Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 9 – Original & Uncut (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

More action and more fun!  “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 9 – Original and Uncut” features many of the characters of the Konoha Village in an all-out battle against enemies orchestrated by Orochimaru and Kabuto.  If you are staying with “Naruto Shippuden” for the long haul, this anime series is recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2002 Masashi Kishimoto/2008 Shippuden. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 9 – Original & Uncut

DURATION: Episodes 101-112 (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 2.0 Stereo Surround Sound, Bilingual (Japanese & English), English Subtitles

COMPANY: Shonen Jump/Viz Media

RATED: Rated T for Older Teen

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto

Series Directed by Hayato Date

Produced by Tomoko Gushima, Ken Hagino

Series Coordinator by Junki Takegami, Satoru Nishizono

Character Design by Tetsuya Nishio, Hirofumi Suzuki

Music by Yasuharu Takanishi, Yaiba

Music Production by Aniplex

Anime Production by TV Tokyo, Pierrot

Featuring the following voice talent:

Junko Takeuchi/Maile Flanagan as Naruto Uzumaki

Chie Nakamura/Kate Higgins as Sakura Haruno

Noriaki Sugiyama/Yuri Lowenthal as Sasuke Uchiha

Akira Ishida/Liam O’Brien as Sabaku no Gaara (Gaara of the Desert)

Hideo Ishikawa/Crispin Freeman as Itachi Uchiha

Houchu Ohtsuka/David Lodge as Jiraiya

Kazuhiko Inoue/Dave Wittenberg as Hatake Kakashi

Kentarou Itou/Robbie Rist as Chouji Akimichi

Kenyuu Horiuchi/Troy Baker as Pain

Kouichi Toochika/Steve Staley as Neji Hyuuga

Kousuke Toriumi/Kyle Hebert as Kiba Inuzuka

Kujira/Steven Blum as Orochimaru

Masako Katsuki/Debi Mae West as Tsunade/Fifth Hokage

Nana Mizuki/Stephanie Sheh as Hinata Hyuuga

Nobutoshi Canna/Henry Dittman as Kabuto Yakushi

Rikiya Koyama/Troy Baker as Yamato

Romi Paku/Tara Platt as Temari

Ryoka Yuzuki/Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Ino Yamanaka

Satoshi Hino/Ben Diskin as Sai

Shinji Kawada/Derek Stephen Prince as Shino Aburame

Yasuyuki Kase/Michael Lindsay as Kankurou

Yoichi Masukawa/Brian Donovan as Rock Lee

Orochimaru’s minion Guren will do anything to stop the Leaf ninja from sealing Three Tails, but the Leaf’s top shinobi will be tough to beat! While a sealing team tracks the location of the beast and its host, a guard team led by Kakashi and Naruto fends off attacks from Guren. But it’s no ordinary battle when Naruto finds himself fighting alongside his enemy in a most unusual location – inside the Three-Tailed Beast!

Since 1999, “Naruto” created by Masashi Kishimoto (“Karakuri”) has been one of the most popular anime and manga series in Japan and has easily become a favorite best selling anime/manga series among fans all over the world.

For the anime series, since 2002, “Naruto” lasted until 2007 with a total of 220 episodes. The series would follow the adventures of a boy named Naruto Uzamaki, who may not be the brightest ninja from the Konoha Village but he makes it up with heart and also tremendous power as the killer beast known as the nine-tailed fox has been sealed within him.

Earlier in the series, the anime series focused on Naruto and his team members Sasuke Uchida and Sakura Haruno as they would go on adventures and learn to become a team and also honing their ninja abilities. The series would then begin to introduce other young ninjas from the village who Naruto would be paired up with and the young ninjas would take on rival clans to helping people in need. But somehow as the series continued, Sasuke Uchida would then go off on his own personal mission to stop his brother Itaki Uchida, who murdered the whole Uchida clan and his family, only leaving Sasuke alive.

Within those six years, we have seen Naruto and his friends grow as friends and also in their abilities. For Naruto, all he has wanted is to become the next Hokage (the leader of the village) when he grows older and to help his friends accomplish missions. He knows that to be a good leader, he will need to get stronger so he can protect the village once he grows older. Of course, there is so much involved in the “Naruto” anime series and what makes its special is its humor, its action but also how well the series integrates so many characters but yet features a good number of character driven episodes that makes the viewer appreciate many of the characters in the series.

“Naruto”, the first series ended with the young ninja leaving to train with Jiraiya for two-and-a-half years.

In “Naruto Shippuden”, the storyline now features everyone a little grown up but the stakes are much higher.  We learn that the Akatsuki including Orochimaru are looking for those who possess a jinchuriki. With this power, this will give too much power to evil and this can lead to the death of many people and the destruction of many villages.

In the past few volumes, the Leaf Village along with other villages have managed to defeat the Akatsuki, unfortunately the price paid was the death of Asuma and a few other members of the Leaf and Sand Ninja.

Now, Orochimaru using Kabuto, have their sites set on capturing the Three Tail Jinchuriki and to to that, they will need to use a young boy named Yukimaru.

But Yukimaru has looked up to Guren, the woman responsible for killing Yukimaru’s mother (which he doesn’t know about) and a woman who had aligned herself with Orochimaru.    Guru knows they need the Three Tail beast but the more the two are together, the more Guren starts to feel like she is his guardian and wants to take care of him.  In fact, Yukimaru looks to Guren as a place called home.

Meanwhile, Naruto searches for Yukimaru as he blames himself for telling Yukimaru of trying to find a place called “home” and not knowing that the person he has given all his trust to is Guren, a person working for Orochimaru.

Because of the severity of this mission, Lady Tsunade sends out various teams in order to protect another team that must seal the Three Tail Jinchuriki before Orochimaru or the Akatsuki can capture it.

VIDEO:

One thing I noticed when it came to “Naruto” is that the series has had its share of well-animated and well-painted artistic backgrounds but then for some of the filler episodes, has had a decrease in quality. Fortunately, “Naruto Shippuden” continues to look awesome. I really like how the characters look much older and the emotions on the character’s faces. For this volume, it does go back to a bit of monotonous landscapes.  A lot of trees, a lake, underwater and mountains.  Not much of the action is taken place anywhere else.  But the storyline focuses on the action than location and as far as picture quality goes, it is good and what one can expect from DVD.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, the audio for “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 9″ is pretty much Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Bilingual (Japanese and English). Similar to a series like “Dragon Ball Z”, with “Naruto”, I have always enjoyed the voice acting of the English dub series. It’s well done and the voices fit the characters very well.

Especially Maile Flanagan’s Naruto Uzumaki. Personally, I didn’t think there would be a voice actor that could capture Junko Takeuchi’s Naruto vocals and sure enough, Flanagan does a great job. But I have watched the series in Japanese and English and for the most part, voice acting for both soundtracks are well-done.

Since the series is front channel driven, for those with a modern home theater receiver probably will enjoy a more immersive soundscape by selecting stereo on all channels.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 9 – Original & Uncut” comes with the following special features on disc 3:

• Moew from Viz Media - Trailers for upcoming or current Viz Media releases.
• Online Features – Text-based screen of where “Naruto Shippuden” can be watched online.
• Story Boards – Ten pages of storyboards (featured in negative format).
• Production Art – Using your remote, you can view through ten pages of artwork.
• Omake – (6:03) All the omake ending portions (after the credits) from the episodes featured in DVD Set 9 of “Naruto Shippuden”.
• English Credits

In “Naruto Shippuden” vol. 9, we get an entertaining filler storyline which revolves around Naruto wanting to save a child that is tied to a Jinchuriki.

And it’s a filler episode that actually makes sense as for those who are reading the manga series, anyone possessing a jinchuriki are now targets by the Akatsuki and Orochimaru.  So, it would make sense to see how the side of evil are going after these targets and seeing the Leaf ninja doing all they can to prevent it.

This volume is about the three-tailed demon turtle and about a boy named Yukimaru who has the power to bring out the demon turtle which lays underwater.   Orochmaru sends out the deadly ninja named Guren to look over the boy, but unexpectedly, both Guren and Yukimaru begin to bond, almost like mother and son or older sister and younger brother.   She doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him and because Yukimaru had contact with Naruto about being happy and finding a home he can go back to, that home for the young boy is by being close with Guren.

Of course, Naruto and the leaf ninja know that this is Orochimaru’s scheme and for Naruto, he is desperate in wanting to save this boy.  Meanwhile, this volume gives people a chance to see the other Leaf ninja in action.   And this is probably the biggest difference with the manga series as the manga had begun to focus on this deep plot involving the Akatsuki, the beloved characters of the Konoha village are hardly featured anymore.

So, with these filler episodes, the writers wanted to bring them together and involve them in a major battle as a few of the female characters try to seal the three-tailed demon turtle, others are in battle.

And because the series can allow some time and separation with the manga series, it’s inevitable that there will be an elongated storyline of filler episodes.  Fortunately, unlike the original “Naruto” series which had a lot of 3-4 story arcs, this one has managed to last a quite awhile and I think from here on in, the standard will be to incorporate a storyline from the manga which Masashi Kishimoto had created and then dedicate the remainder of episodes to filler.  And because the storyline of the Akatsuki and Orochimaru targeting people who are tited to a jinchuriki is not shown entirely in the manga series, it allows the writers for the anime series to focus on it and build a whole storyline arc around it.

While filler episodes are not for everyone, in the case of “Naruto Shippuden”, there is only so much the writers can do in order to incorporate what is seen on manga and with the creator’s timeline. Otherwise, the other option is to go on hiatus for several years and return, as what was done with the “Inuyasha” series, so there is no over-reliance on filler episodes.

As for the DVD set, you get a total of eleven episodes and a few special features such as storyboard, production art and the ending omake for each episode.

Overall, I feel the writers have much more to work with in “Naruto Shippuden” vs. what was done towards the latter half of the original “Naruto” series.  We are watching a lot of filler episodes but these are filler episodes that are entertaining and relevant to the overall storyline.

If you are fan of “Naruto Shippuden” and are staying with this series for the long haul, “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 9 – Original & Uncut” is another entertaining and action-packed volume worth watching.

 

ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

“ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection” is one of those anime series that requires one’s viewing from beginning to end.  It is slow-paced but fortunately it’s only 12-episodes long and by the time you reach the second half of the series, you begin to realize how entertaining and captivating this series truly is.  Recommended!

Image courtesy of ©2008 Minori, EF2 committee. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection

ANIME RELEASE: 2008

DURATION: 12 Episodes (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen, English and Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV MA S

RELEASED: March 20, 2012

Directed by Shin Oonuma

Series Composition by Katsuhiko Takayama

Music by Eiichiro Yanagi, Tenmon

Original Character Design: 2C=Galore, Naru Nanao

Character Design by Nobuhiro Sugiyama

Art Director: Kohji Azuma, Toshiro Kohama

Chief Animation Director: Nobuhiro Sugiyama

Anime Production: SHAFT

Featuring the following voice talent:

Kenji Hamada/Illich Guardiola as Shūichi Kuze

Kouichi Toochika/David Matranga as Yū Himura

Mai Goto/Hilary Haag as Mizuki Hayama

Shizuka Itou as Nagi Hirono

Tohru Furusawa as Akira Amamiya

Yumiko Nakajima/Carli Mosier as Yūko Amamiya

Motoki Takagi/Clint Bickham as Renji Asō

Natsumi Yanase/Monica Rial as Chihiro Shindō

Sayaka Aoki/Tiffany Grant as Sumire Asō

Shuichi Kuze’s been spending time with Mizuki Hayama, and as they’ve been getting to know each other, they’ve been growing closer. Sadly, Kuze discovers that he’s contracted a fatal illness and decides to break all romantic ties for the little time left to him. Before he can break things off, however, Mizuki tells him that she loves him. Will her declaration change Kuze’s mind?

In another city, in the not-so-distant past, Yuu Himura meets a girl who seems to know him, but he doesn’t know her. Soon enough, he remembers Yuko Amamiya, a girl he met long ago, and begins to rediscover the depth of their feelings for each other. Will Yuko’s love reach across time to find her true love once and for all? Kuze and Mizuki, Yu and Yuko… Intertwining fate, tragic, bittersweet and beautiful.

The “Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two.” series was one of the popular adult visual novels from software company Minori.  Originally released on PC and DVD in 2006 and followed by a sequel “Ef: The Latter Tale” in 2008, the series was was actually born from a manga serialized in “Dengeki Comic Gao” in 2005.

The popularity of the video game and manga series would lead to a light novel serialized in Kadokawa Shoten’s “Comptiq” in 2006 and in 2007, a 12-episode anime series known as “Ef: A Tale of Memories”.  This is inspired a second season in 2008 titled “Ef: A Tale of Melodies”.

In 2012, both series were released by Sentai Filmworks in the United States.

“ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection”, the second season somewhat requires one to watch the first in order to know the background of some of the characters.  It’s a surreal storyline that requires one to focus on the story because of the various timelines.  Because of its storyline, it’s a mix of a prequel, sequel and a standalone series.

The series begins with an explanation by a narrator that there are two towns named Otowa.   The real one was rebuilt from the charred remains of a natural disaster and the second one, a darker one casting its shadow on a tranquil land.  Consumed by a tragic past founded by its misfortune, a real town shrouded by lies.  The narrator then says the real him lives in the false town.

The film begins with a teenager named Yu Himura being asked by a dark haired girl if he remembers her.  He doesn’t and she replies back by telling him that she hates him.

Through the course of the episodes, we learn that Yu Himura is a talented artist, but after the death of his sister, it changed his life forever and he never pursued art again, despite being fantastic at it.  As the art teacher tries to cajole him into joining, especially classmate and artist Nagi Hirono (who is trying to paint herself nude and also cares for Yu) who wants him to get back in showing his passion for art.

Meanwhile, Yu hangs out with his good friend Shuichi Kuze, a teenager with over 20 girlfriends.  A popular vioinist, Kuze and Yu always discuss life in general.

As time goes on, we start to see more about Yu’s past and also his memory of the mysterious long black-haired girl named Yuuko Amamiya.  Yuuko and Yu both grew up in an orphanage and she kept calling him brother, which he hated (because he wanted no one to replace his deceased sister, who died during a major earthquake).   One day, Yuuko was taken in by relatives but the reason why she hates Yuu is because he could have prevented her from being taken from the orphanage.

But there is more to the story.   What happened to Yuuko when she moved away from the orphanage and why is she constantly being bullied at school?

We are then introduced to another storyline which is set in a duplicate town of Otowa in Australia.  In this town, Chihiro Shindo lives with Yu Himura and Renji Aso.  Chihiro’s sister Kei lives in the original Otawa with Hiro and Miyako in Japan and Kei’s friend Mizuki Hayama has come to visit.

We learn that Mizuki is also Renji’s cousin and that she has fallen in love with Kuze because of his music.

And between both Mizuki and Kuze, the more time they spend with each other, they realize they are falling for one another. But Kuze has an incurable heart disease and feels he must break any contact with Mizuki and the best way is to end his music career by destroying his violin.  But Mizuki is committed to Kuze and will do whatever she can to be close to him, despite many people in town telling her to stay away from him and to not trust him.

“ef -a tale of melodies” is a story about love, hate, forgiveness, hope and relationships.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection” is presented in 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen and in English and Japanese 2.0.  It’s important to note that this series will be coming out also on Blu-ray, so if you want the best picture and audio quality, definitely go for the HD version on Blu-ray.

First, let’s get into the discussion of this anime series.  I have to commend SHAFT for really going all out in creating an artistic anime series with vibrant to dark imagery.  The series has wonderful visual presentation, lighting shading effects and the artists had done a wonderful job in creating this world and how they take on various situations, no matter how deep and dark, they continued to make thing look artistic and even surreal at times.  This type of presentation is not typically seen in an anime TV series, so I was pretty pleased with the results.

As for audio, audio is presented in stereo.  I did listen to both soundtracks thoroughly and both are well-done, although I do wish they found a child voice actor for Yu’s voice during his flashback adolescent scenes.  Other than that, voice acting for both Japanese and English dub are well-done.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection” comes with no special features.

“ef -a tale of melodies-” is one of those anime series that provides a fine balance between art, creativity, science fiction and drama.

While not a cerebral series, it is a series that does play with flashbacks and present-time situations off and on, to the point that one can easily be confused.  In fact, while watching this anime series, I often thought if writer Katsuhiko Takayama was influenced by the American drama series “LOST”.  Two worlds, flashbacks and present-time situation, ghosts…

Fortunately, by the second half of the series, the storyline is much more defined and we know more or less what is going on with these characters.

“ef -a tale of melodies-” is an anime series that about love and relationships.  How things from the past can affect a person later in the future.

Yu Himura was a young man who was devastated by his young sister’s death during the earthquake disaster but something to him as we see him in the future being a stoic, non-emotional guy.  Something bad must have happened to him?  The storyline of Himura’s focus on his relationship with Yuuko and as a viewer, you think of the typical banality of relationships found in anime series.  Not this case. There is darkness in the life of Yuuko and Yu may be to blame.

As for Kuze, in the past he is a man with many girlfriends, in the future, he’s not the same guy.  Constantly alone, knowing that his heart will probably give out and his life will end, can a man such as him ever find happiness?  Which leads us to Mizuki and Mizuki is a key connection to Yu’s past as well.

“ef -a tale of melodies-” is a surreal anime series that requires one’s ability to focus on the story.  While it does help to watch the first season to understand the characters, later on, you realize that these stories are self-contained and can be enjoyed on its own.  In fact, I do recommend watching “ef -a tale of memories” in order for people to know who Renji, Hiro and others are.  But for those who watched the first season, the second season will explain the connection of  the character Yuko.

SHAFT’s animation is beautiful and artistic. I love the painted backgrounds and its use of CG but also trying to do something different and go outside of the box of the usual TV anime series.  So, I do credit SHAFT for its creativity on this series.

“ef -a tale of melodies-” turned out to be a pretty enjoyable series, albeit a tragic one that one may need to have the tissue box nearby as some may no doubt be crying at the end of the series.  But this is a wonderfully animated, refreshing anime series that doesn’t resemble any other and although it got a little confusing at the beginning, as I continued to watch, I became captivated by this series and enjoyed it overall.

While the DVD doesn’t contain any special features, for fans of “ef” the video game or one wanting a dramatic series based on relationships but has a good balance of humor and sci-fi, will definitely want to check this series out.  And because it looks so good,  if you are considering getting a Blu-ray player, this is a series that I definitely recommend watching on Blu-ray.

Overall, “ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection” is one of those anime series that requires one’s viewing from beginning to end.  It is slow-paced but fortunately it’s only 12-episodes long and by the time you reach the second half of the series, you begin to realize how entertaining and captivating this series truly is.

“ef -a tale of melodies-: Complete Collection” is recommended.

 

Grave of the Fireflies (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

Studio Ghibli’s “Grave of the Fireflies” is the most profound anime film that I have ever watched in my life.   A heartbreaking war tale based on the childhood experience of novelist Nosaka Akiyuki, “Grave of the Fireflies” is one of the best war films of all time and definitely a film that must be experienced!  Highly recommended! 

Image courtesy of © 1988 Akiyuki Nosaka/Shinchosa. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Grave of the Fireflies

ANIME RELEASE: 1988

DURATION: 89 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen, English and Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV PG

RELEASED: March 6, 2012

Based on the novel by Akiyuki Nosaka

Written and Directed by Isao Takahata

Produced by Toru Hara

Executive Produced by Ryoichi Sato

Music by Michio Mamiya

Cinematography by Nobuo Koyama

Edited by Takeshi Seyama

Production Design by Ryoichi Sato

Art Direction by Nizou Yamamoto

Anime Production by Studio Ghibli

Featuring the following voice talent:

Tsutomu Tatsumi/J. Robert Spencer as Seita

Ayano Shiraishi/Rhoda Chrosite as Setsuko

Yoshiko Shinohara/Veronica Taylor as Mother

Akemi Yamaguchi/Amy Jones as Aunt

When their mother is killed in the firebombing of Tokyo near the end of World War II, teenage Seita and his little sister Setsuko are left on their own: their father is away, serving in the Imperial Navy. The two children initially stay with an aunt, but she has little affection for them and resents the time and money they require. The two children set up housekeeping in a cave by a stream, but their meager resources are quickly exhausted, and Seita is reduced to stealing to feed his sister.

There are films that stay with you and you can remember how devastated or how heartbroken you were after you watched it.

In my 18-years of reviewing anime, “Grave of the Fireflies” is one of the few few films that I have reviewed a few times in which no matter how many times I have viewed it, I am left with tears streaming down my face and left emotionally devastated.

“Hotaru no Haka” (Grave of the Fireflies) is a anime adaptation by director Iaso Takahata (co-founder of Studio Ghibli) and is based on a semi-autobiographic novel by Nosaka Akiyuki, which the story is based on his childhood experience during World War II.

The film has received primarily fantastic reviews and while we have seen various video releases of “Grave of the Fireflies” and a previous collector’s edition on DVD nearly a decade ago, the 2012 Sentai Filmworks DVD release of “Grave of the Fireflies” features a new digitally remastered and restored version of the film.  For now, this is a DVD release but hopefully in the near future, Sentai Filmworks will release it on Blu-ray.

“Grave of the Fireflies” is a film that revolves around a 14-year-old teenage boy named Seita and his 4-year-old, younger sister Setsuko.

The film begins with an image of Seita, who is one of the few who lay near the train station with nowhere to go, nothing to eat, no assistance, just sitting their to die.  Seita dies and as the janitors checks on him, found next to him is a metal candy container with ashes and bones inside.

As the janitor throws the candy container out into the field, we see the spirits of Seita and his younger sister Setsuko reuniting together as fireflies fly around the field.

The spirit of Seita then shows us a flashback of his life in Japan, the story is set in World War II and Seita’s father is serving in the Japanese navy, while his mother (who has a bad heart condition) raises both he and his sister.   The sound of the air raid alarm engulfs the town and Seita encourages his mother to get to safety at a bomb shelter, while he gets a few supplies ready and also prepare his sister for the walk to the shelter.

But dozens of American B-29 bombers fly overhead and drops hundreds of bombs all over Kobe, Japan.

As Seita and Setsuko see destruction and death all over the place, they try to look for their mother.  As a family friend watches over Setsuko, Seita goes to check on his mother and finds out that she was among the many who were badly injured.  And with doctors and hospitals too full with injured and dead people, unfortunately, without major treatment, Seita’s mother is dead.

With a father that is fighting in the war, Seita and Setsuko have no choice but to stay with their aunt.  And because food is hard to come by due to the bombings, the only way people can get food is by selling their belongings to farmers or anyone that can give them money.  So, among the first things sold are Seita’s mother’s kimonos to help buy rice.

But the longer they stay with their aunt, it becomes an inconvenience to both.  His aunt feels that Seita is not pulling his own weight and is lazy.  She feels that most young men are dedicating their life to the emperor and their country and he is doing nothing.  But for Seita, he is busy taking care of his younger sister (who is having a difficult time adjusting without her mother).

And his aunt becomes even more strict towards them by not offering them any good food but rice porridge, as the good food only is saved for those who are dedicating their lives to their country.

Eventually, living with his aunt becomes too much of an inconvenience that he makes the decision to raise his sister on his own and live outdoors.

And as Keita and Setsuko live on their own and trying to find ways to eat and live outdoors, can the two survive living on their own?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Grave of the Fireflies” is presented in 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen and in English and Japanese 2.0.

With the 2012 DVD release, the film has received a digital remaster and restoration and for those who enjoyed this film, it’s fantastic that the film has been re-released and received restoration but at the same time, it makes you wonder why there is only a DVD release and not a Blu-ray release.  As the film definitely deserves an HD release, I hope that Sentai Filmworks considers this title for a Blu-ray release in the near future.

With that being said, for those who have heard about this film and definitely want to experience one of the most profound war films ever made, the animation by Studio Ghibli is fantastic.  The picture quality looks very good and I didn’t see any film damage or any major problems.  Granted, it’s DVD but once again, the picture quality does show a bit more vibrance and sharpness and is deserving of a true HD release.

As for audio, you get a 2.0 soundtrack.  Front-channel driven and dialogue for the most part is clear.  The original Japanese voice acting is terrific, but this time around, I wanted to hear the English dub and voice acting is very good on the English dub end.  So, whether you prefer Japanese or English, both soundtracks are well-done!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Grave of the Fireflies” comes with no special features.

Sure, if you are a cinema fan, there are war films that do a magnificent job of capturing the emotion and toll on humanity, may they be the Italian neorealist films of the past to various documentaries on genocide, but I have always considered “Grave of the Fireflies” as one of the greatest war films ever made.

Sure, the film is animated but by no means, should anyone discount this film as anything less. And the fact that you have the name of Studio Ghibli behind this wonderful film, you know that you are getting a quality animated film with a well-written and also deep storyline.

I remember watching this film for the very first time, I watched it along with my girlfriend and brother and neither of us knew what to expect.  And by the end of the film, the three of us were in tears, emotionally devastated.

Years later, I came across a wall scroll with the picture of the character Setsuko and to this day, over 15-years later, the scroll is hung up on my bathroom as a reminder that life is precious, enjoy life but also not to help those in need.

But the more I learned about the film overtime, I often thought about the original writer Nosaka Akiyuki.   The film is based on Nosaka’s experience of the bombings and how it took his family but the novel was a form of therapy for the writer as he had blamed himself for many years for the death of his younger sister who died of malnutrition.

And watching this film, although director Isao Takahata has said many times that this was not an anti-war film but a film about a brother and sister trying to survive after being isolated from society, having watched this film several times in the last two decades and even now, I still feel that the efficacy of “Grave of the Fireflies” lies in its message of the brutality of war but also how society reacted to those in need.

The brutality of war is logical, but in the story of these two characters trying to survive after the war, it was heartbreaking to see that those who survived the war and still had homes, there were a few who were not as sympathetic to these individuals who lost everything.  Even for a young teenage boy such as Keita and his young 4-year-old sister, there was a barely anyone wanting to help these children.

As a viewer, you were drawn to these children as we see the innocent brother and sister and eventually see the transition of two enthusiastic children full of life, including a slightly plump Setsuko but later to see them losing that enthusiasm and the site of a thin and near skeletal young 4-year-old is a devastating image.   You see the doctor telling Keita that she needs food, and he yells back “where do you expect me to get food?”…  It’s heartbreaking because it’s a different experience for those of us in the West who expect some sort of government assistance.  Who is there to help the children?  No one?

And at the time, when I first watched this film, I found it heartbreaking that no one would step-in to help these children, may it be the doctor, the adults or anyone who knew of the children’s plight, including the farmers.  I couldn’t fathom it.  But to contrast this film was Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Nobody Knows”, another film based on a true story but this time, children in Japan via the 1990′s and the result is similar for both films.  Boys having to play parent and raise their sibling(s), taking on that responsibility.  And while part of us hopes they can do it, we know deep inside that these young individuals thrust into that world of having to harden themselves and bear the responsibility of an acting parent is going to end in failure.  There is no money, there is no work to make money and without money, there is no food, no medicine…nothing.

But the overall efficacy of “Grave of the Fireflies” is its pacing but how it gives the viewers that time to see the tragedy unfold, but then seeing a child of innocence, wide-eyed, smiles and then its lasting image of a goodbye to the character which resonates in our mind of how war is so brutal and hoping for those who experience the film, to do something positive with that emotional being of helping those in need.  Not just in wartime but knowing that there are many people out there, who are in need.

As for the DVD release, the 2012 edition of “Grave of the Fireflies” is a welcomed release as the other 2-disc version is out-of-print.  While the older release does have really awesome special features, this new version is digitally remastered and restored.  With that being said, previous owners should not give up the original DVD release because of those special features, as the Sentai Filmworks version does not come with any.

Also, I was hoping that with the film being digitally remastered and restored, that would mean a simultaneous Blu-ray release.  Unfortunately, it’s only DVD for now, but seeing how Sentai Filmworks have been good in returning to titles that were once released in DVD and re-releasing them on Blu-ray, I hope they consider doing this in the near future.

Overall, “Grave of the Fireflies” is a profound film that still makes me cry no matter how many times I see it, and resonates strongly with me because of its heartbreaking storyline.  It’s definitely one of the best war films out there and should be experienced!  If you have never watched this film before, I highly recommend that you do.

 

Tales of the Abyss Vol. 3 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

The third volume of “Tales of the Abyss” is the most emotional and tragic volume yet! If you have watched this far into the series, you definitely want to watch vol. 3.  As the series is coming to a close, the final confrontation between Luke and friends vs. Van and the six generals begins.  Who will live and who will die?

Image courtesy of © 2008 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc./Sunrise, Bandai Visual, MBS. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Tales of the Abyss Vol. 3

ANIME RELEASE: 2008

DURATION: (Episodes 15-20) 150 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Full English Subtitles/Songs & Signs

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RATED: Suggested 13 and Up

RELEASED: February 7, 2012

Directed by Kenji Kodama

Series Composition by Akemi Omode

Music by Motoi Sakuraba

Original Character Design by Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Mechanical and Monster Design by Junya Ishigaki

Sound Director: Eriko Kimura

Director of Photography: Shigemi Ogawa

Anime Production by Bandai Visual/Namco/Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Chihiro Suzuki as Luke Fone Fabre

Yukana as Tear Grants

Halko Momoi as Anise Tatlin

Jouji Nakata as Van Grants

Michiko Neya as Natalia L. K. Lanvaldear

Miki Maruyama as Mieu

Sho Hayami as Lorelei

Takehito Koyasu as Jade Curtis

Yasunori Matsumoto as Guy Cecil

Yukana as Yulia Jue

Luke and Natalia have escaped from their home city after being accused of being imposters. They fnd out the Outer Lands are about to collapse, obliterating humankind unless someone stops the vibration of the planet’s core. But frst they need to overcome their pasts before saving the world, and Van Grants and his six God-Generals stand in their way.

It’s a race against time to prevent the world from ending in the third volume of “Tales of the Abyss”.

In Japan, one of the longest franchises for fantasy RPG is the “Tales” series from Namco Bandai games

The series began back in 1994 with “Tales of Phantasia” and as of 2011, the series currently on its 13th series with “Tales of Xillia”. But in 2005, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series, Namco Bandai celebrated with “Tales of the Abyss”, a video game that was created for the Sony PlayStation 2.

While there has been anime adaptations primarily in OVA format, in 2008, a full 26-episode TV series was created and aired in Japan from Oct. 2008 through March 2009.

And now the third volume of the anime series has been released in the United States courtesy of Bandai Entertainment in Feb. 2012 featuring episodes 15-20.

A SUMMARY OF WHAT “TALES OF THE ABYSS” IS ALL ABOUT:

“Tales of the Abyss” the anime series begins with a prophecy made by a religious figure named Yulia Jue, a Seventh Fonist who is able to read the future. Yulia has written the future in scores that are documented in Fonstones. But something happened and the Fonstones were shattered and scattered around the world.

And this has led to infighting and long standing war between the nations of Kimlasca-Landvaldear and Malkuth who have been collecting the Fonstones in order to know about their future and finding out before the other nation does. Fortunately, there has been peace declared in the planet of Auldrant and the nations have ceased any war or battling for quite some time.

The series then focuses around the character Luke fon Fabre, the youngest son of Duke Fabre of the Kimlasca Kingdom. His Uncle has the family has literally kept Luke captive within the grounds of their home and has not been able to leave. All he looks forward to is learning to fight by his Master Van. But because of the royal duty of his parents, Luke rarely sees his father. So, his closest relationships are with the servants, Master Van, his good friend and swordsman Guy Cecil (who happens to be afraid of physical contact with women for some reason) and he is engaged to Princess Natalia of Kimlasca-Landvaldear. A promise that was made between both Luke and Natalia when they were younger.

The problem is that Luke has no such memory of what took place when he was younger. He was kidnapped by the Malkuth Empire and was found but have lost any memories prior to when he was a teenager.

Another problem that Luke faces is a recurring “hyperresonance” within him that makes him loses control of some unknown power or to give him visions of something he is not sure of yet. In fact, sometimes he is able to hear voices but has no idea where it’s coming from. These situations began not long after the kidnapping.

One day, as his Master Van is given orders to look for Fon Master Ion, the leader of the Order of Lorelei who is missing, Master Van promises Luke a good day of training before he leaves.

As the two are sparring, a mysterious woman named Tear Grants comes towards the home of the fon Fabres and she renders everyone to sleep through the use of Fonic Hymns. Her goal is to kill Master Van and as she begins to fight him, Luke quickly comes between them and blocs her strike.

But somehow Luke’s mysterious power and Tear’s mysterious power somehow combines and both are transported a long way from home to some unknown destination.

Now both Luke and Tear Grants, who is revealed to be a Locrian Sergeant of the Order of Lorelei’s Intelligence Division are in the middle of nowhere and must find a way to get back home.

As the two try to get a ride to the Capital city, they find out that they are headed to the capital of the Malkuth Empire not the capital of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. And because Luke is a fon Fabre, his presence in Malkuth can be seen as hostile (and reignite the war). Fortunately, Tear is nearby to watch over him but she is surprised of how sheltered he had been because being out in the wide open, he has never seen animals, the ocean or villages ever in his life.

But through his adventures with Tear Grants, he begins to meet other people who end up joining him on his mission to return home but also to make sure there is peace in the world. Joining him are Jade Curtiss, a colonel of the Malkiuth Empire and is known as the feared “Jade the Necromancer”, Fon Master Ion who is trying to keep the piece between the nations, his bodyguard Anise Tatlin, a guardian of the Order of Lorelei (who is 13-years-old and has fallen for Luke), Luke’s good friend Guy Curtiss and a Cheagle named Mieu.

But there is a lot of deceit and corruption going on in the world, for some reason, the God Generals are trying to create trouble and kidnap Fon Master Ion.

Meanwhile, according to a score written by Yulia, a red-head child would be born to save the world. Because of his hyperresonance, a few who are familiar with Luke’s power feel that Luke may be the red-head child as prophesized to save the world. But one day, when the group are trying to rescue Fon Master Ion who was captured by the God Generals, Luke encounters Asch the Bloody. A man who has the same hair and same face as Luke?

WHAT HAPPENED IN “TALES OF THE ABYSS” VOL. 2:

The adventures continue with Luke and friends arriving to the land of Akzeriuth. Because Van has pretty much built Luke’s ego up to thinking that he will be the hero that will rescue everyone on Akzeriuth, while everyone is out helping the survivors who are suffering from the miasma (a poisonous pink cloud), Luke wanders away in a bit of anger that his friends are not listening to him and rather tend to the injured.

While roaming alone, Luke sees Van and Van lies to Luke that in order to protect Akzeriuth, he just needs to destroy the Sephiroth with his hyper-resonance.

Meanwhile, Asch arrives and tries to prevent Luke from destroying the Sephiroth but Luke doesn’t want to listen and thinks that what his Master Van is telling him is the truth and that he will save the land of Akzeriuth. But when Luke destroys the resonance, Van reveals that Luke is nothing but a replica and Luke and Ion both collapse.

Asch, Tear and friends manage to arrive just in time to protect Luke and Ion but unfortunately, Akzeriuth is destroyed in the process and thousands are killed.

When Luke awakens, he is not sure what happens but he can tell by everyone’s face that they are upset with him. Luke learns that because he destroyed the Sephiroth, he was the person responsible for destroying Akzeriuth.

Also revealed is that humans live in an area called the outlands and their lands are being held up in the air by Sephiroths because the original land was consumed by the poisonous Miasma. And that the intent by Van is to take revenge on the destruction of homeland by destroying humanity on the outlands by destroying each Sephiroth.

Also revealed is why Luke and Asch have this special connection and that Asch is the original Luke Fon Fabre and Luke is nothing but a replica.

And now with his friends upset, a distraught Luke realizes that he has been a person who never lived his own life but was constantly listening to others of how he should live his life. And now, knowing the truth that he is only a replica, he wants to make things right once again and create his own destiny by starting anew.

In “Tales of the Abyss” Volume 3, it is a race against time as Van is trying to destroy the world.  Obsessed of his homeland being destroyed and that everyone is trying to follow the words of the Fonstones, Van wants to to create a new world where Fonstones do not exist but also for all humanity to die and start over.

Luke and friends must stop Van, but Van sends out his six generals to confront the team.

But this time around, these battles are to the death and tragedy hits both sides.  Who will live and who will die in this latest volume of “Tales of the Abyss”.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Tales of the Abyss” is presented in 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subtitles. For those who are familiar with the video game, the character designs are pretty much spot-on and the mechanical and monster designs are as well. A good balance of animation and CG, “Tales of the Abyss” is an adventure-based series which brings the characters to various locations and featuring a variety of characters. So, one of the major plus about the series is the constant moving around and scenery is not re-used over and over again.

Colors are vibrant, art backgrounds are well-painted and rendered. Character designs are very complimentary to the video game and for the most part, fans of “Tales of the Abyss” will find the overall animation to be quite solid for a TV series.

As for audio, “Tales of Abyss” is only in Japanese, no English dub and comes with English subtitles.

For the most part, I did enjoy the voice acting for the series but when it came to translations, I noticed a few changes to appeal to a Western audience, for example, when Luke tells Guy “Urusai!” (which means “shut-up!”), the English translation given was “Kiss my butt!”. Also, there were some English subtitles that I wondered if it was translated to sound a bit old English (with Master Van’s character), but I noticed it only happening in episode 1 but not on any other episode after.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tales of the Abyss Vol. 3″ includes the following special features:

• Textless Opening “Karma” Version 2
  
• Trailers – Bandai Entertainment Trailers

Tragic, heartbreaking and the most intense “Tales of the Abyss” by far  If you have invested your time in watching the previous episodes of this series, just know that after this volume, things will never be the same as there are a significant number of tragic deaths in this volume.

It was a given that Luke and friends would have to face the six guards again and again, but as the group must do all they can to stop the world from being destroyed, they have no choice but to fight to the death.

While volume 2 had more revelations of what Van was planning, the true identity of Asch and what Luke truly is.  “Tales of the Abyss” also has a few surprises as we find out more about Fion Ion, Anisse’s actual role and who was responsible in the destruction of Guy’s homeland.

But it’s the battles that will captivate viewers and there are a good number of them, and surprisingly, a good number of people die.  And it’s probably best to leave it at that.

Fans of the “Tales of the Abyss” anime series will probably be surprised and shocked by this emotional volume but it definitely sets the story up for the final conflict in order to save the planet from destruction.

As for the DVD, there are six episodes and they are all presented in Japanese only with English subtitles.  There is only one special feature and while I wish there were more, but it all comes down to the anime series and its storyline.  And as a big fan of the “Tales” video games, “Tales of the Abyss”, the anime series has been entertaining since the first episode and I can’t wait to see how this series ends.

Overall, “Tales of the Abyss” is an exciting and enjoyable series! While volume three is possibly the most intense, tragic and emotional volume yet, I definitely recommend this anime series for those looking for an action/adventure anime series that is well-written, features cool characters and most of all, is one of the better video game to anime adaptations out there!

Check it out!

 

Broken Blade: The Complete Series (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

“Broken Blade: The Complete Series” is definitely one of the better mecha anime series to come out in the last decade.  All six films are included in this DVD collection and for any anime fan who loves mecha, will surely enjoy this series!  Recommended!

Image courtesy of © Yunosuke Yoshinaga, Flex Comic/BBPC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Broken Blade: The Complete Series

TV EPISODE RELEASE: 2010

DURATION: 6 Episodes (300 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV 14V

RELEASED: February 21, 2012

Original Creator: Yunosuke Yoshinaga

Chief Director: Tetsuro Amino

Director: Nobuyoshi Habara

Screenplay: Masashi Sogo

Music: Yoshihisa Hirano

Character Design by Takushige Norita

Art Director: Toshihiro Kohama

Mechanical Design: Takayuki Yanase

Anime Production: Production I.G., Xebec

Featuring the following voice talent:

Souichiro Hoshi/Greg Ayres as Rygart Arrow

Chiwa Saito/Emily Neves as Sigyn Erster

Hideyuki Umezu as Elekt

Hiroshi Kamiya/Leraldo Anzaldua as Zess

Kana Hanazawa/Brittney Karbowski as Cleo Saburafu

Kazuya Nakai as Borcuse

Kenichi Ogata as General Tool

Kenji Takahashi as Argass

Kikuko Inoue as Greta

Kousuke Toriumi as Girge

Marina Inoue/Shelley Calene-Black as Narvi Stryze (Narvi Stryza)

Masashi Sugawara/Chris Ayres as General Bard (General True)

Masumi Asano/Larry Christian as Legatz (Regatz)

Minoru Shiraishi/Dylan Godwin as Nair Stryze (Nile Stryze)

Nanaho Katsuragi/Luci Christian as Sakura

Ryoko Shiraishi as Nike

Takaya Hashi as Loquis

Takuma Terashima as Io

Tomoya Kawai/David Gorgritz as Logen G. Garf Ensance

In Cruzon, children are born with the ability to control quartz. This power allows them to levitate simple objects – or control enormous and complex mobile battle suits called Golems. But when an ancient Golem is discovered during the height of a brutal war, a young king and his beautiful queen turn to Rygart Arrow. Though an “un-sorcerer,” Rygart can miraculously pilot this ancient and powerful weapon. But in war, school friends can turn into bitter enemies and allies have suspicious motives.

In 2007, mangaka (manga illustrator/writer) Yunosuke Yoshinaga would create his manga series “Break Blade”.  The manga would be published via Flex Comic and is currently ongoing in Japan, with a total of ten volumes having been printed.

In 2010, anime studio Production I.G. and Xebec would go on to create an anime adaptation which was directed by Nobuyoshi Habara (“Jankenman”, “Kikaider”, “Sorcerer Hunters”) and screenplay by Masashi Sogo (Fairy Tail”, “Gantz”, “Shadow Skill”).  Music is by Yoshihisa Hirano (“Air Master”, “Beyblade”, “Maria Watches Over Us”), character design by Takushige Norita (“Lagrange – The flower of Rin-ne”), art direction by Toshihiro Kohama (“The Big O”, “Heroic Age”, “Saikano”, “Solty Rei”, “Spice and Wolf”) and mechanical direction by Takuya Matsumura (“Love Hina”, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex”, “Fullmetal Alchemist”).

A total of six animated films were created and featured the theme song “Fate” by Kokia and ending themes “SERIOUS-AGE” by Faylan” and “Nageki no Oto” by Kokia.  The films are based on the manga but because the story is ongoing, the ending of the sixth film had to deviate and add a sense of closure.

And now all six films will be released as “Broken Blade: The Complete Series” on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States courtesy of Sentai Filmworks.

“Broken Blade” takes place during a time where all people are born with the abilities to control and empower quartz and can use magic, may it be to levitate, operate machiner or ride the giant mecha robots for the military known as “Golems”.

But rarely is one born without magic abilities, one such person is Rygart Arrow.  Born as un-sorcerer with no magic abilities as with his younger brother.  Both were raised on a farm by their father and raised them to be strong, knowing that society would look at them as outcasts.

Rygart’s father took out loans in order for his son to attend the Assam military school where he became good friends with Zess, Hodr and Sigyn and their group was known as the “four problem children of Assam’s Military School”.

Fast forward to the future, Rygart is now 25-years-old and he is invited to Binonten, the capital city of Krisna where his friend Hodr is now the King of Krishna and is married to Sigyn, Queen of Krishna.

Both Hodr and Sigyn wonder why Rygart didn’t attend their wedding, as they are very close friends but as the three try to make up time lost, Rygart learns bad news from his good friend.

The nation of Assam has fallen because of a coup d’etat by the Athens Commonwealth and now, this group has their sights on Krishna.  A small Golem taskforce has been sent to the city, which surprises Rygart.  But even more surprising, the attack is being led by their good friend Zess.

Rygart can’t believe that one of their friends would be involved in such a terrible thing and prefers if no one goes into war.  Hodr tells him that he doesn’t want to fight either and can surrender.  Rygart wants his friend to do just that, so there would not be any additional bloodshed.

But Hodr tells him that under the terms of the surrender set by the Athens Commonwealth, the royal family…he and Sigyn would have to be executed.  Which shocks and upsets Rygart.  In no way, does he want his good friends being killed.

Meanwhile, Hodr shows Rygart a top secret mine where an ancient mysterious Golem was found.  But no one knows how to operate or pilot it.

And as the two talk, Zess and the golems begin their attack on Binonten to capture Hodr and force him to surrender.  As everyone is escaping from the mine, Rygart ends up falling inside the ancient Golem cockpit and immediately is able to take control of it.

It appears that because Ryart was born as an un-sorcerer, only those who don’t possess magic can pilot the ancient golem.

And now, the peaceful Rygart must do what he can to protect Hodr, Sigyn and the people of Krisna against the Athens Commonwealth and his friend Zess.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Broken Blade: The Complete Series” is presented in 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen with audio in Japanese and English 5.1 Dolby Digital.  It is important to note that for anyone who wants the best version of “Broken Blade: The Complete Series”, may want to opt for the Blu-ray release as the picture quality and audio for this action-based, mecha anime film was definitely designed with HD in mind.

With that being said, when it comes to anime, Production I.G. is my top studio when it comes to production.  This studio really goes all out in ensuring wonderful backgrounds, fluid mecha battles to awesome character design and shading.  And because “Broken Blade” are “films” and not a TV series, you expect clarity and detail.

On DVD, all six films look very good but I must admit that part of me wanted to see the Blu-ray release because of the vibrant colors.  A lot of red and earthtone colors which typically means, those colors will pop on HD. But still, they look very good on DVD and for the most part, character and mechanical design for “Broken Blade” was well-done, especially when it focuses on close-up and emotions, the breaks and damage on the golems.

As for audio, the great news is that both soundtracks are in Dolby Digital 5.1.  Granted, this is one of those mecha anime films with tons of action which would sound a lot better in HD, still, the DVD doesn’t disappoint as there is a good amount of LFE and surround usage.  As for the voice acting, overall voice acting is good, the Japanese version is able to capture the emotional moments very well, but the English version was also well-done.  If anything, fans get the best of both worlds with two 5.1 soundtracks.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Broken Blade: The Complete Series” comes with the clean opening and closing animation themes plus Sentai Filmworks trailers.

Exciting and all-out mecha action, “Broken Blade” is a six-film series that will captivate you.  Featuring wonderful animation, character and mecha designs with a solid storyline, this is one of the better mecha anime storylines to come out in the last decade!

And I mean that.  Having watched many mecha anime series, I feel that within the last decade, there were too much attention trying to bring together fan service and mecha, but less on the deeper aspects of mecha and war.

Granted, perhaps the reason for that, is because studios wanted to step away from the Mobile Suit Gundam-style of storylines, and while there have been some series that stood out from the crowd such as “Gurren Lagann”, “Super Robot Wars”, “Macross Zero”, “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” to name a few, “Broken Blade” is a series that tries to bring that feeling of an underdog that rises to the occasion to fight for the greater good.

While not as emotionally deep as “Gunbuster”, what I found enjoyable about “Broken Blade” is that the protagonist Rygart leans more to the side of pacifism.  He doesn’t want to fight, he doesn’t want to kill anyone.  He just wants to find a peaceful alternative to war.

But it’s complicated because his best friends from the Academy are fighting on both opposite sides.  And if one surrenders, chances are that they will be killed.

Throughout the series, we see how Rygart is put into a position he doesn’t want to be in.  But he knows that his friends and many people are depending on him as he is the only one that has the power to fight against the enemy.  All his life, he was called an outcast, bullied because he was born without any magical powers and was one of the rare “un-sorcerers”, yet, here is a man with hardly any fighting ability, a peaceful man who is now called to fight because he is the only one that can pilot a golem because of his lack of magic.  What a conundrum!?

But this is a series that has a lot of edge to it.  Yes, it’s rated TV 14V but it has its fair share of profanity (for the English dub) and it helps keep this anime feeling real.  There is a lot of violence in this series, as this is war, but nothing too graphic.  If I had one problem is that “Broken Blade: The Complete Series” felt that it was too good to be a six-episode film series.  It’s something that could have been a TV series, explored the war and the characters a bit more.  Especially lengthen the rivalry between Rygart and the antagonist, Borcuse.  Also, explore more about Rygart and his friends, as it is quite evident that Queen Sigyn is in love with Rygart.  But doing my research, I learned that this is explored much more in the manga series.

I haven’t read the manga series, so I don’t know how much of the actual storyline had been cut or how much had made it to the anime series but because the story is still ongoing in Japan, I understand why the creators had to create an ending for the sixth film.  If anything, the series ends quite nicely and will entertain many who have no knowledge or will not seek the manga, since we will probably never see the complete series in the US ever again(three volumes were released by DC Comics imprint CMX, before the imprint was shut down).

In the end, “Broken Blade: The Complete Series” was very exciting, it’s one of the few mecha anime series in the last decade to have a unique, deep and dramatic storyline, intriguing characters, exciting action and for mecha fans, “Broken Blade” really does deliver in mecha action.

As mentioned, “Broken Blade: The Complete Series” is also available on Blu-ray and because this Blu-ray looks great and features a lot of action, I highly recommend going for the HD version if you had a choice.  Otherwise, the DVD version is very good.    The only thing that I wished the release had was special features, especially since these are films, so there should be some featurette, Japanese premiere Q&A or something included other than clean opening and ending animation themes.  But regardless, this is still a wonderful series worth watching!

Interested in an easily accessible, mecha anime series?   Definitely give “Broken Blade: The Complete Series” a chance!  Recommended!

 

Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

This series is totally insane! And if you thought season two was crazy, this third season is even crazier!  “Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three” features 24 five-minute episodes plus the Japanese fan event interviews, English dub commentaries and outtakes and more! If you have an open mind, are not politically correct, have a pretty good sense of humor, then “Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three” may be for you. Definitely worth checking out!

Image courtesy of © 2008-2010 Hidekaz Himaruya, Gentosha Comics/Italia Project. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Hetalia Axis Powers – Season Three

TV EPISODE RELEASE: 2009-2010

DURATION: Episodes 53-76 (120 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13 and Up

RELEASED: January 17, 2012

Directed by Bob Shirohata

Series Composition by Takuya Hiramitsu

Original Creator: Hidekaz Himaruya

Character Design by Masaaki Kannan

Animation Producer: Keiichi Matsuda

Anime Production: Studio DEEN

Featuring the following voice talent:

Daisuke Namikawa/Todd Haberkorn as Italy

Hiroki Takahashi/Christopher Bevins as Japan

Hiroki Yasumoto/Patrick Seitz as Germany

Katsuyuki Konishi/Eric Vale as America

Masaya Onosaka/J. Michael Tatum as France

Noriaki Sugiyama/Scott Freeman as United Kingdom

Yasuhiro Takato/Jerry Jewell as Russia

Yuki Kaida/Clarine Harp as China

Scott Freeman as England

Atsushi Kousaka/Mike McFarland as Estonia

Urara Takano/Monica Rial as Belarus

R. Bruce Elliott as Bishop

Kazutada Tanaka/Ryan Bijan as Poland

Katzutada Tanaka/Ryan Reynolds as Latvia

Scott Sager as Egypt

Atsushi Kousaka/Jonathan Brooks as Prussia

Atsushi Kousaka/Vic Mignona as Greece

The awesome international incidents never stop in Hetalia World Series! All your fave Allied and Axis boys are back, and they’ve brought a bunch of new guys to the party. You like to party, right? Duh.

 

Feel the tension build as Prussia plots an invasion of Austria’s happy little place. Try on a codpiece! Share in Spain’s pain as he does his best to look after little Romano. Run with stampeding kittens! Swoon at the awkward new bromance blossoming between Japan and Greece. Eat a yummy churro! Listen and learn as France teaches Italy about the birds and the bees. Avoid Sealand! Cheer as America befriends space aliens and whales. Truly, no matter whose flag you fly, it’s about to get all SQUEE up in here. Like, big time.

This limited edition comes with a purple bandana featuring Prussia.

Contains episodes 1-24.

Have you been looking for a unique and hilarious anime series? If so, “Hetalia Axis Powers” may be the series you are looking for.

Based on a comic and later adapted to a manga and anime series by Hidekaz Himaruya, “Hetalia Axis Powers” is an web-based anime series in which each episode is five minutes long. It also happens to be an allegorical interpretation of political and historical events during World War II. But instead of focusing on military leaders and watching countries at war, the series focuses on single men who represent their countries.

The term Hetalia is a portmanteau combining the words “hetare” (Japanese for “incompetent”) and “Italia” (Italy) and is meant to make light of Italy’s cowardice during World War II.

As of 2012, “Hetalia Axis Powers” is 103-episodes long (each episodes last 5-minutes long) and is directed by Bob Shirohata (“Gravitation”, “Let’s Dance with Papa”, “Diamond Daydreams”), series composition by Takuya Hiramitsu (“Hunter x Hunter”, “The Prince of Tennis”, “Read or Die”) and character designs by Masaaki Kannan (“Initial D: Third Stage, “Oishinbo”, “Urusei Yatsura”). Anime Production is by Studio DEEN (“07-Ghost”, “DNA^2″, “Ranma 1/2″, “Rurouni Kenshin”).

The first two seasons and the animated film were released by FUNimation Entertainment in 2010-2011 and now, the third season was released on DVD in Jan. 2012.

This time around, Romano is upset with Germany for being with his younger brother.  Greece wants to get closer with Japan, Poland and Lithuania working on a pact, China is getting tired of being pushed around, England captures Italy, Tony the alien lands in Roswell and Spain tries to rescue Romano from Turkey.

The series revolves around a group of characters that represent a nation which belongs to the Axis Powers or the Allied Forces and for the most part, a series that makes light on a country and focuses on The Axis Powers (N. Italy, Germany and Japan) who are the protagonists of the series.  Since season two, the series is now introducing more characters (countries):

N. Italy – A nation who is naive and always cheerful to the point that he annoys the others. He loves Italian culture and because he is always cute, the women love him. He represents the North while his brother represents the South (and he’s more of a jerk). Many of the episodes revolves around Italy. Also, very addicted to pasta and Italian food.

Germany – The serious nation who feels he is strong and not good with relationships but he is a by-the-book man who wants to make sure he trains Italy and Japan well because he has discovered friendship.

Japan – The hardworking, technology driven and business-like nation. Not used to being around with Westerners. He is not sure why these countries want to be buddy buddy and give him hugs. He doesn’t like hugs all that much. Also, eating food that is not Japanese.

In this anime series, the antagonists are the Allied Forces which include:

America - The hero who is full of energy and strength. He was raised by England but wants independence from him and also has a brother named Canada who is always silent. Also, lives with a gray alien.

England (Britain) – Irritable, can’t cook and foul mouth. Also, has the ability to see supernatural things. He can’t stand France and has a rivalry with America.

France – The romantic and likes to flirt with everyone. His older brother is Spain.

China – Distrusts Russia and loves Hello Kitty. He is also an immortal and always with pandas.

Russia – The tallest of the nations and can be innocent and cruel. Many nations are terrified of him.

VIDEO:

“Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three” is presented in 4:3. Character designs are good but it’s a series that is driven by its characters and not surroundings. Because it’s a web-based series, it’s not an anime series where you are going to see a lot of significant time for the painted artistic backgrounds. If anything, the focus of the series is primarily on its characters (the nations) and the expressions they give towards each others. More or less, focusing on the relationship of the nations.

There are some scenes that do show 3D such as water effects, some nicely detailed scenes when showing weapons and closeups on the weapons and there are some nicely painted watercolor like scenes during the Chibitalia scenes as well.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for audio, “Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three” is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Japanese Stereo 2.0. It’s important to note that the series is not action driven but is primarily dialogue driven and is quite clear through the front and center channels. There are a few scenes that uses sound on the surround channels but these scenes are very few.

As for the English and Japanese vocal tracks, if there is one major difference is how the dialogue is handled. The English dub utilizes profanity and takes liberty with some of the dialogue and story to make it more humorous for the American viewer. The English dub is quite hilarious!

A few key things I do want to note that the accents worked for this series. By no means are the accents perfect or right spot on but within the context of comedy, it works.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three” includes the following special features:

DISC 1:

• Episode 1 (53) – “Prussia and Romano are Roomies” Audio Commentary – Audio commentary featuring ADR director/writer Jami Marchi (narrator), Jonathan Brooks (Prussia) and Ian Sinclair (Romano)
• Episode 4 (56) – “Eastern Block Party” Audio Commentary - Audio commentary featuring ADR director/writer Jami Marchi (narrator), Joel McDonald (Poland) and Josh Grelle (Lithuania).
• Episode 6 (58) – “Revolutionary Brothers” Audio Commentary – Audio commentary featuring ADR director/writer Jami Marchi (narrator), Scott Freeman (Britain), Eric Vale (America/Canada) and J. Michael Tatum (France).

DISC 2:

• The Hidden History Hidden within Hetalia – A text based information segment that explains the historical connection of each episode.
  
• Hetalia Fan Event at the Tokyo International, Anime Fair 2010 - (37:24) In celebration of the third season of “Hetalia”, a special fan event was held at Anime Fair 2010.  Featuring Hiroki Takahashi (Japan), Daisuke Namikawa (Italy) and Hiroki Yasumoto (Germany).
• Hetalia Event in Tokushima, Part 1 - (18:25) Masaya Onosaka (France) and Katsuya Koshi (America) arriving at JR. Tokushima Station.
• Hetalia Event in Tokushima, Part 2 - (16:01) A few of the voice actors: Masaya Onosaka (France) and Katsuya Konishi (America) on a tour of Tokushima and arriving for a live special talk show held at Shimachi-Bashi East Park.
• Fan Event – (19:45) Featuring interviews with Hiroki Takashi (Japan) and Noriaki Sugiyama (England) in front of an all-female Japanese audience (4700 who were selected to attend the event) at the Sunshine 60 Observatory.
• Outtakes – (6:50) English dub outtakes
• U.S. Trailer – (1:02) Hetalia Axis Powers trailer.
• Textless Closing Song “Marukite Chikyuu”
• Textless Closing Song “Hata Futte Parade”

“Hetalia Axis Powers” is one of those series is fun, hilarious and quite crazy and it’s important to note that it does mock a lot of the things that happened during World War II and also the customs of certain countries in the characters (nations) as portrayed. Definitely not politically correct, not historically accurate and if anything, it’s more or less making light of how countries were towards each other but using a character to embody that nation.

The series is also immensely popular in Japan and around the world.  Not bad considering that this series is streamed digitally and each episode is only five minutes long.

The third season still focuses on various storylines which involve Hungary, Prussia, Greece, France, America, Japan and Germany.  If anything, the third season focuses on a variety of characters but this time around, the storylines are definitely appealing to a demographic who love to see the guys get closer together.  For example, the very unusual Greece tries to find ways to get closer to Japan (who is seen as angry) and talks about his love of cats and tries to get Japan to admit he likes cats and then Greece putting on cat ears and hoping Japan would rub his belly.

But the storyline for season three is less about Italy and Germany this time around but showcases Greece and Japan, Poland and Lithuania, Finland and Sweden visiting Poland and of course, we get to see how things strengthen between Germany and Italy (who fears that Germany hates his guts).

If anything, for me, I just found the series quite interesting to see how it would reinterpret certain situations from World War II within the characters and to see how wacky things would get. But most of all, It was also easy to watch since it’s only five minutes long. By saying that, it’s also a series that I wasn’t able to watch in a full sitting, it’s one of those series that you may want to watch a few episodes at a time but not at one sitting because in my case, I felt the antics were getting quite old and repetitive. So, I didn’t want to get burned out.

As for the DVD release, I will say that in terms of special features, this third season really delivers with the Japanese fan event and interviews.  So, those who love the Japanese voice acting or want to see how packed these events are, can definitely see it with their own eyes.  And for those who are fans of the English dub, there is three audio commentary tracks (the third commentary track was possibly the wildest English dub commentary that I have ever heard) and outtakes.

So, overall… “Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three” was a pretty awesome DVD release!

“Hetalia Axis Powers” is a unique, bizarre, quirky anime series. I liked how FUNimation Entertainment worked it’s “Crayon Shin-Chan” like humor into the development of the dialogue but because Hetalia does deal with how nations are with each other and its quirky interpretation of war and history (while Crayon Shin Chan dealt with perverseness and modern pop culture).  For the English dub, I like the fact that Jami Marchi was brought in to write for season three, she brought a hilarious element to the season and unlike past episodes which got old really quick with humor, she and the other writers did a pretty cool job with this season!  I know there are some who will enjoy this crazy humor and that every episode is five minutes long, but I can see others who may feel that this series is not their cup of tea.

If you have an open mind, are not politically correct, have a pretty good sense of humor, then “Hetalia Axis Powers: Season Three” may be for you. Definitely worth checking out!

 

The World God Only Knows: Season One (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

If you are looking for a TV series that is not dark, deep, perverted or violent you’ll enjoy the anime series, “The World God Only Knows”.  Fun, entertaining and recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2012 Sentai Filmworks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: The World God Only Knows: Season One

ANIME RELEASE: 2010

DURATION: Episodes 1-12 (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Full English Subtitles/Songs & Signs

COMPANY: Sentai Filmworks

RATED: TV 14D

RELEASED: January 24, 2012

Originally created by Tamiki Wakaki

Directed by Shigehito Takayanagi

Series Composition by Hideyuki Kurata

Music by Hayato Matsuo

Character Design: Akio Watanabe

Art Director: Ayumi Sato, Kayoko Tokou

Anime Production by Manglobe

Featuring the following voice talent:

Hiro Shimono/Chris Patton as Keima Katsuragi

Kanae Itō/Elysia de Lute Ima as Elysia de Lute Ima

Aoi Yūki/Hilary Haag as Mio Aoyama

Ayana Taketatsu/Kaytha Coker as Ayumi Takahara

Kana Hanazawa/Hilary Haag as Shiori Shiomiya

Nao Tōyama/Brittney Karbowski as Kanon Nakagawa

Ai Nonaka as Library committee chairman

Atsuko Tanaka/Elizabeth Bunch as Nikaidō-sensei

Hidetoshi Nakamura/Chris Hutchison as Mio’s father

Keima is a dating sim champion. Cute girls are rendered powerless by his irresistible game playing techniques. Too bad things aren’t that way in the real world… that is, until his tempting game playing causes a real live – and very bubbly – cute demon hunter named Elsie to materialize! Now Elsie wants Keima to help her free hot girls from sneaky demons who secretly possess them.

In 2008, manga artist Tamiki Wakaki created the series “Kami Nomi zo Shiru Sekai” (The World God Only Knows) which was serialized in “Weekly Shonen Sunday” and is still ongoing today.

In 2010, an anime adaptation of the series featuring 12-episodes were created and featured anime produced by Manglobe (“Deadman Wonderland”, “Samurai Champloo”, “Ergo Proxy”, “House of Five Leaves”).  The series is directed by Shigehito Takayanagi (“Galaxy Angel”, “Kanamemo”, “Trigun”), screenplay by Hideyuki Kurata (“Bamboo Blade”, “Excel Saga”, “R.O.D. – the TV-”), music by Hayato Matsuo (“Saint Tail”, “Transformers Armada”, “Saint Tail”), character design by Akio Watanabe (“Starship Girl Yamamoto Yohko”, “Nurse Witch Komugi”, “Akiba-Chan”) and art direction by Ayumi Sato (“Sacred Blacksmith”, “CANAAN”, “Hell Girl: Two Mirrors”) and Kayako Tokou (“House of Five Leaves”, “Heroman”, “Angel Beats!”).

The series revolves around Keima Katsuragi, a high school student who is obsessed with dating simulator videogames.  And because he is so good with these games, he is known on the Internet as “The God of Conquests” in which many all over the Internet would come to him for advice on how to handle situations in how to approach girls on these games.

But while he is a master at getting girls on the video games, because he is introverted, he has not been able to have any real girlfriends.  In fact, because he is constantly playing video games even in class, many in school regard him as an otaku.

Meanwhile, in Hell, there are problems as spirits from Hell have escaped and have possessed several girls.  And now, a demon from Hell and new Spirit Hunter named Elsie has been chosen to find someone in catching these spirits.  And because Keima is known as “The God of Conquests”, Elsie feels that he is the only person that can help her.

So, she sends him a contract for his help but for Keima, he thinks its an invitation to a video game and agrees.

Immediately, he is greeted by the cute and bubbly demon named Elsie and finds out from her that he has signed a contract, breaking the contract can lead to him being beheaded and killed.  And in order to complete the contract, he must help catch runaway spirits that have hidden inside the hearts of girls.  The only way she can get these spirits if Keima uses his method in “conquering” girl’s hearts and make them fall in love with him, thus filling their heart with love and pushing the spirits out of their body.

As Elsie adapts to the human world by becoming Keima’s illegitimate sister and attending his school and vouching for him (she has no idea that people think of him as an otaku), together they work in conquering a girl’s heart in order for her to catch the spirits and bring them back to Hell.

“The World God Only Knows: Season One” comes with twelve episodes. Here is spoiler-less summary of each episode:

• FLAG 0.0: God of Conquest - An OAV/short prologue introducing Elsie as she becomes a spirit hunter.
  
• FLAG 1.0: Love Makes the World Go Round – The introduction of Keima and how he must get through Ayumi’s heart.
• FLAG 2.0: Demon of a Sister – Elsie becomes Keima’s illegitimate sister and both run into Mio Aoyama, a rich girl.
• FLAG 3.0: Drive My Car – Keima and Elsie learn that he must free Mio’s heart.
• FLAG 4.0: On a Crusade – Keima is hooked on the game “Crayon” but the game is full of bugs and keeps looping and requires Elsie’s help.
• FLAG 5.0: IDOL BOMB!! – Elsie is a big fan of pop idol Kanon Nakagawa, but when she goes to visit Keima’s school and finds out that he is not interested in her, she is shocked and depressed and tries to win him over to her music.
• FLAG 6.0: I’m Ordinary – Kanon is turning invisible because of the spirit is inside her.  Can Keima help her?
• FLAG 7.0: Shining Star – Kanon prepares for her concert but her negative thoughts cause her to become invisible.
• FLAG 8.0: Coupling with with with – Elsie accidentally unleashes a Mandragon towards Elsie.
• FLAG 9.0: Inside & Outside the Big Wall – Keima wants Elsie to learn more about modern human history at the library, and while at the library she meets Shiori Shiomiya and detects a spirit inside her.
• FLAG 10.0: Inside of Me… – What strategy will Keima use in order to free Shiori’s spirit?
• FLAG 11.0: The Last Day – Shiori locks herself and barricades the library to prevent them from disposing the books, Keima tries to help her by sneaking into the library and confront her.
• FLAG 12.0: More Than a God, Less Than a Human – Because Keima has been busy catching spirits, he has a backlog of new games that he hasn’t played, so now he must go into “God of Conquest Mode” in order to play all six.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“The World God Only Knows” is presented in 16:9 anamorphic widescreen and is presented in English and Japanese 2.0.

It is important to note that if you want the best video and audio quality for “The World God Only Knows”, a Blu-ray version of the series will be released on the same day.  As for the DVD, “The World God Only Knows” is a colorful anime series featuring a good amount of the detail on character animation and art backgrounds.  While I’m sure the Blu-ray version is much more vibrant with much better black levels and clarity, for the most part, the DVD quality is good, although it does have the usual softness that you come to see from anime TV series.

As for audio, both soundtracks are in 2.0 stereo and is front-channel driven.  English voice acting is well-done on both the Japanese and English soundtracks.  Especially the music which comes out quite cleary during Kanon Nakagawa’s story arc.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“The World God Only Knows: Season One” includes the following special features:

• Music Videos – Featuring Kanon Nakagawa’s music videos.
  
• Clean Opening Animation
• Clean Closing Animation

Charming, heartwarming and fun, “The World God Only Knows” is an entertaining comedy series.

While the character of Keima and his passion for dating sims may not break any new ground for anime series (the anime series “Chaos: Head” takes a more darker approach to an obsessed otaku gamer), what I did enjoy about the concept of “The World God Only Knows” is its approach to Keima and Elsie trying to capture these spirits.

The series could have gone the banal route of becoming a harem anime series as Keima does use his charm in order to help each of these girls that have spirits within him, but one thing I would like to see explored is Keima’s growth as a person.  The first season focuses on Keima, an obsessed otaku learning how to communicate with “2D” (real women) rather than video game girls, so you hope to see him make the transition in becoming a person from the experiences that he learns from each girl that he helps.

So, it would be interesting to see how things change with the character by season two, if there are any changes at all or if he’s literally going to stay as this introverted video game otaku, which would be sad.

As for the DVD, as mentioned earlier, if you want the best video and audio, you will definitely want to go with the Blu-ray release for “The World God Only Knows” otherwise, the DVD is still good, a bit soft on the picture quality but that is quite common with a lot of anime TV series.  You do get the Kanon Nakagawa music videos which was a nice addition to the opening and closing themes.

Overall, if you are looking for a TV series that is not dark, deep, perverted or violent you’ll enjoy the anime series, “The World God Only Knows”.  Fun, entertaining and recommended!

 

Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2: Limited Edition (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

The story gets even deeper, more tragic but still this series remains addictive!  Definitely one of the better video game to anime adaptations out there!  If you love anime adventure anime series, “Tales of the Abyss” is recommended!

Image courtesy of © 2008 NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc./Sunrise, Bandai Visual, MBS. All Rights Reserved.

TITLE: Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2

ANIME RELEASE: 2008

DURATION: (Episodes 8-14) 175 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Full English Subtitles/Songs & Signs

COMPANY: Sunrise/Bandai Entertainment

RATED: Suggested 13 and Up

RELEASED: January 3, 2012

Directed by Kenji Kodama

Series Composition by Akemi Omode

Music by Motoi Sakuraba

Original Character Design by Yoshihito Hishinuma

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Mechanical and Monster Design by Junya Ishigaki

Sound Director: Eriko Kimura

Director of Photography: Shigemi Ogawa

Anime Production by Bandai Visual/Namco/Sunrise

Featuring the following voice talent:

Chihiro Suzuki as Luke Fone Fabre

Yukana as Tear Grants

Halko Momoi as Anise Tatlin

Jouji Nakata as Van Grants

Michiko Neya as Natalia L. K. Lanvaldear

Miki Maruyama as Mieu

Sho Hayami as Lorelei

Takehito Koyasu as Jade Curtis

Yasunori Matsumoto as Guy Cecil

Yukana as Yulia Jue

War is aborted between the two dominant nations of the planet Auldrant, and the King of Kimlasca appoints Luke to be a goodwill ambassador in order to rescue a mining town in enemy territory. The noble heir apparent is excited with the chance to be a hero… but little does he know that General Van plans to use the spoiled kid’s hyper-resonance superpower to cause an enormous disaster.

Accompanied by magical warriors Jade the Necromancer, Colonel of the Malkuth Imperial Forces, and Tear Grants, Locrian Sergeant of the Order of Lorelei, Luke’s adventure continues through this alternate-reality world of swords and sorcery.

“Tales of the Abyss” Vol. 2 feature a more deeper, complex storyline as the truth about Luke and Asch is revealed!

In Japan, one of the longest franchises for fantasy RPG is the “Tales” series from Namco Bandai games

The series began back in 1994 with “Tales of Phantasia” and as of 2011, the series currently on its 13th series with “Tales of Xillia”. But in 2005, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series, Namco Bandai celebrated with “Tales of the Abyss”, a video game that was created for the Sony PlayStation 2.

While there has been anime adaptations primarily in OVA format, in 2008, a full 26-episode TV series was created and aired in Japan from Oct. 2008 through March 2009.

And now the second volume of the anime series will be released in the United States courtesy of Bandai Entertainment in Jan. 2012 featuring episodes 8-14.  A limited edition version of “Tales of the Abyss” vol. 2 will be released and will include the second and final part of “Tales of the Abyss: Asch the Bloody” (a side tale featuring Asch).

SUMMARY OF VOLUME 1:

“Tales of the Abyss” the anime series begins with a prophecy made by a religious figure named Yulia Jue, a Seventh Fonist who is able to read the future. Yulia has written the future in scores that are documented in Fonstones. But something happened and the Fonstones were shattered and scattered around the world.

And this has led to infighting and long standing war between the nations of Kimlasca-Landvaldear and Malkuth who have been collecting the Fonstones in order to know about their future and finding out before the other nation does. Fortunately, there has been peace declared in the planet of Auldrant and the nations have ceased any war or battling for quite some time.

The series then focuses around the character Luke fon Fabre, the youngest son of Duke Fabre of the Kimlasca Kingdom. His Uncle has the family has literally kept Luke captive within the grounds of their home and has not been able to leave. All he looks forward to is learning to fight by his Master Van. But because of the royal duty of his parents, Luke rarely sees his father. So, his closest relationships are with the servants, Master Van, his good friend and swordsman Guy Cecil (who happens to be afraid of physical contact with women for some reason) and he is engaged to Princess Natalia of Kimlasca-Landvaldear. A promise that was made between both Luke and Natalia when they were younger.

The problem is that Luke has no such memory of what took place when he was younger. He was kidnapped by the Malkuth Empire and was found but have lost any memories prior to when he was a teenager.

Another problem that Luke faces is a recurring “hyperresonance” within him that makes him loses control of some unknown power or to give him visions of something he is not sure of yet. In fact, sometimes he is able to hear voices but has no idea where it’s coming from. These situations began not long after the kidnapping.

One day, as his Master Van is given orders to look for Fon Master Ion, the leader of the Order of Lorelei who is missing, Master Van promises Luke a good day of training before he leaves.

As the two are sparring, a mysterious woman named Tear Grants comes towards the home of the fon Fabres and she renders everyone to sleep through the use of Fonic Hymns. Her goal is to kill Master Van and as she begins to fight him, Luke quickly comes between them and blocs her strike.

But somehow Luke’s mysterious power and Tear’s mysterious power somehow combines and both are transported a long way from home to some unknown destination.

Now both Luke and Tear Grants, who is revealed to be a Locrian Sergeant of the Order of Lorelei’s Intelligence Division are in the middle of nowhere and must find a way to get back home.

As the two try to get a ride to the Capital city, they find out that they are headed to the capital of the Malkuth Empire not the capital of Kimlasca-Lanvaldear. And because Luke is a fon Fabre, his presence in Malkuth can be seen as hostile (and reignite the war). Fortunately, Tear is nearby to watch over him but she is surprised of how sheltered he had been because being out in the wide open, he has never seen animals, the ocean or villages ever in his life.

But through his adventures with Tear Grants, he begins to meet other people who end up joining him on his mission to return home but also to make sure there is peace in the world. Joining him are Jade Curtiss, a colonel of the Malkiuth Empire and is known as the feared “Jade the Necromancer”, Fon Master Ion who is trying to keep the piece between the nations, his bodyguard Anise Tatlin, a guardian of the Order of Lorelei (who is 13-years-old and has fallen for Luke), Luke’s good friend Guy Curtiss and a Cheagle named Mieu.

But there is a lot of deceit and corruption going on in the world, for some reason, the God Generals are trying to create trouble and kidnap Fon Master Ion.

Meanwhile, according to a score written by Yulia, a red-head child would be born to save the world. Because of his hyperresonance, a few who are familiar with Luke’s power feel that Luke may be the red-head child as prophesized to save the world. But one day, when the group are trying to rescue Fon Master Ion who was captured by the God Generals, Luke encounters Asch the Bloody. A man who has the same hair and same face as Luke?

How can this be possible?

ONTO “TALES OF THE ABYSS” VOL. 2:

The adventures continue with Luke and friends arriving to the land of Akzeriuth.  Because Van has pretty much built Luke’s ego up to thinking that he will be the hero that will rescue everyone on Akzeriuth, while everyone is out helping the survivors who are suffering from the miasma (a poisonous pink cloud), Luke wanders away in a bit of anger that his friends are not listening to him and rather tend to the injured.

While roaming alone, Luke sees Van and Van lies to Luke that in order to protect Akzeriuth, he just needs to destroy the Sephiroth with his hyper-resonance.

Meanwhile, Asch arrives and tries to prevent Luke from destroying the Sephiroth but Luke doesn’t want to listen and thinks that what his Master Van is telling him is the truth and that he will save the land of Akzeriuth.  But when Luke destroys the resonance, Van reveals that Luke is nothing but a replica and Luke and Ion both collapse.

Asch, Tear and friends manage to arrive just in time to protect Luke and Ion but unfortunately, Akzeriuth is destroyed in the process and thousands are killed.

When Luke awakens, he is not sure what happens but he can tell by everyone’s face that they are upset with him.  Luke learns that because he destroyed the Sephiroth, he was the person responsible for destroying Akzeriuth.

Also revealed is that humans live in an area called the outlands and their lands are being held up in the air by Sephiroths because the original land was consumed by the poisonous Miasma.  And that the intent by Van is to take revenge on the destruction of homeland by destroying humanity on the outlands by destroying each Sephiroth.

Also revealed is why Luke and Asch have this special connection and that Asch is the original Luke Fon Fabre and Luke is nothing but a replica.

And now with his friends upset, a distraught Luke realizes that he has been a person who never lived his own life but was constantly listening to others of how he should live his life.  And now, knowing the truth that he is only a replica, he wants to make things right once again and create his own destiny by starting anew.

“Tales of the Abyss” Vol. 2 comes with seven episodes. Here is spoiler-less summary of each episode:

• EPISODE 8: Collapse - Luke and friends arrive to Azkeriuth.  Meanwhile, Van has a job for both Luke and Ion…what can it be?
  
• EPISODE 9: The Usurped ONE – Luke awakens, to find out that his egotistical decision has led to unbelievable tragedy.  And all is revealed of who Luke truly is.
• EPISODE 10: Return of Atonement – Luke and Tear return to the Outer Lands and he realizes that he must atone for what he has done.
• EPISODE 11: City of Falling Snow – Jade takes everyone to the port of Keterburg Bay for repairs.  Where he meets with his sister Nephry, the governor.
• EPISODE 12: Water Metropolis – The group arrives in Grand Chokmah and both must stop both the Malkuth and Kimlasca from going into war with each other.
• EPISODE 13: Outbreak of War – As the group splits in half in order to stop the war, all is revealed of Natalia’s true identity.
• EPISODE 14: Sealed Past – The group travels to Belken to stop the fallen lands from sinking into the Qliphoth. Meanwhile, something happens to Tear…

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Tales of the Abyss” is presented in 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subtitles. For those who are familiar with the video game, the character designs are pretty much spot-on and the mechanical and monster designs are as well. A good balance of animation and CG, “Tales of the Abyss” is an adventure-based series which brings the characters to various locations and featuring a variety of characters. So, one of the major plus about the series is the constant moving around and scenery is not re-used over and over again.

Colors are vibrant, art backgrounds are well-painted and rendered. Character designs are very complimentary to the video game and for the most part, fans of “Tales of the Abyss” will find the overall animation to be quite solid for a TV series.

As for audio, “Tales of Abyss” is only in Japanese, no English dub and comes with English subtitles.

For the most part, I did enjoy the voice acting for the series but when it came to translations, I noticed a few changes to appeal to a Western audience, for example, when Luke tells Guy “Urusai!” (which means “shut-up!”), the English translation given was “Kiss my butt!”. Also, there were some English subtitles that I wondered if it was translated to sound a bit old English (with Master Van’s character), but I noticed it only happening in episode 1 but not on any other episode after.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2″ includes the following special features:

• Textless Ending “Bouken Suisei”
  
• Trailers – Bandai Entertainment Trailers

EXTRAS:

“Tales of the Abyss Vol. 2: Limited Edition” comes with a slipcase and a copy of “Tales of the Abyss: Asch the Bloody Vol. 2″ manga.  The manga is the second and final graphic novel featuring the quest of Asch the Bloodyy not featured in the anime series.

In the beginning episodes of “Tales of the Abyss”, the series was lighthearted, humorous and all-out fun.  But as the series progressed, the story became much more deeper and serious and with these episodes of vol. 2, “Tales of the Abyss” has become even more serious as major tragedies take place, the identities of Asch and Luke, as well as Natalia has been revealed.  And not just that, we also get to know more about why Van, the man that Luke had trusted…has become the man he must stop.

Suffice to say, these episodes are much deeper than before and the adventures of Luke and friends have really become quite intriguing as there is a lot of conspiracy taking place and things are not as they seem.

“Tales of the Abyss” has everything that you look for in an adventure series based on the video game. A lot of action, monsters and the progression of a character through the adventure.

Also, featured are enjoyable characters such as the naive Luke, the mysterious Jade, the friend/enemy Tear, the chirpy Anise, to name a few… This is the kind of video game to anime adaptations that I tend to enjoy the most because it is based on a video game series and draws heavily on it, unlike another popular video game series which has had anime series that typically have no ties to a video game but only in title.  It also helps that the series is coming out to the USA in coordination with the video game Nintendo 3DS release of “Tales of the Abyss” in Feb. 2012.

So far, this first volume literally kept me glued to the whole series and just watching episode after episode…I enjoyed it a lot and I can’t wait for volume 3.  The adventures and also the challenges that Luke and the others must go through has continued to escalate more and more with each episode.  It a complex series but easy to follow, enjoy and it’s so darn addictive!  It’s that good!

As for the DVD, it’s only Japanese dialogue with English subtitles and there is only one special feature. But for a Bandai Entertainment release, I’m glad that there are seven episodes, rather than just four. So, I suppose to make up for the fact that there is no English dub or that many special features, we are treated with more episodes.  The limited edition does have the “Tales of the Abyss: Asch the Bloody” vol. 2 manga which was a very cool addition, especially for those who are wondering what is happening to Asch behind the scenes when Luke and the others are on their adventures.

Overall, “Tales of the Abyss” is an exciting and enjoyable series!  Definitely recommended for those looking for an action/adventure anime series that is well-written, features cool characters and most of all, is one of the better video game to anime adaptations out there!

 

Blue Exorcist Vol. 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

As the “Blue Exorcist” vol. 2 continues to introduce more characters, feature even more action-packed episodes in combination with its beautiful visual style, “Blue Exorcist” is shaping up to be one of my favorite anime series to catch on DVD for 2012!  The series has gotten better and better with each episode and is recommended!

PLEASE PURCHASE THIS ANIME SERIES FROM RIGHTSTUF

Image courtesy of © 2009 by Kazue Kato/SHUEISHA, Blue Exorcist Committee, MBS. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Blue Exorcist Vol. 2

DURATION: Episodes 8-13 (175 minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0, 16:9 LB, Dolby Digital

COMPANY: Aniplex Inc.

RATED: Suggested 13 and Up

RELEASE DATE: January 24, 2011

Based on the manga by Kazue Kato

Directed by Tensai Okamura

Series Composition by Ryota Yamaguchi

Music by Hiroyuki Sawano

Character Design by Keigo Sasaki

Art Director: Masatoshi Kai

Chief Animation Director: Keigo Sasaki

Anime Production: A-1 Pictures

Featuring the following voice talent:

Jun Fukuyama as Yukio Okumura

Kana Hanazawa as Shiemi Moriyama

Kazuya Nakai as Ryūji Suguro

Nobuhiko Okamoto as Rin Okumura

Ayahi Takagaki as Kuro

Eri Kitamura as Izumo Kamiki

Hiroshi Kamiya as Mephisto Pheles

Keiji Fujiwara as Shirō Fujimoto

Koji Yusa as Renzō Shima

Rina Satou as Shura Kirigakure

Tetsuya Kakihara as Amaimon

Yuuki Kaji as Konekomaru Miw

“Assiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons. Normally, these two dimensions would never intersect, but having possessed all material substances, the demons are now intruding on the material world. But among the human race, there are those who can exorcise such demons.”
- the Exorcists.

Rin Okumura and his twin brother Yukio have been raised by Shiro Fujimoto, an eminent priest, so it comes as a shock when Rin discovers their biological father is actually Satan! As the border between “Assiah” (the human world) and “Gehenna” (the demon world) is crossed by evil, Rin vows to become the ultimate exorcist and defeat his own father. To hone his raw skills, Rin enters True Cross Academy to train with other exorcist candidates.

As the “Blue Exorcist” series (vol. 2) continues to introduce more characters in adventurous settings and its exciting action-paced format and beautiful visual style, “Blue Exorcist” is shaping up to be one of my favorite anime series to catch on DVD.

“Ao no Exorcist” (Blue Exorcist) is an anime adaptation of a manga series written and illustrated by Kazue Kato, a mangaka who won a Tenkaichi Manga Award back in 1999 at the age of 19 and won a Tezuka Award in 2000 for his manga “The Witch and the Rabbit”.  Kato is also known for his 2006 manga series “Robot Usakichi” (Space Traveler Robo & Usakichi).

“Blue Exorcist” was serialized on Jump Square Magazine by Shueisha since April 2009 and is still an ongoing manga series (as of January 2012, there have been a total of 30 chapters released).

With the popularity of the manga series, an anime adaptation was produced by A-1 Pictures with Hitoshi Okamura as the producer.  The series began back in April 2011 and 25-episodes have aired in Japan.  And now the second volume of “Blue Exorcist” will be released on DVD courtesy of Aniplex.

The anime series revolves around a hotheaded teenager named Rin Okumura. Both he and his brother Yukio have been raised by Father Fujimoto at the Cross Academy Town – Southern Cross Boys Monastery. While Yuki shows great intelligence and is attending school at True Cross Academy to become a doctor, Rin is quite the opposite. He tends to get himself in trouble, fights a lot and is continually told by Father Fujimoto to find a job.

Unfortunately for Rin, finding and holding onto a job is difficult. But one day, while working at a supermarket, he sees a monster in a girl’s scarf. He tells Father Fujimoto of what he has seen and Father Fujimoto starts to fear that something is happening. One day, Rin encounters a group of thugs and its leader that he had beaten up earlier and suddenly sees him turn into a demon. The demon tells Rin that satan is waiting for him and immediately, Father Fujimoto is there to save him and exorcise the demon. Fortunately, Father Fujimoto is there to help but it is all revealed to Rin about why he can see monsters.

It’s the fact that he is not truly human. He is the son of a human woman and satan. And the monsters he have seen, it is explained to Rin that in the world, there is Assiah, the realm of humans, and Gehenna, the realm of demons. Both are not supposed to come in contact with each other but they have and as an exorcist, it is his duty to send the demons back to where they belong. And satan wants to reunite with his son.

To protect Rin, Father Fujimoto gives him the Kamkakushi key, so he can hide anything. And he is also given the Koma Sword, a magic sword passed down from generation to generation and a sword where Rin’s powers have been sealed since birth. Rin’s flame resides inside the sword and is sealed by the scabbard. If he draws it, he will assume his demonic nature and will never be able to live as a human again.

One day, he and Father Fujimoto try to prepare for an imminent attack and tells Rin that he must seek shelter where satan can’t get to him but Rin takes it as his father trying to get rid of him forever. In return, Rin said some hurtful things to Father Fujimoto and the pain that Father Fujimoto felt was enough for satan, the demon to possess him.

Satan shows up to claim his son and attacks Father Fujimoto. Satan reveals that he created Rin from a human woman in order to create a container that would be powerful enough to hold him.

But it’s something that Father Fujimoto will not let happen to the boy, he looked at as a son. In order to save Rin, Father Fujimoto risks his own life to keep satan away and is killed in the process.

Now Rin mourns for the one person he knew as his father and when Mephisto Pheles, a friend of Father Fujimoto comes to visit, he tells him that they represent the Knights of the True Cross and they exorcise demons. And Rin has two choices, they will kill him, or he kills the demons. Instead, Rin tells him that he could care less about being human or a demon, he wants to become an exorcist like Father Fujimoto and avenge him and that means defeating his own father.

So, from that point on, Rin must be trained to become an exorcist and will have to follow special rules (which includes not revealing his true nature). But the first thing that he will need to do is enroll at the same school that his brother Yukio attends. When Rin sees his brother, Yukio is in the top of the class and that he is a special leader that people follow at the school and he is no longer the scrawny younger brother he once knew.

As Rin is now a student at the Knights of the True Cross, many of the elders are not too thrilled because Rin is the son of Satan and because Rin tends to be more of a hothead, they are not too sure if he can fit into the Academy.  But Rin is determined to make good on his promise to his deceased father and to protect people, but most of all, to kill satan.

With volume 2 of “Blue Exorcist”, the story continues as Rin continues to study along with his classmates and each are trying to be Esquires, in order to take on various missions.  But others at the Academy and the higher ups want to test Rin and find out if he is a person that can be taught and eventually fight with the other exorcists in defeating demons and satan himself.

While people question a demon being an exorcist, for Rin, he makes a goal that one day, he will become a Paladin (highest level of exorcism) like his adoptive father, Father Shiro and prove that because he is satan’s son, that having a caring father like Shiro can make a big change in the life of a person, even if they are a demon.

“Blue Exorcist Vol. 2″ features episodes 8-13 on one DVD. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

• EPISODE 8 – Now a Certain Man Was Sick - When the class is punished because of Kamiki and Bon’s argument, the students are attacked by a ghoul.
• EPISODE 9 – Memories – The students learn that the ghoul attack was part of their Esquire exam.  Meanwhile, Neuhaus is planning to test Rin.
• EPISODE 10 – Black Cat – Father Shiro’s familiar, a demon cat named Kuro has gone crazy when he finds out that Shiro has died.  Not believing any of it, the Academy considers killing it.  But Rin can read the cat’s true feelings.
• EPISODE 11 – Demon of the Deep Seas  – Rin, Izumo and Shima are sent on their first mission as Esquires to find out about attacks made by the Kraken.  The three meet a boy who awaits his father who went to face the Kraken six months earlier.
• EPISODE 12 – A Game of Tag – The Esquires must look for the ghost of a child haunting Mephisto Pheles’ amusement park.  But Rin is attacked by the higher demon named Amaimon.
• EPISODE 13 – Proof – Rin encounters Shura Kiragakure, a high level exorcist and former apprentice of Father Shiro.

NOTE:  Also, included with this volume 2 is the OVA “Kuro’s Trip Away” which came with the final Japanese Blu-ray/DVD release.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Blue Exorcist” is presented in 16:9 lb and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 with English subtitles. The anime production is well-done. The surrounding environments are well-detailed, painted nicely, while the character designs are vibrant, clear and I wouldn’t be surprised if this series is given the Blu-ray treatment in the near future because it looks very good on DVD.

If anything, character designer Keigo Sasaki (“Night Raid 1931″, “Sengoku Basara”) does a great job of bringing the characters from Kazue Kato’s manga series to life, while art director Masatoshi Kai (“Akira”, “Dead Girls”, “Earthian”, “Red Garden”) did a wonderful job in bringing the series to life with the scenery and painted backgrounds.

I’m pretty impressed of how this anime looks visually.

As for audio, audio is clear coming from the front channels. I personally had my receiver set to stereo on all channels for a more immersive soundtrack. But dialogue is understandable and English subtitles are easy to read.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Blue Exorcist, Vol. 2″ features the following special features:

• Unaired Special Episode – Kuro Runs Away From Home – Kuro is upset that Rin teases him about food and Yukio tries to discipline him about his cat poop.  So, Kuro decides to runaway from home and realizes that perhaps living with Rin and Yukio is better than living without them.
  
• URA-EX (Bonus Short Movies) – Featuring three short omake anime stories (about 1:20 per omake) that are shown after an episode is completed.
• Web Previews – Featuring the “next episode” previews voiced by various demon characters (about 17 seconds each).
• Textless OP – Blue Exorcist opening theme without text.
• Textless ED - Blue Exorcist ending theme without text.
  
• Credits – Text based credits
• Aniplex Trailers

EXTRAS:

“Blue Exorcist” Vol. 2 comes with a slipcover case,  2-sided reversible cover, exclusive 2-sided poster and an O-sleeve with key visual art.

Highly entertaining, enjoyable and action-packed, “Blue Exorcist” has proved itself to be an exciting series, but the episodes featured in the second volume is much better in storyline compared to the first seven episodes.  I love where this series is headed and the additional characters featured, really make “Blue Exorcist” an anime series worth watching.

In my last review, I did have a few comparisons to the series “Naruto” as he was the person no one wanted to be around, mainly because he had a demon inside him but yet, he vowed to fight for those he cares about and one day to become the village leader.  For “Blue Exorcist”, Rin is similar in the fact that he is misunderstood, is a demon, but he wants to fight for those he cares about and to become a Paladin like the man who raised him.

And both share the similarity in that village leaders are concerned with Naruto (having the demon inside him) and for Rin of “Blue Exorcist”, you have exorcists who were wiped out by satan, also concerned that what if Rin turns out to be evil and is uncontrollable.

But despite the similarities and the fact that these students must work together on missions, there are some twists as people responsible for watching over Rin, may have their own personal agenda.  Also, unlike “Naruto” which was geared towards children, there is a lot of violence in this series, to the point where Rin is often stabbed by a sword.  Granted, he is healed but there is a bit of blood and violence at times.

As for the overall series, the character designs are actually pretty cool, especially the costume designs for the characters. Also, the art backgrounds for this series is nicely detailed and range from pastels to really vibrant colors.  Something you typically don’t see in a TV Series.  And as for special features, the fact that this second volume DVD includes the OVA of “Kuro Runs Away From Home”, is actually a wonderful treat for fans who don’t have to wait until the final volume to watch this OVA (and including this episode on vol. 2 of the DVD release is relevant, since we are introduced to Kuro in episode 10).  And keeping with aniplex’s dedication to swag, fans will be delighted with the inclusion of a poster, 2-sided reversible cover and O-sleeve with key visual art.

“Blue Exorcist” has a good balance of humor, action and an interesting concept in balance with awesome animation and beautiful art backgrounds.  While the action may be it a bit too visual for younger anime viewers (as this is suggested for 13 and up), I have to admit that I’m now hooked to the series as I felt these episodes are much better than the episodes of the last volume because these episodes include more characters.

Definitely recommended!

PLEASE PURCHASE THIS ANIME SERIES FROM RIGHTSTUF or BANDAI ENT. ONLINE STORE

 

Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

Panties, vampires and monsters…Oh my!  If you are into anime harem series that are slightly perverted, full of action and all-out fun…”Rosario + Vampire Capu2″ is for you!

Image courtesy of © Akihisa Ikeda/Shueisha Rosario*Vampire Project. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Rosario + Vampire Capu2

ANIME SERIES AIR DATE: 2008

DURATION: Episodes 1-13

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, Bilingual Japanese & English, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 17+

Release Date: December 20, 2011

Originally created by Akihisa Ikeda

Directed by Hiroshi Yamaguchi

Screenplay by Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Ritsuko Hayasaka

Music by Kouhei Tanaka, Shiroh Hamaguchi

Character Design by Mariko Fujita

Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda

Chief Animation Director: Satoru Kiyomaru

Mechanical Design by Hiroyuki Kanbe

Sound Director: Takeshi Takadera

Director of Photography: Ayumi Ushijima

Anime Production: Gonzo

Featuring the following voice talent

Daisuke Kishio/Todd Haberkorn as Tsukune Aono

Nana Mizuki/Alexis Tipton as Moka Akashiya

Colleen Clinkenbeard as Inner Moka Akashiya

Kikuko Inoue/Jamie Marchi as Shizuka Nekonome

Kimiko Koyama/Monica Rial as Yukari Sendō

Misato Fukuen/Brina Palencia as Kurumu Kurono

Rie Kugimiya/Tia Ballard as Mizore Shirayuki

Saeko Chiba/Leah Clark as Rubi Tōjō

Shuuichi Ikeda/Jason Douglas as Kuyou

Takehito Koyasu as Nazo Koumori

Tomokazu Seki as Ginei Morioka

Tsukune, Moka and the rest of the gang return for another year at Yokai Academy – where the supernatural student body rules the school!

Tsukune’s a real slacker in the human world, but in the monster realm he scores an A+ as a high school heartthrob. Keeping up with a hellacious bunch of hot demon girls has its perks, but Moka’s bratty little sister could burst the love bubble. His pain is her pleasure – and if the tart has her way, Tsukune can kiss Moka’s sweet side goodbye. Family values take new meaning when a MILF fight breaks out on campus, too. So forget what you know about home-economics class, because these ghouls gone wild always cook up trouble!

In 2004, mangaka Akihisa Ikeda (creator of the 2002 fantasy series “Kiruto”) created a new series titled “Rosario to Vampire” published in “Weekly Shonen Jump” and lasted from through 2007, followed by a new series titled “Rosario to Vampire Capu2″ which is currently ongoing in Japan.

With the popularity of the manga series, in 2008 a 13-episode anime series was created and ran from January through March. “Rosario to Vampire Capu 2″ followed and aired in Japan from October through December that same year.

The series features anime production from GONZO and is directed by Takayuki Inagaki (“Desert Punk”, “”Indian Summer”, “Jewelpet Sunshine”), series composition by Hiroshi Yamaguchi (“Bastard!!”, “To Heart”, “Gatekeepers”), character design by Mariko Fujita (“Galaxy Angel”) and art direction by Shigemi Ikeda (“Ikki Tousen”, “Gantz”, “Inuyasha”).

And now both seasons of “Rosario+Vampire” (the American title) will be released by FUNimation Entertainment in Dec. 2011.

“Rosario+Vampire” is a harem anime series which focuses on protagonist Tsukune Aono, a normal high school freshman who is unable to get into any private school because of his bad grades. But his parents enroll him into a private school called “Yokai Academy”.

But when Tsukune arrives at his new school, he realizes that it’s a school for monsters disguised as humans and because it’s a top secret school in which humans are not to know about it, if he reveals that he is human and knows about the school, he will be killed.

One day, while thinking about leaving the school, he accidentally runs into a beautiful pink haired girl named Moka Akashiya. Moka turns out to be a sweet vampire and is attracted to the taste of his blood (she takes small nibbles instead of large bites). Moka had lived in the human world at one time and does not like them for some reason. She also wears cross that is fixed upon a collar and can not be removed.

But because she has made friends with Tsukune, she instantly bonds with him, not knowing he is human. And because this normal teenager is able to catch the attention of a beautiful girl at school, others become jealous and one decides to confront Moka of why she would be with a weakling like Tsukune.

And through circumstances, he reveals to Moka that he is actually a human and she is shocked to find out that someone so kind, is a human being. But one day, while trying to defend Moka from a male monster trying to make her be with him, somehow he is able to remove her cross from her collar which activates during a time of need and Moka transforms to a Class S vampire (the most powerful vampire) and the true inner Moka is revealed.

Needless to say, she defeats the male monster and from that point on, both begin to become great friends and fall for each other.

But along the way, other female students (supernatural) also begin to fall for Tsukune and all start to hang out as a group, but at the same time, each girl knows they are rivals in gaining Tsukune’s affection.

In season two, after finding out Tsukune is human but still cares for them despite these monsters not being human at all, each of them cares for Tsukune and wants him as their husband.  But in “Rosario + Vampire Capu 2″, it is quite obvious that Tsukune is falling for Moka, but also the interior Moka.  And actually, he cares for all the ladies close to him.

But it’s a new school year and Tsukune can’t wait to see Moka and the others.  And while hurrying to school, he accidentally runs into a violent, outspoken girl named Kokoa Shuzen and “accidentally” gropes her breast.  Needless to say, the first meeting between Tsukune and Kokoa, doesn’t go quite well.

Meanwhile, Tsukune reunites with Moka, Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore.  Including their lecherous newspaper president Ginei Morioka and even Ruby Tojo has found various jobs at Yokai Academy.

But just when everything seems to be going well,suddenly, Moka begins receiving threatening letters that some one is out to kill her.

Scared and devastated by the recurring letters, each wonders who may be after her…and we learn the person responsible is Kokoa Shuzen, the girl that Tsukune accidentally ran into but also the half-sister of Moka (interior Moka).  Kokoa has been emotionally scarred since her sister left her and she doesn’t understand why her real sister has been locked inside this other Moka.  And now, Kokoa has developed this hatred towards Moka, for not letting her sister be free.

“Rosario + Vampire Capu 2″ is a series that focuses on family.  As Moka has to deal with her half-sister Kokoa, what happens when she gives internal Moka the chance to be free?

Tsukune has to deal with his mother who has found out that he has become popular with a few girls at Yokai Academy, his cousin Kyoko who saw Tsukune’s friends fight with their supernatural powers and now wants to find out what kind of school that Tsukune is attending.

Also, we meet Mizore’s mother Tsurara Shirayuki and Kurumu’s mother Ageha Kurono and find out that like their daughters, these two were rivals in high school over a guy (who happens to be Yukari’s father).   But this time, both mothers insist in having their daughter win the affections of Tsukune.

The main characters of “Rosario + Vampire” are:

• Tsukune Aono – The main protagonist. A normal human teenager who is mistakenly enrolled into Yokai Academy. Because it is illegal for humans to attend a high school for the supernatural/monsters, Tsukune tries to keep his human existence a secret (only Moka knows he is a human). He really cares for Moka, but also cares for his other friends and tries to protect them. And because he is courageous and willing to befriend them, these female characters fall for him.
• Moka Akashiya – The first student that Tsukune befriends. She is a sweet and kind vampire with a rosario (cross) attached to her collar. It is sealed and no one can remove it but when things get tough, Tsukune is the only person can break off the rosario and reveal the cold “inner” Moka who is an S-Class monster. She cares for Tsukune deeply and loves the taste of his blood.
• Kurumu Kurono – She is a succubus who sees Moka as a rival because of the attention she gets from guys. Kurumu also has G-cup breasts that she tries to seduce Tsukune with and can use her hypnotizing spell on males. She chooses Tsukune to be the guy she will try to win over and marry.
• Yukari Sendo – The smartest student of Yokai Academy at young at age 11. She is a witch and because witches are seen as half human, she is discriminated against by her fellow schoolmates and has moved school to school because she didn’t not get along with anyone. But because both Tsukune and Moka accepted her and want to be friends with her, she has interests in both Moka and Tsukune.
• Mizora Shirayuki - A depressed girl with freezing supernatural powers. Because Tsukune became friends with her, she became infatuated with him. She is known to be quiet and always sucking a lollipop.
• Ginei Morioka – A werewolf and the president of the Newspaper Club. He is also a mega pervert and tried to get Tsukune in trouble at one time. But despite his pervertedness, he has helped the group at times when they are in a bind.
• Kokoa Shuzen – Moka Akashiya’s half sister and often angry.  She loves her sister to death and despises the current Moka where her sister is sealed inside.  She is often seen talking to her pet bats.
• Ruby Tojo – Introduced as a rival in the first season, she is now working at Yokai Academy under Mikogami but the truth is that she does so, because of her hidden infatuation with Tsukune.

Here is a basic spoilerless summary of each episode included on the two DVD’s of “Rosario+Vampire Capu2″:

DISC 1

• EPISODE 1 – Tsukune returns for his second year at Yokai Academy but finds out someone has been threatening Moka
• EPISODE 2 – Moka reveals that the person sending her threatening letters is her sister Kokoa Shuzen.
• EPISODE 3 - It’s Parents’ Day at Yokai Academy and both Mizora and Kurumu have lied to their parents that Tsukune is their boyfriend.  But the daughters don’t know that their mothers were also friends/rivals back in high school.
• EPISODE 4 – Yukari is sad that she doesn’t have big breasts like her friends and goes to the school nurse, to make her an adult.
• EPISODE 5 – The young ladies try to win Tsukune’s affection by cooking curry for him.
• EPISODE 6 - A school trip to the human world but the “Alliance” takes Tsukune as their hostage and they will only release him if Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari defeat them.
• EPISODE 7 – Tsukune pays his mother a visit, but all the other girls secretly pay him a visit at his mom’s place as well.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 8 - Ruby makes a new rule at Yokai Academy requiring the Moka and friends to wear long skirts.
• EPISODE 9 – Tsukune and friends visit a ski resort in the human world, and learn that is run by Mizore’s mother Tsurara.  And once again, mother tries to get Mizore closer to Tsukune.
• EPISODE 10 – A new transfer student named Kotaro Ijuin joins Yokai Academy and uses his hypnotizing charms on all female students including Moka and friends.
• EPISODE 11 – Kyoko has decided to investigate Yokai Academy but in the process, she runs into Kokoa and both have identical parcels and Kyoko ends up with the Lilith Mirror that will turn monsters disguised as humans, into their true form.
• EPISODE 12 – Moka sacrficies her life by using her seal to stop the human/yokai worlds from crumbling.  But now she has gicen her life and is replaced by inner Moka.  How will Tsukune deal with the Moka he knew…gone.
• EPISODE 13 – With news that Tsukune can help free Outer Moka, he goes to the castle to confront the Dark Lord.

VIDEO:

“Rosario + Vampire Capu2″ is presented in 16:9 widescreen. As one would expect from a TV series, the picture quality on DVD is soft and there is more detail that can be seen on the art backgrounds which are well-painted. Character designs are good at times, while not as detailed for far shots, close-ups look good and there is good shading on the clothes and hair of the characters . But overall, the picture quality looks good on DVD and the fact that locations are constantly changing for the series, there is a good amount of background scenery used.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“Rosario + Vampire Capu2″ is presented in English 5.1 surround and Japanese stereo. While the Japanese voice acting is very good, I found myself watching the English dub quite a bit because of the better spatial use of audio. The voice acting for the English dub is well-done and for the most part, fans of the series should enjoy both soundtracks. While those with home theater systems may prefer the English 5.1 for the better use of channels, you can also set your receiver to output stereo on all channels for the Japanese track for a more immersive soundtrack.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Rosario + Vampire Capu2″ comes with the following special features:

DISC 2

• Textless Opening Song – DISCOTEQUE
• Textless Closing Song – Trinity Cross
  
• Trailers – FUNimation Entertainment trailres

Like the original “Rosario + Vampire”, the second season returns with more crazy fun with this anime series with plenty of panty shots, jiggly boobs and monster action!

This time around, the storyline is more of a family affair as we watch stories that involve Moka’s half-sister Kokoa, Mizore and Kurumu’s parents and also Tsukune’s relatives as well.  And this is quite interesting because I mentioned of how the first season, “Rosario + Vampire” didn’t break anything new to the harem anime series aside from its characters going to a monster high school but with Tsukune being the lone human.

But what the second season does is try to show how much more complex things have gotten, now that family members have gotten involved in the lives of Tsukune and his lady friends.  With outer Moka, we know that she feels sad for Kokoa because inner Moka is sealed within her.  We know that Kurumu and Mizore’s parents want their daughter to win, in an extension of their own rivalry back in high school, both mothers wanting their daughters to become victors in winning Tsukune’s affection.

In some way, I was expecting the typical banal storyline of more female characters falling for Tsukune but instead, Akihisa Ikeda kept the storyline within these main female characters and instead of building problems of additional female admirers, instead…he brings in the family to cause problems.  So, that’s a pretty interesting take on this harem anime series.

And as far as fan service, just like the first season…plenty of panty shots for the lonely otaku who loves fan service, including a few scenes of nudity as well.  So, older siblings or people with kids, this is not a series to watch around the little ones.

While the majority of all episodes are upbeat, similar to the first season, with the secnd season finale, we do get a somewhat deeper storyline as Tsukune will go out of his way to save outer Moka.

As for DVD release of “Rosario + Vampire Capu2″, I was hoping to listen to audio commentary from FUNimation Entertainment aside from the typical textless opening and closing theme being the sole special feature. And the picture quality for the series, it’s good for DVD but because it is soft at times, not sure if this series would be upgraded and released in the near future on Blu-ray.

Overall, “Rosario + Vampire Capu2″ was an anime series that I enjoyed!  I love watching these frienemy/rival type of anime series that are built upon miscommunication or pretty much everyone wanting their moment with Tsukune.  Granted, the series is a bit perverted with all the panty shots and as mentioned, there is nudity in this sequel.  But if you are an anime fan craving for something a bit perverse, crazy but also a series that is full of action, you can’t go wrong with “Rosario + Vampire Capu2″!

 

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