Afro Samurai: Resurrection Review

Plot Summary

Years after Afro Samurai avenged his father, the deadly warrior has laid down his sword and tries to live a life of peace. But one cannot don the Number One headband and have a tranquil ever after.

Those who have lost loved ones under Afro’s skilled blade have come back to exact payment for the pain he’s inflicted, and the price is too high for the silent samurai to meekly pay. Once again Afro must sharpen his sword and slice his way back to the top. This time, it isn’t revenge- it’s personal.

Review

Afro Samurai: Resurrection is a rare gem in media- it’s a sequel which isn’t just as good as its predecessor, it’s actually better.

Afro Samurai Seeks Revenge...Again

The movie is more of an adventure than the slice and dice gore fest of the series. Afro is back with his side kick Ninja Ninja to put the hurt on some vengeful ghosts made in Afro’s bloody wake. It’s a solid telling of tables turned and whirlwinds reaped. In its ninety minutes, Resurrection takes us back to the motley world of hip hop and history, rap and rice paddies. Afro comes face to face with those who felt the bitter bite of Afro’s vengeance, and payback’s a bitch.

Resurrection is beyond entertaining, it’s entrancing. The fights, imagery, story and dialog make this sequel hard to look away from. It pulls viewers in from the first scene and is relentless with the way it shoves its gorgeous animation down their throats. Anime fans will get a much needed breather from the usual anime fare, and non-fans will get an introduction the anime world in a way that won’t scare them off.

Character Development

It’s obvious viewers who watched the Afro Samurai series will know the characters better than those who watch Resurrection cold. However, there is enough development for newcomers to piece together Afro’s past history with the antagonists. It’s not much, but it’ll clue viewers in why Afro is who he is and does what he does.

Afro this time around has a new purpose, and it colors his actions and perspective. This time around, he’s more thoughtful and precise. He’s still a bastard, but he’s a bastard who has some reserve and cognizance of who he’s affecting. It doesn’t hold him back much, but it deepens his character considerably.

Ninja Ninja, the voice of self-preservation, is louder now than in the series. He still has all the best lines, and he still adds lightness to the violence and sexuality of Resurrection, but he urges caution even more.

Ninja Ninja Gives Unwated Advice to Afro Samurai

Some of Ninja Ninja’s choice lines, voiced by the bad ass motherf*#er himself, Samuel Jackson:

• “This is the best?! Maybe you aughta kill this motherf*#er too, for ly’n!!”
• “I mean, he cool and all, but he ain’t yo’ pal. Just dead this fool!”
• “Aw, shit, this guy’s slick! I’m impressed. He just might kill yo’ ass.”

Character Design

Designs are once again top-notch and totally over the top. The meshing of hip hop culture and traditional Japanese culture creates an unique one all its own. If I were asked to describe the movie’s designs in one word, I’d have to invent one first: Cyber-feudal. The merging of advanced technology with traditional Japanese styles for Resurrection makes steampunk look tired. Nothing like it exists in the anime world, which makes this hybrid a refreshing stand alone.

The character designs are overly emphasized and sometimes exaggerated, but mostly different from what one would expect from the medium. The women are ridiculously endowed and scantily clad, not new in anime, but nary a bishonen can be found, nor cutesey giant eyes nor tiny mouths.

Resurrection is a blend of the best of comic and anime standards. The seasoned anime eye won’t glaze over from repetitious character designs, and newbies to the anime world won’t be bored by typical American animation. Resurrection has visual offerings for everyone.

The Evil (?) Soi

Color plays a big part in Resurrection’s designs, the colors being intense and muted simultaneously. They play off each other, creating tension in the appropriate moments. Some parts of Afro Samurai are black and white with a monochromatic overlay of a saturated color. The effect is cinematic and dramatic. It’s an intense device which works well to create mood.

The background shots must be mentioned as well. Details and colors make them more than just set pieces and more a part of the plot.

Animation

There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how implicitly awesome the animation is. Gonzo, the studio involved, gets a pass on some of the craptacular animation its done in the past few years for the breathtaking work its done on Resurrection. The skillful set lighting, shading and perspective in the animation gives the movie the chops to flirt with the moniker, “Work of Art”.

Speaking of art, the final fight scene is artistic and minimal, and a good call on the writers’ part. The rest of the fights wow with their originality and intensity. Afro has a more refined approach to his fighting style this time, but the fights are still a lot of sloppy fun to watch.

The animation itself is devoid of hinky motions, shortcut movements and other substandard marks of poor animation. It’ll spoil anime fans.

Afro Smoking with Ninja Ninja talking again

Music

RZA returns to set the mood to the Afro sequel with his throbbing beats and swanky seventies era vibe. The music flows from danceable hip hop to funky rock to soulful R&B in the space of minutes. It’s the perfect eclectic accompaniment to this jaw-dropping, eclectic movie.

Voice Acting

Samuel Jackson reprises his roll as Ninja Ninja and Afro Samurai, and Lucy Lui makes an appearance as the voluptuous Sio. They do a good job, and are very convincing in their roles. The rest of the cast is surprisingly good as well, which is hard to find among anime English vocal casts.

Production

The movie comes as a 2-disc special edition director’s cut and has a DVD full of extras along with a liner notes booklet. All of which fit handily in a slim, attractive box.

Conclusion

Afro Samurai: Resurrection, is a fantastic movie and an unbelievable sequel. I enjoyed this movie immensely and would recommend it to any fan of kick ass flicks and cultural romps. This co-production is a fine example of America and Japan working together to make an anime that bridges the gap between our pop cultures.

Rating

Afro Samurai: Resurrection gets 5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: February 3, 2009
• Retail Price: $34.98
• Number of discs: 2
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Rating:TV MA
• Language: English
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC

Rachel reviewed the revamped Tetsujin 28 in a great article. Check it out!

What do you think? Will western audiences be drawn in to Tetsujin 28 on the big screen?

School Rumble “ends” with this last volume in the series, but why does it feel more like a “See You Soon” than a “Sayonara“?

plot summary

Class 2C and 2D are locked in a battle of brawn as the two compete for school supremacy at the athletic meet. Harima steps up to the plate in order to save the class from a smack down, but is really only doing so to thank Eri for saving him from humiliation.

Harima is still struggling with Eri’s weird feelings towards him, his misunderstood relationship with Yakumo and his unrequited love for Tenma. In a bid to forget it all, the delinquent takes to the high seas.

Tenma has decided she will tell Karasuma her feelings, and sets out to do so, only to find herself caught in a dream, or is she?

The soap bubble which is the class’ adolescence seems ready to pop, but not before it floats some more along the Milky Way of teen love.

review

Gah, School Rumble really is a soap opera! It has just as many convoluted twists, turns and “gotcha!” moments as All My Children. There were two, count ‘em two, cop out scenes which turned out to be dream sequences or something similar. Why would the studio pull this on the last volume in the last two episodes?!

It was a given the series wouldn’t have anything resembling a tidy ending due to the path Volume Five was going down. I wasn’t as miffed as I normally would have been at the thought School Rumble wasn’t going to “end”, because the story still kept moving forward and was still building character and story development. But c’mon, why would they choose to dodge the chance to get more story lines resolved by substituting dream sequences for concrete storytelling?

The minute the story started getting really weird, I knew what I was seeing was a dream sequence, then again, weird stuff is always cropping up in this series so I wasn’t 100% sure until the sequence became even weirder. The minute I figured I was seeing a dream, I resigned myself to watch about ten minutes of fluff. Afterwards, I thought that would be the end of made-up sequences, but then BAM! Is this a dream too? Gimme break! It’s not to say the sequences sucked completely or weren’t entertaining, but the series appeared to be offering closure and then pulls it away. That was a mean prank, especially so close to the end.

Music

The last episode had a new ED song, “School Rumble 4 Ever“, by Go Takahashi. It was a very cheery, hip hop flavored tune, and wrapped up the series on a happy note. It’s always good to go out with a positive impression!

Conclusion

If this volume was supposed to be the absolute end of School Rumble, it was disappointing. However, the anime never built itself up enough to start focusing on a stopping point anyway. The series kept gathering steam, even adding more characters, but neglected to mention, “Yeah, we’re planning on ending.” So this series didn’t actually end. It didn’t even trail off. It simply shut down and will reopen shop in Season Two. Which isn’t bad, especially seeing as it never promised to end to begin with.

Volume Six was just like previous volumes: funny, entertaining and sweet. Unlike previous volumes, it had those two irritating, time-consuming dream sequences.

Rating

School Rumble, Volume Six gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Series Conclusion

Stepping back and looking at the anime as a whole, School Rumble is a great series. It’s funny, touching, human, weird, dramatic and all together entertaining. The anime has a touch of randomness which keeps each episode fresh. Yet it also has the feeling of a romantic comedy, so it resolves issues and story lines which come up in previous episodes.

I recommend the series for all who wish to remember (or commiserate with) the pangs and joys of teen puppy love. Except this time, you can laugh at the pain!

Series Rating

School Rumble, Season One gets 3.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:March 18, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:23-26
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-PG
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

plot summary

Boredom can be deadly, at least that’s how it turns out when a shinigami decides he needs a little excitement in his life. The shinigami in question, Ryuk, casually drops his death note into the human world, with instructions on its use scrawled in English on the inside cover:

• The human whose name is written in this note shall die.
• This note will not take effect unless the writer has the subject’s face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.
• If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the subject’s name, it will happen.
• If the cause of death is not specified, the subject will simply die of a heart attack.
• After writing the cause of death, the details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The human who picks up Ryuk’s death note, Light, also happens to be bored. Light, a gifted student, is bored with the way the world is and bored with the never changing rottenness he’s surrounded by. He sees the death note as his opportunity to change the world and make it a better place – and to rule it.

Light first puts the death note to the test, and then begins to cut down the world’s most violent criminals. These mass executions don’t go unnoticed and are making the police concerned. Who’s killing so many criminals and how?

The police call on “L“, a mysterious detective who always solves his case, to catch the mass murderer responsible for the recent deaths. L and Light face off in a battle of wits and both vow to find and dispose of the other if it’s the last thing they do!

review

If this plot summary sounds familiar, it’s because it’s a word for word summary taken from my review of the Death Note manga, Volume One. No need to reinvent the wheel here, especially as the Death Note anime, Volume One is a faithful rendition of the manga, almost word for word. There’s some reshuffling of sequences, however, and some omissions and additions of minor scenes. The overall feel of the anime still captures the essence of the manga.

The first volume of the Death Note manga was fantastic, but volume one of the anime is in a word, superb. Madhouse Studios took panels from the manga and brought them to creepy life. Light is even more disturbing animated as he is drawn….

Character Development

An amazing amount of information is freely given in the volume, about Light’s motives, his connection with the police, and his twisted sense of righteousness. L is still a mystery, but there’s enough given to keep up his interest as a character. Light’s interactions with his family are a nice touch and add an even more sinister feel to his doings. It’s made clear Light will do whatever it takes to make the world a place he deems worthy, no matter the cost. So what does Light really want? A world free of crime and wrong doing or a world where he can rule supreme? Where are his priorities in regards to human interaction and how did this kid get this overblown god-complex?

This is once again taken from my review of the manga. The character development flowed a little differently when it was animated, however. It seemed to take a little longer to ripen, but was still very much evident. With so many images and colors assaulting the senses, the development blends into the visual nature of the anime and becomes more subtle. In the manga, I could grasp the development almost immediately. The pacing and development in the anime have a different flavor than the manga, just by it being anime. The shift is interesting and gives the anime more depth.

Character Design

Character designs adhered well to the original manga designs. There were tiny changes in the character designs by the studios, and they were actually for the worse. But the differences are so small, so minuscule, as to only be noted for someone really looking for them.

The color pallet was a good choice. I’m glad Madhouse didn’t use the colors on the cover of the manga for the anime. The desaturated colors used in the anime are much more expressive of the twisted story unfolding than the deeper ones used on the manga.

Animation

Madhouse did a jaw-droppingly good job with the animation. Motions were smooth, with no hiccups. To add a feel of “manga” to the series, some screens were split and paneled. The perspectives were intense. Emotions lit up the characters faces and were fluid. In one scene, Light’s eyes gleam fervently, burning with his sense of self-righteousness, as he smiles lazily, reflecting back on killing hundreds of criminals. The whole effect is über-unsettling, and that’s not easy to do with anime and be believable. Usually it’s just passable or laughable. I wanted to edge towards the doorway every time that kid went off on his “doing the world a favor” spiel. Good job Madhouse, you’ve creeped me out on a deeper level.

Music

I’m not a fan of the opening theme, “the World“, by Nightmare. It’s too pop rock for my taste. I was hoping for something more dark and sinister in an opening for an anime about mass murder. Something with subtlety. What accompanies the opening is too cheerful and pop-ish.

Same goes for the ending theme, “Alumina“, also by Nightmare. It’s too bright to be rock, plus it sounds just like the OP except with different riffs.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast has my vote as being pretty damn good. A few minor characters weren’t all that stellar, but Light and Ryuuk were pleasant and evocative. The Japanese voice cast is good as well so we kept the subs on while we watched. Honestly, either/or, the voice casts are both well done.

Conclusion

Sometimes a manga-to-anime translation is so bad, it’s impossible to recognize the manga underneath the ruins of the anime. So far, the Death Note anime has stuck faithfully to the manga, and made it even better than its source material. I’m actually torn as to whether or not I want to continue reading the manga if the anime is so close to it. The manga and anime are so good, however, I’ll make a note to set aside some time for both.

Rating

Death Note, Volume One gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Buy Death Note, Volume One DVD!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Viz Media
• Release Date:November 20, 2007
• Retail Price: $24.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:1-5
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: T+ for Older Teens
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Origins: Spirits of the Past, feels much like a Miyazaki film. But it only feels….

plot summary

In a bid to tame the harsh climates of uninhabitable planets, scientists on the moon created trees capable of living in any environment. They succeeded far beyond their expectations as the experimental forests grew wildly out of control and escaped their confines. The renegade trees descended to Earth and nearly destroyed all of humanity. Now the forest has become a sentient creature living side by side with the remnants of mankind.

Agito lives in Neutral City, on the edge of the forest. The city and the forest have had a harmonious relationship for decades. That is until Agito awakens an ancient from her three hundred year slumber. Toola, a young girl who’s physically Agito’s age, comes from a time before the forest dominated the planet.

Toola’s presence angers the forest as she represents a threat to the forest itself. But a young man from the military state of Ragna, Shunack, eagerly seeks Toola out. Shunack believes Toola can help him destroy the forest and bring back the past glory of humanity, a glory Toola misses.

Agito and Toola become entangled in an age old battle between nature and humanity. Will Toola bring harm or harmony to the forest Agito holds dear?

review

Origins is a movie about the respect and balance we should give and have with nature. But it was merely good, not great and I didn’t really walk away with a sense that the movie was about nature itself. The storytelling was average and while it had a message, it could have had a stronger delivery and more impact. The movie wasn’t preachy, but it had no edge to it either. I wanted that edge, I wanted the movie to harp a bit on the sorry state of the planet, and how as humans we’re responsible for its maintenance and upkeep. This was a perfect opportunity to point a few fingers and to subtly shake heads at industrial waste and so forth.

What I got from Origins was: Genetic engineering is bad. Let’s all live in harmony with this freakish forest that wants to fertilize itself with our decomposing bodies. The messages were mixed, if there were any at all.

Origins was an entertaining movie, but it lacked something which would have made it something beyond mere entertainment. It had no heart, no depth, no soul or spark. I didn’t feel drawn in at all, the anime didn’t even attempt to engage me.

The pacing was off too. Ideas were hurriedly told while certain unnecessary nuances were given more time than they should have. Things I felt should have been expounded on were tossed out and in a flash, disappeared. More time, more time! Is what I kept repeating over and over again as some point of interest flared up and was gone. The ideas for Origins would have been better suited as a series, where these ideas could be carefully plotted out. Either that or cut some points out, one or the other, can’t have both.

Character Development

I felt little to no connection with the characters except for Toola and Shunack. These are the only two people who have passion and vigor. Agito seems a bit lost in comparison to the clarity these two have. When Agito finally does start to get passionate about something, I almost don’t care since the whole scene is hurried. Why are Toola and Shunack rounded out but not the hero?

Character Design

Origins is a beautiful movie. The forest is threatening as is the state of Ragna. Both represent extremes and are depicted as such in the overly organic and and mechanical designs for each. The trees’ roots are blood red and shout, stay away! and Ragna’s giant tanks are covered in rust as red as the tree roots.

The druid girls have a highly H.R. Giger flavor, and I wanted to see more of that throughout the anime. Nature never looked better, nor more menacing.

The realism of Neutral City was depressing. So this is what a future without technology looks like? The remains of the old civilization were used to create the new, technology free one. The eerie beauty of the forest couldn’t offset the decrepitude of a fallen era. It’s a glimpse of what the planet will look like when we’re all dead and gone.

Animation

Gonzo did a superb job animating Origins. The animation was impressive, though the computer graphics were distracting at times. Most of the CG was well done, but when it was off it was off. All I can say is: volcano on legs. Overall, the animation stood out as flowing and natural. Background nature shots were gorgeous, though some shots of people were out of focus and lacking details.

Music

Origins opens with a haunting song,”Chouwa Oto“, by Kokia. It’s beautiful and simultaneously chilling. The soundtrack throughout had an air of high drama. It fit, though it was too grand at times. The ending wrapped up with the lovely, “Ai no Melody“, also by Kokia.

Voice Acting

Although the English voice cast isn’t horrible, I much preferred the Japanese voice cast for the movie. The Japanese voice cast emoted better, and suited the movie more than the duller English cast.

Production

Spirits of the Past comes with a DVD full of extras. The disc includes never before seen visuals, interviews, trailers and TV spots.

conclusion

Origins: Spirits of the Past is a good piece of entertainment. However, I feel it lacked something which could have given the anime a sharper focus and clarity. Truly great anime all have that focus which make them more than anime and more than entertainment. But Origins is only a good anime and merely entertaining; perhaps that’s all it ever wished to be.

Rating

Origins: Spirits of the Past gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:March 4, 2008
• Retail Price: $39.98
• Number of discs:2
• Run Time: 150 minutes
• Rating: TV-PG
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Black Blood Brothers is an anime I’ve been much looking forward to in 2008, not least because it’s an anime showcasing vampires. It’s a series with an undead ensemble, fighting against wrong and living for the night. Maybe this anime will pump some life back into my interest for the genre.

plot summary

Years after a terrible war revealed the presence of vampires to humans, one of the Black Bloods, aka vampires, is seeking asylum in the guarded city known as the Special Zone. Jiro Mochizuki, an Old Blood, has with him on his journey to the Special Zone, Kotaro, his younger brother. Jiro wishes to hide himself and his brother in the secret city where other vampires also live unbenownst to humans. The Special Zone is special because mankind believes all vampires were eliminated during the war, yet vampires live peacefully within this city.

The Special Zone is highly sought after as a safe haven as it’s guarded by a force field capable of keeping out the dreaded Kowloon Children. The Kowloon Children are a wretched type of vampire who’s bite will kill anyone who feels it, vampire or human, and then turn them into another Kowloon Child. Their existence is what sparked the conflict between Red Bloods, humans, and Black Bloods. But Jiro and Kotaro are Old Bloods of a broken bloodline, who only wish to live in peace.

The two find themselves embroiled in a battle between the Order Coffin Company, vampire refugees also traveling to the Special Zone and a strange murderer who may be one of the reviled Kowloon Children. In order to stymie the erupting violence, the Coffin Company sends out a compromiser, Mimiko Katsuragi, to smooth things over with Jiro. Things quickly spiral out of control for Mimiko, and Jiro sees his worst fears come to light underneath the full moon!

review

Despite a beginning which was almost laughable (Why do vampires need machine guns?), the anime turned out to be really enjoyable. After getting off to a less than stellar start, Black Blood Brothers, pulled itself together and marched strongly forward.

There’s an air of romance to Black Blood Brothers, and not in the sense of two souls finding each other. It’s romance in the sense of idealizing vampires, and creating a fiction in which vampires are handsome, charming, noble, yet altogether deadly. In turn these romanticized beings must destroy twisted images of themselves who are evil, vile, and disgusting things. Both the romantic and unromantic depiction of vampires are popular in literature and film, now the two come together.

The story is an interesting take on how vampires and humans relate to each other. Instead of killing or turning mortals, a vampire’s bite gives vast pleasure. The Kowloon Children, however, are a disease, a bane upon both mortals and vampires. And both mortals and vampires had previously banded together to exterminate the threat. Or so they thought.

Character Development

I already feel a connection with both Jiro and Mimiko as both were given background and motives in the first volume. Kotaro is cute as the clueless vampire kid, but I sense there’s more there than meets the eye.

Jiro is a likable character with the potential for real depth. He’s suffered, and suffers still, from a profound loss in his past. His sadness and anger play out as purely human, even though he’s a powerful vampire capable of stopping tank shells with a thought. He gets angry with his little brother, Kotaro, and tosses him around like a cat toy, but then holds him affectionately.

Kotaro is a naive, happy youngster who’s the opposite of his strong, brooding brother. He’s immune to the sun and the sea, while both negatively affect his brother. Kotaro laughs and giggles while Jiro broods in pure angst. It’s impossible to see how these two are related, except in a vampire sense.

Enter Mimiko, the Company compromiser. This gal has gumption and will go to any lengths to resolve a dispute between Red and Black Bloods if they’ll lead to peace. She does what her title suggests, she compromises with people. Mimiko’s got a tough personality with a touch of innocence. Most importantly, however, she’s, thus far, not annoying.

Character Design

Some of the characters are stereotypically anime, Kotaro being a prime example. His huge eyes, button nose and tiny mouth are anime’s way of saying “innocence”. I dislike this style, but I can stomach it in small doses.

Most other characters were free from the giant eyes and over cuteness. Speaking of eyes, what’s up with Jiro’s guy-liner? Is that a vampire thing?

Aside from Jiro and Kotaro’s costumes, nothing is either too freakish or too creative. I personally would have dressed Jiro in purple or blue, but I suppose it’s an anime thing to have the supernatural hero wearing red.

Animation

Group TAC, the studio behind Black Blood Brothers, also did Gilgamesh. Interesting. The animation for BBB was well done but seemed patchy in places. One shot would be absolutely gorgeous and detailed while the same scene two seconds later wouldn’t be so grand. Still other scenes were merely good, others okay, and others so-so. It averaged the animation out to good to okay. There needed to be some truly exquisite shots to bump the anime up to great. It lacked those shots, sadly.

Music

I dislike the OP, “Ashita no Kioku“, by Naozumi Takahashi very, very much. It’s the metal riffs along with the straight forward rock vocals which rubs me the wrong way. The ED, “Shingiru” by Loveholic, sung in English, however, is a lovely, soft melodious ballad. Quite the contrast between the OP and ED.

Voice Acting

Either the Japanese or the English voice cast are good options. I went with the Japanese voice cast, but the English cast is decent. If you’re a die-hard dub fan, you shouldn’t be too disappointed with the English dub.

conclusion

Rating

Black Blood Brothers, Volume One gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:2008
• Retail Price: $24.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes: 1-5
• Run Time: 121 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

The Princes in the birdcage kingdom

Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is an anime based on the CLAMP manga of the same name. It highlights the journey of young Syaoran as he gathers the “feathers” of his beloved Princess Sakura’s memories. Sakura’s memories have been scattered far and wide through various dimensions. With his companions Kurogane, Fay and Monokone, Syaoran journeys through space and time with the help of the dimension witch, Yuko, in order to help his beloved regain what’s precious to her.

plot summary

Tsubasa, The Princess In the Birdcage Kingdom

Syaoran and his companions fall from the sky into a beautiful kingdom surrounded by a massive glittering birdcage. Within this country is one of Sakura’s memory feathers. Syaoran and Sakura land near a village and are found by one of its young inhabitants. He takes the two to meet the princess of the country, who’s in hiding from her evil uncle. The girl’s uncle reigns as a tyrannical king as she cowers in hiding. The princess wields a mysterious power her uncle needs to plunge the kingdom into everlasting night. This same uncle has also kidnapped the bird companions the people of this country all possess and perverted them to his dark purpose.

Meanwhile Kurogane and Fay are taken captive by the evil king’s royal guard and placed in birdcages. The group must find a way to defeat the nefarious king in order to free this beautiful country from darkness and to gather one of the remaining feathers of Sakura’s memory!

review

The movie didn’t feel at all like a movie, despite the gorgeous animation and abundance of beautiful detailing. It viewed just like a lengthy episode of the series and was a continuation of the anime instead of a side story or conclusion. I don’t know why this extended episode was dubbed a movie, but it’s something fans of the series will nonetheless want to see and possibly own.

I’ve only seen one volume of Tsubasa, but I was still able to follow the story and get some enjoyment from the “movie”, especially as a small portion of the beginning is devoted to a minute bit of explanation. Anyone who hasn’t seen any of the series will likewise get some enjoyment from it.

Character Development

There was no development for this movie as its target audience is established fans. However, there are enough comments about Sakura and her plight to cobble together a rudimentary understanding of the series if not enough to understand who these people are.

Character Design

There’s no background on Syaoran and his friends, yet the movie is pleasant as a travelogue of this so called Birdcage Kingdom. The designs are beautiful, flowing and organic and the backdrops are all fully detailed. This kingdom is positively glowing in its verdant beauty. I wanted to visit this country it was represented so well. The jewel tone pallet of the movie captivated the lushness of the place.

The details made the anime a rich experience. The tiny facets of a jeweled mosaic, the brilliant flash from a bit of sapphire, and the tinkling sound of beads as they gently clink together were icing on an already pretty cake. It seemed as though nothing wasn’t given an extra shine, a bit more sparkle, an added dose of detail.

Animation

Production I.G. did a fantastic job with the movie. The animation was top-notch and action scenes flowed like water.

Music

The OP “aerial“, by Kinya is unremarkable. The soundtrack was light and felt Celtic, a good accompaniment to the organic feel of the anime. The ending theme, “Amrita“, by Yui Makino was as unremarkable as the OP. The music in between the OP and ED was better than either.

Voice Acting

Both the English and Japanese voice casts for Tsubasa are well done. I still watched the movie with the Japanese voice cast, but either is good.

Conclusion

While the Tsubasa movie isn’t much of a movie, it does get credit for making a beautifully enhanced and vibrant thirty five minute episode. As a movie it gets two Hammies, but as an episode it gets three and half Hammies which averages it out to:

Rating

3 outta 4 Hammies!
————————————————————————————————————————————-

A Midsummer’s Night Dream

xxxHolic is also a CLAMP manga turned anime. xxxHolic features the dealings of the dimension witch, Yuko Ichihara, and her reluctant indentured servant, Kimihiro Watanuki. Watanuki was plagued by swarms of ghosts and spirits who are irrestibly attracted to him. One day he makes a deal with Yuko to be her servant if she’ll get rid of the spirits. Now he must work off the debt, and only then will Yuko banish the spirits.

plot summary

xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Yuko receives a young visitor one day who claims she can no longer enter into her own house. She begs Yuko to help her and Yuko agrees, for a price. Watanuki is less than thrilled at Yuko’s acceptance of the job as it means he has to go with her. As they draw near the house Watanuki senses spirits but is safe from their harassment thanks to Dōmeki (a young man able to banish spirits with his mere presence) who was also invited to come.

Upon entering the house, the three meet a group of people who have gathered at the mansion. They’re all various collectors and are at the mansion to finish their collections, or so they believe. A sinister force, not yet apparent, is orchestrating something behind the scenes and it’s up to Yuko, Kimihiro and Dōmeki to discover what it is.

review

Unlike Tsubasa, xxxHolic did feel like the movie it claims to be. This anime has a surprising charm to it, one I don’t encounter much in anime. xxxHolic has a light feel and isn’t dreadfully serious, despite its supernatural and dark overtones.

The story for the movie has great pacing and a good plot. Twists, turns, foreshadowing, development, all were seamlessly interwoven. I didn’t have any inkling what might happen next, a rarity in many anime. What I thought were obvious ploys, morphed into more mysteries, keeping my attention engaged the entire time, another rarity.

Character Development

xxxHolic, the series, isn’t even out on DVD here in the States yet, but I could still grasp the story from the skillful background hints dropped throughout. It wasn’t a distraction the way characters were introduced as being related in this manner or that, or having this power or another. The storytelling was impressive in this regard.

There wasn’t character development for the main characters per se, but the antagonists were told with a sympathetic voice, connecting the story even further to audiences. I was drawn deeply into this anime before I knew I had been.

Character Design

Yuko and her companions are drawn with overly exaggerated limbs and look slightly freakish at first, second and third glance. Long arms, slim narrow waists, overly hooded eyes and elongated fingers punctuate the characters. It’s an odd thing to see at first, but the stylistic art of the anime grows on you. Everything which is potentially odd to begin with, is accentuated even further, almost to the grotesque. The art never really crosses the line from bizarre into grotesque, except to draw attention to evilness and wrongdoing.

The buildings, the grass, the carpet, almost everything has some type of texture in the movie. Details abound in xxxHolic and its style is unique and as pleasing as the storytelling, if one is a fan of the unique. Despite the ominous and sometimes threatening style of the anime, the characters are quite lighthearted. It’s a dichotomy of the characters versus their surroundings which results in delicious creepiness. I’m struck by how xxxHolic is strongly reminiscent of a very dark and eerie Alice and Wonderland, and Watanuki is Alice.

Animation

The animation, by Production I.G., was as exceptional as the style, with interesting camera angles and perspectives. Everything about this anime is surreal and would make Renee Magritte green with envy. C’nest pas un anime.

Music

Listening to the soundtrack is like listening to a dark yet simultaneously bright orchestra. The extremes are fascinating and give xxxHolic an added touch of the surreal. At times, the music can truly be called mood music in it’s evocativeness.

Voice Acting

The English cast is just as good as the Japanese voice cast, if not slightly better. I recommend either, and you’d be set with great voice work.

Conclusion

A Midsummer Night’s ending was beautiful and touching. This movie has me determined to watch the xxxHolic series. The storytelling, pace, and style is an extreme and weird departure from overly pretty anime with more style than substance. In thirty five minutes it connected with me better than most series which last nine long hours. xxxHolic could be something I find myself getting addicted to….

Rating

xxxHolic: A Midsummer’s Night Dream gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Overall Double Feature Rating

3.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: February 19, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs: 2
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Rating: TV-PG
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

plot summary

Narumi Kiyotaka is a brilliant detective and pianist, excelling at everything he does. Narumi Ayumu, Kiyotaka’s younger brother, lives eternally in the shadow his elder brother casts. Ayumu both admires and despises his older brother for his achievements, but is shocked when one day Kiyotaka disappears without a trace. Before his disappearance, the elder Narumi calls his younger sibling and says only that he will unravel the mystery of the Blade Children, then nothing.

Two years later, Narumi happens upon the scene of a crime at his school. Upon further investigation, Ayumu learns the girl who was the target of the crime is one of the mysterious Blade Children his brother was so interested in.

More crimes occur and Ayumu finds himself in the middle of a vast conspiracy. He unwillingly gains a helper cum sidekick with his investigations in the form of intrepid school reporter, Yuizaki Hiyono.

The arrival of the world famous pianist, Eyes Rutherford, to the city adds more trouble to Ayumu’s already troubled investigations. Eyes puts Ayumu’s wits to the test, time and time again, as the famous pianist and Blade Child gages whether or not “Little Narumi” can help the plight of the cursed Blade Children.

Can the younger Narumi brother uncover the truth behind the Blade Children and his brother’s disappearance? Can Ayumu put the pieces of the puzzle together before it’s too late?

review

I want my nine hours back. I feel as though a thief stole nine precious hours of David’s and my time, and that thief is Spiral. The ending for this time pilfering series was the coup de grace which left an empty pit in my stomach and made me bitter I watched the whole damn thing. This anime had no payoff and zero development in the story department.

The first episode for the series was a great hook, as every initial episode of anything should be. The promise of mysteries to be solved and of a possible sci-fi/ fantasy element was too good a lure to turn down. Night after night we invested our time in the anime, which had the same formulaic pace and plot in each episode. Instead of substantially building upon previous episodes, or offering progressively more info, the series seemed to do exactly as the title suggests; spiral around and around the central theme of the Blade Children. It spiraled further away from the plot and pacing with each new turn. Scant info was included in the series, though mysteries supposedly abounded.

The mysteries this anime professes it holds are mere illusions. The Blade Children are presented to be these poor, cursed individuals with a missing rib. Ayumu’s brother is their messiah, their savior. But if Kiyotaka is their messiah, they believe Ayumu is the second coming. These violent youngsters are supposedly doomed from birth, yet no reason is given for their existence nor their fate, so why do they need to be saved? Because they’re being hunted? Why are they being hunted? Should I even care?

Just because the Blade Children are presented as an unknown quantity, doesn’t make them a mystery; it makes them an annoyance. It’s bad policy to keep promising audiences answers but only feeding them rubbish and more questions. The second sin this series committed was to keep the audience in the dark about Kiyotaka’s involvement with the Blade Children. All we’re offered is he went in search of them and found them, end of. Any questions Ayumu would ask the antagonists about either his brother or the Blade Children was met with silence or violence.

The whole “plot” of the story was dumb. The Blade Children want Ayumu to help them, yet repeatedly test him in violent and deadly ways. Yeah, that’ll make someone want to help. Here, try and stick this knife in this guy, he’ll save your life in return.

Granted, the battles of wits were entertaining but they went nowhere, accomplished nothing and were ultimately pointless. I thought the story was about the Blade Children, not mental death matches.

Character Development

The characters of Ayumu and Hiyono were the only people I cared anything about. I actually really liked both of them. Ayumu is portrayed as a bored, but brilliant amateur detective, who’s filled with self doubt due to constant comparison to his brother. His laid back, but cool demeanor hides the gentle and thoughtful nature lurking under his self-possessed facade. He’s a very likable character with a lot of depth and a lot of angst.

Hiyono is the complete opposite. She’s full of bubbly energy and confidence, not only in herself, but in Ayumu. I first thought she’d be a tacked on moe sidekick, but she turned out to be a great addition to the anime.

I wish the series was just about these two as young detectives, solving local crimes and whatnot. Instead, what viewers get is this cavalcade of shallow empty characters doing pointless things involving two likable and developed characters. The contrast couldn’t be more apparent between the Blade Children and Ayumu and Hiyono.

Character Design

Stereotypical is what I’d call the character designs. The spiky hair and huge eyes featured in Spiral is one of the more common hallmarks of the medium.

Most of the designs represent everyday Japan. The kids wear Japanese school uniforms and Eyes sports dress casual when he performs and leather the rest of the time. Nothing stands out as interesting and inventive.

Animation

J.C. Staff animated Spiral, and despite the mediocrity of the anime, the animation was decent. There were a few detailed shots, not many, and a few shots looked a bit sketchy, but not god awful.

Music

Skip the OP. Just do it, it’s horrible. The screeching, “Searching for new world”, Engrish in the beginning of “Kibouhou” by Strawberry Jam, is like an icepick to the ears. We made it a game to see who could fast forward the OP the fastest. The ED, “Kokuteru” by Hysteric Blue, was better than the OP, yet is neither remarkable nor memorable.

Music throughout the episodes built up suspense and drama, but was as pointless as the numerous “contests” in the series.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast is not so good. Ayumu’s voice actor lacks the emotion his Japanese counterpart conveys. Kanone Hilbert’s character had a horrible Southern accent. It was truly, truly bad. I liked the Japanese voice cast much more.

Production

The designs on the packaging and DVDs look good, but the way the DVDs are stored in the set leaves much to be desired. The DVDs will fall out, in a rain of discs, if they’re aren’t put back just so. They’re not securely set in the pages, they’re slipped in, as I learned the hard way.

I had a tough time deciphering the DVD menu screen. Instead of clearly labeled “Play Episodes“, or “Setup“, the menu has “Base” and “Progression“. This series is committed to annoying the hell out of its viewers.

Conclusion

While I enjoyed Ayumu and Hiyono, Spiral was a failure at being either mysterious or good. The suspense it tried to drum up for the purported huge mystery of the Blade Children was nothing more than smoke and mirrors meant to detract from the plot. That was the real mystery; how an anime got through twenty five episodes with only pointless questions and nonsense to fuel it….

Rating

Spiral gets 1.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:December 11, 2007
• Retail Price: $49.98
• Number of discs:6
• Episodes:25
• Run Time: 625 minutes
• Rating:Unrated
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

The Major and her crew are back again in this compressed, movie version of 2nd Gig; the second season of Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. This second movie is much like the first in that it highlights a main theme of the second season.

The case of the Individual Eleven was the main focus of 2nd Gig, with additional side and back stories thrown into the mix. The movie, Individual Eleven, cuts out the side stories and puts all the emphasis on the Individual Eleven, a case involving many subtleties and the Major’s past.

plot summary

In the future of 2030, WW IV has concluded six years prior. Japan has become home to many thousands of refugees displaced in the war. These refugees live a repressed existence and have become targets for a terrorist group known as the Individual Eleven.

The Individual Eleven have also been targeting foreign ambassadors and the Prime Minister of Japan. Their aim is a total breakdown of the governing system.

A leader has arisen within the refugee camps whose charismatic demeanor inspires the oppressed to rise up against their attacker, no matter the odds.

Major Motoko Kusanagi and Section 9 are put on the case to solve both the riddle of the Individual Eleven and the rebel leader’s identity.

But the true identity of the masterminds behind the mayhem will cause more problems for Section 9 than mere anarchy ever could.

review

Ghost In the Shell is a “thinking man’s” anime. It’s one of those series/ movies that requires a certain amount of undivided attention and some grasp of philosophy, politics, and the art of subterfuge to appreciate the anime to its fullest. I’m never disappointed with the paths this anime has led me down. The “aha!” and “I get it!” moments empower me to feel a slight smugness that other anime don’t.

However, even if one isn’t a fan of undivided attention, philosophy, politics, and the art of subterfuge, there’s still much to be appreciated in the way of thoughtful technology, well choreographed fight scenes, awesome animation, and character development.

Character Development

Fans of the anime will already be well familiar with the Major and her group of special ops. If not, someone new to the anime will be able to watch the movie and still feel as if everyone has enough development to make the OVA self-explanatory.

There are a few instances which may leave one who hasn’t watched the 1rst Gig or the Laughing Man Movie a bit disoriented, but some well placed comments by the characters will give the viewer enough info to infer what’s going on. It’s not much of a stretch to say that a complete noob to GIts will be able get a fairly solid grasp of who’s who within the first 30 minutes of the movie.

Motoko’s past is peeked into in the latter part of the movie, and we’re given a chance to see how she pulled through the difficulties which made her who she is today. She’s given a bit of humanity in contrast to her machine-enabled existence.

Character Design

The Net, aka, internet of the future is a vast configuration able to process all manner of data in micro seconds. Its portrayal in the anime is impressive. GIts has a way of showcasing its unique technology without making it seem like something unattainable; it makes everything look like a damn good possibility.

The colors used for GIts are also a reflection of the possible instead of the improbable. The improbable being more common, as can be seen in other futuristic anime.

Animation

High end is how the animation, by Production I.G., is rendered. It’s smooth flow and lack of hiccups create a sense of realism. The facial expressions are highly emotive and the detailed shading add much appreciated depth to the animation.

Music

Music from Yoko Kanno is always a good thing, and the soundtrack from the original series by Kanno accompanies the movie throughout. The soundtrack gives an edge to the anime apropos to the subject matter. Those unfamiliar with Yakko Kanno’s work on the series should find the techno beats and electronic tones a perfect accompaniment to this high tech movie.

Production

Like the Laughing Man movie, this DVD comes in a simplistic DVD sleeve. Two DVDs contain the movie and extras. The disc with the extras has an image archive from 2nd Gig and a mini movie with the Tachikoma.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast for the Individual Eleven movie was different from the cast of 2nd Gig. But the actors used in the movie were the same ones used in the Laughing Man OVA. This is a great voice cast and I have zero complaints about how they portrayed their characters.

The Japanese voice cast in the series remained the same for both the series and the movie. The Japanese seiyuu were also exemplary in their roles.

Rating

Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Individual Eleven gets 4 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Bandai
• Release Date:December 18, 2007
• Retail Price: $21.99
• Number of discs: 2
• Run Time: 161 minutes
• Rating: Unrated
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Everyone wants to think that life can be made better for the masses (idealism) but the reality is, the masses don’t want life to be better (cynicism) or maybe it’s that they don’t know how to make life better for themselves (realism). In Pumpkin Scissors, Volume One, idealism comes face to face with realism and cynicism in the war ravaged Royal Empire.

plot summary

War has torn apart the embattled Royal Empire and the Republic of Frost. After countless years of bloodshed, however, a peace treaty has been signed and an end to the killing is in sight.

But not all the Royal Empire’s woes have been solved by a few strokes of the pen; famine and ruined cities are still commonplace and former soldiers turned bandits terrorize the countryside.

The Imperial Army State Section III, aka, the Pumpkin Scissors, was created to help in the war relief effort and to combat these bandits who undermine the law and order of the Royal Empire.

Second in command of Section III and field leader of Pumpkin Scissors is 2nd Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin. Noble by birth, Alice choose the life of a soldier, against her families wishes, with the hope of creating a better world.

In one of Pumpkin Scissors’ missions to subdue a group of bandits, Alice meets Corporal Randel Oland; a strange reserved man who was himself a former soldier. At Alice’s invitation, Randel joins the team after helping the group defeat a tank driven by the bandits.

Randel has a shrouded past, however, and his uncanny skills in dealing with tanks singlehandedly has some Pumpkin Scissors members leery of their new companion. Will Randel’s presence help Pumpkin Scissors or hurt them?

review

I had a difficult time initially getting into Pumpkin Scissors because:

• A.) What the hell are Pumpkin Scissors?
• B.) Alice is annoying as hell.

Character Development

Alice is a noble with zero idea of the plight of the common man but feels she can empower and help them with sheer spunk and good intentions. Instead of actual knowledge, Alice has a romanticized idea of how people and situations are in reality. Who really thinks that drawing a sword on a tank and decrying the people inside as evil-doers will get anything, aside from becoming a stain on the sidewalk, accomplished?

Her constant, rash and ill-planned actions frequently put everyone around her in real danger. There was no way for me to connect with someone who seemed like she was from another planet in relation to the other characters. In contrast, the other Pumpkin Scissors members have more than two brain cells to rub together, are eons more sympathetic and are much more likable than Alice, especially Randel.

Randel was the reason I kept watching Pumpkin Scissors. His is a compelling character with an unknown background, a heart full of hope and a head full of, well, not much it seems right now, but looks are so deceiving in anime. Randel’s an unstoppable fighting machine who was part of the 901-ATT (Anti-Tank Troopers) which technically, never existed. Like Alice, he wants to help his fellow man, unlike Alice, he puts thought into his words and actions. Such contrast created enough interest to get me through the first episode.

Character Design

The world for Pumpkin Scissors is also very interesting; it’s reminiscent of Europe during World War I. War movies are usually futuristic affairs in anime, but this series has invented a world in the past which could become what our real world is today- with a few outlandish additions. The conceptual world for the series kept me watching beyond episode three.

The character designs for the army and artillery closely follow those from the World War I-II era. The clothing for the nobility, however, has some creative license thrown into the designs. Randel’s character design adds enormously to his likability; how is it not a good thing to have a seven foot tall, battle scarred war veteran who feeds homeless kittens on your team?

Another reason I kept watching Pumpkin Scissors is, I don’t know where Pumpkin Scissors is headed. I have an idea that there’s more to it than what is initially offered, yet, I can’t immediately see where the series will take that idea. Usually, anime that’s ill- planned is transparent and shallow. At this early stage I can’t tell if the series is shallow, but so far, it’s not too transparent. Development, for both story and characters, is happening at the sub-atomic anime level, but is very much there. The pacing and the development are steady and un-rushed at this point in the series.

Animation

Pumpkin Scissors is another fine offering from GONZO but is minus minute details in any great amount in the bulk of the shots. Background shots are at times fantastic and the CG isn’t as horrifying as it could have been. Overall, the animation was great.

Music

Aoki Flamme was the OP and was performed by Yōko Takahashi. While the music was average, the OP itself was fantastic. The graphics were well done and the coupling of the graphics with the music made it memorable; whereas the music by itself would have been, not so much. Mercury GO, by Kana Ueda and Yukai na Nakama-tachi, is absolutely adorable. It features Section III’s mascot, Mercury as he attempts to deliver a message but gets sidetracked on the way. The song itself is upbeat and cute.

Voice Acting

The English voice cast for Pumpkin Scissors was really bad in certain instances; the fake German accents were horrible and prompted the change from English to Japanese. The Japanese cast is much better, but I can’t say it’s phenomenal.

I want to see more of Pumpkin Scissors since it seems to have much more to offer than what I initially thought, but I could do without the idealistic hoopla drummed up by the obnoxious Alice. Hopefully by Volume Two, Alice will have either learned restraint or be less evident, otherwise Pumpkin Scissors may end up on the “dropped” pile.

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Rating

Pumpkin Scissors, Volume One gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

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