But for manga which really get my attention, I put aside my fear of winding up in an endless loop of rereading. One of those series which not only caught my attention but tamed and domesticated it, is the ever popular Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. One volume was all it took to lure me into reading all twelve volumes as quickly as time and money would allow. And then rereading it. Again. And again.

Plot Summary

Boredom can be deadly, at least that’s how it turns out when a shinigami (death god) 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 Yagami, also happens to be bored. Light, a gifted student, sees the death note as his opportunity to change the world and make it a better place – and to rule it.

But just as Light is hitting his stride in reshaping the world by offing thousands of criminals, his efforts are confounded by the mysterious world renown detective, L.

L, who always solves his case, has taken on the challenge of uncovering the identity of the quasi-benevolent murder dubbed Kira (Killer) by the public. As the two go head to head, a dangerous game unfolds in which one misstep is a sentence of death.

Who will win this cat and mouse, or more appropriately, shinigami and human, game?

Review

The series is a fantastic essay on the meaning of good and evil, right and wrong, and how might may, or may not, make right. It’s scary too. Scary that a teen could do such things, scary that some people actually agree with his methods.

Death Note is one of the most compelling and riveting reads to ever hit manga. The convoluted reasonings, suspenseful moments, and heart pounding action provide enough mental exertion to wear a person out after just two volumes. And yet, the manga is so incredibly hard to put down, it’s easy to dive back into the series after the mind has taken a short breather.

Each chapter compels the reader to to uncover the answers to questions that snowball throughout the manga – Who was that guy? Will Light get caught this time? Has L finally got his man? What’s she got to do with anything? Are you serious?! Really?!! When and how will Light, if ever, get his comeuppance?!!!

The charm and allure of the series is the way it draws a person in – Death Note is a black hole which sucks the reader into its universe and keeps them there. The characters are what drives this phenomena. They’re so interesting and so well developed, people can’t help but feel something towards or with them. It’s impossible to be a bystander in this series. Readers almost immediately “choose sides”: L or Light. For a manga to elicit such definite reactions is nothing short of amazing, and that, in part, can account for its incredible, demographic-spanning popularity.

Character Development

Death Note has fantastic character development, enough so you cheer or boo the characters. Light is portrayed as a smart, handsome, hard-working and honest teen who wants to better the world. The flipside to that are his egomaniacal posturing and highly questionable methods.

L comes across as a brilliant, frumpy, asocial genius who takes on tough, unsolvable cases. His personality is unpredictable and almost undecipherable, and it’s difficult to decide if what he says and does is natural or all part of his master plan. He’s adept at playing on people’s desires and emotions to get what he wants to solve a case, which in its way, is also highly questionable.

L and Light really aren’t so different underneath their veneers, but they’re more like mirror images then exact copies. While their intelligence, true personalties and goals (world peace and justice) are almost a match, it’s hard to imagine two people who are further apart in terms of good and evil. They seem to define the other, and give Death Note that “can’t put it down” appeal.

Character Design

Character designs and style for the series are a good mix of realism and traditional manga. Some scenes have a touch of over-exaggeration, but most are done in an unique style.

The world of Death Note reflects that style and mostly takes place in Japan, with a foray into the world of the Reapers thrown in. The shinigami are the most interesting looking characters in the series, albeit the most undeveloped and boring.

Everyone else that’s a major character is in league with the Beautiful People. Even the bleary-eyed and ruffled L manages to look good in this series. The bad guys and the good guys alike, who share the spotlight, are attractively inked for the reader’s viewing pleasure.

Art

Lines are crisp and details aplenty, making the art on par with the story. The shading is also a win in that it isn’t over done, but is placed effectively to impart the feel of inner darkness and evil thoughts.

Takeshi Obata, the artist responsible for the incredible style of Death Note, did a sublime job conveying all the twisted emotions running through the manga. Light is significantly creepy in his expressions, even though he’s drawn well enough to make fans swoon.

Panel layout is also a plus as the full pages are used only for impact in a dramatic scene. Layout is a language, just like the art, and the usage in Death Note needed no translation.

Amazingly, Obata kept the art strong throughout all twelve volumes of the manga. Some scenes in some chapters may have been a little below the quality line, but overall the art stayed as robust as the story.

Production

The paper quality for the manga is better than most series, and is offset by beautiful covers.

Conclusion

Death Note is a series so good, so dramatic and so fun, it’s the one series I recommend to people who don’t read manga. They too can’t resist reading as Light tries in his crazy, yet well-inked, way to “make the world a better place”. However, I advise all who consider reading Death Note to buy as many volumes at once as possible and to take time off to read them all. Trust me, you won’t want to come up for air.

Rating

Death Note, Full Series gets 5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher:Viz
• Release Date:October 10, 2005 to July 3, 2007
• Retail Price:$7.99
• Episodes: 1-5
• Language: English

Some anime have a point to the melancholy drama, and get to it fairly quickly, but they don’t drag it out over every episode. I don’t want to not want to get out of bed in the morning or park the car in the garage and leave the door down with the engine on after watching an anime. Lord knows it can’t all be sunshine and roses, but there’s a point when enough is too much.

Anime concepts can be anything, from mundane (Kanon) to really mundane (Prince of Tennis) to tedious and boring (Yakitate!!) to depressing beyond words (Grave of the Fireflies). So how much is too much when it comes to a concept for anime being too boring, depressing or mundane?

While we all know the list of good ideas for anime are nigh endless, the flip side is also true- a never ending supply of baaaad ideas are forever lurking, waiting to be made into crappy anime. We’ve compiled a top ten list of ideas for anime which should never, under any circumstances, EVER be made, either because they’re too depressing or too boring:

10. Ero Knitting- Purl, purl, left stitch, oh yeah!

9. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle- 1, 2, 5 and 4 which plastic will cost our planet more?

8. Shopping for Flatware- The real danger was, would the store have enough for a sitting of 10?

7. Hair Cut, The Series- Dueling scissors battle for the ultimate prom night-do!

6. Pet Shelter of Horrors- Take one home today or the guilt will haunt you…forever!!!

5. Awkward Silence: I Made Out With Your Mom- How long can a man gape in surprise before the silence destroys him?

4. Tax Time- Uncle Sam knows where you live!! And you, and you, and you….

3. Paint Drying: The First Coat- As the paint dried, lives were lived.

2. Exit Poll, The Movie- Their final opinions prove nothing!

1. Hospice*

Perhaps you’ve been privy to some bad anime ideas in your lonely hours, or someone mentioned something should be made into anime and you strongly disagree. What thoughts do you have on which ideas should be avoided at all costs for the sake of anime? Do you or someone you know have a handful of bad ideas for anime you’ve been keeping to yourselves? If so this is your chance to share: What’s the worst anime concept ever?

*I highly, highly respect hospice and its caregivers. Their sacrifice makes our last days safe and comfortable, but a hospice anime? Worst. Idea. Ever.

Feel free to unburden your bad anime ideas in the comments below!

If you’re a fan of Japanese culture, you’ll love Ninja Nonsense Volume Two! This volume highlights summer in Japan. Get out your swimsuits and yukata, but look out for pervy yellow balls with wings!

plot summary

Onsokamura continues to harass Shinobu and Kaede with his pervy practices. Everywhere the two go, Onsokumaru is there with hundreds of ninja to interfere with the girls’ fun. But the lil’ jerk attempts to be a decent anthropomorphic ball by throwing a traditional summer matsuri (festival), complete with bon odori (bon dancing)!

This summer is turning out to be full of heartache and pain as the ninja, Shinobu, Miyabi and Kaede try and have as much fun as can be stuffed in one hot season.

review

Ninja Nonsense has many inside jokes and dirty laughs. I have to hang my Offend-O-Meter on the door when I watch it, but it’s still funny if you’re looking for easy grins.

The slap stick humor and fast pace laughs don’t give you much time to breathe, and it’s a good idea not to wait to visit the bathroom before watching this, since it’s inadvisable to laugh this hard on a full bladder.

The jokes weren’t all indecent (the bulk were) and it was good to see the girls give as good as they got. There were some really bad instances in Volume Two, in terms of just plain wrong. Two Words: poisonous mushroom. I enjoyed the backdrops and environments as much as the naughty asides.

This volume had some interesting cultural insight. The matsuri was a nice touch, as was the typhoon (what’s the difference between a typhoon and a hurricane?) There was even an episode dealing with the Japanese mythology of Hell. And through it all were the ninja Sasuke and that floating pervert, Onsokumaru, trying to score a gander of the girls with their clothes off.

Conclusion

I’m enjoying Ninja Nonsense because I can. Meaning, I’m an adult and can laugh at pervy things and still feel good about myself in the morning. Forget your hangups and chuckle along with Onsokamaru. C’mon, who can resist pervy ninja?

Rating

Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu, Volume Two gets 3.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher:Right Stuf
• Release Date:November 28, 2006
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:4-6
• Run Time:80 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

From now on, David is going to have his say in complete series reviews. Since we rarely agree on what makes anime good, bad or ugly, this will be a great opportunity for us to air our contrasting opinions. Aquarion, Boxset One, is The Anime Blog’s first ever Podcast Review and we hope all our readers will listen in what both David and I have to say about the first half of this series!

Podcast Plot Summary

12,000 years ago, Shadow Angels threatened humanity but were successfully opposed by one of their own, Apollonius aka, Solar Wing, and his human lover, Celiane. Now, in humanity’s future, the Shadow Angel menace has returned and is threatening the human race with total extinction. However, it is rumored that Apollonious and Celiane have also returned, reincarnated in mortal form.

A group called Deava has unearthed three combining mechs/ fighter jets called vectors. These vectors are piloted by gifted youngster known as Element Users. Only Element Users can pilot the vectors which can combine to form the powerful mech Aquarion, the only thing powerful enough to stop the Shadow Angels!

Listen to our review of Aquarion, Boxset One of Two in Amazing Sound-O-Vision™!

[podcast]http://www.theanimeblog.com/podcasts/AnimeReviews-Aquarion-Vol1.mp3[/podcast]

Aquarion Volume 1 Review Podcast

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: March 11, 2008
• Retail Price: $59.98
• Number of discs: 1
• Episodes: 1-13
• Run Time: 325 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

No matter what anybody says, we’re all addicted to something in life. Be it something as innocuous as Care Bears and lollipops to more sinister addictions, such as drugs and alcohol, everyone has something they can’t live without having or doing. In CLAMP’s manga turned anime, xxxHolic, people’s bad habits come to frightening light. What’s your xxx-holic?

plot summary

Watanuki Kimihiro has been plagued by spirits his entire life. One day, Kimihiro is assaulted by an unruly batch of spirits, when suddenly, Poof! They disappear in an instant.

The reason for their disappearance is the presence of dimensional witch, Yuko, whose shop Kimihiro was passing by. Kimihiro unwillingly enters Yuko’s shop and suddenly finds himself indebted to her in return for eventual banishment of the spirits.

Poor Kimihiro must now work for Yuko until his labor equals the price of the spirit banishment. He soon realizes Yuko is much more than your average fortuneteller!

review

I had high hopes for xxxHolic after watching the xxxHolic movie, Midsummer’s Night Dream. While the anime didn’t disappoint, it wasn’t as grand as I thought it would be. I think I actually did the series a disservice by watching the movie before the anime since the movie had all sorts of bells and whistles. The series is watered down in comparison, but is nonetheless highly entertaining.

The pacing so far, is a bit on the slow side, the reason being the focus is on Kimihiro and his development, and not necessarily the dealings of Yuko’s shop. While there were “cases” for Yuko to cure, they revolved around the sympathetic Kimihiro and served to further enhance his character. The cases moved the story forward instead of stalling at them, which is a failing many anime have that incorporate individual stories.

Character Development

I got the distinct feeling Kimihiro is no pushover slouch, despite easily falling for Yuko’s dubious offer. Like Yuko says, Kimihiro’s (Yuko calls him Watanuki-with no honorific) fate is inevitable, so why fight it? When it comes to other matters, though, Kimihiro doesn’t hesitate to get involved and challenge the outcome. He’s a truly likable character with a tragic past he’s struggling to come to terms with. It makes him sympathetic, despite his crazy mood swings.

Yuko is a bit of a very stylish mystery. She appears outwardly lazily and hedonistic, what with her smoking, downing bottles of sake at noon and ordering Kimihiro to make plate after plate of food. For someone who claims to help people rid themselves of vices, she appears to have quite a few herself. Her seemingly hypocritical ways give her a human quality. But nothing is given as to how she became as powerful as she is.

Other characters, such as Shizuka Domeki and Kimihiro’s crush, Himawari Kunogi make appearances and are entertaining additions. Domeki, is vastly more interesting than Kunogi, however.

Character Design

xxxHolic’s character design can be summed up in one word: funky. Funky can be good and bad, and in this case it’s both. Ultimately, funky when taken as whole is a good thing.

The funkiest bit of design in the anime is the way the characters are drawn, which is gangly and overly long. The arms are too long, the necks are too long, the fingers are freakishly long, but when combined with the way the characters move, all the long-ness isn’t as weird as it first seems.

There’s a lot of exaggeration in the character designs, aside from the lankiness. Eyes are hooded and too long or too wide. The hair has no details, shading or highlights. It’s a huge departure from typical anime design.

Yuko is a fashion plate, changing costumes and hairstyles throughout episodes. Her stylish appearance really adds some oomph to the already stylized series. Her get-ups are highly detailed affairs, complete with jewelry and lace.

The spirits are represented as anthropomorphic piles of smoke and various eyeballs. Is their design a commentary on the way people superimpose their beliefs and fears onto ghosts, making them more fearsome than they are?

The anime also doesn’t take itself too seriously as many shots have trademark symbols of anime: sweat drops, stress lines, pulsing asterisk-veins, etc.

xxxHolics designs are truly unique in a medium awash with sameness and blah.

Animation

Production IG, the studio responsible for the xxxHolic movie, animated the series as well. The series, however, was animated in a poor to average manner, whereas the movie was superb. There weren’t many detailed shots, the animation was out of focus in some shots and overall the animation was slightly hazy and grainy.

Music

“19-sai“, the opening theme by Sugo Shikao is a perfect fit for the anime and is good song in itself. The song has a bit of an underground feel along with mainstream appeal. I’m reminded of My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult by the first strains of the song. Anyone familiar with the band would agree their supernatural themes and riffs are a good match to an anime about the same.

The ending is a slightly sassy number called, “Reason“, by Fonogenico. It’s soft, with a bit of a beat.

Voice Acting

Both the English and Japanese voice casts are well done, with the Japanese being somewhat better. Yuko’s English voice actress, Colleen Clinkenbeard, nailed Yuko’s lazy airs. Some people may find Kimihiro’s character annoying in English. If that happens, switch to Japanese.

Conclusion

Though the animation isn’t as good as it should be, the story itself is still solid and interesting. The lighthearted moments, supernatural tones, intriguing character designs and human drama in the series are an entertaining combination.

Rating

xxxHolic, Volume One gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:March 25, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:1-4
• Run Time:100 minutes
• Rating: TV-PG
• 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

Features

• Two of a Kind – Rock and roll forms the beginning of a beautiful friendship in Viz Pictures Live-Action ‘Nana’
• Dressed for Success – Presenting the stars of Anime Insider’s Cosplay Contest at The New York Anime Festival
• Code of Honor – Clamp’s scheming boy wonder Lelouch wages war against an oppressive empire in ‘Code Geass’
• Shock Value – Ranking the five biggest surprises yet in ‘Bleach’
• Made In Japan – The secret Japanese roots of eight classic American cartoons
• Code Geass Manga Preview – An Anime Insider preview of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Here are a few articles to check out too!

Mentions

• 5 Reasons You’ll Love: Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time
• Last Man Standing: Tachikoma versus Mr. Pink
• J.R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A. – Spring anime conventions full of live J-rock performances

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