Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker (a J!-ENT Anime Blu-ray Disc Review)

May 25, 2012 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” is an enjoyable, action-packed film that will appeal to “Dragon Age” fans or those who love the action/adventure genre with swordfighting, monsters, dragons and sorcery. While not a groundbreaking film, it’s an animated film full of action and looks and sounds absolutely great on Blu-ray and features that Fumihiko Sori style that I enjoy watching! The film takes place within the Dragon Age universe and showcases the origins of “Dragon Age II” characters Cassandra Pentaghast and Divine Justinia V. And most of all… who doesn’t love a strong female character who can kick major ass!? “Dragon Age” fans and action/adventure fans…”Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” is recommended!

TITLE: Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker

MOVIE RELEASE: 2012

DURATION: 90 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition HD Native, Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Dolby TrueHD Japanese 5.1, Subtitles: English

RATED: TV MA (Violence, Fantasy Violence)

COMPANY: EA/BioWare/FUNimation Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 29, 2012

Directed by Fumihiko Sori

Screenplay by Jeffrey Scott

Music by Tetsuya Takahashi

Character Design by Daisuke Nakayama

Sound Design by Koji Kasamatsu

ADR Director: Mike McFarland

Featuring the voices of:

Luci Christian as Revered Mother

Colleen Clinkenbeard/Chiaki Kuriyama as Cassandra Pentaghast

Pam Dougherty as Divine

R. Bruce Elliot as High Seeker

Chuck Huber as Frenic

Mike McFarland as Lazarro

Brina Palencia as Grand Cleric of Orlais

Christopher Sabat/Gackt of Knight Commander

John Swasey as Byron

J. Michael Tatum/Shosuke Tanihara as Regalyan D’Marcall

In a land where battles are fought with swords and magic, a young heroine rises to glory as Templars, mages, and dragons clash. Cassandra, a brash and beautiful warrior, must stop a conspiracy that threatens the realm’s most powerful religious order. Accused of treasonous crimes and hunted by friend and foe, Cassandra must clear her name and overcome her rage in order to save the day and take her place in legend.

When it comes to video games, the Canadian video game developer BioWare is famous for creating successful video game franchises such as “Baldur’s Gate”, “Neverwinter Nights”, “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic”, especially the popular “Mass Effect” series.

And in 2009, BioWare created “Dragon Age”, a successful dark fantasy role-playing video game whichled to a sequel, “Dragon Age II” in 2011 and since have spawned novels, a Facebook game, a Flash game, a tabletop game, comic books, action figures, a web series and now, an animated film which was co-produced by BioWare, Electronic Arts and FUNimation Entertainment.

The animated film is directed by Fumihiko Sori, best known for his directed the live film “Ping Pong”, but for animation, known for his style of anime featured in the films “Appleseed” and “Vexille”.

The animated film was released in theaters in Japan in Feb. 2012 and in the United States in May 2012. The film will also be released via Blu-ray/DVD combo on May 29th.

As “Dragon Age: Origins” took place in the country of Ferelden, in the continent of Thedas, gamsrs were introduced to the race and background of a Human Noble, Magi, Daish/City elf, dwarf commoner/noble but most importantly to the Dragon Age mythology.

While there is a connection between “Dragon Age II” to the “Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker”, in order to be accessible to a large audience who have never played the video game, a short narration is given on the state of the world. But the film features a younger Cassandra Pentaghast.

“Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” takes place during a time when people believed in faith, faith in a dominant religious order led by The Divine Justinia V. Her Templar Knights have a tight control over the mages and making sure that no one uses their power in a negative way in ordering to bring upon the “Blight” (a period when a darkspawn tries to find and corrupt one of the Old Gods and transform it into an archdemon).

There has been corruption within the Templar Knights but fortunately, the best of the Knights, known as “The Seekers of Truth” (who were selected by the Divine), have rotted out corruption within the mages or the holes of the chantry.

And with a celebration for the ten year gathering of the faithful is bringing pilgrims from all over world to the Orlaisian Empire to pray for the peace.

“Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” begins with the antagonist, Frenic (leader of the blood mages) forceably feeding the blood of Drake (a male dragon) to an elf named Avexis, in order for her to have the abilities to control the dragons.

When the Seekers arrive to fight the Blood Mages and save Avexis. We are introduced to Cassandra Pentaghast, a Nevarran royal and Seeker of the Chantry and her mentor, the great seeker named Byron who has treated Cassandra like she is his own daughter.

And while the Seekers are successfully able to save Avexis from Frenic, Knight-Commander Martel (the head of the Templar Order in Orlais) has a major distrust towards the Seekers of Truth and does not get along with High Seeker Aldren.

One night, Cassandra awakens from a nightmare and hears someone walking around the castle. It is her mentor Byron who has taken the elf, Avexis and is trying to flee the castle. When she confronts Byron about why he is taking the girl, he does not want to tell her nor get her involved with his special mission. But when the Templar Knights realize that the girl is missing, both Byron and Cassandra escape with Avexis and learn that Byron suspects a conspiracy that involves the High Seeker and the Chantry.

Because Byron knows that Avexis can control wild beasts, he wants to make sure no one uses her for evil and so he planned to give her to a friend and keep Avexis hidden. But as Chandra tries to make sense of all that is happening, they are attacked by Blood Mages and in the process, Avexis is once again kidnapped by the Blood Mages and Byron is killed.

But right after the Blood Mages have left, Cassandra detects another Mage, a circle mage named Regalyan D’Marcall. But because Cassandra has a major distrust towards mages, for what they did to her family long ago, she can’t believe that Byron was working with a mage.

Now Cassandra must make a decision, to continue her job as a Seeker or to betray her fellow Seekers and the Divine in order to investigate the corruption in the Chantry and carry out the mission that her dead mentor had began. But this means that she must work with a mage. What will Cassandra do?

Needless to say, Cassandra decides to continue with what Byron had started and now, Cassandra and Regalyan are now wanted by both The Seekers of Truth and the Blood Mages. What plan does the Blood Mages have with Avexis? And how is the Chantry involved?

VIDEO:

“Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” is an animated film that has Fumihiko Sori’s style. Presented in 1080p High Definition, “Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” looks fantastic on Blu-ray.

For those familiar with “Applessed”, “To” or “Vexille”, it’s a unique style that Sori films are known for. That is to feature beautiful background art, well-detailed surfaces, may it be vehicles, structures or in this case, dragons. But most importantly, it’s the design of his characters. Some may say “over-exposed” or a “shiny” look. It’s unlike any other anime film and it’s Sori’s style of creativity and when you see this style, you know he’s involved.

Sori is also known for having his films showcase black levels and shadow details. Everything is pretty deliberate when it comes to the look of Fumihiko Sori’s work and whether or not you like it, I personally have enjoyed Sori’s animated films and see how far he can take his films and trying to incorporate realistic movements with his animated style. And for the most part, he is able to accomplish a style that is much different from “Vexille” and also “Appleseed: Ex Machina”, but you can tell from this film of how far Sori films have come since “Appleseed”.

AUDIO:

“Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” is presented in English and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and because the film’s many action sequences, the film sounds absolutely impressive. Great use of the surround channels, as well as LFE and dialogue and the musical score by Tetsuya Takahashi is crystal clear. But things really do get immersive towards the final action sequences in the film and for the most part, audiophiles should be pleased with the lossless soundtrack.

And as far as the voice acting goes, both English and Japanese voicework are well-done. Both Colleen Clinkenbeard and Chiaki Kuriyama do a magnificent job with their voice role for Cassandra Pentaghast and for J-Rock fans, I’m sure many will love the fact that Gackt does the voice of the Knight Commander.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” comes with the following special features:

Bioware Studio Tour – (7:56) Mike Laidlaw (Creative Director of “Dragon Age”) gives viewers a tour of BioWare’s Edmonton studio.
Dawn of the Seeker Backstage Pass – (20:40) Featuring BioWare and FUNimation staff discussing the film, the visual design of the characters, the characters in the film and how the movie came about.
Dragon Age Production Art – View various sketches and art created during production of “Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker”.
Previews – FUNimation Entertainment and BioWare trailers

EXTRAS:

“Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” comes with a Blu-ray and two DVD’s featuring the English feature film and the Japanese version of the feature film. Also, included is a code for a free download of a “Dragon Age: The Silent Grove” digital-exclusive comic which can be redeemed from Dark Horse Comics’ online store. Also, the Blu-ray release comes with a slipcover case.

I have probably watched “Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” four times now and part of the excitement of why I enjoyed this film is because of the work of Fumihiko Sori and his staff. The look and feel of the animated film was very cool and I was very impressed by the 3D rendering of the dragons and also how beautiful the landscapes and structure were. The Blu-ray really does a magnificent job in showcasing the detail plus the various colors of the film, may it be the dark blacks to the vibrant outdoor, day colors.

And for “Dragon Age” fans, especially those who have played “Dragon Age II”, will get a kick out of watching a storyline that revolves around a younger Cassandra Pentaghast. Also, for the fans who have watched the web series “Dragon Age: Redemption” and seeing the tie-in between Cassandra and the characters of “Redemption”.

As for the film itself, while I do feel that “Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” will appeal to “Dragon Age” fans, fortunately the storyline is accessible to those who have never played the “Dragon Age” video games. Writer Jeffrey Scott (who worked on the animated TV series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, “Dragon Tales”, “Mega Man”, “Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog”) was able to make a straightforward screenplay that doesn’t get too convoluted in Dragon Age mythos. All you need to know is that Cassandra is a seeker, an important position within the Chantry and that she is on a mission to uncover a conspiracy within the Chantry and also how it relates to the Blood Mages.

The film itself is rather violent, has a lot of blood, major loss of body parts and thus the reason for the TV MA rating. But for those who enjoy this genre will find “Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” to be more to their liking and may entice them in playing the video game series.

The Blu-ray release looks and sounds magnificent and I was pretty impressed of how Sori’s films have gotten better in look since his work on “Appleseed” and for audiophiles, the film also has its fair share of awesome moments during action sequences in producing an immersive environment. As for special features, I did enjoy the studio tour of the BioWare Edmonton studio and also interviews with crew of BioWare and also Funimation but I was hoping to see a few more special features. May it be an audio commentary or even featurette involving the Japanese side who worked on the film.

Overall, “Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” is an enjoyable, action-packed film that will appeal to “Dragon Age” fans or those who love the action/adventure genre with swordfighting, monsters, dragons and sorcery. While not a groundbreaking film, it’s an animated film full of action and looks and sounds absolutely great on Blu-ray and features that Fumihiko Sori style that I enjoy watching! The film takes place within the Dragon Age universe and showcases the origins of “Dragon Age II” characters Cassandra Pentaghast and Divine Justinia V. And most of all… who doesn’t love a strong female character who can kick major ass!?

“Dragon Age” fans and action/adventure fans…”Dragon Age: Dawn of the Seeker” is recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on Blu-ray

J!-ENT/FUNIMATION “FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD” CONTEST (Ends on May 31, 2012)

May 9, 2012 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

J!-ENT has teamed up with FUNIMATION for a special “FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD” CONTEST.

All over the world, “FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST: BROTHERHOOD” has captivated fans through its exciting storyline, action and the many awesome characters and now, one lucky winner can win the following:

The complete set of “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” (Your Choice: Blu-ray or DVD)
Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos Blu-ray+DVD Combo-Pack
A signed Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos poster signed by the director and producer and cast members from the film.

TO ENTER THE CONTEST:

You must be a resident in the United States.

To enter the J!-ENT/FUNimation “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” Contest, send us an e-mail (click here) or e-mail contests@j-entonline.com and let us know why you love “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” or “Tell Us How Big of an Anime Fan You Are”.

Please make sure to include your name and e-mail address, so if you win, we can contact you.

The contest will end on May 31, 2012 and the winner will be contacted on Friday, June 1, 2012.

Your contact information is safe and is only for contest purposes only. And that is only in order to contact the winner of the contest.

Winner will have 96 hours (3 days) to reply with the address of where contest items will be shipped (shipping must be in the United States, not out of the country). If there is no reply from the first winner draw, J!-ENT will select another winner.

DISCLAIMER:

J!-ENT has not received any compensation from FUNimation for this contest post. J!-ENT has no material connection to the brands, products, or services that are mentioned in this post.

J!-ENT is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Filed Under: Announcements, GALLERY

FUNIMATION ANNOUNCES FUNIMATION.TV AND SHOP FOR ANIME FANS

November 22, 2011 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

FUNIMATION CHANNEL ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF THEIR UPDATED WEBSITE FUNIMATION.TV AND GRAND OPENING OF SHOP FOR ANIME FANS

FUNimation.tv launches with a new integrated programming schedule and an e-commerce site with their partner FUNimation Entertainment.

West Palm Beach, FL, (November 22, 2011) – FUNimation Channel, the nation’s only 24/7 anime channel in America, is distributed as both a linear channel and VOD on various video providers across the U.S. To meet the demands of fans they recently announced the launch of a renewed www.funimation.tv.

The new website focuses on making the schedule and content more accessible and dynamic.
With the new features each show has its own dynamic landing page with show synopsis, trailers and a purchase button for buying the DVD/Blu-ray of the program directly from FUNimation.tv. With the addition of the channel’s official online store, www.funimation.tv/shop, viewers will now experience channel-only online specials.

This new e-commerce addition will allow the channel to give discounts to fans, reward customers with coupons, and offer DVD bundles for special releases and holidays. The online store offers Free Shipping to orders over $25, Pre-Order titles at competitive prices, and great Buy One, Get One Free offers.

For FUNimation Channel’s online store Grand Opening, customers can purchase the DVD bundle for Spice and Wolf Season One at the sale price of $37.49 (a savings of 25%) and get the recently released Season Two at 60% off. The online store is offering its customers Darker Than Black Season One at the sale price of $ 37.48 (a savings of 25%) and get the new second season at 60% off. Visit www.funimation.tv/shop for more information.
On Black Friday, Shop will unveil a variety of specials including a “VOD Special” where Video On Demand viewers can purchase select titles from Shop at lower-than-normal sale prices such as: The Count of Monte Cristo, My Bride is a Mermaid, Samurai Champloo, Ikki Tousen and many more.
Also on-“Darker Than Black Friday” – customers receive 40% off the retail price of either season 1 or season 2 of Darker Than Black.
The specials continue through Cyber Monday where customers can buy Chaos;HEAd and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040 at 40% off the retail price.
The site also contains an “Easter Egg” for those hunting for additional bargains on Shop. Visitors who find the “Easter Egg” will be able to take advantage of the special coupon offer.
###
About FUNimation Channel
FUNimation Channel, a partnership between Olympusat, Inc. and FUNimation Entertainment, is the market leader in providing fans in the U.S. within the $2.5 billion dollar a year business direct access to an exclusive portfolio of Anime movies, series and specials to TV, mobile and broadband customers alike. FUNimation Channel is currently available in approximately 20 million TV households in the U.S. and is available on AT&T U-verse, Charter Communications, Comcast, Verizon, and others. FUNimation Channel has linear SD, VOD and HD (1080p) service, along with multiplatform strategies and licensing capabilities. www.funimation.tv

About OlympuSAT
OlympuSAT, Inc. is the nation’s top owner and service provider of independent television and multiplatform networks in both standard and high definition. The company represents or controls more than two dozen diverse channels through their Hispanic, Digital I and Faith & Families Packs. OlympuSAT facilitates technical related services including satellite and uplink along with affiliate sales and marketing services. Additional services provided to networks include, as needed, master control, advertising sales and traffic and billing services. The OlympuSAT network portfolio is distributed via Intelsat Galaxy 23. An affiliate of Ocean Communications, OlympuSAT is based in West Palm Beach, Florida, serving homes nationwide. www.olympusat.com

About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.

Filed Under: Anime Related News

Navarre Corporation Announces Sale of FUNimation Entertainment

April 4, 2011 by J!-ENT · Leave a Comment

Company Advances on Strategic Initiatives and Affirms Debt-Free Status at March 31, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS, Apr 4, 2011 (GlobeNewswire via COMTEX) — Navarre Corporation (Nasdaq:NAVR) today announced that it has sold FUNimation Entertainment for $24 million in an all cash transaction. Purchasers in the transaction are a group of entities that were newly formed by an investment group that includes Gen Fukunaga, FUNimation Entertainment’s chief executive officer, as a minority stakeholder. In connection with the sale, the Company has entered into an agreement to act as FUNimation Entertainment’s exclusive distributor in the United States on a continuing basis, and will also act as FUNimation Entertainment’s logistics and fulfillment services provider.
The transaction is a major step forward in the Company’s ongoing strategy to focus on the expansion of revenue in the distribution of new product lines, further develop the breadth of its value added services, and continue to grow its direct to consumer fulfillment services. This strategy has already resulted in a significant reduction to debt and has improved operating margins by leveraging the Company’s significant distribution and logistics expertise and considerable systems and physical assets.
“We ended fiscal 2011 debt free, prior to our receipt of the proceeds from this transaction,” said Cary L. Deacon, chief executive officer of Navarre Corporation. “With the strength of our balance sheet, Navarre will be able to deploy the funds generated from the sale of FUNimation to build or acquire new businesses and services to diversify our revenue streams that will support our long-term objectives. We will be actively seeking expansion opportunities in the distribution and online/web services area to support our direct to consumer strategies.
“We are energized by the progress we have made, and feel we are now positioned to build our businesses and services offering to support our long-term objectives and increase shareholder value,” continued Deacon.
Earlier this year, the Company had detailed the strategies that support its long-term objectives. Going forward, Navarre’s strategic initiatives include:
– Leveraging its state-of-the-art systems and logistics capabilities;
– Continuing to expand its products and services beyond digitally
downloadable goods;
– Providing back-end logistics solutions and fulfillment capabilities to
customers and clients;
– Expanding its direct-to-consumer fulfillment business;
– Enhancing the business development team to support acquiring new
services and product lines; and
– Continuing to grow the Canadian business through expanding relationships
with key Canadian retailers.

“This transaction ends a comprehensive sales process undertaken over the last year. As previously discussed, FUNimation’s future strategies and associated risks to execute them are not in line with Navarre’s strategic direction,” said Reid Porter, chief operating officer of Navarre Corporation. “Most importantly, this sale allows us to now provide even greater focus on executing against our long-term strategic objectives.”
The Company anticipates that its financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011 will be impacted by a non-cash impairment charge resulting from a reduction in the carrying value of FUNimation’s net assets, as well as a pre-tax loss upon the sale of FUNimation. The exact amount of the impairment charge and the loss resulting from the sale of FUNimation will be determined in connection with preparing the Company’s financial statements for the 2011 fiscal year end but is currently estimated to be approximately $11 million.
As part of the sale, Navarre will remain the exclusive distributor of FUNimation products in the United States. As exclusive distributor, Navarre will leverage its more than 25-year history as a leading distributor for computer software, home entertainment media, consumer electronics and accessories. More information on the sale of FUNimation, as well as updates on the Company’s new strategic priorities, will be available in Navarre’s fiscal 2011 fourth-quarter and full-year earnings release on June 7, 2011, and subsequent conference call on June 8, 2011. Details regarding that earnings release will be provided shortly. In addition, the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission describes the FUNimation sale.

About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation Entertainment is the leading company for Japanese animation in the United States and is known for acquiring top-rated anime series from Japan and for being the market share leader for home video sales of anime in the United States. The company has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and in many instances manages a full spectrum of rights including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution.
About Navarre Corporation
Navarre(R) Corporation provides distribution, third party logistics, supply chain management and other related services for North American retailers and their suppliers. For over 25 years, the Company has been a leading distributor for computer software, home entertainment media, consumer electronics and accessories. The Company also publishes computer software in its Encore(R) subsidiary. Navarre was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Additional information can be found at www.navarre.com.
The Navarre Corporation logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=6839
Forward-Looking Statements

Filed Under: Anime Related News

RoboGeisha (A J!-ENT DVD Review)

November 28, 2010 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“RoboGeisha” is a movie about sisters bonding… or about murderous cyborg geishas. If you enjoyed ““Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl”", “RoboGeisha” is for you!

DVD TITLE: RoboGeisha (

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2009

DURATION: 100 Minutes

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

COMPANY: T.O Entertainment, Inc./FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV MA

RELEASE DATE: November 16, 2010

Written and Directed by Noboru Iguchi

Executive Producers: Satoshi Arashi, Manabu Harada, Takeichi Honda, Hirofumi Ogoshi

Producer: Naobumi Ashi, Akira Fujita, Kazunari Okuma, Yui Shibata

Co-Producer: Masayuki Kaneko, Sen Katayama, Hiroshi Kogure, Akira Yamaguchi

Music by Yasuhiko Fukuda

Director of Photography: Yasutaka Nagano

Production Design by Gen Ito, Aya Suzuki

Special Effects Director: Yoshihiro Nishimura

Visual Effects Director: Tsuyoshi Kazuno

Starring:

Aya Kiguchi as Yoshie Kasuga

Yoshihiro Nishimura as Yakuza Boss

Naoto Takenaka as Kanai

Asami as Onna Tengu 1

Takumi Saito as Hikaru Kageno

Cay Izumi as Onna Tengu 2

Suzuki Matsuo as Tetsuma Gotokuji

Shoko Nakahara as Hideko

Hitomi Hasebe as Kikue Kasuga

Kentaro Shimazu as Kogure

Yuya Ishikawa as Suzuki

Demo Tanaka as Hachiro

Kikuke is a geisha known for her glamour and grace. Yoshie is her abused sister, banished to the shadows. When a mysterious corporation transforms their soft bodies into murderous machines, the rival vixens rush toward an ultra-violent final confrontation.

Yoshie Kasuga (Aya Kiguchi) was always treated terribly by her older sister, the renowned geisha Kikue Kasuga (Hitomi Hasebe). One of Kikue’s clients, Hikaru Kageno (Takumi Saitoh) discovers something about Yoshie that no one had ever noticed before. Soon Yoshie and Kikue are kidnapped by Hikaru’s company, Kageno Steel Manufacturing and they are forced to become a part of a secret plan to create murderous cyborgs.

The tables turn for Yoshie and she finds that she’s quite good at this and soon finds herself in the higher ranks of the secret army. However after being sent on a couple of missions, she starts to wonder if what she’s doing is morally right or not, especially after she is sent on a mission to kill a group of older people who just want their kidnapped family members back from Kageno Steel Manufacturing.

Will Yoshie choose to help Kageno Steel Manufacturing take over Japan or will she help the group of family members get their kidnapped loved ones back?

VIDEO:

“RoboGeisha” is presented in 16:9.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

“RoboGeisha” is presented in Dolby Digital. The English dub is presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround while the Japanese track is presented in Japanese stereo.

Subtitles are in English.

The English dubbing decent… they got the popular American anime voice actors to do the dubbing and it sounds okay but the dubbing doesn’t always match the lips moving. But overall, it’s pretty well done. The voices don’t seem out of place and match the characters.
SPECIAL FEATURES:

“RoboGeisha” comes with the following special features:

GeishaCop: Fearsome Geisha Corps – Go To Hell- (16:50) A short film spin-off of RoboGeisha…
Original Trailer- (2:02) The original trailer for “RoboGeisha”.
Coming Soon- Trailers of other FUNimation live-action releases.

“RoboGeisha” follows the story of Yoshie Kasuga and her rise from lowly geisha servant to a powerful cyborg assassin geisha. Think that sounds insane? But wait, there’s more! How about an evil organization with castle robots with a plan to kill politicians with cyborg geisha assassins so they can take over Japan? How about booby machine guns and booty swords? Sounds good to you? Then you’ll love this movie.

This movie is totally ridiculous. The best way to describe this movie is that it is a dark comedy B movie. It is not to be taken seriously, at all. I think a good comparison for this film would be all the ridiculous movie spoof movies in the US like “Scary Movie”, “Dance Flick”, etc. However this film doesn’t really spoof a specific movie… But it still has that kind of a feel. Maybe a slight reference to the Super Sentai series with the big castle robot in this movie… Anyways.

One thing that surprised me about this film is that it wasn’t nearly as bloody as I thought it would be (I am totally not complaining) considering this film featured some of the same people involved with “Tokyo Gore Police” and “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” (Nishimura had a hand in all three films) which were extremely bloody.

However, the cheesy B movie special effects that give these movie their… Uniqueness was definitely present in “RoboGeisha” as well. There isn’t really any nudity… Just some torsos and well, there are booby machine guns, booty swords, and tengu bras which I’m sure some people would find inappropriate. However, I sadly thought one of the funniest parts of the movie was when there was a duel with the booty swords and all either of the girls could do was face their swords at each other and repeat “…Hazukashii” (I’m embarrassed) over and over.

I don’t mean to say that this movie totally lacks a plot, but it’s very minimal. I guess you can say that deep down this is a movie about the bond between sisters… But that would be under layers upon layers of violence, cheesy effects, and just sheer ridiculousness. I’m also not saying that movies always need a strong plot however if that’s what you look for in a movie, you may want to skip this one. Despite how I actually feel about this movie, I know people will enjoy it. For example, if you enjoyed “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl”, you’ll probably enjoy this too.

Speaking of “Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl” a familiar face from that movie shows up. Takumi Saitoh plays the villain in this movie, Hikaru Kageno. The acting in the movie itself isn’t too terrible… It just is about as good as you’d expect in a B movie.

However, there are some big names in this movie like Naoto Takenaka (probably most recognized from the original “Shall We Dance” in the US) and Etsuko Ikuta. Some may be surprised that well known actors may appear in a movie like this but Takenaka has made some rather strange movies himself and gas played some very weird roles in the past so I wasn’t very surprised to see him in this movie. Not to mention his role in the movie is absolutely hilarious.

So, if you’re looking for a movie rich in plot, great characters, action.., you won’t really find that in this film. If you like watching B movies or ridiculous and offensive comedies full of WTF moments, you’ll enjoy this movie. If you do like any of the latter, check this movie out.

Filed Under: Asian Cinema DVD/Blu-ray, DVD Reviews

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 2 (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

June 15, 2010 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“Kenichi Season 2 Part 2 is the exciting conclusion to a great action comedy series. A must-see!”

DVD TITLE: Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 DVD Part 2

DURATION: 280 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 WIDESCREEN, ENGLISH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND, JAPANESE STEREO

COMPANY: FUNIMATION Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: May 25th, 2010

Original Comic Books Created by Syun Matsuena

Chief Direction by Hajime Kamegaki

Music by Joe Rinoie

Sound Director by Akiyoshi Tanaka

Art Direction by Nobuhito Sakamoto

Character Design by Masatomo Sudo/Junko Yamanaka

Produced by Susumu Matsuyama/Satoshi Kojima/Kenichi Project/TMS Entertianment, LTD.

Featuring the following voice talent:

Tomokazu Seki/ Josh Grelle as Kenichi Shirahama

Tomoko Kawakami/ Carrie Savage as Miu Fuurinji

Takumi Yamazaki/ Todd Haberkorn as Haruo Niijima

Tomoe Sakuragawa/ Cherami Leigh as Honoka Shirahama

Hiroshi Arikawa/ R. Bruce Elliott as Hayato Fuurinji

Unsho Ishizuka/ Christopher Sabat as Shio Sakaki

Hiroya Ishimaru/ Sonny Strait as Apachai Hopachai

Mamiko Noto/ Trina Nishimura as Shigure Kosaka

Issei Futamata/ Vic Mignogna as Kensei Ma

Jurota Kosugi/ Kent Williams as Akisame Koetsuji

Mika Kanai/ Kate Oxley as Renka Ma

Ken Narita/ Jerry Jewell as Odin

George Nakata/ Robert McCollum as Berserker

Atsuko Tanaka/ Stephanie Young as Freya

Keiji Fujiwara/ Travis Willingham as Loki

Mitsuaki Madono/ Chris Cason as Siegfried

Ryo Horikawa/Eric Vale as Hermit

Naomi Kusumi/ Bob Carter as Thor

Minami Takayama/ Colleen Clickenbeard as Valkyrie

Akio Ohtsuka/Jason Douglas as Ishinsai Ogata

Kenichi’s a lot tougher than he used to be – living in a dojo with six martial arts masters will do that to you. But thanks to his reputation as a skilled fighter, the guy’s got more problems than ever.

The goons in Ragnarok are gunning for him in a big way, especially the gang’s leaders: the Eight Fists, a dangerously unpredictable crew known to play dirty. Luckily, Kenichi’s got allies like Miu by his side. She’s as tough as she is hot, and even if he still hasn’t scored with the blonde brawler, her very presence makes Kenichi train harder to be the best.

Yeah, he’s come a long way – but Kenichi’s fight to be the mightiest disciple isn’t over yet.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 2″ starts off as a direct continuation from Season 2 Part 1, and the first episode of this collection concludes what happened in episode 38. Kenichi is still working under the masters of the Ryozanpaku dojo to become the best fighter in the world. The story concentrates around Kenichi, who is training to become the best fighter in the world. This section of the series deals with Kenichi’s fight with the members of Ragnarok, concentrating on the battle against the last 3 Fists of Ragnarok. Kenichi’s grueling training from the Ryozanpaku masters continue while he attends high school with Miu, and in this collection of episodes, he has to train with the Elder of Ryozanpaku to become strong enough to defeat the strongest fighter of Ragnarok. Meanwhile, Niijima is still trying his best to recruit more members into the Shinpaku Federation so he can take over the world. Kenichi must face someone from his past and is put to the ultimate test in the exciting conclusion of “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple”.

This particular volume, “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 DVD Part 2″ contains the last 12 episodes of the second season of “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple”.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” focuses on the following main characters:

Kenichi Shirahama – Kenichi is the main character of the series and is a high school student that is training at the Ryozanpaku Dojo and learning multiple martial arts at once from the masters at the dojo. He is very loyal and very dedicated to his art and has a crush on Miu. Even though he seems to be a mediocre fighter to most at first, somehow he manages to defeat everyone in his path.

Miu Furinji – Miu is the very well endowed 16 year old that is the granddaughter of Hayato Furinji and the classmate of Kenichi. Despite her cute looks, she is rather shy… and also quite a skilled fighter.

Haruo Niijima – Niijima is the self-proclaimed leader of the Shinpaku Federation who has the appearance of an alien and acts like one as well. He and Kenichi call each other bad friends, but are somewhat friends nonetheless despite not wanting to admit it. Niijima dreams of taking over the world one day.

Honoka Shirahama – Honoka is Kenichi’s very energetic and hyper young sister. She is saved from thugs one day by Hermit and since then, she has a very strange but cute bond with him.

Hayato Fuurinji – Hayato is the grandfather of Miu and the undefeated elder of the Ryozanpaku Dojo. He is rather, tall, muscular, and loves lollipops. He is a giant and powerful.

Shio Sakaki – Sakaki is the karate master of the dojo. He is rather tall and rugged, has a scar on his face and is usually wearing a leather jacket.

Apachai Hopachai – Apachai is the master of Muay Thai of the dojo. He is very strong, but can be rather childish and says “apapapa” alot. He also likes the game, “osero”.

Shigure Kosaka – Shigure is the weapons master of the dojo. She is the only female master of the dojo and is rather quiet and has a pet mouse named Tochumaru.

Kensei Ma – Kensei is the Chinese Kenpo master of the dojo. He is rather short and balding and is usually seen holding a pervy book.

Akisame Koetsuji – Akisame is the Jujitsu master of the dojo. He is also the master of various other arts including calligraphy, go, painting, etc. He likes making inventions that serve a certain purpose… as well as training Kenichi at the same time.

Ragnarok

Odin – Odin is the strongest of the members of Ragnarok and seems to have some sort of connection with Kenichi’s past.

Berserker – Berserker is the second fist of Ragnarok who is rather quiet and usually seen chewing gum.
His name is rather self-explanatory.

Freya – Freya is the second fist of Ragnarok and is the leader of the Valkyries. She firmly believes that for women to win against men in fighting, they must use weapons.

Loki – Loki is the fourth fist of Ragnarok, and one of the main antagonists of this section of the series. Just like his namesake, he is somewhat of a trickster and doesn’t play very fair. In this part of the season, his true intentions come to light.

Siegfried – Siegfried is another member of Ragnarok who by rumor is immortal. He is obsessed with music and hopes to use his fighting experiences in making new symphonies. After being defeated by Kenichi, he joins the Shinpaku Federation.

Hermit/Natsu Tanimoto – Hermit was the sixth fist of Ragnarok and can probably be seen as Kenichi’s biggest rival. Despite being his rival and wanting nothing more than to defeat Kenichi, through the series it’s evident that he’s not that bad of a character. He is a very fair fighter and has a weird yet cute bond with Honoka, Kenichi’s younger sister. He also seems to be a bit bi-polar…

Thor – Thor is the sumo fighter and the seventh fist of Ragnarok. He is best friends with Siegfried.

Valkyrie/Kisara Nanjo – Valkyrie is the eighth fist of Ragnarok. She tries to act tough but seems to have a soft spot for cats. She leaves Ragnarok because she feels differently about the direction the group is headed.

Isshinsai Ogata – Ogata is the person who saves Kenichi in the wilderness when he gets lost… but he ends up being someone who we least suspect.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 2” features a total of 12 episodes on two DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 39- Shigure’s Personal… Lesson! – Kenichi has to fight… girls.
EPISODE 40- The Place the Promise was Made! Everything Started Here! – Kenichi recalls events that happened in the past that connect to what’s happening now..
EPISODE 41- Terror of the Sphere of Control! A Dragon Descends! – Kenichi faces off with a childhood friend, Niijima tries to recruit Tanimoto in the Shinpaku Federation.
EPISODE 42- Elder’s Super Express! Do-or-Die Secluded Tour in the Mountains! – Kenichi starts his training with the Elder, but it’s not the training he expected at all.
EPISODE 43- Limiter! Invitation to the World of Bloodshed – Kenichi continues his training in the woods, where he encounters the possibility of changing his life forever.
EPISODE 44- Collapse of the Shinpaku Federation! The Crazy Fist Stealthily Approaches! – Kenichi continues his training with the Elder, meanwhile Berserker and Freya draw closer to the Shinpaku Federation.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 45- The Decisive Attack! Kisara Dances! – Kisara has her showdown with Freya.
EPISODE 46- Farewell! A Determined Niijima joins the Fray! – Kenichi goes to find Niijima after recieving a concerning email. The Shinpaku Federation’s HQ is found out, and they are helped by unlikely allies.
EPISODE 47- The Weakness of the Genius! Effort Surpasses Talent! – Kenichi finally arrives to help his friends. Hermit and Berserker fight.
EPISODE 48- Showdown between the Leaders! The Man with the Legendary Spear! – Kenichi and Odin start their final showdown.
EPISODE 49- The Mightiest Transformation! The Ryozanpaku Rhythm! – Kenichi and Odin’s battle continues.
EPISODE 50- The Mightiest Disciple, Kenichi! – Kenichi and Odin’s battle comes to a close. Will Kenichi and his kindness win or will Odin and his power win?

VIDEO & AUDIO

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” is presented in 16:9. As I mentioned in my review for the first half of season 2, the animation honestly isn’t the best that I’ve seen, especially considering the fact that this series came out in the last few years, but the characters and story make up for it. The production of the art itself isn’t bad… but it’s not a series that you’ll probably be watching for the amazing animation. The character designs for the female characters = fan service and more fan service. The boob sizes ranged from big to bigger, so I’m sure there are some fans that will definitely enjoy that. The music is average but in some parts of the series, there is 8-bit game type music which I personally like.

For audio, you have the option of either Japanese or English.

There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The only special features available on the discs are textless songs and FUNIMATION trailers.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” is a great action series filled with great characters and comedy. This particular volume deals with the last 12 episodes of the anime series, and takes off right where Season 2 Part 1 left off. Just like the rest of the series, there’s plenty of action and great comedic moments throughout. This particular volume seems to be a bit more concentrated on action though than the last.

This series deals with themes such as what’s more important: power or kindness? Power or Love? Kenichi is a decent main character: he doesn’t really have too many annoying traits and his determination to learn about five different styles of martial arts at once is commendable. Each of his mentors have their own characteristics and are all fun to watch. In this collection, we get to see more training with the Elder vs. any other person of the dojo.

In Season 2 Part 1, Kenichi’s main rival was Hermit; in Season 2 Part 2, Kenichi’s main rival is Odin, who happens to be someone from his past. We didn’t get to see much of the top 3 of Ragnarok in the previous volume, but they get plenty of action in this volume. Kenichi continues his training and must get stronger to defeat Odin. The Shinpaku Federation has grown quite a bit since and everything in this volume leads to the final dramatic conclusion.

Just like the previous volumes of this series, there is a great cast of voice actors both Japanese and American. There are a lot of veteran seiyuu including Toshihiko Seki, Ryo Horikawa, Minami Takayama, Atsuko Tanaka, Ken Narita, Keiji Fujiwara, Jurota Kosugi, just to name a few. Overall the characters all seemed to have voices that fit their personalities and the English dub was well done as well. The English dub also featured the usual popular FUNIMATION cast including Vic Mignogna, Christopher Sabat, Travis Willingham, and Todd Haberkorn.

Like I previously stated, I think that the main audience that would appreciate this series is shonen manga fans, martial art fans, and comedy anime fans. I’m not sure how many girls will enjoy watching this considering the boob fan service… but despite it being there, it’s definitely not what the series is mainly about… but it does stick out.

Getting to this point in the series, I really don’t recommend watching this collection if you haven’t seen previous episodes. There are so many characters, story lines, and this is the final collection of episodes so there’s almost no point in watching just this one. Without prior knowledge of the series, you probably won’t know what’s going on and also it’s the end of the series so it’d be spoiling the rest of the series if you just see this one.

I definitely do recommend this series for those who enjoy entertaining characters, comedy, and a lot of fighting. Even though this concludes the anime series, for those who want more Kenichi, the manga series is still going on. For those who have watched the rest of the anime, be sure to check out the exciting conclusion of “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple”!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 1 (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

May 17, 2010 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 1 is high-energy, funny, action-packed series filled with great characters! A must-see!”

DVD TITLE: Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 DVD Part 1

DURATION: 325 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 WIDESCREEN, ENGLISH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND, JAPANESE STEREO

COMPANY: FUNIMATION Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: March 9th, 2010

Original Comic Books Created by Syun Matsuena

Chief Direction by Hajime Kamegaki

Music by Joe Rinoie

Sound Director by Akiyoshi Tanaka

Art Direction by Nobuhito Sakamoto

Character Design by Masatomo Sudo/Junko Yamanaka

Produced by Susumu Matsuyama/Satoshi Kojima/Kenichi Project/TMS Entertianment, LTD.

Featuring the following voice talent:

Tomokazu Seki/ Josh Grelle as Kenichi Shirahama

Tomoko Kawakami/ Carrie Savage as Miu Fuurinji

Takumi Yamazaki/ Todd Haberkorn as Haruo Niijima

Tomoe Sakuragawa/ Cherami Leigh as Honoka Shirahama

Hiroshi Arikawa/ R. Bruce Elliott as Hayato Fuurinji

Unsho Ishizuka/ Christopher Sabat as Shio Sakaki

Hiroya Ishimaru/ Sonny Strait as Apachai Hopachai

Mamiko Noto/ Trina Nishimura as Shigure Kosaka

Issei Futamata/ Vic Mignogna as Kensei Ma

Jurota Kosugi/ Kent Williams as Akisame Koetsuji

Mika Kanai/ Kate Oxley as Renka Ma

Ken Narita/ Jerry Jewell as Odin

George Nakata/ Robert McCollum as Berserker

Atsuko Tanaka/ Stephanie Young as Freya

Keiji Fujiwara/ Travis Willingham as Loki

Mitsuaki Madono/ Chris Cason as Siegfried

Ryo Horikawa/Eric Vale as Hermit

Naomi Kusumi/ Bob Carter as Thor

Minami Takayama/ Colleen Clickenbeard as Valkyrie

When we last saw Kenichi, he was making the transition from wimp to warrior – okay, maybe no warrior, but he was definitely taking steps to man up.

Well, the world is starting to notice, which is good and bad. On the plus side, he’s making friends and getting more respect. In the minus column, his rep is growing faster than his skills, which is tricky now that every thug in town wants to test his new techniques. That means between street brawls and trying to score with Miu, Kenichi still has to hang tough with the six martial arts masters. Lucky for him, the training is getting more tense – because before Kenichi can finally stand tall, he’ll have to beat his fiercest opponent yet!

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 1″ starts off as a direct continuation from episode 26. Kenichi is still working under the masters of the Ryozanpaku dojo to become the best fighter in the world. The story concentrates around Kenichi, who is training to become the best fighter in the world after being bullied most of his life. This section of the series deals mostly with Kenichi’s fight against the members of Ragnarok and also introduces characters like Renka Ma and Sougetsu Ma. Kenichi’s grueling training from the Ryozanpaku masters continue while he attends high school with Miu, the granddaughter of the Elder of Ryozanpaku Dojo. Kenichi’s battle with Hermit also continues in this section of the series and more of his past is actually revealed. Will Kenichi be able to defeat Hermit as well as the rest of Ragnarok once and for all or will his softness get in the way?

This particular volume, “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 DVD Part 1″ contains the first 12 episodes of the second season of “Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple”.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” focuses on the following main characters:

Ryozanpaku Dojo members and Family

Haruo Niijima – Niijima is the self-proclaimed leader of the Shinpaku Alliance who has the appearance of an alien and acts like one as well. He and Kenichi call each other bad friends, but are somewhat friends nonetheless despite not wanting to admit it. Niijima dreams of taking over the world one day.

Honoka Shirahama – Honoka is Kenichi’s very energetic and hyper young sister. She is saved from thugs one day by Hermit and since then, she has a very strange but cute bond with him.

Hayato Fuurinji – Hayato is the grandfather of Miu and the undefeated elder of the Ryozanpaku Dojo. He is rather, tall, muscular, and loves lollipops.

Shio Sakaki – Sakaki is the karate master of the dojo. He is rather tall and rugged, has a scar on his face and is usually wearing a leather jacket.

Apachai Hopachai – Apachai is the master of Muay Thai of the dojo. He is very strong, but can be rather childish and says “apapapa” alot. He also likes the game, “osero”.

Shigure Kosaka – Shigure is the weapons master of the dojo. She is the only female master of the dojo and is rather quiet and has a pet mouse named Tochumaru.

Kensei Ma – Kensei is the Chinese Kenpo master of the dojo. He is rather short and balding and is usually seen holding a pervy book. He is supposed to be the master of thousands of students back in China, however he is “goofing off” in Japan at Ryozanpaku.

Renka Ma – Renka is Kensei Ma’s 16 year old daughter that came from China to bring her father back home. She also may or may not have some feelings for Kenichi.

Ragnarok

Odin – Odin is the strongest of the members of Ragnarok and seems to have some sort of connection with Kenichi’s past.

Berserker – Berserker is the second fist of Ragnarok who is rather quiet and usually seen chewing gum.

Freya – Freya is the third fist of Ragnarok and is the leader of the Valkyries.

Loki – Loki is the fourth fist of Ragnarok, and one of the main antagonists of this section of the series. Just like his namesake, he is somewhat of a trickster and doesn’t play very fair.

Siegfried – Siegfried is the fifth fist of Ragnarok who by rumor is immortal. He is obsessed with music and hopes to use his fighting experiences in making new compositions.

Hermit/Natsu Tanimoto – Hermit is the sixth fist of Ragnarok and can probably be seen as Kenichi’s biggest rival. Despite being his rival and wanting nothing more than to defeat Kenichi, through the series it’s evident that he’s not that bad of a character. He is a very fair fighter and has a weird yet cute bond with Honoka, Kenichi’s younger sister. He also seems to be a bit bi-polar…

Thor – Thor is the sumo fighter and the seventh fist of Ragnarok.

Valkyrie – Valkyrie is the eighth fist of Ragnarok. She tries to act tough but seems to have a soft spot for cats.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple Season 2 Part 1” features a total of 12 episodes on two DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 27- Hard vs. Soft! Once-in-a-Lifetime Quarrel between Brothers! – Master Ma must fight hid older brother, Sougetsu.
EPISODE 28- Here Comes the Shock Troop Commander! Battle Royale at the Restaurant! – Kenichi fights Loki and is forced into the Shinpaku Alliance.
EPISODE 29- The Fearsome Siegfried! Prelude to Destruction! – Kenichi fights Siegfried to try to get Niijima back.
EPISODE 30- The Results of Training! Align Forward Half! – Kenichi may not be able to save Niijima.
EPISODE 31- Honoka Will Help You! – Honoka encounters Hermit, aka Tanimoto.
EPISODE 32- Honoka’s in Danger! Loki’s Plot! – Loki kidnaps Honoka to try to lure Kenichi to him.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 33- Strike, Kenichi! Fists do the Talking! – Kenichi fights to get Honoka back.
EPISODE 34- Don’t Give In! The Words Left by a Loved One! – More of Hermit’s past is revealed.
EPISODE 35- There’s No One in Our Way! Now is the Time to Settle the Fight! – Kenichi and Hermit settle their fight.
EPISODE 36- Miu vs. Renka! The Love Triangle Creates a Storm! – Renka and Miu fight over Kenichi.
EPISODE 37- Dangerous Trap! Let’s Have Sumo Chanko Stew Together! – Kenichi fights Thor from Ragnarok.
EPISODE 38- Cute Kitten! Hand-to-Hand Battle Among Women! – Kenichi and Miu encounter Valkyrie… and a kitten.

VIDEO & AUDIO

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” is presented in 16:9. The animation honestly might not be the best that I have seen, especially considering the fact that this series came out in the last few years, but the characters and story make up for it. The art is not bad, but definitely not the best that I’ve seen. There definitely wasn’t a “wow” factor in that department, and because there is a lot of fighting in this series, the art can get rather low quality at times. The character designs for the female characters = fan service and more fan service. The boob sizes ranged from big to bigger, so I’m sure there are some fans that will definitely enjoy that. Lots of bouncing… and some strategical ripping… The music is average but in some parts of the series, there is 8-bit game type music which I personally like quite a bit.

For audio, you have the option of either Japanese or English.

There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The only special features available on the discs are textless songs and FUNIMATION trailers.

“Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple” is a fun action series filled with great characters and comedy. Season 2 deals with the fighters from Ragnarok as Kenichi’s main rivals to become the best fighter ever. I think the strongest element holding this series together is the interesting characters and the comedy. Of course, there is fighting and a lot of it because it is a martial arts series. Most of the episodes in Season 2 Part 1 deal with Kenichi vs. Hermit and somewhat Loki as well. This is indeed a very character heavy series, but I didn’t find it to the point of being overwhelming. This is the first time I’ve watched “Kenichi”, and despite not watching the first season, the story wasn’t too hard to follow after doing a little bit of research.

This series deals with themes such as what’s more important: power vs kindness? Power or Love? Kenichi is a decent main character: he doesn’t really have too many annoying traits and his determination to learn about five different styles of martial arts at once is commendable. Each of his mentors have their own characteristics and are all fun to watch. A handful of the antagonists in this section of the series also seem to be the type that aren’t all bad either.

Despite Hermit being one of Kenichi’s biggest rivals, it’s obvious that he’s not a bad person… just a little mislead and angry. His interaction with Kenichi’s younger sister Honoka is adorable. His bipolar personality also provides some comic relief for the audience as well. It’s always nice when you don’t have a completely serious rival/antagonist. As I mentioned earlier, the boob size of the girls in this series is big and bigger. Miu’s, for example, is ridiculous. I don’t mind it too much, but the ridiculousness makes me laugh.

Another great thing about this series is the seiyuu they got for this series. There are a lot of veteran seiyuu including Toshihiko Seki, Ryo Horikawa, Minami Takayama, Atsuko Tanaka, Ken Narita, Keiji Fujiwara, Jurota Kosugi, just to name a few. Overall the characters all seemed to have voices that fit their personalities and the English dub was well done as well. The English dub also featured the usual popular FUNIMATION cast including Vic Mignogna, Christopher Sabat, Travis Willingham, and Todd Haberkorn.

I think that the main audience that would appreciate this series is shonen manga fans, martial art fans, and comedy anime fans. I’m not sure how many girls will enjoy watching this considering the boob fan service… but despite it being there, it’s definitely not what the series is mainly about… but it does stick out. I know I mentioned that a lot, but since the story and the characters are intriguing enough, in the end the fan service didn’t bug me to the point that I don’t want to see more of the series. Actually, I do want to see what happens next because this ends with a slight cliff hanger at the end of the 2nd DVD.

Overall, if people just want to check out this part of the series, I think that will be okay (however I would always encourage watching earlier episodes of a series instead of just jumping into random episodes), but I think after watching this part of the series, viewers would be interested in watching prior episodes as well as upcoming episodes. It’s a fun, action-packed fighting series with bits of comedy and moral values… and boob fan service.

I definitely do recommend this series for those who enjoy entertaining characters, comedy, and a lot of fighting. Check it out!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Romeo x Juliet – Juliet Collection (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

March 23, 2010 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“”Romeo x Juliet – Juliet Collection” brings an action-packed, fantastical re-imagining of a classic to an end. A beautiful piece of work that is a must-see!”

DVD TITLE: Romeo x Juliet – Juliet Collection

DURATION: 290 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 WIDESCREEN, ENGLISH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND, JAPANESE STEREO

COMPANY: GONZO/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TVPG

Release Date: August 11th, 2009

Based on the Play by William Shakespeare

Written by Reiko Yoshida

Directed by Fumitoshi Oizaki

Music by Hitoshi Sakimoto

Sound Direction by Tomohiro Yoshida

Art Direction by Masami Saito

Character Design by Hiroki Harada

Produced by Yoshihiro Iwasa(CBC)/Daisuke Gomi/Tsutomu Kojima

Featuring the following voice talent:

Takahiro Mizushima/ Chris Burnett as Romeo Montague

Fumie Mizusawa/ Brina Palencia as Juliet Capulet

Miyu Matsuki/ Colleen Clikenbeard as Cordelia

Hirofumi Nojima/ Eric Vale as Francisco

Kosuke Toriumi/ Robert McCollum as Curio

Katsuhisa Houki/ R. Bruce Elliott as Conrad

Ryo Hirohashi/ Maxey Whitehead as Antonio

Ryotaro Okiayu/ Mike McFarland as Tybalt

Shinnosuke Tachibana/ Sean Michael Teague as Benvolio

Kazuhiko Inoue/ J. Michael Tatum as William Shakespeare

Aya Hisakawa/ Dana Schultes as Lady Portia

Tetsuya Kakihara/ Christopher Bevins as Mercutio

Sayaka Ohara/ Carrie Savage as Hermione

Junko Iwao/ Jamie Marchi as Orphelia

Koji Ishii/ Sean Hennigan as Lord Montague

Romeo and Juliet share a romance not meant for this mortal coil. Their love has the power to alter the course of time – and change the world they must if there is to be any hope for a future. Together they will discover the burtal truths of both past and future while maintaining their devotion to a love once found only in fairy tales. All the while, villainous Duke Montague opposes their union and crushes Neo Verona with a boot at its throat. As their cherished city tumbles down around them, Romeo and Juliet have no choice but to face an otherworldly destiny that threatens to destroy them both.

“Romeo x Juliet -Juliet Collection” covers the second half of the series and the conclusion of the series. The anime “Romeo x Juliet” takes a completely different spin on the original Shakespearean play. Set in Neo Verona, years ago Prince Montague killed off the Capulets, who were at the time the rightful owners to the throne. He then took over Neo Verona and the city quickly changed into a society where the rich became even richer and the rest fell into poverty. The daughter of Prince Capulet, Juliet, had survived the attack that took place 14 years ago and has been living disguised as a boy. The few remaining servants to the House of Capulet took it upon themselves to raise her, hoping that one day she would be able to reclaim her rightful position to the throne.

Juliet grew up not remembering anything about the attack that took place 14 years prior or who she really is. She took on the name “Odin” as a boy and she also fights injustices as the hero of the city, the masked Red Whirlwind. One day she attends a masquerade ball, where she runs into Romeo, the son of Prince Montague. Unlike his father, Romeo is kind-hearted and cares a great deal for the people of Neo Verona and dislikes how his father runs things. They fall in love with each other at first sight, but just like the original story, they find out that their love will have a series of obstacles because their love is one that is not supposed to be…

Will Romeo and Juliet be able to escape their cruel fate that awaits them in this re-imagining?

“Romeo x Juliet” focuses on the following main characters:

Romeo Montague – Romeo Candore Van DiMontague is the son of Prince Montague. He is extremely kind-hearted and caring, completely opposite of his father. He believes that the nobles should use their power and wealth for the people and tries to persuade his father to do the so but it’s no use. One day he sees Juliet at a masquerade ball and falls in love with her at first sight. Soon after, he finds out who she is and his family’s connection to her’s and has slight doubts about them possibly getting together, but his feelings for her are much stronger. He does everything in his power to be with Juliet and also wants to change the fate of Neo Verona, even if it means defying his father. He is deeply in love with Juliet and will do anything for her.

Juliet Capulet – Juliet Fiammata Erss DiCapulet is the only remaining Capulet after Prince Montague slaughtered her family when she was two. She grew up in hiding with a few servants of the House of Capulet but for most of her life, she didn’t know her true lineage. So she would not be found by the guards, she had been dressed up as a boy and went by the name of “Odin”. Before she knew of her lineage, she would dress up as the vigilante “Red Whirlwind” and save the citizens of Neo Verona from the wrongs of the guards of Prince Montague. One day she attends a masquerade, as a girl, and sees Romeo and falls in love. Their first meeting is cut short but they keep running into each other. After she finds out about her true lineage, she soon finds out that her true love’s father is the one responsible for slaughtering her whole family. Despite that, she can’t change her love for him and he feels the same for her. She wants to be with him and restore peace to Neo Verona… but will their fate allow it?

Cordelia – Cordelia is one of the surviving servants to the House of Capulet and she is Juliet’s best friend. She is very much like an older sister to Juliet and cares for her very much.

Francisco – Another surviving member of the servants to the House of Capulet. He has long blond hair and is quite the ladies man. He is rather intelligent but just as skilled in fighting.

Curio – Another surviving member of the servants to the House of Capulet. He has a scar on his right eye and is sort of the strong man of the group. He is rather quiet and cool. He is very dedicated to protecting Juliet and cares for her very much.

Conrad – Conrad is the Captain of the Capulet Guards and he saves Juliet and Cordelia when the massacre happened on the House of Capulet. He raised Juliet and serves as the leader of the rebels. It is his ambition to restore the throne to Neo Verona to the rightful owner, Juliet.

Antonio – Antonio is Conrad’s grandson. He frequently accompanies Odin on his adventures into the city helping out the citizens of Neo Verona. He is like a little brother to Juliet.

Tybalt – Tybalt is the mysterious man who appears one day and saves Juliet’s life. He has a deep grudge against Prince Montague and has a connection with both Juliet and Romeo.

Benvolio – Benvolio is Romeo’s best friend and was once a noble. However due to his father disagreeing with the Prince, his family was stripped of their nobility and forced into hiding. Juliet and her followers helped out his family.

William Shakespeare – William or “Willy” is a playwright that hides Juliet and her followers in his playhouse. He is constantly trying to write the ultimate play and gets ideas from Juliet and her life story.

Lady Portia – Lady Portia is Romeo’s mother. She left the castle when Romeo was seven because she couldn’t deal with her husband’s evilness. Lady Portia is extremely kind and caring just like Romeo and hopes that one day Romeo can change Neo Verona for the better. She also supports Romeo and Juliet’s love and prays that their cruel fate can somehow be changed.

Mercutio – Mercutio is the son of another noble that wants very badly to impress the Prince. Dissatisfied with his own father, he envies Romeo for being the son of the Prince. However, he pretends to be friends with him to spy on him for the Prince.

Hermione – Hermione is a noble that is named as Romeo’s betrothed. She is very proper, appears to be very sweet, and cares very much for her betrothed despite him not feeling the same for her. However, she has a darker side to her… after all she is a woman in love with a rival.

Orphelia – Orphelia is the one who tends to the great tree, Escalus. She single handedly changes Juliet’s destiny…

Lord Leontes Montague – Prince Montague is the main antagonist throughout most of the series. He is the current Prince of Neo Verona and he is Romeo’s father. He is a ruthless, heartless tyrant that believes in ruling over Neo Verona using power and fear. He actually got his current position by using power: he killed off the rightful owner of the throne, Prince Capulet. He is the polar opposite of his son, Romeo. He has pretty much no compassion and truly believes that his way of rule is the only way to rule.

“Romeo x Juliet – Juliet Collection” features a total of 12 episodes on two DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

ACT 13- PULSATION ~ GUIDED – Juliet is captured by Prince Montague and is set to be executed.
ACT 14- SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITIES ~ IN THE CIRCLE OF THESE ARMS – Romeo is banished to run the mines as his punishment for letting Juliet escape.
ACT 15- THE SELF ~ THE WAY FORWARD – Romeo’s days at the mines continue.
ACT 16- ONE PERSON ~ SO DEAR – Juliet and her group get to Lady Ariel’s mansion.
ACT 17- CRUEL TYRANT ~ DARKNESS, THE ORIGIN – We see into Leontes Montague’s past and Tybalt’s connection to him is revealed
ACT 18- ASPIRATIONS ~ IN EACH OF THEIR HEARTS – William finishes a play and has everyone act in it for the people of Mantua

DISC 2:

ACT 19- SUCCESSION ~ I AM NONE OTHER – Everyone acts out the play that William wrote… it seems to be a combination of a few stories we all know… Also the identity of the Red Whirlwind is revealed.
ACT 20- DUTY ~ UNWAVERING STEP – The rebellion begins.
ACT 21- THE COVENANT ~ THE GODDESS’S EMBRACE – Juliet prepares to take on her newly established destiny.
ACT 22- CURSE ~ RAGING FURY – The Capulet forces prepare for the final battle.
ACT 23- SEED BROUGHT TO LIFE ~ THE KISS OF DEATH – Prince Montague has fallen, but Escalus calls for Juliet.
ACT 24- PRAYER ~ IN THE SAME WORLD AS YOU – Can Romeo save Juliet from her fate and can they beat their fate and have a happy ending?

VIDEO & AUDIO

“Romeo x Juliet” is presented in 16:9. GONZO once again doesn’t disappoint. The character designs and backgrounds are absolutely gorgeous. In this particular series though the amount of detail given to the architecture of Neo Verona and the other places is absolutely amazing. The atmosphere of Neo Verona takes a lot of influence from old European architecture and merging it with fantasy aspects. The animation quality is superb and doesn’t falter throughout the whole series.

For audio, you have the option of either Japanese or English. The Japanese cast has a handful of veteran seiyuu including Kazuhiko Inoue, Ryotaro Okiayu, and Aya Hisakawa lending their voices for some of the characters. Overall, every character’s voice seemed to fit their character and all the Japanese seiyuu do a fantastic job. As for the English dub, FUNimation does a wonderful job matching the original Japanese voices. I believe that FUNimation has some of the best English dubs, this one included. I always prefer the original Japanese over the English, but I enjoy FUNimation dubs including this one. I feel that the feeling of the original acting is not lost.

There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

For the special features, there are textless songs, FUNimation trailers, and a commentary for ACT 24 on disc 2.

I will probably say this many times throughout my review: Despite sharing the name of the play written by Shakespeare, there is very little association with the original in this anime.

I believe that the audience will be pretty split on this series. Fans of the original play may or may not like the re-imagining of a classic. Some people may love it because of the new twist on a classic. However it’s pretty safe to say that the series is pretty much completely different than the original play other than the fact that there are people named Romeo and Juliet, their households are technically feuding (more so in this version, the Capulets have been killed off by Prince Montague), and their love was not meant to be of this world but they still try to make it work.

Here is my own opinion… When I first heard about there being an anime based on “Romeo and Juliet”, I was wondering how they were going to make more than 2 episodes of it. Of course when I finally saw it, I realized that it was pretty much “A story very loosely based on the play Romeo and Juliet”. The story is pretty much completely original. The setting of the world of this anime is very much a world of fantasy fused with what seems to be an old European city.

If you know anything about the original play and the original characters… you might want to disregard what you know of the characters at least. Pretty much none of the characters from the original play share their original persona. I didn’t mind most of the changes, but Mercutio is one of my favorite characters from the play and I didn’t enjoy the changes they made with him in the anime. Tybalt also had some interesting changes made to his character… or more so his connection to Romeo in this series. It’s sort of funny to think about considering how the original Tybalt felt about Romeo.

Those who know about other Shakespeare plays may enjoy the fact that a lot of the characters are named after various characters from his other works (Or at least they seem to be). In my opinion, it’s also those supporting characters that make this series entertaining.

There are moments that are right out of the play, the most famous lines like “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?” and “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other word would smell as sweet.” Those are moments that I think that people who know the play will enjoy.

I think one of my biggest issues with the series is Romeo and his relationship with his father. I can’t seem to understand how Romeo for the most part is rather oblivious to his father being such a terrible tyrant (he’s not completely oblivious but he doesn’t seem to fully grasp how blatantly evil his father is). There is not a single moment in the series where Leontes even shows a bit of compassion.

I actually don’t even know how Romeo grew up to be so compassionate and caring considering his mother, who shares his demeanor, left the castle when he was seven. I mean it’s a wonderful thing that Romeo grew up to be the wonderful person that he is… but his father is so… evil.

I mean there’s a slight explanation on why he’s so evil, but it’s just weird to me that Romeo grew up not realizing how evil his father is. His father never even tried to hide how much of a tyrant he is… yet Romeo acted oblivious about the fact that his father really didn’t care about the people. His father only cares about power and well… more power.

Romeo somehow grew up to be a complete angel. Romeo seriously has no evil in him… at all. He really just wants to do what is right and just wants to love Juliet.

The other little thing that slightly irked me was the whole thing with Escalus. I mean I understand the moral of the story… by episode 20, the series takes a completely different turn than I think most people might expect this series to go… I guess I see how it ties in with Romeo and Juliet’s destiny. But overall it still left me with a big “huh?” until the end at least… by then I felt a little better after I thought back to the original play.

Overall, this series is entertaining. I’m still trying to figure out if it’s better to not know anything about Romeo and Juliet and watch it with a fresh mind, or if it’s better to watch it with prior knowledge to the original story. I mean there really was only two ways this story could ultimately go: either the anime would follow the original well known ending to the original play, or Romeo and Juliet would have a happy ending. Either way, people might be upset. To see which ending the series had, you’ll have to watch for yourself and even then… it could be interpreted in more than one way.

Despite the cons that I pointed out, I did enjoy the series. By the end of the series, the pros outweigh the cons for me. The art is wonderful and the cast is fantastic. There are some great characters (I mean William Shakespeare himself is in the series…) and it was interesting to see a Juliet that wasn’t the helpless young girl and had much more character. I can appreciate this series for what it is and I would recommend it.

Despite any conflicted feelings I had watching the series, by the absolute end of the series I thought it wrapped up nicely and I really did enjoy it. The ending made me smile and made up for any doubts I had through parts of the series.

I highly recommend this series for those that are fans of romance and or fantasy anime. I am a person who knows the original play, and I personally thought it was a great re-imagining on a wonderful classic.

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Darker Than Black DVD 6 (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

March 9, 2010 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“Darker Than Black DVD 6 is the amazing conclusion to a wonderful and dark action series. A must-see!”

DVD TITLE: Darker Than Black DVD 6

DURATION: 100 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 WIDESCREEN, ENGLISH 5.1 DOLBY DIGITAL SURROUND SOUND, JAPANESE STEREO

COMPANY: BONES/ANIPLEX/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV-MA

Release Date: August 11th, 2009

Original Story by BONES/Tensai Okamura

Directed by Tensai Okamura

Music by Yoko Kanno

Music Production by Toshiaki Ota (Border Line)/Keiichi Tonomura (Sony Music Entertainment)

Art Direction by Takashi Aoi (Green)

Original Character Design by Yuji Iwahara

Character Design by Shotaro Suga

Produced by Hiroo Maruyama (MBS)/Ryo Ohyama (Aniplex)/Yoshihiro Oyabu (BONES)/Osamu Hosokawa (Hakuhodo DY)

Featuring the following voice talent:

Hidenobu Kiuchi/ Jason Liebecht as Hei

Misato Fukuen/ Brina Palencia as Yin

Ikuya Sawaki/ Kent Williams as Mao

Masaru Ikeda/ John Swasey as Huang

Nana Mizuki/ Kate Oxley as Misaki Kirihara

Tomoko Kawakami/ Laura Bailey as Amber

Shinichiro Miki/ Chuck Huber as Eric Nishijima

Kaori Nazuka/ Larissa Wolcott as Pai

Yasunori Matsumoto/ Brandon Potter as Gai Kurasawa

Emiri Kato/ Brittney Karboski as Kiko Kayanuma

Yuna Inamura/ Leah Clark as Mayu Otsuka

“A NEW AND DEADLY BREED of covert agent walks the streets. Known as Contractors, these assassins and spies wield bizarre supernatural powers to carry out the dirty work of others. One among these operatives is more mysterious than the rest — The masked killer BK201, the Black Reaper.

The mysteries of his violent past have been revealed, but the future is still in question. Something big is on the horizon for those who dwell in the shadows. As the spotted sun rises over Hell’s Gate, the clock ticks toward imminent destruction. The final battle in the war between humanity and the Contractors has begun. Should the Black Reaper survive, reality will be his to mold.”

“Darker Than Black – Kuro no Keiyakusha” is a dark, action mystery series that takes place in Tokyo in an unspecified time but seemingly a not so distant future. An inscrutable and abnormal area called the Hell’s Gate appeared in Tokyo and in result, it altered the sky and changed the landscape. The original stars as we knew them, disappeared and were replaced with false stars. At the same time, a number of people with supernatural powers appeared in correspondence to the fake stars. Contractors, as their title suggests, must do something in return for their power. The tasks the Contractors must perform after using their powers vary for trivial little tasks (ie: having to kiss someone, having to smoke) to much more harsh ones (ie: aging, becoming younger, harming one self). They also lose their humanity at the cost of using their powers and because they lack emotions, various government organizations all around the world starting training and hiring them as spies.

One particular organization is known as the Syndicate. The main character, Hei, aka The Black Reaper, and his team work for the Syndicate. They carry out various missions which mainly involve disposing of other Contractors. While going on these missions, Hei realizes that everything is not as black and white as it seems and even though he is a Contractor, he starts to act on his emotions rather than his orders…

In this last volume, all of the questions that Hei as well as the viewers have are finally answered.

This particular volume, “Darker Than Black DVD 6″ contains the last 4 episodes of the first season of “Darker Than Black”.

“Darker Than Black DVD 6″ focuses on the following main characters:

Hei (Black) – Hei is the main character of the story and he is the Contractor known as the Black Reaper with the star code BK201. He works for the Syndicate and works with 3 others in his team: Yin, Mao, and Huang. His cover is a Chinese exchange student named Li Shengshun who is known to be rather responsible and kind. He is extremely skilled at what he does as a Contractor, but unlike most Contractors, he seems to also act on his emotions. While he is working for the Syndicate, he is looking for clues on what happened to his sister, Pai, in South America along with all of the other people who disappeared at Heaven’s Gate. Despite his cool exterior and slim but built physique, he eats enough to feed a small army…

Yin (Silver) – Yin is a member of Hei’s team. She is the Doll of the team. Dolls are emotionless spiritual mediums, therefore you don’t ever see her show any sort of emotion. Her job in the team is to track and eavesdrop using water. She sends her observer spirits through water so she needs to be around water and what they’re tracking or investigating needs to have presence of water as well. She has the exterior of a teenage girl with silver hair (hence the name) and her history suggests that she may have had a normal life before…

Mao (Cat) – Mao, as his name suggests, is literally a cat. He is a Contractor and his power is to be able to switch bodies with animals. The only issue is his price for his power was his own body. He usually acts as the distraction and gathers intel for the team. He is literally a talking cat so if he’s not watching what he’s doing, he can bring unwanted attention to himself.

Huang (Yellow) – Huang is the only human in Hei’s team and is pretty much the field supervisor. He gets the orders from the Syndicate and makes sure that they are carried out no matter what. He doesn’t seem to like Contractors or Dolls, calling them freaks but the more he is around his team his view may be changing.

Misaki Kirihara – Misaki is the chief of Section 4 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department who is investigating Contractors. She is very dedicated in her job and has a very strong sense of justice (which carries into her personal life as well). She is able to see Contractors as people rather than things and really only concentrates on if someone has done something wrong or not, not if they are a Contractor or human. She is fair, caring, but a little dense at times. She has an interest in BK201 and has been tracking him for some time.

Amber – Amber is the first Contractor that appeared. She once worked for not only the Syndicate, but for MI6 under the codename February. She disappeared along with Hei’s younger sister Pai, as well as many others during the incident in South America. She re-emerges in front of Hei as the leader of Evening Primrose, a small group of Contractors going against the Syndicate. Hei pursues her for answers on what happened to her sister an believes that she is responsible for it. Amber’s powers deal with being able to control time to an extent. She seems to also be the antagonist of the series, but she may be something more…

Eric Nishijima – Nishijima is the leader of Pandora and acts as the antagonist at the end of the series.

Pai – Pai is Hei’s younger sister that disappeared with many others with many others at the Heaven’s Gate incident. Hei has been searching for clues on what exactly happened to her, but she may be closer than he realizes…

Gai Kurasawa – A private detective that Hei and his team run into from time to time. He does a series of odd jobs for money.

Kiko Kayanuma – Kiko is the pink-haired otaku girl that works for Kurasawa Gai. She would rather be doing otaku things than helping Kurasawa out… regardless she helps him out at times.

Mayu Otsuka – Mayu works at Section 4 with Misaki. She plays a big part in the last episode and is an otaku who writes anime and manga fanfiction.

“Darker Than Black DVD 6” features a total of 4 episodes. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DVD 6:

EPISODE 23- God is In His Heaven… – The one night a year where the old stars may be visible arrives…
EPISODE 24- Meteor Shower… – The End Game starts for both Evening Primrose and Pandora, resulting in a meteor shower…
EPISODE 25- Does the Reaper Dream of Darkness Darker Than Black? – Will the Contractors disappear at the sake of humanity… or does another end await?
EPISODE 26- Beneath Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom… – A bonus episode that’s a pleasant little side story.

VIDEO & AUDIO

“Darker Than Black” is presented in 16:9. The production work in this series is absolutely wonderful. The character designs and artwork don’t falter once throughout the whole series. The whole series for the most part is a bit on the dark side (not just in story, but the colors used), but that is to fit the mood of the story. Some CG is used but it doesn’t detract from the rest of the animation but it’s subtle that it doesn’t stand out either.

For audio, you have the option of either Japanese or English. The Japanese cast is absolutely flawless. They got amazing seiyuu for each role and I didn’t feel that any character’s voice felt out of place. The English version works great as well, they did a great job matching the original voices and the pronunciations were done well. FUNimation usually takes some liberties with the translations in the dubbed version (if you ever watched a FUNimation series in dub with the Japanese set of subtitles you’ll know what I mean…) but it’s done rather well and doesn’t take away from the original script.

There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special Features on this disc include: Episode 26 Commentary (with the American director, recording engineer, and Mao’s English Voice Actor), Production Artwork, Textless Songs, and Trailers.

“Darker Than Black – Kuro no Keiyakusha” is a superb series and this DVD includes the final three episodes and one bonus episode of the series. There are many mysteries throughout this series and everything gets answered in this final volume.

The series overall is rather serious with humor snuck into most of the episodes. The chemistry of dark, seriousness, comedy, and action work wonderfully in this series. The series never becomes too silly and the humor that comes into play acts more like a breath of fresh air. If you think about it, there’s a talking cat… also, the reoccurring characters Kurasawa and Kiko also act as comic relief throughout the series and make an appearance in the final volume as well right before the end game.

The story is deep and has a lot of underlying themes that are presented throughout the series up until the last volume. Without spoiling things that happen in the last volume, I thought the ending was handled very well and the viewers will not be disappointed. Contractors are supposed to act solely on reason, but throughout the series and especially in this last volume, you see that the Contractors start to act on emotions as well, just like humans. By the last volume, you see the evolution of all of the characters: humans, Contractors, and even Dolls who are not supposed to have any emotion.

Hei is a great protagonist. He’s ridiculously strong and skilled, mysterious, cool… and has the appetite of a small army. Despite being a Contractor, he acts on his emotions which makes him rather different from the other Contractors. He is definitely not the full-on “I serve to preserve justice at all costs” hero, which makes him even more worth watching. Misaki, who is the one who strives for justice (but is still genuine towards anyone) contrasts quite a bit with Hei, but it’s great to see their interaction. In the end, they sort of want the same thing and we also get to see significant interaction between her and Li in the last volume which was nice to see.

This is a series that you definitely do not want to skip around episodes on. There is a lot of terminology that exists in this series such as Contractors, Dolls, Heaven’s Gate, Hell’s Gate, Pandora, etc. This is not a series where you can just pick up a random DVD and start watching and understand what’s going on so I highly recommend watching it from the beginning. It is definitely worth it.

Fans of such series as the “Ghost in the Shell – Stand Alone Complex” series (which is slightly similar in the seriousness with subtle humor) or even “Full Metal Alchemist” (which does a great job of combining a heavy storyline with extremely funny parts like this one) will probably enjoy this series.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys anime series that are a bit more on the darker side but still has some funny elements tucked in. This series quickly became one of my favorites and the last volume does not disappoint whatsoever. “Darker Than Black DVD 6″ is a must-see!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

School Rumble 2nd Semester – The Complete Collection (a J!-ent Anime DVD Review)

February 22, 2010 by Michelle Tymon · Leave a Comment

“School Rumble 2nd Semester” is a delightful love comedy full of hilarity and randomness! A super fun series that is a must see!

DVD TITLE: School Rumble 2nd Semester The Complete Collection

DURATION: 610 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, ENGLISH & JAPANESE STEREO

COMPANY: Studio COMET/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV-MA

Release Date: September 1, 2009

Based on the Original Story/Manga by Jin Kobayashi

Direction by Takaomi Kanesaki

Music by Toshiyuki Omori

Character Composition by Hajime Watanabe

Anime Production by Studio COMET

Produced by Marvelous Entertainment & SOTSU AGENCY

Featuring the following voice talent:

Hiroki Takahashi/ Brandon Potter as Kenji Harima

Ami Koshimizu/ Luci Christian as Tenma Tsukamoto

Yui Horie/ Leah Clark as Eri Sawachika

Hitomi Nabatame/ Brina Palencia as Mikoto Suou

Kaori Shimizu/ Trina Nishimura as Akira Takano

Mamiko Noto/ Caitlin Glass as Yakumo Tsukamoto

Hiroki Konishi/ Eric Vale as Oji Karasuma

Shinji Kawada/ Chris Cason as Haruki Hanai

Daisuke Kishio/ David Trosko as Kyosuke Imadori

MAKO/ Carrie Savage as Karen Ichijo

Hiroki Yasumoto/ Travis Willingham as Masakazu Togo

Yuu Kobayashi/ Monica Rial as Lala Gonzalez

Nobuyuki Hiyama/ Jason Liebrecht as Harry McKenzie

We still have no idea what’s really going on with this show, beyond the fact that the weirdness is piling up!

Curry-fiend Karasuma remains oblivious to Tenma’s crush, and Harima still hasn’t confessed his true feelings to Tenma. But hey, the thug’s got an excuse since he’s caught up with his comic career and knee-deep in a blizzard of deadlines! Meanwhile, the love triangles are ever-shifting thanks to wannabe cupids and runaway brides.

Even when you throw a bit of cyborg love, a shipwreck, and a fugitive re panda — seriously, that ain’t even scratching the surface. You are encouraged to scratch the pig, though. He likes it! And something rumbles in the next to last episode, no matter what I say next.

School Rumble – The absolutely funniest show you’ll ever see that’s NOT about anything that rumbles… ever!”

“School Rumble 2nd Semester” is an excellent love comedy series about… everything and nothing all at once. How does that happen? Well, the series doesn’t really have a solid plot but covers almost every possible cliche subject (as well as absolutely random ones) used in usual high school animes. And as the official summary says,it’s definitely not about anything that rumbles.

The simple summary would be the male protagonist, Kenji Harima wants to profess his love to the oblivious (and not the brightest crayon in the box) Tenma Tsukamoto, while she wants to win the heart of the awkward Oji Karasuma (who happens to be a manga artist on the side) who’s just as oblivious towards her feelings toward him. Throughout the series, there are a series of misunderstandings that lead to numerous love triangles and rivals standing in the way. The first part of the series deals with the class of 2-C trying to figure out what to do for the culture festival. That however somehow ends up with them conducting a battle royale (very similar to the movie “Battle Royale” as well…) to make their decision… Once the series gets into the middle of the season, there is a bit more of a steady story while they retain the absolute randomness.

The format of the series is the usual 30 minute (22ish without commercials) episode, but each episode is split up differently. Some episodes have something completely random happen before the opening song runs. Some episodes have random things happen right after the ending song (some of the time having nothing to do with the main episode).

“School Rumble Second Semester” is chaotic but super fun. Will Harima ever successfully be able to tell Tenma his true feelings for her and will she be out of her oblivious state long enough to realize what’s going on…?

“School Rumble 2nd Semester” focuses on the following main characters:

Kenji Harima – Harima is the male protagonist of the series. He isn’t very bright, but when it comes to his love for Tenma Tsukamoto there is no rival. He tries over and over to profess his love to Tenma, but his words and actions always lead to further misunderstandings and it doesn’t help that Tenma is absolutely oblivious. Because of the misnderstandings he creates, he has others falling for him… but because he’s as oblivious as Tenma, he has no idea… One of those relationships being with Yakumo, more so Tenma assumes that they are going out. He’s terrible at school, but he decided to become a manga artist so that one day he can win the prize for the best new manga artist award and then finally build up the courage to profess his true feelings to Tenma.

Tenma Tsukamoto – Tenma would be the female protagonist of the series. She is for the most part a normal high school girl, but she is ridiculously oblivious. She is in love with the very awkward Karasuma (who is oblivious to her feelings as well). No one really understands why she’s in love with Karasuma, but at the same time they don’t really question it because of Tenma’s awkwardness. Despite her weirdness and obliviousness, she is a very sweet girl deep down. She’s extremely loyal to her friends and is very protective of her younger sister Yakumo. She is convinced that Harima and Yakumo are dating (which doesn’t help Harima whatsoever…).

Eri Sawachika – Eri is from a very rich family and there are times that that is apparent, but for the most part Eri is a level-headed high school student. She is one of Tenma’s best friends and is very loyal to her friends. She is very proud and can have an attitude at times, but deep down she’s a good girl. Harima always refers to her as “rich girl” and thinks of her as a snooty self absorbed girl… which for her could be a bit hard considering she may or may not have feelings for him.

Mikoto Suou – Mikoto is another one of Tenma’s best friends. She is a tomboy who excels at all forms of sports and is a martial artist (her house is also a dojo). Despite being a tomboy, she does show her girly side once in a while. Just like the other best friends, she is very loyal to Tenma. She is also known for her… well endowed chest… She loves to try to hook Eri and Harima up.

Akira Takano – Akira is also one of Tenma’s best friends. She is very, very dry… she never smiles and she seems to know what everyone is truly feeling. But because of that she likes to manipulate things for her amusement (but never to hurt anyone). She has a mysterious side… and for some awkward reason she has an obsession with wearing animal/character costumes…

Yakumo Tsukamoto – Yakumo is Tenma’s younger sister and is the polar opposite of her sister. She is smart, nice, responsible and is always trying to help those around her. She is possibly the most normal character throughout the series. She helps Harima out as his manga assistant, but this seems to bring on the misunderstanding they are dating. It’s actually unknown(?) if she does actually have some feelings for Harima other than a friend… She takes care of her older sister and actually acts like the older sister out of the two…

Oji Karasuma – Is one of the most awkwardly weird characters throughout the series and is the object of Tenma’s affection. On the side, he is a professional manga artist under a different name. He loves curry.

Haruki Hanai – He is the school representative of class 2-C. He loves Yakumo and whenever Harima mentions “Tsukamoto”, he gets super defensive thinking he’s referring to Yakumo instead of Tenma… which causes a never-ending rivalry with Harima.

Kyosuke Imadori – A good looking classmate of 2-C and is quite the pervert. He’s always trying to touch Mikoto’s chest and likes to pick on Ichijo, often resulting in a beating from Lala. However, he does show a cuter side at times when it comes to Ichijo.

Karen Ichijo – Karen Ichijo is one of the more timid girls of 2-C. She is in love with Imadori despite his pervertedness…

Masakazu Togo – Togo is one of the popular boys of class 2-D… However he is quite weird and is obsessed with seishun… and for some reason the American national anthem tends to play while he’s around.

Lala Gonzalez – Lala is an exchange student from Mexico. She is ridiculously strong and is constantly beating the crap out of Imadori.

Harry McKenzie – Harry is the random blonde-haired exchange student that is rather popular with the girls…

“School Rumble 2nd Semester” features a total of 26 episodes on four DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1- Scramble Reloaded! Superstar Request! Scandalous Restart! – Harima wants to tell Tenma his feelings for her but fails miserably.
EPISODE 2- Strategies, Battlefields, Friends – The class is split in two teams on what they want to do a the culture festival, so they participate in a survival game to make the final decision.
EPISODE 3- Beautiful Beast vs. Beautiful Beast! God of War vs. God of Warfare! Teacher vs. Student! – The survival game continues…
EPISODE 4- Wild Ideas about the Play! Wild Ideas at the Bathhose! Wild Ideas about Rice Balls! – The class is still trying to figure out what to do for the culture festival. Harima unwittingly makes it sound like he likes another girl when he’s trying to profess his feelings to Tenma.
EPISODE 5- Hostesses are Culture! Comics are Culture! Cake is also Culture! – The culture festival happens finally.
EPISODE 6- Sleeping Beast! Kiss Impossible! Finale! – The culture festival continues with a very interesting play.
EPISODE 7- Fight, Hunter! Fight, Eater! Fight, Part-Time Worker! – The class goes camping.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 8- Bam * Birth of a Girls’ Basketball Club! Bam * If You Please! Bam * Swing Set of Tears! – The school creates a girls’ basketball team.
EPISODE 9- Pass! Dribble! Shoot! – The girls’ basketball team play against the outlaw basketball team..
EPISODE 10- Hee! Hee Hee! Hee Hee Hee! – Tenma decides to transfer to 2-D and her class try to get her back.
EPISODE 11- Napoleon, Between Life and Death… Nishimoto, Between Sex and Self-Control… Sara, Between Saintliness and Self – Sacrifice and love are discussed…
EPISODE 12- Perfect, Forbidden! Entry, Forbidden! Shorts, Forbidden! – Tenma’s birthday is coming up and Harima wants to do something special for her but will things work out smoothly?
EPISODE 13- When I Turned Around, There He Was. In Karasuma’s Name. All Mysteries Revealed! – Harima and Tenma see the ghost of Held-back sensei everywhere they go…

DISC 3:

EPISODE 14- At El Cado… In America (26f)… With America(26h). – Tenma’s birthday is here and everyone celebrates.
EPISODE 15- A Man Shut Out, A Man Left Out, A Man Tested Out. – Harima gets his manga published and gets to live with Tenma for a week! What will go wrong?
EPISODE 16- I Don’t Want to be Tied to Anyone, I Don’t Want to Go to School or Home Anymore, Under the Dark Veil of Night. – Harima gets kicked out of the house by Tenma and ends up at Suou’s dojo.
EPISODE 17- Eri’s Escape, Harima’s Lullaby, The False Bride. – Tenma tries to help Eri escape her arranged marriage proposal by stepping in for her.
EPISODE 18- The Sweet Trap of Work, The Sweet Trap of the Classroom, The Sweet Trap of Celebrity. – Tenma, Yakumo, and Sarah are in a pinch… and Santa comes to save them(?).
EPISODE 19- Here, There and Everywhere, Christmas! A Dash for Christmas! A Shattered Christmas! – Harima finally completes his manga to show to Tenma to convey his true feelings to her… will she get it?
EPISODE 20- More Than Friends… Less Than Lovers… Up Until Then. – School Rumble goes Sentai…

DISC 4:

EPISODE 21- This is School Rumble… It Really is School Rumble… It’s School Rumble, I Tell You! – Mahou Shoujo Magical Mai comes true…?
EPISODE 22- First Dreams. Lion’s Dance. New Year’s. – It’s New Year’s… has Karasuma finally realized Tenma’s feelings for him?
EPISODE 23- Dream Jumbo. Dream Jump. Dream, uh, Press. – Lala tries her hand at ice skating…
EPISODE 24- Southern Rainbow 2-C! Ya’akumo of the Mysterious Island! The Seven Seas! – Eri takes everyone in her class on a luxury cruise… and of course unexpected excitement awaits.
EPISODE 25- It’s So Romantic, Harima! Get Publishd in Zinegama, Harima! Come on <3, Harima! – Tenma shows up at Harima’s apartment all of the sudden…
EPISODE 26- . – Will Harima FINALLY be able to successfully profess his love to Tenma… or will something get in the way again?

VIDEO & AUDIO

“School Rumble 2nd Semester” is presented in 4:3 and is presented in English and Japanese stereo and there are English subtitles. The art and character designs are great in this series. The character designs I think would appeal to both male and female audiences. The art quality stays consistant throughout the whole series. The environments change throughout the whole series because the randomness of each episode, but it was pulled off wonderfully. In the episodes they make references to other animes and when that happens, they sometimes incorporate the art from those series with great accuracy. There is some awkwardly mediocre CG in some of the episodes, but it doesn’t take away from the series at all. The voice acting, both Japanese and English are fantastic in this series. Each character’s voice fit perfectly and the English version matched the Japanese version quite well.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The special features on the discs are interviews with Tenma’s voice actress, the creator of the series,textless opening and endings and FUNimation trailers.

“School Rumble 2nd Semester” is a hilarious series filled with great characters and absolute randomness. I found that it reminded me of both “Excel Saga” in its random themes throughout and also a bit of “Azumanga Daioh”. One of the pitfalls that can happen in series that are ridiculously silly is that… It can be too silly and the audience may lose their interest after a while. Thankfully that is not the case with this series.

Despite the chaos, the series keeps the audience highly entertained with hilarious happenings. There is one constant throughout the series though: that being Tenma’s pursuit to win Karasuma’s heart even though he’s oblivious and Harima trying to profess his love to Tenma and him failing miserably while she remains ridiculously oblivious. There is a huge cast of characters in this series, most of it consisting of the students of 2-C and then a couple of younger students and also a few members of 2-D. Like any other series with a lot of characters, the huge number of supporting characters is a bit overwhelming at first and it’s hard to keep track of everyone, but after a few episodes it gets easier. The many characters ends up more as a positive than a negative in this series because everyone is interesting.

Because this is the second season of this series, the beginning starts with a slight summary of what had happened. I have not seen the first season… But I soon realized that it didn’t really matter and I still enjoyed the series. As with any other series with multiple seasons though, I would recommend viewers to watch the first season first. As stated earlier, there are quite a few characters at first to keep track of, but after a while they all become quite distinguishable. Not only that, most of the characters are absolutely entertaining to watch.

I think my favorite part of the 2nd Semester is the mid part of the season where the random craziness calmed down just enough to keep a constant story going, concentrating a lot on Harima finally getting closer to being able to successfully profess his love to Tenma. My favorite character would probably have to be Yakumo because she is the most normal character out of the craziness… however Akira comes in a close second with her dryness and random obsession of wearing various costumes. Surprisingly, there are even rather touching moments out of nowhere (like in the final episode of the series involving the kids’ story.) I also love the fact that there are so many parodies of other anime throughout (for example Sailor Moon/Card Captor Sakura, Initial D, and in episode 14 they make reference to about 5 different series) not to mention there’s a sentai parody as well. They also made references to “Hissatsu! Shigotonin” AND “Saint Seiya” (two of my favorite things ever) which definitely gets points in my book. There’s never a dull moment.

This may not be the best series for anime fans who want something serious, but I think anyone with at least a little sense of humor will find “School Rumble 2nd Semester” super fun and entertaining!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD