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Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection (anime review)

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

Title: Outbreak Company Blu-ray Complete Collection

Director: Kei Oikawa

Studio: Feel

Author: Naruhisa Arakawa

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks / Section 23

U.S. Release Date: March 3, 2015

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

Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Parody

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: C

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

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

Synopsis:

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

Commentary:

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

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

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

Extras:

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

Overall Grade: C

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

Space Dandy Season One (anime review)

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

Director: Shinichiro Watanabe, Shingo Natsume

Studio: Bones

Producer: Square Enix

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

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

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

Genre: Sci Fi, Comedy, Absurdity

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B-

“Space Dandy is a Dandy Guy in Space!”

Synopsis:

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

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

Commentary:

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

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

Overall Grade: B-

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

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

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

Maid Sama!: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 9, 2015
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Maid Sama!Title: Maid Sama!: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray

Director: Maid Sama!

Studio: J.C. Staff

Author: Hiro Fujiwara

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: January 27, 2015

Format and Length: Blu-ray / 26 Episodes + 1 OVA / 665 Minutes

Genre: Comedy, Romance, School, Shoujo

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Special A and Ouran High School Host Club

No, he is not my boyfriend. He is just my creepy stalker.-Misaki Ayuzawa

I’ll come to save you as much as you want. I’ll make you fall for me as much as you wish.-Usui Takumi

Synopsis:

Misaki Ayuzawa has many problems in life. For starters, she is the first female student council president of the formerly all-male Seika High School and she is trying to get more girls to enroll for the next year. Then she works at a maid café in the next town, so no one from Seika High will run into her, so she can help her family out. But who does she run into but Usui Takumi, a classmate. This causes things to get very interesting, very fast! Toss in a handful of extremely annoying transfer students and the inevitable trip to the hot springs and everyone is going to end up in hot water one way or another. But Misaki is not going to let any of that stop her from maintaining order in the classroom and taking orders in the tea room. Will Usui Takumi spill the beans about Misaki Ayuzawa? Will Misaki be able to handle the stress of working and being student council president? You will have to watch Maid Sama! and find out.

Commentary:

Maid Sama!: The Complete Collection is far from the regular romance genre anime and that is exactly why I loved it so much. If you are the hopeless romantic type of person, you will love how this series defines your anime dream romance to a “T”. Every episode gives you a chance to say “Awww” while also shaking your head at the main characters. But the ending is worth it. The comedy part of this series is also spot-on. Maid Sama! will have you laughing so hard that you cry in quite a few episodes.

The character development in Maid Sama! is interesting to say the least. Usui is the male main character and he has an adorable chibi form that appears whenever he is teasing Misaki. He is aloof and great at everything he tries. Misaki is your stereotypical tsundere character but eventually she shows more kindness over her aggressiveness. Plus she is adorable in her maid outfit. Usui and Misaki have wonderful chemistry together and the series does a good job showing it. There are many background and supporting characters in Maid Sama! but my favorites have to be the Three Morons. They make things interesting to say the least.

The art work was standard and nothing really stood out. However, the scenes did look good, but not great. The Japanese voice actors did a great job of bringing the characters to life. Personally, however, I did not care for the English dubbed version. The opening and closing animations were well done and the songs were catchy and enjoyable to listen to. I found myself humming the songs after a few episodes.

The OVA episode, or the last episode on the third disk, does not add anything to the series but it is really worth watching. It is a cute, fun episode albeit short. They could have made the OVA really special by extending the final scenes of the series. But at least Maid Sama! has an ending and a happy one at that.

Extras:

Maid Sama!: The Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This release also included the OVA for the series and has a new English dub track.

Overall Grade: B+

I really enjoyed Maid Sama! and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys rom-coms. The episodes seem to fly-by and leave you wanting to watch the next one.

Genshiken Second Generation premium edition (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 7, 2015
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Genshiken Second GenerationTitle: Genshiken Second Generation (premium edition)

Director: Tsutomu Mizushima

Studio: Production I. G.

Original Story: Shimoku Kio

Music: Shuichiro Fukuhiro

U. S. Distributor: NIS America

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

Format: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 308 minuts / English Subtitles

Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Otaku

Age Rating: T for teen 13+

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis: 

It’s a new semester at Shiiou University, and for “The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture,” AKA Genshiken, that can only mean one thing – new freshman recruits! Originally founded as a club for otaku to discuss their unabashed love of anime, manga, and video games with one another, the current president of Genshiken, Chika Ogiue, may have bitten off more than she can chew by recruiting a bunch of yaoi-obsessed fujoshis to join their ranks!

Meanwhile, the original members of Genshiken who have since graduated find themselves coming to terms with their new lives as productive members of society.

Commentary:

Genshiken Second Generation turns the original series upside down by taking the otaku world into the 21st Century. This changes the focus on the standard old school world to the new generation of girl fans that love the yaoi. This is new newer fascination even here in the U. S., the standard yaoi fan were middle aged ladies who enjoyed the oddly erotic world created by the series. For Genshiken Second Generation the world has changed, the number of young men in the club has dwindled to 2 and one of them prefers to come to the club dressed as a cute young lady who is also into yaoi or rather BL (boys love).

This dichotomy creates most of the tension and comic relief for the show. I’m not real sure if it is the savior or the failure but it is the major focus in these 13 episodes. For me I did have an issue with the way Hato was portrayed at times. For him to work so hard at cross dressing and then to have his development end up denying his feeling and sexual orientation. Hato clearly has erotic feelings for a former male member and to have him clearly state that he is strait is almost a cruel denial of the acceptance he has been able to experience from the current a former member Genshiken. I think that if Hato’s character would have come out a gay it would have added to the overall high quality of the series.

There was also another odd event in the series that put me off a little. When a older sister of one of the Genshiken member visits from America and speaks English the quality of her speech is not true to the character. She ends up sounding like a Japanese speaking English and it does not work for her characters and the involvement with the group. Actually, I really enjoyed her part and how it shook the club up, even if for a short time.

Overall Grade: B+

Even though there were a could aspects to the show that bothered me I did like the series and the way it shows how times change and genres ebb and flow, but all in all it is still fun to be an Otaku.

The quality of the animation is great and the writing was well done. Most of the characters were very well developed and easy to connect with, I liked most of them so much that I would have enjoyed being part of the club myself.

If you are familiar with the first series and connected with the club then I am sure you will connect with them in Genshiken Second Generation. There are plenty of old faces and the new members prove to be as much fun as the series offered before. So, if you are a self proclaimed Otaku then I am sure you will connect with Genshiken Second Generation.

Extras:

Even though there aren’t any extras to the show to speak of the premium box set comes with an awesome book. In the past NIS America produced their books in a long thin format and now the sets come with a manga sized hard cover book that provides plenty of additional information and amazing art work. These premium sets do really make a difference and with the price of anime today it is great to get a premium that is a true premium. Thanks, NIS America!

The Eccentric Family (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : January 28, 2015
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The Eccentric FamilyTitle: The Eccentric Family (Uchōten Kazoku)

Director: Masayuki Yoshihara

Creator: Tomihiko Morimi (novel)

Anime Writer: Shōtarō Suga

Studio: P.A. Works

Music by: Yoshiaki Fujisawa

North America Distributor: NIS America

North American Release Date: Jan. 6th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 307 minutes

Genre: Comedy, Supernatural, Slice of Life, Drama

Age Rating: TV 13+

Overall Personal Rating: A

Synopsis:

In modern day Kyoto, humans live in the city, tengus take to the sky, and tanukis roam the earth. One such tanuki is Yasaburo, the third son of Soichiro Shimogamo, famed tanuki leader who met his end far too early at the hands of a group of humans and their year-end banquet hot pot.

Yasaburo has since embraced his “fool’s blood” and strives for a happy, carefree life. But between taking care of his old tengu master Akadama-sensei, avoiding the life-threatening advances of the beautiful human Benten, dealing with his dangerously stupid twin cousins, and avoiding becoming a hot pot himself in the next year-end banquet, the young tanuki has his proverbial work cut out for him!

Commentary:

Ok, all you tanuki fans line up. This anime is the next best thing to Pom Poko. yes and I really mean it. I have to say I laughed and cried with this anime and was  left with smile on my face when it was over. The Eccentric Family takes on the every lasting struggles of understanding the world around you and also the differences that make a family unit. There are classic older brother issues along with the neurotic personalities that come with being a middle and youngest brother. Seeing this family represent the full spectrum is great and they are burdened with having a father that cast a huge shadow. How can a son ever live up the heroic legendary ideal that their father created before his tragic end?

The Eccentric Family is well written and adapted to this 13 episode anime. It doesn’t drag anything out and also manages to fill most of the gaps in a short period of time. I feel as though the story had a lot to say and really hit on a few points. I’m sure if it really explored the tanuki aspect as well as it could, but it managed to keep the supernatural world at the center of the plot line.

The animation was carefree and stood up to the story well. I would have preferred it to be a little tighter with maybe a more robust full feature to the characters. The background was bright and cheerful which help keep things in line with the overall fun filled attitudes of the world of the tanuki. The music fit well with the story and really helped out in a few critical points. Way to go Yoshiaki Fujisawa for understanding the nature of the story.

Overall Grade: A

The Eccentric Family is a well rounded story that I think the whole family can enjoy. I do think that percents will enjoy it because of the way it provides that archetype personas of children and the behavior based on their birth place. I think there is something to say about rediscovering the memories of a long lost loved one and trying to understand the meaning of their existence.

The only real detractor for me was that it was not dubbed into english. I believe that because of the quick pace much of the meaning can be lost and some of the dialog looses its punch. That being said I still enjoyed the series and may need to revisit it several time to catch all of it for what it really is.

Fairy Tail Collection 3 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : January 25, 2015
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Fairy Tail Collection 3

review provide by Luther

Title: Fairy Tail Collection 3 Blu-ray/DVD Combo

Director: Shinji Ishihara

Studio: A-1 Pictures and Satelight

U. S. Distributor: FUNimation

U. S. Release Date: Jan. 6th, 2015

Genre: Magical Adventure and Comedy

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

Age Rating: 14+

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

The last battle was over and Laxus was kicked out of the Fairy Tail Guild, but other members of the Thunder legion have stayed. Now Juvia has stayed as part of the guild, sporting a great new look. Master is still considering leaving, but everyone wants him to stay.
Lucy hadn’t won the Mis Fairy Tail pageant, so she is still looking for a way to pay her rent. When a reporter from Sorcerers’ Weekly comes to do a story, Lucy is hoping that fate is coming her way (in the form of money and romance) and it is time for her big break. The reporter is an enthusiastic fan boy, who is so excited that he continually spouts words like Cool! and Amazing! She does meet a new guy but when someone puts it in her head that she ought to be with Natsu, she begins to read that possibility into almost everything. She is getting embarrassed around him and her thoughts are going crazy.

Juvia is in love with Gray and gets a love potion from a not-so-great shop. It doesn’t go the way she expected and now all of the guys are getting all macho and challenging new rivals. The whole guild hall is in a tizzy.

Lucy’s father shows up. He’s broke and is now traveling to a merchant guild to join. She doesn’t really want anything to do with him, but when she hears that something bad has happened at that guild, she find herself stepping in to help.

The dark guilds have become more active. The light guilds need to stand together. A coalition of magical guilds forms an Allied Force to confront the Orashion Seisu, which is posing a serious threat. Fairy Tail sends Lucy, Natsu, Gray and Erza. They meet the other ally members, which includes The Blue Pegasus team of 3 very charming guys, and from another guild, a kid named Wendy who is a blue haired  girl with a companion, a flying cat named  Carla.

The Orashion Seisu is seeking to release the magic of Nirvana. Part of its destructive power is the ability to change someone who is wavering on the lines of good and evil away from their co nature. As the coalition allied force attempts to stop them, the Orashion Seisu is plowing through them. Erza is the most seriously hurt and is close to death. Wendy and Happy are kidnapped, it seems her type of magic can be the key to resurrect a wizard to unleash Nirvana. The allied force splits up in search of Wendy only to be confronted by minor dark guilds in big numbers.

Nirvana continues its march to destroy Wendy’s guild along with a dark secret. Team Natsu and the coalition – as well as an unexpected ally – go full-force against the top sorcerers of Oracion Seis to expel the ancient city’s evil curse before it becomes unstoppable!
Then, when Natsu goes on a mission to see a woman about a dragon, his trip becomes a trap that could force him to turn Magnolia into ash and rubble! Can his friends snuff the Salamander’s involuntary rampage without torching their friend?

Commentary:

Fairy Tail is an anime that can appeal to a wide audience and I am thankful that is dubbed because that keeps it available to everyone. It has a little of something to fill most wish lists. There is lots of creativity with this anime, seemingly endless on the various wizards characters and their different magic, as well as in the locations and story lines. Occasionally, I thought it was getting a bit formulaic in spots. For example, with the overwhelming foes that they end up beating, but wait, they aren’t quite down yet. There is plenty of dramatic or intense moments, that are woven together with slapstick and silly times. My favorite comedic moment is when Happy answers the question to why he is blue.

One area of strength for Fairy Tail is its cast. It continues to grow. There are plenty of cute characters to go around. I can see that after looking back, there is lots of character growth. They are all getting stronger and developing their skills. Even the relationships are building. Lucy seems to really star in many of the episodes and although she down plays her importance, she has grown the most. Natsu is stronger, but his impulsiveness is his weakness. Some of the characters, especially the villains have some odd characteristics or qualities that only seem to serve the purpose to be odd. Odd for the sake of odd was distracting, memorable yes, but not a plus for the series. One last note on characters, dead people aren’t always dead.

I really enjoy the art work and details. The color alway looks great  and well planned. The visuals match the creativity of the story, the endless ideas and the cool magic techniques are portrayed skillfully. The special effects are great. Since there are all these different types of magic and power, they keep producing new ways to show them. Take time to listen to the music, it does a great job at supporting the story and action.

Fairy Tail continues to deliver a great product. They keep upping their game and still maintain the quality of the story content and action. It is one of those anime that is fun to watch again.  It has definitely gotten to the point where you have to see what happens next.

It is very typical for Fairy Tail to load itself up with action. but this set is overflowing. I was truly assented with how fast this set moves. From the battles with the Oracion Seis to the potential destruction of Magnolia the episodes speed past and leave you breathing heavy at the end.

Well at least they are lots of fun. While watching these episodes I found myself thinking about other long running shonen series and how they always end up on the goofy lead character who manages to sustain themselves in pure righteous indignation and always take up the armor of love and friendship to help defend against the evils that would threaten their families. Several times I saw Naruto saying “Believe It” and then Ichigo going on about friendship but it wasn’t until at one point when the relationships slipped into the classic Naruto vs Sasuke love/hate thing that I almost turned it off. I stuck it out and was not disappointed. I’m sure everyone who watches will see what I am talking about when you reach that point. I guess the point I am trying to make is that even though the plot and structure of the story may be tried and true I guess that it is the way that these characters help bring it together that makes the difference.

Overall Personal Rating: A-

When it is all said and done the final question is if this is fun and entertaining? In the case of these 24 episodes I have to say yes, very much so. I think the only detractor that I have is that the creative staff and even Mashima and Sogo have made Lucy way too much of a wussy. I get that she still lacks a high degree of self-confidence, but she doesn’t need top be that weak. She has plenty of power and to be a full member of the team she needs to be stronger. Other than that I think that Fairy Tail Collection 3 is simply put, just fun.

Any time you can build a full blooded series on top of friendship and love it is almost impossible to miss as long as you are able to keep it moving. Fairy Tail has done that so far and I am looking forward to seeing the rest of the 175 episodes. Still 103 more to go.

A-Channel the Animation (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : January 4, 2015
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A-ChannelTitle: A-Channel the Animation on Blu-ray

Director: Manabu Ono

Written By: Tatsuhiko Urahata

Original Creator: bb Kuroda

Studio: Studio Gokumi

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U. S. Release Date: Jan. 27th, 2015

Format: Blu-ray / 12 episodes, 2 OVAs / 300 Minutes

Genre: Slice of Life, Comedy, Girls High School

Age Rating: TV PG

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Toru and Run have been best friends forever, so when Toru learns that she’s managed to get into the same high school as Run, she runs to tell her… only to find Run in a compromising position with yet another girl, Yuko. Needless to say, that makes things a bit awkward at school, with Toru fending off those who might be interested in Run while Yuko and their other girlfriend, Nagi, have to deal with Run’s own penchant for drama.

But it’s not all angst all the time, and as the school year progresses the four girls and their many classmates find time to laugh, play, and figure out how to handle the unexpected problems life likes to throw at the them. Like bugs in the house, accidentally giving each other horrible haircuts, freezing up at karaoke, or forgetting to put your underwear on in the morning.

Commentary:

Taking on the world of girl high school slice of life series is a tough road when you have series like Lucky Star, K-On!, and even The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, but A-Channel does a great job of jumping right in. There is plenty of simple cuteness and comedy though out the series and with a straight forward plot it is easy to get connected to the characters. I have to hand it to the creator (bb Kurada) for not making things too complicated and just letting these girls live in this rather happy world.

The real strength behind the series is the character development or should I say simple character development. A-Channel isn’t trying to make any grand gestures or give us something to contemplate over the year. It is just trying to give us something to smile about about and that is exactly what it does. I can’t say that there is a character in the series that I don’t like for some reason or another.

Overall Grade: B

The one area I felt was lacking was the animation. I get that the story is about these girls moving though their daily lives in high school, but the look flattened it out too much and left some of the enjoyment of the characters out of the equation. I understand the cute or Kawaii aspects to their almost chibi forms and do see how it might attract a wider female audience. For me I was a little less attracted to these girls because of the big heads and tiny limbs rendering of their forms. I guess that I just am not a fan of this look and also found it to be a little off putting with Lucky Star and some of the slice of life series that pick this basic form. For A-Channel and the simplistic approach to the plot line the animation style just left me a little flat. It would have been more suited to stylistic work done in Aria where the girls take on a much more human form rather than the big head thing that is happening in the series.

A-Channel is a solid comedy that tends to make you smile more than laugh out loud. The story is simple and this provides a carefree viewing experience that is sometimes just right.

Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 26, 2014
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Ground Control to Psychoelectric GirlTitle: Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl standard edition

Director: Akiyuki Shinbo

Studio: Shaft

Written By: Ayana Yuniko

Created By: Hitoma Iruma

U. S. Distributor: NIS America

U. S. Re-release: Dec. 9th, 2014

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 333 minutes

Genre: Harem, Sci Fi, Comedy, Absurdity

Age Rating: TV 13

Overall Personal Rating: A-

Synopsis:

Makoto Niwa just moved to the city to live with his aunt Meme after his parents were reassigned to work overseas. He is perfectly fine with that, saying it will give him the chance to live the dream life of an adolescent boy. He keeps track of the things he does by assigning “points” to them – positive or negative – and adds them up on a regular basis to grade his adolescent life. And then, he discovers Meme has a secret daughter (and self-proclaimed alien) named Erio. He finds her rolling around by the front door of Meme’s house wrapped up in a futon. It is then he realizes that his dream adolescent life will not come true, and begins a life of experiences that are out of this world.

Commentary:

Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl stands out as one of those anime that has a rather simple plot and then turns it on its ear. Basically you have a high school boy coming to live with his aunt and her high school age daughter, to attend high school in the big city. Throw in an aunt who loves to play with Makoto’s head, constantly coming on to him, and then you have Erio who is very cute and believes she is an alien, tending to spend her time rolled up in a futon. This makes things awkward and maybe a little uncomfortable for Makoto, but he takes it with a calm stride and ends up taking on the role of the only responsible one in the house. At the same time, attracting some of the strangest girls in school.

With all the craziness going on in the series there is a simple backbone to the story that keeps it both easy to watch and  to connect to the characters that make up this odd group. Even though it may not be as strange as Arakawa Under the Bridge it still takes on a quirkiness that stays with it all the way through. This off balance plot line helps to show how well it was written. If the story was just strange it would have failed after just a few episodes, but because of the strong concept by Hitoma Iruma and script writing of Ayana Yuniko things go well and you just want to keep watching.

Overall Grade: A-

At its core, Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl, is a silly harem that follows the older harem stories like Love Hina and Ai Yori Aoshi. Over the last five years or so most of the harem series have been all about silly battle concepts like Sekirei or Is This a Zombie?. It is nice to see one come back and the silly comedy that includes strange women and a rather simple high school story line.

If you didn’t get a chance to pick up Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl when it was released in a premium set then now is the time to get it as the standard edition. Thanks, NIS America for keeping this series alive.

A Certain Magical Index II part 2 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 25, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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Magical Index season 2 part 2Title: A Certain Magical Index II part 2

Director: Hiroshi Nishikori

Studio: J. C. Staff

U. S. Distributor: Funmation Entertainment

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

As with the rest of the Magical Index series there is plenty of fan service, but this 12 episodes tends to take itself a little more serious. That is a nice departure from the earlier episodes. This are getting much more tense and I was really looking for some sort of closure  and as with the first season it just doesn’t happen. That is not to say I was left unsatisfied, instead I felt like I had been give a generous dose of this odd magic / scientific series. I am still rather confused as to the scientific aspects because all of the  special powers seem to be somewhat magical even though they call themselves ESPers. Still it is cleat that the church and the scientific community still have a long way to go before they can find common ground.

Overal Grade: B+

A Certain Magical Index season II part 2 brings it all back together and adds another layer of complexity to this simple yet strange harem series. The series has managed to move further away form the harem aspects and lean much more on the action supernatural backbone of the series and i for one really do enjoy that. There are still moments that the easy way out with moe / fan service is just a downer for me. I can enjoy the juxtaposition of an older teenage boy and a 12 year old girl, but to make a large number of the sexually charged girls in this series so blatantly young yet scantily clad is tiresome and somewhat a waist of time. Magical Index has a strong enough plot and rich enough characters that they could have all been college age and it would have made much more sense.

I do like the series and am looking forward to the movie to see if it wraps things up. I suspect it does. Maybe we will discover what the real importance of Kamijo’s right hand really is. I am not buying that he is a level zero who just so happens to be able to negate magic. He is also able to take a great deal of punishment and keep on coming back for more. I do hope the movie satisfies what ails the series and give it closure that is so deserves.

Ambition of Oda Nobuna, The: The Complete Collection (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 15, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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Ambition of Oda NobunaTitle: Ambition of Oda Nobuna, The: The Complete Collection

Director: Yuuji Kumazawa

Studio: Madhouse

Author: Mikage Kasuga

U.S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

U.S. Release Date: December 16, 2014

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

Genre: Comedy, Romance, Historical, Harem

Industry Age Rating: 14 and up

Overall Personal Rating: B

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

Synopsis:

Yoshiharu Sagara, or Monkey as he is known to Oda Nobuna and her retainers, thought he knew his Japanese history backwards, forwards, and upside down, but when he inexplicably finds himself in the past everything he thought he knew was wrong and he is in a very different history altogether! Not only is this timeline’s version of the legendary (and very male) Oda Nobunaga now the cute (and very female) Oda Nobuna, but one of the first things Yoshiharu manages to accidentally accomplish is getting one of the Sengoku era’s most important historical figures killed!

Still, what’s your best present course of action when you find yourself stuck in the past, having only a semi-reliable knowledge of one possible future, and there is now a vacancy in the history books? Aligning yourself with someone with the potential to become one of the most powerful warlords in any of Japan’s possible histories might not be a bad start. Provided, of course, that you can keep yourself from becoming too intimately involved in the cloak and dagger action during a time when the cloaks cover body armor and the daggers are paired with multiple swords! But that is just part of the risk you assume when your history becomes her story! Will Yoshiharu make it back to his own time? Will Oda Nobuna conquer Japan? You will have to watch The Ambition of Oda Nobuna and find out!

Commentary:
The Ambition of Oda Nobuna: The Complete Collection has four main plot lines: The Arrival in the Sengoku Period Arc, The Invasion of Mino Arc, The Kyoto Arc, and The Retreat at Kanegasaki Arc. While The Ambition of Oda Nobuna: The Complete Collection may look like your typical rom-com harem, this time there is a story line and interesting characters to enjoy. Each story arc lasted around three episodes and was wrapped up in that time. The story line follows the history that we know of with slight changes made when Yoshiharu time-traveled to the Sengoku Period. However, that does not mean that you will know literally everything that is going to happen. You will still be pleasantly surprised and will enjoy the series.

The characters in The Ambition of Oda Nobuna: The Complete Collection are your typical rom-com harem characters but they were well developed and a few were absolutely adorable. Goemon Hachisuka has an adorable lisp and will likely steal your heart for the series. Toshiie Maeda is another adorable one as she always wears a lion costume. Both of these girls look very young, but do not let that fool you as they can take care of themselves just fine. Oda Nobuna is a girl that had a very hard life and it shows at times as she is leery of letting people into her heart because as soon as she does they leave her. She also has blonde hair in this series, which suits her character’s personality perfectly. Oda Nobuna’s retainers all have personalities that fit the historical character they are portraying well and they add entertainment to the story.

The art work is well done and the battle scenes look realistic. The characters were drawn well and the voice actors did a great job. The opening song was catchy and the closing animation is where all the fan-service was placed for the series. There really was not much besides that.

Extras:

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna: The Complete Collection includes clean opening and closing animations and Sentai Filmworks trailers as special features. This series was released with English and Japanese with English subtitles as language options. I recommend the Japanese with English subtitles for this release.

Overall Grade: B

The Ambition of Oda Nobuna: The Complete Collection is an interesting series and I recommend it if you enjoy history.