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Fairy Tail part 14 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 14, 2014
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Fairy Tail part 14Title: Fairy Tail 14

Director: Shinji Ishihara

Studio: A-1 Pictures, Satelight

Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

American Release Date: Dec. 2nd, 2014

Genre: Supernatural, Adventure, Comedy

Format: DVD/Blu-ray Combo, 275 minutes, 11 episodes

Age Rating: 14+

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

The Grand Magic Games is a yearly competition that pits guild against guild in a weeklong battle for the honor of being called the most powerful wizards in the Fiore Kingdom. Fairy Tail may have come in last place for the past seven tournaments, but now that all their strongest members are back in action – and leveled-up – they’re determined to take the number one spot and rebuild their reputation!

Winning the games won’t be easy, though, as Natsu and his selected teammates are forced to navigate enchanted labyrinths, battle wizard saints, and go head-to-head with a host of familiar faces. But with more than one guild targeting Fairy Tail before the competition even begins, the guildmates will be lucky if they even make it out of the opening ceremonies alive.

Commentary:

Fairy Tail is back with a new arc and it seems as though placing them in a situation where they consistently have to battle to prove themselves is more entertaining that other struggles they had to go through. I feel like there is a very heavy hand pushing the difference that 7 years makes. Funny thing about 7 years it isn’t even a quarter of a generation but, based on the level of wizard power you would think they were frozen for 100 years. The friction plays well, but it also comes across a little odd and at times rather awkward.

There is one other thing about this set and the plot line of this arc that saddened me was the return to making a certain individual the focus of attention by the antagonist. I have become tired of seeing similar plot devices from Fairy Tail and it points to a place that tells me that the writer is getting burned out. Now I’m not saying that the action and comedy fails me, but instead it is the way these stories begin to look very similar and basically the same plot woven into a different settings.

Overall Grade: B

Fairy Tail is a solid series with plenty of great characters. This plot is a little tiring and somewhat lacking in creativity and frustrating from time to time. I did enjoy these 11 episodes and am looking forward to the rect of the story. Of course I really want to know what is behind the door. I know it is not unusual for shonen series to follow a somewhat typical progression, but Fairy Tail had made some great strides and recreating the fantasy fighting world and it is very possible that it will again get back on the path of giving us something more entertaining than a magic games and a dark guild after a certain celestial wizard in order to get to a power they should not wield.

Ok, Funimation bring on part 15.

Cat’s Eye: Season Two (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 8, 2014
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Cat's Eye Season 2

review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Cat’s Eye: Season Two

Director: Kanetsugu Kodama

Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsha

Author: Tsukasa Hojo

U.S. Distributor: Lucky Penny,  Nozomi Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: November 4, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 37 Episodes / 925 Minutes

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Mystery, Romance

Industry Age Rating: 16 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Lupin III and Cat’s Eye: Season One

Synopsis:

Hitomi, Rui, and Ai are back in Cat’s Eye: Season Two! Toshio is also in tow and has yet to figure out that Hitomi is a member of Cat’s Eye. As you know, they are the greatest art thieves Japan has ever known. However, they do not steal for money or fame; they do it in the hopes of finding their father, a great painter who went missing after World War II.

A new female thief claiming to be Cat’s Eye starts wreaking havoc in Tokyo while they are off searching for their father in Europe. She steals anything and everything she can get her hands on and her brutal methods are putting the lives of the police, including Toshio, at risk. It is finally time for the real Cat’s Eye to head back to Japan and bring her reign of terror to an end! Will the true Cat’s Eye make it back in time? Will they finally find their father? You will have to watch Cat’s Eye: Season Two to find out.

Commentary:

You really have to love anime series from the 1980’s. Do not allow the age of this series to put you off because Cat’s Eye: Season Two will deliver a truly satisfying experience from the first episode to the ending credits. Cat’s Eye: Season Two is an episodic series so you are able to watch a few episodes at a time in between other series and still know what is going on. Some episodes are better than others but I did not find that any of them really disappointed me.

This season really focuses on the relationship between Hitomi and Toshio and the hilarity that ensues as Hitomi hides her true identity from Toshio. Or in many cases, knocks him out so she is able to make her great escape. Toshio is a very naïve, dense person who cannot figure out that his fiancé is a member of the infamous Cat’s Eye gang. But he really does care for her and maybe love is truly blind. Rui and Ai are interesting characters to say the least. Ai is the tech girl and loves tinkering with stuff as she invents things to use during their robberies. She seems to be a tomboyish high school or college student and loves to cause trouble when she can. Rui is the eldest Kisugi sister and is also the classiest of the three. She is the one who plans all of their robberies.

The animation and audio were re-mastered for this release and the subtitles were updated as well. Even though these series was re-mastered it is still the typical style of animation for the early 1980’s. The fight scenes and anything with fast movement is depicted in stills leaving it up to your imagination as the technology at the time could not handle those scenes. The opening and closing animations are completely 1980’s as they include the characters in unitards dancing around to the workout music of that time.
Extras:

Cat’s Eye: Season Two includes clean opening and closing animations and two Nozomi Entertainment/Lucky Penny trailers per disk as special features. Japanese with English subtitles is the only language option available for this series.

Overall Grade: B

If you have read my previous reviews, you are aware of my love for the old animes I grew up with. It continues to bring me great joy that someone is releasing the true classics. Cat’s Eye: Season Two continues the retro anime being made available to the new generation.

Detroit Metal City on Blu-ray (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 6, 2014
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Detroit Metal CityTitle: Detroit Metal City on Blu-ray

Director: Hiroshi Nagahama

Studio: Studio 4C

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Dec. 16th, 2014

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 150 minutes

Genre: Comedy, Musica, Parody

Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: C-

Synopsis:

Get ready for the ear-splittingest, skull-smashingest band to ever assault your senses! Led by phallus-waving terrorist-from-hell Johannes Krauser II (guitar/vocals,) and given pulsing, throbbing life by indestructible drummer Camus and bassist Alexander Jagi, they’re Detroit Metal City, the hottest ticket on the concert circuit! There’s just one catch. That “hottest ticket” is just a meal ticket, and beneath the makeup these ultimate headbangers are hired doppelgangers who don’t even LIKE what they do!

Jaggi is actually Wada, who wants to play Glam Rock, Camus is Nishida, an anime fan with an appalling weakness for curry and NSFW videos, and Krauser is – oh the shame – street-singing Soichi Negishi, whose dreams of singing happy pop seem hopelessly doomed by the success of his rage-fueled alter ego. Worse, he can’t even tell anyone who Krauser is. Not even the girl he likes, who hates DMC!

Will rage against the corporate machine consume Negishi’s tortured soul? Is there life after Death Metal? What’s it like to put your head in a jet engine and turn UP the volume?

Commentary:

Detroit Metal City may have high praise and been noticed as one of the better written manga from 2005 to 2010. The thin about the series that leaves me flat is the approach to the parody and sense of humor projected. I get the fact this is about living in two completely different worlds to the extremes, but in doing Soichi (the main character) become boring in either role. The over-the-top personas presented for Krauser and the totally talentless anemic charter of Soichi and a pop musician play against each other in a way that is both sad and frustrating. I completely understand what Kiminori Wakasugi (the creator of the series) is doing, but I feel like he just went too far with each persona.

It is possible that my dislike for the series is also based on my dislike of each of the musical genres, but there are plenty of other series that I don’t care for the world the characters live in and don’t walk away with a distain for the main character and most of the others depicted in the series. I can honestly say that I would not want to have anything to do with Soichi and would even try my best to avoid him.

Overall Grade: C-

Even though the series takes on such extremes to make its point and provide the dark humor that it is known for I guess that I can see where the appeal might be. I wouldn’t recommend it as a series for a lover of music, but I see it as a series for those who love stories about the stupidity of the human condition and how most of us loose track of our dreams for some rather dubious notoriety even if it is not a flattering type of ego boosting praise or affection.

Detroit Metal City does exactly what it intends to and that is to mock the extreme musical worlds and also show how silly people can be. It also does a great job of playing on people secret pleasures and some not so secret. I also found it be a wonderful commentary on art / music appreciation and the hypocrisy that goes along with the pretenders that live in the pretentious world.

I am not a fan of Detroit Metal City, but it surely does a great job of showing us how stupid things can be.

Fairy Tail parts 12 & 13 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 6, 2014
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Fairy Tail part 13Title: Fairy Tail Parts 12 & 13 Blu-ray/DVD Combo

Director: Shinji Ishihara

Studio: A-1 Pictures, Satelight

Distributor: FUNimation

American Release Date: Oct. 28th, 2014

Genre: Supernatural,  Adventure, Comedy

Format: DVD/Blu-ray Combo, 600 minutes, 24 episodes

Age Rating: 14+

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Using a book from the Heartfilia library as a guide, the members of Fairy Tail split up to track down pieces of the Infinity Clock – a legendary enchanted item that could have the power to bring ruin to the entire world. Standing in their way is a secret order of wizards known as the Legion Platoon, who don’t trust the magic time bomb in the hands of the notoriously destructive guild. As the clock ticks closer to doomsday, an old enemy – Oracion Seis – is reborn in a terrifyingly powerful new form. This dark guild has its own plans for the magical timepiece, and if Fairy Tail and the Legion Platoon can’t stop them from using the catastrophic clock, time could be up for the Fiore Kingdom.

Oracion Seis has kidnapped Lucy and is using her to power a clock capable of spreading catastrophic magic cross the world. If Fairy Tail doesn’t stop the dark guild, the entire Fiore Kingdom will fall into a waking nightmare and their teammate will merge with the enchanted timepiece forever. But Oracion Seis isn’t the only group of wizards standing in their way: the Legion Platoon has decided that to save the world, they’ll destroy the magic clock – and Lucy.

While Fairy Tail fights with all their power to rescue their teammate, the truth about Michelle comes to light and a devastating deception is exposed. When the clock begins to chime reality descends into chaos, and in the end Natsu and his fellow wizards might be too late.

Commentary:

Fairy Tail clearly understands what it take to be a long lasting series that can keep the fans interested, but it also falls into the trap that seems to take the fandom for granted. In these twenty four episodes there is a classic trap of relying on the basic aspects of the series to carry it through. This particular arc is something of a rehash of the original Oracion Seis arc and I’m not real sure why they were made the focus of the antagonist. Why not come up with another set of dark guild? I guess it was easy to revive some old foes to fight. The funny thing is that there really wasn’t much of a fight.

Just because I was not entertained by the plot doesn’t mean that these episodes aren’t fun to watch. In fact I found this group to be very funny and entertaining. The writing was slightly above par for the series and some of the gags really stood out for me. For a series like Fairy Tail this is key and is a testament to its longevity.

Overall Grade: B

I think that if there had been a new foe this arc would have stood out as one of the best yet. Bringing back the Oracion Seis really fail the franchise and almost ruined this arc. Overall though, it is clear that the writing is still at the top of it’s game. As the episodes flow they hit at the right moments and keep the laughs coming. There is also a wonder lack of expanded battles. Most of them end up being less frustrating than what is typically found. Unlike One Piece and even Naruto, Fairy Tail takes what is best of those two world and manages to pull it together at one time. Were One Piece is totally meaning less, Fairy Tail provides enough story to keep it going. Naruto ends up taking itself way to serially and Fairy Tail knows that being self deprecating can be a true asset and manages to play along nicely.

I think this group of episodes will prove to be a hit with the fans and continue the strength of the franchise. I just wish the series wasn’t rolled out in 12 episode installments.

Space Pirate Mito: The Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 6, 2014
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space pirate mitoreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Space Pirate Mito: The Complete Collection

Director: Takashi Watanabe

Studio: Triangle Staff

Author: Fumihiko Shimo

U.S. Distributor: Nozomi, Lucky Penny

U.S. Release Date: November 4, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 26 Episodes / 650 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Science Fiction, Adventure

Industry Age Rating: 13 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Project A-ko

“Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto!”

Synopsis:

Most teenage boys have enough trouble just dealing with the pressures of school and dating, but 15-year-old Aoi Mitsukuni’s life becomes exponentially more complicated when his mom returns from a long “business trip.” He discovers that not only is his beautiful mother actually an alien, but she’s the notorious Space Pirate Mito to boot! She’s known as the galaxy’s most dangerous pirate, a wanted criminal who destroys a dozen police space cruisers every day before breakfast. But all she really wants is to be called “Mom.” To make matters worse, Mitsuki the girl Aoi likes at school is actually a secret Galactic Patrol agent attempting to find and arrest his mother. However, the three of them end up saving the Universe! No one ever said being a teenager in love was easy!

Now a malevolent entity calling herself the true Queen of the Universe appears with enough power to destroy entire planets. Aoi must defend her new throne, but she needs Mutsuki’s help. Mutsuki must come to terms with her own feelings for Aoi so they can defend Earth together and become the galaxy’s first royal pair of queens. Will the Universe survive this epic fight? You will have to watch Space Pirate Mito and find out.

Commentary:

Commentary:

Space Pirate Mito: The Complete Collection is an odd series but is still enjoyable with its colorful art style and strange cast of characters. Just do not try to make too much sense of the plotline as you will severely hurt your brain. I liked the first season the best because it was not as crazy as the second season and it seemed that Aoi just had some issues with his mother. The second season seemed really out there because of the introduction of the First Queen, Hikari. She takes strange to a whole new level and her reign as queen can be described as an age of fear.

There was a good amount of character development between the two seasons. Aoi really grew as a character and it was interesting to watch how bizarre his alien biology was. Let’s just say that it will be an eye-opener when you watch the series. Mito is an absurdly youthful mother but only in appearance because she looks like an elementary school student if she takes off her Mail Suit; plus she is a space pirate. She also wears a giant waist ribbon that is so large that its tails have little bows on them.

Mito’s crew on her pirate ship is mostly animal’s that have human bodies and are able to function as humans. I lost it during the first episode because it was so funny but it also made me realize that this series would be better suited to a younger crowd. The story line is not hard to follow but it keeps your interest. The music was fun to listen it and the opening and closing animations were cute. I did feel that the space ships looked very “CG” but they did look awesome. The voice actors did a great job of bringing characters alive and jumping off the screen.

Extras:

Space Pirate Mito: The Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations, TV commercials, promotional videos, a special bonus episode, and Lucky Penny trailers as special features. This series was released with English as a language option for the first 13 episodes and Japanese with English subtitles for the entire series.

Overall Grade: B-
I would have no problem showing this anime to my children once they reach third grade or so. I really feel this series is geared to children and I think they would enjoy it.

A Certain Magical Index II part 1 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 5, 2014
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A Certain Magical Index II part 1Title: A Certain Magical Index II part 1

Director: Hiroshi Nishikori

Studio: J. C. Staff

U. S. Distributor: Funmation Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: Oct. 28th, 2014

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 12 episodes / 300 minutes

Genre: Fantasy, Harem, Comedy

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

The Book of the Law – an encoded grimoire containing catastrophic magic – has been stolen, so naturally Kamijo, Index, and a few familiar faces join in the crusade to protect the one nun who can decipher the powerful text. But as the group battles church sects and holy assassins, they realize that discovering who their true enemy is may be more difficult than saving the sister. Meanwhile, an organization known as the Science Society resurrects an esper-producing program, a school festival brings out the competition – and drama – in the student population, and a mysterious figure negotiates the purchase of a sacred relic that could threaten the future of Academy City.

Commentary:

Magical Index season 2 takes up right where season one left off. We jump right into the next drama for Index and Kamijo, but this time it looks like there is something rotten going on between the churches. Of course I really like the dramatic edge, but the one thing that makes me rather sad about this series is the Moe. The fact that Index looks like a 12 year old is ok, but when they bring in nuns that look 12 and dress like street walkers with very sexy habits on it is just disturbing. There is also the obligatory fall that becomes a face plant in front of a panty shot. Now I thought that took it too far.

Anyway, the series is staying strong and the characters begin to develop more. It is possible that Railgun will end up being the better series, but for now I still prefer Index. I think the premiss that is being setup is smart enough to take the series to a great ending. I just hope that the right questions are answered to finish it out. If they leave too much open then it will just be another failed series.

Overall Grade: B+

I thought these next 12 episodes did a lot to further the series, but lost me a little with the sexy 12 year old nuns. I think it would have been better to make them seem angelic and then give them a sinister layer beneath the robes. I guess there needs to be more secrets and some betrayal of the belief systems for the series to work, but I’m still not sold on what is being rolled out at this stage. I am looking forward to the completion of the series and feel as though people will be pleased with part 1 os season 2 of A Certain Magical Index.

 

 

Toriko Collection 2 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 3, 2014
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Toriko Collection 2Title: Toriko Collection 2

Director: Akifumi Zako

Writer: Isao Murayama

Studio: Toei Animation

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

Release Date: Nov. 4th, 2014

Format: DVD / 24 Episodes / 600 Minutes

Genre: Fantasy, Absurdity, Comedy

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Toriko, Komatsu, and a host of hopeful heroes bundle up and begin the treacherous trek into the chilling confines of Ice Hell! The prize that awaits them, Century Soup, is among the rarest of gourmet treasures – and the most divine delicacy ever to grace a bowl and spoon. Toriko and his super-chef sidekick are determined to slurp up the sweet rewards of their adventure, but something evil stands in their way: Tommyrod, a Gourmet Corps henchman with insects on the inside!

Should they survive this bugged-out battle for the ages, their next target will be the elusive Ozone Grass. Flying Sea Lions and Air Gorillas plague their journey, and in order to savor the sweet taste of success, our heroes will have to take their teamwork to the next level – forever cementing their status as lifelong partners in the pursuit of culinary bliss!

Commentary:

The insanity that is Toriko continues in this second collection and things only get weirder. This is the saving graces for the show because other than that it is just another typical shonen that just moves from one battle to the next. Of course the strange world and that fact that they fight over rare food makes the show not only special but funny too. There are plenty of series that live and die on their humor like Fairy Tail and One Piece, but Toriko makes the humor so bizarre that it does’t have to make you laugh to make it entertaining.

Toriko also take on a style of violence that leaves the opponents alive at the end and only allow for some to people to die. It also takes on death in a very reverent way that also makes a point that you only kill it if you plan on eating it. There is very little waist to life. Many other series have a much more cavalier view of life and the meaning of battle. I really do like that approach and must tip my hat to the series for the respect it show even in the face of utter absurdity.

Overall Grade: B

Toriko collection 2 takes us in a new direction and introduces some very powerful foes. It also does a great job of setting up the series for the underlying plot line. The one area that it doesn’t stand up is in some of the early battle over the Century Soup. I felt like there was just too much back and forth and in the end it was something very unexpected that brought on the final solution. I guess that the downplaying of Toriko’s power is a very typical way of depicting these types of arcs, but after having so many other series set this pattern in place it almost felt like a let down. In fairness Toriko is a Shonen series that follows the standard stereotype for one of these series so I guess this development is to be expected.

All in all, collection 2 is fun and does provide for some great entertainment. Now just bring on the rest.

Jewel Bem Hunter Lime: The Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 24, 2014
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Jewel Bem Hunter Limereview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Jewel Bem Hunter Lime: The Complete Collection

Director: Tetsuro Amino

Studio: Ashi Production

Author: Kenichiro Nakamura

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks , Section 23

U.S. Release Date: November 4, 2014

Format and Length: DVD / 3 Episodes / 90 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Inu Yasha, Those Who Hunt Elves, Disgaea, Hyperdoll

Synopsis:

Imagine if a demon managed to scatter six magic spheres through the gate between the World of Magic and the planet Earth. These magic spheres are incredibly dangerous and powerful magical artifacts, capable of absorbing negative emotions and transforming everyday objects into monstrous bug eyed monsters (BEMs.) So of course, someone must get them back before the transformation begins. That job falls to master of disguise Lime, the sometimes monstrous and generally lecherous monster hunter Bass, and their ooey-gooey shape-shifting slime companion Poogie. However, they are probably not the best choices for a task of such monumental importance and urgency. On the other hand, this entire situation is sort of their fault to begin with so they should be the ones to deal with it. But their choice in how to get the BEMs back is a little strange and oddly timed. Will this motley band of would be BEM hunters be up to the task of finding and dealing with the BEMs and save the planet? You will have to watch Jewel Bem Hunter Lime: The Complete Collection and find out.

Commentary:

Jewel Bem Hunter Lime: The Complete Collection is the three episode OVA series based off the 1993 Japanese PC game of the same name. It was originally released in the U.S. in 2000. Personally, I love the fact that these older titles are being re-released and I hope that this trend continues, so these out of production titles can be seen by the next generation of anime viewers. With Jewel Bem Hunter Lime: The Complete Collection what you see is what you get, a bit of simple nostalgia without the weight of a larger series (since nothing else was ever released, even in Japan) or something that is considered more well known and important in a way. The simple three episode series is very much a comedy, and is light and never very serious. The premise of the story is very obvious from the beginning, and they do fill you in as they go. It’s hard to build a good story in such a short time, but they do manage to get the basic idea out. The same issue persists with character development, but the cliché character archetypes make it pretty easy to figure it out. The art work and the music are very similar to many animes of the early 90’s era, and may seem cliché today. One disappointment is of course they never finish the story, but that is not uncommon with several previous series based on games, as they were usually an attempt to get you to pick up the game itself. Overall I enjoyed it very much, and as someone who started in anime in the mid 90s, I found the nostalgia factor also very much appealing. Overall, it’s worth checking out.

Extras:

This release includes both English and Japanese with English Subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: B

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 20, 2014
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High School DxD New: The Complete Second Seasonreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season

Director: Tetsuya Yanagisawa

Studio: TNK

Author: Takao Yoshioka

U.S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U.S. Release Date: November 11, 2014

Format and Length: DVD/Blu-Ray Combo / 12 Episodes / 321 Minutes

Genre: Action, Comedy, Demonic, Ecchi, Romance, Harem, Shounen

Industry Age Rating: TV MA

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: High School DxD or Rosario + Vampire

Synopsis:

Issei Hyoko and the rest of the Occult Research Club are back, only this season Issei has more power than ever before. The Excalibur swords and Michael the Archangel join Issei and the rest of the gang in battling against the deadliest of foes yet and only time will tell if the Occult Research Club will continue to thrive or if new leadership is needed to usher in a new magical era. Will Issei be able to survive these battles or will everything crash down around him? You will have to watch High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season and find out for yourself.

Commentary:

*Fair warning to those who are wanting to watch this series but are still on the fence about it…there is a large amount of fan service / ecchi scenes. However, High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season can actually pull off this amount of fan service and still have a decent plot line to be considered a good anime.* Also, why is it always an Occult Research Club?

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season picks up soon after the end of the first season with hardly any change. This season focuses on the conflicts and interactions between the devils, angels, and fallen angels. I felt the plot was more interesting than the first season and the comedy undertones continue to reappear frequently. I did not notice the fan service as much as the first season because the story line kept my attention. This season was split up into two arcs, the Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard and the Vampire of the Empty Classroom. I felt that the first arc, the Excalibur of the Moonlit Schoolyard, to be the conclusion to the first season and it was quite dark. The second arc, the Vampire of the Empty Classroom, really leaves the story line open to a third season and also includes the required beach episode that is needed in harem animes. I thought this arc went a little bit out there with all the mecha-like fighting that took place.

We finally see the character development that was missing in the first season and we also get to meet a few new characters. We learn how the characters were turned into devils and how their lives were prior to that. The new characters add to the story and created some interesting subplots. Plus they really added to the shenanigans between the girls and Issei. And yes, Issei is still obsessed with creating his harem, very much obsessed. Of course, it is slightly annoying for every female character to randomly fall in love with the main character for little to no reason but he is unable to act for whatever silly reason he comes up with.

The art work was average and they really focused on drawing the female characters. However, that is to be expected in this genre. They did a great job animating the fight scenes though. The voice actors brought the characters to life with their very real and refreshing emotions. The music was okay. By the end of the series I did find myself humming along with the opening and closing songs.

Extras:

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season includes Yoko Hikasa’s Voice Acting School, clean opening and closing animations, promotional videos, Funimation Entertainment trailers, commercials, New Material from Ichiei Ishibumi! Fantasy Full-blast Gentleman’s Disc Club Promos and Not Seen on TV! Deleted Scenes as special features. This release is available with both English and Japanese with English Subtitles as language options.

Overall Grade: B-

High School DxD New: The Complete Second Season is a good anime for the genre it is. Just take the above warning to heart and give it a shot.

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection
 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : November 2, 2014
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My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection
review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection


Director: Takayuki Inagaki

Studio: Diomedea

Author: Hiroko Kanasugi

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: November 11, 2014

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 10 Episodes and 1 OVA / 275 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Harem, School

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Date A Live, Excel Saga, The “Hentai” Prince and the Stony Cat

Choose…

Synopsis:

Thanks to a very strange curse called “Absolute Choice,” Kanade Amakusa’s life has turned into a “choose your own adventure” game from the depths of Hades. A series of options that seem designed to cause him the maximum amount of duress and/or public embarrassment randomly appear in front of him, and if he does not choose one he suffers agonizing headaches. Due to his bizarre behavior because of this curse, Kanade is branded as one of his school’s five worst social misfits, and things get even weirder when he chooses one of the strangest options yet: “have a beautiful girl fall from the sky.” Not only does the sweet and adorable Chocolat drop on him like a bag of rocks, but she seems to have been sent to help remove the curse! However, she cannot remember how to because she has amnesia. But it has something to do with the missions this flippant God has him perform, and if he fails to achieve the objective of any of them he will be stuck with the curse for life! Will Kanade be able to complete all his missions and get rid of this cruse for life? You will have to watch My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy and find out.

Commentary:

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy is a story about choices. We make them every day. Some we put a lot of thought into, and some we do not. Imagine if you are issued the choices for you to choose from. You cannot deviate or severe pain will result. Now imagine that your choices are absurd, and any one of them will damage you some way or another. That’s what you get with this series. It falls into the over the top comedy category, which really does not have many choices, because they all usually range from “meh” to “why am I watching this stupid….” This one chose to be better than that. Combining an absurd storyline, absurdly cute girls, and an even more absurd situation, picking up this one is a choice that you will not regret.

Overall this series (too long to keep naming) does touch into several other genres other than romcom, but it never really looses that romcom feel. I know it can be classified as a harem, and that is its second strongest category, but falls short of it in feel. The humor is strong with this one and looking for something other than the humor would be a poor choice. The characters were developed as much as you would expect. Some were developed better than others, and most fell into the standard archetypes like tsundere, kun-dere, dere-dere, imouto, etc., nothing too unexpected. It even makes fun of itself and this very issue in the later episodes. One thing that was different was the main character, Kanade, who seemed a bit underdeveloped at times. If it were not for the curse, he would have been a very boring main character. Another thing this series was strong in was the ‘moe’. If the three main female characters got any cuter, it would have hurt. With such characters, a series usually dives deep into the fan service, but this one kept it light. A few shots here and there and most had a point that related to the story, not just for the sake of exhibitionism.

The art was nothing special, with exception of character design of the named females. They chose to take special care in making them sickenly cute and colorful. Outside of that the scenes where normal. The occasional CG worked in was annoying, but I always find CG worked in with regular animation annoying, and the overall backgrounds were nothing special. Sadly as I write this, I cannot really remember the opening and endings themes, so they were nothing special either. Your standard J-pop with character scenes. But those are not the reasons to choose this anime. You choose it for the comedy or the moe, or if you want to rile the flippant god, choose it for both.
Extras:

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection 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: B

My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy: The Complete Collection is a weird series but it is also very funny. Be advised though that there are a few dirty moments in some episodes. Watch out for episode nine especially.