Kanon Vol. 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

TITLE: Kanon (Vol. 1)

DVD INFO: Contains Episodes 1-4, Approx. 100 min., Anamorphic Widescreen, English 2.0, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles, Rated: TV PG 

DISTRIBUTED BY: ADV Films 

RELEASE DATE: January 1, 2008 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Clean Opening and Closing Animation
• Kanon: A close look at an anime product house part 1

OFFICIAL JAPANESE WEBSITE
SYNOPSIS: Can memories really be that elusive?  Yuichi Aizawa used to visit his cousin Nayuki all the time when he was younger, but now he can hardly remember a thing about those visits.  And upon his return to finish his senior year in high school while living with his Aunt Akiko and his cousin, the blank spots in his memory have become more and more worrisome.

After a seven year absence, Yuichi makes a valiant effot to adjust to his vaguely familiar surroundings.  Bits and pieces of his past come back to him, but his memories elude him still.  Why can’t he remember? What is he blocking out?

From the same animation studio that brought you AIR TV, a poignant concerto of tears, laughter and pinky promises make up a mystical world in Kanon.

“Kanon” referred by many fans of the series as “Kanon 2006″, an anime based on a PC visual novel from KEY/VISUAL ARTS (and later released on the Sega Dreamcast, Sony PS2 and PSP)  and was released once before in a 13 episode series back in 2002 gets a remake with a 24 episode run starting back in October 2006 through March 2007.

Without rehashing 2002, I’ll just focus on the 2006 series and first four episodes in this review.

“Kanon” is an anime series that focuses on the main character Aizawa Yuichi, returning to a town that he visited quite often as a child.

The cold, snowy town tends to bring him flashes of memories and makes him wonder why has he forgotten a lot of his memories from seven years ago.

He stays with his aunt Akiko and his cousin Nayuki (who is very excited to have her cousin stay with the family).

Yuichi’s character seems to be a nice but a bit blunt person.  In other words, he’s a nice guy most of the time but also, he has a side of him that can be a bit stand-offish.

In the first volume of “Kanon” (episodes 1-4), we are introduced to several characters.  The first establishes the relationship between cousins Yuichi and Nayuki.

The second introduces us to a short girl named Ayu who runs into Yuichi because she somehow forgets to pay for her Taiyaki (a pastry made from something like pancake or waffle batter and is shaped and looks like a fish but it’s filled with different types of cream like cheese or custard or bean paste).   You learn that Ayu and Yuichi have met each other when they were younger seven years ago and if anything, the two are almost like siblings by the way the argue with each other but at the same time, both enjoy each other’s company.   Ayu appears to have lost something, doesn’t remember what it is but she’s trying to look for it.  In the second episode, we are introduce to several girls briefly but I’m guessing who will become a big part of the storyline as the series continues.

The third episode features a girl named Makoto.  A girl who has amnesia, doesn’t remember anything but one thing and that is she knows is that Yuichi is a key and somehow his face angers her for a reason.  She comes to live with Yuichi and Nayuki and upsets Yuichi because he thinks she is a freeloader.  You also get to know a little more about the girl Shiori who seems to be at school and looking up a the window of the classroom that Yuichi is at.

The fourth episode features Yuichi interacting with Makoto, getting to know about his cousin and her involvement as Captain of the track team and then meeting up with Ayu who he brings home and introduces to Makoto. And also, you get to see more of the mysterious figure who appears at the high school with a sword late at night.  Hmm…

Overall, volume 1 is more of an introduction to the new “Kanon” series, learning how Yuichi is and introducing us to many girls.

I’m not sure where the anime is going but I’m guessing that the series will be similar to other anime where that Yuichi may be a guy that all these girls start to fall in love with.  But then again, I could be wrong because that would be too easy and to cliche right?

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the first volume of “Kanon” because of the lush visuals of Japan during the cold winter and that there are so many location scenes and indoor scenes that it seems you see something new and fresh in terms of the scenery.

Also, the characters have their individual quirks about them that you really start to like these characters and you sense that each person is looking for something.  Yuichi for his memories, Ayu looking for something important that she lost, Makoto who has amnesia and trying to find out who she is, Shiori looking for that someone and the list continues.

The introduction of these characters and the relationship with Yuichi definitey pulls your interest and makes you wonder more about the characters and left me craving for more episodes.

So, I enjoyed the animation from it’s colorful backgrounds, uses of a lot of scenery and overall, interesting characters with character designs that I prefer in this latest incarnation of the series.

As for the audio, the English dub is done very well and the Japanese is very good but in the Japanese version, Yuichi has a very low voice and sounds too manly while the English dubbed version, sounds like a teenage guy.

As for the special features, I’m so happy to see that there is a special feature included outside of the opening and closing animations and ADV Film previews.  The “Kanon: A Close Look At An Anime Production House Part 1″ is a featurette that spotlights how the anime is created by taking the viewer and giving them an inside look at Kyoto Animation.  Also, interviews and getting to learn about the process of putting Kanon and trying to remain close to the original series in terms of the character designs.

And where it leaves off, seems to indicate that we will get more of an inside look on storyboards and production of the anime series in the next volume installment of “Kanon”.

All in all, for a TV series that aired in Japan, I felt that there was a lot of care that went into the creation of this series.  There was no holding back on animation because the animation is very colorful, well-planned and absolutely beautiful.

Although many who have seen the previous 2002 series may have a lot to say about the 2006 series, in a way it’s like comparing apples to oranges so far in the series.

Volume 1 of “Kanon” is definitely a very cool, dramatic anime series and I’m not sure if it’s more dramatic or if were going to see anything supernatural or sci-fi later in the series but for the first four episodes, we meet a lot of female characters and makes you wonder what direction the series will go, because truthfully, there have been a good number of anime featuring a guy and a harem of kawaii girls.

The only thing that I felt a bit strange is a taboo like feeling with Yuichi’s first cousin Nayuki.  I don’t know but I feel that she may like her cousin.  You really take an interest in her character because she’s bubbly but you tend to wonder why she is so excited about Yuichi and why she is so alive with him now living with her.  But that’s the only potential red flag that I found so far with the series.

I also am guessing that the sound phrases by characters such as Ayu who tends to give a “Ugu!” sound when she’s frustrated and also Makoto who gives a kawaii sounding noise will become popular among the hardcore fans of the series.

All in all,  I really dig where “Kanon” is going to from what I’ve seen so far.  A beautiful, lush animated drama series with characters that you actually care about.  “Kanon” definitely kicks things into high gear for 2008.  Check it out!

THE WALLFLOWER LESSON 1 – MY FAIR BISHONEN (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

ANIME: THE WALLFLOWER LESSON 1 – MY FAIR BISHONEN

JAPANESE TITLE: Yamato Nadeshiko Shichihinge

Distributed by ADV Films

DVD INFO: Region 1, 4:3, Duration: 125 minutes (Episodes 1-5), Audio: English 5.1, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles, Contains Animated Mild Violence, Rating: TV 14D

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

From the director of “Excel Saga” comes the anime “THE WALLFLOWER” which will satisfy every Bishonen/J-Rock fan out there.

The popular 25-episode anime is based on the manga series by Hayakawa Tomoko and serialized in “Bessatsu Friend” in Japan and by Del Rey Manga in the US and is now being distributed in the US by ADV Films.

The story revolves around 4 guys – the dark haired Oda Takenaga, the short hair blonde Toyama Yuki, the red head flirt Morii Ranmaru and the blonde Kyohei Takano.

The four men are pretty boys that the girls gush over and happen to live in a lavish mansion courtesy of the Landlady who has given the men a mission.

The goal is to make the Landlady’s niece, Sunako, to an elegant lady. If they managed to, they get free rent. If they don’t, they will have to pay three times the amount to live there.

Of course, the guys want to make sure they succeed and feel that there should be no problem until they meet Sunako. A dark girl who doesn’t dress all that well. She wears a stained sweatshirt, amoeba-like design dress and bad tennis shoes. Her bangs are so long that it covers the face and she happens to be scary.

Why Sunako is like this stems from a past guy that she liked and told her straight out that he would never date someone so ugly.

So, Sunako has become a recluse and totally into the weirdest things and her best friend happens to be Hiroshi, those examining type of models used to show the guts and innards of a human being. Adding to her creepiness, she digs really dark and scary things and she can’t take how these guys are trying to make her beautiful. In fact, she gets creepy thoughts of how to kill the guys (or mostly Kyohei who is the guy who seems to have gotten the closest to help Sunako early in the series).

The first lesson titled “My Fair Bishonen” features the first 5 episodes, which show the guys trying to help out Sunako. At first, they are very creeped out by her but you start to see with each episode that the guys start to see somewhat of a beauty within her.

One of the coolest things about this anime is that the creator, Hayakawa Tomoko is a fan of J-Rock artist Kiyoharu and Kiyoharu sings the opening and ending theme for the series. As a fan of Japanese rock music and as a guy who happens to dig the style, I felt it was very cool to see an anime like this. It’s very different and unique and quite humorous to watch because I have friends who are “pretty boys” who always try to remake their girlfriends or friends in general and try to make them stylish.

I watched the series both in English and Japanese and both voice work are very cool and like both equally the same. Another cool dubbed anime from ADV Films. Again, this is coming from a guy who tends to watch anime mostly in Japanese.

The animation is pretty cool as it goes back and forth from serious to something humorous. For example, with Sunako, when she has this creep side to her, she’s shown as a girl with no eyes, but then sometimes shown as a girl with beautiful eyes and then when she goes crazy over seeing Kyohei, she gets these “Crayon Shin Chan” looking eyes.

Another example shows the guys when they are creeped out about Sunako, they turn into white pale figures like ghosts. It’s a very interesting take on how the series showcases the main characters in different situations.

As for the DVD special features, you get the clean opening and closing animation and the on-air opening for episodes 1-13. I wish there was an interview segment with the creator but all in all, a lot of anime DVD’s are pretty much featuring what comes from Japan and the Japanese DVD releases are often barebones to begin with. So, at least we got some sort of special feature.

All in all, I found “THE WALLFLOWER” to be stylishly vibrant, funny and unique.

The characters are quite interesting and are different from the swashbuckling, adventurous Final Fantasy-esque pretty boys and I want to make it clear right away that this is not a gay anime.

It’s just an interesting take on the bishonen/J-Rock stylish guys and a parody on the “Queer Eye of the Straight Guy” series and putting the guys together with an unusual girl.  It’s actually interesting because the high school, the girls are just so crazy over these guys and they just can’t figure out why they hang out with such a creepy girl.  It’s hilarious!

I actually find the character of Sunako very interesting because she is so creepy and just her reaction to the guys is very crazy.  Also, you wonder if one of the guys is actually developing some feelings for Sunako.  Hmm…

All in all, “THE WALLFLOWER” is not an anime that tries to showcase a quirkiness or take a dramatic turn ala “Hana Yori no Dango”.  If anything, the anime series is more on the humorous side and rarely becomes a drama (in the first volume so far).

Again, it’s like a unique take on the bishonen/J-Rock/Visual Kei style of guys and the various reality shows that are about fashion remakes.   And similar to Queer Eye, you also get a tips segment right after the show has ended which was a nice touch for those familiar with the show.

So, I’m stoked to see something unique and different. Not sure if the casual anime fan, especially the guys would dig an anime about pretty boys helping out a creepy girl but I think those who are used to watching bishonen men or fan of J-Rock or visual kei may take a high interest in an anime like this.

Very cool and I highly recommend checking this anime out!

Tokyo Majin Vol. 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

DVD: Tokyo Majin Vol. 1

DISTRIBUTED BY: ADV Films

DURATION: 125 minutes (Episodes 1-5)

RATED: TV MA V

RATIO: 16:9 Anamorphic

RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2007

OFFICIAL WEBSITE (US) | JAPAN

Tokyo is the setting of where waves of mysterious deaths happening throughout the city and the dead have reawaken and are controlled by monstrous creatures and are seeking power that could bring about the final apocalypse.

As the police and the people of Tokyo are helpless, five unlikely heroes have come to save the day. They are students of Tokyo Majin!

“Tokyo Majin” (Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchō: Tō) is an anime that has already ran for two seasons this year on Japan’s satellite anime channel Animax and has spawned a PlayStation and PlayStation 2 video game years earlier.

Similar to the popular “Megami Tensei” video games, fans of the video game series (first game was on the PSX back in 1998) have been wanting an anime series and now, here it is.

The series revolve around five students of Megami Academy. The school has been rocked by students that have gone missing at their high school and deaths are mounting.

A new student named Hiyu Tatsuma has come to the school and gets acquainted with the other students such as the brash Horaiji Kyoichi of the kendo club, Daigo Yuya of the wrestling club, Sakurai Komaki of the archery (kyudo) club and Misato Aoi, the student body president and from a wealthy, powerful family.

Throw in a few characters for comedy relief which including Tohno Kyoko, reporter of the school newspaper (behaves like one of the paparazzi) and Maria Alucard, a teacher at Megami Academy.

Upon watching the first volume, I will say that the first episode was a bit confusing. You are introduced to characters from days old, to characters in the present and without any proper introduction until you get to the second episode. But what you do see from the first episode are cool characters, cool animation and fighting and violence that you come away wondering if this is like an “X-Men” or “Persona” style of anime that takes place in high school.

But once you get to the second episode, you get to know a little bit about the characters and how each of them are so different from each other. What you are able to piece together is that Tatsuma was sent to the school for a reason, Kyoichi is a fighter but a total dick and even more to Aoi, Daigo is a tall brute that wrestles but loves to cook and has a thing for Komaki and both Komaki and Aoi are best friends.

Episode 2 goes into the five discovering their powers.

In episode 3, crows are attacking the city and also, a mysterious figure is spying on the five. This leads to a battle between the five and Umon Raito, a lightning wielding fighter and former lead vocalist of the rock band CROW.

In episode 4, you are introduced to Karasu Ryouchi, the leader and lead guitarist of the rock band CROW who joins with the bad monsters and is given the power to manipulate lightning and electricity and takes on the five students. It appears that Ryouchi doesn’t like his former bandmate Raito for a reason.

In this episode, you get to learn about the band CROW and why the band disbanded. Also, the five learn that they are not the only people gifted with supernatural powers and that there are others using their power for evil.

In episode 5, the five heroes discuss their new lives and how living a normal life will never be the same. Students continue to die and this time, the next target is student body president Misato Aoi. This is the introduction of doctor Iwayama Takako who has the power to treat patients wounded by demons.

The animation for “Tokyo Majin” is pretty cool. What I like is the different color usage for day, night and early evening. I enjoy the character designs. It’s very stylish and hip.

The audio for the English dub and the Japanese are both well done. I watched both series completely in English and Japanese and both are cool in their own cultural way.

As for the DVD special features, the first volume features the clean opening and closing animation, ADV previews and DVD credits.

 

“Tokyo Majin” is a very fast-paced anime that features a good balance of over-the-top humor and violence.

I know during these times of anime such as “Bleach” and even “Naruto”, anime about teamwork and the team taking on evil may be a bit overplayed. But I’ve seen it through the years form “Ranma 1/2″, “Fushigi Yuugi”, “Rurouni Kenshin”, “X” to the current cream of the crop anime with similar storylines.

And I suppose, one would wonder what makes “Tokyo Majin” so different from the others out there.

I suppose with “Tokyo Majin”, it reminds me of the popular NBC sci-fi show “HEROES” where people are suddenly with special supernatural powers and in this case, people are dying, the dead are coming alive ala zombies and some unfortunate things are happening in Tokyo. Then you have the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” type of feeling with high school people (who would probably never hang out), joined together for a common cause to eliminate the evil and take on those with powers who use it on the side of evil.

Now will “Tokyo Majin” rise up to be a classic like the other anime that I have mentioned? It’s too early to say.

It has a cool style to it, it has cool character designs and also cool J-Rock music. I found the characters mostly to be quite likeable and overall, I feel “Tokyo Majin” to be a very cool anime with a lot of potential.

Because this game is pretty much based on a popular video game, not too say that I was not expecting much but I will say that it definitely exceeded my expectations.

As for the DVD, I was a bit surprised that there were only just the offering of clean opening and ending themes but looking at the Japanese release of the DVD, it’s pretty much the same.

So far, I am enjoying what I have seen so far of “Tokyo Majin”.  Awesome action featuring an akward team of heroes, each with special abilities going against hardcore demons, zombies and evil in general.  A little humor hear and there.  But it’s nice to see the human side of high school students who want to use their powers for good and those who just want to go on living their high school life and have fun and know that they will need to make a choice on how to live their life.

I definitely look forward to watching more episodes of this series!

Venus versus Virus Vol. 1 (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

DVD TITLE: Venus versus Virus (Vol. 1)

DISTRIBUTOR: ADV Films

RATINGS: TV 14 VL

DURATION: 100 minutes (4 episodes)

DVD INFO: 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen, Animated Mild Violence

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

The latest anime series to be released from ADV Films is “Venus versus Virus”, a series based on a manga by Suzumi Atsushi and ran in “Dengeki Comic Goo!” and published by Mediaworks back in 2005 (and released in the US by Seven Seas Entertainment in July 2007). The anime series was released in Japan earlier this Spring and shown on TBS and now it’s coming out in the US in November from ADV Films.

For the first volume, the DVD contains a total of four episodes and focuses on two people. There is Lucia, a girl (or woman) that has an eyepatch and has special attack moves to take on the Virus which are literally demons. Lucia is part of an organization called “Venus Vanguard”. An organization that has a sole purpose of eliminating violent viruses and taking on special cases for those who discover the organization’s brochure.

The viruses have been killing people and with these viruses, humans can not see them. But for innocent school girl Sumire, unlike everyone else, she has an uncanny ability to see Viruses. But she appears to have a secret about her that Lucia and company are keeping close eye on. A special chemical that is used to kill viruses, when she comes in contact with the chemical, she becomes an anti-virus. Literally, it turns Sumire into a violent killing machine not only against the viruses but also the people she cares about and she has no control over it.

The first volume is an introduction to the main characters, learning about Sumire’s abilities and some history of how she met Lucia and joined her on a mission to stop the viruses.

Overall, the first volume serves more as an introduction to the series. I found the characters such as Lucia very cool and mysterious (can’t get enough with anime characters that sport an eye patch and superhuman abilities). As for Sumire, she could have been the cliche Japanese anime school girl turned demon fighter but it was very cool to see this killer side of her.

By saying that, I just want to say that the anime is not too violent. In a way, it’s on par with anime such as “Bleach” and there are no really gruesome pics against humans. If anything, it’s more or less Sumire hurting a virus.

There is also humor with those involved with Lucia’s group as they can’t fathom why Sumire is not adapting well (or adapting too slow) in its fight against the viruses.

As for the animation, animation is cool. I’ve actually watched this on my 52″ and various laptops and the fact that its anamorphic is a plus.

As for audio, audio is great. Both English dub and Japanese languages are very well done.

I’m quite surprised about the lack of special features. Only the clean opening and closing animations and ADV Film trailers.

So, far “Venus versus Virus” has been a good, entertaining anime series. It’s too early to say how I feel about it in general because the first volume is more or less an introduction to the characters and their abilities.

I really like the animation and its use of colors, especially the blue-purple-redish feel to it during the night and then the bright colors during the day. Again, both language versions are well acted.

You can’t go wrong with a girl with superhuman abilities who kicks ass and sports a eye patch. And you can’t go wrong with an innocent high school girl with killer tendencies.

But what direction the anime series will take after the fourth episode will definitely be interesting. Check it out!

PUMPKIN SCISSORS Volume 1: HONOR AND BLOOD (a J!-ENT anime DVD Review)

ANIME: PUMPKIN SCISSORS VOL. 1 (HONOR AND BLOOD)

EPISODES 1 -4 , Region 1, DURATION: 100 minutes, RATED: TV 14 VL

Gonzo / ADV Films

The war was over and the empire would never be the same. The after-math of a major war could leave cities, towns and the people in chaos as famine, plague and problematic people are common place.

The Empire has created a new division within the 3rd section of the Information Bureau. The new division is called “PUMPKIN SCISSORS” and their mission is to assist areas that are devastated.

Unfortunately, to some people, the “PUMPKIN SCISSORS” is looked at as a group of people who are just the pawns of the Empire that is just there to suppress the people and really, just organized to be “politically correct”.

But leading the “PUMPKIN SCISSORS” is Lt. Alice Malvin, a daughter of royalty but chooses to serve the military and help the people who became the casualties of war. She believes in justice, while many think she’s out of her mind.

But with each dangerous and deadly mission, she meets up with a very tall soldier who joins the group. A former corporal of the 901 anti-tank battalion but what the PUMPKIN SCISSORS don’t know is that once he turns on his blue light, he becomes like a willow-the-wisp. A killer who fears no one, not even tanks and seems to have super-human abilities and healing factor.

“PUMPKIN SCISSORS” is based on a manga series found on Monthly Shonen Magazine published by Kodansha. The TV series is 24-episodes long and the first volume contains episodes 1-4.

The first volume of “PUMPKIN SCISSORS” is an exciting tale of a division that the Empire really doesn’t put too much faith in but with each episode, the odds are always against the four-person team but somehow they pull through.

In a way, “PUMPKIN SCISSORS” reminds me of “Fist of the Northstar” (not the violence) in a sense that you see a group of underdogs who come into an area, they don’t look like much because there are only four people in the group but watching Lt. Anna Malvin show her true heart of wanting to help people and then having the tall corporal who longs for peace but once his lantern is turned on, turns into a killing machine.

Although the series, episode by episode works in this type of fashion of the team venturing to different villages and helping them with their problem, there is a balance of humor and violence. It’s actually quite interesting because sometimes when things get deep, there is always an upcoming humor element, a human element and then of course, there is bloody violence.

On episode 1, it’s merely an introduction to the characters but how many soldiers have turned corrupt and using tanks to hurt people. In this case, shooting a chemical weapon against the people in the village, leaving it to PUMPKIN SCISSORS to obtain the antidote.

Episode 2 features a corrupt noble who is willing to give a lot of money to a resident who can survive a game of cat and mouse. In rough times, many villagers take part in the game to hopefully win the money but because the noble uses a tank to catch the villagers, no villager has survived the game. PUMPKIN SCISSORS is called to stop this man but instead, the team are forced to be part of the game as mouse.

These are examples of the kind of storylines featured on the PUMPKIN SCISSORS anime series.

I enjoyed the animation for this anime series, its nothing super spectacular but I like how they capture the essence of villages and also the battle sequences and the references to the 901 past.

GONZO continues to do a great job and the Japanese voice work is good but I also enjoyed the English dub because I felt it captured the characters quite well and more believable.

Special features include the clean opening and ending theme and previews for other ADV series.

“PUMPKIN SCISSORS” is definitely an anime that people shouldn’t judge by its DVD cover. Or even its name. I suppose I was a bit skeptical with the references to a pumpkin and the DVD cover is not exactly showcasing the excitement of this series. But know right now, “PUMPKIN SCISSORS” is a very cool action-based anime series.

I enjoy the series because the “PUMPKIN SCISSORS” are always looked at as an underdog group that is not too important to the empire. They are just there to be the “make you feel better” speech givers to those who survived the war but have no food, have no jobs and yet at the same time, you have a leader of the PUMPKIN SCISSORS division who thinks about the people and if they aren’t eating, she feels its her obligation to not eat as well.

And for her being a daughter from a noble family, she learns how fortunate she is to have food on her table but at the same time, because of her beliefs, she wants to see right with the people in the ravaged villages who feel that they have no voice when it comes to the Empire and Alice wants to be their voice.

“PUMPKIN SCISSORS” shows the side of post-war and how villages all over have been destroyed or people left to die by starvation and sickness.

I do feel that the humor at times felt a bit kooky especially when you enjoy the violence and the action sequences for the series. To see a dog bit into the heads of people (as a humor plot device) just wasn’t funny for me especially how one soldier’s job was to watch over that dog.

But I really like the characters in the series. Anna has a pure heart of wanting to help the people, as does the corporal who despite seems to be lost because all he did was kill the enemies during the war and now that there is no war, trying to evaluate what peace is about and also understand why “PUMPKIN SCISSORS, specifically Anna, works hard for peace and to help all people.

All in all, it’s a straight forward anime thus far. It’s enjoyable to always see the underdogs triumph but the first volume introduces the characters nicely and you can tell the series is setting something up something major, especially the past of the corporal and possibly why, when he turns the lantern on, he turns to a killing machine.

An enjoyable series that is full of action, intrigue and suspense. A good balance of violence and a touch of zany and kooky humor. I highly recommend this series.

RATING: B

Welcome to the NHK – 1st Conspiracy (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

 

ANIME TITLE: Welcome to the NHK

DVD INFO: Volume 1 of 6, episode 1-4, DURATION: 100 minutes, 16:9 – Anamorphic Widescreen, rating TV MA

DISTRIBUTED BY: ADV Films

Sato’s life is going down the drain. A college dropout, he rarely goes outside and sleeps sixteen hours a day. Amidst his internet porn site, he finds himself falling further into a pit of despair.

Sato has now decided that a sinister broadcast company known as “The NHK” is trying to transform their viewers into jobless, societal recluses by showing cutesy anime girls.

Unable to resist these charms, innocent victims like Sato are soon too busy watching TV and play pornographic computer games to pursue a normal life. In his darkest hour, Sato has a chance encounter with a beautiful girl named Misaki, who claims that she can cure him of his perverse ways. Is she really an angel of mercy? Or a devlish agent of the NHK? Swimming in a sea of corruption. Sato prepares for the battle of his life. Welcome to the NHK!

A beautiful, fun and very perverted anime series. Welcome to the NHK!

I have to admit that I found this anime series to be very enjoyable and hilarious because it manages to poke fun on current situations happening in Japan.

In Japan, the government has the NHK. In the US, we have PBS. In Japan, the NHK comes to collect money each month and due to indiscretions of top staff with financial situations, many people in Japan have refused to pay for their NHK fee. But for this anime, the term NHK means “Nihon Hikikomari Kyoudai” (Japan Useless People Club).

The term “hikikomari” is typically a term for those who are reclusive and stay indoors all day. But the main character Sato is “hikikomari” but he is also a NEET (Not in Education, Employment).

Lately in Japan, there has been a growing number of NEET’s (people who are unemployed and really not doing much with their lives). There have been countless articles of how NEET’s who have no employment (some now are homeless) are staying at Manga and Maid cafe’s, some which is getting so bad that they are homeless and stay and sleep at those cafe’s.

With “Welcome to the NHK”, the series is like a hilarious and perverted (no nudity) way of poking fun at extreme otaku culture, NEET’s and hikikomari.

So, why I enjoy “Welcome to the NHK” is that its a series that not only pokes fun at Sato’s feeling of conspiracy at the government NHK channel (feeling that it corrupting peoples minds with too much anime, so otaku’s become unproductive NEET’s) and the main character who suspects a conspiracy by the government and his paranoia has led him to become a NEET or worse a recluse who has not ventured out of his apartment for a year.

For Sato, his paranoia runs wild inside his porn and tissue-infested apartment and someone next door keeps blasting idol moe music. But things change when his door knocks and a woman and her niece are trying to get magazine subscriptions sold and one magazine was featuring an article on NEET’s.

Sato automatically thinks he’s being watched and decides he needs to change his life and to help him is Nakahara Misaki (the woman’s niece) who feels she can cure him and his recluse tendencies.

The animation is beautiful and what I like a lot about this series is the attention to detail for locations and objects in Sato and his friend’s apartment. GONZO really did a great job showcasing the animation.

The voice work in both languages are done well and for the English dub, there is a bit of profanity but it fits with the type of character and livelihood that Sato lives because he is essentially a pervert.

As for special features, “Welcome to the NHK – 1st Conspiracy” features the clean opening and ending themes and a information segment on the terminology used on the show.

“Welcome to the NHK” (NHK ni Yokoso! is truly an enjoyable, surreal anime series that shows otaku culture to the extreme.

Not only is it an anime series that pokes fun at anime series and the otaku culture, it also goes into Japanese pop culture especially the Akihabara/moe vibe that some fans are hardcore for.

Despite the perverted situations, this anime series is not hentai but the mature situations are there and easily you can put 2 and 2 together with what is going on with Sato when you see a lot of kleenex and explosions happening after he plays erotic girl games and looks at porn.

Also, I really enjoyed the overall feel of the animation. Each scene and background shows Japan instead of the rehash of homes and trees that you tend to see with some anime. There is detail on the backgrounds, the bedroom of Sato and little intricacies that would make a Japanophile proud.

Also, the acting is done well both in English and Japan. The English dialogue is a bit more profane but fits with Sato’s character.

It’s really great to find an anime series that is unique and enjoyable all across the board from storyline, animation and acting and I just can’t wait to see what happens next!

“Welcome to the NHK” is a very unique, enjoyable and perverted anime that can poke fun at otaku culture and successfully grasp an anime viewer’s attention because more than likely, we know of someone who may live their life like these characters.

Come to think of it… that would be scary indeed.

DVD RATING: A

Xenosaga Vol. 1: ENTER THE GNOSIS (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

ANIME: Xenosaga Vol. 1: ENTER THE GNOSIS

INFO: 4 Episodes, 100 minutes

DVD ASPECT RATIO: 4:3

AUDIO: English 5.1 Surround Sound, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles

RATING: TV 14 V

JAPANESE WEBSITE | US WEBSITE

Humans have abandoned the planet Earth after the invasion by the merciless Gnosis.

Welcome to the anime series “Xenosaga” based on the popular Namco RPG video game series on the PlayStation 2.

The story revolves around the character Uzuki Shion, a chief engineer of the Vector Corporation who is working on a top secret weapon (android) known as KOS-MOS, humankind’s latest resort to fight against the Gnosis.

The planet Earth is literally non-existent and during this time, humans and their android creations known as Relians co-exist in the universe. But of course, there are many humans who refuse to acknowledge androids as a separate living entity.

The Gnosis are after the Zohar , something that the crew of the Woglinde currently has and it leads the Gnosis to attack the crew of the spaceship Woglinde, the same ship that the main character Uzuki Shion is part of.

While the crew of the Woglinde are under attack, KOS-MOS android automatically switches on to defend Uzuki but as for defending the ship and Zohar against the Gnosis (which the android is programmed to do), KOS-MOS doesn’t do a thing.

Thus the first four episodes pretty much introduces many characters and follows the crew before and after the attack from the Gnosis.

If anything, I was a bit curious of how they would take a complicated storyline from the videogame (3 lengthy Xenosaga RPG videogames for the PS2) and try to make it to a 13-episode TV series.

But so far with the first four episodes, I found “Xenosaga” entertaining.

What I like about the series is it has a little of that “Star Wars” and new “Battlestar Galactica” type of feel to it. That being said, the series is quite complex and it may take several views to comprehend the storyline.

There are a lot of characters that appear on the first episode and almost similar to Sci-Fi hit series “Battlestar Galactica”, you have that complexity and you are introduced to many characters on both sides and it may be confusing at first, but once you get into further episodes in the series, everything starts to flesh out.

For “Xenosaga”, the same situation and by the third episode, you get a clearer picture of what’s going on and in this case, because so much happens within the Woglinde and then the ambush from Gnosis, characters are quickly whittled down but the main characters still remain.

As for the animation, this may or may not be a deal breaker for the video game fans who were so involved with the 3D characters of the video game series. I found the video game series beautiful, I found the animation pretty good but nothing awespiring.

My personal feeling is that with a storyline so complex and so many people and so many intricacies of science fiction, definitely would make it difficult for creators to have so much completed before airing on TV Asahi.

To tell you the truth, as an avid Japanese RPG gamer, I tend to say that the graphics are not as important to an RPG game, it’s the storyline and the overall gameplay.

So, for an anime series based on an RPG, I would probably like to see more focus on the storyline than the animation. Because of the complexities and the fact its based on an RPG, perhaps its why I’m so lenient when it came to the animation.

As for the voice work, I didn’t compare the voice work to the video game series but listening to both Japanese and English dubs, I found both to work quite well with the characters.

As for special features, surprisingly only the clean opening and ending animation. So, no commentary folks.

Now, can someone who hasn’t played the video game be into “Xenosaga” the anime series?

In my opinion, if you are looking for a sci-fi anime, then yes. Gamer or not a gamer, it really doesn’t matter. What if comes down to is if you enjoy an in-depth sci-fi anime series.

Because the storyline is a bit complex, it’s very hard to give “Xenosaga” a must-see recommend without watching the whole series completely and seeing if it’s worth the time to invest.

For me, because I enjoy the video game series and I enjoy sci-fi anime, I was pretty stoked to finally get a chance to watch “Xenosaga” the anime series.

The first four episodes are merely introduction of the characters and you have a sense that hell is going to break loose in future episodes.

But so far you are left with tidbits of information that drags you into wanting to see how the puzzle piece fits. Of course, not entirely cerebral in a “Ghost in a Shell” manner but I’m definitely interested to see where the storyline goes from the second volume on.
So, the best thing I can say right now is that if you are into complex sci-fi anime series or a fan of a sci-fi series such as “Battlestar Galactica”, then there is a good chance that “Xenosaga” is one adventure that you don’t want to miss.

RED GARDEN – Volume 1: LIVE TO KILL (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

 

 

ANIME: RED GARDEN VOLUME 1: LIVE TO KILL

INFO: 4 Episodes, 100 minutes

DVD ASPECT RATIO: 16:9 LB

AUDIO: English 5.1 Surround Sound, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles

RATING: TV MA V

JAPANESE WEBSITE | US WEBSITE

 

“RED GARDEN” is Absolutely Beautiful but Yet Dark and Disturbing

What would you do if you were given a second chance at life?

Welcome to the life of four teenagers who are given a new chance at life but things are not as what you may expect.
In October 2006, GONZO’s “RED GARDEN” appeared on TV Asahi. The show ended at 22 episodes in March 2007 and now the teen/horror drama will be released in the US in September.

“RED GARDEN” is an anime that takes place in New York and revolves around four teenagers:

Kate Ashley - A member of GRACE, the top students who police the school for students who are late to class and to ensure that all is well at their high school but trying to cope with life after the death of her good friend Lise.

Rachel Benning – The popular girl in school, wearing the most expensive clothes and always partying with her friends.

Claire Forrest – Independent and outspoken. Not a student but works (or tries) to make ends meet.

Rose Sheedy – A shy girl who takes care of her siblings while her mother is hospitalized.

The four girls have nothing to do with each other but each share a common friend named Lise Meyer who has been murdered. To make matters worse, other young girls from their high school are being murdered. Also, for the four, they can’t seem to remember what happened the night of Lise’s murder.

One night, the four are brought together and wait until a mysterious man and woman appears to them and tells them that they all were murdered and have been given a second chance at life. But to stay alive, they will need to kill the beasts who murder at night.

They have no choice but to fight and win. Or else they die.

The first volume of “RED GARDEN” is the introduction of the characters and shows how they are at school and how they try to cope now in their real lives knowing that they have been murdered. The four seek the answers to why they can’t remember that one night and the answer to their question is shocking.

The animation is actually unique when it comes to the character designs. Ishii Kumi does a great job at giving us something fresh and new.

I actually like taking certain situations from anime on characters in Japan but giving that spin on American characters.

For example, Kate’s group GRACE wear these interesting uniforms while policing the school grounds. Rachel has that prissy debutante look, Claire has the sporty look and Rose, well she’s quite normal.

Also, I like how on video games such as “Silent Hill” or “Rule of Rose” that utilize the noise on haunting and dark segments, the same on this anime. Very creepy and beautiful of how they animated these segments.

The scene which explains how the four girls were murdered was animated beautifully but at the same time, so disturbing.

“RED GARDEN” is interesting in that its an anime where it was created around the voice acting. Rather than the opposite way which most animation is made.

Now, I watched this anime both in Japanese and in English and the Japanese voice acting is well done and when the girls start singing a song… again, so beautiful but yet so creepy.

But after watching the English dub, I found it so appealing of how they made the vocals of the characters fit. A slight change in dialogue to make it more appealing to the dub viewers, although small changes, it definitely gives the viewers the feeling of where they are in their personal lives.

For example, there is a scene where Kate and Rose visit Rachel at home. Rachel, who obviously is rich, really is snide and condescending to both Kate and Rose. In the Japanese dialogue, you understand it. In the English dialogue, the delivery of how Rachel says it is captured perfectly. So, I definitely will say that I enjoyed the English dubbing for this anime a lot.

As for special features, the first volume comes with the clean opening and ending animations. Also, ADV previews.

I was a bit disappointed that there were no director or voice actor’s commentary (I’m growing to enjoy these with ADV releases) but all in all, I enjoyed the first four episodes and look forward to watching more.

I have to admit that I was not really sure what to expect from “RED GARDEN”. It’s almost like a twisted “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” but in this case, these girls do not want to be killing monsters each night and its bad enough coping with the fact that you’ve died and now you have to fulfill this obligation of fighting monsters for the rest of your life.

Is it worth living this second chance of life or is it better off dying?

The way the girls are dealing with this, how horrified they are about having to kill or be killed, I must say again, I’m quite impressed with the storyline so far.

I hope that in future releases, perhaps an interview with the director or series creator discussing why they chose to create the anime around the voicework. Why they chose America as the setting for this series? Why all the monsters are men? Also, it would be great to hear commentary from the voice actors talk about their approach of playing the certain characters, especially since the characters are American.

From the music to the awesome voice acting in conjunction with an intriguing storyline and animation that is absolutely beautiful but yet with undertones so dark and disturbing, makes “RED GARDEN Vol. 1″ a recommended buy.

LE CHEVALIER D’EON Vol. 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

A man obsessed with his sisters murder. A man possessed by his murdered sister.

Perhaps one of the most ambitious anime series yet, welcome to the anime Le Chevalier D’Eon. An anime combining individuals from French history, religion, horror and mystery.

Paris, 1742 and a coffin floats in the shimmering Seine. Written on the coffin are the words “Psalms” and inside the coffin is Lia de Beaumont.

The story focuses on her brother D’Eon as he tries to find the reason for her mysterious murderer while the shadow of evil rests on the palace of Kings and the dark alleys of Europe.

I have no doubt how difficult this anime may have been to translate and to plan out.

Having the story set in France during the 1700’s and to combine real characters during that era, mixing in religion, possessed zombies, mysticism and horror makes one hell of an anime!

With six volumes planned, the first volume focuses on the first four episodes as D’Eon tries to find out why his sister was murdered but the more he looks into it, he learns about the evil that lurks around him.

To make things even more confusing to the main character, somehow D’Eon when in battle against the evil forces, gets possessed by his murdered sister.

Why this is happening and the secret life that Lia De Beaumont lived is what the first volume focuses on.

Obviously “Le Chevalier D’Eon” is an anime that is too difficult for me to even describe.

All I can say is because the anime focuses on the Rococo era, the costumes, the characters, the secret societies, the use of religion, the mysticm and the horror definitely makes this anime standout.

It’s definitely unique.

The character designs for the anime is something that is fresh.

The voice acting for both Japanese and English dubs are done very well.

Special features include commentaries with the ADR Director and one of the voice actors (a commentary that has a lot of profanity), an informative commentary by the translators which really go into detail of the challenges they faced, putting together the 20-page booklet with character info & relationships. Also, including a storyboard analysis, script and creator interview.

I found it very interesting when they talked about the real D’Eon de Beaumont, although not having a sister in real life, nor possessed but in real life believed he was a woman and lived his life as one in his later life.

Special features include historical notes, Japanese promotional video and trailer, clean opening and closing animation and more.

All in all, I feel there is a lot of potential with this anime series.

Obviously, the first volume is more of a set up for more important things to come in the next volume. So, look at the first volume more as introduction to the characters and situations of the series.
I definitely look forward in seeing how this anime progresses.

If you are into dark, horror anime or the Rococco era, definitely check this anime out!

B+ — DENNIS A. AMITH

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COYOTE RAGTIME SHOW VOL. 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

Another world where the government and the police are corrupted.

Another world where the hunted are the “coyotes” (space pirates) and in this series, the “coyote” target is a man named “Mister”.

Prepare yourself for action and adventure, it’s the Coyote Ragtime Show.
“Coyote Ragtime Show” is a 12-episode anime series which began airing on Japanese television in 2006.

The storyline centers on a few characters. The main character is “Mister”.

A man wanted for many offenses. He has used so many names that the investigators have been thwarted. He is also a well-known space pirate aka Coyote.

Angelica is an investigator who is determined to catch “Mister” and finally gets tipped off that he may be in a prison.

And then there is Madame Marciano. The evil enemy that is after “Mister”. She and her twelve sisters (killer androids dressed in lolita outfits) with help from the government are after “Mister” as well.

In episode 1, the storyline focuses on investigator Angelica who is after “Mister” but at the same time, a plan to break “Mister” out from prison is underway.

In episode 2, we are introduced to Franca. The daughter of Pirate King Bruce who trusts “Mister” to raise his daughter after being severely wounded.

Franca carries a necklace that she believes leads to a treasure.

In episode 3, we are introduced to Mr. Swamp, King Bruce’s right hand man and a man who is a bit jealous that Bruce entrusted “Mister” with his daughter and not him. “Mister” visits Mr. Swamp for assistance.

In episode 4, the secret of Franca’s necklace is revealed and we learn more about her father Pirate King Bruce and how he pulled off the most difficult, ultimate heist.

At first glance, the first episode made me think animated version of “Prison Break” but as the episodes progress, it becomes more of a two cats fighting over a mouse, but the mouse happens to be a very good space pirate.

The animation for “Coyote Ragtime Show” is well done. The English dub and the Japanese are very well done with the English dub actually more on mark with the overall feel of the series.

Special features include a production artwork gallery and the clean opening and closing animations.

All in all, “Coyote Ragtime Show” is a fun sci-fi, action anime series.

To see the enemies as 12 cute-girl, although violent androids in lolita costumes is quite intriguing.

I was hoping that the first episode was how the anime series would pan out with Angelica being the main character trying to catch the ultimate pirate but the main protagonist is “Mister” himself.

Nevertheless, it is a good series that you may feel that you have seen somewhere else before, but it does offer something different.

B — DENNIS A. AMITH

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