UTAWARERUMONO “MASK OF A STRANGER” VOL. 1 (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

A mysterious man, a village and the war that cometh.

This is the story of “UTAWARERUMONO”, a 26-episode anime TV series which aired in Japan in 2006 and is based on a PC and PlayStation 2 video game from Aqua PLUS and LEAF.
The story revolves around a man who wears a mask.

Found wounded and left for dead in the forest, an apprentice healer named Elulu brings the man to her village and helps nurse back to health.

The man has no recollection of his past and is not sure why he wears a mask but he does have images of destruction that comes and passes into his memory.

At first glance, I actually thought this series would be something along the lines of a “SLAYERS” wannabe series. I was definitely wrong with that assumption.

As much as the series has its times of humor, the storyline is very well-written, smart, violent and at times serious.

In a way, you can say that it reminds me of the time I watched the popular series “Record of Lodoss War” for the first time.

The first episode introduces us to the man with the masked who will later be named Hakuoro. Also, apprentice healer Elulu and her little sister Aruru and their grandmother.

You learn about the village and their fears of the forest god who wreaks vengeance against the villagers until one night the god or beast attacks the village.

Episode 2 features the village contemplating what they can do to appease the god or to destroy it.

Episode 3 introduces us to a careless fighter from another village named Oboro and his sick sister Yuzuha and what he will do to save his sister.

Episode 4 deals with the repercussions of Oboro’s actions, a major character death and the beginning of the war that the villagers will have to face against the oppressive government and its selfish and maniacal king who wants the villagers destroyed and massacred. And the villagers look towards Hakuoro to lead them.

The series is definitely action-packed and definitely intriguing. It has an Akira Kurosawa “Seven Samurai” type feel that you root for Hakuoro and the villagers and hope they are able to stand up against the evil government and its soldiers.

The DVD features the first four episodes. The animation is very well done and both Japanese and English dubbed voice acting are very well done.

DVD extras include an omake theater, extended episode reviews, character art gallery, glossary of terms and a booklet featuring an interview with the screenwriter and voice actors for Oboro and Yuzuha.
“UTAWARERUMONO” is riveting, must-see series which each episode ending with somewhat of a cliffhanger that you want more.

Not only is it a series about friendship and caring but it’s also a series about the price of war and how people are brought together through unfortunate circumstances.

This series is highly, highly recommended.

A — DENNIS A. AMITH

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AIR GEAR VOL. 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

If you enjoy the thrill of racing competition-based anime such as “Initial D” and enjoy the world and characters of the popular Sega Dreamcast and XBOX video game “Jet Grind Radio”, you will definitely find “AIR GEAR” to your liking.
“AIR GEAR” takes place in a world where Storm Riders are known for their motor-powered inline skates called Air Treck’s (AT).
Many thrillseekers join groups or gangs in order compete and be on top of this dangerous (and illegal) extreme sport.

The storyline revolves around Ikki Minami. A guy who lives with the Noyama sisters who are also part of their own racing group.

Needless to say that because he is more or less a freeloader (who tends to get himself into trouble) at their home, the sisters look down on him. With the exception of Ringo, who is closer to Ikki.

In the first episode, Ikki gets into trouble by taking one of the sister’s AT’s and starts experimenting with them.

You start to learn that although Ikki is a beginner, he has a talent riding the AT’s.

So, talented that he manages to do things that he and others can’t comprehend during a race.

Ikki has a talent to fly. A phenomenon to the Storm Riders that very few are gifted with this ability. But for Ikki, he doesn’t know much about this talent but with each episode he learns about the world of the Storm Rider.

Because he is naive to the sport and his crush on Shimuka, a beautiful and talented Storm Rider leads him to trouble.

Fortunately, with the support of his friends (aka his own startip Storm Riders team). hopefully Ikki’s dream to climb to the top as a Storm Rider may come true.

The first four episodes are fantastic and full of energy and excitement that I just wanted to see more.

You can’t help but root for Ikki, the underdog (with unknown talent) as he takes on the various Storm Rider gangs.

The vocal talent for both the English dub and the Japanese version are awesome. But I will say that “AIR GEAR” ala English dub does feature it’s share of adult language. So, definitely not an anime to watch with the kids.

Also, with the first episode, it is a bit ecchi, with scenes of the sisters nude as they shower. But nudity is not used on every episode, nor does it detract from the pacing of the series.

I found the animation to be very cool. Because the races take place in so many areas, definitely a lot of work was involved to create settings for this anime series.

As for special features, you get the opening and closing ending. The opening theme “CHAIN” by rock band BACK-ON is awesome.

So, in conclusion, I highly recommend the first volume of this series. I like the competition aspect with the multiple groups/gangs, the use of motorized inline skating and including technical aspects that the Storm Riders nead to complete ala “Parts War” and the characters are numerous but yet very interesting and fun to watch.

“AIR GEAR” definitely rocks!

A — DENNIS A. AMITH
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NERIMA DAIKON BROTHERS VOLUME 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

Love it or hate it, I love musicals. From “Will Rogers Follies” to “Grease” and even that “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” episode, I dig musicals.

So, when I found out that ADV’s “Nerima Daikon Brothers” is an anime musical, I was curious and even stoked!

After watching all episodes, all I can say is… WOW!

Not only is this anime unique, it’s not afraid to take a poke at Japanese pop culture (and the entertainment industry) and also include some mature themes that I found hilarious.

So, what is “Nerima Daikon Brothers”? The story revolves around three people: Hideki (the farmer of Daikons), Ichiro (the charismatic man who entertains women at Japanese host bars) and the sexy Mako (yes, a woman and cousin of Hideki).

Three individuals who want to make money as the music trio known as “Nerima Daikon Brothers”.

The first episode for those not familiar with Japanese entertainment takes a poke at Johnny’s Jimusho (the popular boy band agency known for bands like SMAP, V6, TOKIO, ARASHI, etc.)

With subtle hints with watercolored images of Kimura Takuya and other Johnny’s guys on the walls, the person in charge of the agency is recruiting for a music group.

The person in charge of this agency happens to be a cross-dressing pervert who can’t seem to stop stroking Ichiro (yes, you read that right) and gives Nerima Daikon Brothers a try.

After the agency takes the money from those who have auditioned and leaving them broke, the Nerima Daikon Brothers fight back.

What happens before your eyes is just a shock that I can’t even describe in words. You have to watch it to find out.

The second episode takes a poke at the popularity of Korean star Yonsama (Bae Yong Joon) who captured the hearts of Japanese women with his drama “Winter Sonata” and started the Korean craze in Japan.

In this episode, Korean men using the fad to their advantage to take the money of Japanese housewives by wowing them at Korean pachinko parlors.

Hideki doesn’t like that his cousin (and the woman he likes) Mako has spent all his money at this bar and is addicted, thus the Nerima Daikon Brothers do what they can to get their money back from the parlor.

The DVD is just awesome. The music is great and the storyline is hilarious. Both English and Japanese versions are very well done.
The DVD features the clean opening and closing themes, a Nerima Daikon Brothers music video, sing-along with the Daikon Brothers, ADVidnotes, commentaries with Nabeshin & Haruka (Technician) and Nabeshin and Matsuzaki Shingeru (Japanese voice of Hideki) and roots of NDB insert.

“Nerima Daikon Brothers” is hard to describe in words but if your like me and enjoy anime, musicals and a lot of perverted humor, this one is definitely for you!

A — DENNIS A. AMITH
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THE BEST STUDENT COUNCIL VOL. 1 (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

A girl and her talking puppet, Pucchan. Attending the paradise all-girls school known as Miyagami Gakuen and also being a member of the Best Student Council. Not bad.

“The Best Student Council” is an anime full of fun, plenty of humor and a large cast of characters that interest you with a great balance in its storyline that just draws you in.

The 26-episode series was originally aired in Japan back in 1995 on TV Tokyo and was produced by KONAMI and J.C. Staff.

The series revolves around a girl named Rando Rino who recently lost her mother. The happy but clumsy girl has a pen pal who invites her to attend the school Miyagami Gakuen.

An all-girls school that is run by the Best Student Council.

A student council that is even more powerful than the faculty due to its president, Jinguji Kaede (who serves also as an executive director and founder of the school, president of the Gokujou Seitokai, and the successor to the Jinguji conglomerate).

But in making sure that the school is protected, Kaede is joined by student council members that form an executive branch, covert, assault and vehicle squad.

As for the main character, Rino is ccompanied by her special friend, a puppet named Pucchan.

Upon coming to the school, Rino experiences a chain of bad luck and her only place to stay has burned down.

Thus being homeless, her only friend at the new school enlists her for tryouts for class representative and a chance to be a member of the Best Sudent Council.

The reason, because if one was be a member of the council, one would get free boarding and food.

Needless to say, everyone looks at Rino as very unusual because she is very close to her puppet.

Many don’t understand why the puppet talks so much but the question makes you think why Rino depends on it so much.

Also, Rino treats it like real individual (while her classmate thinks she is a ventriloquist and is talking for the puppet).

The first episode features Rino and Pucchan (accidentally) taking down a pyromaniac at the school and thus becoming a member of the Best Student Council.

This leads to future episodes of people questioning why the new girl at school was able to get in (especially when she’s not very qualified in terms of intellect and athleticism).

To make matters even more interesting (or worse), the president of the Best Student Council, Jinguji Kaede, has a special interest towards Rino that make the students and even members of the Best Student Council suspicious.

The animation for “The Best Student Council” is fun and the voice acting (American and Japanese) are top notch.

As for the special features on the DVD, the clean opening and closing animation and character art gallery is included.

So, far watching each episode of “The Best Student Council” has been a blast.

I have to admit that at first, an anime featuring a teenage girl holding a puppet was something that I was very skeptical of enjoying. But after watching the first volume, this anime truly rocks and I’m looking forward to watching more.

The first volume of “The Best Student Council” is highly recommended for the start of 2007.

A — DENNIS A. AMITH
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