Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 10 – Original & Uncut (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

“Naruto Shippuden” vol. 10 features episodes featuring Sasuke plus the history of how Kakashi received the power of Sharingan is revealed!  This is one DVD release that Naruto fans will not want to miss!  Highly recommended!

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

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

DURATION: Episodes 113-126 + 2 bonus episodes (350 Minutes)

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

COMPANY: Shonen Jump/Viz Media

RATED: Rated T for Older Teen

Release Date: April 10, 2012

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto

Series Directed by Hayato Date

Produced by Tomoko Gushima, Ken Hagino

Series Coordinator by Junki Takegami, Satoru Nishizono

Character Design by Tetsuya Nishio, Hirofumi Suzuki

Music by Yasuharu Takanishi, Yaiba

Music Production by Aniplex

Anime Production by TV Tokyo, Pierrot

Featuring the following voice talent:

Junko Takeuchi/Maile Flanagan as Naruto Uzumaki

Chie Nakamura/Kate Higgins as Sakura Haruno

Noriaki Sugiyama/Yuri Lowenthal as Sasuke Uchiha

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

Hideo Ishikawa/Crispin Freeman as Itachi Uchiha

Houchu Ohtsuka/David Lodge as Jiraiya

Kazuhiko Inoue/Dave Wittenberg as Hatake Kakashi

Kentarou Itou/Robbie Rist as Chouji Akimichi

Kenyuu Horiuchi/Troy Baker as Pain

Kouichi Toochika/Steve Staley as Neji Hyuuga

Kousuke Toriumi/Kyle Hebert as Kiba Inuzuka

Kujira/Steven Blum as Orochimaru

Masako Katsuki/Debi Mae West as Tsunade/Fifth Hokage

Nana Mizuki/Stephanie Sheh as Hinata Hyuuga

Nobutoshi Canna/Henry Dittman as Kabuto Yakushi

Rikiya Koyama/Troy Baker as Yamato

Romi Paku/Tara Platt as Temari

Ryoka Yuzuki/Colleen O’Shaughnessey as Ino Yamanaka

Satoshi Hino/Ben Diskin as Sai

Shinji Kawada/Derek Stephen Prince as Shino Aburame

Yasuyuki Kase/Michael Lindsay as Kankurou

Yoichi Masukawa/Brian Donovan as Rock Lee

Sasuke’s future hangs in the balance as Orochimaru prepares for reanimation. It’s been three years since Sasuke left the Leaf Village seeking the power Orochimaru promised him. Now it’s time to face his mentor. Who will master whom in the battle for their very existence?

Plus, take a step back in time to a turning point in the young Kakashi’s life, as he fights alongside his teammates under the guidance of the Fourth Hokage!

“Naruto Shippuden” vol. 10 features episodes featuring Sasuke plus the history of how Kakashi received the power of Sharingan is revealed!  This is one DVD release that Naruto fans will not want to miss! Highly recommended!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now, Orochimaru using Kabuto, have their sites set on capturing the other jinchuriki, as do the Akatsuki who have been after Naruto.

In volume 10, featuring episodes 113-126 (which kicked off season 6 in Japan), we learn how Orochimaru became interested in “reanimation” and the “Sharingan” but leads to a fight to the death between Sasuke and Orochimaru.  We then get to learn more about the new team that Sasuke is putting together.  A team that will lead an assault on the Akatsuki and literally give Sasuke the revenge on his brother, Itachi (it was revealed in earlier episodes that Itachi was responsible for the Uchiha clan’s demise and the only person he kept alive was Sasuke), that he has been wanting for so long.

Sasuke is on a mission to find the following people to join his team: Suigetsu Hozuki (a former test subject of Orochimaru and has the power to turn into liquid form), Karin (Orochimaru’s former assistant and specializes in tracking) and the homicidal maniac, Jugo.

Meanwhile, as word gets around about Sasuke’s growing power and his new team, Lady Tsunade organizes a team from the leaf village (which includes Team Kakashi and Team Kurenai) to capture Itachi before Sasuke can get to him.  The Akatsuki send out Deidara and Tobi to go after Sasuke.

And just when you think these Sasuke episodes are awesome, included in this latest volume are the two “Kakashi Chronicles” episodes which reveals how Kakashi was able to obtain the power of the Sharingan.

All this and more in “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 10 – Original & Uncut”!

VIDEO:

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

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, the audio for “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 10″ is pretty much Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 Bilingual (Japanese and English). Similar to a series like “Dragon Ball Z”, with “Naruto”, I have always enjoyed the voice acting of the English dub series. It’s well done and the voices fit the characters very well.

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

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

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 10 – Original & Uncut” comes with the following special features on disc 3:

• More from Viz Media - Trailers for upcoming or current Viz Media releases.
• Clean Openings
• Clean Endings
• Kakashi Chronicles Trailer – (:31) The original trailer promoting “Kakashi Chronicles”.
• Production Art – Using your remote, you can view through ten pages of artwork.
• Omake – (6:05) All the omake ending portions (after the credits) from the episodes featured in DVD Set 10 of “Naruto Shippuden”.
• English Credits

After the last filler DVD volume of “Naruto Shippuden”, the storyline around Sasuke and the Akatsuki returns as this time, fans who have been wondering about Sasuke, finally get their wish with DVD set 10, as this this set is primarily about Sasuke.

From the previous episodes and the “Naruto Shippuden: Bonds” movie, we know that Sasuke has grown powerful.  More powerful than anyone can think of!

And you get to see his power in action as he takes on Orochimaru and also Deidara.  These are two powerhouses that even the leaf ninja have had problems fighting and sure enough, Sasuke is not afraid to go one-on-one against them.  And the results of each battle, it was a bit of a shocker!

Also, we get to see the formation of Sasuke’s new team and it’ll be interesting to see how these three new characters, Suigetsu, Karin and Jugo come into play in the upcoming episodes, especially since their main goal is to take down Itachi Uchiha.  And also, we get to see a little of the Akatsuki leader named Pain, who will be the primary antagonist for many episodes to come.

While, we see a lot of Sasuke, these episodes also feature Naruto and friends.  But possibly the most groundbreaking episodes  (outside of the Sasuke episodes) revolve around Kakashi.  The two episodes known as “Kakashi Chronices” are very important as we learn how Kakashi received the Sharingan power.  While only two episodes, it does give us insight to Kakashi’s past and as a Naruto fan, these two episodes, in fact, the entire episode in this season alone are worth watching.

As for the DVD set, you get a total of 13 episodes and a few special features such as storyboard, production art and the ending omake for each episode.

Overall, “Naruto Shippuden DVD Set 10 – Original & Uncut” is a fantastic DVD volume that I highly recommend for Naruto fans, especially those who have put in so much time watching these episodes for so long.  The history of Kakashi to the battles between Sasuke and Orochimaru and Sasuke vs. Deidara are fantastic!  These are episodes that you don’t want to miss out on!

VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS NEW RUROUNI KENSHIN SAMURAI MANGA REBOOT IN WEEKLY SJ ALPHA

Digital Manga Updates for 2nd Half of May Include Continuation Of Monday 40% Promo on Select Volume 1 Titles, HONEY AND CLOVER Debut

VIZ Media rounds out the month of May with big news for WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA members as it debuts in today’s issue the new RUROUNI KENSHIN manga (graphic novel) reboot – RUROUNI KENSHIN: RESTORATION.

RUROUNI KENSHIN: RESTORATION will be serialized once a month in WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA. To celebrate the upcoming live action movie, Nobuhiro Watsuki, the original creator of RURUNI KENSHIN (published by VIZ Media in North America, rated ‘T’ for Older Teens) reinvented his classic manga with all-new twists and turns. Action, romance, and historical intrigue abound in RUROUNI KENSHIN: RESTORATION, the tale of a wandering swordsman during Japan’s chaotic Meiji Restoration. Join Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko and others as they take up their swords once again!

Each new digital edition of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA treats manga fans across North America to the latest chapters of some of the world’s most popular manga series only two weeks after they debut in Japan’s massively popular WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP magazine.

WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA is available through an annual membership that provides 52 weeks of digital access to 48 weekly issues for just $25.99. Single issues of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA can be read for four weeks for only $0.99. Each issue may be read on VIZManga.com/sj-weekly, and also on the updated VIZ Manga App for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA members also receive an annual collector’s yearbook, 4 Yu-Gi-Oh! cards throughout the year delivered to your door, and access to exclusive content, including creator interviews and exclusive videos.

VIZ Media also continues its special May manga promotion on VIZManga.com and the VIZ MANGA App for the Apple iPad®, iPhone® and iPod® touch, offering a 40% off discount on five select Volume 1 digital titles (Reg. MSRP: $4.99, Sale Price: $2.99) each Monday through the end of the month.

Discount Manga Titles for May 21st Include:
HIKARU NO GO Vol. 1 · Rated ‘A’ for All Ages
NURA: RISE OF THE YOKAI CLAN Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens
ROSARIO + VAMPIRE Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
RUROUNI KENSHIN Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
TEGAMI BACHI Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens

Discount Manga Titles for May 28th Include:
BLEACH Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens
CLAYMORE Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
DRAGON BALL Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens
KEKKAISHI Vol. 1 · Rated ‘T’ for Teens
THE PRINCE OF TENNIS Vol. 1 · Rated ‘A’ for All Ages

Finally, in addition to updates to 19 other series, shojo fans can look forward to the debut on May 28th of HONEY AND CLOVER (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens). Created by Chica Umino. the story follows Takemoto, a sophomore art student in Tokyo, who thinks his greatest worries in life are finding ways to eat more meat and getting to class on time. But with friends like his, life is never going to be that tame.

The VIZ MANGA APP is available for free through the iTunes Store and all manga volumes are generally available for purchase and download in the U.S. and Canada within the application for $4.99 (U.S. / CAN) per volume. More than 55 series and 500+ volumes are currently available for download.

VIZ Media’s multiple digital manga platforms allow for universal access to read manga from an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and now, on VIZManga.com for desktop/laptop PC-enabled computers as well as Android-powered devices with built-in web browsers. The free VIZ Manga App is the top application for reading manga and features a rapidly growing library of the most popular manga series in the world. For more information, please visit VIZManga.com or www.VIZ.com/apps.

For more information on WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA and exclusive subscriber offers, please visit SJAlpha.com.

Bleach Vol. 40 – Story & Art by Tite Kubo (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

It’s the battle that many have been waiting for… Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Ulquiorra Cifer in the battle to the death.  Who will live and who will die?  The battle begins in “Bleach” vol. 40.  Recommended for “Bleach” fans!

© 2001 Tite Kubo. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: Bleach Vol. 40

STORY AND ART BY: Tite Kubo (久保 宣章)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga

RATED: T for Older Teen

RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2012

While the Soul Reaper captains deal with Aizen’s forces in Karakura Town, Ichigo faces Ulquiorra in Hueco Mundo. To match the powerful Espada, Ichigo will have to rely on his hollow powers. But will the darkness overwhelm him…?

For the past few volumes, we have read in awe as the Soul Reapers and the Arrancars have clashed in a magnificent battle of might, power and skill.  With renegade Soul Reaper Aizen sending how his army of Arrancars to destroy the Soul Society and wiping out Karakura, the Soul Reapers have stood in battle, ready to fight and win.

There have been casualties on both sides, and while the focus has been primarily on the Soul Reapers and not Ichigo and friends, there has been a build up between this upcoming battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra.

And now, the battle between Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra Cifer begins in “Bleach” vol. 40.

For those who are not so familiar with “Bleach”, “Bleach” has a strong fan following and since its run began back in 2001, series creator, writer and illustrator Noriaki “Tite” Kubo has been hard at work, continuing to crank chapter after chapter for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan and with the success of the series extending out to films, OVA’s, feature films and video games and other merchandise.

Because of its airing on the Cartoon Network and it being featured on Shonen Jump magazine, “Bleach” has gone on to become a fan favorite in America but also fans all over the world.

A Brief History of what “Bleach” is about

“Bleach” is a story about a guy named Ichigo Kurasaki who has a gift in which he can see spirits. One day, he saw a Soul Reaper (one who can govern the flow of souls between the human world and the afterlife) named Rukia Kukichiki who has come to find a Hollow (a lost soul). She ends up being wounded in battle when she tried to defend Ichigo and so she illegally transfers her reiatsu (spiritual pressure) to him, so that he can defeat the Hollow. But during the process, he nearly takes all of her energy and becomes a Soul Reaper himself and defeats the Hollow quite easily. So, the first storyline arc features Rukia now powerless stranded in the human world until she has the time to recover her true powers, while Ichigo fills in and battles Hollows in her place. And with each fight, Rukia starts to notice something special about Ichigo’s abilities.

The second storyline arc of “Bleach” features the Soul Society wanting to sentence Rukia to death for transferring her powers to Ichigo. His friends also begin to develop special abilities. His childhood friend, Orihime Inoue, is given special abilities courtesy of her loving brother who has turned into a Hollow. Yasutora “Chad” Sato is Ichigo’s tall friend (who is half Japanese/half Mexican) who suddenly becomes aware of spirits and develops an ability to have a special armored right arm that has special abilities. And Ichigo’s rival/friend, Uryu Ishida, who is a desendant of a hollow hunting group known as the Quincy and are enemies of the Soul Reapers.

Through various chapters, the Soul Reapers learn that one of their own, Sosuke Aizen, is a traitor. It was learned that Aizen has been creating Visoreds, Soul Reapers who have obtained hollow powers (Hollowfication) and are known for their hollow masks (which look like skulls on a human’s face) and Arrancars, a stronger form of hollow which has acquired human form.

It is learned that Ichigo has a Visored that is manifesting within him that has great power. During a fight, this visored tries to take over Ichigo’s body but Ichigo is trying his best to control it and using this power wisely.

Together, Ichigo and his friends continue to increase and enhance their abilities overtime and to take on tough enemies which leads us to the Visored/Arrancar arc.

The Current Storyline

Ichigo and friends are now on a mission to stop the traitorous soul reaper, Sosuke Aizen who along with his army of Arrancars are preparing their plan to destroy the Soul Society and wiping out Karakura Town. Meanwhile, in order to protect Ichigo and her friends, Orihime willingly stays with Aizen’s group but Ichigo and friends will do all they can to save her. Meanwhile, the Thirteen Court Guard Companies head to Karakura.

In volume 38 & 39, the Soul Reapers go into battle against the Arrancars, and there are casualties on both sides.

In “Bleach” vol. 40, it is now Ichigo Kurosaki’s turn to take on an Arrancar, the deadly Ulquiorra Cifer.  A powerful Arrancar with a second stage, not many know of the extent of his true power but Ulquiorra will do whatever he can to destroy Ichigo.  But no matter what happens, Ichigo is determined to never give up.

For many readers who follow the “Bleach” manga series, there is no doubt that Tite Kubo has been trying to show viewers how massive this war between the Soul Reapers and the Arrancars is.  Featuring so many characters engaged in battle, and many well-known characters suffering major injuries, many wondered “when will we see Ichigo and friends engaged in battle?”.

And with volume 40, it happens now.  And this is an all-action manga volume featuring Ichigo vs. Ulquiorra and we also see Uryu and Orihime involved as well.  But because the storyline focuses so much on this battle, I can’t really say too much without spoiling the series, but I will say that characters will suffer major injuries in this volume alone.  And if anything, make you crave for what is to come in vol. 41.

As always, the artwork by Tite Kubo is fantastic but for those who prefer more story versus all-action, it’s a no-brainer that this war against the Arrancars will be more action-driven.  The story is still good, that is if you care about the character’s special abilities and the fight that takes place.

But I can say that starting with this issue, the game will change from here on in for Ichigo and friends and Ichigo will not be the same after this battle.  So, “Bleach” vol. 40 should not be missed.  Recommended!

Naruto volume 56 by Masashi Kishimoto (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

The Great Ninja war continues and more and more of the greatest ninjas have been resurrected by the evil Kabuto.  Meanwhile, Shikamaru, Choji and Ino must fight their former leader, Asuma, who has been resurrected and they must fight to the death.   Another action-packed volume that is highly recommended!

© 1999 by Masashi Kishimoto. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: Naruto Volume 56

STORY AND ART BY: Masashi Kishimoto (岸本 斉史)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: SHUEISHA, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC/Shonen Jump Manga

RATED: T for Older Teen

RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2012

Naruto and the Allied Shinobi Forces battle Kabuto’s hordes of reanimated ninja soldiers. In the process, they come face-to-face with old friends brought back from the dead… plus enemies and weapons more fearsome than any they could have imagined!

The popular manga series “Naruto” has been going strong since its debut in Shueisha back in 1999 via “Weekly Shonen Jump” magazine.

The manga by Masashi Kishimoto is about a young ninja named Naruto Uzamaki, a ninja of the Konoha leaf village who grew up facing prejudiced within his fellow ninjas because the evil nine-tailed fox was sealed inside him. But throughout the series, we have seen how Naruto is a kind-hearted boy who has worked hard in protecting his friends and staying true to his word with the goal of someday becoming the next Hokage of the village.

In the beginning, Naruto was part of Team Kakashi, alongside Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno and as a team, have grown up together taking on missions and also, joining with other teams of Team Konoha as well as other villages in taking on other major missions as well.

But now years have passed since those earlier years of Team Kakashi and Naruto and his friends are much older and his teammate Sasuke has left the village to pursue his brother Itachi for revenge of killing everyone of the Uchiha clan but worst of all, Sasuke is in search of the traitor of the Konoha village, the evil Orochimaru, in order to obtain more power.

During Naruto’s last confrontation with Sasuke, it appears that a black evil curse has consumed him. But as a promise to his teammate Sakura, Naruto will do what it takes to bring Sasuke back despite whether or not Sasuke has become evil.

In the previous volume of the “Naruto” manga series features the beginning of the Great War as the ninja villages have united to take on the dead, past Gokage and deceased Akatsuki members as well as the revival of deadly ninjas by Kabuto.

The dead know they have been revived but are not able to control their bodies (which is being controlled by Kabuto). The goal of capturing Naruto for his nine-tail powers continues, but the ninja villages were able to hide Naruto in a moving island. Meanwhile, Naruto is unaware of what is going on the outside world, as the Gokage have him fighting in an enclosed  space and being trained from Killer Bee.

Meanwhile, as ninja units have been assembled on both sides, it’s a battle to the death as the ninjas of other villages must take on the ninjas that have been revived.

In volume 56, the Kage have been resurrected and Darui must take on the most dreaded ninja brothers of all time, Ginkaku and Kinkau a.k.a. The Gold & Silver Brothers.  Two brothers who are not only powerful but having been eaten by the nine tails (and escaping it) and living within it’s belly and feeding off the Nine Tails inside, they were let out of the Jinchuriki’s body because of the harm they have caused and because they fed on the nine tails, they now have his chakra inside them.  And Naruto is beginning to feel that something is wrong (and sensing his chakra on the outside).

Meanwhile, Mifune must take on the resurrected second Tsuchikage, Hanzo and also Asuma has been resurrected and now Shikamaru, Choji and Ino must fight their former master to to the death.

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of “Naruto Volume 55″:

• Number 525 – The Kage Resurrected!! – Kabuto resurrects the Kage!
• Number 526 – D Unit’s Battle Challenge!! – Darui’s team must take on the resurrected Gold and Silver Brothers.
• Number 527 – Forbidden Words – When Samui and Atsui take on the Gold and Silver Brothers, the brothers have a surprise awaiting them.
• Number 528 – Transcendent Drab - The Gold and Silver Brothers now have their eyes on capturing Darui.
• Number 539 – Golden Bonds – The ninja’s must work together in order to beat the Gold and Silver Brothers Jinchuriki transformation.
• Number 530 – Choji’s Decision - Shikimaru, Choji and Ino must fight their resurrected leader, Asuma but can they kill him?
• Number 531 – Team Asuma, Reunited! – The team must work together to fight the resurrected Jinchuriki.
• Number 522 – Mifune vs. Hanzo, Decided!! – Mifune goes one-on-one with the resurrected Hanzo.
• Number 523 – A Time for Oaths – Mifune reminds Hanzo of the words he once taught him.
• Number 524 – Farewell, Ino-Shika-Cho  – Shikamaru, Choji and Ino must work together in order to defeat their former leader.

“Naruto” vol .56 is a continuation of the Great Ninja War and one can expect plenty of action in these latest chapters.

And despite all ninja villages banding together for the war, Kabuto has revived legendary ninjas, swordsmen and former leaders of ninja villages, including the Akatsuki and he has complete control over them. No matter how hard the dead try to fight Kabuto’s control, they are unable to break it and must fight against their former rivals, family members and friends.

This volume focuses on Darui’s fight against the Silver & Gold Brothers, Mifune’s battle with Hanzo and Shikamaru, Choji and Ino’s fight against their resurrected leader Asuma.

While most readers will probably be familiar with the relationship between Shikamaru, Choji and Ino with Asuma and no doubt that their battle with their former leader will be emotional, the other two fights are quite exciting as Darui is put to the test against the Gold and Silver Brothers and it becomes a battle of wit and strategy.  Mifune and Hanzo’s battle is also quite interesting because both follow a samurai code and both have fought for peace, but now these two must fight each other to the death.

And the manga ends with Naruto which will definitely set things up for volume 57.

Needless to say, this latest volume of “Naruto” is once again an intense, all-action fight-fes! And the war is captured amazing well in this latest volume as Masashi Kishimoto tries to capture the essence of battle between the ninjas as the village may have the numbers, but also the fear that hits all of the current ninjas with the resurrection of the greatest ninjas of the past.  Resurrected ninjas who literally have no control over their bodies and also the resurrection of the Akatsuki. Strategy comes to play and who will win and who will lose but so far, this latest volume has been exciting and can’t wait to see how things go with the Great War in volume 57.

Overall, “Naruto” is an awesome manga series and for those who have appreciated the anime series first, I have no doubt that they will also enjoy the manga series as well. Once again, another thrilling, action-packed volume of “Naruto” the manga series. Highly recommended!

VIZ MEDIA DELIVERS THE LATEST YU-GI-OH! ADVENTURES WITH THE LAUNCH OF NEW YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL MANGA SERIES IN JUNE

Brand New Action Adventure Series Follows A Young Boy’s Quest To Fulfill His Destiny And Become A Dueling Champion; Vol. 1 First Editions Include Limited Edition YU-GI-OH! Trading Card

San Francisco, CA, May 17, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, notably expands its bestselling YU-GI-OH! manga (graphic novel) brand with the forthcoming release of the newest series in the popular franchise. YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL launches on June 5th under the company’s SHONEN JUMP imprint, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN. Volume 1 First Editions will also contain a limited edition collectable YU-GI-OH! trading card.

YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL is based on an original concept by Kazuki Takahashi with story by Shin Yoshida and artwork created by Naohito Miyoshi. The new series takes place in a futuristic city where augmented reality Duels are all the rage. Duelists, using devices called D-Gazers, can interact with their environment and their opponents as never before. With more awesome monsters and unbelievable cards, the future of Yu-Gi-Oh! starts right here! No one loves Dueling more than Yuma Tsukumo, but unfortunately for him, no one is worse at it! This isn’t going to stop Yuma from trying though. When Yuma calls on the memory of his parents during the Duel, a strange being called Astral appears, and the encounter is the start of Yuma’s amazing Duel journey!

“YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL is the successor to YU-GI-OH! 5D’s and takes the art of Dueling to the next level in this exciting latest saga of the internationally popular franchise,” says Mike Montesa, Editor. “The manga series, which is ongoing in Japan, closely follows the YU-GI-OH! ZEXAL animated show currently airing on North American television on the CW network’s Toonzai animated program block. With plenty of action and supercharged Duels featuring a colorful new array of monsters, manga readers won’t want to miss a single adventure as Yuma Tsukumo strives to become a famous champion and fulfill his destiny!”

Artist/author Kazuki Takahashi first tried to break into the manga business in 1982, but success eluded him until YU-GI-OH! debuted in the Japanese Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in 1996. YU-GI-OH!’s themes of friendship and fighting, together with Takahashi’s weird and imaginative monsters, soon became enormously successful, spawning a real-world trading card game, video games, and three popular anime series including the two original YU-GI-OH! series as well as YU-GI-OH! GX.

More information on YU-GI-OH! is available at: www.viz.com/yu-gi-oh.

About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), is one of the most comprehensive and innovative companies in the field of manga (graphic novel) publishing, animation and entertainment licensing of Japanese content. Owned by three of Japan’s largest creators and licensors of manga and animation, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media is a leader in the publishing and distribution of Japanese manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and South Africa and is a global ex-Asia licensor of Japanese manga and animation. The company offers an integrated product line including the popular monthly manga anthology SHONEN JUMP magazine, graphic novels, and DVDs, and develops, markets, licenses, and distributes animated entertainment for audiences and consumers of all ages. Contact VIZ Media at 295 Bay Street, San Francisco, CA 94133; Phone (415) 546-7073; Fax (415) 546-7086; and website at www.VIZ.com.

One Piece: New World Volume 62 by Eiichiro Oda (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Two years have past since the Straw Hat Pirates broke up temporarily as Luffy focused on his training.  But now they are back together in search for the “New World” and this time around, many pirates are wanting to exact their revenge.  How will Luffy and crew prepare for their wild adventure to the bottom of the ocean?  Find out in the latest volume 62 of “One Piece: New World”!

Image courtesy of © 2007 by Toshiaki Iwashiro. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: One Piece: New World Volume 62

STORY AND ART BY: Eiichiro Oda (尾田 栄一郎)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shueisha, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on May 1, 2012

Luffy and the Straw Hat crew board their trusted ship and head under the sea towards Fish-man island. However, getting in their way will be fierce pirates, underwater volcanoes, and a humongous sea creature!

The adventures continue in the latest exciting volume of “One Piece”.  As the Straw Hat Pirates reunite two years later to venture out to the New World.

“ONE PIECE” is a popular anime series based on the popular manga series serialized in Shonen Jump by Eiichiro Oda. Suffice to say, “ONE PIECE” is the highest selling manga for Weekly Shonen Jump and its popularity has extended to various anime (via the TV series, OVA and films) and video games in America and also worldwide. The series is so popular, the episode count currently in Japan is over 540 episodes, one of the longest running anime series in Japan.

“ONE PIECE” is an adventure anime about a young man named Monkey D. Luffy who gained enormous strength (and stretching abilities) after eating a magical demon fruit. He eventually teams up with a group of pirates and have the name “The Straw Hats”. Luffy’s driven to one day obtain the most sought out treasure known as “One Piece” and eventually become the King of the Pirates.

In volume 62 of “One Piece: New World”, after the death of his older brother Ace, Luffy has since vowed to get stronger and learn more fighting moves. But in order to do that, he had to commit himself to training for two years.  And now, the group have reunited in order to get to the New World.

But the New World may be a bit of a challenge since its literally in the bottom of ocean.  The first half features The Straw Hats who are being chased by other pirates in order to get down to the ocean floor, while the second half features the Straw Hat Pirates reuniting with the mermaid Camie and being taken to Fish-Man Island.  Unfortunately, The Straw Hats have come at the wrong moment as the antagonist Mer-Men known as Hody and Vander Decken have joined forces to crush Neptunes army and bring ruin to the Kingdom of Ryugu.

And as for the Straw Hat Pirates, the have problems on their hands as Sanji is in need of blood after a major blood loss after being surrounded by many beautiful mermaids.  Can they get him help before he dies?

The Straw Hat Pirates consists of:

Monkey D. Luffy – A 17-year-old guy who is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and dreams to be a pirate king by getting his hands on the “ONE PIECE” artifact. When he was young, he accidentally ate a devil fruit which made his body rubbery and can stretch and blow up. An airhead of sorts, loves to eat but always believes and fights for his friends.

Roronoa Zoro – A 19-year-old skilled swordsman. A skilled and very strong fighter. Wants to be the greatest swordsman in the world.

Nami – The navigator of the group. The main female crew member and really good at weapons.

Usopp – A 17-year-old marksman. A talented inventor and artistic. Known by his long nose, his marksmanship with slingshots and weapons are great.

Sanji – The chef of the crew. A skilled fighter that uses only kicks in battle and is passionate towards Nami.

Tony Tony Chopper – A reindeer with a blue nose. Ate a devil fruit known as human-human fruit which makes him human in someways but keeping his reindeer look. Able to speak to humans, walk upright and also able to have transformations to become a huge beast. But his talent is his medical skills as he was trained by the Doctrine to become a doctor. Has very low self-confidence because he had been treated badly not only by his kind but also by humans and has not really had a friend but the Doctor and Doctrine.

Nico Robin – The former Vice President of Baroque Works who became a member of Straw Hat Pirates despite some of the crew not trusting her since she was a former enemy. Has the ability to use her body parts and project them elsewhere and other mysterious abilities not yet known.

Franky (aka Cutty Flam) – A cyborg who can rebuild his body using pieces of metal and his dream is to build a ship and become its shipwright and sail to the end of the world.

Brook (aka “Dead Bones”) – A musician and a skeleton who was resurrected by the Revive-Revive Fruit.  An excellent musician and fencer.

For “One Piece” fans, the New World storyline is rather intriguing because it has been two years since the Straw Hats have been together and no one really knows what had happened to them within those two years and what new abilities they may have.  Especially how far Luffy has gone with his training.

But with volume 62 of “One Piece: New World”, the most entertaining reason why fans will love this volume is that there are so many things going on!  Not only is there plenty of action featuring underwater battles, ghost ships and monstrous beings in the ocean below, needless to say, it was going to be intriguing to see how the Straw Hat Pirates would get to the ocean below.

While the first half focuses on the group trying to reach the bottom of the sea while being chased by other pirates who want revenge, the second half is where things get very interesting as the group now find themselves in dire circumstances as their stay in Fish-Man Island, which had been peaceful and like being in Heaven (especially for the men because they are surrounded by beautiful mermaids), all heck breaks loose when two powerful Mer-Men have decided to destroy the kingdom led by Neptune.

So, for those familiar with “One Piece”, you know this is going to be a crazy adventure as the Straw Hat Pirates find themselves in another deadly predicament.  But this time around, readers don’t know how powerful the Straw Hats have become within the two years.  And the excitement is to see just that…how powerful are they now?

As always, Eiichiro Oda’s pages are like a smorgasbord of artwork.  He manages to fill every scene with characters and sometimes plenty of destruction or beauty.  He puts so much into his artwork for his manga series and that’s just one of the reasons why people love his work.

Also, with each major chapter conclusion, he answers mail from his fans with a humorous take and if anything, this latest storyline is delightful and fun!  There is no doubt in my mind that “One Piece” fans will love this series!

If you have stayed with the “One Piece” manga series for this long, you’re going to love “One Piece: New World”, while those who want an opportunity to jump in to the series, will probably want to check volume 61 & 62 out as it continues two years after the group have temporarily broke up as Luffy focused on his training.

“One Piece: New World” volume 62 is highly recommended!

VIZ MEDIA CREATES VIZ LABS TO DRIVE DIGITAL CONTENT INNOVATION

New Division To Be Led By Gagan Singh

San Francisco, CA, April 23, 2012 – VIZ Media, the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga, graphic novels and anime in North America, announced the formation of VIZ Labs, a new division of the company led by Gagan Singh, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. VIZ Labs will focus on innovation in digital content distribution, and will consolidate engineering and digital business efforts across the company into one group. VIZ Media has recently been selectively acquiring engineering talent, and that acquisition strategy will continue under VIZ Labs.

“Innovation in distribution is an integral part of VIZ Media’s future,” said Ken Sasaki, President and CEO of VIZ Media. “As a long-time partner of the company, Gagan helped us shape our digital content strategy, and we’re delighted to have him join our team full time.”

VIZ Labs and Singh are responsible for integrating technology across the entire company, including the digital platforms for VIZ Manga and VIZ Anime. Prior to joining VIZ Media, Singh was the Founder and CEO of West Side Labs, a long time technology partner for VIZ Media.  With advanced degrees from Harvard, MIT and UC Berkeley, Singh joins VIZ Media with a wealth of experience.

“I am honored and excited to join VIZ Media,” said Singh. “With all VIZ Media has already accomplished in building a digital content platform, there is still phenomenal opportunity and growth potential for the company. VIZ Labs will be the tip of the spear to drive the innovation that brings the manga & anime our fans love through their preferred digital platform.”

Over the past 18 months, VIZ Media has transformed the traditional manga and anime business through a variety of strategic partnerships and digital platforms, making manga and anime more accessible than ever before. VIZ Media’s anime titles rank among the most popular streaming entertainment series online, thanks to partnerships with Apple, Hulu and Netflix. The VIZ Manga digital platform was an industry breakthrough, making high-quality, legal translations of the world’s most loved manga available at VIZManga.com and the VIZ Manga apps for iPhone®, iPod® touch and iPad®. VIZ Media took things even further when it introduced WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA, a digital manga anthology making the most popular manga series in the world available in the United States within two weeks of their original Japanese release, faster than ever before in the history of the industry. VIZ Labs will announce its first major initiative and VIZ Media’s next digital platform this summer.

For more information, visit www.viz.com.

PSYREN Vol. 4 by Toshiaki Iwashiro (a J!-ENT Manga Review)

Toshiaki Iwashiro’s “Psyren” has quickly become one of my favorite manga’s of 2012.  At first, the manga series seemed a bit banal with its action/alternate world storyline but the more the storyline progresses, you realize how deep, complex and enjoyable “Psyren” truly is.  Volume 4 answers the question of what happened to future Tokyo and the people who are responsible for the destruction.  This is one volume that fans will definitely not want to miss!

Image courtesy of © 2007 by Toshiaki Iwashiro. All Rights Reserved.

MANGA TITLE: PSYREN Vol. 4

STORY AND ART BY: Toshiaki Iwashiro (岩代 俊明)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: Shueisha, Inc.

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

Available on May 1, 2012

Melzez’s Door Ageha’s fully aware of how little he understands his newfound abilities. But when a mysterious millionaire introduces him to a group of Psionist kids who also have powers, his training ramps up and his confidence grows. Has he learned enough to survive? A glimpse into the dark future has him not so sure.

What caused the epic disaster in Tokyo and when did it take place?  These questions are answered in the latest volume 4 of Toshiaki Iwashiro’s hit manga series “Psyren”.

The manga series which is featured in Japan on Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine (as well as the American edition) and is reminiscent of manga such as “Yu Yu Hakusho”, “Gantz” and “Bleach” is full of action as a group of high school students are whisked into a futuristic, apocalyptic version of Japan. The only way they can get back home is by reaching a gate, but between that gate and their starting point are monsters and things waiting to kill them.

“Psyren” Storyline

“Psyren” focuses on Ageha Yoshina, a high-school student who is known to take people’s money (10,000 yen) to provide his service and he will take care of their problem. Known for getting into fights and being a troublemaker, helping people is his good side and even at times not charging the pretty students at school for his services.

But not so supportive of his fighting is his older sister Fubuki, his guardian who is a pretty strong fighter herself and will not put up with him being late or getting in trouble.

One day, while Ageha is coming home, he hears a payphone ringing. He goes to answer it but hears nothing, but sees a phone card inside with the words “Psyren” but thinks nothing of it.

The following day, he sees his old former childhood friend Sakurako Amamiya coming into class and thinks about the old days when she was popular, friendly, social and caring. But now she’s anti-social, often coming to class with bruises and cuts and he can only wonder what is going on in her life.

Later in the day, he sees a few female students stealing her stuff and hiding it. As he goes to see what they have hidden, he realizes that the girls stole her wallet which has her “Psyren” card. As he goes to return it to her, she notices that she was frantic. As Ageha reminds her that for 10,000 yen ($100 bucks) he can help her, she cries out “Save Me” which startles him.

The following day, Sakurako had stopped showing up to school.

His friends tell him that Sakurako has been caught up with the whole “Psyren” legend and that there is a secret society and people have been disappearing. He also learns that for anyone with an unused Psyren card, people are willing to pay 5 million yen for one.

Worried about Sakurako, Ageha chooses to use the card and suddenly he is asked all these questions. The next day at school, men posing as police men are going after him, men who want his Psyren card. As he fights these men, the two are overpowering him and he runs away. While running away, his cell phone rings and while he is being chased, he disappears and ends up in an unknown location.

While he walks around the devastated area, he sees a giant caterpillar going after a man who screams for help. As Ageha goes to help, Sakurako with her sword comes out of nowhere and defeats it.

But Sakurako is very sick and before she faints in Ageha’s arms, she tells him that they need to clear the stage before they can get back home. And she asks him to please clear the stage with her.

As Ageha carries Sakurako, he seeks shelter in a building where people are gathered. He quickly realizes that the people gathering are a bunch of punks who have been wanting a Psyren card for the purpose of making money.

And within this group, each seem as if they will kill each other for the sake of making money.

When the phone rings, the group are told that they need to find a gate and everyone except Ageha and Sakurako go out and search for this gate. But when Sakurako awakens and finds out that everyone has headed towards a dangerous area, she fears that all of them will be slaughtered and feels that they need to be warned.

So, now Ageha and a sick Sakurako must hurry and get to the group before they are slaughtered. Will they make it in time?

In volume 3 of “Psyren”, Ageha, Hiryu and Sakurako are joined by two more members, Oboro Michizuki and Kabuto Kirisaki. As Oboro is out temporarily due to him developing his Psy power, an unknown being and a large worm is standing in their way of getting to the gate.

The unknown being appears to be the classmate and best friend of Hiryu Asaga who was whisked into the world of Psyren, but it is not known if he is the same person, as the guy that Hiryu knew was weak-minded and not a good fighter. The person that is awaiting them has a weapon that charges on Psy power and he is quite deadly.

But as part of the game, Ageha and friends must find a way to get to the gate and study their enemy. But if this unknown person is Hiryu’s best friend Tatsuo…the person he has been looking for all this time, will they need to kill him?

Volume 4

In volume 3, Ageha managed to activate the power known as Melzez Door, a pitch black sphere of blast energy that consumes energy completely and can kill everything in its path.  Knowing that Ageha can probably be killed (along with his friends), Sakurako goes to Matsuri Yagumo for help.

Meanwhile, as Ageha and friends are trained, during their next entry to Psyren, Kabuto Kirisaki looks for his uncle’s underground facility (which his uncle stayed in, as he feared of disaster hitting Japan).  Because he was underground, Kabuto along with the others hope their may be details of what happened to Tokyo in the future and when the catastrophic disaster took place.

“Psyren” features the following characters:

Ageha Yoshina: The tough troublemaker in school who will help people with their problems for 10,000 yen. Although, he tends to not take money from pretty girls at his school. He lives with his sister Fubuki who is very tough on him. One day, while walking home, Ageha hears a payphone ringing and discovers a Psyren telephone card. Very good at fighting.  He has shown amazing Psi powers, especially the devastating Melzez Door…but at this time, unable to control it.

Sakurako Amamiya: She was once a popular, smiling, sociable student. Now she has become anti-social, no longer smiling and comes to school looking as if she was beaten up. One day, a group of girls steal her purse and inside is a psyren card. Fortunately, Ageha finds it but when he returns it to her, he tells her that if she needs him, he’ll be there…for 10,000 yen. Her request to Ageha was to save her.  Sakuro is the most knowledgeable when it comes to Psyren and is a powerful fighter.

Hiryu Asaga – One of the tough guys that Ageha meets when he enters the Psyren world. Hiryu has been searching for his friend and agrees to help Ageha, who saved his life in the Psyren world.

Oboro Mochizuki – One of the newer students whisked into Psyren and is developing his Psy powers. In reality, Oboro is a popular idol in Japan. Looked at as unusual by his teammates (wanting to hug them), he has the ability to cure them with they are injured.

Kabuto Kirisaki – One of the newer members in Psyren to join Ageha and friends, selfish unless it comes to helping a beautiful girl, Kabuto.

Matsuri Yagumo – A famous concert pianist and a veteran of Psyren.  She was able to escape the final gate from Psyren and now tries to help those who are battling in Psyren.  She is the person who helped train Sakurako and is now training the other members in controlling their powers.  She wishes she can go back to Psyren.

Kagetora Hyodo – A friend of Matsuri and he adores her.  He has the appearance of a yakuza member and is quite powerful.  He takes part in the physical combat training of Ageha and friends.  He is unaware of Psyren and was born with his psi powers.

Ian – A superior psi cure user but is not aware of Psyren.  He is unfriendly and only cares about Matsuri.

Fubiki Yoshina – Ageha’s older sister and guardian. She is very strict with Ageha and doesn’t like him being late or getting into trouble. She is also a fighter and adores the idol Oboro.

Nemesis Q - A mysterious being that is sent from the future to find people worthy of using PSI and teaching them about the future and stop Psyren from occurring.

Elmore Tenjuin – A wealthy old woman and a clairvoyant Psychicer who’s husband Koper was disintegrated when he told her about Psyren.  She now raises orphaned children with Psi abilities.

Shao – A Chinese boy who can track people and also sense their power level, as well as their true nature.  He is being taken care of by Elmore Tenjuin.

Frederica – A spoiled young girl with the power of pyrokinesis.  Ageha was inspired by her ability to control her devastating power.  She is being taken care of by Elmore Tenjuin.

Mari – A shy girl who uses telekinesis.  Often picked on by Frederica and is taken care of by Elmore Tenjuin.

Kyle – A mischievous but powerful boy who later looks up to Ageha (as they are both brash).  He is being taken care of by Elmore Tenjuin.

Van – A quiet and kind boy who can heal.  He is being taken care of by Elmore Tenjuin.

“Psyren” Vol. 4 is another exciting and possibly the most important manga volume series that fans should not miss!

Not only are a good number of characters (important characters) introduced in this volume but we also learn more about the disaster in Tokyo and who were responsible, but also who were involved in the rebellion against those who caused the catastrophic disaster in Tokyo.

While the previous volumes focused on the action and the characters in the Psyren world (future post-apocalyptic Tokyo), this volume focuses on the characters as they show their real lives but also the training and powers that the others have and also knowledge that other Psi users were born with their abilities and have no idea that Psyren exists (note: Anyone who goes to Psyren can not tell anyone about it or they will  automatically be disintegrated).

But as this series starts to take shape, in the past, I have mentioned how this series reminded me of “Bleach” and “Yu Yu Hakusho” but you also now get a “Gantz” like storyline as the group are transferred to the Psyren World which there are those who use their Psi powers for evil.

So, this fourth volume is important as it introduces us to these people who were born with these powers and most likely will have an important connection to Ageha and friends as the storyline progresses.

Overall, “Psyren” continues to get better and better with each volume and while it does have slight similarities to “Gantz”, “Bleach” and “Yu Yu Hakusho”, I’m really enjoying the series and Toshiaki Iwashiro’s ability to focus on the character’s development and the actual strategy of the game and each battle. Each volume, the story gets better and better and it has now become one of my favorite manga’s of 2012.

If you are looking for a well-written, very cool action-packed manga series, “Psyren” is highly recommended.

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES NORTH AMERICAN PUBLISHING LICENSES FOR NEW SHOJO MANGA SERIES STROBE EDGE AND DEMON LOVE SPELL

VIZ Media announces its latest manga (graphic novel) licenses with the acquisition of the domestic publishing rights to two new shojo series – STROBE EDGE, by Io Sakisaka, and DEMON LOVE SPELL, by Mayu Shinjo. Both titles are scheduled to begin publication later this year under the company’s Shojo Beat imprint.

Creator Io Sakisaka’s STROBE EDGE (rated ‘T’ for Teens) asks the timeless question, “What is love?” Ninako Kinoshita’s friends tell her it’s one thing, but Ninako wants to discover this mysterious emotion herself. When she meets Ren Ichinose, a handsome, enigmatic guy worshipped by all the girls at her school, she finds her heartbeat quickening with excitement! Is Ninako about to experience the many facets of love?

Celebrated manga creator Mayu Shinjo (AI ORE!, SENSUAL PHRASE) also returns with her new supernatural romance, DEMON LOVE SPELL (rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens). In the series, Miko is a shrine maiden who has never had much success at seeing or banishing spirits. Then she meets Kagura, a sexy demon who feeds off of women’s feelings of passion and love. Kagura’s insatiable appetite has left many girls brokenhearted at school, so Miko casts a spell to seal his powers. Surprisingly the spell works – sort of – but now Kagura is after her!

“STROBE EDGE has been one of the most requested titles that our readers have asked to be licensed, and the romantic coming-of-age story will be a perfect series for young teen readers in particular,” says Leyla Aker, Vice President, Publishing. “Mayu Shinjo’s new series, DEMON LOVE SPELL, will intrigue older teen readers and young adults with its fun mix of comedic supernatural romance and gorgeous artwork. We look forward to launching both series later this year and will be announcing more information on the forthcoming debuts soon!”

For more information on Shojo Beat manga titles, please visit: www.ShojoBeat.com

Pokémon the Movie 14: Black – Victini & Reshiram / White – Victini & Zekrom (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

The 14th Pokémon film “Pokémon the Movie: Black – Victini & Reshiram / White – Victini & Zekrom” on DVD features two films, same plot but a different take on the featured legendary Pokémon.  A heartwarming family film full of action and fun that Pokémon fans of all ages will enjoy.  Definitely recommended!

DVD TITLE: Pokémon the Movie 14: Black – Victini & Reshiram / White – Victini & Zekrom

FILM RELEASE DATE: 2011

DURATION: 95 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital, English Stereo

COMPANY: Viz Media

RATED: A for All Ages

RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2012

Directed by Kunihiko Yuyama

Screenplay by Hideki Sonoda

Music by Shinji Miyazaki

Original Concept by Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori, Satoshi Tajiri

Character Design: Toshiya Yamada

Sound Director: Masafumi Mima

Director of Photography: Hisao Shirai

Executive Producer: Masakazu Kubo

Producer: Shigehiro Tanaka, Takemoto Mori

Anime Production: Oriental Light and Magic

Featuring the following voice talent:

Eileen Stevens as Iris

Ikue Ohtani as Pikachu

Jason Griffith as Cilan

Sarah Natochenny as Ash Ketchum

Nana Mizuki as Victini

Jimmy Zoppi as James, Meowth

Michele Knotz as Jessie

Rodger Parsons as Narrator

Alyson Leigh Rosenfield as Audino and Nurse Joy

Bill Rogers as Panpour, Pansear

Billy Bob Thompson as Burgh, Luke

Brittney Lee Hamilton as Georgia

Dan Green as Pierce

Darren Dunstan as Stephan

A Hero must choose: the Power of Ideals… or the Courage of Truth?

When Ash and his friends enter a battle competition in Eindoak Town, they meet the Mythical Pokemon Victini, who becomes their newest friend. But disaster strikes when the misguided wanderer Damon seizes Victini for his own plans! Can Ash prove himself a hero and earn the help of the Legendary Reshiram – or Zekrom – to rescue Victini and save Eindoak Town?

Two legends… and two versions of the story!

For those who are fans of “Pokémon”, especially when it comes to the video games, there are always simultaneous releases of the games.  While they appear similar in gameplay, there are often a change in Pokemon or setting.  But what if they treated the films the same way?

In July 2011, children and fans of “Pokémon” were treated to two different versions of the 14th “Pokémon” film.  One titled “Pokémon the Movie: Black – Victini and Reshiram” and the other “Pokémon the Movie: White – Victini and Zekrom”.  The plot of both film are the same, the major difference is one would focus more on the legendary dragon Pokémon, Reshiram or Zekrom.

While the film was a major success in the box office in Japan, in America, both films received a limited 2- day theatrical release in select theaters in December 2011 and it would be the first Pokémon animated film release since the 2002 film “Pokémon Heroes: The Movie”.  “Pokémon the Movie: White – Victini and Zekrom” would later air on the Cartoon Network in February 2012.

And now, both films will be released in a 2-DVD courtesy of Viz Media.

“Pokémon the Movie: Black – Victini and Reshiram” and “Pokemon the Movie: White – Victini and Zekrom” begin with either Reshiram or Zekrom, but the story begins with a man named Damon who had to save the village and called upon Reshiram or Zekrom (depending which version of the film was being viewed).

Meanwhile, Ash Ketchum and his friends Iris and Cilan arrive at the town of Eindoak Town.  The three spot two Deerling who are in danger of falling off a cliff and Ash goes to rescue both of them.  But while rescuing the two, Ash touches Victini and instead of falling off the cliff, somehow Ash was able to jump off the cliff to the other side, saving the Deerling.

Ash enters a cave and ends up inside the cellar of the town’s castle, the Sword of the Vale. And as Cilan provides Macaroons for Ash and Iris, unbeknown to Ash is that a hungry Victini is hiding and wanting some to eat as well.  And thus, taking his macaroons when he isn’t watching.

The group are escorted by Damon who brings them to the town’s festival and they meet Damon’s sister Carlita (who challenges Ash in a Pokemon battle) and their mother Juanita.  Meanwhile, the town sells merchandise of a legendary Pokémon known as Victini, but no one believes Victini exists anymore.   The trio are explained by Mayor Mannes that Victini is important tot he town as the legendary Pokemon once belonged to the king of the Kingdom of the Veil.  The kingdom was empowered by the Dragon Force, which brought harmony to the world.

But as the king’s sons were both bestowed each with Reshiram and Zekrom, the princes became enemies and thus a war took place between both sides, also pitting Reshiram and Zekrom against each other.  Both were wounded in combat and both legendary dragon Pokemon turned to stone in order to heal during a long sleep.

But the Dragon Force became unstable and destructive, so the king used the power of Victini to move the castle to its current spot in order to contain the Dragon Force energy and create a barrier.  Unfortunately, the King sacrificed his life and Victini was sealed inside the barrier to be protected.

And for Damon, his dream was to restore the dead kingdom’s valley using Victini’s powers and reunite the scattered People of the Veil, as it was his mother’s wish.  But while Victini has never been seen, Damon and Mayor Mannes have found one of the dragon Pokemon beneath the castle.

During a friendly battle between Ash and Carlita, somehow Ash is able to pull off some intriguing moves and Carlita wonders if Victini is actually helping Ash and sure enough, she sees Victini helping Ash’s Pokemon.

And eventually Ash and friends discover that Victini has been with them all that time and was responsible for eating the Macaroons and giving Ash and his Pokémon some of his power.  But Ash starts to learn that Victini has been all alone for hundreds of years and his dream is to go to the ocean, but unfortunately he is trapped due to the barrier.

So, Ash makes a promise to Victini that he will help it get to the ocean, but Damon also has his plans with Victini to use his power to restore the dead kingdom’s valley…but what Damon doesn’t know is that by doing so, it will once again unleash the destructive and unstable power of the Dragon Force.

Now it’s a race against time as Ash and friends must stop Damon from causing harm to Victini and the entire town.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Pokémon the Movie 14: Black – Victini & Reshiram / White – Victini & Zekrom” definitely improves in overall animation and CG with the latest film.   With each newer film, there is much better detail in the paintings and better use of CG.

If anything, more detail and vibrant colors, compared to the previous two Pokemon films, considering those the last two films, “Pokémon Movie 12: Arceus and the Jewel of Life and “Pokémon Movie 13: Zoroark – Master of Illusions” look fantastic.

Of course, with this being DVD, you are going to see mild artifacts and some banding but nothing to bothersome and I doubt the children will even care. It’s a beautiful looking film!

As for the audio, the audio is presented in 2.0 and 5.1 Dolby Digital. Dialogue is clear and understandable, special effects sound very good coming through the center and front channels. I don’t really recall hearing the surround channels being utilized all that much but for the most part, dialogue and music are quite clear.  It’s important to note that only the English dub is featured and the Japanese soundtrack is not included.

Subtitles are available in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Pokémon the Movie 14: Black – Victini & Reshiram / White – Victini & Zekrom” comes with trailer for both films.

As a father who has grown up with a child who enjoys “Pokémon” and having been in Japan during the time of the Pokemon merchandise explosion, it’s always intriguing for me to see how “Pokémon” remains innovative and how it manages to attract the attention of a new generation of young (and older) fans for over a decade.

And with the release of both “Pokémon” films, it’s another way to attract viewers to the films as “Pokémon Black/White” have done for those who purchased the Nintendo DS video game.  And considering the film made over $53 million in the box office, it goes to show that “Pokémon” is not slowing down any time soon and the momentum and excitement continues to thrive as it did many years ago.

While both films have the same story, the key difference is how it integrates Reshiram or Zekrom to the film.  Especially the activity of the character of Damon in trying to revive a world that is no longer there.  With that being said, for me, I enjoyed “Pokémon the Movie: Black – Victini and Reshiram” as it appeared to have a slightly different back story which I enjoyed more.  Once again, they are the same storyline, same ending but it’s different in terms of how Reshiram and Zekrom are incorporated into the film.

But what I enjoyed about the overall storyline is the character of Victini, definitely unlike other Pokemon who are great fighting Pokemon, if anything…Victini is just overall cute.  And it’s just fun to see how fun this Pokémon can be, may it be eating macaroons or helping Ash and his Pokemon.  But there is also an emotional side to this film as Victini was tragically left behind by its owner and he is stuck in town due to a barrier and you realize how lonely Victini has been all this time.  And you root for Ash and friends to help Victini, but at the same time knowing that Damon needs Victini in order to revive the town, and unfortunately it’s an ambition that can not only harm Victini but also the people that Damon wants to help.

As for parents who are considering buying this DVD for their child, there is really nothing violent about the storyline, while some younger children may find one scene where it looks like Ash got badly hurt (don’t worry, he was just exhausted).

As mentioned in the video quality section, the film looks absolutely vibrant and fantastic! I would not be surprised if “Pokémon the Movie 14: Black – Victini & Reshiram / White – Victini & Zekrom” someday receives a Blu-ray release because it looks so good… but as for the DVD itself, it does have its share of artifacts (as expected from a DVD) but nothing to disrupt viewing and for the most part, for the audience its intended for, I doubt they would even care. But this is the most beautiful Pokémon film by far and each year, the look of the films just continue to get better and better.

Overall, if you or your child (or if you are an adult fan) loves the Pokémon series whether on TV series, collectors cards or video games, I definitely recommend Pokémon the Movie 14: Black – Victini & Reshiram / White – Victini & Zekrom”.  You get both films in one release and for the most part, it’s a heartwarming family film worth watching and owning if you are a fan of “Pokémon”.

Definitely recommended!

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