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Knights of Sidonia (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 16, 2015
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Knights of SidoniaTitle: Knights of Sidonia 

Director: Kobun Shizuno

Creator: Tsutomu Nihei

Studio: Polygon Pictures

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: June 9th, 2015

Format: DVD / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Mecha, Drama, Action, Seinen

Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

A thousand years after the alien Gauna destroyed the Earth, a small remnant of humanity still fights on to survive, fleeing on the gargantuan asteroid-based spaceship Sidonia. But centuries of flight and warfare have changed mankind in incredible ways: genetic engineering has allowed humans to photosynthesize like plants, reproduction occurs through cloning, and a third gender has been created to balance the population.

Even though it’s been a century since the last encounter with the Gauna, military service is mandatory, with all those able enough enlisted to pilot the Garde robots that stand as Sidonia’s front line of defense. For Nagate Tanikaze, whose grandfather secretly hid him in the forgotten bowels of the asteroid, it’s a strange new world as he’s forced to come to the surface and join the ranks of defenders.

Yet his recruitment comes just in time, for the Gauna have suddenly reappeared, and what could be man’s last battle will require every resource humanity has left. And what no one knows, yet, is that Nagate is not exactly what he seems, and a secret buried in his past may change the fate of all mankind!

Commentary:

This is the season for fine Mecha Anime and Knights of Sidonia leads the pack. The essence of the series is depicted in both its visual appeal and the continual slow development of the plot. It is not like this a new idea in the world of Sci Fi, but Tsutomu Nihei has a very defined vision of the future and it is both dark and somewhat reassuring. With the success of the manga it was easy to get this series picked up as an anime and with the incredible way that Nihei manages to tell the story and the fine adaptation that is complete it is easy to watch and even easier to get sucked into.

Looking at a dystopian future that has both its wonders and drawbacks is a speciality of Nihei. It was seen in both Blame and Biomega but Knights of Sidonia does it in a way that makes the world much more accessible and thus entertaining.

Overall Grade: A-

Knights of Sidonia takes you to a future that I wanted to be a part of and still never want to see happen. Their world is full of far reaching ideas like human photosynthesis and having limits on a individuals longevity along with protecting the human right to speak your mind and the freedom to protest. Their lives may be bleak, but they all appear to be in some form of symbiosis with the life that they have to lead and the struggles in keeping the human race alive.

The one thing that I was disappointed in is the quality of computer generated animation. The CG comes across a little blocky and awkward. With the visual aesthetic that Nihei created I feel like the GC let it down in ways that it should have been uplifted. The hard edge to the decaying world made the series look a little forced when it should have come across with ease and grace. I guess the budget for the series just wasn’t there. Maybe the movie and second season will prove to be worthy of Nihei’s vision.

If you are looking for a solid Sci Fi that takes a slightly different angle to the future then you should be at your anime store right now picking this future classic up. Knights of Sidonia is a genuine hit in my opinion.

Soul Eater NOT! (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 15, 2015
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Soul Eater NotTitle: Soul Eater NOT!

Director: Masakazu Hashimoto

Studio: Bones

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

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

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Slice of Life, Shonen

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

When 14-year-old Tsugumi discovers her ability to transform into a weapon, she decides to enroll at Death Weapon Meister Academy, or DWMA. There, she hones her skills, and practices with other weapons and the meisters who wield them.

With the help of Maka and the others Tsugumi, Meme and Anya will discover the importance of friendship and the how to appreciate each other for who they really are.

Commentary:

If you are looking for another Soul Eater, well all I can say in NOT!. Soul Eater NOT! may be placed in the same world and have some of the same general feel it is not the same type of series at all. Where Soul Eater is all about the action and bizarreness of the world they live in, Soul Eater Not is all about these 3 girls. After a few episodes I looked over and mentioned to a friend watching the series with me and said this feels like Soul Eater meets K-On!

Now I’m not saying it doesn’t have some of the classic Soul Eater flavor. It still has plenty of the strange characters and colorful world known as Death City and the DWMA. As you move through the series you get to see most of the old favorites and try to guess when the series takes place. I am convinced that it is after the original series, but there are things that make you stop and think maybe not. I’ll leave that up to you.

Overall Garde: B+

Being a huge fan of Soul Eater I was looking forward to Soul Eater NOT! and at first I was a little disappointed, but as the series wound though its paces I came to appreciate it for what it is. I do have a weak spot for slice of life stories and think that series that explore friendship and self awareness tend to get deeper in character development that just the action series. Now Soul Eater Not really didn’t have the time to get into solid character development, but it did give us several fun and easy to connect with characters and the 3 girls were all very much likable and very sympathetic.

I have a feeling that there will be plenty of Soul Eater fans that will pass on this fun little series just because it is more of a slice of life rather than action adventure. I hope everyone gives Soul Eater NOT! a try I believe they will enjoy it.

 

Captain Earth Collection 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 13, 2015
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Captain Earth Collection 1Title: Captain Earth Collection 1

Director: Takuya Igarashi

Writer: Yoji Enokido

Studio: Bones

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Film Works, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: June 16th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 325 Minutes / 13 Episodes

Genre: Mecha, Sci Fi, Romance

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

When Daichi Manatsu sees a mysterious rainbow appearing near the Tanegashima Space Center, he immediately recognizes it as being similar to an apparition that formed when his father was killed in a mysterious accident years earlier. Traveling to Tanegashima, Daichi quickly finds himself involved with the machinations of Globe, a secret agency created to defend mankind from extraterrestrial forces.

While it might seem like a big job for a mere teenager, it turns out that the skills Daichi has honed on video games combined with a special weapon called the Livlaster make Daichi ideally suited for operating the Earth Engine Impacter. A giant robot, the Earth Engine may be mankind’s best hope against aliens whose goal is to completely drain our world’s lifeforce energy. Fortunately, Daichi won’t be on his own. He’s quickly joined by a group of equally dedicated young people who all have their own skills and abilities to contribute to the battle.

Commentary:

There are a plethora of Mecha titles coming out recently and most of them follow a rather tried and true format and some follow a rather static formula. Captain Earth is no exception and in many ways it manages to mirror one of the more remarkable mecha series ever released. I know that the art world is known for building on the ideas of their predecessors and the commonalities that Captan Earth has to Eureka Seven is a classic example. With that said I don’t want to knock Captain Earth because I find it to be a very entertaining series and Yoji Enokido managed to bring in enough different elements that makes this series more of a next step in the evolution of the plot device rather than a blatant ripoff of the original Eureka Seven story.

The overall feel of the series was strong and moved with a solid pace so that it never felt like it was loosing focus. We are feed enough information and character development to keep us interested in these kids and also positively rooting for their cause. It takes several episodes to discover the real threat the Earth is under and the other unknowns are rolled out with a measured consistency.

The only real drawback to the series so far is the protagonist. In particular the super computer PAC. I found the fact that this computer managed to take on some all too human qualities that flat out contradict its logical superiority. Anyway, I found some of the darker elements of the story to have less than solid development.

Overall Grade: B+

The thing about Captain Earth that I enjoy is the fact that it continually give you a boost of positive reinforcement toward the main characters. And also gives a central player who needs all of the supporting cast to make their survial possible.

The overall animation of the series is typical Bones quality. The production values are high enough to make it easy to watch the series and yet some of the CG aspects are average at best. I realized while watching the series how important a lush sky is. I got a positive reaction every time I saw the deep cerulean  blue background with puffy white cotton ball clouds slowly passing and understood the importance in reminding the viewer how important saving humanity and the Earth is to the series.

I am looking forward to the second half of the series and truly hope that the story says on track. If you are looking for a solid Mecha that has similarities to Eureka Seven then you should get in line to check Captain Earth out, I know you will like it.

Magical Warfare (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 12, 2015
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Magical WarfareTitle: Magical Warfare Complete Collection

Director: Yuzo Sato

Writer: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu

Studio: Madhouse

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

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

Format: Blu-ray / 300 Minutes / 12 Epsisodes

Genre: Supernatural, Magical World, Action, Adventure, Romance

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Grade: C

Synopsis:

The last few years haven’t been easy for Takeshi Nanase. His parents are distant, his little brother despises him since “the accident,” and his relationship with his girl friend isn’t exactly romantic. Even one of the few high points in his existence, studying the Japanese swordfighting technique of Kendo, seems to be a dead end.

He’s got a definite knack for it, but it’s not something that’s likely to have any practical application in a future career – or so he thinks until he runs into an unconscious girl in an unknown uniform and suddenly has his world turned upside-down. In short order, he’s being held at (magical) gunpoint, rescuing damsels in distress, and finding himself facing off with a group of magic users!

But as shocking as finding his life in danger and learning that magic is real may be, what’s even more stunning is the revelation that Takeshi’s been changed into a magician himself! So maybe those sword lessons aren’t going to end up being so irrelevant after all!

Commentary:

Here’s a new concept, highs school students given magical power to fight evil. The problem is that they end up not doing much fighting and not much anything else. The series ends up being more about a love triangle than anything else. As the title would suggest there is a battle coming between magical faction, but not in this series.

I guess I should talk about the qualities of the series rather than the lack of substance. We are introduced to some rather typical high school students one of which has some unseen issues at home and would rather not be there. There is the slightly girlish magical girl who inadvertently supplies our hero with his magical power and two other normal students end up being drug into the fray of course the other female muggle/new wizard is the so called girlfriend of the dark teen with the family angst. As all of this might be a good start to the story things never really take off. We are served op plenty of sexual tension between our main characters but its not real clear as to what they want to do about it. You keep expect ion some genuine drama to happen but it all lends itself to way too much uneventful looks and tears.

The underlying story is left on the writers floor somewhere because just as it seems to begin to unfold we are sent back into the world of teenage confusion.

Overall Grade: C

I love stories that emulate Harry Potter (not really), because why not try to earn a few buck off someone else’s idea? No, that is not completely try there are several similarities to the Potter plot line and the underlying focus on the wizard world taking over the muggles and making their world theirs to command. We also have the loner boy who feels like an orphan because of his relationship with his mother and brother that it takes on the dark dejected youth complex.

The animation looks good enough and some of the action is good, there just isn’t enough of it to keep us interested. The character development is somewhat adequate but should have been much stronger with as much time as was spent on unimportant relationships. The humor was ok and managed to take some of the harsh bite of the rest of the failures somewhat lighter.

I honestly can’t give this series any serious thumbs up. Other than the slick production values I have a hard time getting into the series. My only real question is why would Sentai spend the money on the english dub when it so obvious that the series will have a hard time finding s solid fan base. I think they should have spend the money on dubbing Captain Earth or even Space Brothers they could easily find a broader fan base that would make it profitable to do so. All I can say is good luck selling this one to the general anime community.

Please Teacher! (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 8, 2015
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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.

BlazBlue Alter Memory (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 6, 2015
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BlazBlue Alter MemoryTitle: BlazBlue Alter Memory Complete Series

Director: Hideki Tachibani

Studio: teamKG, Hoods Entertainment

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

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

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Action, Adventure, Gaming

Age Rating: TV14

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Long ago, an insidious black beast sought to obliterate the human race, but the monster was defeated by a valiant Band of Heroes wielding the power of Ars Magus: a potent combo of magic and technology. Now, a roguish outlaw known as Ragna the Bloodedge seeks to wreak havoc upon the Librarium, a clandestine organization that governs Ars Magus. Armed with the mighty Azure Grimoire, Ragna quickly becomes the target of vigilantes, scientists, vampires, and Librarium foot soldiers. As he spirals toward a violent showdown with the maniacal Hazama, Ragna will discover just how closely his fate is tied to the future of our world!

Commentary:

As the wotld of gaming anime goes BlazBlue is about as standard as they come. You have the clueless hero who has both the power and the moral streak to stand against evil but always end up being too nice a guy to do any real damage. Then there is the evil who have enough power to end it all early but for some reason just doesn’t pull the trigger. This dynamic sets up all of the typical power plays that run through the series and in the end it felt like a poor brother to a game that maintains some reasonable fan base.

The animation was the saving grace and most of the time that is the back bone of these game themed series. It may not be a beautiful as Final Fantasy but because of the simple structure of the series it does have plenty of Eye candy to keep you watching.

Overall Grade: B

I can’t say there are any major flaws in the story or that it is poorly written. What I find is that it is an average anime that is trying to feed off a popular game. It may bring some of the characters from the game to life, and expand on the universe a little, but all in all it is easy to watch and even easier to turn off.

BlazBlue is some that a fan of the game is going to run out and get and for the rest of us it is some thing we might watch a few episodes of just to get a feel for the series. There is one aspect of the story that is done week and that is giving hints to the past and slowly building the plot line. Ok, gamers time to get you Bloodedge on.

 

Space Brothers collection 3 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 3, 2015
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Space Brothers 3Title: Space Brothers collection 3 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: June 30th, 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:

Contrary to popular belief, the hardest part about becoming an astronaut isn’t being shot into orbit while sitting on top of the world’s largest fireworks display. Nor is it coming back home in a fiery reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. No, those events, while momentous, are easy compared to all the studying and training required to actually get to those points.

The hardest part of all is the waiting: waiting to see if the technology for a mission will be ready in time. Waiting to see who gets selected for each crew. Waiting to see if the weather is clear for each launch. And waiting to see if everyone makes it back home alive. That’s a lesson that Mutta is now painfully learning twice over, as he waits to find out the result of his JAXA exams and watches while his younger brother, Hibito, prepares for his own historic journey to the moon. Will Mutta finally pass and move on to the next stage of his own training? Will Hibito’s mission end in success or tragedy? The tension mounts as the countdown begins!

Commentary:

Space Brother Collection 3 keeps on giving us a reason to come back and it allows us to feel good about what is going on. It is maintaining the simple straight forward approach to telling this positive slice of life. The fact that Hibito is headed to the Moon and Mutta show honest jealousy tell a lot about how the writers approached these characters. Brotherly love and sibling rivalry does exist in the world and to reflect is with a honest viewpoint is refreshing.

We also get to discover a little  more about a few of the other characters that was nice to see and gave us a break from the mononuclear view of Mutta and his long wait. I’m not sure that it should have taken 13 episodes to ge through this part of the story, but it is clear that there is no rush to get to the end.

Overall Grade: A-

It is very clear that this series will loose plenty of viewers because of the length and that with it being a slice of life with a simple dose of reality  mixed in will make it less than attractive to most anime fans who are looking for the flash and fan service of most other anime being offered up. It has also become somewhat disheartening that current anime stories are loosing their way to the magical girl or psychic world with plenty of panties and bouncing female goodness that I find Space Brother out of this world refreshing. Give me a story that makes me smile and at the same time re-enforces the goodness and humanity and the optimism for the future then I will line up to watch it anytime.

All I can say is that you need to watch Space Brother because it is a good story that will do not harm to anyone and shows us that hard work and preparation just might get you what you are after. And it is also really good.

Ping Pong (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : June 2, 2015
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Ping PongTitle: Ping Pong 

Director: Masaaki Yuasa

Studio: Tatsunoko Productions

Music: Kensuke Ushio

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: June 23rd, 2015

Format: DVD/ Blu-ray/ 11 Episodes / 275 Minutes

Genre: Seinen, Coming of Age, Sports

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

Smile and Peco. Peco and Smile. Besties from the beginning, both with a badass backhand. Peco is known for his arrogance on the table tennis court, and Smile for his silence. But with a new school year and a new high school table tennis team, both boys are in for a challenge, on – and off – the court.

Peco’s slacker ways are hurting his game, and after getting crushed in a tournament, he decides to quit. Smile is finally learning to harness his natural talents, but can he squash his sympathy for his opponents enough to beat them?

Commentary:

Several years ago I had the opportunity to review a live action adaptation of Ping Pong and when I heard that the anime was being done I was very edited. The story is not so much the tail of Ping Pong players as it is the story of how these young men are finding their way in the world and how things change as they come of age. There is also the underlying question “Will the Hero Arrive”?

Anyway as I started watching the series I was at first blown away but the animation stylings and the free flowing aspects to the artistic choices. As I got further into the series I began to find it somewhat of a copout for shortcutting some of the visual language. I understand what they are trying to do with this loose and free line work, we have seen it may times in other anime when there is a reason to slip in a new perspective to a series. In the case of Ping Pong I think there should have been a little more attention to the solid conformity to the characters rattan than give us a loose depiction of the overall settings story. I think that with some more attention to detail there would have been a much more solid understanding of these characters as a hole.

The great thing about Ping Pong is that it is such a powerful story to begin with that even a loose free flowing artistic style did not fail the essence of the series. We live through self assurance turned self doubt and also see self loathing turned into loathing of all external forces. We get to taste how one owns understanding of who they are can make all the difference in the world and how powerful just playing a game at your best just for fun is where all the true fun lies.

Overall Grade: A-

Ping Pong is a powerful story that deserves a chance. If you do not like the animation style just give the story a chance. It won’t take long before you don’t care how it looks and just want to see how things turn out. I promise that this story will make you rethink your own ambitions or lack there of.

After you have watched the series you should check out the film, it was done by Sora, the same director who did Appleseed and a few other high profile CG films. But remember this film is not about special effects it is about the human condition and understanding ourselves.

Find out for yourself if the Hero arrives.

Hyperdimension Neptunia Limited Edition DVD/BD

Posted by :Patches On : June 1, 2015
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Hyperdimension Neptunia Limited Edition

review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Hyperdimension Neptunia Limited Edition DVD/BD

Director: Masahiro Mukai

Studio: David Production

Author: Shogo Yasukawa

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: June 9, 2015

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

Genre: Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Parody, Sci-Fi, Supernatural

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Leviathan: The Last Defense and K-On!

Synopsis:

Welcome to Gamindustri, a fantastical world where all your favorite video game consoles come to life right before your eyes! Neptune and her fellow Goddesses rule the four kingdoms of Lastation, Leanbox, Lowee, and Planeptune. For many long years, these countries fought each other over Shares, the source of the Goddess power within Gamindustri. However, fearful that the conflict would pointlessly erode their countries’ strength, the Goddesses signed a Friendship Treaty forbidding them from taking Shares by force. But, their royal duties often take a backseat to their obsession with gaming.

When their button-smashing shenanigans are interrupted by rampaging monsters, hacker attacks, and killer vegetables, the goddesses must transform into stronger, sexier versions of themselves and fight for their right to game! The bosses get tougher as the game goes on, and the girls will have to work together in order to defeat a bewitching goddess of piracy, an anonymous master hacker, and an evil CPU hell-bent on destroying everything in her path – using any cheat code necessary!

Commentary:

First things first, Hyperdimension Neptunia is based off a series of video games. That being said, it does fall into the usual problems that this genre of animes usually have; little to no plot, no character development, and a sense of humor you will not understand unless you are a fan of the games. However, this is also another cute girls doing cute things and kicking butt series so if you can look past the major issues it is enjoyable. I would not say there was a plot per say, instead they used battles to move the episodes along. That did get tiring after a while and I could only watch a few episodes at a time because of that.

While there was not character development or background given the characters were the best part of Hyperdimension Neptunia. You would not have had the awesome battle scenes without them and as this series has an all female cast there was also fan-service. However, the fan-service was not overdone. Neptune has a funny but sarcastic personality that may annoy you at first but it will grow on you. She also seems to be the most immature character of the series. Noire is the token tsundere princess who tries to hide her true personality. Blanc and Vert basically squabble over silly things that seem stupid. Those are the main CPU characters. Then they introduce the CPU candidates, or little sisters of the main characters. Those girls are learning to transform into their full CPU characters. I really wish there had been some character development as the characters were really cute but I did not fully understand them as I have never played the games.

The animation looked good. The characters were well drawn and the battle scenes were interesting to say the least. The background animation was beautiful and added depth to the scenes. The voice actors did an amazing job bringing the characters to life. The opening and closing songs were catchy and I found myself singing along after a few episodes. All in all, Hyperdimension Neptunia is a cute series.
Extras:

Hyperdimension Neptunia Limited Edition DVD/BD includes a transform collection, clean opening and closing animation, Blu-ray/DVD commercials, commercials, promotional videos, U.S. trailer, and Funimation Entertainment trailers as special features. Hyperdimension Neptunia Limited Edition DVD/BD was released with English and Japanese with English Subtitles as language options. The English option was actually enjoyable and as usual the Japanese with English Subtitles was amazing. Both were well done.

Overall Grade: C+

Hyperdimension Neptunia is a cute series and if you can get past the issues then I think you will enjoy it. It is a cute girls doing cute things and kicking butt series as well but it is hard to understand if you have not played the games for some background information.

TO: Film Collection S.A.V.E.

Posted by :Patches On : May 31, 2015
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TO: Film Collection SAVETitle: TO: Film Collection S.A.V.E. edition
Director: Fumihiko Sori
Studio: Oxybot
U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment
U. S. Release Date: June 7th, 2011
Format:  DVD / 90 minutes / 2 Feature Films
Genre: Sci Fi, Drama
Age Rating: TV 14
Overall Personal Rating: B+
Similar Titles: Appleseed, Vexille and Final Fantasy

In the future can humanity escape the need to war amongst itself? Are there lessons to be learned by the way space will affect us, or will we stay closer to the animal inside our nature.

Synopsis:

TO is a collection of short films that explore humanity in the future and our potential in space.

Elliptical Orbit:

The first film Elliptical Orbit revolves around the return of a space freighter, The Flying Dutchman, and the terrorist plot to use its cargo to destroy the Moon. The real plot is the relationship between the captain of the Flying Dutchman and the head of the space base, Midnight Bazooka, that they have docked at. The struggle that is played out between the base personnel and the terrorist is nothing more than a the constant struggle that humanity never seems to get past and rehashing the political nightmares of our own doing. The hidden surprise is the connection between two main Fifteen years after its last contact with our world, a space freighter known as the Flying Dutchman requests permission to dock at a remote moon base. This mysterious ship carries liquid protons: a power source essential to the survival of Earth’s population. But before the precious cargo can be delivered, the base is ambushed by galactic terrorists who seek to destroy the new form of energy and issue a death sentence to all of humanity.

Symbiotic Planet:

In the second short film, Symbiotic Planet, has us further into the future and how we try to understand how life differs throughout the universe. Our limited understanding of life is only based on our experience and the what we know. Symbiotic Planet takes us to a new world where the American and Russians are both trying to see what they can learn about this new world. During this time they are both on the edge of war and there is a young couple who would like to change that. As a group of arbiters arrive to see what discoveries have been made a out break of a fungus infects the American base. This brings thing to a boiling point and also allow for the most important discovery of all.Against a backdrop of intergalactic colonization and bizarre alien life forms, Aon and Elena – star-crossed lovers from rival countries competing for valuable natural resources – struggle to build a life together despite the objections of their superiors. Their budding romance is thwarted by an outbreak of alien fungus and the interference of a cutthroat militaristic madman. To survive, the young couple must maintain their faith in each other and learn to trust the unique creatures which inhabit this strange and wondrous new world.

Commentary:

These two films by Sori are classic material and meet the high expectation of work comes from the creator of Appleseed and Vexille. The two stories are original story from the space manga 2001 Ya Monogatari / 2001 Nights by Yukinobu Hoshino. They are both very imaginative and also have a wonderful humanistic overtone. They both have the same overarching premiss of the inability for humanity to be able to live together and the stupidity that happens when we take these issues with us into space. There are also two very interesting scientific theories that are played out, the effect of speed of light travel on aging and what other life might be like.

The only real issue I have with either one of these two is that in Elliptical Orbit the main protagonist Maria just happens to look just like Maria from Vexille. I had a hard time getting past that along with other glimpse of others from Vexille throughout this fine film/

Of the two I found Symbiotic Planet to be the best with its power play between the stupid war mongering Americans and Russians and the interesting way in which the planet steps in to show the real power and mystery of life.

Overall Grade: B+

I can see why the Blu-ray / DVD combo of TO is offered and I would say the true enjoyment will come from the high definition of the Blu-ray, but in either format these two films deserve a spot right next to Appleseed, Vexille and even Ping Pong. Sori continues to proved a vision that is very entertaining.

As I have mentioned several time already the clear choices are Appleseed, Appleseed Ex-Mechania, Vexille and you should also check out the live action Ping Pong to see some of the similarities that Sori provides even in a little slice of life film.