“EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE” is the film sequel to the sci-fi animated series blockbuster Neon Genesis Evangelion (also written and directed by Hideaki Anno) which aired on Japanese television in the mid 1990’s.

Director in Chief Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and the creative staff of this film made a complete rebuild of the design and visuals rather than magnifying the original 16 mm film from the series. The team was also able to employ 3D computer graphics to enrich the depth and breadth of the Evangelion world as well as digital photography and composite nonlinear editing.

ABOUT EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE There was no foreseeable warning before it happened – a catastrophe of unparalleled scale and magnitude overwhelmed the entire globe. This event, recorded in history as “The Second Impact,” caused half the population of the Earth to perish and devastated the world. All that remains of Japan is Tokyo-3, a city that is now being attacked by giant creatures that seek to destroy mankind. These creatures are called Angels.

Fourteen year old Shinji Ikari is called to Tokyo-3 by his father who he hasn’t seen in more than eight years. He is asked to come to the NERV headquarters to meet his father. His father reveals to him a gigantic humanoid weapons system that the special governmental agency has secretly developed to fight the Angels and then orders Shinji to pilot the giant artificial human Evangelion Unit One.

With the fate of the world resting on his shoulders, how will the 14 year old boy Shinji fight? What is the truth behind “The Human Instrumentality Project,” an operation somehow related to the “Second Impact”? And who is the true enemy? The Angels, NERV, the mysterious SEELE, or the demons held within the hearts of all involved?

Gend? Ikari, a man who holds many answers to these questions, watches silently and attentively as his son fights a desperate battle…Funimation Entertainment will premiere EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE Friday, July 3, in room LP1 at Anime Expo.

The only way to discover the truth about what’s bumping in the night is to hire a paranormal investigation team…

Ghost Hunt Part One

Plot Summary

Mai Taniyama loves a good ghost story, at least she does until she discovers a building on her school’s property is teeming with spirits! The first year high schooler comes face to face with the paranormal when she begins to work part-time for Kazuya Sihuya and his psychic research company, who’s investigating the haunted building.

The Shibuya Psychic Research Company is well known for getting to the bottom of hauntings, curses and other paranormal phenomena. Equipped with high tech gear, Kazuya, aka, “Naru“, and his trusted assistant Lin, can quickly determine if a haunting is real or hoax, man-made or supernatural.

With some help from a shrine maiden, a medium, a monk and a Catholic priest, Mai and her Shibuya associates delve into the supernatural to banish evil spirits and purify wandering souls. Mai, however, is learning that she has more than just a talent for answering phones, and she’s becoming an integral part of Kazuya’s research team. Ghost stories are tame compared to what Mai is discovering, and her new latent powers are leading her down paths she never knew existed.

Review

Classic tales of the Japanese supernatural come to life in this modern day ghost busting anime. The series tells its tales with realistic style, paying close attention to the things that send shivers down the spine. What’s creepier than the cries of hundreds of trapped children, wailing from a well? Or headless dolls moving about of their own volition? Ghost Hunt takes super creepy anime to the next level by adding a touch of realism to its supernatural brew.

You're Working For Me!

There are no giant monsters wreaking havoc, no loud visuals, just subtleness of mood and timing, like a cold breeze in a locked room, like an icy hand around a throat. Lighting and props take the place of outlandish ghouls (though they do make an appearance), giving an eerie air to the series. Watching Ghost Hunt is akin to prowling a deserted haunted mansion at midnight on Halloween. By yourself.

And standing stoutly through all the hauntings and possessions is Naru, equipped with either a worldly explanation or a knowledgeable paranormal answer. He’s collected through everything, never losing his calm or perspective. The anime reminds me a little of the American nineties television series, that paragon of the paranormal, the X-files- except with Japanese ghosts instead of aliens and with savvy teens instead of cynical FBI agents. It’s good fun, fit to give viewers goosebumps in the dark.

Ghost Hunt doesn’t have a repetitive format. The episodes don’t restart with a new case each and every time. The cases can take as long as four episodes or may be solved in just one. Cases which have a lighthearted theme only last about one or two episodes, but whether they’re spooky or humorous, all the episodes fly by and don’t drag.

Pacing is great in the series so far- each minute is maximized to inform, entertain or frighten. There were no wasted episodes in this half of the series. It was a sad moment when the last episode played and the title screen came up instead of another episode.

Character Development

Ghost Hunt is filled with a cast of mysterious characters, who are nonetheless given well defined personalities.

Mai Gets Scared

Naru is a good character. He has some unplumbed depths which promise to rise to the surface later in the series. His cool demeanor and straight-forward manner put him at odds with Mai’s intuitive nature and brash personality. Yet for all their dichotomy, they’re a good team and fun to watch.

The secondary characters are entertaining as well. The apostate monk, Houshou Takigawa, is the most effective exorcist on the the team, and knows his stuff when it comes to spiritual manifestations. When he gets to work, he generally gets the job done. His character is interesting since he left the priesthood to become a bassist for a rock and roll band and yet still retains the ability to perform exorcisms, and perform them well.

Character Design

Ghost Hunt takes place in modern Japan, and the clothing adheres to the general style in fashion. However, the anime has a very stereotypical feel to the designs. The girls have huge eyes and wear sailor uniforms to school, and the men have a generic bishonen feel.

The ghosts and apparitions add some interest, and they reflect traditional Japanese mythos, including long haired, entangled kimono-clad women. Aside from that the series has “meh” character designs. The storytelling is what sets this series apart, however, not the character designs.

Animation

Animation for Ghost Hunt was done by J.C. Staff, and was good. It was above average, and smoothly animated, but didn’t have any highly detailed shots. The lighting was well done, however, and further visual drama was created by splitting shots into panels in highly tense scenes. Attention to lightening and scene set-up added dynamic to the anime, and created mood.

Music

Ghost Hunt!

Ghost Hunt has fantastic mood music. The OP, the main theme, is a fun, orchestral number which sounds like something Tim Burton’s friend and score master, Danny Elfman, might’ve penned. Toshio Masuda scored Ghost Hunt, however, and did it justice with dark orchestral themes, and a quirky, but slightly ominous OP.

Voice Acting

The Japanese voice cast was my choice for Ghost Hunt since the English voice cast was average to poor. John Brown, the Catholic priest, had an English voice actor who gave the character a laughably fake Australian accent. It just wasn’t right. The rest of the English cast were fair, but not consistently.

Production

Funimation packaged the first half half in two slim line DVD cases set in a sleeve the size of a normal DVD case. It saves on space and looks good too.

Conclusion

The first half of Ghost Hunt flew by and was done before I could say boo. It’s a creepy series, with great visual storytelling and a good cast of diverse characters. The anime is fun, but frightful, in a “it could happen” sense, and presents its cases in a manner much like a quality horror story- you’re not so scared by what you see as by what you don’t see. What viewers do see, however, is a good anime sure to give them pause in the night.

Rating

Ghost Hunt, Part 01 gets 4.5 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: October 7, 2008
• Retail Price: $49.98
• Number of discs:2
• Episodes: 1-13
• Run Time: 310 minutes
• Rating: TV-14
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Funimation Anime Series on Youtube!

You won't embed my anime videos!

I noticed one odd detail, and this is the first time I’ve seen this on YouTube – the embed feature has been disabled, which means you can’t embed the shows on your website (see the proof in the screenshot. Weird! Anyway, here are the shows (with links to each playlist):

• Blue Gender Episodes 1-8
• Kiddy Grade Episodes 1-8
• Peach Girl Episodes 1-8
• Slayers Episodes 1-8

Oh, and here’s the original announcement that caught my eye. So be sure to check them out, then come right back here and let us know what you think!

Ai begins to show some emotion, but the series still hasn’t shown its focus.

plot summary

Ai’s been busy lately with Hell Link, and Hell doesn’t seem big enough for all the cases she’s been taking on. Hajime Shibata, the reporter who’s tireless investigations have finally led him to Hell Girl, still hasn’t given up on his attempts to shut Hell Girl and her troupe down.

Tsugumi, Hajime’s daughter, on the other hand, views Hell Girl in a different light than her father. The two argue over the morality of sending someone to Hell, no matter if the person deserves the condemnation.

Tsugumi’s faith in Hajime as a parent is wavering, especially when he fails to make an appearance at a very important anniversary. Can the two’s relationship as father and daughter continue when they both have such strong opposing viewpoints on Hell Girl?

review

This series is going nowhere fast, and by fast, I mean it’s already there, parked the car, and is buying a soda. Besides having given up on storytelling, the series is still lacking focus. Who am I supposed to invest my interest in? Ai and her group of Hell Bringers or Hajime and Tsugumi? The latter two are interesting, but only barely. And the former are barely given any explanation or depth, so I’ve given up on them.

The humanity and moral dilemma the series is trying to show through Hajime and Tsugumi is transparent at best. I shouldn’t be able to see through what the series is trying to accomplish, which it’s doing badly anyway. Every time the issue comes up of whether or not a person warrants going to Hell, the arguments made on either side would make a middle school debate team cringe. The episodes which seem to be trying to show the ambiguity of right and wrong come off as funny instead of well plotted.

Some episodes continue to be nothing but time-eaters, doing nothing and going nowhere. For instance, the completely contradictory and absurd episode titled Hell Boy vs. Hell Girl. I don’t think I was supposed to laugh till I hurt during the episode, but I did nonetheless.

The focus is continually shifting between people, without ever really showing what the lenses of the series is trained on. One minute Ai has become the center of attention, the next Tsugumi, the next Hajime, the next a spider, the next, you get the idea. But not once during this hectic jumping around is there any substance. You’d think with the way the focus bounces around so quickly, the series would be better paced, not so. Everything is happening so slowly, one would suspect the series of doing so on purpose in order to squeeze two seasons outta something which should only be one….

Character Development

The last episode is one which does have focus, and the focus is on Hajime, his wife, and Tsugumi. It’s slightly poignant, and one hundred percent human. The episode seems a bit out of place and it’s confusing as to what purpose it fulfills in the larger scheme of the anime. If the entires series were better planned, the whole anime would mesh like this episode did as an episode in itself.

Conclusion

The concept for Hell Girl is a good one, the idea is original, but the execution is abysmal. The series, as far as I can tell, has decided to give nothing to viewers in the first season, nor has it given viewers any reason to watch Season Two. I have no faith whatsoever the last DVD of Hell Girl will be anything more but more of the same; nothing.

Rating

Hell Girl, Volume Five gets 2 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:April 8, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:19-22
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• 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

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

plot summary

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

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

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

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

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

review

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

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

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

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

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

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

Character Development

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

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

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

Character Design

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

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

Animation

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

Music

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

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

Voice Acting

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

Production

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

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

Conclusion

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

Rating

Spiral gets 1.5 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

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

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

Geneon’s US demise this past October left a bad taste in my mouth. I figured a monopoly was the worse that could happen, but also that other unsavory outcomes were possible. Some fans had the opinion Geneon’s tanking was no biggie, while others who’ve seen this sort of thing before took a “wait and see” approach to the episode.

As ADV started laying off employees, the bad taste in my mouth went from slightly sour to icky. When I read ADV was closing their wallet to anime clubs and shutting down Newtype, I think I became ill. And then when unofficial news surfaced about ADV’s discontinuation of titles, I had to rethink what I originally thought of the US anime landscape.

What would happen if little by little, anime in America, as we know it now, began to disappear? What if, instead of recent anime being released on DVD, any “new” anime was solely available on cable? And what if those titles were nothing but shows like Bleach and Naruto?

Sure, fansubs would gain new fans and a bigger audience, but wouldn’t anime crawl back under the rock it came from in terms of its popularity and mainstream appeal (I use “popular” in a relative context and a loose one at that)? What would happen to manga? Would manga keep the anime culture in America afloat? Or is this a minor setback, one we’ll bounce right back from?

These questions and more are the ones I ask myself and other anime fans whenever there’s some disturbances with the distribution companies. Some questions I toss out to get the dialog going but some I honestly want to know. The biggest, ultimate question, however, would be: What if anime in America were no more…Period.

No fansubs, no new Adult Swim, no video on demand, no YouTube, nothing. Zip. No more anime. Just the series and movies already in your and your buddies collections. All the cool new super awesome shows you hear are being released in Japan would be nothing more than wishful thinking in America.

Reruns would rule supreme (imagine Cowboy Bebop back on Cartoon Network in an endless loop- forever!) Fans would start to further pick apart old series, looking for some fresh nuance to keep discussions alive. Anime conventions would slowly devolve into burnt out shrines of anime past, with no new cosplays, no announcements, just a bunch of fans reliving the Golden Years. It’d be like a Star Wars convention…

And what would you do? Would you give up the medium? Or buy an $80 bootleg DVD of crappy anime from China and Europe? Would you still cosplay? What would your room look like with no new plushies to brighten it? How would you get your fix? What would you do if anime were no more in America?

Yeah, yeah, I know it sounds like I’m being all doom and gloom (it’s only a hypothetical discussion), but please comment below on what you’re anime disaster plan would be!

ADVFilms.com

February 5, 2008

• Devil may Cry Vol. #1 – 100 min
• Magikano Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min

February 12, 2008

• Kanon Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min
• Kurau: Phantom Memory Vol. #6 – 100 min
• Project Blue Earth SOS Vol. #1 – 90 min

February 19, 2008

• Moonlight Mile Vol. #1 – 100 min
• Tokyo Majin Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min
• Welcome to the NHK Vol. #3 – 100 min

February 26, 2008

• Gurren Lagann Vol. #1 – 100 min
• Michel Complete Collection – 650 min
• Pumpkin Scissors Vol. #3 – 100 min
• Wallflower Vol. #2 (also w/box) – 100 min

AN Entertainment

• No releases this month

Bandai Entertainment

Bandai-Ent.com

February 5, 2008

• .hack//Roots Vol. #6 (also w/Special Edition/CD) – 100 min
• Clockwork Fighters Vol. #3 – 200 min
• Cowboy Bebop Remix Complete Collection – 650 min

February 19, 2008

• Zegapain Vol. #3 (of 6) – 100 min

Bandai Visual

BandaiVisual.co.jp

February 22, 2008

• Mobile Suit Gundam F91 – Blu-Ray (Japan only)
• Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack – Blu-Ray (Japan only)

Bandai Visual USA, Inc.

BandaiVisual.us

Bandai Visual USA was a casualty of Geneon’s and ADV’s decision not to go through with their sales and distribution agreement. Geneon had been distributing Bandai’s titles. Unfortunately, this means that currently their titles are not available through normal retail channels (brick and mortar stores and online stores). As a stopgap, Bandai is selling their releases through their own online service (dot-anime.us website) until they can arrange an alternate distribution scheme.

February 12, 2008

• Super Robot Wars: OG – Divine Wars Vol. #3 – 72 min

February 26, 2008

• Freedom Vol. #4 – HD-DVD – 30 min

BuenaVista Home Entertainment Japan

Movies.co.jp
No releases this month

Discotek

www.discotekmedia.com
No releases this month

FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd.

FUNimation.com

February 5, 2008

• Fullmetal Alchemist Box Set 3 – 400 min
• Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. #09 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. #10 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Negima Box Set – 650 min
• Negima Vol. #1 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Negima Vol. #2 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• School Rumble Vol. #5 – 100 min

February 12, 2008

• Black Blood Brothers Vol. #1 (also w/box)
• Dragon Ball Movies Box Set (Movies 2-4) – 185 min
• Glass Fleet Vol. #4 – 100 min
• Speed Grapher Vol. #1 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min
• Speed Grapher Vol. #2 (Viridian Collection) – 100 min

February 19, 2008

• Dragon Ball Z Season 4 – 730 min
• One Piece Movie 08: Episode of Alabaster

February 26, 2008

• Galaxy Railways Complete Box Set (Viridian Collection) – 650 min
• Hell Girl Vol. #4 – 100 min
• Mushishi Vol. #6 – 100 min
• Shuffle Vol. #1

GDH K.K.

GDH K.K.

February 20, 2008

• Afro Samurai – HD-DVD (Japan only) – 112 min
• Afro Samurai – Blu-Ray (Japan only) – 112 min

Geneon Entertainment (USA), Inc.

GeneonAnimation.com

Until further notice there will be no more releases from Geneon USA. However, there is one release from the parent company:

Geneon Entertainment (Japan)

February 22, 2008

• Perfect Blue (also w/Limited Edition) – Blu-Ray (Japan only)

Illumitoon.com

Illumitoon.com

Until further notice there will be no more releases from Illumitoon.

ImaginAsian (distributed by Right Stuf!)

No releases this month

Kadokawa Pictures, Inc.

No releases this month

Manga Entertainment

Manga.com

No releases this month

Media Blasters

Media-Blasters.com

February 5, 2008

• Phoenix Vol. #3 – 100 min

February 19, 2008

• Girls High Collection – 300 min

February 26, 2008

• Simoun Vol. #2 – 125 min

Right Stuf International, Inc.

RightStuf.com

February 26, 2008

• Boys Be.. Box Set (Thinpak) – 325 min

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

SonyPictures.com

• No releases this month

Viz Media

Viz.com

February 12, 2008

• Naruto Box Set 06 (also w/special edition) – 325 min
• Pokemon Season 1 Box Set 3