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SoniAni: Super Sonico The Animation (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : April 26, 2015
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Soni Ani: Super SonicoTitle: Soni  Ani: Super Sonico The Animation Complete Collection

Director: Kenichi Kawamura

Studio: White Fox

Music: Go Sakabe

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: May 26th, 2015

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

Genre: Music, Game, Comedy, Slice of Life

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall rating: C

Synopsis:

Saying Sonico is an incredibly busy young woman is an understatement. She juggles a modeling career, part-time work at her grandmother’s bar, and performs lead vocals and guitar in an all-girl band all while attending college! Not to mention taking care of her five cats – or is that the other way around? When her workload gets a little too heavy, she can count on her fellow musicians Suzu and Furi and the rest of her friends for a stabilizing influence. Get ready for the bounciest adventure ever as this three girl band shakes, rattles, rolls and takes Tokyo by storm!

Commentary:

Ok I get it, this is a straight forward game that based anime that is all about the cheese cake. One thing that stood out tome was that we are beginning to see more and more of the Kim Kardashian body with abnormal sized breast, thin waist and large or should I say giant hips/butt. Super Sonico may not have the giant hips, but it is clear that the body style is trying to play off on the absurd pop culture that lives on TV.

Soni Ani: Super Sonico is a smile anime that spotlights the sexy girls and how often can you take this rather naive girl and put her in suggestive situations. Well, at least we know who the audience is and to put is simply I pity this group of the anime fandom.

Overall Grade: C

The strength of Soni Ani: Super Sonico The Animation is the animation. White Fox understood what they had to do and they did it. They bring forward a animation style that fit the series. The rest of the series has its funny moments and it stays true to the sole purpose of the series to even exists.

On the other side of the coin it really doesn’t have a lot to offer other that sexy girls and one who is nothing more than a object of obsession. There are plenty of series out there that provide this type of entertainment and I can’t say that it stands out as something that makes me want to go back of more.

If you are looking for bouncing boobs and plenty of suggestive situations that take a rather naive young lady and make her a object of sexual obsession. The you should run to your local anime store to see if you can pick this one up when it releases.

For the U. S. release I have to hand it to Sentai Filmworks because they hired a Cosplay super star, Jessica Nigri, to voice Super Sonico. If anyone would understand the concept of being on object of desire it would be her. I’m sure that plenty of the male fans see her as someone very special and will find the extras included with this release as something to own.

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : April 22, 2015
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The Pet Girl of SakurasouTitle:The Pet Girl of Sakurasou complete collection on Blu-ray

Director: Atsuko Ishizuka

Writer: Mari Okada

Studio: J. C. Staff

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: April 14, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 24 Episodes / 600 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Romantic Comedy, Absurdity, Slice of Life, Drama

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

Banished from normal housing for the crime of adopting stray cats, Sorata Kanda’s life has gone to the dogs and he’s been impounded in Sakura Hall, a notorious den of troublemakers, geniuses and weirdos. Since he has a penchant for taking in small, cute but sometimes not completely loveable creatures, he’s been tasked with keeping fellow resident Mashiro Shiina, an acclaimed but highly dysfunctional and unfocused artist, from forgetting to eat, brush her hair or wear clothes. Then there are the other residents of Sakura Hall, all of whom have their own unique quirks and challenging relationships.

Commentary:

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou has finally been put together as a sin leg set and I think it could have found a good  number of new fans if there was a english dub, but Sentai Filmworks is not there yet. Never-the-less this is still a delightful series that doesn’t demand too much of you and at the same time manages to bring on plenty of good feeling toward this strange, but lovable group of misfits. Sorata may be portrayed as the normal one of the bunch and in some ways he may fit into everyday society a little better, but I see him as possibly the strangest one of the bunch. The fact that he has a unbridled weakness for cat makes him a huge favorite and he also allows himself to be the center of the group without being a overbearing shining obstacle to all of their uniqueness.

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou is a delightful short series of 24 episodes that manages to give up plenty to smile about. The animation is perfect for the series. It is bright and cheery that helps keep the series in its element. I can’t say that it was powerful or moving like a studio ghibli movie, but it did go well with the story even if it was rather common for 2012/2013 standards.

Overall Personal Grade: B+

The Pet Girl of Sakurasou has a level of drama included that helps keep the story level and even. The trial and tribulations these young people are going through are similar to many of the struggle all of have gone through. Of course a couple of the demons are a little melodramatic but that too is fine because it gives everyone a reason to feel their sadness and also cheer when the rest of the world is being brought into their drama.

Again I feel like this is a great series and in many ways it put older classic slice of life series like Clannad to shame, but it doesn’t have a huge fan base in the states because there is no english dub. I know that there are the hard core fans that want the Japanese voices acting with the english subtitle. I think this is a little bit of a narrow view of things and a flash back to older dubs were they just simply sucked. Over the last few years I have only come across very few anime where the english dub ruins the series. Anyway, in the case of The Pet Girl of Sakurasou I am confident that a solid dub would propel it into the classic status it deserves.

Either way I have to tip my hat to the series and tell everyone that if they haven’t see The Pet Girl of Sakurasou yet then they need to get busy and check it out.

DD Fist of the North Star: Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : April 14, 2015
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DD Fist of the North StarTitle: DD Fist of the North Star: Complete Collection

Director: Akitaro Daichi

Studio: Ajia-do Animation Works

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: April 14th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 26 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Comedy

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Grade: C-

Synopsis:

Highly trained in the secret martial art of Hokuto Shinken, Kenshiro has achieved such a high level of combat expertise that he can kill a man with his pinky finger. Though these skills may be useful for a wandering man trying to survive the deadly wastelands left behind by nuclear war, they’re all but useless in modern day Japan!

With an apocalypse that never happened and a less-than-desirable skill set, would-be hero Ken is stuck looking for a job just like every other unemployed schmuck in Japan. And frankly, he doesn’t interview well. Things start to look up when he stumbles across an opening at a convenience store, but unfortunately he’ll have to deal with two contentious contenders if he wants the job: his own brothers Toki and Raoh, who’re just as dimwitted and muscle-headed as the mighty Ken himself.

Commentary:

DD Fist of the NorthStar is, well how do I put this, not a very good series. I realize it is a parody of the original Fist of the North Star, but it takes on a series that is just too over the top that this comes across rather silly and a waist of talent.  Now not all of it is bad, some of the humor if funny and clearly saves this series from a failing grade.

I do understand that this series also taking on some rather poor western style animation that is typically seen on Cartoon Network of even some of the other toss away cable stations. I think that is where it lost me and gave me every reason to turn it off and walk away. If it weren’t for the strong comic writing I would have saved myself several hours of pain.

Overall Grade: C-

As I watch DD Fist of the North Star I continually looked at the clock thinking to myself that I will need to watch this in small parts which plays better with the 26 15 minute episodes. Even small doses didn’t help that much. If I had not been able to laugh, and I do mean laugh at the jokes not at how bad it is I am sure that the grade would have been one of the lowest I have ever given out.

Anime is a great subset of entertainment that offers so many option. It also has several genres and styles that just flat out fail the wonder art form. Now I can say that if the creators would not have followed the poor pseudo-western art style the writing could have saved it form this underwhelming review.

Now if you are looking for a silly show that is about the base stupidity of these characters then you are in for a treat.

Student Council’s Discretion Season 1 Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 28, 2015
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Student Council’s Discretion season 1review provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Student Council’s Discretion Blu-ray Season 1 Complete Collection

Director: Takuya Sato

Studio: Studio Deen

Author: Jukki Hanada

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 24, 2015

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

Genre: Comedy, Parody, School, Harem

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Other Titles to Check Out: Lucky Star, Ebiten, Haganai, Haganai Next, and The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya

“Mukyu.”

Synopsis:

At Hekiyo Academy, the Student Council members are elected via the usual popularity contests, and since most teenagers think more with hormones than brains, those seats are filled by the school’s most beautiful girls. But one student is chosen based on academic scores. Besides being the council’s only male member, one of Ken Sugisaki’s main assignments is writing stories informing the student body what the student council actually does. To do that he’ll have to manipulate the truth just a bit, and given that Ken’s an obsessive fan of dating sims who fantasizes about his fellow council members as his “harem”, things tend to get even more out of hand. Plus, exactly who’s going to be the leading lady is up for debate, as immature Kurimu, tomboyish Minatsu, twisted Chizuru, and “boy’s love” obsessed Mafuyu are all trying to add their own particular spins to everything. If that’s not enough, the journalism club has it out for all of them.

Commentary:

Dragging the otaku culture, kicking and screaming the whole way, Student Council’s Discretion Blu-ray Season 1 Complete Collection, brings more anime memes and parodies than you can possible count. Just in the opening sequence of the first episode, they have over ten references before they show the opening. With some touching on the obscure, they can make things a bit difficult, so it does help to know what they are referencing for a lot of it to make any sense. This series will probably be more entertaining to those who are familiar with otaku culture.

Student Council’s Discretion Blu-ray Season 1 Complete Collection follows Ken Sugisaki and the rest of the student council (aka harem) on their daily activities of conducting the student government. That just sounds like some fun stuff doesn’t it? The catch is that they really don’t do anything meaningful, often each doing their own thing, as the meetings hardly go as planned, if even planned at all. The Student council president, Kurimu Sakurano, the resident loli, leads in the randomness with sheer determination and cuteness. Ken Sugisaki, Vice President, has one thing on his mind and being a teenage male, you can easily imagine what that is. So what is this series about? Nothing really. No, seriously. It’s episodic and random. It’s very Seinfeldish, if you will. No central plot, or conceptual story line, loveable characters that are a bit cliché, and random humor, that is sometimes a little misplaced. On a few occasions their jokes did fall flat, but that was mostly on the more obscure references they made. At those times, it felt like I was with a group of people that I had never met and they had a lot of inside jokes, that you had to of been for a while there to get.

The characters were developed a bit, but since they are all standard archetypes, everyone quickly fell into those clichés and not much development was done beyond that. At some point, they even made it a butt of some of the jokes. Another thing that seemed odd is in the first half of the series, you could count on one hand how many locations they interacted in. By the end you probably had to use both hands, so the scenery did not change often. Considering that humor was the main concept, background scenery was also not built up or changed often. The background was decently detailed, and the club room seemed to have a lot going on in it. They had to fill the space with something I suppose. The opening theme was a bit catchy, and the ending theme was ok. Background music was non-existent. The focus was mostly on the humor, and it did not detract from the series.

Extras:

Student Council’s Discretion included 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-

This series is not for those who are new to anime, or those who have to have a completely coherent story from beginning to end. It’s not there. I found it easiest to watch a couple at a time, as watching too many episodes at once got tiring and I would lose interest. Enjoy it for what it is. Overall it was a decent series, if you are watching it for the parody and humor.

Place to Place (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : March 23, 2015
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Place to Place Blu-rayreview provided by Katie and Andrew

Title: Place to Place: Blu-Ray Complete Collection

Director: Fumitoshi Oizaki

Studio: AIC

Author: Ishiki

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 24, 2015

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

Genre: Romance, Comedy, School, Slice of Life

Industry Age Rating: TV-14 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Lucky Star, Hidamari Sketch, K-On!, Toradora!

What happens when you are more than just friends, but not quite in a relationship?

Synopsis:

We all had a circle of friends that we hung out with in high school, but within that group, there were smaller groups of friends. Place to Place is about that smaller group of friends, best friends, and even boyfriends and girlfriends. At times, relationships just develop when you least expect them and with the person you want the most. That is the little problem Tsukimi has when it comes to Io.

Io is as tall and laidback, while Tsukimi is short and tsundere. However, Io is completely clueless to Tsukimi’s feelings, yet he is too affectionate and that is just confusing and irritating. The rest of their friends are not much help at all, as it usually gives them another reason to tease Tsukimi. Are Tsukimi and Io just best friends or is it worth risking their friendship for what Tsukimi wants? You will have to watch Place to Place to find out.
Commentary:

Place to Place is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get when the episode begins. The comedy is new and fresh, and the romance is so adorable that you will possibly die from potential blood loss coming out of your nose. Place to Place is a true slice-of-life anime as there is really no plot. You are watching a story that revolves around a group of five high school friends participating in hilarious everyday activities and you also are watching Io’s and Tsukimi’s relationship grow with each episode. Each episode is broken into two parts, Part A and Part B. They may follow the same plot line or the second part could go into a completely different direction. You could watch this series completely out of order and not miss any important plot points. Nevertheless, I would recommend watching in order to get the most cuteness out of Tsukimi.

I must say that the characters are the strongest part of Place to Place. Tsukimi is a small, quiet catlike tsundere. However, she has that cool and collective attitude that the boys go crazy for and that makes her more than the average tsundere. Tsukimi can beat the boys at video games, yet has a feminine side. She actually sprouts cat ears when she was embarrassed or happy! She is in love with the unobservant Io, a boy who is quietly romantic. That makes all the girls crazy for him. The rest of their close group of friends includes Hime, Sakaki, and Mayoi. Hime is a clumsy, whimsical, and shy girl. Her shyness really comes out when she is interested in the opposite sex. Sakaki is the other boy in this group of friends. He usually speaks without thinking and that leads to some painful experiences for him. Mayoi is the final friend and her ideas usually cause trouble for the rest of the group.

The characters were drawn very well and have something special about them. Some of the characters looked really similar to those in Lucky Star. The backgrounds were well drawn and very creative, yet the overall theme of the animation is very simple. That was very refreshing. The arrow themed title cards are too cute and make a great transition between Part A and Part B of the episode. The opening song and closing song are both very fitting for this anime, slightly weird but still catchy.

I would recommend Place to Place if you are looking for a light-hearted anime to watch with a group of friends. I would even recommend this as a good introduction into the slice-of-life genre or even anime in general. Lucky Star, Hidamari Sketch, K-On!, Toradora! are all wonderful Slice of Life animes. I would recommend Place to Place if you have enjoyed any of these animes or if you are just looking to watch a cute anime.

Extras:

The special features for Place to Place include clean opening and closing animations and Sentai trailers.

Overall Grade: A+

I loved Place to Place. It reminds me of Lucky Star but with romance. I would recommend Place to Place to anyone and everyone because it is a light-hearted anime and it is just too fun to watch.

Devils and Realist The Complete Collection (anime review)

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

Director: Chiaki Kon

Written By: Michiko Yokote

Creator: Madoka Takadono

Studio: Dogakobo

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

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

Format: Blu-ray / 300 minutes / 12 Episodes

Genre: Supernatural, Fantasy, Comedy

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B-

Synopsis:

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

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

Commentary:

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

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

Overall Grade: B-

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

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

Gingitsune; Messenger Fox of the Gods (anime review)

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

Director: Shin Misawa

Anime Writer: Hiroshi Yamaguchi

Creator: Sayori Ochiai

Studio: Diomedea

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

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

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 minutes

Genre: Supernatural, Slice of Life, Comedy

Age Rating: PG (All Ages)

Overall Personal Rating: A

Synopsis:

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

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

Commentary:

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

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

Overall Grade: A

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

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

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

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

Chronicles of the Going Home Club (anime review)

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

Director: Hikari Sato

Witten By: Go Zappa

Music: Go Sakabe

Studio: Nomad

U. S. Distributor: NIS America

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

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 288 minutes

Genre: Comedy, High School Slice of Life

Age Rating: T for Teen

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

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

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

Commentary:

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

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

Overall garde: B+

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

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

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

Extras:

This premium edition contains episodes 1-12 packaged in an artbox and comes with a hardcover, 64-page art book filled with detailed character info, interviews with cast members and production staff, original letters from the voice actors, and full-color illustrations.
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You’re Being Summoned, Azazel DVD Complete Collection (anime review)

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

Director: Tsutomu Mizushima

Studio: Production I. G.

U. S. Distributor: Lucky Penny, Nozomi

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

Format: DVD / 26 Episodes / 338 Minutes

Genre: Comedy

Age Rating: TV 17

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

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

Commentary:

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

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

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

Overall Grade: B

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

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

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

Posted by :Patches On : March 2, 2015
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Category: Reviews

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Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moonsreview provided by Katie and Andrew

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

Director: Yuu Kou

Studio: J.C. Staff

Author: Noboru Yamaguchi

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 10, 2015

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

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

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: A-

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

Synopsis:

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

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

Commentary:

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

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

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

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

Extras:

Familiar of Zero, The: Knight of the Twin Moons-The Complete Second Season includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with Japanese with English subtitles as the only language option.

Overall Grade: A-

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