The vampire brothers, Jiro and Kotaro, will finally learn their fate in the Special Zone in the last installment of Black Blood Brothers!

plot summary

After coming face to face with one of Cassa’s “brothers”, Jiro loses all control and is unable to defeat his young enemy. Afterwards, Jiro decides to leave the Special Zone with Kotaro, only to find his little brother missing.

In a panic, Jiro single-mindedly searches for his sibling, only to discover more threats lurking in the shadows. Cassa and her band of brothers have come to the Special Zone to wreck havoc among its vampire population and to resurrect an evil from the past. Kotaro and his brother are caught up in the mayhem against their will but pledge their strength to the uniting forces of the vampire houses. Can Jiro master his blind hatred towards Cassa in order to save his bloodline and the Special Zone?

review

This series was far, far too short. While other anime suffer from being overly long and drawn out, despite their lack of plot or interest, Black Blood Brothers suffers from just the opposite.

This anime is an engaging and action packed story filled with twists, unexpected moments and unique characters. For whatever reason, a large amount of information has been severely condensed and crammed into just twelve episodes.

At the beginning of the series, the pacing was perfect. There weren’t any fluff moments or unnecessary scenes, and the story never deviated from its course. But at the end, the pacing became too fast, and the info which was easy to swallow before, started to become too much at once. In episode eleven for example, there was far too much to absorb in just twenty minutes. This series deserved twenty six episodes, or at least thirteen, and could have filled each one with enough story, history and background to satisfy all the nagging questions left at the end and yet still be entertaining.

Character Development

There was a lot of good development in the final installment of the series and many questions were answered, though not in as much detail as they could have been. Some questions actually gave rise to further questions and left a feeling of “Is this all there is?” And some answers felt too pat, too convenient, especially when it came to Kotaro. There was a moment I was taken aback in an explanation of his heritage, not because it was surprising, but because it was too easy an answer. It would have been good if more in depth story was given for Jiro, Cassa and Alice’s history. That was one aspect of the series which was given a cursory pass and taken for granted.

Animation

The animation for the series stayed strong throughout all twelve episodes and had good consistency. Style-wise, it was a bit on the generic side, yet it had a shonen feel which made it better than run-of- the-mill.

Volume Conclusion

Volume Three had a lot to deliver as the last installment of a short but very involved series. It did deliver, but felt incomplete on some levels. On other levels, there was an open-ended finality which left room for interpretation; not necessarily a bad thing, but not always a good thing either. Very open in other words, in a series which worked well in the time alloted.

Series Conclusion

It’s a pity Black Blood Brothers was unable to be produced as thirteen episodes, let alone twenty six. This is an anime which would have done very well as a complete, one season twenty six episode series. Yet, it still had enough panache to pull off an interesting, exciting story in only twelve episodes, something other series can’t even do with a full season. The story was a unique take on a fascinating subject, vampires, and handled the subject matter with class. The only complaint I have for Black Blood Brothers is its abbreviated length and the lingering feeling that much more could have been done with this anime.

Volume Rating

Black Blood Brothers, Volume Three gets 3.5 outta 5 Hammies!

Series Rating

Black Blood Brothers, Complete Series gets 4 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: May 6, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes: 9-12
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Ai continues to tantalize audiences with her personal tale, but still fails to deliver.

plot summary

Hajime Shibata and his daughter, Tsugumi, have become obsessed with finding Hell Girl, and will go to any lengths to travel to the places she’s been sighted. Tsugumi has an uncanny ability to see what Ai Enma, Hell Girl, sees and can then tell her father where Ai will strike next.

Father and daughter journey to a tiny island, one which Tsugumi saw in her visions, in order to stop another unholy bargaining of souls. The duo next travel to a circus and a mental ward, but are unable to catch up to Ai and her henchmen.

With the copious amount of souls being bartered away, will Hell have room for them all?

review

Hell Girl, the anime, must have realized it was boring me to tears with its repetitious, disconnected episodes, since it started making more comprehensive ones in this volume. The stories have swung back from ludicrous and laughable to scary and pitiable. I prefer the latter over the former, but the series still remains about individual stories rather than the whole of Ai Enma, her role as Hell Girl, her henchmen and how those same henchmen came to serve Ai.

Character Development

Ai is beginning to appear more human with each new episode. There’s emotion starting to show in the cracks of her cool visage. She also appears to know about her connection with Tsugumi, either because she herself is the one responsible or because she’s aware of the connection but unconcerned over it, even welcoming it. In one of the episodes, Ai actually extends her protection to Tsugumi and her father; two people who are determined to put an end to Ai and her work.

Aside from a bit more humanity coming from Hell Girl, there’s no other development. The three henchmen, Ren, Onna, and WanyÅ«dō while interesting as tools of damnation, are just that: tools. Apparently tools need no fleshing out or explanation, they just are, end of discussion.

Conclusion

While the lack of forward momentum in this series is frustrating, this volume at least was entertaining. The stories in this volume made more sense than in previous volumes, and I agreed wholeheartedly with most of the candidates up for damnation. I would have even pulled the string on a few of the nominees. Yet, I still consider the lack of pacing and focus to be a distraction. How will Hell Girl end? When will it start picking up loose ends and tie them up in some fashion?

If one were to grade the series thus far on its merits as a quasi-random horror series, similar to the Twilight Zone, it would be given high marks. But if it were graded as a comprehensive series, one that’s filled with progressive story, pacing and a definitive point, then it receives a failing grade. Thankfully, Hell Girl has two more semesters, I mean volumes, to straighten up and do better.

Rating

Hell Girl, Volume Four gets 2.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:February 26, 2008
• Retail Price: $26.99
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:15-18
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Things get weirder and have a slightly disjointed feel in Volume Five, but the series still manages to entertain.

plot summary

Tenma’s younger sister, Yakumo, is starting to be drawn into her older sister’s crazy world. First off, Yakumo gets drafted as the model bride in a mock wedding. Hanai, Yakumo’s not so secret admirer, tries to be her model husband-to-be. Unfortunately, the none too bright Harima gets wind Tsukamoto’s getting married. Another misunderstanding of epic proportion follows.

Then, Tenma’s secret admirer, Harima, accidentally leaves his manga behind in a cafe as he races to get an autograph from his favorite TV star. A waitress finds the rough draft of the manga and reads it. Just so happens Yakumo is that waitress! She reads Harima’s work, comments on it to the aspiring mangaka and suddenly becomes Harima’s slightly unwilling manga critic/ editor. Hanai mistakes the two’s involvement with each other and vows to destroy Harima.

To top it all off, two new exchange students, one from Mexico, the other from America, arrive at the school in search of worthy battle opponents and both have declared war on 2-C. 2-C needs to pull it together and mend their differences in order to survive through the rest of the school year!

review

Volume Five had a weird vibe to it. Maybe it was the lack of fumbling professions by Harima, or maybe it was because there was more focus on Yakumo, but the first three episodes felt slightly off beat. They weren’t bad, but they didn’t jive like the previous episodes.

I think part of the weirdness was due to Harima’s “growth” in finally accepting he wants to be a mangaka and the only way he can get close to Tenma is in his manga. The shift wasn’t unwelcome but the focus also shifted from Tenma and Harima’s involvement to Yakumo and Harima’s involvement. Something’s going on there, that’s all I’m saying….

There are also a slew of unanswered questions which are becoming more urgent as the series starts to near the end. I have a list of things I’d like addressed by the end of the season, but I have a feeling the carrot at the end of the stick will be dragged through into season two. The introduction of new characters/ antagonists in the second to last volume of season one, pretty much ensures there won’t be a tidy or satisfactory conclusion to the first season of School Rumble. Bummer.

Character Development

I like Yakumo. In contrast to her ditzy, loud sister, she’s intelligent and soft spoken. She only says something after carefully thinking it over, unlike Tenma who speaks and acts in a manner which suggest she’s not connected to her own brain.

Hanai is a great character, even though he too is swept up in the rampant and manifold misunderstandings of he said, she saids which abound in the series. His stoic mannerisms evaporate in an instant whenever Yakumo is involved. It’s charming in a way.

Music

Episode 18 has a different ED, called “Hatenkou Robo Dojibiron’s Theme“, by JÅ«zō Nanba. I’m not a fan of it and find it slightly annoying.

However, there’s a really good theme in Episode 19 which accompanies a meteor shower. The song has a very Enya feel to it. A Japanese Enya, interesting.

Conclusion

School Rumble, Volume Five was entertaining but frustrating at the same time, which is frustrating in itself. I want Season One to end with some sense of finality and closure. The volume still entertained but the addition of new characters was slightly annoying this late in the game. Past experiences with anime tell me I might not get what I want in this series’ ending, but you never know.

Rating

School Rumble, Volume Five gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:February 5, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:19-22
• Run Time:100 minutes
• Rating:TV PG
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Volume Three of Hellgirl, continues to punish “evildoers”, but now the definition of “evil” is put to the test as Ai and her group accept almost all petitioners to Hell Link. Who’s evil now? The victim or the antagonist?

Plot Summary

It looks like things aren’t as black and white as they first were for Ai and her friends. The people logging onto Hell Link don’t always have righteous retribution in mind when they click on the website. Sometimes, the petitioners are as bad as the “antagonists” in terms of right and wrong.

Things have gotten even more complicated for Ai, as Hajime Shibata and his daughter, Tsugumi, are still hot on Ai’s trail, trying to put an end to her work. Hajime goes out of his way, risking his life and soul, to find the next petitioners of Ai’s. He then tries to dissuade them in their unholy quest.

Ai’s friends, Ren, Onna, and WanyÅ«dō have caught wind of Hajime’s meddling, and in turn watch him as he tries to track the quartet down. For now, they leave Hajime to his own devices, confident in their abilities to handle him if and when that time comes.

But Hajime and his daughter are getting pulled deeper and deeper into Ai’s world. The journalist now faces the horrific truth behind Hellgirl and must confront those in his life who have dealings with her.

review

I would say that this volume was as boring as the first two, but that’d be unfair. It is fair, however, to say this volume is more infuriating, annoying, and nonsensical than the previous volumes.

Apparently, as shown in Volume One, Ai can pick and choose which applicants to accept. If this is the case, I have a hard time understanding her motivations for taking undeserving souls. The second episode, “Spilled Bits” is a shallow glossing over of a girl with emotional problems who gets her hands on Hell Link. The victim isn’t a victim and the perpetrator isn’t a bad person in the least. This is one the dumbest episodes to date; this and “Beyond the Dead End“, that sucked hard too.

Character Development

I’m banging my head against the computer screen going, “Why, why, why is there zero character development that counts?” This series has such potential to be good! What the hell is wrong with the studio, mangaka, or whoever dreamed up the pacing for this story? There’s been nothing to indicate who Ai is or who she was, except for the episode “Purgatory Girl”. Even then all we get is a glance back in time about seventy years. But nothing in this brief glance explains anything!

For all we know, Ai is some demon emissary from Hell, bent on world domination. Her buddies are window dressing in the series but they’re tantalizing window dressing. They all fulfill interesting roles in Ai’s work, yet they get the shaft when it comes to explanations or development. Is everyone on Ai’s team a demon emissary from Hell bent on world domination? Your guess is as good as mine…

The Shibatas are intriguing and a good storytelling device. Even they’re not given any fleshing out, though. Hajime is a lowlife journalist who blackmails famous people with naughty pictures (man, anime gives journalists a bad name!) but that’s it. Development’s done. That’s unfair.

It’s unfair to make a viewer invest time and money in a series and not have the anime work to fill out the important bits. A good anime does this in pieces, all at once, or in its own time, but does it well nonetheless. A bad anime assumes the viewer doesn’t need things like “pacing” or “development”. Pffft. Who needs that when you got purty pictures?

And that’s what cheeses me off about Hell Girl; it wouldn’t need to work hard to be a good anime. It’s being counterproductive by slouching by with the development and pacing. Either that or the studio plans on a big “reveal” the next season, which would also blow. For shame if that’s the case!

I don’t like it when a potentially good anime gets lazy. I paid money and time and expect an anime to live up to my expectations of it as a series or movie. I expected Hell Girl to be excellent, but thus far, it’s been mediocre. Far worse than that, however, is how it refuses to progress. I keep threatening to toss this series on the “crap” pile of anime, but I have some hope (a tiny sliver) Hell Girl can be redeemed. For now, though, I consign this volume to Hell.

Rating

Hell Girl, Volume Three gets 1.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: January 15, 2008
• Retail Price: $26.99
• Number of discs: 1
• Episodes: 11-14
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Summer is still in full swing in Volume Four of School Rumble, and girls are in the middle of a friendship crisis!

plot summary

Eri has subtly insulted her friend, Mikoto, over a misunderstanding involving Harima. Mikoto tries to confront Eri to settle their dispute, but Eri runs away faster than Mikoto can say “It’s not a date!”

Eri has a strange love/hate relationship with Harima, while Harima despises Eri but is polite to her for the sake of Tenma.

Tenma thinks Harumi is the world’s biggest player and is afraid he might try to woo her little sister, Yakumo while on a co-ed camping trip with their friends.

Misunderstandings seem to follow Harima, Tenma, and Eri around like depressing storm clouds, and the camping trip is no exception. Once again Harima tries to confess his love to Tenma, and once again, Eri gets in the way and becomes entangled in her own emotions concerning Harima.

Harima has issues other than Tenma to contend with, however, as his beloved animal friends have no safe place to stay. Yakumo sees the softer side of Harima and she and her friends lend Harima a hand in helping his furry pals.

Tenma’s classmate, Karen, has fallen for the obnoxious and boob-crazy Imadori. Tenma tries to help Karen out when Karen goes on an obligatory date with Imadori, but it’d be better if Karen forgot about Imadori since he’s already forgotten about her. It looks as if the heartaches surrounding Tenma and company have finally spread to their classmates!

review

Character Development

Volume Four of School Rumble was as funny as previous volumes and gave some good insight into a few of Tenma’s friends; namely Eri, Mikoto and the two’s relationship. But what I kept hoping to see never cropped up in this Volume, which was the reason for Tenma’s attraction to Karasuma. I also kept wanting to see Harima succeed once, just once, in his declaration of love to Tenma.

I understand there’s so much going on in School Rumble, that it’s hard to get info crammed into an episode and still have the episode make sense and be funny. School Rumble resembles a comedic, animated soap opera, in that it’s epic, never ending, and becomes more and more convoluted as time goes on.

The series is continuing on in an organic fashion; one set of circumstances has a profound domino effect on the series and grows into a completely new side story. This organic domino effect is thankfully humorous and is what keeps the long drawn out misunderstandings and “he said, she said”s from becoming tiresome and obnoxious. I will say that it’s hard to keep up with the love stories popping up and crumbling just as fast they appear.

School Rumble, Volume Four went by quickly and had the effect of leaving me wanting more- now. School Rumble is an anime worth investing the time in since it delivers what it promises and then some- laughs, laughs, more laughs, and tears.

Rating

School Rumble, Volume Four gets 3 out of a possible 4 Hammies!

Ah, summertime is a time for love, a time for friends, a time for playing academic catch-up, but most of all, summertime is a time for swimsuits!! In School Rumble, Volume Three, things finally lighten up- just a little- in time for the summer holiday. Who’s looking sharp in their swimsuit, and who’s scoring with the ladies?

plot summary

Harima finally decides to return to school after a prolonged absence. After initially swearing off his pursuit of Tenma, he begins to chase the clueless lass anew. Unfortunately, school’s over for the year and Harima won’t have many opportunities to try and win Tenma’s heart.

To make matters worse, Tenma has a new admirer who wants to get to know Tenma on a beachfront vacation. Harima gets wind of this latest development in time to insinuate himself into the group of friends Tenma will be traveling with.

But Harima has an uphill battle in the way of Tenma’s pretty friend, Eri Sawachika, who seems to frequently-and accidentally- get into misunderstanding with the delinquent. Eri seems to believe that Harima’s odd actions are directed at her, when in reality, they’re meant for Tenma.

After the strained and fruitless beach vacation, Harima decides to get a summer job in order to forget Tenma, only to find himself once again in a precarious situation following an overheard comment (yet another misunderstanding involving Eri).

This summer is turning out to be one long heart- and headache!

review

School Rumble Volume Three was a lot of fun. Summer episodes in anime are usually carefree and often seem to showcase what summer is like in Japan; Volume Three didn’t disappoint. There was the smashing of the watermelon on the beach, shaved ice, girls wearing yukata, fireworks, summer school, summer jobs, and lots and lots of swimsuits.

Character Development

Of course, along with the carefree, breezy atmosphere were plenty of stressed moments involving mix-ups and miscommunications. Harima is still stoic and unable to accept defeat in his pursuit of love, and Tenma is still totally clueless as to Harima’s feelings for her. Eri, meanwhile, is beginning-in a bizarre way- to be attracted to Harima since she believes Harima’s weird behavior is due to his attraction to her.

The character development thus far in the series has been fairy consistent if not overly profuse. I’m still waiting to find out why Tenma is so crazy about Karasuma and why Karasuma is so vapid and listless. I’m also waiting for more background and development of Tenma’s friend, Akira Takano.

One of the episodes, however, was dedicated to the intense Haruki Hanai- the guy who’s absolutely in love with Tenma’s “little” sister, Yakumo. Hanai was given some depth and a good helping of development and background in the episode, which explores his and Mikoto Suō’s relationship as friends. It was a touching episode which explained a lot about why Hanai is the way he is if not why he’s ga-ga over Yakumo.

School Rumble, Volume Three, injected some fun and sun into the series and took Harima’s problems with Eri to new, and very, very awkward, heights. If you need a little lightening up in the autumn months, School Rumble Volume Three is sure to brighten your day.

Rating

School Rumble, Volume Three gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Viruses can rob us of function, health and vitality, and at the extreme, they can rob us of life. There are fates worse than death however, and living without a soul is an existence not worth living; an existence which the ladies of the Venus Vanguard are prepared to remedy.

plot summary

There are things in his world we cannot see with the naked eye; things that can cripple and kill. There are also other unseen creatures which take more than lives: they take souls. Viruses aren’t just mindless micro-organisms, they’re also soul-stealing beings which exist in tandem with humans, but are invisible to the majority of the population.

Those who can see Viruses seldom see them for long, since Viruses prefer to devour the souls of those who can detect them. Sumire Takahana is one who can see Viruses and is thus targeted by them, when fate intervenes in the manner of the goth-loli Virus fighter, Lucia Nahashi.

Lucia, along with Laura and Sōichirō Nahashi, is part of the Venus Vanguard, a group of fighters sworn to eradicate the Virus menace. Lucia saves Sumire from the Viruses and senses an unknown power emanating from Sumire.

Sumire is then sucked, against her will, into Lucia’s world, as she discovers she has powers that can help the Vanguard destroy the Viruses once and for all. But is the price Sumire pays for her powers worth the sacrifice?

review

There was no spark when I watched Venus Versus Virus- VVV for short- Volume One, no connection. Nothing. I gave Volume One my undivided attention but it failed to keep it.

VVV’s concept wasn’t as fresh as it could have been and felt contrived. The idea of young girls fighting otherworldly powers, while inspiring and potentially fascinating, felt too formulaic in this instance. Everything was already setup from the get-go for VVV to be what it is: cute girls with inherent powers doing brave things. How could this go wrong? It’s not a bad formula and is in fact a pretty standard template for anime and manga.

Character Development

Where Volume One went wrong was that there was no connection with any of the characters. The characters themselves were also too formulaic. In order for a series to set itself apart if an anime formula is followed, at least the characters must be non-standard. But I could feel myself moving away from the story since I felt nothing for the characters. I can sometimes forgive a story that’s been done before, and done better, if the characters move me and connect with me.

I don’t like to have a sense of déjà vu when I watch anime; I like to be surprised, I like to have a feeling of, “Hey, that series really got me!” Instead, VVV elicited many: “M’yep, thought you might do/say/ wear that.” Perhaps the later volumes of the series will define and develop the characters more, but I wish they could have set some spark into the first volume which would keep viewers interested enough to watch volume two.

Character Design

Lucia and Laura’s characters were designed as lolitas. As much as I adore the style in real-life, I’m beginning to dislike it in anime; a lot. However, to be fair, the gals of Venus Vanguard are using a clothing shop as a front for their anti-Virus operations; dressing in their wares is a damn fine way to advertise and sell them. But I still feel as if the use of lolis is ever so slightly gratuitous and abused in VVV.

Sumire’s school uniform is a quite novel, although unlikely, design. It’s good to see something new done with the same old school uniforms which habitually show up in anime. The colors for the uniform weren’t as good as the cut and overall design, but it made for a pleasant change of pace from the standard fuku.

The designs for the Viruses, unlike the school uniforms, were pretty blah. I like it when studios go the extra mile with the bad guy’s designs; makes for added interest. The overall character designs are fairly mediocre, so far, considering the studio can get inventive with this genre of anime.

Animation

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen anything produced by Studio Hibari, the company behind Venus Versus Virus’ anime production and I wasn’t impressed with my premiere viewing of their work. The animation was fairly average and standard with a few good-to-great shots. They did do something interesting with flashbacks: they framed them. Whenever a character had a flashback, it was set in an oval frame. It was interesting but the novelty wore off the umpteenth time it was used.

Music

“Bravin’ Bad Brew” is the name of the OP by Riryka. The song is, like the rest of the anime, average, but the beginning is catchy enough: I can’t seem to get, “I’m in the hell. I’m in the fate.” outta my head. The ED, “Shijun no Zankoku” by Yousei Teikoku is only slighter better than the OP.

Voice Acting

The Japanese voice cast was eons better than the English one, which seemed overly bright and forced. However, I wasn’t taken much with the Japanese voice cast either. It also was average.

Venus Versus Virus is an average anime that’s nothing new. Everything about is fairly standard and it doesn’t manage to set itself apart. Maybe the series will spark some sort of interest or connection with audiences, or else, it too will just be another soulless addition to the anime world.

Rating

Venus Versus Virus, Volume One gets 2.5 out of 4 Hammies.

Hellgirl is a for-hire avatar of vengeance and ambassador of Hell, who trucks in “a dish best served cold” in exchange for souls. But what offense can possibly be horrible enough to damn a soul to eternal damnation?

plot summary

At midnight, online, if a link is clicked right as the hour strikes twelve, a website will appear which will hear your grievance and mete out punishment to the perpetrators. The website is Jigoku Tsūshin- Hell Link- and the web-mistress cum executioner is Ai Enma, aka, Jigoku Shoujo- Hellgirl.

This slight, dark-haired child with red eyes, has the power to command Hell in order for retribution to be made to an injured party by way of damning the injurer to Hell forever. However, if vengeance is agreed upon, the person who signs the execution order must in turn be damned to Hell upon their own death.

Hellgirl tirelessly reads the many messages she receives on her wesbite and journeys to the mortal realm to explain the terms of Damnation to would be Damn-ers. The person seeking retribution is then given a straw doll and told to untie the red string if they agree to the contract. After the pact has been made, Ai doles out the appropriate punishment.

Hellgirl is not alone on her missions of vengeance: Ichimoku Ren, a young man in casual clothes, WanyÅ«dō, an older man in dated clothing, and Hone Onna, a woman who dresses like a prostitute, also assist Ai in the retributions. Together, these four create punishments which fit the antagonists crimes. The one who has wronged another is then given a chance to acknowledge their guilt before they’re dragged down into eternal damnation.

Who can be so desperate as to consign their own soul to Hell in order to do so to another?

review

On the surface, the concept for Hellgirl is intriguing: Creepy young girl with monotone voice condemns souls to Hell for victims in exchange for said person’s soul. The first episode, “From Beyond the Twilight“, was appropriately depressing and introduces the audience to the hellish conditions which would be the deciding factor in paying the ultimate price for peace of mind and retribution.

School girls are some of the most spiteful, evil creatures ever spawned and can drive an innocent to tears with their constant bullying and back-handed trickery. In the first case, it’s easy to understand the motivation for invoking Hellgirl. However, the punishment for the antagonist wasn’t nearly ironic enough, or severe enough, for the high price of a soul. It seemed like the protagonist of that episode got short-shrifted.

The following episodes were a mixed lot of varying degrees of suffering on the part of the victims. Some cases that Ai picked up were trivial and didn’t seem to warrant the punishment due to either the victim or the perpetrator. One which really stood out as imbalanced was the episode, “Silent Cries“. Granted I love my pet very, very much, but I wouldn’t condemn either myself or another to Hell forever if something bad were to happen to her. Ironically, the ironic punishment meted out in that episode was absolutely the best and most apropos for the entire volume.

Each episode has what I call a “Charge-up Sequence“. A Charge-up Sequence, CS for short, is when a character or characters charge-up their mechs or themselves before a battle sequence, or a magical-girl transforms into her powerful alter-ego, or is any repeated scene which routinely builds up to a finale or fight scene. In this case, it’s Ai bathing in the river, dressing in her kimono, and riding in a flaming palanquin to the mortal realm. After the punishment is administered by her assistants, Ai says a phrase damning the particular soul to Hell. Hellgirl then consigns the soul to Hell by delivering it there on a boat which she ferries.

It’s the same scenes every episode, give or take a few details. These charge-up scenes eat into time which could be better spent developing Ai or her assistants’ backgrounds or better spent developing more creative and suitable punishments.

Character Development

As of yet, there’s no character development for Ai or her companions. It feels as though character development will unfold later in the series. The victims in the individual cases are, for the most part, sympathetic. I could connect with two out of the five protagonists and felt actual loathing and disgust for the same number of antagonists. The other three episodes were, although not shallow, still not as profound as the other two cases.

Character Design

Hellgirl, the anime, has some beautiful character designs and color usage. The everyday world of the human realm is just that; everyday, yet still sparkles with its own beauty. However, the twilight world which Ai calls home is stunning in its shadowy glory. The beautiful landscapes and shimmery ambiance is creepy in the unchanging evening light; an appropriate home for a debt collector for Hell.

Actual character designs are one-up from average anime in the way the eyes and clothes are designed. Hellgirl’s expressionless red eyes look dead, while the eyes of the victims are filled with pain and emotion. The clothing is also exceptional: Ai’s ceremonial kimono is simply gorgeous with its rich black background and colorful, condemning poppies- symbolism anyone?

Animation

Studio Deen animated Hellgirl and did a superb job of it. The characters movements are smooth: hair flows naturally, clothes drape realistically, and eyes fill with tears convincingly. Many details in the episodes also increase the beauty of the series. It all adds up to a gorgeous anime.

Music

The OP, NightmaRe, is decent but would have been good without the one or two English lines interjected randomly into the song. Aizome, the ED, is haunting and sad. The beautiful animation which accompanies it is a perfect match and is just as emotive as the song. The soundtrack for the episodes is well written and matches the themes for each scene.

Voice Acting

Both the English and Japanese voice casts are fairly strong. The Japanese voice cast, however, was more appropriate for the subject matter.

Production

The DVD for Volume One is as beautiful as the animation: Gold detailing and rich colors make the DVD jacket a work of art in itself. Details aren’t limited to the outside of the DVD, however. Inside the DVD jacket is illustrated as well as the DVD itself. Included with the volume are two sumptuous, frame-worthy postcards featuring Ai.

Hellgirl, Volume One explores who’s willing to pay the ultimate price for satisfaction in the here and now. It also speaks about where people place their priorities; which can be eye-opening and sad at the same time. However, I would like to see more time spent on the development of Ai and her companions and less time being wasted on Ai’s Charge-up Scenes. If Hellgirl devotes more time on the Girl and less on the Hell, Jigoku Shoujo will be damned good.

Rating

Hellgirl, Volume One gets 2.5 outta 4 Hammies!

For countless centuries, love has baffled and confused countless people; regardless of gender, race, or economic and social status. Wars have been waged for love, people have died for it, killed for it, stolen for it, and lied for it. And all this done by technically “mature” adults. Love for the young is immeasurably more difficult due to hormones and lack of experience. Ah, it’s good to be older and past such trifles, *end sarcasm*!

School Rumble, Volume Two, profoundly ratchets up the confusion and misery caused by young love (in a light-hearted manner) with a mixed result of comedy and heart-tugging sorrow.

plot summary

Harima continues to pursue the clueless Tenma in hopes of confessing his sincere and overwhelming love for her. Tenma, meanwhile, is still trying to catch the eye of the object of her obsessions; the seemingly dull and listless Kurusama.

Recently, Harima’s gotten wind that his crush has a crush of her own. The delinquent turned Romeo-wannabe, searches high and low for the man who’s won over the heart of his beloved in order to take this interloper out of the Tenma + Harima = Happiness equation. However, Tenma has been gazing over in Harima’s direction lately, and Harima thinks that maybe, just maybe, he might be on the receiving end of Tenma’s adoration.

With the help of her younger sister, Yukamo, Tenma, tries her very unskilled hand at cooking in order to win over the heart of her would-be sweetie. Yukamo, has problems of her own, though, in the way of Haruki Hanai. Hanai simply adores Yukamo and literally can’t stop thinking about her.

Most of Tenma’s friends have issues of their own to contend with this volume round, but their troubles won’t stop for unrequited love!

review

Volume Two left me feeling tired and wrung out after watching it. Harima was the primary focus in this volume, and it was exhausting to see the poor guy do his damnedest to tell Tenma he truly loves her and end up miserable and unhappy after his attempts. He was fleshed out significantly in these four episodes, more so than anybody in the series yet, and was far more sympathetic a character than the ditsy and clueless Tenma.

Character Development

Though I was rooting for Harima to win the object of his desires, I was simultaneously wishing it was someone other than Tenma who he put his efforts towards. The man is sincere, and though he’s considered a delinquent, he’s fairly decent and has a well developed sense of honor. These attributes are completely out of sorts with his type, and creates interest and depth in Harima. Tenma on the other hand is a shallow, paper doll of a character; living only for the moment and looking only towards what she wants, oblivious to other people’s needs. Even though Tenma’s clueless nature is benign, she still affects those close to her because of it.

The humor in this volume was strong throughout, but the juxtaposition of the knee-slapping comedy with the heart-wrenching scenes of Harima’s crushed visage was absolutely draining at times. It was like being on a roller coaster which abruptly stops and and starts at random times. The result was similar to psychological combat.

Harima’s tireless pursuit of Tenma wasn’t the only taxing instance in Volume Two: It was nigh impossible to soak in the Gordian Knot cum mutated love triangle that is School Rumble. I could barely keep tabs of who likes who and why, and who likes someone else other than the person who likes them, which would in turn explain why someone is doing what they’re doing for someone else- yeah, as confusing as that.

Tiring though it was, School Rumble, Volume Two was still highly entertaining and a huge step forward from Volume One. The series is still a comedy, but it’s added on some flesh to the bare bones it started out with.

Rating

School Rumble, Volume Two gets 3 out of a possible 4 Hammies!

Life can be so very disappointing at times. Especially when we eagerly await something for which we have high expectations and then have those expectations dashed to the ground and rubbed away like grass stains in the laundry. That’s what watching the Devil May Cry anime was like; feelings of jittery fangirl glee which faded into stark disappointment.

plot summary

Dante is a man who makes a living doing all manner of odd jobs. But where his real talent lies is devil hunting. Dante is himself half-devil; his father being the demonic, legendary Dark Knight, Sparda. Spanda’s son has inherited all the powers of his father.

Dante now makes it his goal in life to send all demons who dare step foot into our world back to hell, but only if there’s a check waiting for him at the end of his missions. The devil hunter has made devil hunting a business and even has an agent, Morrison, who finds jobs for the frequently indebted Dante.

One day, Morrison offers Dante a high paying job involving escorting an orphan girl to a mansion. The orphan is Patty Lowell, and she stands to inherit a large sum of money. Devils, however, have been consigned to kill Patty before she can claim her inheritance.

After dealing with the demons, Dante is saddled with the orphan who decides she wants to live with Dante. Patty patiently cooks and cleans for Dante as he goes out into the world to hunt down devils with the help of former allies, Lady and Trish.

review

There really was no concrete plot for Devil May Cry, aka, DMC. Nothing drove the short, 12 episode series forward; it was more about Dante doing what does he best, which is being cool and fighting demons. The three video games from which this anime is derived, each individually had more plot than the entire anime.

Character Development

Instead of getting a well-plotted, intelligently paced anime, which could have fleshed out everyone’s fave devil hunter, fans were handed, well, fanservice. We not only get to see Dante kicking demon ass, but we also get to see Trish and Lady in action as well. But there’s no other reason for these two DMC leading ladies to make an appearance in the anime apart from being there as fanservice. No background is given for them, nor is their connection with Dante explained.

It’s all for certain fans of the games and not really for anyone else. And even for me, a die-hard fan of the games, it was too gratuitous. The Devil May Cry anime was made for fans of how the games looked and not necessarily for fans of how the games played. Patty, the orphan girl who lives with Dante, was obnoxious and just as unnecessary and gratuitous as her female co-stars, but what would fanservice driven anime be without a cute, moe, lolita?

Only in the last three episodes was there anything resembling “story” or “plot”. Even then, it was all mashed together in a hurried, “Oh crap, I knew I forgot something!” manner.

Character Design

The character designs were a bit blah, considering that they could go have gone crazy with the demons’ designs since there’s so much precedent for it in previous games. Dante looked fantastic, however, as did Trish and Lady, thereby helping fulfill one more criteria of fanservice- hot characters.

I would say the fight scenes were fanservice as well, but for which fans? Dante didn’t do half the awesome moves he’s famous for in the games; he just gets a ton of face time when he’s hacking and slashing. Fans of the game play in the DMC games will be disappointed with the fight scenes, but fans of Dante, as bishishounen, will be satisfied with the mediocre nature of the fight choreography since it makes Dante look good.

Animation

Madhouse gets much cred for doing a brilliant job with the animation. The animation was smooth and detailed in many places. The studio did a great job adhering to the vision of the games. The colors, the lines, the tone, all kept in line with the original concept for Devil May Cry. It felt wasted, however.

Music

I’ve decide that while “D.M.C“, the OP by Rungran, is an annoying tune stuck in my head, it’s a great opening theme for the anime. The guitar heavy song perfectly matches Dante’s rock n’ roll, bad ass demeanor. “I’ll Be Your Home” by Rin Oikawa is actually a fantastic song, but is out of place with the anime. It’s a soft ballad which doesn’t quite fit in with the high tension of the series.

Voice Acting

Haven’t heard the English voice cast yet, but the Japanese voice cast was excellent.

The DMC anime was the latest chance for the Devil May Cry franchise to offer something more than fanservice to their extra-video game offerings, but it fell far short of that goal; that is, if they were shooting for it in the first place. There’ll be other chances for the franchise to step up to the plate with the upcoming release of Devil May Cry 4, slated for sometime early next year. It was so disappointing to have waited so long and so eagerly for a DMC anime only to have it be what it turned out to be; fanservice.

Rating

Devil May Cry gets two out of a possible four Hammies.