SYNOPSIS
Japans spaceflight program has been set back for over a decade due to the tragic failed attempt of there first manned space flight: The Lion. Aumi Kamogawa lost her mother during the Lion tragedy and has since then has been visited be a strange ghost named Mr.lion who fosters a love in space in little Aumi. Aumi soon begins to dream of space flight and the greet reaches of the cosmos, and with a little help from her friends the petite Aumi sets off on a journey to rech the final frontier.
STORY
I have said is before and I will say it again, the most romantic seting is outerspace. There is just somthing about it that moves me. And if there is one manga that has moved me, its Twin Spica. From Vol.1 to Vol.8 and probably the last volumes (because I havn't read them yet) have moved me to the core. This may be one of the greatest if not the greatest mnaga I have ever read, and I have read a lot of classics mind you from Tezuka's The Phoenix to Otomo's Akira and I can tell you right here and know Kou Yaginuma (the mangaika and artist) is showing she can capture raw human emotion just as well as the legends on manga. I am not ashamed to say that I have litteral been moved to tears reading this amazing serise and have suggested it to anyone who loves a great manga. Twin Spica with its beautiful art and moving story proves there is such thing as a modern Tezuka.
OVERALL
While I cross my fingers for the anime to hit the west I'll continue to read and love Twin Spica!
5 out of 5
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Samurai 7
SYNOPSIS
Every year during harvest season, kana village is raided by wicked Nobuseri (bandits) for there rice and women. But the starving villagers have had enough and in desperation higher seven hungry ronin (Masterless Samurai)
to save them from the wicked bandits. But there may be more to this war for rice than meets the eye.
STORY
Samurai 7 plot may sound oddly familiar. You may be connecting its similarities to Disney's Bugs Life, maybe even the classic western the Magnificent Seven (and its many sequels and spinoffs), or you may have hit it at its source with Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. This is indeed the anime spin off to the academy award winning film of the same (but reversed) name. But Samurai 7 takes Kurosawa's epic master piece and puts in a steampunk sci-fi setting, adds a villain (the government), and makes some brave story alterations. One would think that such changes to a timeless classic would be a hard thing to pull off, but it really works! Samurai 7 still has the depth and character of its orgin point, but still manages to bring something new and exciting to the story without damaging or insulting the original film. Samurai 7 feels unique while still feeling classic. A must see for film buffs and anime alike. One of the greatest anime I've ever seen, period.
Production
One episode of S7 costs around half a million dollars in production value, there were 26 episode in all. Now do the math. Gonzo really gave there all in samurai 7, creating not only a great story, but a great scenery as well. Toshifumi Takizawa ( director of Dirty Pair, Aura Battle Dunbine, and the Crusher Joe OVA's) Directed Samurai 7, which seemed like an odd choice looking at his project history (which mostly comprised of old school mecha and super hero anime) but Takizawa shows he can direct more than just one genre by bringing S7 to life. The amazing character designs were designed by the duo of Hideki Hashimoto ( Who did design work for Chrome Shelled Regios, Rental Magica, And Demonbane.) and Takuhito Kusanagi (who designed for Blue Submarine No.6, Both seasons of Tower Of Druaga, and Ghost Slayer Ayashi.) There dual work really shows with such amazing designs from the Samurai to even the random extra (which more often than not is major eye candy for the any viewer!). Mechanical design was pulled off by Veteran mecha designer Mokoto Kobayashi (Final Fantasy :Unlimited, Gundam ZZ, Space Battleship Yamato:Resurrection, Steamboy, and Venus Wars) who brings life to the amazing battleships and mecha of Samurai 7's universe. And with an amazing opining song by Nanase Aikawa and Ending theme by Rin, Samurai 7 show beauty both in story and design.
DUB
This Dub couldn't be any better with leads R. Bruce Elliot (Kambei), Sean Michael Teague (Katsushiro), Sonny Strait (Kyuzo), Bob Carter ( Gorobei), Christopher R. Sabat (Kikuchiyo), Duncan Brannan (Shichiroji), And Greg Ayres (Heihachi). Even the side cast is wonderful Colleen Clinkenbeard as the Lovely Kirara, J.Michael Tatum as Rikichi, and the always cute Luci Christian as Komachi. And it would be a crime not to mention Anthony Bowlings performance as the wicked Ukyo! A Terrific Dub for a Terrific series.
CONTENT
Violence, Language, and two scenes (I Think it may have been just one thou.. ) of a women bathing ( the steam censors anything immodest ).
EXTRAS
Textless Op and Ed songs, Character profiles, a commentary for episode 14, and several random episodes of Mr.Stain on Junk Alley (not that great of a bonus as it sounds).
OVERALL
A modern classic, and a must buy for any anime fan. A worth adaptation of Kurosawa's legendary samurai epic.
5 out of 5
Every year during harvest season, kana village is raided by wicked Nobuseri (bandits) for there rice and women. But the starving villagers have had enough and in desperation higher seven hungry ronin (Masterless Samurai)
to save them from the wicked bandits. But there may be more to this war for rice than meets the eye.
STORY
Samurai 7 plot may sound oddly familiar. You may be connecting its similarities to Disney's Bugs Life, maybe even the classic western the Magnificent Seven (and its many sequels and spinoffs), or you may have hit it at its source with Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. This is indeed the anime spin off to the academy award winning film of the same (but reversed) name. But Samurai 7 takes Kurosawa's epic master piece and puts in a steampunk sci-fi setting, adds a villain (the government), and makes some brave story alterations. One would think that such changes to a timeless classic would be a hard thing to pull off, but it really works! Samurai 7 still has the depth and character of its orgin point, but still manages to bring something new and exciting to the story without damaging or insulting the original film. Samurai 7 feels unique while still feeling classic. A must see for film buffs and anime alike. One of the greatest anime I've ever seen, period.
Production
One episode of S7 costs around half a million dollars in production value, there were 26 episode in all. Now do the math. Gonzo really gave there all in samurai 7, creating not only a great story, but a great scenery as well. Toshifumi Takizawa ( director of Dirty Pair, Aura Battle Dunbine, and the Crusher Joe OVA's) Directed Samurai 7, which seemed like an odd choice looking at his project history (which mostly comprised of old school mecha and super hero anime) but Takizawa shows he can direct more than just one genre by bringing S7 to life. The amazing character designs were designed by the duo of Hideki Hashimoto ( Who did design work for Chrome Shelled Regios, Rental Magica, And Demonbane.) and Takuhito Kusanagi (who designed for Blue Submarine No.6, Both seasons of Tower Of Druaga, and Ghost Slayer Ayashi.) There dual work really shows with such amazing designs from the Samurai to even the random extra (which more often than not is major eye candy for the any viewer!). Mechanical design was pulled off by Veteran mecha designer Mokoto Kobayashi (Final Fantasy :Unlimited, Gundam ZZ, Space Battleship Yamato:Resurrection, Steamboy, and Venus Wars) who brings life to the amazing battleships and mecha of Samurai 7's universe. And with an amazing opining song by Nanase Aikawa and Ending theme by Rin, Samurai 7 show beauty both in story and design.
DUB
This Dub couldn't be any better with leads R. Bruce Elliot (Kambei), Sean Michael Teague (Katsushiro), Sonny Strait (Kyuzo), Bob Carter ( Gorobei), Christopher R. Sabat (Kikuchiyo), Duncan Brannan (Shichiroji), And Greg Ayres (Heihachi). Even the side cast is wonderful Colleen Clinkenbeard as the Lovely Kirara, J.Michael Tatum as Rikichi, and the always cute Luci Christian as Komachi. And it would be a crime not to mention Anthony Bowlings performance as the wicked Ukyo! A Terrific Dub for a Terrific series.
CONTENT
Violence, Language, and two scenes (I Think it may have been just one thou.. ) of a women bathing ( the steam censors anything immodest ).
EXTRAS
Textless Op and Ed songs, Character profiles, a commentary for episode 14, and several random episodes of Mr.Stain on Junk Alley (not that great of a bonus as it sounds).
OVERALL
A modern classic, and a must buy for any anime fan. A worth adaptation of Kurosawa's legendary samurai epic.
5 out of 5
Monday, August 15, 2011
Sakura Wars (first OVA)
SYNOPSIS
Its 1918 in Tokyo, Japan and all hell has broken lose LITERALLY!!! Demons are on the prowl looking for innocence to pounce upon! But have no fear, for with the help of 6 young actress and an ex-soldier now ticket taker, we may just be able to pull through. That is of course if they can work with each other with out fail in there mighty steam powered mecha!
STORY
Sakura Wars is based off a extremely popular game series from japan that has 5 titles to its name, multiple spin-offs, and a horde of merchandise and followers. It is to this date one of the most successful games in Japan and made its creators and actors literally super stars. And then it came here.......sort of. You see the OVA is a prologue to the first game, so once episode 4 is over you play the game to find out how it ends (or one of 6 ways to how it ends since it is a date sim). But we don't have Sakura Taisen (that's the Japanese title FYI) all we have are pretty much every anime under the franchise (except Le Nouveau Paris, a epilogue to Sakura Taisen 3 and NewYork NY, an epilogue to the Sakura Taisen 5 which we have in the states......SO WHY DON'T WE HAVE THE OVA!?!). Now of course this dosn't ruin the ova, the storys fun and enjoyable, the animation is really nice (madhouse, nuff said) and though the anime characters are all your typical archtypes, they still manage to be crisp and fun to watch. But then episode 4 comes, and if you don't know Sakura wars, elements of this ova are going to completely fly over your head. Its like watching End Of Evangelion before watching Neon Genesis Evangelion, it just won't make since. ultimatly it falls under a cursed catogory of viewing, Fanboys only. As much as it pains me to put such a label on an OVA that I personaly find Highly enjoyabale (because I am a fanboy) but it is sadly the truth. Now is it the shows fault for being confusing, NO!!! It's confusing cuz no one had the brain's to say "hey maybe we should bring the game over to the states too, so the people can actually watch this anime and know what the hell is going on!!" So its the man's fault, pure and simple. So thank you man for screwing up the Sakura Wars Franchise for us all!
PRODUCTION
Animated by the amazing Madhouse and directed by Takaaki Ishiyama, This peice truly shows its beauty in both animation and direction. And with music conducted by the amazing Kouhei Tanaka (Known for his scores on Angelic layer, all 5 Dirty Pair OVAs, Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 8th MS Team, All of the music for the One Piece franchise plus Sakura Taisen Franchie, and Bastard!!) The music is truly one of the greatest highlights of Sakura Wars. That brings me to Chisa Yokoyoma's preformance for the OP song, which shows off Chisa's awsome voice and gives Sakura Taisen a nice epic feel with the battle anthem like Opening. Production get an A+ in my book!
DUB
Oh......yeah....the dub. Well its got some okay preformances, then some not-as-good-as-INSERT-NAME-HERE-preformances, and that leads up to the group of WHY DID THEY GIVE THEM THAT VOICE!?!?! Preformances. the dub is not as bad as Sakura Taisen TV, but its not great. The only thing the dub really did right was give the certain characters the appropriate accents to where the character is from (the french girl sounded french, Russian chick sounded Russian, you get were I'm going with this) My suggestion, if you have the dvds watch it with subtitles.
CONTENT
Violence and I guess if you hate shows with demons....um.....yeah there are demons in this show.
EXTRAS
none...........except trailers.
OVERALL
What would have been a great show turned into a confusing one, thanks to our friend marketing.
THANKS FOR FRACKING EVERYTHING MARKETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 3/4 out of 5 if you dont know the franchise
4 out of 5 if you do ;)
Its 1918 in Tokyo, Japan and all hell has broken lose LITERALLY!!! Demons are on the prowl looking for innocence to pounce upon! But have no fear, for with the help of 6 young actress and an ex-soldier now ticket taker, we may just be able to pull through. That is of course if they can work with each other with out fail in there mighty steam powered mecha!
STORY
Sakura Wars is based off a extremely popular game series from japan that has 5 titles to its name, multiple spin-offs, and a horde of merchandise and followers. It is to this date one of the most successful games in Japan and made its creators and actors literally super stars. And then it came here.......sort of. You see the OVA is a prologue to the first game, so once episode 4 is over you play the game to find out how it ends (or one of 6 ways to how it ends since it is a date sim). But we don't have Sakura Taisen (that's the Japanese title FYI) all we have are pretty much every anime under the franchise (except Le Nouveau Paris, a epilogue to Sakura Taisen 3 and NewYork NY, an epilogue to the Sakura Taisen 5 which we have in the states......SO WHY DON'T WE HAVE THE OVA!?!). Now of course this dosn't ruin the ova, the storys fun and enjoyable, the animation is really nice (madhouse, nuff said) and though the anime characters are all your typical archtypes, they still manage to be crisp and fun to watch. But then episode 4 comes, and if you don't know Sakura wars, elements of this ova are going to completely fly over your head. Its like watching End Of Evangelion before watching Neon Genesis Evangelion, it just won't make since. ultimatly it falls under a cursed catogory of viewing, Fanboys only. As much as it pains me to put such a label on an OVA that I personaly find Highly enjoyabale (because I am a fanboy) but it is sadly the truth. Now is it the shows fault for being confusing, NO!!! It's confusing cuz no one had the brain's to say "hey maybe we should bring the game over to the states too, so the people can actually watch this anime and know what the hell is going on!!" So its the man's fault, pure and simple. So thank you man for screwing up the Sakura Wars Franchise for us all!
PRODUCTION
Animated by the amazing Madhouse and directed by Takaaki Ishiyama, This peice truly shows its beauty in both animation and direction. And with music conducted by the amazing Kouhei Tanaka (Known for his scores on Angelic layer, all 5 Dirty Pair OVAs, Galaxy Express 999: Eternal Fantasy, Mobile Suit Gundam: The 8th MS Team, All of the music for the One Piece franchise plus Sakura Taisen Franchie, and Bastard!!) The music is truly one of the greatest highlights of Sakura Wars. That brings me to Chisa Yokoyoma's preformance for the OP song, which shows off Chisa's awsome voice and gives Sakura Taisen a nice epic feel with the battle anthem like Opening. Production get an A+ in my book!
DUB
Oh......yeah....the dub. Well its got some okay preformances, then some not-as-good-as-INSERT-NAME-HERE-preformances, and that leads up to the group of WHY DID THEY GIVE THEM THAT VOICE!?!?! Preformances. the dub is not as bad as Sakura Taisen TV, but its not great. The only thing the dub really did right was give the certain characters the appropriate accents to where the character is from (the french girl sounded french, Russian chick sounded Russian, you get were I'm going with this) My suggestion, if you have the dvds watch it with subtitles.
CONTENT
Violence and I guess if you hate shows with demons....um.....yeah there are demons in this show.
EXTRAS
none...........except trailers.
OVERALL
What would have been a great show turned into a confusing one, thanks to our friend marketing.
THANKS FOR FRACKING EVERYTHING MARKETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 3/4 out of 5 if you dont know the franchise
4 out of 5 if you do ;)
Blue Gender
SYNOPSIS
It is 2031, man kind has abandoned earth after being invaded by the insect like monster known as blue. But there are those still on earth fighting to keep what they call home, who are deemed unfiting by the masses in space. It is 2031, and one man will be awoken from his slumber to find the horrors of this new world, both from the blue, and man.
STORY
If there is one novel I could take on a dessert island, It would be Fahrenhiet 451. I love totalitarianism in a sci-fi setting. Its not like I am into anarchy or anything, I just find the idea of a moralless society driven by a "perfect rule system" intriguing. Blue Gender presents its self as a Starship Troopers Esq show, big alien bugs, mecha, blood, sci-fi. But as the show progresses It shows itself as somthing more deeper than the typical big aliens bigger guns scenerio. Our Hero Yuji is a sleeper ( someone who has the B-cell disease, and is put under chryogenic stasis till a cure is found)
who is awakend by a group of soldiers, incuding the lovely Marlene. Though it plays out as save the world by extermination ( didn't see that coming) We also see the moral issuses that have unfolded on society in such post apocolyptic times. From simple acts of compassion to the complicated area of Love, this show goes to great depths exploring the human mind and how drastic changes can morph ones look on such basic concepts of social interaction. For instance (I will be bringing this up in content as well JSYK!) sexuality becomes a kind of past time for humanity. As Marlene puts it towards Yuji who is shocked to find Marlene not devestated by a soldiers death who only a night before was intament with, She looks a at Yuji and states that no one knows when one will die so why not give them at least a little pleasure before they meet the end (that is not a direct quote by the way).
This of couse is brought up later, but this is not the only social issue discussed in Blue Gender, to put it simply think 1984 if it had giant bugs. In every since of the word blue gender is one thing, classic.
PRODUCTION
Brought together by the famous Production AIC (Anime International Company) legendary for the works Megazone 23, Bubblegum Crisis, Ah! My Goddess, Silent Mobius, And El Hazard. They pull off together quite an amazing peice. Though animation tends to get a bit sloppy from time to time with some choppy and some times odd movement, This ultiamtly dosn't ruin the animation in a whole. With music brillantly conducted by Kuniaki Haishima (who also composed the scores for shows such as Alien Nine, Legend of Himiko, Macross Zero, and Monster, to name a few), the score for Blue Gender really sets the mood for the action (and some time the horror) of this epic serise. All in all Production is pulled together quite nicely.
DUB
Eric Vale and Laura Bailey shine as the lead roles of Yuji and Marlene, and Jerry Jewel proves once again he is the ultimate psycho for anime (The Dennis Hopper of anime if I may be so bold). Another glowing preformance is that of Sean Schemmel as Rick, who really shows his range proving he can be more than just DBZ's goofy Goku! A very well dubbed serise that show the dramatic talents of these wonderful voice actors!
CONTENT
Super violent and bloody, language, sexual content, and nudity. This may say 15+ but this is somthing I would only show to a 17+ audiance, this show is an animated R movie. Now luckly the sexual content/nudity is only apparent in 4 or 5 episodes and does not go to the element of porny and in one instance is used to show the disgusting lack of morals mankind now practices. Language is pretty much everything except F, and The Violence/gore is very heavy depending on the episode and scene. Oh minor note the ending songs video has Marlene walking in a pool of water naked, which I think is about the only pointless fan-service you can find in the show, so if you want to not roll your eyes press the skip button.
EXTRAS
A commentary with Eric Vale, Laura Baliey, and Chris Sabat on episode one, Cast bios, music videos, select music tracks, Image and sketch gallerys, and Funimation trailers.
OVERALL
A epic adult sci-fi that gives a look at not only the decay of earth but the decay of ourselves as a socity, a must see for any sci-fi junky!
4 2/4 out of 5
It is 2031, man kind has abandoned earth after being invaded by the insect like monster known as blue. But there are those still on earth fighting to keep what they call home, who are deemed unfiting by the masses in space. It is 2031, and one man will be awoken from his slumber to find the horrors of this new world, both from the blue, and man.
STORY
If there is one novel I could take on a dessert island, It would be Fahrenhiet 451. I love totalitarianism in a sci-fi setting. Its not like I am into anarchy or anything, I just find the idea of a moralless society driven by a "perfect rule system" intriguing. Blue Gender presents its self as a Starship Troopers Esq show, big alien bugs, mecha, blood, sci-fi. But as the show progresses It shows itself as somthing more deeper than the typical big aliens bigger guns scenerio. Our Hero Yuji is a sleeper ( someone who has the B-cell disease, and is put under chryogenic stasis till a cure is found)
who is awakend by a group of soldiers, incuding the lovely Marlene. Though it plays out as save the world by extermination ( didn't see that coming) We also see the moral issuses that have unfolded on society in such post apocolyptic times. From simple acts of compassion to the complicated area of Love, this show goes to great depths exploring the human mind and how drastic changes can morph ones look on such basic concepts of social interaction. For instance (I will be bringing this up in content as well JSYK!) sexuality becomes a kind of past time for humanity. As Marlene puts it towards Yuji who is shocked to find Marlene not devestated by a soldiers death who only a night before was intament with, She looks a at Yuji and states that no one knows when one will die so why not give them at least a little pleasure before they meet the end (that is not a direct quote by the way).
This of couse is brought up later, but this is not the only social issue discussed in Blue Gender, to put it simply think 1984 if it had giant bugs. In every since of the word blue gender is one thing, classic.
PRODUCTION
Brought together by the famous Production AIC (Anime International Company) legendary for the works Megazone 23, Bubblegum Crisis, Ah! My Goddess, Silent Mobius, And El Hazard. They pull off together quite an amazing peice. Though animation tends to get a bit sloppy from time to time with some choppy and some times odd movement, This ultiamtly dosn't ruin the animation in a whole. With music brillantly conducted by Kuniaki Haishima (who also composed the scores for shows such as Alien Nine, Legend of Himiko, Macross Zero, and Monster, to name a few), the score for Blue Gender really sets the mood for the action (and some time the horror) of this epic serise. All in all Production is pulled together quite nicely.
DUB
Eric Vale and Laura Bailey shine as the lead roles of Yuji and Marlene, and Jerry Jewel proves once again he is the ultimate psycho for anime (The Dennis Hopper of anime if I may be so bold). Another glowing preformance is that of Sean Schemmel as Rick, who really shows his range proving he can be more than just DBZ's goofy Goku! A very well dubbed serise that show the dramatic talents of these wonderful voice actors!
CONTENT
Super violent and bloody, language, sexual content, and nudity. This may say 15+ but this is somthing I would only show to a 17+ audiance, this show is an animated R movie. Now luckly the sexual content/nudity is only apparent in 4 or 5 episodes and does not go to the element of porny and in one instance is used to show the disgusting lack of morals mankind now practices. Language is pretty much everything except F, and The Violence/gore is very heavy depending on the episode and scene. Oh minor note the ending songs video has Marlene walking in a pool of water naked, which I think is about the only pointless fan-service you can find in the show, so if you want to not roll your eyes press the skip button.
EXTRAS
A commentary with Eric Vale, Laura Baliey, and Chris Sabat on episode one, Cast bios, music videos, select music tracks, Image and sketch gallerys, and Funimation trailers.
OVERALL
A epic adult sci-fi that gives a look at not only the decay of earth but the decay of ourselves as a socity, a must see for any sci-fi junky!
4 2/4 out of 5
Friday, August 12, 2011
Cyborg 009
SYNOPSIS
A young man wakes up and finds himself in a strange room, and a smal voice in his head telling him to escape. He finds 8 others waiting for him on the outside, all with unique gifts, all with mysterious pasts, all affected by Black Ghost. They are no longer who they used to be, they are half man, half machine, Cyborgs.
STORY
Only 8 out 51 episodes of this amazing series came to the US, and I bang my head against the wall every time I think about that fact. Cyborg 009 is a series showcase of a golden era of manga. When it reflected a sorta Super hero image, shounen is much different now, and not altogether a bad thing but at the same time not altogether a good thing either. Its an element that has slowly died out, the element of child like wonder. Now most Shounen manga have gone for an element of realism, or the "beat em up" genre that Fist Of the North Star and Dragon Ball Z belong too. But Im getting off topic.
Cyborg 009 is th3 3rd anime rendition of Shotaro Ishinomori's legendary manga. It contains the amazing tales of 9 Cyborgs gifted with amazing gifts fighting evil, sounds like a simplistic story right? Wrong. Though dressed in a "Tezukian" (Im sooooooo coining that phrase!) Sci-fi backdrop, It shows raw human emotion and struggles found in such gripping shows as FMA and Macross. Now I'm not saying 009 is a Bosom brother to these shows, but it shares a emotional link to the more down o earth serise while still retaining a youthful, classic design. Now is it worth the watch, being only 8 released episodes, with no ending for an American audiance? Heck yes!!! This is one you have to see at least once, to get the feel of such a beautiful and clssic serise. I highly suggest it! (plus if you leave in Australia, you could just watch the whole serise since they got it, AND WE DIDNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
PRODUCTION
Avex Entertainment andJapan Vistec are responsible for this piece, now mind you this about when cel animation was dropped and we adopted the whole "EVERYTHING MUST BE DIGITAL!!"
state of mind. Now if you have ever seen an early digital only anime, such as Saiyuki or Rune Soldier, you may know how odd and sometimes choppy the animation can get. Luckly, this choppyness rarely shows on any of the released episodes of 009. Thou there are a few times were one can look at the animation and go "man, they really haven't mastered there programs yet." but this isn't so bad as to affect the show. The Music is awsome with both OP and ED preformed by J-Trance group GLOBE.
And with faithful directing by Masayuki Akebi ( who is a 009 veteran since he directed the '79 serise)
this show really pulls together nicely.
DUB
The dub is altogether so-so, some preformances abit over the top but there are a good amount of gems in this serise. Joshua Seth (of Digimon fame) plays a great hero as 009, Kirk Thornton plays the the hot headed and big nosed 002, And Dorothy Elias-Fahn gives a terrific preformance as 003. and I would hate not to mention Richard Epcar as the haunting leader of black ghost, Skull!
CONTENT
Nothing really to worry about except violenec and maybe a little language.
EXTRAS
Sadly nothing really, except trailers and some weblinks (weblinks?!)
OVERALL
Though Toonami fans ignored the serise wanting a more "DBZ" like serise, Cyborg 009 is a diamond in the rough of the toonami a block, a must see!
3 2/4 out of 5
A young man wakes up and finds himself in a strange room, and a smal voice in his head telling him to escape. He finds 8 others waiting for him on the outside, all with unique gifts, all with mysterious pasts, all affected by Black Ghost. They are no longer who they used to be, they are half man, half machine, Cyborgs.
STORY
Only 8 out 51 episodes of this amazing series came to the US, and I bang my head against the wall every time I think about that fact. Cyborg 009 is a series showcase of a golden era of manga. When it reflected a sorta Super hero image, shounen is much different now, and not altogether a bad thing but at the same time not altogether a good thing either. Its an element that has slowly died out, the element of child like wonder. Now most Shounen manga have gone for an element of realism, or the "beat em up" genre that Fist Of the North Star and Dragon Ball Z belong too. But Im getting off topic.
Cyborg 009 is th3 3rd anime rendition of Shotaro Ishinomori's legendary manga. It contains the amazing tales of 9 Cyborgs gifted with amazing gifts fighting evil, sounds like a simplistic story right? Wrong. Though dressed in a "Tezukian" (Im sooooooo coining that phrase!) Sci-fi backdrop, It shows raw human emotion and struggles found in such gripping shows as FMA and Macross. Now I'm not saying 009 is a Bosom brother to these shows, but it shares a emotional link to the more down o earth serise while still retaining a youthful, classic design. Now is it worth the watch, being only 8 released episodes, with no ending for an American audiance? Heck yes!!! This is one you have to see at least once, to get the feel of such a beautiful and clssic serise. I highly suggest it! (plus if you leave in Australia, you could just watch the whole serise since they got it, AND WE DIDNT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
PRODUCTION
Avex Entertainment andJapan Vistec are responsible for this piece, now mind you this about when cel animation was dropped and we adopted the whole "EVERYTHING MUST BE DIGITAL!!"
state of mind. Now if you have ever seen an early digital only anime, such as Saiyuki or Rune Soldier, you may know how odd and sometimes choppy the animation can get. Luckly, this choppyness rarely shows on any of the released episodes of 009. Thou there are a few times were one can look at the animation and go "man, they really haven't mastered there programs yet." but this isn't so bad as to affect the show. The Music is awsome with both OP and ED preformed by J-Trance group GLOBE.
And with faithful directing by Masayuki Akebi ( who is a 009 veteran since he directed the '79 serise)
this show really pulls together nicely.
DUB
The dub is altogether so-so, some preformances abit over the top but there are a good amount of gems in this serise. Joshua Seth (of Digimon fame) plays a great hero as 009, Kirk Thornton plays the the hot headed and big nosed 002, And Dorothy Elias-Fahn gives a terrific preformance as 003. and I would hate not to mention Richard Epcar as the haunting leader of black ghost, Skull!
CONTENT
Nothing really to worry about except violenec and maybe a little language.
EXTRAS
Sadly nothing really, except trailers and some weblinks (weblinks?!)
OVERALL
Though Toonami fans ignored the serise wanting a more "DBZ" like serise, Cyborg 009 is a diamond in the rough of the toonami a block, a must see!
3 2/4 out of 5
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Hetalia: Axis Powers
SYNOPSIS
History has taken turn for the crazy as WWII is being fought by stereotypes with quirky anime humor.
STORY
I like history, so going into this series I was sure I would fall in love with its humorous take on WWII. Wrong, so very very wrong. Now don't miss understand me, It's not like I watched one episode and puked a lung, I gave it more than half a season. And slowly but surely I saw something that I can only describe as one word: Mindless. Sure it is taking actual events from history, but what destroys this series is the humor. Its so over the top, so insane, that anything else going on is white noise. Half the time I had to rewind, or ask my girlfriend sitting next to me "what?". Now I have watched crazy shows before, with zany humor and stereotypical anime antics, but they were half an hour long. This is like watching an edited version of Negima!?, with all the serious parts cut so all you have is the random crazy stuff. A show driven only on spontaneous jokes, even if based on facts, won't work. Another problem I have is some of the jokes content. I'm sorry but I really don't find racial jokes that funny, especially not ones that go ON and ON through out a serise. And even though Germany does represent Nazi Germany, the anti-semitic jokes aren't funny. I guess the show would be less funny if some character representing the jewissh people stood up and talked about there suffering under germany. This show's problem now that I think about it, is that its being to light hearted on serise matters. This really happend, this is not a joke, somethings aren't funny even when joked about.
I think war, rascism, and a world in fear is not somthing to be taken lightly even if it only happend 70+ years ago.
PRODUCTION
The animation okay, I mean its not supposed to be amazing since the web comic was drawn in a simple design. The opening is the chant like Tunes you find in old school shows, which isn't a bad thing. Studio Deen did a good job in remaing faithful to the origonal work, the serise is almost identical to the comic. The bgm's are forgettable and goofy, so I suggest just buying the character albums and stay away from the origional soundtrack.
DUB
There are such terrific dub actors in this serise, yet looking at the preformances all of them are over the top and seem the same. If someone plays audio of two character from this show and then asks me who vocies who, I would probably say Chris Cason for both of them (by the way, this is a joke)
I felt no unique direction from any of preformance from this serise. The dub felt very bland, which was disapointing since several of my favorite actors preformed in Hetalia.
CONTENT
Language and as I mentioned before racial sterotypes and rascist remarks. and there is so much of this in fact that its rated TV-MA. So not suggested for the innocent.
EXTRAS
A lot of Commentaries, and Trailers.
OVERALL
What was a great Idea, turned into a mindless, rascist, and sadly popular serise.
1 3/4 out of 5
History has taken turn for the crazy as WWII is being fought by stereotypes with quirky anime humor.
STORY
I like history, so going into this series I was sure I would fall in love with its humorous take on WWII. Wrong, so very very wrong. Now don't miss understand me, It's not like I watched one episode and puked a lung, I gave it more than half a season. And slowly but surely I saw something that I can only describe as one word: Mindless. Sure it is taking actual events from history, but what destroys this series is the humor. Its so over the top, so insane, that anything else going on is white noise. Half the time I had to rewind, or ask my girlfriend sitting next to me "what?". Now I have watched crazy shows before, with zany humor and stereotypical anime antics, but they were half an hour long. This is like watching an edited version of Negima!?, with all the serious parts cut so all you have is the random crazy stuff. A show driven only on spontaneous jokes, even if based on facts, won't work. Another problem I have is some of the jokes content. I'm sorry but I really don't find racial jokes that funny, especially not ones that go ON and ON through out a serise. And even though Germany does represent Nazi Germany, the anti-semitic jokes aren't funny. I guess the show would be less funny if some character representing the jewissh people stood up and talked about there suffering under germany. This show's problem now that I think about it, is that its being to light hearted on serise matters. This really happend, this is not a joke, somethings aren't funny even when joked about.
I think war, rascism, and a world in fear is not somthing to be taken lightly even if it only happend 70+ years ago.
PRODUCTION
The animation okay, I mean its not supposed to be amazing since the web comic was drawn in a simple design. The opening is the chant like Tunes you find in old school shows, which isn't a bad thing. Studio Deen did a good job in remaing faithful to the origonal work, the serise is almost identical to the comic. The bgm's are forgettable and goofy, so I suggest just buying the character albums and stay away from the origional soundtrack.
DUB
There are such terrific dub actors in this serise, yet looking at the preformances all of them are over the top and seem the same. If someone plays audio of two character from this show and then asks me who vocies who, I would probably say Chris Cason for both of them (by the way, this is a joke)
I felt no unique direction from any of preformance from this serise. The dub felt very bland, which was disapointing since several of my favorite actors preformed in Hetalia.
CONTENT
Language and as I mentioned before racial sterotypes and rascist remarks. and there is so much of this in fact that its rated TV-MA. So not suggested for the innocent.
EXTRAS
A lot of Commentaries, and Trailers.
OVERALL
What was a great Idea, turned into a mindless, rascist, and sadly popular serise.
1 3/4 out of 5
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Baccano!
SYNOPSIS
It Is 1930 and 1931, random events, random people (unusual but random). But as the wheels turn and time shows not all events are as unconnected as they seem. Some deal with the devil, and others are along for the ride, unknowingly a cog in the clock of immortalty. Baccano follows a group of individuals who have been affected by a stormy night in 1711.
STORY
I Loved this show. This may be one of the most clever and well written anime series I have ever seen. With a terrific cast of characters set in a wonderful take on Depression era New York. This really threw a bone to the history buff in me. But at the same time this is probably one of the most violent and grisly series I've seen to date, going up there with Akira, Rin, and Elfen Lied. The show has been described as complicated but once you get the hang of the shows settings its not really that complicated. This show most surprising quality is that even though being a super violent and dark series, it manages to have some of the most unique and heart warming characters in anime. This is one of those shows that after watching just sticks with you and never lets go. A must watch for anyone looking for a dark and seedy mystery, fun adventure, or even both.
PRODUCTION
The animation is two words: breath taking. No repeating animation, no choppy movements, just fluid clean animation that breaths life into its characters. Studio Brain's Base is the masterminds behind the artistic glow of Baccano, Never heard of them? They are the ones behind such series as Durarara!!, Spice and Wolf II, and Shin Getter Robo (shout out to the old school meca fans!!) The music is just as spectacular with a jazz infused soundtrack and a killer opening song by Paradise Lunch.
Spearheaded By Director Takahiro Omori (of Hell Girl Fame) this series packs a punch in every way.
DUB
J. Michael Tatum and Catlin Glass ARE Issac and Miria, They pull off these characters so flawlessly it makes you think they were made for those roles. I have rarely fallen head over heels in love with such a dynamic duo, at least not since Ed and Al of FMA. But along side Tatum and Glass is another equally shining voice Bryan Massey, who plays the raving mad Ladd Russo who is so crazy and sadistic you just LOVE to hate him. Bryan's performance puts me in that unique position as a viewer were I know this guy is evil as evil gets and I should loath this guy but his just to wild and crazed to not enjoy him. Its the same problem I have with Batman's Joker. Of course this show has many more great preformances from actors like R. Bruce Elliot as Szilard Quates, Jerry Jewel as Claire Stanfield, Colleen Clinkenbeard as Nice Holystone, Brina Palencia as Enni,and Sean Hennigan as Maiza Avaro.
CONTENT
The serise as I said before is VERY violent to the point were I was suprised. This is a show that is TV-MA for violence and language. No f-bombs but the mafia pretty much use everyother word in the book. Not for children or the squimish.
EXTRAS
Commentaries with the english crew and cast, Textless songs, and the Funimation Trailers.
OVERALL
A gem of a anime serise, a must watch for any who love somthing beyond the sterotypical! In numbers: 4.25/5
It Is 1930 and 1931, random events, random people (unusual but random). But as the wheels turn and time shows not all events are as unconnected as they seem. Some deal with the devil, and others are along for the ride, unknowingly a cog in the clock of immortalty. Baccano follows a group of individuals who have been affected by a stormy night in 1711.
STORY
I Loved this show. This may be one of the most clever and well written anime series I have ever seen. With a terrific cast of characters set in a wonderful take on Depression era New York. This really threw a bone to the history buff in me. But at the same time this is probably one of the most violent and grisly series I've seen to date, going up there with Akira, Rin, and Elfen Lied. The show has been described as complicated but once you get the hang of the shows settings its not really that complicated. This show most surprising quality is that even though being a super violent and dark series, it manages to have some of the most unique and heart warming characters in anime. This is one of those shows that after watching just sticks with you and never lets go. A must watch for anyone looking for a dark and seedy mystery, fun adventure, or even both.
PRODUCTION
The animation is two words: breath taking. No repeating animation, no choppy movements, just fluid clean animation that breaths life into its characters. Studio Brain's Base is the masterminds behind the artistic glow of Baccano, Never heard of them? They are the ones behind such series as Durarara!!, Spice and Wolf II, and Shin Getter Robo (shout out to the old school meca fans!!) The music is just as spectacular with a jazz infused soundtrack and a killer opening song by Paradise Lunch.
Spearheaded By Director Takahiro Omori (of Hell Girl Fame) this series packs a punch in every way.
DUB
J. Michael Tatum and Catlin Glass ARE Issac and Miria, They pull off these characters so flawlessly it makes you think they were made for those roles. I have rarely fallen head over heels in love with such a dynamic duo, at least not since Ed and Al of FMA. But along side Tatum and Glass is another equally shining voice Bryan Massey, who plays the raving mad Ladd Russo who is so crazy and sadistic you just LOVE to hate him. Bryan's performance puts me in that unique position as a viewer were I know this guy is evil as evil gets and I should loath this guy but his just to wild and crazed to not enjoy him. Its the same problem I have with Batman's Joker. Of course this show has many more great preformances from actors like R. Bruce Elliot as Szilard Quates, Jerry Jewel as Claire Stanfield, Colleen Clinkenbeard as Nice Holystone, Brina Palencia as Enni,and Sean Hennigan as Maiza Avaro.
CONTENT
The serise as I said before is VERY violent to the point were I was suprised. This is a show that is TV-MA for violence and language. No f-bombs but the mafia pretty much use everyother word in the book. Not for children or the squimish.
EXTRAS
Commentaries with the english crew and cast, Textless songs, and the Funimation Trailers.
OVERALL
A gem of a anime serise, a must watch for any who love somthing beyond the sterotypical! In numbers: 4.25/5
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