be nice to see a revival of series that manage to leave a lot to the imagination.

Cat’s Eye is a series that any fan or student of anime should check out. It is a great peek back at what made this form of entertainment for more than kids.

Toradora Anime Review

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

1Title: Toradora

Publisher: NIS America

U.S. Release Date: July 1, 2014 (English Dub version)

Format and Length: DVD/ Blu-ray combo, 25 episodes, 617 minutes

Genre: High School Comedy Romance

Industry Age Rating: 13+

Overall Personal Rating:B+

 

Synopsis:

High School student Ryuji lives with his ditsy mother in a traditional styled Japanese home. He meets a fellow student, Taiga who lives alone in the apartment building next door. In contrast to Ryuji’s self reliance and domestic skills, Taiga may have money, but she  doesn’t know how to cook or clean anything. Another opposite between the two ” is his practical and friendly attitude to her spit-fire cantankerous  behavior (which give rise to her nickname of Tiger).

Still, once they realize that the other one is friends with whom they have a crush on, that a working friendship might be what they need to find the romance they are looking for. They make a pact to do what they can to help the other pursue their romance.

As time continues on in school, Ryuj and Taiga spend more time together, especially since his cooking is way better than take out. They work on their plans as school life goes on. They have their holidays, trip to the beach and the school festival.  Also included in this typical list is  a new trasfer student, Ami. She is a model and has an attitude  to rival Taiga’s. Romance is not forgotten among the students, as each struggles to connect and how to deal with it when things don’t go the way they hope.

Adulthood is looming near, the whole gang needs to find their way, discover who they are, and still take time to enjoy this last bit of childhood.

 

Commentary:

Toradora seems to be popular. A lot of people could tell what I was watching  just by the sound. A romantic comedy, it is set in high school but the characters are the most important part. We see and hear about who they are and what makes them reach forward and grow as people. There are 5 main characters with most of the stories focused on Taiga and Ryuj. Their love interest/friends are the next, but what Ami, the transfer student, is for wasn’t exactly clear. I suspect it  was to give an objective voice to what was going on, and to perhaps create tension for the audience who expects her to be a rival. Even so, her character depth was developed.

I watched the anime in the English dubbed, although after, I watched 2 episodes in Japanese with English subtitles. I thought they did a great job with the voice acting, even when compared to the Japanese. Everything seemed to fit well.

Visually, the anime works well. The settings really helped describe who the characters are, especially with Taiga and Ryuj’s homes. They reflected what was going on within them, and even hinted at what they wanted or needed  in the future. It is another layer of enjoyment to see what was going on around them.

Okay, to what I didn’t like. The pet bird was so odd and it seemed to be choking on its on tongue most of the time.  Although it is in the manga, which I haven’t read, I think its screen time was a waste.  The other thing I had problems with was that  Tiga’s attitude was too much. Around episode 6, I was really tired of hearing her yell at everyone but I do have to say, by the end Ryuj didn’t seem to mind and she did soften up a bit.

Toradora is a well paced anime with plenty of story, character development, friendship and comedy to keep the audience happy and leaving with fond memories.

 

Extras: Chibi Skits, OVA episodes on Ryuj’s obession with Bentos and a book with character bios and artwork.  The OVA was really excellent and the best comedic part of the series.

 

Overall Grade: B+

 

Sengoku Collection DVD Complete Collection

Posted by :Patches On : August 11, 2014
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Sengoku CollectionTitle: Sengoku Collection DVD Complete Collection

Director: Keiji Gotou

Studio: Brian’s Base

Author: Touko Machida

U.S. Distributor: Lucky Penny / Nozomi

U.S. Release Date: August 5, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 26 Episodes / 650 Minutes

Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Parody, Samurai

Industry Age Rating: 16 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Battle Girls: Time Paradox

Synopsis:

Oda Nobunaga is a feisty Warring States era general who is locked in a massive struggle to dominate the land, however, that all changes when a strange light sucks friend and foe alike into our era. But how will the Warring States era generals and their servants adapt to a strange land full of technology? Some will do better than others and become Idols or models while others are determined to go back to their own era. Japan and Feudal Japan will never be the same again when the generals are done wreaking havoc and collecting the “Secret Treasures.”

Commentary:

Sengoku Collection DVD Complete Collection once again brings us an all female cast for the Warring States era generals, but this time they are brought into the modern era. However, I wish that the story line would have meshed together a bit better. Each general had one or two episodes devoted to their adventures in the modern era. The only character that was in almost every episode was Nobunaga. I wish the other characters would have had some more screen time and more advancement of their character. Sengoku Collection DVD Complete Collection ended up feeling like a slice-of-life anime because the episodes are very loosely related to each other and they did not add much to the main story. The name of this series makes perfect sense after watching because it is basically a collection of all of the generals’ stories with no actual plot. You see hints of a story line in each episode, but for the most part there is none.

There were also some problems with the characters. Some of the characters are horribly written and have almost no relevance to their Feudal image that they should have either been left out of the story or shared an episode with another character. One of those characters would be Tsunehisa Amago, the general that came into our era as a four year old child. Her episode really threw me for a loop. However, some of the characters were well written and brought their episode to life. Some of those characters would include Masamune Date, Nobunaga Oda, and Ieyasu Tokugawa. I really enjoyed their episodes and their voice actors really brought their characters to life. Some of the episodes were awesome, most were okay, and a few were a chore to get through. There were also a large number of parodies in this series but most are Japanese-related media so the average viewer will probably not understand the references.

The art work quality seemed to change from episode to episode, however it did not take away any enjoyment from the series for me. I thought the opening and closing songs were catchy and cute. Every episode had different styles and artists for the music depending on the episode and parodies used in the episode. Be forewarned, there is a ton of fan-service in this series and I felt it took away from the episodes and was overdone.

Extras:

Sengoku Collection DVD Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and trailers as special features. This release only included Japanese with English subtitles as the language options.

Overall Grade: C+

Sengoku Collection DVD Complete Collection had so much potential but it was not executed well. This was still an okay series but at times it was tough to make it through an episode.

Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection 9anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : August 4, 2014
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Fantasista Doll

Review Provided by Andrew &Katie

Title: Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection

Director: Hisashi Saito

Studio: Hoods Entertainment

Author: Noboru Kimura and Yuko Kakihara

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: August 12, 2014

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

Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Magic, Sci-Fi

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Angelic Layer, Rozen Maiden, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Busou Shinki

Synopsis:

No one really knows what life has waiting in the cards for them, but for Uzume Uno, the surprises are not just in the cards but also in what comes out of them. Uzume finds herself in possession of a mysterious deck of cards through a strange twist of fate. She is surprised to find that five magical girls known as the Fantasista Dolls materialize and by playing the cards in different combinations, she can equip the girls with an array of costumes and weapons. That comes in extremely handy when a new danger that only the Dolls can stop is coming to threaten the Earth. With the future of the entire world on her shoulders, Uzume is going to have to learn how to play the hand she has been dealt pretty quickly. Will Uzume be able to deal with the Dolls’ odd demands and save the world at the same time? You will have to watch Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection to find out.

Commentary:

Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection is a very cute and moe anime series. I believe that tween and teen girls will love this series even with the age rating. The only thing that makes it the age rating is that the dolls have body paint on under their outfits and go around like that for a good part of the series and there is a little bit of fan-service. Those pluses aside, Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection does have some problems. The dialogue between characters does not flow well most of the time and they jump between the other plot line and the main plot line in the middle of an episode. I wish that they would have spent an entire episode on one plot line and went to the other plot line in the next episode. I believe that would have made things a bit smoother.

Uzume Uno is an interesting character. You learn that she has experience in playing card games. She had decided to give up playing card games though because she felt it was time to grow up. I believe that dealing with the dolls actually helped her become more mature and also helped her realize that she cannot try to solve problems on her own. Her Fantasista Dolls are pretty cute. Sasara is the first doll to appear to Uzume and she makes the contract. Katia is the childish doll and she is amazingly cute. Shimeji is the least trusting doll of them all as she misses her previous master. Madeleine is the tallest doll who is always ready to help out her master and she also plans out battle tactics. Akari is the little loli doll. She is also amazingly cute and uses yo-yo’s as her weapon of choice. If I had to choose my favorite doll it would have to be Katia because she is just too cute and adorable.

The artwork is really nice especially as the outfits and hairstyles are unique and reflect on each characters personality. The artwork was also very colorful and nice to look at. The voice actors did a good job bringing the characters to life. The battle sound effects were great and the music was okay. It sounded like J-Pop so if you like that type of music then you will enjoy Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection’s music. The only other thing I have to complain about is that there are credits from Sentai after each episode and it gets old after a while. I really think that they could have just put that at the end of the series and the episodes would have flowed better. But that is a small thing and might not bother other people.

Extras:

Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations, Sentai Filmworks trailers and disc credits as special features. Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection is only available in Japanese with English subtitles in this release.

Overall Grade: C

Fantasista Doll: Complete Collection is a good series, especially if you enjoy the Magical Girl genre. Just make sure to never make a contract with a random magical being that appears at just the right time.

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : August 2, 2014
2

Category: Reviews

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Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash!

Review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series

Director: Takashi Watanabe

Studio: Artland

Author: Takao Yoshioka

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: July 29, 2014

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

Genre: Action, Drama, Ecchi, Shounen

Industry Age Rating: TV-MA

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Samurai Bride, Battle Girls: Time Paradox, and Ikki Tousen

 Synopsis:

There was a time when there were amazing ninja serving the powerful, hired for intelligence missions, destruction, or assassination. While the times have changed, the need for ninja has not gone away. However, the type of ninja has changed through the ages. Asuka and her friends may look like any other girls at Hanzo Academy, but they’re secretly studying the ancient art of Ninjutsu! They push their bodies to the breaking point in pursuit of their perfect form while the other students at Hanzo Academy do their homework. Days are spent in sparring session after sparring session until a rival clan of evil ninjas ambushed the Hanzo ninjas and steals their sacred ninja scroll. These evil ninjas are their toughest enemies they have ever faced and Asuka and her friends will have to go further than ever to prove they have mastered the art of the ninja.

 Commentary:

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series takes ninja anime series to new heights and lows at the same time. The story line was not the best; however it was enough to develop the plot and give a little bit of insight to the characters. The fights that occur between the good ninjas and the evil ninjas were pretty good and showed off both side’s rivalry with each other. Eventually, there seems to be a bigger evil force working behind the scenes among the evil ninjas. However, the premise of the plot was the age old good versus evil ploy and while it gets old eventually it was entertaining to say the least. To be honest, if Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series would have had less fan-service and perverted old men I may have liked it more.

The characters in Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series were your cliché ecchi characters including the pervert (Katsuragi), the timid and shy girl (Hibari), the cool genius (Yagyuu), the willful protagonist (Asuka), and the straight and narrow girl (Ikaruga). However, the girls look very similar and if you know these types of series then you will understand why and how they are similar. But their personalities are all very different. The characters listed above are the good ninjas. We are also given some background on the characters, which I was not expecting in an ecchi anime. Each characters background story is sad and depressing save for Hibari. If I had to choose a favorite character I would choose Hibari followed closely by Asuka. The Ninjutsu teacher is Kiriya and the owner/director of the Ninjutsu is Hanzou, Asuka’s grandfather. Both men are slightly perverted and enjoy watching the girls practice more than they should.

The art was good but they focused far too much on the sex appeal of the ninjas and did not put enough attention into anything else. The voice actors were spot on and brought the characters to life. I usually watch all anime in Japanese with the English subtitles but the English voice actors for this series were not bad. I found myself switching between languages after a few episodes. The opening and closing animations were well done and the music was okay. All in all, if you enjoy this type of anime series then you will enjoy Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series.

Extras:

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series includes episode commentaries, promotional videos, clean opening and closing animations, Japanese commercials, U.S. trailer, and Funimation trailers as special features. Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series has both English and Japanese with English subtitle language options and both are great options.

 Overall Grade: C+

Senran Kagura: Ninja Flash! – The Complete Series is a decent anime and if you enjoy ecchi anime or loads of fan-service then I recommend that you check this series out.