In picking up School Rumble, Second Semester, I expected to enjoy further laughs and mayhem with a romantic twist, just like I did in Season One. I also expected some answers to the copious amount of questions piled on in Season One.

School Rumble, Season One is all about hopeless teen drama, puppy love and crushed expectations. It’s funny throughout most of the series, and downright dramatic the rest. The first season is authentic and sweet. In short, School Rumble, Season One is a great romantic comedy with heart. School Rumble, Season Two, is, not so much….

School Rumble

Plot Summary

It’s the same ol’ teen drama for Class 2C as they kick off their sophomore year: Tenma is still clueless, and in love with the enigmatic and odd Karasuma. Harima still can’t confess his true feelings for Tenma, and Eri has some unresolved issues for how she feels about Harima.

But Harima has become a rising star in the world of manga, and with his increase in stardom comes an increase in confidence. Will his new found self-esteem help him profess his love to Tenma?

Review

School Rumble, Second Semester was plain bad. It was a serving of more of the same from Season One, but without the zest and freshness. The gags were old, the lines were tired and the characters were stale. I’ve found fresher things at the day old Hostess store.

The writers must have been giddy from their successful run with School Rumble, Season One, and hammered out a formula for what they thought brought in the ha ha’s. Why don’t we say that H (Harima) times (T) Tenma plus F (filler) equals cha ching! So (H)(T) +F =$$$. And thus fans are rewarded with a seemingly endless loop of garbage and the studio raked in cash with minimal effort. The only problem is this formula= Hard Fail. Infinity.

Filler episodes and scenes abounded and actual plot was gunned down so that romantic anarchy could rule.  I knew when the first episode made me shudder a bit in my critical thinking lobe that trouble wasn’t far behind. My instsincts seldom let me down. Two full episodes were dedicated to a cop-out  story arc, and a lame one at that. This series has more dream scenes and dodgy explanations than are allotted for a romantic comedy. It was cute at first, but like a child who doesn’t know that adorable little version of “I’m a Teacup” is getting on Auntie Rae’s nerves, so was School Rumble unaware its gags were frustratingly tired.

I would say there were three episodes worth of progressive plot. But it was a downer since it made less sense than the wacky limit the anime set for itself. It was uninspired and ubiquitously bad. The characters I grew to empathize with were stunted in their growth, though some development managed to to squeak by.

Character Development

Further decent character development was absent, a night-and-day departure for the series.  Tenma stayed stupid, Eri stayed rich but Harima had a change in his confidence level. Poor guy can’t catch break, though that’s partially his own fault. I would have ditched chasing after Tenma eons ago. The girl is a waste of air time and ink. Harima has his hang-ups and Tenma is one of them. Guy needs to go to rehab for hopeless infatuations with loser women. Harima was the only saving grace of the anime, but a tiny one.

Character Design

Blah, what can I say about things that don’t change? Nothing visually departed from the first season, but why should it really.

I’m lumping in Animation, Music and Voice Acting  with my critique of character designs. There’s something to be said about consistency, so no points are taken off for the average-ness of the rest of the series’ features.

Conclusion

School Rumble, Second semester went nowhere. I might have well just watched Season One and called it a day. I didn’t though, and flushed nine hours of my time down the kamode. It’s a shame that this series took a nose dive in its quality of storytelling.

School Rumble Season One was good.  There was no reason for Two to have been so different from the first, none. The ending of Second semester was the real kick in the teeth, though. It sucked harder than all the shifty, cop-out scenes combined, and that’s saying a LOT.

School Rumble has a third season coming up. I really don’t want to take another bullet for School Rumble fans since I’m still digging shrapnel out my funny bone from Second Semester.  If you’re a fan of Season One,  I recommend  you avoid Season Two if you can, you’ll only be let down, and who needs that?

Rating

School Rumble, Second Semester gets 2.5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: October 14, 2008 (Part One) and December 16, 2008 (Part Two)
• Retail Price: $59.98
• Number of discs: 2
• Episodes: 1-13 (Part One) and 14-26 (Part Two)
• Run Time: 305 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled,

Are you a Fullmetal Alchemist fan and are you excited about a third season?

Read my review of Ouran High School Host Club, Part One!

The fiesty twins, Kaoru and Hikaru, try to steal away the heart of Tamki’s “baby”, the cute and out of place Haruhi, in the second half of Ouran High School Host Club!

Plot Summary

Haruhi can’t catch a break from the duties and attentions of the Host Club. The twins continually vie for her attention, much to the chagrin of the club’s “king”, Tamaki, and said clueless leader won’t let Haruhi out of his sight. She’s also become a popular Host that the Club’s unsuspecting female guests can’t get enough of.

But Haruhi senses something amiss when the beautiful facade of the fantasy world the Club has built begins to crumble. Will the King set aside his crown and let his kingdom fall, or will he hold fast and continue to dote on his eager guests?

Review

Ouran High School Host Club has my vote as the best anime comedy I’ve viewed to date. The laughs were smart and timed with exquisite precision. Freshness and originality abounded, and the pacing was perfect.

The anime didn’t rely on overdone gags and lowbrow humor. It didn’t ride a schtick into the ground or use the same line over, and over and over.  Ouran’s a series which really understood its genre (romantic comedy) and audience (shoujo lovers), and knew to take the high road in making a romantic comedy. Its take on harem anime and shoujo romance was a polite parody/ homage to a played out genre, not a mean-spirited roast.

Ouran’s main characters were in on the parody, and the self-awareness of the anime enabled it to poke fun, not only at shoujo stereotypes, but at itself. Ouran doesn’t take itself seriously at all in the first half of the anime, and only slightly towards the end of the second. The one-liners throughout the series are absolutely quotable, and the characters delivering them are complex enough to relate to, but ridiculous enough to laugh with and at.

I mean, a good-hearted, abundantly handsome but slightly moronic, self-styled, reverse harem king who sees an accidental-cross dressing, poor scholarship student as his little baby? How can that not be funny? It might not have worked if it were too saccharine, serious or overdone, but it was brilliant in the Ouran High anime.

Character Development

In Part Two of Ouran High, the characters we’ve been laughing at for thirteen episodes are given their unique personalities, the true ones which differ greatly from their Host Club faces. The cast was more developed and human in the second half of the series- they became interesting as well as funny.

Tamaki’s past is revealed, and while it could have come across as pitiful, it added strength to his personality instead of weakening it. He was still clueless, and an idiot, but he had a wealth of heart and good intentions.

The twins got the flashback treatment as well, and their motives for their twisted games are based in their childhood. I really liked the twins. They’re evil and duplicitous, but in a good, funny way. They’re bad, but not evil. Their quasi-twincest, which is all in the name of pleasing the fangirls, is refreshingly ironic.

Haruhi stays pretty much the same through the second half. She’s a real trooper in dealing with the host club, and is one of only two grounding personalities in the group, the first being the money-minded Kyoya.

Kyoya and Honey have some background work done too, but the stoic Mori gets a minor glossing over.

The flashbacks and character development aren’t obtrusive, nor do they get in the way of the comedy. But they do add something which makes this anime more than a run-of-the-mill shoujo comedy.

Ouran has a memorable supporting cast to match the lead cast. The best of the secondary characters is the enigmatic president of the Black Magic Club, Nekozawa. Nekozawa, with his evil hand puppet, Beelzenef, stood out as the oddest character at Ouran, though Renge, the obsessive otaku fangirl deluxe, was in close second. Although the secondary cast wasn’t given the development the Host Club was, they gave a lot to the series.

Character Design

In keeping with the comedy of “romantic comedy”, the anime used its visuals to exaggerate points (super details for when the boys are being sparkling hosts), to emphasize emotions (giant sweat drops for stress, teary waterfalls for sadness) or to drive home its shoujo inspiration (flower petals in the air when romance is in the offing).  It was pure anime.

The clothing was also atypical anime- school uniforms were standard suits for guys and dresses for girls, but the girls’ dresses were something out of a Victorian romance rather than the usual sailor suits. Outside of school, the main characters have different clothing for every appearance.  It’s a plus when the studio tries to make the characters feel real by giving them an actual wardrobe.

Animation

The animation for Ouran was as strong as the series. It had detailed shots in the right places without skimping on the quality elsewhere. Shots when the boys are at their bishi-tastic are gorgeously detailed. Every twinkle and dimple can be seen. Action shots are high quality as well.

The backdrops were given a lot of attention, the music room of the Host Club being a good example, with its abundance of detailing and color work. Bones animated Ouran High School Host Club. They did as good a job showing the story as the anime did of telling it.

Music

After listening to the opening and ending themes (Sakura Kiss, by Chieco Kawabe and Shissou, by LAST ALLIANCE) for twenty six episodes, the songs have begun to grow on me- slightly. They were both fantastic fits for the subject matter, both being sugary and pop rockish, but as stand alone songs, they were too “young”.

The opening theme is the more tween of the two, but it’ll get stuck in your head, like a wet lollipop to a cashmere sweater.

It was interesting that the songs were in both English and Japanese. The Japanese tracks weren’t as cloyingly teen as the English were, probably because “kiss kiss, fall in love” sounds better in Japanese than in English.

Voice Acting

While there is the option of switching to the Japanese voice cast, don’t. Just, don’t. The English voice cast outstrips the Japanese and is waaaay funnier. Humor is not a universal language, and some things just don’t translate well. Some of the translations in the Japanese/ subtitle option fall flat, while in the English they’re worded in language that flows easily and is more topical:

English:

Hikaru: Why was your cell phone…

Kaoru: …turned off?

Haruhi: I just don’t think about it really.

Tamaki: Did you say you have a cell phone?

Hikaru: We convinced her she should borrow one of ours so we can keep in touch.
Kaoru: It’s a part of a special “Friends and Family” plan.
Hikaru: Yeah, we’re in each other’s “Top Five”.

Tamaki: “Top Five”! “Friends and family”? But wait, I’m you’re daddy and buddy…so I’m part of the plan too, right?

VERSUS

Japanese:

Hikaru: You turned your cell phone off didn’t you?
Kaoru: You can’t do that!

Haruhi: But it’s such a pain!

Tamaki: Cell? You’ve got a cell did you say?

Hikaru: Yeah, but I should say it’s one that we’ve lent to Haruhi.
Kaoru: By the way, it’s one only for friends. Sir, you’re our “sempai” and all.

Tamaki: “Friends!?” That must be nice, huh? Then, I’m also in the “friends” category which includes daddies.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The English vocal work wasn’t just worded better, it was delivered better as well.

Greg Ayres really did a great job of  voicing Kaoru. He always sells his characters’ mischievous personalities, and he gave an extra note of diabolic boyishness to the twins.

Tamaki’s breathy bishi and clueless king personas were nailed by Vic Mignogna. Tamaki and Kaoru were my favorite characters and their voice work partly influenced my opinion.

Conclusion

Ouran High School Host Club is an almost too-good-to-be-true anime. It has great story, fantastic laughs, stellar characters, strong development, great animation, fast pacing and a top-notch ending. Unlike most things in life that fall under the “too good to be true” category, this series really is that good and it really is true. Go on, watch Ouran High- get spoiled!

Rating

Ouran High School Host Club, Part Two gets 5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher:Funimation
• Release Date: January 6, 2009
• Retail Price: $59.98
• Number of discs:2
• Episodes:14-26
• Run Time: 300 minutes
• Rating: TV 14
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled

From Twitch:

Japan’s Madhouse Studios have been hard at work on a new Casshern anime series.  Titled Casshern Sins the show is slated to hit Japanese airwaves in September…

I think it looks pretty cool from the teaser, but I’d love to see more!

The consolidation of US anime distributors is continuing. On July 1, Bandai Namco Holdings will combine Bandai Entertainment and Bandai Visual USA. The latter will be liquidated by the end of September.

Bandai Visual USA has been shrinking. As of April, they had only two employees. The company head, Tatsunori Konno, moved back to Japan earlier this month.

Bandai Visual USA was established to primarily present collectors’ editions of Bandai Visual titles from Japan. The price structure was similar to their Japanese counterparts and was not warmly received by North American consumers. Last year, the company had over $1.15 million in sales, but had a loss of $595,000.

On a related note, parent company, Bandai Namco Holdings announced their financial numbers on May 8 for last fiscal year which ended in March. The news was not bad, but it also was not good. According to Anime! Anime!, the consolidated income was 460,473 million yen (about $4.4 billion US). This was only a 0.3% increase from last year, and did not meet the projected amount of 480,000 million yen (about $4.6 billion US). Other numbers:

• operating income was 33,411 million yen (about $319 million US)
• recurring income was 36,198 million yen (about $345 million US)
• net income was 32,679 million yen (about $312 million US)

ANN Story:
Bandai Visual USA to be Liquidated by September

Press Releases:
Bandai Namco
Bandai Entertainment
Bandai Visual USA

Anime! Anime! Story (translated by KatanaXtreme):
Namco Bandai’s financial result reveals the hard fight of AM, and visual and music content businesses

__________

In other Bandai news, Bandai Entertainment announced that the Gainax series, Gurren Lagann, will air on the US’s Sci Fi Channel. It will air as part of Sci Fi’s Ani-Monday block beginning July 28. Two episodes will be presented every week through October. The announcement was made earlier this month at the Talks on Gurren Lagann panel discussion which was part of FanimeCon (San Jose, California).

Image © Gainax/Aniplex, KDE-J, TV Tokyo, Dentsu

ANN Story:
Bandai Entertainment Confirms Gurren Lagann on Sci Fi Channel (Updated)

__________

Director Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) recently supervised the opening and ending animations for NHK’s new documentary mini-series, Futto Toshi (Effervescent Cities…ANN’s translation of the title is Cities in Tumultuous Change). Production I.G animated the title sequence and Kenji Kawai (Ghost in the Shell movies) composed the music.

The 8-part series premiered on May 18 and focuses on cities which are “becoming new international players with the advance of globalization“. On the NHK website, Shinichi Terazono, Senior Producer (Special Programs Division in charge Futto Toshi) comments about the series:

“This is said to be the year when the world’s urban population is overtaking the world’s rural population. Globalization is also shifting power away from the United States to other growing economic powers. I believe we can present a new type of documentary. The title sequence images have been created by Mamoru Oshii, whose work is popular among young Japanese people, and the pace of the program will be faster than in our conventional documentaries. Dubai is the first rising city of the series, followed by London, Dacca, and Istanbul.“

Image captures taken from a promotional video of the first two episodes of Futto Toshi:
Copyright NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.

ANN Story:
Oshii Oversees Opening, Ending for NHK Documentaries

NHK Reference:
On two new NHK Specials, Futto Toshi (Effervescent Cities), and The Arctic Circle – The Future of the Globe
__________

ADV Films and San Francisco based video sharing site Crunchyroll have teamed up with a digital promotion campaign. The first 12 episodes of the 24 episode series, Welcome to the NHK will be available on Crunchyroll’s website. Currently, episodes 1 – 4 are available (as of May 29). Over the next four weeks, the remaining episodes will be posted, two episodes every Thursday. As a cross-promotion, ADV is also offering Volumes 1 – 3 of Welcome to the NHK DVDs at 50% off the suggested retail price at select retailers.

Crunchyroll has its own promotional tie-in. They are running a contest to find the “Top Otaku”. The contest is open to community members, who have to post photos of their otaku room showing off all their fan stuff. The winners will get Volumes 1 – 4 of Welcome to the NHK DVDs. For full rules, check the Crunchyroll website.

What makes this partnership a little unusual is that Crunchyroll is known for pushing (and often stepping over) the boundaries of copyright law. The site has been popular and, in 2007, Viacom nearly bought Crunchyroll for $10 million. Probably someone in the company realized that the purchase of a company known for posting copyright infringing content would hurt their lawsuit with Google (YouTube) and the deal was dropped. Still, Crunchyroll was able to secure over $4 million of funding earlier this February from venture capital firm Venrock.

ANN Story:
Crunchyroll to Stream ADV’s Welcome to the NHK

Crunchyroll References:
Crunchyroll Pushes the Envelope On Video Copyright
VC’s Back Crunchyroll: Guts? Brains? Or Sheer Stupidity?

__________

Speaking of copyright infringement, the Belarusian baked goods and confectionery company, MINSKHLEBPROM, seems to be pushing the envelope with a mascot character shown on the packaging of their chocolate waffle. The character looks suspiciously like Haruhi Suzumiya, the title charater of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (light novels, manga, and anime). Several online sites in Japan have nicknamed the Belarusian character “Haruhinov,” “Haruhichov,” “Haruhikov Dekovitch,” and “Haruhinikov Uchujinsky”.

Haruhi Image © 2006Nagaru Tanigawa /Noizi Ito / member of SOS

ANN Story:
Haruhi Lookalike Appears on Belarusian Waffle Packaging (Updated)

Japanese Source:
newAkiba.com

__________

Japan’s Ministry of Tourism is hoping that kawaii will bring in more visitors from China. Earlier this month, the Ministry appointed Hello Kitty as the tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong. She is very popular among children and young women there and ministry officials are hoping this popularity translates to helping with their “Visit Japan” campaign’s goal of attracting 10 million overseas visitors every year. Last year, there were 8.35 million overseas visitors to Japan, a record high.

It doesn’t hurt that Hello Kitty’s Dream Light Fantasy, a multi-million dollar musical, opened earlier this year in Beijing. The musical is currently touring China and will later visit Malaysia, Singapore, and the U.S. as part of a three year run.

Hello Kitty will be the first fictional character to be used as a tourism ambassador. Past ambassadors include J-pop duo Puffy AmiYumi, Korean singer Younha, and Japanese actress Yoshino Kimura. On a side note, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs tapped robot cat Doraemon as Japan’s anime ambassador in March.

Picture of Hello Kitty with Japan’s Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba: AP Photo/Koji Sasahara

Associated Press Story:
Hello Kitty is named Japan tourism ambassador

Whoo-hoo! Volume Five means there’s only one more volume of Glass Fleet to review!

plot summary

After their escape from prison, Cleo and his new friends fight their way to freedom through Vetti’s fleet. Cleo is then at last reunited with Michel, and the two discuss the future of the People’s Army’s future.

But burdened with the knowledge the galaxy is slowly being sucked into the phenomena known as the Black Cross, Cleo is determined to save it, no matter the cost. He must now convince his friends and allies to band together to help him with his new purpose. Cleo must find stronger allies, than these though, and Michel is worried where, and who, Cleo’s dangerous new thoughts will lead them.

review

Glass Fleet has resumed plummeting to its doom thanks to this volume. Volume Five isn’t the worst volume of the bunch (that’d be One) but it’s regained the momentum of suckdom Volume Four managed to shake.

The story has once again become ludicrous and out of focus. The laughability of the “plot” has multiplied, again. And the laws of physics are once again blatantly flouted by a freefall jump into the vacuum of space by Cleo. It takes a really bad piece of work to break the laws of physics, FYI.

We’re supposed to swallow the hastily wired together idea that Cleo is now the galaxy’s savior, not it’s future King. The series shifted gears so fast, I think it stripped something. If this is what the anime was about all along, what the hell was I watching to begin with? Where was the foreshadowing? Why did I have to see the Revolution Army fight four volumes worth of war, only to have the entire idea of nobles and war swatted aside as being inconsequential?

The studio could have easily switched ideas towards the beginning of the series and still introduced Michel as a rebel leader and all that her history entails. They wasted the entire series, thus far, flying around, shooting canon balls in space and looking like a bunch of Fashion Week nightmares. It turns out, none of the previous plot matters, although it was built up as being meaningful and purposeful.

Only about one quarter of what was told prior to this volume has any impact on the new focus. That means I watched 75% pure filler junk. I say filler junk because none of what I saw built character development or provoked any connection. The ideas were put together in such a craphazard way, they didn’t further the story in the least.

Character Development

The last episode had actual story, but the story wasn’t attached to the plot. It was a tale about the pilot, Elmer. The episode was slightly entertaining, but still bad.

Rachel is turning into a psycho wife-leech who needs Vetti in order to define herself. What a difference a marriage to a nut job tyrant can make….

Character Design

It’d be too much to ask for the character designs not to continue to be an affront to the senses. The designs kept right on being tasteless and freakish and even upped the ante in the last episode. I think phallic gate posts win most tasteless design this volume round.

Animation

It really truly feels as if a different group of people animated each volume, even episodes, of Glass Fleet, the animation feels so inconsistent. One shot is detailed and passable, the next is mechanical and grainy. The animation is beyond sub par. Gonzo should have at least had the decency to keep the shots bad throughout.

Conclusion

Joyous is the day I watch Volume Six of Glass Fleet. For only then will my punishment will be over and the gods of anime will truly have forgiven whatever slight caused them to curse me with this series in the first place.

Rating

Glass Fleet, Volume Five gets .5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:March 25, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:19-22
• Run Time: 125 minutes
• Rating: TV-PG
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Charming and dangerous vampires fight for survival in Volume Two of Black Blood Brothers.

plot summary

Far from finding the peace they sought, Jiro and his brother Kotaro are in more danger now than when they first entered the Special Zone. Although the Company compromiser, Mimiko, assured the two vampire brothers they’d be welcome in the Special Zone, they’re anything but.

In order to successfully survive in the Zone, new vampires must approach one of the affiliated vampire houses and ask for membership. This is harder to achieve than Jiro could imagine, and much more dangerous as well.

Some of the obstacles he must overcome are from past ties and acquaintances, but there’s also a fresh threat from the Kowloon Children. Facing either old friends or new enemies, Jiro is still determined to find a safe haven for his bloodline. But will the Special Zone ever be safe with Jiro around?

Review

The world of Black Blood Brothers doesn’t feel recycled. Maybe it’s because the sorry state of the world is due to mutant vampires and not bombs or some other man-made catastrophe. It could be because vampires are the secret allies of humans and both fight a common enemy. It could also be because there aren’tany angst ridden fifteen year old heroes saving the day. Whatever the reason, the setting doesn’t seem stale.

The ideas aren’t new by a long shot; supernatural hero in red with sad past tries to move on by saving the world. But the combination and dosage of the ideas feel pretty fresh.

The story treatment of vampires in Black Blood Brothers is also a contributing factor to the fresh appeal of the anime. Vampires in this world are almost human, but follow their own code and formalities. They can even walk during the day, but will dissolve (not die) in water. They don’t turn human victims into vampires with just a bite, either. To the contrary, humans get quite a rise out of being bitten. It’s the ultimate pleasure.

If I have any negative comments on the series, it’s the hentai-ish manner these vampire-human scenes are handled. They’re visual softcore speed bumps which add nothing to the story. I prefer to “see” these things offstage. Leaving some things to the imagination is a good policy in such instances. Geez.

Character Development

Things got interesting quick in this volume. Tiny flashbacks at the beginning of the episodes started to fill in the blanks to Jiro’s checkered past. Jiro’s relationship to Lord Dragon, Cain and Cassa are becoming fleshed out by bits. Jiro’s history as a trouble-magnet is being hinted at with casual remarks and pointed instances.

After the third episode, it’s evident what a name the Silver Sword really has for himself and why the poor guy can’t catch a break for himself and his bro.

The Kowloon threat is starting to develop as well, with the introduction of a character who until now has been in the offing. It’ll be interesting to see how far Jiro’s past is interwoven with the Kowloon Children.

Conclusion

Volume Two zipped by and was over before I knew it. So much was revealed, hinted and promised the time flew by, but the anime was never rushed or cramped. There’re only four more episodes left to BBB so it’s understandable why the story is zooming so fast. Black Blood Brothers gets big time credit for not cramming useless info (except those out of place bite scenes) into the series and for having excellent pacing. With interesting characters, unique situations and good pacing, Black Blood Brothers has an engaging bite.

Rating

Black Blood Brothers, Volume Two gets 3.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:March 25, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:5-8
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

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