Lilac Anime Reviews

Romeo X Juliet Review (English)

2012-02-15T08:00:00.017-05:00

The Houses, Montague and Capulet, alike in dignity hence roses hate.
An Iris not remains but Juliet who escaped her family’s sanguinary fate.
The tyrant’s heir, a lad named Romeo.
The lady Capulet, whose vengeance sworn, they meet where cheap and wiser not to go.
And thus their star-crossed love was bred and born.
But fate, whose heart beat fast for tragic stern, would suffer not their love to sail to port.
The last, doth learn, that love is not enough.
Twixt siller and crouptious they cavort.
How find you then your bliss, with celestial foe?
This solitaire does not predict, no.

Romeo X Juliet is a Fantasy/Romance anime based on the play by William Shakespeare back during Elizabethan England. The 24 episode anime comes to us from Studio Gonzo (Last Exile, The Count of Monte Cristo) and was directed by Fumitoshi Oizaki. It originally aired from April to September 2007, with FUNimation as the current American Licensor. A manga adaptation written by the same writer as the series, Reiko Yoshida, was released in 2007 and finished in 2009. Yen Press holds licensing rights.

Fourteen years ago in the floating island of Neo Verona, Leontes Montague and his men led a bloody coup and murdered all of the members of House Capulet, the rulers of Neo Verona. However one survivor, Juliet, was able to escape thanks to a group of Capulet loyalists. Fourteen years later, Leontes, the new Prince of Neo Verona, rules the land with an iron fist and crushes anyone who opposes him. Juliet, now a sixteen year old girl, fights against House Montague's oppression by becoming a masked vigilante known as "The Red Whirlwind". While attending a ball with a friend, Juliet meets Romeo, Prince Montague's son and both of them fall in love at first sight. Unlike his father, Romeo is a kind and humble man who is opposed to his father's cruelty and shares many ideals with Juliet. Unfortunately for them, Capulet loyalists are planning a rebellion to overthrow House Montague while Leontes is obsessed with destroying the threat of House Capulet permanently. As these star-crossed lovers face many challenges and adventures together which will strengthen their love, an ancient secret hidden within Neo Verona is slowly revealed.

Alright, animation, time to rip you a new one. I mean, it’s Gonzo, there’s gonna be a good amount of screw ups........ Oh wow....... *looks at the sky and whispers* Thank you! Alright, jokes aside, Gonzo really REALLY made this series look amazing! With Gonzo, there are series that have minimal flaws in it’s animation (Yay Last Exile and Gankutsuou!), and then there are those series that are just plain sloppy (Thanks NHK.....). Romeo X Juliet is the exception to both these kinds of series because it is completely flawless! Animation, character design, and even the music is perfect for the series! The character design, especially, kind of reminds me of your typical Disney movie (if you can actually believe that one). Shakespeare would be rolling over his grave if he saw all this!

Speaking of rolling over in his grave, let’s talk story. There are only two things that are kept from the original play in this series, when it comes to story. The first being the obvious and iconic romance between Romeo and Juliet. Not much to explain there except there is even conflict between the two of them. It’s not just their families tearing them apart, but other circumstances during the series bring hard times for even young lovers. This makes the story even more real then the original play intended it to be. The other is the war between the Montagues and Capulets. But this time, there’s a little bit of a different angle to it. How the story starts is Lord Montague kills off the entire Capulet family, the current rulers of Neo Verona, and takes over. The only survivor of this incident is Juliet, and, years later, the remaining loyalists to House Capulet try to take back Neo Verona. This makes the story even more complex and give more reason as to why there is a war between the two families instead of “because we hate each other”. Everything else in the story, plot wise, is vastly different. The one part that I have issues with in this series is the tree deep in Neo Verona known as Escalus. It’s mentioned throughout the series, but it would be more helpful to give more explanation to this tree then just the last few episodes. In all honesty, the end is rather rushed with writers probably going “we solved that problem, now let’s kill them off!” If you’ve read the play, then you shouldn’t be surprised when I say that. It’s not really a spoiler...

Now with a story like Romeo and Juliet, you expect the same kind of characters as in the play. Not the case here..... SO not the case...... Because of the situation in the story itself, the characters respond in the way they should in that situation. The biggest 180 when it comes to character development is Juliet. In the original play, she was fair and reserved. What the anime decided to go and do was make her into a complete badass character! She is one of the few strong lead female characters in any recent anime, from what I can think of. Not only does she have to deal with the truth and duty of her real identity, but she also is the people’s hero known as The Red Whirlwind. Takes a very strong female character in order to achieve this feet, and she is my favorite of this series. As for Romeo, he’s also a 180 character, but in a more gentle, naive kind of way. However, he does become stronger throughout the series. He not only defies what his birth right is suppose to deem him, but even completely turns on his father and assists Juliet in taking him down. In other words, there’s a complete role reversal between Romeo and Juliet in this version. The rest of the characters have minimal development, but it’s justifiable. The story is about our two young lovers, that’s it. The rest of the characters are there for support. However, I will say, the supporting cast is a lot more interesting then the original. Characters go crazy, are evil tyrants, and are always seeking revenge (What is it with anime and vengeance?). Downside to this is there are WAY too many supporting characters in this series, taking it away from the main leads.

The English Dub FUNimation put together is fantastic! Brina Palencia (Spice and Wolf, Nabari no Ou) and Chris Burnett (Nabari no Ou, Hell Girl) as our two leading lovers are a perfect casting choice! Palencia especially because she not only has to play a female, but she had to create another voice for Juliet’s aliases Odin and The Red Whirlwind. Together, they make their love innocent like in the play, but not as naive as the play portrays them to be. As for our villain, Lord Montague, Sean Hennigan (One Piece, Baccano!) makes the cruel tyrant come alive with every word he says. The rest of the cast is so well done that it would take a long time for me to get through everyone, so I’m gonna make this short. A few people I’m glad to see resurface in this series are Maxey Whitehead (Baccano!) as Antonio, Joel McDonald (Nabari no Ou) as Vittorio, and Carrie Savage (Gankutsuou) as Hermione. Mainly because Whitehead and McDonald were awesome in Baccano! and I was excited to see them in more things. And if you’re wondering about William de Farnase (AKA Shakespeare the anime version), J. Michael Tatum (Spice and Wolf) took on this task and brought to life the famous playwright (And there goes Shakespeare in his grave again....). Other voice actors for the series include: Colleen Clinkenbeard, R. Bruce Elliott, Eric Vale, Robert McCollum, Mike McFarland, Larissa Wolcott, Sean Michael Teague, and Christopher Bevins.

Now, there’s a reason why I only decide to review the English Dub and not even bother with the Japanese version. What FUNimation decided to do, unlike Gonzo, was take the extra time and effort and use the same dialect as the original play. The literary device the series decides to use is called Iambic Pentameter, which is defined as a common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable. This gives more of a feel of a Shakespeare play rather than just coming up with completely new dialogue. Granted, it does drop the ball (a lot) and add some newer phrases, but the series doesn’t need to be punished for that. It takes lines directly from the play and are used in the dub. I think it clearly makes up for it.

By the end of the production, Romeo X Juliet is a remake of a classic story with many twists. From the new story, to the setting, and even the characters the series takes Shakespeare’s classic ideas of star crossed love and puts it on steroids! If you’re a theatre student, like myself, and have read any Shakespeare, this is a must see. If you’ve never read any Shakespeare (hard to find someone who doesn’t know what the hell Romeo and Juliet is now a days) and watch this, don’t read the play after that cause you’ll be mad it’s not as epic. Either way, go and watch it! And if you are looking for something else to bide your time with then look no further than another Gonzo/novel adaptation Gankutusuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. Very stylized and very faithful to it's original story, it's a must see!

Strife, hatred, sorrow, pain.
What is that brings these things to final end?
Tis ultimately, love, that wins the day.
For love, indeed, doth old wounds warmly tend.
And so, dear friends, with that we close our play.

Last Exile Review (English)

2012-02-01T08:00:00.025-05:00

Since when am I watching Star Wars? I mean, I did see the movies, and I thought it was ok.... but I didn’t know there was an anime adaptation... What’s that? ...This isn’t Star Wars? Oh…

Last Exile is an original 26 episode Adventure/Fantasy anime from director Koichi Chigira and Studio Gonzo (Full Metal Panic!, Welcome to the NHK). It originally ran in 2003; and was originally being licensed by Geneon, which we won’t discuss it further then that, and then was picked up and relicensed by FUNimation. A second series called Last Exile: Ginyoku no Fam, also from Chigira and Gonzo, was picked up by FUNimaiton. It ran in July 2011.

In a world that looks like the 19th century with Steampunk-esk anti-gravity devices, Claus and Lavie are pilot and co-pilot of a Vanship and act as couriers. They become involved with a mysterious mission after rescuing a little girl from a strange star-shaped killing machine. Not willing to let the girl die, they complete the mission by delivering her to the legendary mercenary ship Sylvana, only to become part of the crew as fighter pilots. (Anime News Network)

Last Exile’s animation is simply amazing... When it wants to be. Studio Gonzo has a bit of a reputation for finishing things half-assed, making the end result a mess; like NHK, even though this worked to their advantage. With Last Exile, Gonzo didn’t half-ass things but when the sloppy animation is apparent, you take notice. Shows what they can do when they put their minds to it I suppose. Otherwise then that, the art style, lighting, and even the music (albeit, mostly sounding like it comes from Scotland) are outstanding! The fights are done wonderfully, and even some of the small things stand out in a big way.

The story takes a little bit of time to get into due to the lack of a proper opening. The first six or seven episodes suffer because of this. Plus the lack of explanation isn’t the easiest to deal with at the start (considering I had to keep Hasteaguy from going into complete rage mode). However, after they hammer out the characters, get them together, and give them all a goal, the train ride of awesome gets up to full speed. What Last Exile does real well, is give you an epic conflict with characters that you actually care about. Right up to the end, you’re rooting for these guys/gals until the nail-biting conclusion. The end is really satisfying, however, it is rather rushed. It’s kind of like they wanted to make the series longer, but all of a sudden they were told they had a twenty minute episode to end the show on. And then the, “OH S**T!!” moment happens and they rush the end of the story.

On that note, let’s talk characters! About 95% of the characters are really well done. There’s only one character in the entire series that has so much lack of development and personality that it drives me nuts! The lucky character I have issues with? Alvis Hamilton. She’s the key to the mysterious Exile, and that’s where it stops. Oh wait, she looks at you with big eyes, acts like she’s’ never seen anything so sophisticated as a toy cow, and just giving off an overall impression that Hasteaguy calls, “I’m innocent and deep... Love me.” Yeah... But every other member of the cast has great development, great backstory, and really distinct personalities. Overall, Last Exile has a solid cast.

The English Dub casting for the series was certainly picked carefully. From the soft voiced Claus, portrayed by Bleach’s Johnny Yong Bosch to the very interesting character of Dio Eraclea by Digimon veteran Joshua Seth. The cast is a real good selection of veterans and newbies for Last Exile and work really well with each other. My favorite cast members for the dub are certainly Seth’s Dio, Crispin Freeman’s (Hellsing) Alex Row, Kari Wahlgren’s (Samurai Champloo) Lavie Head, Mona Marshall’s (Digimon) Lucciola, and Karen Strassman’s (Code Geass) Delphine Eraclea. Other notable voice actors include Michelle Ruff (Bleach) as both Alvis and Tatiana Wisla, Julie Ann Taylor (Love Hina) as Sophia Forrester, Dave Wittenberg (Naruto) as Mullin Shetland, Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop) as Vincent Alzey, and the late Bob Papenbrook (Magic Knight Rayearth) as David Mad-thane.

All right, you’re probably wondering why I cracked the Star Wars joke at the beginning of this review. That’s because there are A LOT of similarities that you can make between these two series that it’s scary.... First of all, you have your three leads from Stars Wars: Luke, Han Solo, and Leia. Compare them to Claus, Alex, and Sophia (The hair, man! The Damn HAIR!!!) from Last Exile and you get where this is coming from. Then there’s the war between the Guild and the members of the Sylvana in Last Exile, and a war between the Empire and the Rebels in Star Wars. And the final one is the Death Star… wow… That one was so blatant that I probably won’t even need to mention it when it comes up. Yeah, there are quite a few glaring similarities here, but Last Exile doesn’t get knocked down. Oh no, because the series is original, in it’s own way, you don’t notice the similarities to Star Wars unless you really pay attention... Or have seen the original movies recently... Like I did. Did I mention there’s, pretty much, a Death Star in this?

After taking you through this long, hard war, Last Exile truly deserves the title of “Classic Anime” that was given to it by FUNimation after its rerelease last spring. A gripping story with amazing animation and, mostly, developed characters, it’s a big must see! Even though the beginning is slow and the lack of explanation is frustrating, stick with it and you will be amazed! If you're a fan of Last Exile, then take a peak at it's squeal, Ginyoku no Fam. I took a look at a few episodes and it seemed pretty good. If you're not a fan of the Last Exile franchise in any way, then you're probably more of the hardcore action fan, in which case, try Gundam or Drangonball Z.

Durarara!! Review (English)

2012-01-18T08:00:00.015-05:00

"I understand how you feel... If you ride the train, people treat you like a molester. If you walk in the streets, you get weird invitations. And when you go home, you encounter troubles with your neighbor. And there's the Dollars and the headless rider to worry about. This is what Tokyo, the jungle made of concrete, is about. But, you must get over it. If you swore to yourself to become an upstanding Ikebukuronese, you must undergo the ordeal, Mikado.... Well, don't worry too much, you got me on your side."
-Masaomi Kida

Durarara!! is an Action/Comedy originally based on the light novel by Ryohgo Narita back in 2004. A manga adaptation by the same author and published by Square Enix was released in 2009. The 26 episode anime comes from Brain’s Base (Baccano!) and originally aired in January of 2010. It’s currently licensed by Aniplex and premiered on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim in July of 2011.

Mikado Ryūgamine is a young boy who longs for the exciting life of the big city. At the invitation of his childhood friend Masaomi Kida, he leaves home to go to a high school, Raira Academy, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. Masaomi warns him about people he doesn't want to cross in the city: a violent man dressed like a bartender, an information broker, and a mysterious gang called "Dollars." And, to top it off, Mikado witnesses an urban legend on his first day in the city: the "Black Rider," the supposedly headless pilot of a black motorcycle. The narrative follows all of the characters equally, showing how their lives intersect, creating a greater plot line from what each character knows about a common incident.

The animation of Durarara!! is really clean and sharp. You can tell that a lot of the animation is very similar to another Brain Base/Ryohgo Narita anime, Baccano!. So, in general, I’m gonna be doing a lot of repeating myself here. It’s a modern day story in Tokyo, so, obviously, it will be depicted very faithfully. The animation is very fluid with little to none hiccups in the process. From the dozens of vending machines thrown to the attention to detail in certain moments, the series creates a fun, fresh environment the viewer will enjoy immensely. And just between you and me, Durarara!! hid some little easter eggs in there. Posters of other anime such as Hell Girl and Darker Than Black, a cardboard cutout of Holo from Spice and Wolf, and a lot of posters and even some actual parts from the series of Baccano! are present throughout. If you’re wondering if they all are from the same studio as Durarara!! I’ll tell you now: they are not. Only Baccano! is from Brain’s Base while the others are from Studio Bones, Studio Deen, and Imagin, respectfully (Yes, I know Spice and Wolf II is from Brain's Base. Shut up!). And, if you’ve seen Baccano!, you might even see a couple familiar faces as the series roles on.

The story isn’t the complete jumbled mess like Baccano! was, but there are bits and pieces that are interconnected with all the characters in the series. There isn’t one consistent plot, but there are a few elements that are used throughout. The rest of the plot pretty much revolves around these pieces. One thing Durarara!! does that Baccano! did not, was use narration in every single episode. But the good news is, it’s not one person narrating the entire series. Each episode has a different character narrating the events from their point of view. This makes the story more about the characters themselves rather then the plot as a whole. The story itself is broken into two halves. The first half is about Celty and her search for her missing head, while the second half is about the conflict between the Dollars, the Yellow Scarves, and the Slasher. These plot lines are introduced well and aren’t cramped in there all at once.

Speaking of the characters, Narita has struck gold again. The characters of Durarara!! are some of the most fun characters that I have watched since..... well...... Baccano! Each one has their flaws and the series pretty much exploits them to the n-th degree. For example, Shizuo Heiwajima hates violence, yet he beats the crap (and clothes) out of everyone he runs into. And, of course, here’s some info for you about the opening theme. Like Baccano!, Durarara!! introduces the characters in their opening theme, plus adds little pieces of previous episodes in order to tell you what will be relevant in the upcoming episode.

And now, onto the voice acting. When Aniplex picked it up, they seemed to have gone all out and recruited a lot of veterans to play some of the minor roles, aside from Michelle Ruff. As for Mikado Ryugamine and Masaomi Kida, a couple lesser known actors stepped in, Darrel Guilbeau (Higurashi) and Bryce Papenbrook (Vampire Knight). This didn’t hurt the series much, especially Papenbrook’s performance. He certainly fits the role of Masaomi Kida very well, and I can’t imagine anyone better. Two of the most fun choices of the series in the dub are defiantly Crispin Freeman (Hellsing) as Shizuo Heiwajima and Jonhy Yong Bosch (Code Geass) as Izaya Orihara. I’m very pleased to see Bosch take on a more cunning and slimy character like Izaya since the last time he played this type of character was in Code Geass, and it’s always fun to watch Freeman be the bad ass mother f***er. Other voice actors in the dub include: Michelle Ruff (Bleach) as Anri Sonohara, Kari Wahlgreen (Last Exile) as Celty Sturluson, Yuri Lowenthal (Naruto) as Shinra Kishitani, Patrick Seitz (Monster) as Simon Brezhnev, Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop) as Kyohei Kadota, Brain Beacock (Digimon Tamers) as Walker Yumasaki, and Mela Lee (Vampire Knight) as Erika Karisawa.

With Baccano! we had a supernatural element in the story, the immortal beings and the elixir. With Durarara!! you don’t have immortals, but there is a supernatural piece in the series. Now, if you’re trying to link together the Black Rider to the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hallow, then you are on the right track. Both of these figures come from a creature from Irish legend known as a Dullahan. A Dullahan is a type of unseelie (evil) faerie. They are headless and are usually seen riding a black horse, carrying their head in their arms. Now, unlike Sleepy Hallow, Durarara!! actually made one of their characters a legit Dullahan. However, Celty Sturluson has lost her head and she is trying to find it. And, unlike the original story of the Dullahan, Celty isn’t an evil being nor do we know if she ever was before she lost her head due to her lack of memory. Despite being a supernatural being, the more Celty lives her life in the modern day, the more she feels human. This makes her more relatable and sympathetic even though she is something that doesn’t actually exist. And if you’re wondering where her black horse is throughout the series, she has it. When she began searching for her head, her horse took on the form of a black motorcycle. To make the connection even clearer, the motorcycle neighs like a horse. Ta da!

At the end of the motorcycle ride, Durarara!! lives up to the expectations the viewer would hope for after it’s predecessor set a really high bar when it comes to it’s story and characters. It doesn’t go above and beyond Baccano!, but it does reach just about the same level. The characters are so much fun to watch, and the story told through each of those characters makes for a much more interesting and good story. The dub is solid, the animation is solid, and it certainly gives the viewers the funny. Highly recommend this series for fans of Baccano! and even for those who haven’t seen or didn’t like Baccano! Trust me when I say, you won’t be disappointed.

If you want something else to take a look at, then turn your attention to Baccano!. The elder cousin of Durarara!!, Baccano! is from the same author and same production studio. The only difference is, it takes place in the 1930s, and it's AWESOME.....ER!! If you're not a fan of Baccano!, then I can't really suggest anything else cause there isn't really anything that even comes close to this and it's younger cousin so you might be stuck skipping it.

Kaiba Review

2012-01-04T08:00:00.035-05:00

What are memories? Souls? Spirits? This is a world where memories can be turned into data and stored. Even if the body dies, its memories live on and can be transferred to another body. Bad memories can be erased, and good ones downloaded. However, this is something only the privileged can do. In a world like this, our protagonist, Kaiba, is traveling in another body with no memories of his own.

Kaiba is an original SciFi/Romance anime. This twelve episode show is from Studio Madhouse (Monster, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad) and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, premiering in the spring season of 2008. It currently is not licensed in America, but is licensed in Australia. Kaiba won an Excellence Prize for animation at the 2008 Japan Media Arts Festival.

One day a man, Kaiba, wakes up in a broken room. He has no memories, only a pendant with a picture of an unknown woman. Outside of the room are grotesque floating electrical clouds of disjointed memories. Kaiba is suddenly assaulted, and escapes into space. He travels to various planets, encountering various people and retrieving his memories. (Anime News Network)

The art style and design for this series really reminds me of the design of the original Astro Boy anime. Plus, I can see why it won the animation award in the Media Arts Festival. The movements of the characters are very fluid, and very precise. This makes the series worth watching for the animation alone. Also, Kaiba has a very unique character design asthetic then the typical anime we’re used to nowadays. It coincides with the animation of that episode, and helps Madhouse escape from their reputation for inconsistent animation. Again, reminds me of the old Astro Boy anime, but this isn’t a terrible thing and I’m not gonna knock it down because of that since Astro Boy was from the 60’s and the animation back then probably wasn’t that great. Kaiba just makes it more modernized and helps make the series as a whole completely different then recent anime.

The story is simple, yet complex. Simple because, on the surface, it’s about an amnesiac man trying to regain his memories and find out whom the woman in the picture is. The story is complex because below the surface the series brings in the concept of editing personal memories, selling your body for money, and similar cyberpunk “loss of self” concepts that Ghost in the Shell usually tackles. And the transition into the complex story line is done really well. For half the series, you’re dealing with the simpler story of getting Kaiba’s memories back. However, the memory and body thing is visited throughout each episode as you meet characters that are tied into that part of the story in different ways. When you get to the second half of the series, the complex story becomes even more complex. I don’t wanna give anything away, but I’ll say that clones, altered memories, and planet eating plants are involved.

So Kaiba has unique animation and a good story. Now here’s where I kinda tear into it a bit. The characters are pretty good. Each of the characters, major or minor, has their own backstory and, for an anime with only 12 episodes, they’re introduced really well. The downside to this is the major characters aren’t introduced to us until halfway through the series, with the exception of Kaiba. Granted, Kaiba is searching for Neiro and his memories, but it would have been nice to see more of Neiro as he regains those memories throughout the ENTIRE series. Then there’s Popo. What about him? He helped out Kaiba in the beginning of the series and then he’s gone. Then comes back half way through. And when he comes back he’s is the villain, why?!... *sigh*. Bottom line, characters could have been presented better.

The Japanese dub for Kaiba is decent. The only complaint I have is the use of adult voices for characters that clearly looks like children. I’ll admit, this is because of the animation that I have this problem, but still it looks awkward. I have to give a lot of props to Houko Kuwashima (Claymore) as Kaiba, who pulls off the character really well. Starting off as curious and child like, it makes a smooth transition into the mature Kaiba after regaining his memories. Another well done performance is Romi Park (Full Metal Alchemist) as Popo. She has just the right amount evil and innocence put into the role. The third role that was a lot of fun was Hisao Egawa (Mobile Suit Gundam 00) as Vanilla. Both parts caring and flirtatious, Egawa plays them both really well. The one voice that I had a little trouble with was Mamiko Noto’s (Monster) Neiro. Again, it’s the problem with the animation making them look more like kids rather then adults, but the role is a good fit. Not amazing, but good.

Something of particular mention is the dialogue, which is actually really good. Why is that? Because there is little to no dialogue in this series, especially with our main character Kaiba. He’s lost his memories and, unlike other amnesia suffering characters, he doesn’t ask questions and he isn’t a complete annoyance. As the series picks up, there’s more dialogue, but it’s still fairly quiet for the most part. The majority of the story is told through the movements of the characters, and the subtle music in the background. This is very different from most storytelling styles and used to great effect. Another bonus for Kaiba is the level of maturity and dark ideas the series has. There is almost nothing light hearted about this anime, and you would think that with the colorful and child-like animation that it would. But no, the content is very mature and raises some very interesting questions. The biggest one being, what if we lived in this world? A world where you can get a new body whenever you want, where people will steal your body for cash, and people can pretty much be immortal. In this world, memories are the most precious thing and no one wants to lose their memories or those of their loved ones no matter what. What makes you you, and how can you be sure that what you have was even yours to begin with? Very good concept! And pulled off very well!

At the end of the space trip, Kaiba is a unique SciFi anime where you ask questions about your own identity and memories. Again, it’s kind of upsetting that this never reached farther then Australia with licensing, but this is certainly one of those, that I would deem, to be a cult classic anime. Very underrated, very different, but if given a chance would become pretty popular elsewhere. Kaiba is a must see, even though some of it’s content can be a little graphic (ex. episode 2, a woman sounds like she’s having sex, but we never see it).

If you want something different or more commonly known to you as an anime, then I suggest looking toward the 1960's version of Astro Boy. The animation is similar looking to Kaiba, but doesn't quite have the though provoking questions Kaiba gives off.

Thanks to Vaughn Simmons for the suggestion!

Non-Alcoholic Drinking Games

2011-12-21T11:00:00.010-05:00

With the holidays fast approaching, we all know that adults will be drinking wine and beer to celebrate. But don’t worry my little underage readers. As my gift to you this holiday season, I have three anime drinking games you can play; not just for the holidays, but at any time! All three games are based on three anime that I have reviewed this year. If you are the age to drink, I don’t suggest you have alcohol. This is just a fun game to play, and I hope you would want to enjoy watching the anime while playing. Two games were created from our school’s anime club in college, while the third one is of my own creation. Here are the games and here are the rules:

DeathNote
Can be played in either Japanese or English.
Take a drink....

When there’s Dramatic Music
When Ryuk laughs
When Light laugh
When Light talks about himself as Kira
When L sucks his thumb
When Kira kills someone
When Ryuk eats an apple
Whenever L brings up a percentage
Whenever Mastuda say/does something stupid
Whenever Misa is referred to as “Misa Misa”
Whenever Misa hits on Light
Whenever “The Eyes” are used/talked about

Finish your drink....
Whenever a Shinigami dies

Le Chevalier d’Eon
Has the least rules, but it oh so effective!
Take a drink....

Whenever there’s awkward dialogue
Every time someone talks about Lia (who she is, and what she did)
Every time someone says “Vengeance”
Whenever “Psalms” is seen or heard
Whenever you can see cleavage
Whenever D’eon turns into a woman
Whenever Marie talks to the skull

Finish you drink....
Whenever Robin ACTUALLY hits something with his gun (as in bullets)

Soul Eater
Better to play this with the English Dub...
Take a drink....

Whenever Death the Kid talks about/has problems with symmetry
Whenever Soul talks about anything being cool
Maka Chop/Reaper Chop
Whenever Chrona says he can’t deal with something
Whenever Sid talks about “when I was alive”
When Black Star says YAHOO!!!
Skimpy/Nude Blair
Whenever Maka denies her father
Whenever Stein talks about dissecting things
When Black Star talks about himself
Eruka ribbits
Whenever the Keshin is mentioned

Finish your drink....
Whenever a witch dies

Thanks for sticking around with me for the past year! If you have any other anime drinking games you enjoy, comment below. I hope you all enjoy your holiday, and I will see you in 2012!

Princess Tutu Review (English)

2011-12-07T08:00:00.007-05:00

“Once upon a time, there was a man who died. The man’s work was the writing and telling of stories, but he could not defy death. The last story he was working on, was about a brave and handsome prince who vanquishes a crafty raven. But now, it seems that their battle will go on for eternity. ‘I’m sick and tired of this’ cried the raven. ‘I’m sick and tired of this’ cried the prince as well. The raven escaped from the pages of the story, and the prince pursued the fell creature. In the end, the prince took out his own heart and sealed the raven away by using a forbidden power. Just then, a murmur came from somewhere. ‘This is great!’ said the old man who was supposed to have died.”

Princess Tutu is a Fantasy/Comedy anime based on the manga by Mizuo Shinonome and published by Akita Shoten. ADV Manga is the English publisher. The 26 episode anime comes from Hal Film Maker and is currently licensed by ADV Films. Japan originally ran the series from August 2002 to May 2003.

13-year-old ballet student, Duck, is clumsy, but good-hearted and sweet... and has a big secret. The mysterious Drosselmayer morphed a young duck into a girl to give her a mission: help a Prince to get the parts of his heart back. With that in mind, she transforms into the beautiful Princess Tutu, whose magical dances ease pain and purifies the bad feelings. However, the evil Raven and his minions soon seek to foil Duck’s plans. The Prince’s friend, Fakir, who refuses to allow the heart shards to return, for reasons unknown, also opposes the Princess.

The art and animation of Tutu is simple, yet fantastic when it really wants to be. The entire show is presented as if it’s one big ballet using animation, lighting, and music to its fullest extent. One thing to keep in mind about this series is it’s a magical girl anime. Meaning, yes, there will be a long transformation sequence in about every episode. However, unlike a lot of other magical girl shows, Duck’s transformation into Princess Tutu is only about fifteen seconds; when most others take a full minute or more. Another important thing to point out is the show’s music. A lot of popular musical compositions from ballets are played throughout the story. From the Nutcracker to Swan Lake, these pieces work really well and add just a special touch to the entire picture.

Princess Tutu’s story is simple. A duck wants to become a girl so she can try and make the prince smile. A mysterious man gives her the opportunity to do so, and she becomes so much more. The story is also so simple; yet so emotionally investing that it becomes, like Duck, so much more. In the beginning of each episode, there is even a slight narration of a story that will have something to do with the current episode. For example, the passage in the beginning of this review is the narration from the first episode. Other narrations the series gives way to are A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. The story really does reach out and pull your heartstrings, and, for probably a good amount of people, will leave you in tears by the series end. wipes eyes what?

Oh the characters, what to say about them. In a word: growth. These characters grow so much, coming into their own and accepting who they were really suppose to be, and defying Drosselmeyer’s plans of how the story is to go. Two characters that had the most amount of growth were certainly Rue, Duck’s rival, and Fakir. Both start out very similar to each other because of their wish to protect Mytho, and later on they each become more important and even more relevant to the story almost as much as Duck or Mytho. Each of the four main characters can be relatable in some way and the viewers will even be able to see themselves in, at least, one character. For me, it would have to be Rue. I won’t go into too much detail why, but Rue’s desire for love really hits home for me and even makes me cry a little bit.

Tutu’s English dub is outstanding! For a magical girl anime, the cast was taken into careful consideration when the dub was made. Luci Christian (Soul Eater) as Duck was perfect! I seriously had to look online to find out it really was her, and it is certainly one of her best roles to date. Jay Hickman’s (Elfen Lied) Mytho was a little hard to get used to, however, like Mytho, Hickman starts out as unemotional and empty and starts to learn how to feel again once the shards of his heart begin to return. Then you have Chris Patton (Welcome to the NHK) as Fakir. Absolutely splendid! Not only does Patton play our supposed villain really well, but also his panic and pain as to his true purpose in the story become apparent later on. Jessica Boone (Canaan) as Rue was also a lovely choice. Equal parts snobby, cunning, and sweet, Boone displays this very well. One of the more fun roles of this series has got to be Marty Fleck (Project Blue Earth SOS) as Drosselmeyer. Outstanding from start to finish! Other actors include: Christine Auten (SDF Macross) as Edel/Uzura, Cynthia Martinez (Kino’s Journey) as Pike, Sasha Paysinger (Best Student Council) as Lille (really funny girl FYI), and TJP (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok) as Mr. Cat (Be careful or you might be stuck marrying him). Plus there are two Narrators for the story: Jennie Welch (Mezzo) and Marcy Bannor (Red Garden).

Alright, I’ve stated many times already that Princess Tutu is a magical girl anime. However, there is a different side to this series; a much darker side. For about half of the series, you get the same thing each episode: Duck being clumsy, a heart shard is found, Duck becomes Tutu, and returns the shard to Mytho; Lather, Rinse, Repeat. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you know of the story of Swan Lake, then you already can guess what kind of happens next; and then some. From this point on, the story become really really dark. And some people might begin to ask if this really is a kid’s show. It is, but that’s the appeal of Princess Tutu. It not only tailors to kids, but to some adults as well, including men. I’ve heard from several of my friends, and other critics that “real men watch Princess Tutu”, and I think that’s a real fact. I know of a few guys who have either seen it and loved it or have yet to see it and it is on their list of anime to watch. I’m even willing to bet that a few anime haters will fall in love with the story as well.

When the curtain falls, Princess Tutu is a heartfelt story that captivates both children and adults alike. It’s visuals give off the sense of a real ballet and its characters are both entertaining and relatable. This is one of the very few anime I can highly recommend to both guys and girls, and is certainly a top favorite of mine.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross Review (English)

2011-11-23T08:00:00.010-05:00

Alright, so we’ve seen Vic Mignogna in many roles in recent anime. Now it’s time to talk about an anime that probably only children of the 80’s (and with time machines) would be able to remember.

Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an Action/Drama/SciFi anime that originally aired in Japan from October 1982 to June 1983. It comes from three Japanese studios: Studio Nue, Artland, and Tatsunoko Production. A manga adaptation was released in 2009 and is currently ongoing. ADV Films holds the current rights to the 36 episode anime and released an english dub version in 2006. There are many MANY sequels to this series, the most recent being Macross Frontier The Movie: The Wings of Goodbye; released in February 2011.

In 1999, an alien spaceship crashes on South Ataria Island and makes the human race aware of other life in space. Ten years later, the ship is reconstructed and christened as the SDF-1 Macross. However, on the day of its maiden voyage, an alien race called the Zentradi make their appearance on Earth—thus beginning Space War I, a UN Spacy/Zentradi war that would change the history of both races forever.

What to say about the animation...... It’s the 80’s. Macross isn’t the most well animated series by today’s standards, but for the 80’s, the animation fits. However, I mentioned in my D.N.Angel review that there are a few times where animated scenes are repeated. Macross is an even BIGGER offender of this, with multiple scenes being reused several times. In one episode, even the animation from the opening theme is reused, along with the song during a dream sequence about half way through. The end theme for Macross is in probably worse shape, being in no way animated and is just a real person flipping through a photo album. I guess, maybe, the budgets back then weren’t all that great or the technology wasn’t that good. The soundtrack and the dub were redone back in 2006, and you can tell very quickly. If only they redid the sound effects in the same way, there would be a little more consistency with the audio as a whole and you wouldn’t have to rage as much. Another problem that can sometimes be a distraction, is the lack of consistency with color. I swear, in one episode, Minmay was wearing something blue and in only two seconds it switched from purple to blue about five or six times. Again, it’s the 80’s. Animation isn’t exactly going to be top notch right now.

Macross’s story is split into three parts: the journey back to earth, the fight against the Zentrati, and then two years after the fight. The transition into these parts does run rather smoothly and the story as a whole is good. However, some of the reoccurring messages of race and sexism are just thrown into your face constantly.... There’s nothing subtle or underlying about it at all, and it drives me nuts! The biggest sexism offender is Roy Focker, with Hikaru Ichijyo at a close second. I understand, again, it’s the 80’s, but could you at least have SOME amount of subtly, or respect? I mean these are main characters that we’re supposed to identify with, why do they all have to be jerks? Was everyone like this in the 80s? Then there’s the romances that just suddenly pop up out of nowhere, the big one being Roy Focker and Claudia La’Salle. Mid way through the series, it’s just abruptly there and is neither explained nor seen until that mid waypoint. Granted, we get a flashback from Claudia much later on in the series, literally episode 33, as to how they met, but again, it just pops up out of nowhere. Now with Hikaru and Misa Hayase, it’s actually developed throughout the series and by the end, you’re pretty happy where it is.

The characters of Macross are actually fairly well developed. The writers at Macross only looked into who TRULY mattered in the series like Hikaru, Misa, and even some members of the Zentrati have development stashed away in them (hell you could argue the entire race got some development through the series). Sadly, Lynn Minmay doesn’t seem to have much to her, even though, for most of the series, it seems like they’re trying to make her the heroine when she’s actually not. Since the series is 36 episodes long, the storywriters actually had the time to give a lot of characters development. However, a lot of it is thrown at you constantly in every episode. There are only a few things that actually take time to grow and develop, which is a plus, but they are few and far between.

ADV Films didn’t take the series lightly when considering the dub in 2006. The voice acting for the dub has it’s good actors and it’s bad, but is, overall, a really good dub. Monica Rial (Soul Eater) as Misa Hayase, John Swasey (D.N.Angel) as Captain Global, and John Gremillion (One Piece) as Britai Kridanik are among the better choices. Another I rather enjoyed was Brett Weaver’s (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Roy Focker. You can really tell how much of a cocky and sexist war hero this guy really is through his performance. Now here’s where I do a little bit of complaining, because the voice actress for Lynn Minmay is the same person who did the Japanese version back in 1982. Don’t get me wrong, Mari Iijima doesn’t do a completely terrible job in the dub; she’s done the role before so she knows what is expected of the character. It’s just why do they deem it necessary to have Minmay speak with some sort of hard to understand accent? Maybe they wanted her to stand out more as a character, but it just failed. A better voice actor should have been in order for the role, but Iijima wanted to step in instead. Can we find someone who can actually speak english please? Besides, Minmay is Chinese, if she’s speaking with an accent why aren’t the other ACTUALLY Japanese characters like Hayase, and Hikaru speaking with an accent as well?! Some other voice actors include Christine Auten, Jason Douglas, Chris Patton, Hilary Haag, Luci Christian, Christopher Ayres, Leraldo Anzaldua, Illich Guardiola, and Greg Ayres.

Now for our man of the month: Vic Mignogna. His role as Hikaru Ichijyo is, actually, what I expected the character to be. Again, there’s the whole “I’m hearing Edward Elric again” problem, but after a while you’re not watching Ed but Hikaru. Plus, I took a small peak at the Japanese version, and Vic Mignogna plays Hikaru as a younger, more naive pilot; making for a much better character overall. However, even Vic falls prey to the constant sexism that’s given off in the series and then makes me want to punch him in the face. His character does make a “women in the kitchen” statement, so that ought to tell you enough. Overall, for a grade, I’m gonna give Vic Mignogna an A- for his role as Hikaru Ichijyo.

Through it all, Super Dimension Fortress Macross is an old 80’s classic with numerous flaws technically and story wise, but does make up for it with a carefully selected cast and fairly well developed characters. It may be true that Macross was created in the wake of the Gundam franchise three year before, but it can be viewed as it’s ugly, sexy voiced cousin. It’s a decent classic anime, but it hasn’t quite aged well by today’s standards. If you’re interested in mecha or scifi anime, take a peek, but don’t be extremely thrilled with what you see.

That's it for Vic Mignogna month! And with one month to go, the year is almost out and soon it will be the dreaded 2012. For now, let me know which is you favorite Vic Mignogna role ever in the comments below. And take part in the poll posted at the top of the page! The next, and last, anime review of 2011 will be Princess Tutu. Until then, see you next time!

D.N.Angel Review (English)

2011-11-09T08:00:00.009-05:00

Alright, everybody, time for the first review of Vic Mignogna Month! And, according to Wikipedia, this is one of his most well known roles in anime. Apparently, it’s up there with Full Metal Alchemist and Ouran High School Host Club. Well, we’ll just have to see about that.

D.N.Angel is a Fantasy/Romance anime based on the manga by Yukiru Sugisaki and published by Kadokawa Shoten. Tokyopop did holds the rights, but since they closed their doors, as of this review, the series has not been relicensed. The 26 episode anime comes from Dentsu/Xebec, originally running in 2003. ADV Films used to holds licensing rights, but current rights belong to Discotek.

Daisuke Niwa is your average teenager, until his fourteenth birthday. He tries to declare his love to the girl of his dreams, but fails. Suddenly, whenever he thinks about this girl he turns into the legendary phantom thief known as Dark Mousy. Daisuke's mother, very much aware of this, makes him turn into Dark and steal valuable works of art for a purpose unknown to Daisuke. As the story unfolds, he learns why, and about his classmate who seems to have the same ability. (Anime News Network)

The art style and animation is well done for an anime of the early 2000’s.... If only it didn’t repeat scenes. Yeah... I’m guessing the budget went down the tubes real quick so they had to reuse some of their scenes. And this happens a lot, so, unfortunately, it does take away from the series as a whole. Hell, you can actually tell where the budget went: the end of the series. The last few episodes are better, visually, then the rest of the series. Makes me wonder, when will an anime actually be consistent in animation? Oh wait, it has.... It’s called Soul Eater, Eden of the East, Baccano!, Umineko no Naku Koro ni......

D.N.Angel’s plot is a little hard to follow, because for most of the series you’re following Daisuke and Dark stealing art works plus some comedic filler episodes involving the Harada twins or Wiz (he’s called With in the dub, but I don’t care. He’s Wiz to me). Each episode has it’s own story to tell, and you don’t really see a set plot until later on in the series. This isn’t a bad thing, because it does help establish the characters more before the big climax of the series. However, it leaves the viewer wondering when the ACTUAL plot is going to happen. Then something DOES happen and you feel like this would be a good end to the series. Even credits role with more of the characters at the end.... However, D.N.Angel decides to pull a ‘psych’ moment and show you “nope not done yet”. And, also, there is suddenly foul language (small amount, but compared to having none so far, it stands out). So.... The two problems I have with this series is lack of strict plot, and that it doesn’t know when to stop.

The characters aren’t really full of depth or development in the series at all. Whatever development the characters have, it all gets thrown in during the last episodes. The one thing that really seems to grow throughout the series is Daisuke and Riku’s relationship. Makes sense..... But what about Dark’s past? Or Satoshi’s growing friendship with Daisuke? Hell, when did Risa and Satoshi suddenly have a thing for each other? Sorry, none of that is explained much. Even the relationship of Daisuke and Riku doesn’t start happening till later in the series. It seems like a lot of the characters just seem to get the short end of the stick.

Alright, pertaining to the English Dub, all I’m going to say is this....... My ears are bleeding now...... Seriously, I have never heard so much pitchy voice acting in any anime; not to mention a few bad dubbing matches. A lot of the choices for major characters had a very hard time playing young teens, when you really hope for a little maturity in their voices. Prime examples, Kevin Corn (Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu) as Daisuke and Luci Christian (Princess Tutu) as Risa. Then there’s the “I’m the most mature and serious character, but my voice doesn’t make you take me seriously”; such as the case of Greg Ayres’s (Nabari no Ou) Satoshi, who does make it work for him later on. Here’s the thing in all of this, D.N.Angel is more along the lines of after-school-special, so, in some circles, this kind of acting can be explained. And, eventually, the actors make due and it turns into a decent performance on all parts. Still doesn’t give it the best excuse in the world, but that’s all I got (so the dub was bad but that’s…. okay?). Some other known voice actors for D.N.Angel include: Illich Guardiola (Le Chevalier D’eon) as Krad (if I hear him yell “Dark” one more time, I am going to destroy the TV), Hilary Haag (Chrono Crusade) as Riku Harada, John Swasey (Soul Eater) as Daiki Niwa (and the only character I really enjoyed), Monica Rial (Gunslinger Girl) as Towa, and Jessica Boone (Azumanga Daioh) as Mio Hio.

Now, since this month is all about good old Vic, it’s time to see where his performance stands in the anime. According to sources, his role as Dark Mousy is among one of his most well know voice acting roles (Along side Ed Elric and Tamaki), however, it’s not quite one of his best. He’s certainly is the best voice actor in the series and fits the role really well from start to finish. It’s just one of those things, like Johnny Young Bosch with Ichigo from Bleach, I just hear Ed Elric in my ear the entire time. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not terrible, he could probably have done better though. If I have to grade his performance, I would give it a solid B because of the confidence and guile that was put into this role. In some circles, I believe D.N.Angel was just a prequel into what would soon become Vic’s real breakout role from Full Metal Alchemist.

At the end of it all, D.N.Angel isn’t exactly the most well planned anime. From the animation to the voice acting, a lot of better choices could have been made to make the series even better! But it did give viewers the chance to look at the soon-to-be highly demanded voice actor, Vic Mignogna; and the budding romance between Daisuke and Riku was a fun one to watch. But, other than that, it’s an after-school-special and not very much of a stand out anime and can be completely forgettable. If you’re into cute romances and handsome thieves, then check it out. Be warned though, constant bleeding of the ears may occur.

Lilac Anime Reviews: November Special

2011-11-01T11:00:00.008-04:00

Welcome to November! This is going to be another special little month of reviews just like Zombie month back in June. However, this time we’re going to be taking a look at one of the most popular English voice actors to date! He is most popular as the voice of Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist. That’s right! The month of November will be dedicated to the one and only: Vic Mignogna!

This month, we will be looking at two of Vic’s roles in anime. Fair warning, we will not be looking at FMA or Ouran High School Host Club (the other popular anime Vic is well known for). We’re going to look at a couple roles that people may or may not remember. What will we be looking at then?

On November 9th, we will be taking a look into one of Vic Mignogna’s famous, and earliest, roles. D.N.Angel.

The Story:
Daisuke Niwa is your average teenager, until his fourteenth birthday. He tries to declare his love to the girl of his dreams, but fails. Suddenly, whenever he thinks about this girl he turns into the legendary phantom thief known as Dark Mousy. Daisuke's mother, very much aware of this, makes him turn into Dark and steal valuable works of art for a purpose unkown to Daisuke. As the story unfolds, he learns why, and about his classmate who seems to have the same ability. (Anime News Network)

On November 23rd (Thanks to Hasteguy), we will be looking into an older anime, 1982 to be exact. Super Dimension Fortress Macross!

The Story:
In 1999, an alien spaceship crashes on South Ataria Island and makes the human race aware of other life in space. Ten years later, the ship is reconstructed and christened as the SDF-1 Macross. However, on the day of its maiden voyage, an alien race called the Zentradi make their appearance on Earth—thus beginning Space War I, a UN Spacy/Zentradi war that would change the history of both races forever. (Anime News Network)

Ever heard of these anime before? Have any thoughts now? Comment below and tell me what you think about these anime, and if there are any other Vic Mignogna roles you love! Untill then, see you later!

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Review (Japanese)

2011-10-19T08:00:00.005-04:00

Click Here!

And now that that epicness is done, we can begin! And, since Halloween is right around the corner, I figured I would review a very disturbing anime that will make you squirm. I mentioned the villain of this anime back in August, now you get to see why this anime is just as good as it’s main villain.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni, or When the Seagulls Cry, is a Drama/Mystery anime based on the video games from 07th Expansion as well as the manga by Ryukishi07/07th Expension. The 26 episode anime comes from Studio Deen, originally running from July to December 2009. It has yet to be licensed in America.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place in the year 1986, during the time frame of October 4 and October 5 on a secluded island named Rokkenjima. The head of a wealthy family named Kinzo Ushiromiya, who lives on and owns Rokkenjima, is near death, and eight of his family members arrive on the island to discuss how Kinzo's assets will be divided once he is dead. Also on the island are three family members who live there, five of Kinzo's servants, and his personal physician. After the eight family members arrive, a typhoon traps them on the island and shortly after people start to get mysteriously murdered. The main culprit is Beatrice, the Golden Witch; reputed to be the source of the family’s wealth. However, Battler Ushiromiya doesn't believe in magic or witches and decides to face off against Beatrice in order to prove how a human is capable of murder, not magic. With the clock ticking, and a riddle to solve that will endow all the family’s gold to one who solves it, who will remain alive to claim it? And just who is the real culprit, human or witch?

The art style and animation of Umineko is rather simple. It has it’s moments of sure brilliance when it comes to the magic of Beatrice and others around her. It’s also a rather colorful anime, not bright and in your face, yet it’s not pastel and faded looking. The series also adds in symbols that can become rather significant at different points in the show. From the family crest to the bloody symbols on the doors of where people have been killed, Umineko doesn’t waste it’s time and remains on where it should be. Even the music is suspenseful and dark, which, even though it’s a standard of mystery stories, works wonderfully. Combining this with the Phantom of the Opera-ish opening and ending theme music, it shows how dark and mysterious this anime is suppose to be.

Umineko’s story is carried out really well. Not only are you watching Battler Ushiromiya fighting against the witch Beatrice, you’re even sucked in and continuously are trying to solve the “closed door murders” that are set up for you. Add on several side plots involving many of the family members, including; George and Shannon’s relationship, Eva and her other self, Rosa’s abuse toward Maria, Maria’s own magical powers, and the mysterious girl Gretel who assists Battler in the 4th game. The story keeps it’s main focus but intelligently adds these story lines as each new game begins, keeping the story from getting old and making it more interesting as the series goes on. However, the series comes to an abrupt end at, what seems to be, more of a cliff hanger moment. Where the anime ends, the video games pick up and continue; and, unless you’ve played them, you won’t know what happens next.

Only certain characters have any type of development during the series, many of them I mentioned, previously, as part of the side plots. You only see major character development from Shannon, Eva, Maria, Battler, Kanon, and Beatrice herself. However, for some of the characters, it’s more of a revelation then development, like in the cases of Maria and Shannon. For Kanon, he has a small piece of development that carries on through the rest of the series and for each game. For Eva, her development comes ONLY in the third game, for the rest of the time (Games 1, 2, and 4) she remains the same. As for Battler and Beatrice, since they are the two main players in the game, they go through a lot of ups and downs throughout. However, I have a small problem with how some development is introduced; and it mostly comes from the 4th game. All of a sudden you are thrown in a TON of information regarding Maria and Ange (Battler’s younger sister), and it takes you away from the last game for a few episodes; after which, you are suddenly tossed back in and it becomes a bit rushed.

Sadly, there’s no English Dub for Umineko, so I could only watch the Japanese. I’m not saying that the Japanese was bad, it was AMAZINGLY good; it just would have been interesting to see what America could come up with for this series. Daisuke Ono’s performance as Battler was perfect! His confidence and intellect was delivered wonderfully, like a real fighter should be. Sayaka Ohara’s Beatrice was fantastic as well. Ohara gave her the cruel, confident, and strong willed personality; at the same time, there was a sympathetic and tender nature used as well when needed. As for the rest of the cast, maybe a slight better choice here or there, but overall really well done. The only other voice actress I’m going to mention is Yui Horie as Maria. I only have two words for this little girl: HOLY F***!!!! She is so sweet and innocent yet sooooo creepy it’s scary!!...... And makes me giggle.

As I mentioned before, Umineko is based on the video game series from 07th Expansion; and I also mentioned that there’s more to the story after the anime ends. The series only covers the first four video games: Legend of the Golden Witch, Turn of the Golden Witch, Banquet of the Golden Witch, and Alliance of the Golden Witch. These four games are actually played out in the anime, but there are four MORE video games that come after and were released after the anime: End of the Golden Witch, Dawn of the Golden Witch, Requiem of the Golden Witch, and Twilight of the Golden Witch. Each game brings about new scenarios and a few new characters for each, and it kind of makes me understand why the anime stopped where it did. However, you don’t just stop at a place like that in an anime and not finish it. The only explanation I can probably think of for this, is that the anime was created to advertise their games. That or they haven’t finished it yet cause of the release of the last four games; Twilight of the Golden Witch, having been released in December 2010. Keep your fingers crossed for another anime season?

At the end of the day, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, When the Seagulls Cry, is a very intense mystery with several versions of the incident linked together through a battle over the existence of magic. It has plenty of interesting and fun characters, and plenty of magic to go around. Umineko has been one of my favorite anime since I first saw it, and it still is today. My only request for Studio Deen..... PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER SEASON!!!!

Nabari no Ou Review (English Dub)

2011-10-05T08:00:00.008-04:00

Hey guys! Are you ready to watch some Naruto with me? ...Wait, what? ...This isn’t Naruto? Well what the hell is this then? *reads the title* Nabari no Ou? *shrugs* Eh, sure why not?

Nabari no Ou is an Action/Comedy anime based on the manga by Yuhki Kamatani and published by Square Enix. The 26 episode anime from J.C. Staff originally aired in 2008. Yen press holds manga licensing rights, and FUNimation holds anime-licensing rights.

Rokujou Miharu is a boy who has a hijutsu (hidden technique) living inside of him. This hijutsu is the power of creation. Many ninja clans are seeking it, as the one who possesses it becomes the ruler of the ninja world. Rokujou's classmate Kouichi started a ninja club at school with Kumohira, his English teacher. Both Kouichi and Kumohira are secretly ninjas. They tried to persuade Rokujou to join the ninjutsu club. At first, he was reluctant, but after being attacked by a group of ninjas trying to get his hijutsu, he joins the club. He must become the Ruler of Nabari in order to survive. (Anime News Network)

The overall look of Nabari no Ou isn’t very noteworthy, however, it also isn’t a complete waste. I would say: average. It’s bad enough that I will end up comparing Nabari to Naruto for this entire review, but it’s gotta be done. I will say, Nabari doesn’t use harsh and in-your-face animation and color like Naruto does, which is a huge relief. The fights in this anime are pretty well done, but also on a smaller scale than Naruto. The better music is used for more calming moments while for fights you hear the stereotypical “dun dun” music.

I can describe the story of Nabari with two words: LONG and BORING!!! Every episode of the series drags on and on so much that I always have to look at the time and see that I’m just halfway through an episode! So the question is, what makes it drag on so much? You have ninjas doing ninja things, what’s the problem here? Maybe it’s because there is rarely any large scale, multi episode fights in Nabari no Ou. They focus on Miharu’s story and about the hijutsu inside him, and his desire to grant Yoite’s wish. Yet the story takes the audience in a bunch of other different directions with side plots like Reimei and her brother, Yoite in general, and Kumohira trying to keep Miharu safe despite the secrets he holds. This goes on for a twenty-six episodes, and makes it feel a lot like a four hundred and something one ...like Naruto ...*face palm*. I will at least say that this anime made me laugh a few times more the Naruto ever did. But so far the best part of the story, is something Naruto has yet to do … THE SERIES ENDS! Despite those boring bits of it, the last few episodes actually are really good and can leave some of its viewers in tears.

Okay, so we have good art style and animation plus a boring story, yet laughable and sometimes tear jerking moments. Do we get great characters? Sort of... You do get some surprises from some of them throughout the series. Only a few characters have bigger bits of development while most have tiny things here and there, the big ones being Miharu and Yoite. The two are enemies at first, but slowly begin to bond over time and become really close through their similarities. Their friendship is certainly a unique one that I have not seen played out in an anime before, and it’s rather refreshing.

The English dub of this series isn’t a complete flop, but it’s not a complete masterpiece either. You have a ton of well known voice actors in the series playing some lesser roles, and a few not so known playing the bigger parts. First Brina Palencia (BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad) as Miharu wasn’t too bad, except you can tell it’s a girl playing the part. However, Palencia was a good choice because of Miharu’s apathetic and trickster ways. Chris Burnett (Romeo X Juliet) as Kouichi Aizawa was a good choice as well. Burnett plays the part as a cheerful optimistic kid, however he’s willing to complete his missions (and even kill people) with a smile on his face; and it REALLY works! Kate Oxley (Soul Eater) as Reimei was a good pick as well. Reimei is a very strong willed, strong-headed person and Oxley plays this perfectly. Rounding out our four main characters, Eric Vale (Fruits Basket) as Kumohira was a pretty good pick. He has his moments where he’s rather silly, but he plays serious very well. The other character I want to mention is Joel McDonald as Yoite. Remember him? He was Jacuzzi Splot in Baccano!? Yeah, he’s back, and he matches this role nicely. Yoite is a more depressing character who is just looking for some way to erase his existence from the world so people didn’t have to suffer, and McDonald does this in spades! I’m so excited to see him in another anime. I didn’t even know it was him till I researched it! Some other voice actors include: Sonny Strait, Luci Christian, Caitlin Glass, J. Michael Tatum, Greg Ayres, Monica Rial, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Chris Patton, and Leah Clark.

Now, I’ve cracked a few jokes about Nabari no Ou being a lot like Naruto. However, I’m done with the jokes and I’m going to point out that there are a few similarities between these two anime. First is the main character. Miharu has a hijutsu inside of him; Naruto has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him. Both have a flashback in 5 minutes of the first episode and both find out about what’s inside of them in the first episode. Then you have the main character’s friends and mentor. Each has two friends (Male and Female) and one mentor (Male). Both main characters want to be leaders of their own worlds, although one is more reluctant then the other. There are just so many things that are similar to Naruto that it kind of disappoints me. I was hoping for something completely different, but so many simple facts are the same that it’s very tiresome. However, later on down the line, Nabari makes you forget about those similarities completely and turns into a story separate from its predecessor, which made me really happy.... But still bored out of my mind.

Through it all, Nabari no Ou is a different kind of ninja story, in fact it focuses more on friendship rather then ninjas at all. A few similarities can be drawn between Nabari and Naruto; however, Nabari becomes it’s own show after a little while, and you stop complaining about it being like Naruto all over again. If you’re patient enough with the long never ending story, you will be justly rewarded in the end. If not, then I suggest you avoid this anime so you don’t have to rip your hair out.

DeathNote Review

2011-09-21T08:00:00.019-04:00

How To Use It
The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

DeathNote is a Mystery/Psychological anime based on the manga by Tsugumi Ohba and published by Shueisha. The 37 episode anime comes from Madhouse, originally airing from October 2006 to June 2007. Viz Media holds rights to both the anime and manga series. Two light novels, two games, and two live-action film adaptations were also created between 2006 and 2009.

Light Yagami is an ace student with great prospects, who's bored out of his mind. One day he finds the "Death Note": a notebook from the realm of the Death Gods, with the power to kill people in any way he desires. With the Death Note in hand, Light decides to create his perfect world, without crime or criminals. However, when criminals start dropping dead one by one, the authorities send the legendary detective L to track down the killer, and a battle of wits, deception, and logic ensues... (Anime News Network)

The art and animation stye of DeathNote is simply stunning! Mixing a gothic art style with minimal animation and a very over the top soundtrack, this series is just a real visual pleasure that you can watch over and over again. The downside of all this, however, is the small amount of animation because almost the entirety of DeathNote is dialogue. From people talking to each other to the many, MANY monologues, all you hear is talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. When the animation does comes into play, Studio Madhouse certainly took it over the top! I never knew writing in a notebook would be so awesome! That and eating chips.

The main plot of the story is a fun one to watch because it's all just mind games. You don’t even care about how Light keeps killing people, or L eating sweets, because your attention is drawn to the logic battle between these two characters. For the first half of the series, you are just sucked into the battle Light and L conduct with each other and you pretty much have to force yourself away from the screen in order to do simple tasks like eat, sleep, and use the bathroom... Okay, I’m over exaggerating a bit, but you get my point. In the second half, when things are turned over to Near and Mello, the story kind of dies, and at this point you’re wondering when something really awesome will happen, so it ends up taking away what makes the series truly amazing, but not by a staggering amount. It just wouldn’t have made a difference adding in Near and Mello and just stuck with L. The mind games are still there, but you’re mostly focused on Light more then anything for the rest of the series. However, the last episode truly makes up for it, and it certainly will leave the viewer satisfied. You may even wanna watch the last episode again and again because of how well done it is!

The characters of DeathNote have no development to them what so ever. Now, usually, I harp on an anime for lack of developed characters, however I can’t really do that here. You can tell that Madhouse wanted to focus on the story and the art style instead of fully developed characters, but is the series terrible because of it? Not in the least. Outside of Light and L, the characters are one note, leaving all your attention on what really matters, the mind games.

Both the Japanese and English languages were done very well, so when picking a version to watch, it will have to be left up to personal preference. Even though both are well done, there are a couple pieces to point out for each one. If you’re looking for a very well done portrayal of L, then look no further then the Dub. Alessandro Juliani (Ranma 1/2) was the perfect choice for the role. He adds the right amount of intelligence and, sometimes, childish behavior L gives off. To be honest, if you watch the English version it should be for L because he carries the show partially on his own. Kappei Yanaguchi is just as well done in the Japanese version, but Juliani is far more superior. Now Light is a bit of a different case. Both versions are well done too, however, if you want to find a better consistent version of Light then I suggest Mamoru Miyano and the Japanese version. Even though Brad Swaile (Mobile Suit Gundam) did a very good take of Light, it took quite a few episodes before it seemed more natural sounding. After that, Swaile even ends up on the same level as Miyano. Some other voice actors for DeathNote include: Shannon Chan-Kent as Misa Amane, Brian Drummond as Ryuk, Chris Britton as Chief Yagami, Vincent Tong as Touta Matsuda, French Tickner as Watari, and Kirby Morrow as Teru Mikami.

Now, I mentioned this in my “Memorable Anime Villains” with Hasteaguy back in August, but I feel it’s worth mentioning again. A lot of people get into the debate as to whether Light was doing the right thing and is just an anti-hero rather then the villain of the series. The most used claim is that he was mislead by the DeathNote. However, like I’ve previously said, you have to have bad intentions to begin with if you want to create a new world where you can be God. Plus, declaring that you’ll be God in the first episode doesn’t show that you have the best intentions from the start. Sorry, Kira clan, but Light is in no way a hero. But he does make for a fun character to watch.

At the end of the day, DeathNote is a visual stunner that takes simple things like writing in a notebook and takes it over the top. If you’re not bothered but constant dialogue or very underdeveloped characters, and LOVE mystery and psychological anime then I highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend this anime. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant about watching DeathNote, and didn’t see why people are such huge fans of the series, but after watching this a few times now I can understand why.

GO TEAM L!...... Oh wait....... Nevermind.......

Vampire Knight Review

2011-09-07T08:00:00.011-04:00

“You must never get close to a vampire. If you do, their gaze will enslave you.”

Vampire Knight is a Romance/Supernatural anime based on the manga by Matsuri Hino and published by Hakusensha. Viz Media is the english publisher for the series. The 13 episode anime comes from Studio Deen, with Viz Media licensing it in America. It originally aired from April to July 2008. A second season called Vampire Knight Guilty, from the same production company and also has 13 episodes, airing in October of the same year as the first season.

Yuki Cross's earliest memory is of being attacked by a vampire and saved by Kaname Kuran, also a vampire. Ten years later, Yuki and the vampire hunter, Zero Kiryu are at Cross Academy as school guardians. Their job is to protect the "Day Class" human students, from the "Night Class” vampire students. The story follows Yuki's discovery that her childhood friend, Zero has spent the last four years trying to fight his transformation into a vampire and he has finally succumbed. Yuki struggles to help Zero fight his bloodlust and to recover her own lost memories, while suspecting that Kaname knows more than he’s letting on.

The look and animation is well done, with the art style looking like your typical Shoujo series. Plus the drama piece is there as well. The animation is very well done, adding little funny bits as well; even though the comedy in the series is unnecessary and awkward to begin with. The music of the series is mostly whimsical, using organs. There are other bits at points like a harp or some singing, but for a dark series like this, it works.

The main plot of the story isn’t to bad, but it isn’t a great one either. The story of VK is told through, mostly, Yuki; however, the main plot of the series is about Zero. There have been other stories that have used this method of storytelling before, and used it well. VK is not one of them. This is a show aimed for females and, understandably, it would mean you mainly focus on a female character and tell the story through her. But this story would probably be a million times more interesting if it was told through the person experiencing these problems.

The characters in Vampire Knight don’t really go through any development at all. The one person who really goes through anything is Zero due to his struggle to become a vampire. Yuki is just obnoxious and thinks she can fix anything. While Kaname is shown as kind of the bad guy in this series, even though he isn’t really suppose to be. All the other characters are just one note and can be irritating to watch, with lack of anything interesting in them.

If you’re going to pick a language to watch this series in, I highly suggest the Japanese version over the English, hands down. Not much of the voice acting in the dub is enjoyable, or even likable for that matter. I will admit that Mela Lee (Fate/Stay Night) as Yuki and Vic Mignogna (Full Metal Alchemist) as Zero do play off of each other fairly well. However, Lee, Mignogna, and Ethan Murray (Gankutsuou) as Kaname just do not fit the roles at all! Not one voice actor could give the characters justice! This astounded me! The only one who could come barely close is Vic Mignogna’s Zero, but even he can’t play it as well as the Japanese counterpart. And Mela Lee just makes me want to claw my eyes out she’s so annoying and dull! The only voice acting choice in the series that I liked was Laura Bailey as Maria Kurnenai. That was it! But just as a heads up, some other voice talents include: Troy Baker, Bryce Papenbrook, Carrie Savage, Travis Willingham, and Wendee Lee.

Now, after watching this series, I couldn’t help but make some comparisons to another popular vampire franchise: Twilight. Now your three main characters are basically like Twilight: You have Yuki as Bella, Kaname as Edward, and Zero as Jacob. The difference is, Yuki is a bigger dimwit, Kaname is just a big abuser, and Zero isn’t a werewolf. Then there’s the idea of humans never finding out about vampires, but that’s a given anyway. However, VK does have the Vampire Hunters, which make things a bit more interesting. A good amount of the romance plot in general is similar to Twilight, but obviously it’s not. Just the general idea of the entire series is eerily similar. Then there’s the second season of the series where someone becomes a vampire but they’re also..... Yeah, I’m sorry to spoil this now, but it must be done. In the second season Yuki, who has decided to be with Edward-- I mean Kaname, is actually a vampire.... And is Kaname’s sister..... Ewwwwwwwwwww!

Overall, Vampire Knight is an amazing Shoujo visual with an okay story. But has major problems with its cast of characters and bad matches in the English dub. I will say VK is kind of a guilty pleasure of mine, so if there are any ladies who haven’t seen it yet I recommend you do. For guys, however, I don’t think this is a good anime for you to be watching. Probably because it’s a sappy love story with vampires, and we all know how much guys are big fans of things like that. *cough* Twilight *cough cough*.

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo Review (Japanese)

2011-08-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

Ready for a classic story..... IN SPACE?!?!?!?! Well.... Not quite entirely in space..... But it is in space a little bit.

Gankutsuou is a 24 episode Drama/Science Fiction anime loosely based on Alexandre Dumas classic novel Le Comte de Monte-Cristo. Studio Gonzo gave us the anime while Geneon originally held the rights and was released in 2006. Then in 2008, after Geneon went under, FUNimation announced they had required the license for the series and it was rereleased in 2009. It originally ran from October 2004 to March 2005, and a manga version published by Kodansha and licensed by Del Rey was released that May and is currently ongoing.

The story takes place in the far future of the 51st Century, during the year 5053. While visiting Luna for the festival, Viscount Albert de Morcerf and Baron Franz d'Épinay make the acquaintance of the Count of Monte Cristo, a self-made nobleman. When they part, the Count promises to visit Albert in Paris. After he arrives, he introduces himself to the most powerful families in France (the Morcerfs, the Danglars, and the Villeforts). The general plot of Gankutsuou, while broadly the same as the novel on which it is based, changes many aspects of the source material. In the novel, the narrative arc follows the Count chronologically; in the anime, the story begins with Albert and Franz meeting the Count on Luna (which occurs, in Rome, many hundreds of pages into the book), and the Count's back story is pieced together throughout the series. The anime's plot includes supernatural elements, talking about space travel, computer systems and robots, different fates for some characters, the disposal of several side-plots, and an altogether different ending.

The look of the series is certainly a unique one. It layers Photoshop textures into digital animation with backgrounds often rendered in 3D. A similar anime that uses the Photoshop texture technique is Zoku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei. It takes a good amount of time to get used to this style, especially in the first episode because of all the bright colors that are used, but after a short while, you can’t help but marvel at the design! The animation doesn’t seem to have any major problems in it either, so Gankutsuou was created with great care in the hopes it would be well received visually, and, for me, it was. The music for the series, often uses some classical pieces of music, including: Tchaikovsky’s Manfred Symphony, the Donizetti opera Lucia di Lammermoor, and Rachmaninoff’s Piano Conerto No. 2.

Not only is this series amazing visually, the story is great as well. It took two episodes and then I was really hooked. Granted, there were a few parts where the story kind of died down a bit and would become boring. However, the main plot and the execution of it is simply to die for! A lot of the events in the anime are taken from the original story, but still with many changes to make it capable of having a SciFi/Fantasy genre. Plus, the story follows Albert and his relationship with the Count of Monte Cristo and the torment he goes through as the Count is taking his revenge on the three powerful families of France. What also is different from the novel, is the being Gankutsuou himself. He is the driving force behind the Count’s revenge plot throughout the series; a demonic presence that dwells within The Count of Monte Cristo. I don’t want to give much away about the relationship between the two, but there is a way you can tell which is the Count with or without Gankutsuou. The Count in the Japanese version speaks Japanese, while Gankutsuou speaks French. Though the series is 24 episodes long, the main plot finishes at episodes 23. The final episode takes place 5 years after the events of the series. Why am I mentioning this? Because I thought the episode count was wrong and that it was 23 episodes. I just want to make sure readers know, there are 24 episodes.

There are a lot of characters in the series, and you would think that development would be hard to come by; however, that’s not the case here. A lot of the major characters have development when it’s needed. Even the major adult characters Morcerf, Danglers, and Villefort have a good amount of development; the males anyway. The only adult female with development is Albert’s mother Mercedes. With the males, it mostly entails them becoming crazy or angered from being ruined by The Count. With Mercedes, it’s her mysterious connection to The Count. Honestly it’s more fun to watch The Count and the other male adults throughout the story, rather then the children. That’s probably why parts of the story were boring, cause I wasn’t watching The Count or the male adults becoming destroyed. As for Albert, he is such a whiney little idiot and it kind of drives me nuts. He won’t listen to what anyone else says and is set on what he sees right in front of him. The only person he will listen to is The Count because he has a strange admiration for him, that can sometimes become borderline obsession once in a while. While I won’t judge anyone on their personal lives, I will profane this one: Gay.

I’m not going to go in depth with the Japanese and English dubs because I have only seen clips of the dub. But, based on those clips, I will say that the Japanese is superior based on the dubbing of Albert and The Count. Although Johny Yong Bosch (Bleach) and Jamieson Price (Code Geass) were decent choices for dubbing, Jun Fukuyama and Joji Nakata make it sound a lot better. Plus, I have heard the same voice from Johny Bosch in Bleach and Code Geass and..... *sigh* I keep thinking of Ichigo in all three anime. So, again, watch the Japanese version. It has better voice actors; even for whiney little Albert.

As an end result, Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo takes a classic story and gives it a modern twist, making it a visual wonder and a fun story to get hooked on. Admittedly, the visuals can be a little hard on the eyes sometimes, but if you power through it then you won’t be disappointed. I can personally say that Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorite anime of all time, securing a spot at my top 10, despite whiney Albert. I highly HIGHLY recommend this anime for your viewing pleasure, and hope you will be just as amazed and hooked as I was.

Now that the summer is over and we begin to start fall, wether you're going back to school or not, here are the reviews for the rest of the year (In case, you missed my review list post):

September:
Vampire Knight (E/J)
DeathNote (E/J)

October:
Nabari no Ou (E)
Umineko no Naku Koro ni (J)

November: (VIC MIGNOGNA MONTH)
D.N.Angel (E)
Super Dimension Fortress Macross (E)

December:
Princess Tutu (E)
Non-Alcoholic Anime Drinking Games

Memorable Anime Villains

2011-08-03T09:47:00.000-04:00

What’s the definition of a villain? Someone with plans to take over the world; wants to kill the main character; wants something someone else wants; power? There are many motivations for villains and each is distinct from the other. So, I decided to do a little write up of ten very memorable anime villains. To do this, I recruited the assistance of a very close friend of mine, Hasteaguy. We both picked five villains each, one per anime franchise, and they’ll be listed on this post as every other pick. And there will be spoilers for quite a few of them, so if you are currently watching an anime with one of these villains and don't want it to be ruined for you, I suggest you stop reading now. For those of you who don't really care if there are spoilers or not, here are some very good badies starting with Hasteaguy’s pick:

ENVY FROM
FULL METAL ALCHEMIST

The evils of humanity stem from the seven deadly sins: Pride, Sloth, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Wrath and Envy. The Homonculi, created in Full Metal Alchemist, are named after these sins, and each symbolizes their sin in some way. They are created by trying to bring a person back from the dead with alchemy, but instead making something that is alive but not human. Envy was created in the same way. Like the other 6 Homunculi, Envy is preternaturally strong, fast, tough, essentially ageless, and also comes with it’s own unique power: the ability to shapeshift into any form it chooses. Because of this (and because of plot spoilers) we don’t know (until later) whether or not Envy is male or female, because it can be whichever it wants. Envy is largely reputed as the cruelest of the Homunculi, laughing and joking gleefully when seeing others in pain. It kills without mercy or hesitation, betrays others readily and never regrets any of it. It’s not just a brutal killer either, it uses it’s shapeshifting abilities to masquerade as people and can manipulate others almost as well as Lust, the most manipulative of the Homunculi.

GRAPHIC VIOLENCE WARNING
Envy "Accidently" Shoots Child

However it’s temper keeps it from being a master villain; for the temptation to flex it’s jealous urges is just too strong for a 175 year old being. Guess being petty never get's old. Beneath this cruel exterior, Envy is secretly envious of humans' inner strength and the mutually beneficial friendships that they share, as most of the Homunculi show little real concern or emotional support for each other.

It holds, in its dark “heart”, a grudge against Edward Elric especially, actively putting it’s utmost efforts into hurting Edward every chance it gets, torturing him, killing his friend Hughes by masquerading as his wife, and *gasp* Calling him short! Envy says that it can never forgive him, though why and for what, we won't know until later in the series. In a show that is known to be very graphic and disturbing, for a mainstream anime, Envy stole the show for many, as a deliciously evil, revenge-engine.

LIL SLUGGER FROM
PARANOIA AGENT

This one is a different kind of villain. Lil Slugger is the villain hiding in your mind. The one you go and blame when you don’t want to own up to your own faults and just wish they would disappear. This makes him entirely impossible to arrest. Although he is a figment of your imagination, it is very convenient that every victim describes the same person; a middle schooler wearing a red baseball cap, golden roller blades, and carrying a bent gold baseball bat. All this makes Lil’ Slugger pretty deadly to the world mentally and, in some cases, physically. Some of the victims even go as far as to injure themselves in order to use this bad coping skill named Lil’ Slugger. Starting with Tsukiko Sagi and the pressure to create a character, to someone needing money, to a woman with split personality disorder, to a young girl trying to get away from her perverted father, and even entailing stupid stories like a woman carrying a fetus with a bent bat!

F-ING WHAT?!?!?

Eventually, all the citizens from Japan began to suffer from paranoia; and, as they do, Lil Slugger becomes stronger and stronger. He finally does get stopped at the hands of Tsukiko and the odd connection he has to Maromi. By the end of the series, the victim count is exceedingly high at god knows how many people!

*sigh* All I have to say to the characters in Paranoia Agent...... FIND BETTER COPING SKILLS INSTEAD OF THIS FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION!!!
Fan Made Paranoia Agent Trailer

CHAR AZNABLE FROM
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM,
ZETA GUNDAM, AND
CHAR'S COUNTERATTACK

Char, a.k.a Casval Rem Deikun, is kind of unknown to those who haven’t seen the first Gundam series, but to those who have, he’s the one who started it all. He’s the Ace Mobile Suit Pilot of the Principality of Zeon, known as the Red Comet, and is the rival of Amuro Ray, the protagonist of Mobile Suit Gundam. To give you an idea of just how badass this guy is: he singlehandedly destroyed 5 Federation battleships, in a single mobile suit, repeatedly whips Amuro just to prove he can, and always looks badass despite the silly mask and blond hair.

Also he has the most badass Headshot in Gundam history.
GRAPHIC VIOLENCE WARNING
Char Headshot!

It pays to be a stone cold pimp.

Char is a wonderful mix of passion, pride, charisma, and vengefulness. He can inspire people to battle at his side to victory with ease, while instilling fear in his opponents. Another defining trait is his tendency to hold deep grudges. First: against the Zabi family for killing his father and stealing the rule of Zeon; Second: against Amuro Ray for killing his pupil, and object of his affection, Lalah Sune. So yeah, he’s The Princess Bride's Inigo Montoya, in a big red mech.

Technically he flips back and forth from villain to anti-hero. In Zeta Gundam he changes sides and fights as a protagonist against the Titans under a new name. He almost becomes a new leader for the free world, In Space (lol), like he was supposed to be after his father. However, in Char’s Counterattack, he gets fed up with how disgustingly corrupt humanity has become, and sought to bring about the next evolution of humanity into Newtypes (space dwelling humans), by dropping asteroids onto earth. The logic behind this is that if humanity can’t live on Earth, they’ll move into space, and evolve into Newtypes. Smooth Criminal that one.

Char’s character and appearance has become so popular in the Gundam universe, he’s shown up in multiple series’ under different characters.

Full Frontal - Gundam Unicorn
Schwartz Bruder - G Gundam
Zechs Merquise (Milliardo Peacecraft) – Gundam Wing
Neo Roanoke (Mu La Flaga) – Gundam SEED
And several others.

All these Char Clones, as they’re called, emulate some form of Char’s personality or character, from the mask they wear, to the alias they use, to the vengeful attitude, pride, antagonist/anti-hero stance, or general badassitude in a Mobile Suit, and most of the time, all at once.

His name is Char Aznable, you killed his father/girlfriend, prepare to die.

MEDUSA GORGON FROM SOUL EATER

In Greek Mythology, Medusa was a Gorgon who had snake hair and would turn people to stone if eye contact was made. Medusa Gorgon of Soul Eater is a witch who is really really into snakes and can pretty much scare the living daylights out of anyone that looks at her.... Yeah, see the similarity? Medusa is one of the few anime villains that would prefer to use brains over brawn, having other people do the dirty work for her. She has a very twisted idea of experimentation, even using her own son Chrona and trying to make him into a Keshin. After the experiment fails, she moves on to attempting to revive the Keshin Asura and even succeeds! In the process, however, she is killed by Professor Stein.... Or so we believe. She comes back, possesses the body of a young girl named Rachel, and is right at it again; but this time she stays out of the conflict between the DWMA and her sister Archane until she deems it the right time to move. That and she wants Professor Stein for herself. Oh and did we mention the Pumpkin Panties/Bloomers she wears this time?

Pumpkin Panties!

Medusa has no qualms about taking exactly what she wants, and, if you don't comply, you better be prepared to die. She wants power and madness to swallow the world (Madness is a weapon in Soul Eater, go with it). Most importantly, however, she wants knowledge. Like Professor Stein, she’s a scientist and knowledge is the one thing a scientist ever really wants. But, unlike Stein, she takes it to new heights when she involves her own child, the well being of all the witches, and even her own life while masquerading as the school nurse at the DWMA. Medusa is a cold yet calculating character that will quickly be able to decide wether you are useful to her or not. Actually, now that I think of it, she's not really a human character. She's more like an animal, with her predatory ways and the way everything she touches around her pretty much ends up in serious trouble (Yeah, I know, snake. Ha ha). Medusa cemented herself as one powerful, slippery witch who will kill you the instant she doesn’t find you useful to her anymore. With snakes that dwell in her own body, and on the tattoos she posess on her arms, Medusa is certainly one of the more vicious and cold witches in anime to date.

Speaking of the word Vicious....

VICIOUS FROM COWBOY BEBOP

When you first see this guy in the wonderful mishmash of mostly unordered chaos that is Cowboy Bebop, you never expect to see him again. He just looks like a big stereotype, fixed scowl, gravelly voice, and few words to say. Most of all: his name is Vicious. That’s a name that I’d come up with when I started up Xbox Live as a 12 year old because I want to seem dark and edgy… until in the scene at the opera house and everything is justified: Faye is at the opera house but is captured. She asks the tall and evil looking man “who are you?” And he replies, “Vicious.” And she. Becomes. Terrified. Vicious is an incredibly heartless character that has been quoted by JesuOtaku as, ‘wanting everything and nothing at the same time’. At first it seems he’s loyal to the Syndicate and will do anything and kill everyone to get to the traitor Spike. But then we see that he hates the Syndicate and wants to destroy them and take the spot at the top. Not even his friends and comrades or even lovers matter to him at all. Literally, vicious and calculating, nothing and no one will stop this man when he sets his sights on a goal. And he’ll go to the darkest extremes to get it. Again, he’s one note, but he’s played so well that he’s up near the top of many people’s lists, and here he is again.

Spike v.s. Vicious
Skip to 1:10 and watch to 4:30

LIGHT YAGAMI FROM
DEATHNOTE

Yeah, yeah, yeah we all knew that this was coming and where this is about to go. Light is your average honor student who, one day, stumbles across a mysterious notebook on the ground. Soon enough he discovers what it is and what it can do. The DeathNote is the notebook of a Shinigami that can cause death for those whose name is written in it as long as you know the person’s birth name and their face. Now with something like this, you would think that the good student would either return it or even study it for scientific purposes. Oh no! Of course not! In the first episode, Light declares that he will wipe out all evil and become the “God of a new world”.

"God of the new world"

........Yeah....... Anyone who will declare themselves God is going to need a lot of counseling. But Light doesn’t take his new found power lightly. With current technology at his disposal, he can search for the names and faces of any criminal he chooses. And even good people like policemen who are investigating him are taken down by his power. Not only is Light intelligent, he is a master manipulator and liar, fooling, not only the Kira investigators but using the women he loves until he can’t get anything out of them. As JesuOtaku puts it, “If the villain is a snappy dresser with a sliver tongue and the good guy is a greasy gnome with poor people skills. Who are you going to believe, right?”

Now I know what’s coming next. “Light’s an anti-hero!” or “He had good intentions!”. The best argument that can be used is that Light was a good person and was just mislead by the DeathNote. However, and sorry Kira fans, anyone who calls themselves God in the first episode is not a hero of any kind. Near, I believe, put it best, “You yielded to the power of the Shingami in the notebook, and you have confused yourself with a God. In the end, you’re nothing more then a crazy serial killer. That’s ALL you are. Nothing more and nothing less.”

In the end, Light is a intelligent and cunning villain who has killed thousands of people while the world watched in either fear or admiration.

LADD RUSSO FROM
BACCANO!

What makes villains fun to watch? They hurt people, create almost nothing that isn’t designed to hurt people, and generally have no redeeming positive qualities. So why does Ladd Russo, the lead hit man for the Russo family, keep on showing up as such a fun character? Lets take a look at what he’s like. Ladd is, for lack of a simpler phrase, OUT OF HIS DAMN MIND. He becomes excited at the presence of, or the promise of violence and death. He takes utmost pleasure, and repeatedly says that he does, at killing. Fast, slow, it doesn’t matter so long as they never see him coming. Nor does it matter who, as shown by this clip:

GRAPHIC VIOLENCE WARNING
Ladd Shots Chezlaw

For those who didn’t click, that was a child. And he shot him in the face, while smiling. So if all this is true, why do we love watching this guy?! I’ll tell you, he enjoys what he does, so we do too. Most slashers in shows and movies don’t know who they are or what they want, and kill to validate their existence or a cause. Ladd however knows exactly who he is, and what he wants and loves every second of it. He’s gathered people of similar interests and is betrothed to a masochist for his sadist. Ladd’s only failing as a character is his impetuous and rash nature. Causing his downfall later in the series, and several poor choices, made simply for the "fun" of it. Even when he’s literally beating someone into a bloody paste with his bare hands, the amount of giggling fun he brings to the screen makes you smile along with him, and then consider checking yourself into an asylum.

Ladd is a boxer!

THE MAJOR FROM
HELLSING ULTIMATE

The original Hellsing anime didn’t have a great baddie to fall in love with (stupid Incognito), but the OVA gave us back the man from the manga who ran with the Nazis (Hooray!). So far in the OVA, The Major hasn’t had much screen time besides at least two released episodes, but boy does he play a HUGE role in them. During World War II, a special operation was conducted to create a strain of vampiric, Nazi soldiers for an ensured victory. The Hellsing Organization’s Walter and Alucard foiled his plans and destroyed the research lab. However, The Major and his followers escaped to South America. Now, he returns with a battalion of 1000 vampires (and a werewolf and a physics theory). Is he carrying out his orders to take down England? Oh hell no! That would make him a normal dictator! The Major is only occupied by one thing. It’s a rather simple little thing too. What does he want? War. So simple right? Don’t think so? Just listen to, probably, one of the most badass villain speeches ever in anime history!

The Major's Speech

Yeah, crazy badass villain in the building here! It’s funny that one of the most awesome villains happens to be a Nazi supporter, but does that really matter? The Major is just an awesome guy who is having a love affair with war.

OROCHIMARU FROM
NARUTO

Before anyone says anything, yes, I know. Naruto is a bad show, but we’re not talking about Naruto. We’re talking about the first major villain we’re introduced to, and, no, Zabuza doesn’t count. At first we don’t even know he exists until he literally PULLS HIS FACE OFF, after biting a little boy and cursing him.

Orochimaru v.s. Anko

Then it’s revealed that Orochimaru (ironically voiced by the same voice actor as Zabuza [Steve Blum]) was actually a member of the Leaf Village, until he became obsessed with gaining power and immortality, and a serious snake fetish. As one of the three Legendary Sannin, and a previous member of the Ninja Terrorist Group, the Atasuki (wow that sounded sillier when I actually said it), Orochimaru is notoriously powerful.

For SEVERAL seasons, leading into Shippuden, Orochimaru is seemingly unkillable. He always either escapes, or finds a new body, or pulls a new technique out of thin air to confound the protagonists. Onto the next point that most people find the most unsettling about him are his general mannerisms and appearance, and especially his techniques. Orochimaru is pasty white, has snake fangs and snake-like eyes. That’s pretty creepy by itself. Throw in techniques that often involve him stretching out or morphing his body to either form or produce snakes FROM UNDER HIS SKIN! That’d be pretty creepy too, but it gets worse. Orochimaru plans to gain immortality by finding the perfect body. To get that, he experiments on people, literally cutting them apart, or putting himself inside them and then later pulling their faces off to become them. He's like a combination of Medusa from Soul Eater and Ed Gent. The sheer perversion, presentation, and staying power of this character makes him a reoccurring nightmare of many fans and nonfans of the series. However, because he’s attached to Naruto, he’ll stay out of the top slots I’d imagine.

BEATRICE FROM
UMINEKO NO NAKU KORO NI

Yeah I know, “Stephanie picked another witch as a villain, how typical...” Well insult me all you want, but once you understand why there is another witch on here, then you won’t be so snippy about it. Beatrice and Medusa are fairly similar; both are rather intelligent, cunning, and both know exactly what their goals are. The difference, however, is their hobbies. Medusa is fond of experimentation and gaining knowledge, and only is cruel when it's beneficial to her work. While Beatrice....

Rosa's Dinner
Start at about 1:16 to 4:40ish

Yeah.... Beatrice is a million times more twisted then Medusa could ever be, mostly because it's more fun. Beatrice’s main goal is to get Battler Ushiromiya to admit she is a witch and his family had died from magic. She does this by playing little “games”, involving different scenarios of the Ushiromiya family members dying by strange circumstances. And she does this in the most brutal and tortuous ways possible..... It can be rather disturbing to watch. And she and Battler play this game for several years, all the while everyone including Battler is dead on the island they are staying on. Time just stands still for Battler now while he’s stuck playing Beatrice’s game, and he’ll never escape until either he defeats the greatest witch ever to exist, or succumbs to her will (which will probably involve being naked and being horribly dismembered at the hands of goat-men).

GORE WARNING
Start at 6:16

.....Oh snap......

There are plenty more villains that deserve mention, and I actually hope to do a countdown list, in the future. For now, you just read about ten memorable villains that will either make you cringe, laugh, or even cheer them on. Comment in the section below on your favorite villains, or your opinions on this list.

Written by: Stephanie (Lilac Anime Reviews) and Decker (Hasteaguy)

Baccano! Review (English Dub)

2011-07-20T11:00:00.007-04:00

What happens when you take gangsters, robbers, supernatural, a train called “Flying Pussyfoot”, and mix it with the 1930’s? Well you get the fun ride known as Baccano!

Baccano! is a sixteen episode Action/Comedy anime based on the light novel by Ryohgo Narita and published by Media Works. The anime is from Brain’s Base Studio and was dubbed by Funmation. It originally aired from July to November of 2007.

Each of the stories in the series involves several unrelated plots intersecting and crossing each other as events spiral farther and farther out of control. Immortal alchemists, mafia operated speakeasies, and many other elements of pulp fiction mashed together for a world straight out of the movies (Anime News Network).

The style and animation is simply amazing! A lot of times when you have an Eastern culture try to depict American history, it comes out completely wrong. With Baccano!, the artists really did their homework and were able to create exactly what we would come to imagine from the 1930s. The art is perfect, the music is appropriate, and even the characters are amazing. The animation isn’t 100% top notch, but, honestly, I didn’t really care because I was just so interested in the story itself.

Speaking of which, Baccano! takes a very unique way of telling the story. The series involves three years, but not in sequential order. The entire series mixes the years all together, making you completely lost in trying to make sense of it; however, it keeps you on your toes and you’ll have figured it all out by the end of the 12th episode. The three years and events that Baccano! centers around are:

1930: Mafia and the Elixir of Life
1931: Flying Pussyfoot incident
1932: Search for Dallas Genoard

After the 12th episode, it kinda loses interest a little. Most of it take place after the Flying Pussyfoot incident, and mostly revolving around Chane and her sudden romance with Claire Stainfield; which, by the way, comes out of no where. Does it work, sure. But does it make it interesting, not really. Also, fair warning, there is a good amount of blood and gore in the series; from torture to cut fingers. Thankfully, it’s not used excessively, unlike some anime's use of fan service *cough* High School of the Dead. Now, I should mention a couple parts involving the main characters of this series. In the first episode, they take about twelve minutes to introduce the characters you have to keep an eye out for. This is done by a couple members from the Daily Days, information brokers who will come up several times in the series. The second way you know about the main characters in the show is the opening theme. It’s not only catchy, but it tells you the characters the story revolves around, and also points out certain moments that will be relevant in the upcoming episode; so you can’t skip it. In order of the opening there’s Isaac, Miria, Firo, Maiza, Keith, Berga, Luck, Sziland, Ennis, Lua, Ladd, Chane, Nice, Jacuzi, Eve, Dallas, and Czeslaw.

And on that note, the characters are just amazing! Wether they’re gangsters, French, or just goofy robbers, all the main characters are fun to watch. I can’t really say if there’s any development, but it’s mostly cause of how the story is told. There are some parts that aren’t really talked about, like the romance between Firo and Ennis, but it doesn’t effect the show in a really bad way. Again, Baccano!’s real purpose is the complex story it gives. As for favorite characters, it’s a toss up between Ladd Russo and the duo of Isaac and Miria. Ladd for his insane killing obsession, coupled with the pure joy he gets out of it; and Isaac and Miria for their bumbling, light hearted comic relief.

While watching the English dub of Baccano!, I came to a very big conclusion. This is the best anime dub I have ever heard! The casting choices from FUNimation are the best I’ve ever seen them do. And, when you really think about it, they’re not just voicing regular people, but immigrants, gangsters, and crazy people. Some of the accents are a bit forced, but it doesn’t hurt the series too much. There’s also a good mix of veterans and new voice actors. Veterans such as Caitlin Glass (Black Cat), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Full Metal Alchemist), Jason Liebrecht (Eden of the East), Monica Rial (High School of the Dead), Todd Haberkorn (xxxHolic), and Carrie Savage (Paranoia Agent). As for the newbies, you have Bryan Massey as Ladd Russo, Joel McDonald as Jacuzzi Splot, and Maxey Whitehead as Czeslaw Meyer. I’m hoping to hear more from these newbies in the future!

All in all, Baccano! is an exciting ride during the 30’s with a few added twists to keep the plot interesting. The characters are fun to watch, even bad guys like Ladd Russo, and the time period is portrayed perfectly. Once you get past the jumbled up story line and the gore, it’s a fun anime to watch and I highly recommend it.

Le Chevalier D'Eon Review (English)

2011-07-06T11:00:00.004-04:00

“In the name of that truth and loyalty, I shall have my vengeance.”

Le Chevalier D’Eon is a Mystery/Horror anime based on the manga by Tow Ubukata and published by Kodansha. Del Rey produces the American manga. The 24 episode anime comes to us from Studio I.G. and is currently licensed by Funimation. It originally aired from August 2006 to February 2007.

The story begins in Paris, 1753, when the body of a woman named Lia de Beaumont is found in a casket floating along the Seine. The only clue regarding her death is the word "Psalms", which is written in blood on the lid of the casket. D'Eon de Beaumont, Lia's younger brother and a knight in service of King Louis XV, takes it upon himself to investigate his sister's mysterious death, along with the strange disappearances of a number of French women. In his journey he comes across three companions to help him. Lia's body, however, was found to be infused with mercury, making it unable to be decomposed. The Church, declaring that, because she could not return to the "dust she had come from," refused to let her be buried, saying that her soul would forever wander, never able to go to heaven. D'Eon, angered by this, also uses it as a drive in his investigation. Lia, however, still feels the need to avenge her death, and so, when D'Eon is in battle, she can sometimes possess his body and fight.

The look and animation of Le Chevalier D’Eon is fairly well done. Since this is a historical anime, you have to make sure the look isn’t too harsh or in your face, as well as depict the locations of France, Russia, and England accurately; and this anime does this very well. Also, since this is a mystery story, the atmosphere and the mood have to be set very well at the right time. Occasionally, there are times where a certain mood is completely wrong for the scene, but it doesn’t take too much of a toll on the series as a whole. On the downside of all the technical pieces of it, the animation can be a little bit taxing sometimes; mostly when it comes to a character’s face. A lot of times, the expressions seem a little distorted, especially when a character is either sad or in pain; and ESPECIALLY for Durand. He seems to be the biggest target for messed up facial expressions, and it kinda takes away from the series a little bit.

The plot of the anime isn’t historically correct at all, but it does make for a good story. The story seems rather simple, Lia is found dead and her brother D’Eon is trying to find out who killed her. By the time you get to the end of the Russia trip (which is about episode 13), you believe you know who it was and you think the series would be over...... Nope, you still have twelve more episodes to go till you finish the series. Now there’s something called the “Royal Pslams” or some silly thing that they’re trying to get back to Louis XV now. You’d think the story should have ended, but nooooo it has to keep going because it wants to confuse the living daylights out of you. But overall, despite some flaws, it makes for a very interesting and mysterious story line that will keep you guessing.

The series takes a lot of the historical facts and puts them to use in the series. Obviously, the members of the royal family in France, Russia, and England are real, but there are other actual facts in the story. For instance, D’Eon de Beaumont was a real person. He was a French spy who worked for Le Secret du Roi, the secret organization D’Eon and his companions are a part of in the anime. However, he did not have a sister who died and possessed his body, people believed he was actually a woman at birth instead of a man. Other real life figures the story uses, loosely, include: Marquise de Pomadour, Duc d’Broglie, Duc d’Orleans, Comte de Saint-Germain, Vorontsov, Count Cagliostro, and Lorenza.

There are so many characters in the series it is crazy! You not only have D’Eon and Lia, but you have their three companions, characters in France, characters in Russia, characters in England, the bad guys, one time characters, reoccurring characters, characters merely existing to show off their funny hats..... Good grief you don’t even wanna know how many big characters are in the series. Because of this, the character development isn’t really there. Throughout the series, D’Eon is the only one with any real big development. Durand, Robin, and Taillagory (D’Eon’s companions) have little development, but towards the middle (Durand) and the end (Robin and Taillagory), there seems to be last minute things thrown in. No other major characters have much development. As a matter of fact, a few minor characters have more stinking development in the series. Katerina of Russia is one, Lorenza is another. It’s kind of bothersome when your minor characters go through a lot more then your major characters.

In regards to picking a language to view the series in, I highly suggest the English dub for two reasons. One, D’Eon sounds more mature and Lia sounds a little less angry and crazy. Two, the story takes place in France, Russia, and England.... It makes no sense to listen to the Japanese audio if this is where the story takes place. With that in mind, the voice acting in general for the English dub is done by a rather strong cast. David Matranga (High School of the Dead, Canaan) as D’Eon and Taylor Hannah (High School of the Dead, Red Garden) as Lia, as I said before, are much stronger choices then their Japanese counterparts. Tyler Galindo, Illich Guardiola, and John Swasey as Robin, Durand, and Teillagory are very good choices as well; the best being Illich Guardiloa’s Durand (D.N.Angel, Kiba), even though his face looked like he was in torture from time to time. Other well known voice actors you might recognize are: Jay Hickman (Princess Tutu) as Louis XV, Hilary Haag (Trinity Blood) as Belle, Brittney Karbowski (Soul Eater) as Anna Rochefort, Shelley Calene-Black (Canaan) as Marquise de Pompadour, Jessica Boone (Canaan) as Katerina. And here’s one you might not expect: Vic Mignogna is the voice of Sir Dashwood. There will be a character every now and again that irritates the living crap out of me (Peter III... ugh) but it makes me feel better when they’re gone (He he, Peter gets hanged). The real big character that I truly find believable is Marquise de Pompadour. She not only is a woman pushing for a movement, but at points she sounds more French then any other character that is even related to France. I know last time I mentioned Shelley Calene-Black I didn’t mind her performance as Canaan, but this clearly makes up for it in spades!

As an end product, Le Chevalier D’Eon is a loose historical depiction of France before the revolution, adding mystery and supernatural into the mix. Although some poor technical choices were made, the overall series doesn’t completely fail. The English cast was picked carefully, with real good results.... most of the time. But, over all, it’s a must see. The mystery is there; The supernatural is there; The history is there, loosely, and it’s a good watch if you like adaptations of historical events and people that, maybe could have happened, but obviously didn’t.

Zombie Loan Review (Japanese)

2011-06-15T11:00:00.001-04:00

As the month of June comes to a close, it’s time for the second and final review of Zombie Month! This one is way different then High School of the Dead, and, luckily, doesn’t have fan service every five seconds (My niceness is gone for that series now)! The anime? Zombie Loan.

This Action/Comedy series is based off the manga by Peach-Pit, published by Square Enix. The English version is available from Yen Press. The thirteen episode anime is from Xebec M2 Studio and has yet to be licensed in America. It originally ran in the summer of 2007.

Michiru Kita is a special girl who possesses Shinigami Eyes, a power which allows her to see the span of a person's life, indicated by a ring (invisible to normal people), around the person's neck. When a person is marked to die, a gray ring appears, which darkens over time. Once the ring turns completely black, the person dies. Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana, two boys in her class, both have black rings around their necks, and to her surprise, are not yet dead. It is revealed that after a tragic accident that was supposed to kill them both, the two boys made a deal with a secret loan office called the Zombie-Loan. In return for keeping them alive, the two have to hunt zombies for the loan office. When Michiru gets involved with them, she finds that her life has just become more complicated.

The look of the series isn’t a big stand out, but it’s not terrible either. I would say it’s more of your average anime rather then a flop. It has it’s unique moments with the drawing and the colors, but it’s still nothing too spectacular. The animation isn’t lazy either. Zombie Loan just seems like your average, put together anime.

The story is pretty interesting. It certainly takes the idea of zombies with human wills and desires and makes it stand out among different zombie stories. It plays out very nicely with some of the characters in the series, especially Chika Akatsuki. He’s the big character who wants to be truly alive again, so he’s doing whatever he can to get himself out of debt with Zombie Loan. You don’t seen as much aspiration in Shito Tachibana, but it’s because of completely different reasons. The one big problem with the plot is how the anime ended. By episode 11 you have a resolution to the current troubles they get in, but then for two more episodes it looks like the beginning of a new season. However, there are only supposed to be 13 episodes total in the series. According to online sources, only the first 11 episodes aired in Japan; the last two that make the 13 are only available on DVD. My guess is Zombie Loan wasn’t received well in Japan and eventually got the ax by the end of the first season. The last two episodes that never aired made it to DVD as an extra and a preview of what could have been; because the start of the second season looked like the story would really pick up. I’m just sad it never took off.

The characters, as I said before, are mostly zombies with human will. The only ones who are not zombies would have to be Mr. Bekko and Koyomi (although, they both have tricks of their own). Michiru Kita, in the beginning of the series, isn’t a zombie, but she dies, then Chika and Shito decide to save her because of her Shinigami Eyes. The three main characters each go through their own piece of development, and, in fact, they go one at a time through the series. First is Michiru, then Chika, and last is Shito. Is it a bad thing they they focus on one person at a time? Not if it works in the series, and for Zombie Loan it actually does. Sticking with one character for a few episodes while they develop works pretty well for this anime. At points, it does have it’s problems, but you don’t have to worry about trying to follow multiple characters developing at once. On the other hand, the way they did character development also kind of dumbs the series down a little.

So, the animation is average, the story is okay, and the characters aren’t half bad...... There really isn’t much to talk about. Besides a few very memorable pieces here and there, there isn’t anything exciting to make me say “Wow! This is awesome!” Sure the idea of zombies with human will is an interesting idea, but I’m pretty sure something like that has been done before somewhere. It was exciting to watch, but after you finish you don’t really remember or care for the show. The show is just a big hit or miss depending on the viewer. Sadly, for me, it is a bit of a miss. I’m not saying it’s not bad, cause it’s not, I’m just saying I’ve seen it done better. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but compared to High School of the Dead, Zombie Loan is like dirt while High School of the Dead is like a raging fire destroying everything in it’s path, deliberately engaging you as opposed to just existing.

At the end of the day, Zombie Loan takes a different approach with the word “Zombie” to create a fairly unique concept. Otherwise then that, it’s your average anime. I think I understand now why Zombie Loan was cut short. I still recommend this show for it’s concept and it’s characters, but, again, it’s a hit or miss depending on the person.

Well, that’s it for Zombie Month! Hope you enjoyed looking at reviews for two zombie anime. Both High School of the Dead and Zombie Loan are pretty good watches, whether you prefer fan service and survival to different kind of zombies and interesting characters. The next couple of reviews for July and August are:

Le Chevalier D’Eon
Baccano!
Memorable Anime Villains (With assistance from Hasteaguy)
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

If you have any suggestions for future reviews, send my a shout! Leave a comment on this review, leave a post on the Facebook page. I’m still currently looking for anime to review in the future, and, so far, have a fairly good size list. The more anime suggested, the more reviews I’ll have in store for all of you!

High School of the Dead Review (Japanese/English)

2011-06-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

Well, it's June! And you know what that means! It's ZOMBIE MONTH!!! And what better what to start this two review fun with one of the most current popular anime out there. The one that has more fan service and zombies then you can shack a stick at! HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD!!!

High School of the Dead is a Horror/Drama anime based on the manga by Daisuke Sato and published by Kadokawa Shoten, and is available in America by Yen Press. Studio Madhouse picked up the anime version, and made it's run in late summer of 2010 with 12 episodes. Anime Network currently holds licensing for the series.

Takashi Komuro is a normal high school boy, until an infection breaks out that turns people into zombie-like creatures. Along with his friends & the school nurse, they fight their way out and continue their journey to find out what exactly has happened to the world. (Anime News Network)

The look and the animation is amazing! There was really nothing lazy, or bad about the animation quality. Color and style are used well for this anime, and the animation doesn’t seem to have any problems. The one thing I have to be nit-picky about, is the zombies sometimes looking like clay animation rather than drawn. Does it look cool? Sure. Does it work for the series? Not really.

The story is pretty basic: Survive. And it does tell us how the characters attempt surviving the hoard of zombies that are around every corner. The one major thing that is never explained, but does leave the viewer to wonder, how did the infection start? Was is a virus, supernatural curse, or the careless actions of a corporation trying to cure cancer? We don’t know, but we also don’t need to. The story is about surviving the slavering monsters around us, and that’s it. Even with all the fan service in the series, that you would think would be a distraction, the story is immensely involving and actually keeps you on the edge of your seat. With all the chaos and death happening around them, and the realistic way the characters react, in highly traumatic ways, the story manages to pull almost every heart string you possess. You can relate to these characters in their struggle, even the most annoying ones manage to be sympathetic, and keep us involved with the story, right up to the very end.

Each of the characters have little bits of development here and there throughout the story. More development comes from Kohta Hirano, Saeko Busujima, and, maybe, Takashi Komuro. Everyone else doesn’t seem to have a whole lot to go through in the series. As for the characters in general, they aren’t bad. Some are more annoying then others, but for the most part it shows what individuals go through in a crisis like this.

The voice acting in the Japanese is good, with the characters sounding like how you would expect them to. The english dub, however, is a bit of a different story. I gave Jessica Boone props for her role in Canaan in a previous review, but as Rei Miyamoto it seems like she dropped the ball a little. Some of the lines spoken by her character seem a little too forced to be believable. Maggie Flecknoe (Red Garden) as Saya Takagi is rather annoying, but, then again, she’s the know it all genius, so it kinda fits. Mark Laskowski (Super Dimension Fortress Macross) as Kohta was certainly a bad choice to make. The only time the voice fits is when he goes all military on the group. Leraldo Anzaldua (Canaan) picks up the main male lead in Takashi, and doesn’t do too bad with it. But the two people from the group for favorites voice acting would be Taylor Hannah (Le Chevalier D’Eon, Red Garden) as Saeko and Monica Rial (Soul Eater, Baccano!) as Nurse Shizuka Marikawa. They are certainly the better fits for their characters. Oh! And here’s a surprise for you. Remember Brittney Karbowski? The woman who voice Black Star in the Soul Eater dub? Well, she’s back..... as a little girl. Little Alice Maresato.

Now, this can’t be a review about High School of the Dead without talking about the one thing people remember this show the most for: the fanservice. So how does it really stand up to the series? Well, I can say it is a pain watching the show with it occurring every minute (I would say five seconds but I feel generous right now). As the first anime I have ever seen with this much boobs and pantie shots, I have the feeling this anime was solely created for (Lonely) men. I guess when the original creator discovered he had no clue how to make it seem less like a porno, he threw in a zombie apocalypse just to make it more badass. If you didn’t have the distracting fan service, this would certainly be an awesome series. However, since we do, it kind of takes away the show’s quality. I will say, if you’re a guy who loves boobs and zombies, or girls with huge boobs KILLING zombies (seriously, every female lead in the group has tits that should be impossible. Especially the nurse, that poor, broke backed impossible creature) then here’s an anime for you.

At the end of the day, High School of the Dead is an exciting story with amazing animation and imaging, but way too much boobs and panties. If you took out the fan service, the story would probably be more effective rather then the way it is now. A few of the characters are likable, but not all are. If you must see this series, since EVERYONE always talks about this, watch the Japanese version; it has better voice acting. All I have to say now is, viewer discretion advised....... BOOBIES!!

Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate Reviews (English Dub)

2011-05-18T11:00:00.004-04:00

Today, we're going to play a little game. It's called how long does it take before Stephanie decides to not watch Hellsing anymore. Any guesses?

Hellsing is an Action/Supernatural anime based on the manga written by Kouta Hirano and published by Shonen Gahosha. In the U.S., the publisher is Dark Horse Comics. Studio Gonzo took up the anime, and was aired in late 2001. It is currently licensed by Funimation. There are thirteen episodes in all, originally airing from October 2001 to January 2002.

Hellsing is named after and centered around the Holy Order of Protestant Knights, originally led by Abraham Van Helsing. The mission of Hellsing is to protect Queen and Country from the undead and other supernatural forces of evil. This organization is currently led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who inherited the leadership of Hellsing as a child after the death of her father. She is protected by the faithful Hellsing family butler and former Hellsing "trashman," Walter C. Dornez, and Alucard, the original and most powerful vampire that swore loyalty to the Hellsing family after being defeated by Van Helsing one hundred years before the story takes place. These formidable guardians are joined early on in the story line by former ploice officer Seras Victoria, whom Alucard turned into a vampire. As the scale and frequency of incidents involving the undead escalate in England and all around the world, Sir Integra discovers that the remnants of a Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving the Third Reich by creating a battalion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIII Iscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war in London, and Millennium reveals its true objective: to destroy the vampire Alucard, ending a feud begun during World War II.

The look of the series is full of darker colors, with red being used in a lot of cases; mostly when it comes to Alucard. Then again, since the series is dealing with vampires, there's going to be a lot of dark color. There are a lot of soft lines, and some things seem to be a bit faded. The animation isn't lazy either, it's actually pretty well done. The overall quality could be better, but it's not a complete flop.

The story of Hellsing.... Uhm.... Well.... does not follow the original manga (Actual plot in description above), at all. Only in the beginning it's relatively similar to the manga series, but the main plot is completely missing. There's one part in the second episode where you see two teenage vampires killing families and drinking their blood, and then the female vampire decides to go lower on the male and decides to....... Yeah...... To answer the question from the beginning of this post, one episode and about thirteen minutes of the second episode.... Yeah. Sadly, however, I had to keep going. Luckily they die shortly after so I don't have to see any more oral sex or hear their terrible voice acting ever again.

The dialogue is, at times, very poor. With lines such as "I am so fucking hard right now", it begs the question as to who wrote the scripts for the series. It also doesn't help having swears every five to ten minutes or so. On the flip side of things, Hellsing is supposed to be a mature show with mature, adult content; so some of the pieces in this anime are understandable. However, this heavily handed, and just plain appalling delivery takes any charm that watching a mature show presents. Plus, it doesn't help the production company of Hellsing when the manga they're basing it off of has pretty bad dialogue as well. Still, in any case, I almost feel like bashing my head against the wall.

The voice acting, however, is well done. Looking for English (As in England) voice actors to fit the roles of Integra, Seras, and Walter is a major task, and Victoria Harwood, K.T. Gray, and Ralph Lister are perfect matches. Especially Integra; she is the best English actor of the series. Most of the voice acting was done by lesser known actors, but the one name that you might know is Crispin Freeman, who plays Alucard (Blood+, Eureka Seven, Wolf's Rain). Freeman gives off the right amount of dark and sinister along with slightly sociopathic.

So, the only real redeeming thing about Hellsing is the choices in major voice casting and a bit of the animation and overall look of the series. Well, makes me wonder how much worse the OVA really is...... Ugh. Alright, time to find out.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*The heavens open and angels sing*

Holy cow! I never thought an anime would improve so much the second time around!

Satelight and Geneon Entertainment started production of Hellsing Ultimate back in 2006. Episodes are actually longer then the original run time, clocking in at about an hour rather then thirty minutes. The episodes are being released yearly, with the eighth episode out of ten to be released this June. Funimation also licenses Hellsing Ultimate.

So, where on earth do I even begin? The look and animation I suppose. There are several images taken directly from the manga volumes, with a lot of dark colors and sharper imaging. The downside this time around is the animation isn't 100%. With the amount of sharp lines and images, it manages to take its toll on the animation. It will be visually amazing at times and it has better quality then the original, but the animation takes a bit of a beating because of this.

The story is 100% better then the original! It sticks to the manga through and through, with each hour long episode, pretty much, following one manga volume at a time. You get better explanation, better villains that stick around for longer then three episodes (stupid Incognito), and even some actually funny bits in between. Plus, you get more of a look into Alucard's past, which the original didn't even take a second glance at.

The dialogue is a little bit better, but still not the greatest thing in the world. The lines don't seem as out of place at times, and the context of when it is said is better as well. Again, Hellsing is a mature anime with adult content; so the swears are still there at every five minutes or so. But I can at least grit my teeth and bare with the worse bits of dialogue this time, as opposed to bashing my head against a wall for every line of the TV series.

With a new version of an anime, sometimes you think the voice cast would change, not with Helling Ultimate it didn't! It kept the same voice actors for Alucard, Seras, Integra, and Walter. Every one else is voiced by completely different people, except for at least one other person. Steven Brand who voices Alexander Anderson returns for his role as well, and is one priest you certainly do not want to come across in a dark ally. There is one voice actor that deserves credit this time around, and that is the Major. Gildart Jackson must have loved war as much as his character, cause the Major is all about war and fighting, seemingly for it's own sake; and genuinely enjoys working to achieve it.

As I watched Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate, I realized similarities with these two anime and two other popular anime. The Hellsing/Hellsing OVA pattren is the same as the Full Metal Alchemist/Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood anime. Both original series followed the manga very little and turned it into their own story, and when they both came back around the second time they followed the manga more closely. Both Hellsing and FMA were able to keep their main voice actors and make it seem like nothing changed but the story. The major difference between these two franchises is, Hellsing changed it's animation in the OVA while FMA kept the animation intact for Brotherhood. The other big difference between the two is the original FMA held up on it's own with it's completely different story, while the original Hellsing.... doesn't.

But for the major comparison, I broke it down to what I have been talking about during this review. Here's the more dominant breakdown.

Style and Animation:
Hellsing
For better animation and not so hard on the eyes artwork.

Story/Plot:
Hellsing Ultimate
For sticking to the original manga more, plus some actual humor.

Characters:
Hellsing Ultimate
For better development, and villains. (Hooray!)

Dialogue:
Hellsing Ultimate
For less bashing my head against the wall....

Voice Acting:
Hellsing Ultimate
For keeping its voice actors from the original, plus the acting of the Major kicks butt!

Based on my analysis, the overall winner in my opinion and without a doubt, is Hellsing Ultimate. The yearly release of episodes plus the longer run time for each episode proves, this time, they are taking their time with this anime and following it to a T. It still has it's flaws, like every other anime in the world, but it makes up for it with every other detail to make it even better then the original. I'm not saying the original Hellsing is the worse anime in existence, but it's not one I would be excited about recommending to my friends. Hellsing Ultimate, however, would be one I can tell everyone to watch.

Think the original is better then the OVA? Take the poll at the top left, or leave a comment below, and tell us which one is better and why. Poll closes, July 1st. Until next time, This is Stephanie for Lilac Anime Reviews. See you later!

Samurai Champloo Review (English Dub)

2011-05-04T11:00:00.001-04:00

"Some days, some nights/Some live some die in the way of the samurai. Some fight, some bleed/Sun up to sun down, the songs of a battle cry."
~Opening Theme "Battlecry"

Samurai Champloo is a Comdey/Drama based off the manga by Shinichiro Watanabe and was published by Kadokawa Shoten. The english manga is published by Bandai Entertainment. The twenty-six episode anime is from Manglobe and was originally licensed by Genon, but we all know what hapened to them. Since then, Samurai Champloo was rescued and relicensed by Funimation (if only they could do the same for Paranoia Agent).

Mugen is a fierce animal-like warrior with a unique B-Boying (break dance) inspired fighting style. Jin has a more traditional style but don't think of this as a weakness because his skills are amazing. The two contrasting samurai warriors are far from friends, yet their seperate paths seem to cross anyways. Mugen is wandering aimlessly through the city when he stumbles upon a teahouse where he meets Jin and Fuu (A ditzy waitress, but don't think she doesn't have anything hidden up her sleeves. Fuu convinces them both to come with her in search of a mysterious samurai that smells of sunflowers and their journey begins. The modernized hip-hop tale breaks the barriers of the common, historical, samurai anime. (Anime News Network)

The style is extremely well done. With wonderful use of color and lighting to give you the right mood at the right time, it is certainly a visual marvel. However, the animation isn't quite there all the time. There are moments where the animation does get pretty sloppy and out of place, so it can be sometimes irritating to watch. But, though irritating, the animators certainly took the time and effort into where it really counted. So, there is no way I am reviewing this anime without mentioning the music. Samurai Champloo is a period piece, but the music is very very modern; from Hip-Hop to Rap to even some Reggae. The question is, however, does it work? And, well it really does. The music seems to be used at the perfect time in the series, and adds an extra touch of awesome to it.

The story itself has it's major plot, to find the Sunflower Samurai, but that's not the plot of every single episode. A lot of the series is just different stories per episode, sometimes for a max of two episodes (some are labeled Part 1 or Part 2 in the title). Most of the episodes do not, in any way, fit with the time period the show is set in. However, it really does work for this series. The point of Samurai Champloo is, pretty much, a parody of Asian action/samurai films. With that idea in mind, the show may not make sense plot wise but, that's the point of it. You have the characters playing baseball in one episode, and, in another, there's a character who has beat boxing/rapping sidekicks. Yeah.... Makes no sense to the period, but it's still funny to watch.

Since this show is more about our three main travelers, they'll be the subject of my little character talk. All three don't have a whole lot of development, pretty mich sticking to their stereotypes from episode one. Sure, there is backstory and a few flashbacks here and there, but they're few and far between. As for the voice acting in the Dub, all three are played perfectly. Fifteen year old Fuu is played like a fifteen year old, thanks to Kari Wahlgren (Blood+, Witch Hunter Robin). Fuu just seems to be you typical young girl who is just keeping tabs on the boys, pretty much forcing them to get along. Jin, the rather quiet and very traditional samurai, is played by Kirk Thornton (Gungrave, The Prince of Tennis). He's played exactly how you would picture this character. He's all about honor and can become rather upset whenever he comes across broken tradition with the way of the samurai. Although he is to be seen as the most serious of the three, Jin really does have his share of funny moments. But the big show stealer is most certainly Steve Blum's Mugen (The Big O, Rurouni Kenshin). In the dub version, Mugen's slang and brash way of speaking are carried out so well by Steve Blum it's not even funny (Okay it totally is). If you're looking for the man of the show then look no further then Mugen. Certainly one of Steve Blum's iconic roles alongside Cowboy Bebop.

The dub itself has a few tiny problems when it comes to syncing with the character's mouths. There have been a few times where I would watch the show and see that they could be speaking in your standard Japanese turned English voice over movie. Where you have the Japanese audio going in the scene, but then that pause where there's poorly done English voice over mixed in. Luckily, it's not an extreme problem with Samurai Champloo. I'm probably just being a bit nit-picky. Also, if you want to pick between the Japanese and the Dub, my friend suggested the Dub; just for the slang and brashness of it all makes more sense in English rather then Japanese, and the voice acting works tons better. I've seen the English but haven't seen the Japanese, so I'll have to take his word for it.

All in all, Samurai Champloo makes fun of your typical samurai story and adds it's own modern pieces that work really well together. The Dub is well done, using, not only one of the greatest voice actos of all time, but some other well known actors who fit their roles perfectly. Again, a visual marvel, it has fun with what it's trying to accomplish and it's easily noticeable. Certainly one of those anime you just have to add to your viewing list.

Cute Anime Couples

2011-04-20T11:00:00.001-04:00

One of the most standard parts in anime are the cute couples. Actually, maybe it's an unwritten rule that every anime have to have some sort of love story in there somewhere. But what makes a "cute couple"? Is it the cute moments where you just want to go "Awww"? Or is it the moments where you just KNOW they belong together? I asked some friends of mine who they thought were the most adorable and amazing Anime couples, and here are the results; including some of my own:

Daisuke and Riku
D.N.Angel
"I loved this romance because it actually developed and wasn't painfully obvious from episode one! To be honest, I thought Riku was going to e a jerk in the beginning, an obstacle for Daisuke to overcome in order to get to the woman he loves. But no, as the series progresses, Daisuke realizes that he is not in love with Risa, but her identical twin Riku (yeah big step there). But the realization of his love isn't about looks or him never being able to get Risa, it's because his personality and comfort zone are much closer to Riku. At the end of the series I found myself yelling at the computer screen, ordering Daisuke to kiss Riku or I would kill him. I believe he got the message."

Lawrence and Holo
Spice and Wolf
"I honestly loved the chemistry between Lawrence and Holo in Spice and Wolf. Granted I didn't see much of Spice and Wolf but, of what I did see, there were a few great scenes between the two where there was so much tension.... the notion that traveling companion falling in love has a lot of plausibility to it."

Hagi and Saya
Blood+
You have a girl who has lived a really long time, and a man who does anything to serve the girl. Throughout the series, their relationship begins to grow, as Saya starts regaining some memories, and we see Hagi recall some of his own. From those flashbacks, we understand how important they are to each other. Are they cute together? Not in the literal sense of the word, but they do have a very nice relationship. Did I mention Hagi steals a kiss from Saya in the very first episode?

Miroku and Sango
Inuyasha
"I like Miroku, he's my favorite character in that whole story. He never changes to the detriment to his character, but also to his aid. He has an ethical code to Sango of basically, 'At the end of the night, I'm still gonna be yours." It's..... twisted, but shows that he does want to put his feelings for her first. Like a shrine or special place set aside specifically for her. Sango is a very traumatized character, arguably the one with the most to lose in the whole series. Her entire clan is dead at the hands of demons, and her brother has one of the cursed shards in his body, and Naraku forces him to fight her. To save him she must kill Naraku. Because of her singular focus, she's unaware of Miroku's feeling for her until later in the series. Later on, she realizes that he likes her, but they both agree they can't afford the relationship right now. There is too much at stake for the both of them, at least until their (seemingly never ending) quest to kill Naraku is finished. Their relationship, both romantic and as traveling companions has something that sells it for me: AUTHENTICITY. Miroku is a lecherous douche cookie, and he shows that Many MANY time RIGHT IN FRONT OF SANGO. By all rights, she should completely forget his stupid ass, and to hell with his "devotion to her" when he's clearly planning to single handedly impregnate the other half of Feudal Japan. And yet his devotion to her, despite his failings, wins her over."

Zoro and Nami
One Piece
This is certainly one of thise couples that I might get in trouble for, but I can't help falling in love with this pair! They are probably a couple of the most mature member of the Straw Hat Pirates (Robin being another one. I haven't seen the two newer members yet). They have serious conversations about certain problems and situations, and are very funny at times. Mostly whenever Nami reminds Zoro of the debt he owes her for buying new swords. Ahh, blackmail at it's finest....

Meier and Charlotte
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
"This romance is beautiful, hated, and remarkable in my opinion. I think out of every anime couple that 'loves' each other this is the most amazing one that I've seen. It's tragic and forbidden, and it's slightly dangerous but it's still beautiful to see how much the two of these characters love and adore one another despite everything else. As an aside, the movie is beautiful and I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it."

Chrono and Rosette
Chrono Crusade
"They are a very good couple because while they are not over the top lovey through the series, their relationship is obvious and an important undertone throughout the series. They bring it to the point where their lives are literally linked, to which if one dies they both do. This is for a different reason, but I see it as another innuendo for their love for each other. Not to mention that the ending of the series was one of the most bittersweet and very heartwarming things I've ever seen in anime. I won't spoil the end though, I'll jst say it's adorable."

Naruto and Hinata
Naruto
Again, I might get shot for even thinking about putting this one on here, but these two seem to be at the top of a lot Anime Couple lists. And I can see why. You have shy Hinata, who wants to tell the guy she likes how she feels. And then you have Naruto, the guy who doesn't even notice anything and just wants to focus on his goals. It does make for a funny relationship they go through..... But you just want to yell at Hinata for not telling Naruto right out..... Or at Naruto for his own damn stupidity.

Rini and Peruru
Sailor Moon
"Why? Ahhhh..... young love."

Shiro and Saber
Fate/Stay Night
This relationship is certainly an interesting one. You have Saber who wants to fight and win the Grail War, and Shiro just wants to protect those he cares. But as the story progresses, Shiro starts developing feelings for Saber and actually want to use the Grail to try and keep her with him. In the end, Saber does admit her feelings to Shiro just in time for her to leave and return to where she came from. It's a relationship that just goes back and forth but ends up in good terms in the end.

Those are just ten of the many amazing and cutest couples in anime. I know there's even more, but it would take a very long time to talk about them all; and I don't really have that luxury. So, until next time, every story has some love in it we just have to enjoy; no matter the kind of relationship.

xxxHolic Review (English)

2011-04-06T11:00:00.001-04:00

"There are many unusual things in this world. Every day, events occur that cannot be explained. Bizarre phenomena that often go unnoticed because people close their eyes to what they don't understand. But the truth of the matter is, there are many unusual things in things in this world. And People.... People are the most mysterious of them all."

xxxHolic, a Supernatural/Comedy, is based off the manga by Clamp. The english manga is published by Del Ray Manga. The anime was produced by Production I.G. and is licensed by Funimation, having twenty four episodes. A spin off anime called xxxHolic: Kei is produced by Production I.G. as well and has thirteen episodes. This series has not been licensed in America yet.

Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student, is plagued by yokai and ayakashi, spirits with a strong attraction to him. The spirits are invisible to others and encounters with them are extremely troublesome. When he stumbles into a shop that grants wishes, however, events in his life promise to become more unusual. The shop is owned by Yuko Ichihara, a mysterious witch of many names and esoteric renown. For a price, she offers to grant Watanuki's wish to be rid of the spirits. The price, according to Yuko, must be of equal value and so, as payment, he temporarily becomes Yuko's part-time employee. Watanuki's job consists of small errands dealing with the supernatural and household chores. His love interest, Himawari Kunogi, and "rival", Shizuka Domeki, occasionally join him in his work as per Yuko's request. The three become increasingly close despite Watanuki's annoyance with Domeki. Although Watanuki becomes happy with the new friendships he makes, he becomes concerned about Yuko, promising he will try and grant her wish.

This looks fairly well done with nice animation, however, this anime suffer from what I like to call "lazy animation syndrome". There are points where the animation and the look are as if the animators decided to cheat a bit or slack off with the series, and it shows on occasion. The style of the show, in some ways, reminds me of a Romance/Drama style. You can get it from the overall look, the music, and how the characters are portrayed.

The story doesn't quite have a distinct plot. You would think the plot was Watanuki trying to get his wish granted by Yuko, but it's actually mentioned very rarely throughout the series. Of course it's brought up a lot in the first episode, but then, I think, it's only talked about once in another episode; but only briefly. So, instead, there isn't a consistent plot; just one more mistake that didn't quite occur in the minds of the oriducers. And the last episode of this series is literally labeled: "Side Story: Reminiscence". Yeah...... I'm going to correct myself a little bit....... THERE IS NO PLOT!!!! It's pretty much a bait and switch here. You watch the first episode and think "This is gonna be a pretty awesome story. I might enjoy this", and then you keep watching it..... And watching it......... And watching it............. And watching it.................... And watching it..................... AND THERE IS NO STORY!!!! That is just a complete disappointment for people who want a story, who want a plot, who want.... SOMETHING to happen!!

I know what you're thinking, "What else is she about to say that will destroy my hopes in ever watching xxxHolic?" And, well, I can actually say that there are some pretty good redeeming qualities in this anime. Obviously, the look of the show is pretty and also can be dark at times. The use of color and design is used well and that is very noticeable.

The other redeeming quality is the cast. For a show that doesn't have a real story to it, the English cast balances it out with enjoyable characters and some actual character development. A couple to certainly mention are Todd Haberkorn as Watanuki (Soul Eater, Baccano!) and Colleenn Clinkenbeard as Yuko (One Piece, Trinity Blood). And, just like in Paranoia Agent, Carrie Savage seem to have some fun playing little Mokona. What is it with Carrie Savage and playing rather cute and very interesting characters?

To sum things up, xxxHolic is an enjoyable anime with a good amount of screw ups, but with some little fun parts to make up for it. If you're the kind of person who wants to watch something fun then it's certainly one to watch. But, since I'm more into stories and actual plot, I don't really recommend this anime. But there's some hope for the story lovers! There's still the spin off show, xxxHolic: Kei! Maybe it'll be ten times better then its predecessor......... Please let it be better........

Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son)

2011-03-23T11:00:00.001-04:00

"What are little girls made of?"

Wandering Son is an eleven episode Drama/Slice of Life anime based off the manga by Takako Shimura and published by Enterbrain. The anime is from AIC Classic and premiered in Japan in January 14th of this year and is currently finishing it's run.

Shuichi Nitori is a young, effeminate boy who has just entered middle school. Yoshino Takasuki is a tall, boyish girl in the same class. Both of them have know each other since elementary school, and became fast friends when they learned of each others desire to be the opposite gender. Nitori tends to cross dress while he's around town or at home, while Takasuki has short hair and begins to wear more boys clothes. Both children begin taking the first steps toward who they truly desire to be.

When it comes to the look of the anime, it looks as if you're watching a moving color pencil drawing in a sketch book. There is a lot of white, making the other colors rather faded. It's certainly a rare look for an anime, considering what I have seen before. I don't really know any other anime that have this same look so it's a good change of pace when it comes to the look and animation. At the same time, however, although the look is unique it's really hard to focus on what's really taking [place with so much white and faded colors.

The story itself takes a little bit to get into and really understand, and can even be a bit confusing some times. This series starts on the first day of middle school which, if you have read the manga, is wrong. The manga starts with our main characters in elementary school. So, this means, there will be some parts you don't quite understand at first. Unless you have read the manga then you'll get lost after ten minutes of the first episode. Don't worry too much though, parts of the series do get explained with dialogue and few flashbacks. Also, the story can be a little slow at times; making it seem like forever before something really major happens. This isn't a real bad thing, considering this is a slice of life anime, but it can sometimes be agonizing wondering when the story will really get going.

The characters, from what I've seen, are fairly well developed. The two main characters, Nitori and Takasuki show more development then the other characters, however there is one other character that has some development involved. Saori Chiba, a classmate, has a decent amount of development. She has has a crush on Nitori for a long time, yet she is the person who encourages him to cross dress. Kind of a conflicting situation within herself. The one character that kind of bugs me is Makoto Ariga, another boy in the class who wants to be a girl. I didn't even know that he wanted to be a girl too till I read something online, and THEN I saw it on the show. This character is just not defined clearly in the first couple episodes. He does become more developed later on when he ends up taking on the major role in the class's gender bender play.

The main theme of this anime, as I stated before, is gender identity. This is certainly a topic you almost never see come up on TV these days, let alone an anime series! Sure, maybe there's bits of messaging in some shows, but never has a show been completely been about gender identity (at least from what I've seen). The way Wandering Son portrays this theme is rather well done. It not only shows how the two main characters deal with finding their own place and becoming who they are, but it shows how other people are effected as well. For example, Nitori's older sister beats him whenever she catches him cross dressing. Then there's Chiba's love for Nitori, the boy. This anime breaks down barriers and starts to show us what the life of a transgender person is like, especially a child's life.

In the end, Hourou Musuko is a groundbreaking and unique anime from beginning to end; from story to style and animation. It brings to light, a modern day issue and brings it back to it's origins of childhood when a person believes they are someone else; because that's when most transgender people begin to think that way. It tells the story if the individual as well as those around them, showing the torment as well as the triumph they feel once they get to be who they are. So, again, I'm going to ask this question of all of you:

"What are little girls really made of?"

Paranoia Agent (English Dub)

2011-03-02T11:00:00.001-05:00

He attacks you when you're alone, when you're most vulnerable, and emotionally cornered. There's no way to escape him, and he can't be caught. When you see his golden roller blades and hear his bent golden bat in the distance you know he's coming. You can run, but there's no way you can hide from him. He is.... Lil Slugger.

Paranoia Agent is an original anime from the late, great, Satoshi Kon. This mystery/Psychological/Horror is thirteen episodes long and originally aired in 2004. It was produced by Madhouse Studios and was licensed by Geneon, though they went under a few years ago, and Paranoia Agent has yet to be relicensed. So, if you ever want to watch it, you're only chance is used DVD's or online streaming sites.

Tuukiko Sagi, a shy character designer who created the immensely popular pink dog Maromi, finds herself under pressure to repeat her success. As she walks home that night, she is attacked by an elementary school boy on inline skates. Two police detectives, Keiichi Ikari and Mitsuhiro Maniwa, are assigned to the case. They suspect that Tsukiko is lying about the attack, until they receive word of a second victim. Soon the attacker, dubbed Lil Slugger, is blamed for a series of street assaults in Tokyo. None of the victims can recall the boy's face and only three distinct details are left in their memories: golden inline skates, a baseball cap, and the weapon: a bent golden baseball bat. Ikari and Maniwa set out to track down the perpetrator and out an end to his crimes, but it's not going to be easy.

First off, I am going to mention this. I first saw this series in 2004 on Adult Swim, when I was about thirteen/fourteen years old. After watching the first episode, I couldn't fall asleep for days because I had evil visions of Lil Slugger in my head. So, I never finished the show. I finally watched it all the way through last year with some friends and I completely fell in love with it! It's funny how your idea of something can change after watching it again.

The look of the series is almost flawless. The animation is good and the scenes are put well together. The only real complaint I have is some of the distorted faces some of the characters make. It doesn't seem to look very well with the intentional look and style of the series. The story itself is almost flawless as well. For the first six or seven episodes, it revolves around six people and their attacks: Tsukiko Sagi, Akio Kawazu, Yuichi Taira, Harumi Chono, Taeko Hirukawa, and Makoto Kozuka. If you have seen this series before then you already know why I didn't mention Shogo Ushiyama and Masami Hirukawa. For those who haven't, well, I'm not planning on spoiling it too much for you.

As far as voice acting goes, it's pretty much flawless. You find the English voice actors matched with characters extremely well, and it's rare for someone to find a bad role. In other words, you have a harder time picking a favorite character based on the voice. Sam Riegal (Fate/Stay Night, Prince of Tennis) as Lil Slugger/Makoto Kozuka is the right amount of creepy/silly needed for the two, very different, roles. Mostly certainly credit goes to Carrie Savage for her role as Maromi (Vampire Knight, Baccano!). It's cute and adorable mixed with just the right amount of creepy, making this a very odd stuffed toy that could probably kill you in your sleep.

One of the genre's in this series is Psychological, so where does that really come in? To put it simply, it's human coping skills. People are backed into little emotional corners due to personal problems in each victim's life. For instance, Tsukiko Sagi is stuck due to the amounting pressure to repeat her success after Maromi became super popular. She ended up as a victim of stress and paranoia, and, as a result, so appears Lil Slugger. There's real way to explain it without really spoiling it, so I'll just go ahead and say it. Lil Slugger isn't a real person. It's just something that was created to put blame on instead of claiming blame for your own actions. Again, coping skills. The question then becomes this, where did Lil Slugger really come from?

Now I said that this series is almost flawless.... Almost. Back to what I said about the story. It's good for the first six or seven episodes, and then, to an extent, it kind of goes downhill. For a few episodes, it's all just fillers. One of them is about three people who met online trying to commit suicide together, another about all the workers for the Maromi TV show getting killed off, and last about some gossiping women telling stories about Lil Slugger. It would be fine if these stories weren't right in a row, one right after the other. I can understand some time needs to go by to help develop the main characters in the show, like the detectives and Tsukiko Sagi, but three fillers is kind of overdoing it a bit. Granted, the are fun to watch. After Episode 10, the real story kind of kicks back in with Detective Ikari's wife Misae. Once that episode goes through, the story finally reaches it's climax and slowly comes down to it's end result of everything going back to normal.... For everyone but Maniwa any way.

In the end, Paranoia Agent is almost completely flawless in every angle. From story, to animation, to it's characters; this anime is certainly one that will get you to start thinking about what's real and what really isn't. Or, if not that, give you nightmares of Lil Slugger for a few days.

Here's the first ten minutes of the first episode if you are interested in watching:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zgjbn74mL6Q

Eden of the East (Japanese)

2011-02-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

What if you played a game where the objective was to save Japan? The only thing you have in order to do this was a cell phone with 10 billion yen. You can spend it any way you want, but you have to use it for the above objective. If you don't use the money or if you run out and have not won the game, then you die. Would you wanna play?

Eden of the East is a Psychological/Romance/Mystery anime written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama. It originally was produced by Production I.G. Studio and was licensed by Funimation. There are eleven episodes total with two novels released after the anime. Three films were also released between September 2009 and March 2010.

On November 22, 2010, ten missiles strike against uninhabited areas of Japan, claiming no victims. This apparent terrorist attack is referred to as "Careless Monday" and disregarded by most people. The series begins three months later, with a young Japanese woman named Saki Morimi visiting Washington D.C. as part of her graduation trip. When she gets into trouble, a mysterious Japanese man, who introduces himself as Akira Takizawa, helps her through it. The man appears to have no memory and is completely naked, carrying only a gun and a cell phone charged with 8.2 billion in digital money.

The look of the series and the animation are rather well done. There was no laziness or lack of budget to cause problems with this series and that is easily noticeable. Though at some points, the animation doesn't quite fit the original look, but it's only used for comic effect rather then calling it lazy. The story is good too. For the most part, you're following Takizawa, trying to figure out who he is, and what organization he's a part of. There are few things that escape the realm of explanation, and this series is going to leave you with questions in the end, but not unsatisfied.

After I watched this series for the first time, I told my friend about it. When I did he said to me, "So it's pretty much like the Bourne movies." And, yes, in some ways it is. The main male character has no memory of who he is or what he has done before losing those memories. He also works for a secret organization bent on some purpose.

The characters are fairly well developed, Takizawa being the best. Then again, the series is pretty much all about him and his journey to find out who he is. Saki is developed decently, sometimes you don't completely understand why she does certain things, but she is a good companion to Takizawa. The rest of the cast has small bits of development here and there, key word being small.

And then there's the running joke of the series. It's fine for a few episodes and can be funny when referred to, but by the time you get to the forth or fifth episode it's just annoying and completely unnecessary. I am, of course, talking about the "Johnny" gag. It's called by no other name but Johnny. Not penis, not dick, not wood. Johnny. There's even a character in the series who is called the "Johnny Hunter". She hunts down rapists and cuts off their...... Yeah...... Are you seeing the problem? I understand that the series wanted to have something that makes people laugh, but referring to a male's genitally as Johnny, ALL THE TIME, is just plain stupid. Unless you're into stupid things like that which, in that case, you will absolutely love it.

I mentioned that this review is about the Japanese version, but I am going to talk about the English dub for a second. I only watched part of an episode that was posted on YouTube. All I have to say is that Takizawa and Hirasawa were tolerable in the ten minutes I managed to watch. Everyone else didn't seem like good fits. Again, this was just based off one episode. The entire series might have had character partnered with good voice actors that I didn't take a look at. But for those who wanna watch the series, I would stick to the Japanese. Mostly cause I'm a sucker for this version.

The end result is Eden of the East being a good visual anime with some kinks here and there along with a real good story that takes another story, tweaks it, and make it interesting. There is more to the story with the movies that were released during the fall so the story doesn't end with more bombing and more memory loss. No, the fun has just gotten started. Hopefully, they'll resolve some of the plot points in the movies.

Canaan Review

2011-02-02T14:09:00.001-05:00

A thirteen episode Action/Drama series, Canaan is based on the manga written by Type-Moon. The manga is published by Kadokawa Shoten, but has yet to reach the states. The anime had it's original run in the summer of 2009 from P.A. Works Studio, and has been dubbed be Anime Network in September 2010. The story actually takes place two year after the Nintendo Wii visual novel, 428: Fusa Sareta Shibuya de. I had already seen the Japanese version and recently watched the English, so I'm gonna take on both versions.

Two years ago, Shibuya was ravaged by a biological terrorist attack using the deadly Ua virus. Maria Osawa was saved when her father inoculated her against the virus, but is left with partial amnesia from the shock. She works as a cameraman when she is reunited with a girl named Canaan in Shanghai, China. A gifted assassin with synesthesia, she is under orders from an organization for a yet unspecified mission. (Anime News Network)

There are two types of people who are infected by the Ua virus, Borners and Unbloom. Borners are those who survive being infected, some gaining powers (Hacko) or just some extra body parts (Yun Yun). Unbloom are those who also survive the Ua virus, however gain no special abilities and become extremely vulnerable to UV rays and outside noises. Snake, a terrorist group run by Alphard, ran experiments on people in a distant villiage a few years prior to the events in the anime. Their goal, to study the effects of Borners and Unbloom in order to use the Ua virus to, pretty much, cause war. The only person really standing in their way is Canaan.

The look of the series is pretty much your generic Action anime series with decent animations. The most interesting look of the series is Canaan's synesthesia powers. Whenever we look through her eyes everything becomes color coded, depending on people's emotions and conditions such as gray for hunger and blue for hate. The story is pretty basic: a girl working for a mystery organization (Canaan) is out for revenge against the person who killed her mentor (Alphard). At the same time, she also befriends another girl turning her into her new reason for living (Maria). Add a strange virus and some sadistic characters and you've got this anime.

There are a few parts that are never explained in this series at all. For instance, in the beginning we are just told Canaan and Maria are friends. The only thing about their past that the anime calls our "explanation" is a) Canaan saved Maria from bad guys and b) the two of them bonded over Cat's cradle. Another piece that is never explained is why Minrou went to Shanghi, besides trying to get "the big scoop" What kind of "big scoop" are we looking for? Did the gossip magazine he worked for get a tip that a teenage girl who can see colors and can shoot like a ninja-monkey would be tearing around Shanghi? However I did find out that Minrou was actually one of the main characters from 428: Fusa Sareta Shibuya de, and survivor of the Shibuya incident two years prior. So if you haven't even heard of the game then you are completely lost.

Both the English and Japanese version aren't bad, but if I had a preference I would stick to the Japanese. The voice actors in the this version match the idea of the characters better thn the English. Although both versions have very good portrayals. Both Maaya Sakamoto and Lesley Pederson give good performances as Alphard, as well as the actors for both Minoru and Santana. Shelly Calene-Black plays a decent Canaan, but I preferred Miyuki Sawashiro's more tom-boyish and naive Canaan better. When it comes to Maria and Yun Yun, the Japanese voice actors are certainly superior. But I believe the best portrayal of a character in either version is Liang Qi. Both Rie Tanaka and Jessica Boone do an amazing job with this role. Playing out not only her obsession for Alphard but the insanity that goes along with it. You almost feel sorry for her and the torture she goes through both mentally and emotionally.

The downside to the series is, again, the fact that it's your generic action series. It has huge gun fights, secret organizations bent on taking over the world, and the occasional necrophilia... Oh wait.... That's just this show.... The other major downfall in the series is the story. The characters are decent, with some of them developed nicely while other not at all. There are patches in the story where, unless you have seen it's proceeding visual novel, then you have no idea where some parts of the story come nto play, or why some of it matter. It's still enjoyable to watch whether you want to see those gun fights or watch the complexe mind games between Canaan and Alphard. Or, hell, see Liang Qi lose her marbles!

In the end, Canaan is a good action series that has a few twists to keep the audience's attention. It sticks to the sotry through and through with a few fun parts at times. Mostly from seeing Yun Yun and her many many jobs, plus the jokes about her boobs, or lack thereof. It's one to at least take a look at, and either you'll love it, hate it, or just go "eh".

Soul Eater Review (English Dub)

2011-01-19T15:32:00.003-05:00

"Welcome to Death Weapon Meister Academy. More commonly known as the DWMA. It stands as a defense against the forces of evil, which would plundge the world into chaos and drag hummanity into the very depths of fear and madness. The demons known as Keshin and their insatiable hunger for destruction. To ensure the Keshin never regain their hold on this world, this academy was founded by the Grin Reaper, Death himself."

This 51 episode Action/Comedy series is based off the manga by Atsushi Okubo and published by Gangan Comics. The English translation is available from Yen Press. The anime went into production in Japan in 2008 by Bones Studios. Funimation received the rights and dubbed the series in 2010, releasing it into four DVD sets. I only had time to watch the Dubbed version, so please keep that in mind while reading this review.

The students at the DWMA consist of two types of humans: Weapons, humans who can into a weapon form and Meisters, who wield and control their weapon partner. The main task of each team is to collect 99 human souls who have fallen to evil, and one witch's soul, in that exact order. By doing this, the Meister can make their Weapon into a Death Scythe; a weapon fit to be used by Lord Death. However, if it some how gets messed up, they must start all over again.

Enter our seven main characters. You heard me right, seven. There are three weapon/meister teams the entire series focuses on. Maka Albarn and Soul Eater Evans, Black Star and Tsubaki Nakasukasa, and Death the Kid and the Thompson Sisters: Liz and Patty.

The show itself is colorful and can be abstract from multi color apartments to stitching on Professor Stein's house. The Sun and Moon even have smiling faces, laugh strangely, and have human emotion. In one episode, the Sun is trying to fight off sleep, being made fun of in the process.

The characters are developed fairly well throughout the series. The only ones with any real major developments are Kid, Stein, and Chrona. The rest don't exactly have any big revelations during the series, or they have at least one towards the end. Personality wise, they are all good. Each has their strong points and weak points. Maka is brave but extremely stubborn, Black Star is a good assassin but takes nothing seriously (except how much of a "star" he is), and Kid has level head, however he is obsessed to the point of being incapacitated by things being symmetrical. It's a running joke that he can't destroy anything that is "perfectly symmetrical." All in all, each one is strong in their own way, but have their very noticeable flaws to hold them back.

At certain point you can tell where there is comic relief in the story. Mostly, in the form of a weapon named Excalibur. Yes folks, Excalibur is in this series. And he is made to be the most lame thing in the entire world..... Oddly enough though, after someone I knew watch the first Excalibur episode..... They became instantly obsessed with obtaining the sword..... Even though Excalibur is very annoying and lame, more power to you for trying to get it.

The English Dub cast isn't bad either. Laura Bailey (Fruits Basket, Gunslinger Girl) and Micah Solusod (Corpse Princess, Birdy the Mighty) are perfect fits for the roles of Maka and Soul. Kid and Liz are good casting as well (Todd Haberkorn: Claymore, xxxHolic. Jamie Marchi: The Scared Blacksmith, Nabari no Ou). The only really obvious bi name that anyone would ever recognize is Vic Mignogna as Death Scythe (Full Metal Alchemist, D.N.Angel). It's not a big role like everyone is used to seeing him in, but he does bring in some comic relief that the series needs every now and again.

The one character I have problems with is Brittney Karbowski as Black Star. I know he is supposed to be one of the more annoying characters that doesn't stop talking about himself, but his voice borderlines nails on a chalkboard for me. Don't get me wrong, this is a good thing but goodness gracious I feel like punching him sometimes cause he just doesn't shut up!

The series was rereleased in September 2010 under the title "Soul Eater: Repeat Show". It's the same series, just different opening and ending themes. So if you watch a 3rd opening of this series and believe there's a second seaon, then I'm telling you now. There isn't.... Yeah I was disappointed too.

All in all, Soul Eater has a really good mix of action and comedy. You get filler episodes every now and again that give you a good laugh, like the Excalibur episodes. And even during the major action pieces there is some sort of comedy bit in there, making it more interesting then just the typical on going action series. And, if you're a big Vic Mignogna fan, it's a good series to see Mr. Edward Elric playing the butt of some jokes. This is certainly one of my favorite anime currently and I still get a laugh whenever I watch it. It's certainly one to take a look at for the action fan who also loves laughs.