Shonen Onmyouji: The Complete Series (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

“Shonen Onmyouji” is an action-packed series that combines the supernatural and Japanese history along with gorgeous art and intriguing characters. A must see!

DVD TITLE: Shonen Onmyouji: The Complete Series

DURATION: 625 Minutes (26 episodes)

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 WIDESCREEN, ENGLISH & JAPANESE DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0

COMPANY: Studio Deen/GENEON/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: October 27, 2009

Based on the Original Novel by Mitsuru Yuki

Original Character Designs by Sakura Asagi

Directed by Kunihiro Mori

Music by Koh Nakagawa

Character Design by Shinobu Tagashira

Anime Production by Studio Deen

Featuring the following voice talent:

Yuki Kaida/ Chio Su Ping as Abe no Masahiro

Junko Noda/ Chio Su Ping as Mokkun

Mugihito/ William Gary Ladick as Abe no Seimei

Katsuyuki Konshi/ Chris Carroll as Guren

Tarusuke Shingaki/ William Gary Ladick as Abe no Yoshimasa

Sanae Kobayashi/ Meriem Bekka as Fujiwara no Akiko

Tomomichi Nishimura/ Paul John Pistore as Fujiwara no Michinaga

Toshihiko Seki/ Jerry Szombathy as Fujiwara no Yukinari

Akira Ishida/ Richard Cansino as Young Seimei

Norio Wakamoto/ Jerry Szombathy as Kyuuki

Hiroki Takahashi/ Jerry Szombathy as Rikugou

Jun Fukuyama/ Richard Edward Maclvor Jr. as Fujiwara no Toshitsugu

Toshiyuki Morikawa/ Mardjuki Curran Shane as Seiryuu

Hiromi Konno/ Chelsea Curto as Taiin

Junko Minagawa/ George N. Cahill IV as Genbu

Rie Tanaka/ Denise Tan Shu Fen as Tenitsu

Kenichi Suzumura/ Ron Studd as Suzaku

Risa Hayami/ Carina Hales as Kouchin

Kazuhiro Nakata/ George N. Cahill III as Byakko

Hiroshi Arakawa/ George N. Cahill III as Tenkuu

Natsuko Kuwatani/ Coral Tong as Tenkou

Masaya Matsukaze/ Richard Edward Maclvor Jr. as Taijou

Atsuko Tanaka/ Chio Su Ping as Takaokami no Kami

Fumiko Orikasa/ Candice De Rozario as Kazane

Junichi Suwabe/ James Shubert as Ryusai

Abe no Masahiro is the grandson of the great sorcerer Abe no Seimei. Unfortunately for him, his grandfather did such a great job in the past, he really hasn’t had a need to perform any magical duties and as a result, Masahiro lost his sixth sense and the ability to see spirits. One day, a demon drops from the sky and proclaims that Masahiro must continue his grandfather’s work and learn to be an Onmyouji regardless of the dangers that await him!

“Shonen Onmyouji” was originally a light novel series by Mitsuru Yuuki with illustrations done by Sakura Asagi. The story centers on Abe no Masahiro, a young man whose grandfather is the great onmyouji, Abe no Seimei. However, unlike his grandfather, Masahiro at first doesn’t have a sixth sense so he is not able to see demons or anything else supernatural. However, because he comes from that household, he is consistently compared to his grandfather and he despises that fact. One day, a small demon falls onto Masahiro’s head and to his surprise, he can see and hear him. Masahiro regains his sixth sense and with the help of the small demon, Mokkun, starts to fight off demons.

From that moment on, Masahiro’s future as a onmyouji is determined and he decides to become an even more powerful onmyouji than his grandfather one day and to get out of his shadow. He then meets Princess Akiko, who seems to share his ability of seeing the supernatural. They quickly become close and Masahiro decides to do whatever he can to protect her. Masahiro faces a number of challenges: demons from foreign lands, angry ghosts, and he even has to prove to his grandfather’s servants: the shikigami that he’s worthy to be Seimei’s heir, but with the help of Guren, he may be able to do it.

“Shonen Onmyouji” the anime concentrates on two story arcs: The Kyuuki arc and the Kazane arc.

“Shonen Onmyouji” focuses on the following main characters:

Abe no Masahiro – Abe no Masahiro is the main character of the story and is the grandson of the great and powerful onmyouji, Abe no Seimei. At the beginning of the series, Abe no Masahiro has no powers of an onmyouji and can’t even see the demons around him. He hates being referred to as Abe no Seimei’s grandson and hates living in the shadow of his grandfather. One day, he encounters a small demon looking creature that he can actually see and hear and eventually names him Mokkun. After their meeting, Masahiro decides to train to become a powerful onmyouji after all and surpass his grandfather. Masahiro is usually calm, however whenever someone refers to him as Seimei’s grandson he gets mad. His grandfather also likes to pick on him and when that happens, instead of confronting his grandfather face to face, he likes to go into his room and trash it. He cares deeply for Princess Akiko and does everything he can to protect her.

Mokkun/Guren – Also known as Touda. He is the strongest of Seimei’s shikigami and controls fire. He made it his life duty to protect Masahiro. He has the ability to turn into a small white bunny looking creature(which Masahiro names Mokkun) and that is how he presents himself at the beginning of the series to Masahiro and he is the first supernatural thing that Masahiro is able to see. He is extremely loyal to Masahiro and does anything to protect him. It appears that he sinned in the past and with that event, some of the shikigami still hold a grudge against him. He helps Masahiro train and become stronger as an onmyouji. He hates babies… or rather he hates the fact that he could possibly scare him because of the way he looks.

Princess Akiko – She is the daughter of the Minister, Fujiwara no Michinaga and unlike most people, she can see supernatural beings such as demons and ghosts. Because of this, she has demons go after her constantly so she is protected by Abe no Seimei. One day she meets Masahiro and they become friends. She looks up to him and cares for him deeply. Despite being a princess, she is grounded and kind.

Abe no Seimei – Abe no Seimei is the most powerful onmyouji of all time and the grandfather of Masahiro. He commands the tweleve shikigami and also has the power to turn into his younger self when he needs to go into battle. He cares a lot for his grandson and believes that he is the only possible heir to him, but he also loves to tease him as much as possible.

Abe no Yoshimasa – Abe no Seimei’s son and the father of Masahiro; he is also an onmyouji.

Fujiwara no Michinaga – Fujiwara no Michinaga is the Minister of the Left and Akiko’s father. He is one of the officials that Seimei and the other onmyouji serve.

Fujiwara no Yukinari – Yukinari is the Minister of the Right and is a noble that has taken a liking to Masahiro and he offered to become Masahiro’s guardian at his coming of age ceremony.

Fujiawara no Toshitsugu – Masahiro’s fellow student onmyouji, who likes to ridicule Masahiro. He likes to talk big, but his powers as an onmyouji aren’t as impressive as he puts on.

Takao no Kami – She is the dragon goddess that reigns over Kifune mountain. She is all powerful and usually does whatever she wants, but she decides to lend Masahiro a hand once in a while because he entertains her.

The Remaining of the 12 Shikigami:

Rikugou – One of Seimei’s most trusted shikigami who personally guards Seimei. He is very calm and quiet. He goes to aide Masahiro after being requested to do so by Abe no Seimei.

Tenitsu – She is in the form of a beautiful young woman. She is not a very strong fighter, but has great powers in defense and in healing.

Seiryuu – One of the strongest fighters out of the shikigami. He holds a grudge against Guren and doesn’t want to regard Masahiro as Seimei’s heir.

Genbu – He is small in size, but quite powerful. He appears frequently with Taiin.

Suzaku – He takes on the form of a young man and has fire powers like Guren, but they are used for more purifying spirits. He deeply cares for Tenitsu.

Byakko – He takes on the form of a very muscular man. He uses wind just like Taiin but his wind is much calmer.

Taiin – She is in the form of a small girl. Despite her small size, she is a pretty strong fighter and uses strong, violent gusts of wind. She doesn’t like slimy things.

Kouchin – She takes on the form of a young woman with short black hair. Despite being a woman, her fighting abilities is second to Guren. She is very close to Guren and is one of the few that don’t hold a grudge towards him despite what happened in the past.

Taijou – He takes on the form of a young man with long green hair.

Tenkou – She takes on the form of a young woman with long silver hair.

Tenkuu – He takes on the form of an old man with a long beard. He is the governor of the 12 shikigami.

The Antagonists

Kyuuki – Kyuuki is a foreign demon who showed up to Japan from the West in search for energy and power. He targets Akiko and sends many of his minions to go after her and later Masahiro as well when he finds out they both have a great deal of spiritual power.

Kazane – She is a powerful young woman that seems to hold a strong grudge against Abe no Seimei and is out to get him as well as Masahiro and Guren in revenge.

Ryusai – Seimei’s best friend who met a tragic end very long ago.

“Shonen Onmyouji” features a total of 26 episodes on six DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 1- This Youth Seimei’s Successor – Abe no Masahiro is the grandson of the great onmyouji, Abe no Seimei, but he seems to be lacking the power to see demons himself until one day he comes across a little creature he names Mokkun.
• EPISODE 2- The Palace Burns at Twilight – Masahiro meets Princess Akiko.
• EPISODE 3- Listen to the Frightened Voice in the Dark – Masahiro tries to find the source of the fire that had just occurred.
• EPISODE 4- Search for the Foreign Shadow – Masahiro starts having dreams of demons.
• EPISODE 5- Repel the Raging Demons – Masahiro comes face to face with a very powerful onmyouji but it’s someone closer to him than he realizes.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 6- Grab the Sign Emerging from the Darkness – An evil shadow plots to take the Princess.
• EPISODE 7- A Woman’s Desires Roped in from Beyond – Princess Akiko is visited by Princess Keiko but something is not right.
• EPISODE 8- Stop the Resentment that Echoes Through Kifune – Masahiro goes to save Princess Akiko.
• EPISODE 9- Crush the Curse of Darkness – When Masahiro is faced with a great danger, Guren shows his true powers.
• EPISODE 10- A Voice in Response to a Faint Wish – Kyuuki goes after Princess Akiko again.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 11- Hold the Symbol of the Vow Close to the Heart – The search for Kyuuki continues.
• EPISODE 12- Penetrate the Mirror Cage – The final battle with Kyuuki takes lace and the other shikigami start to accept Masahiro as Seimei’s successor.
• EPISODE 13- The Evil Song Brought by the Whirlwind – An onryou(angry spirit) appears and wreaks havoc on the people.
• EPISODE 14- It is Like the Full Moon to Wane – A powerful curse gets placed on Yukinari by the onryou.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 15- Release the Catastrophic Chains – The one who brought the onryou back to life reveals herself to Seimei.
• EPISODE 16- The Old Shadow Wanders in the Night – Kazane tries to take Masahiro’s life.
• EPISODE 17- Sleep in the Caress of the Six Petals – Masahiro helps to put another wandering soul to rest.
• EPISODE 18- Nobody Knows that Reason – Masahiro goes to help one of his older brothers protect his baby from demons.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 19- The Time of Shadows over North Star – Masahiro sees an ominous dream.
• EPISODE 20- Chasing the Winds of Invitation, onto Underworld – We learned what happened in the past between Seimei and Ryusai.
• EPISODE 21- Severed Bond in the Flames of Sin – Masahiro along with Guren, Rikugou, Taiin and Genbu get trapped in the underworld.
• EPISODE 22- All for the Sake of the Honored Miko – Guren is taken and the seals to the underworld are about to be broken.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 23- Firegod Kagutsuchi’s Flames are Awe-inspired – Masahiro is faced with a very difficult decision.
• EPISODE 24- The Wind of Dusk, the Eye of Dawn – Kazane learns the truth about her past.
• EPISODE 25- Dancing Junipers in the Whirl of Miasma – The final battle begins.
• EPISODE 26- Sharpen and Polish the Blade of Fire – Conclusion. Will Masahiro be able to save Guren or lose him forever?

VIDEO & AUDIO

“Shonen Onmyouji” is presented in 16:9. The animation is very high quality and gorgeous to look at. The animation quality is consistent throughout the series and doesn’t falter. The backgrounds are very detailed and add to the mood of the particular scenes. If the scene and mood is dark, the background (the environment, colors, etc) is dark. If the scene is a little more light and comedic, the background is rather bright and colorful. Because there is a lot of magic, spells, and other supernatural elements involved in this series, there are a lot of special effects and all of it was done quite well.

For audio you have the option of either Japanese or English. The opening and ending songs fit well with the series. The opening is a fast-paced song that Yuki Kajiura composed and they fit the opening animation with the song quite well. You get a glimpse of all the main characters, including all the shikigami, and the audience’s attention is caught. The ending song is lighter and slower, and the animation is slower and there are a few cute moments in the animation making it enjoyable to watch. The music throughout the series is also very well composed and they fit each piece of music well with the particular tone of the scene. There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The special features on the discs are textless opening and ending and Geneon previews.

Shonen Onmyouji is another great series that does a great job of combining action and comedy. I love that this series concentrates on Japanese mythology, legends and demons as well. The art style, especially the original character designs, are geared more for the female demographic, but nonetheless it’s gorgeous and definitely doesn’t take away from anything.

Abe no Masahiro isn’t the most manly character, however he is able to hold his own and shows that he is powerful. He is not another helpless and whiny main character(however, he does throw tantrums now and then) which is reassuring. His relationship with Mokkun/Guren is both comical and admirable. The amount of characters in this series isn’t too overwhelming, despite there being twelve shikigami that Abe no Seimei uses. Throughout most of the series, only a few of them come out at a time and most of them only serve as secondary characters rather than main characters. Other than Mokkun/Guren, Rikugou is the only one to play a pretty major role through the series.

I like series that deal with the supernatural, history, and mythology so this was a great series for me. Abe no Seimei is a very famous historical figure in Japan and shows up in various movies, dramas, anime, manga and other medias. This is another great interpretation of him and his tales. The viewers can get some knowledge of Japanese mythology and some history as well through this series as they talk about onmyouji, shikigami, ayakashi, onryou, the land of Izumo, and etc. Even though it was a very tiny glimpse, you learn a little about how Japanese politics worked around the Heian period too. Despite having to do with history and a tiny bit with politics, there’s nothing too heavy or serious that would make the series tedious to watch.

I believe that this series has something to offer any audience. There is plenty of action, supernatural elements, and comedy that many audiences will enjoy and then there are plenty of pretty male characters that I believe that many girls will enjoy. However, the presence of pretty male characters (not to mention one of them happens to turn into a small bunny looking character) doesn’t overshadow the main story so I think that the male audience can enjoy it thoroughly as well. The story moves at a steady pace from the first storyline to the next(no filler episodes really) and doesn’t drag and the story keeps you wanting to find out what happens next.

The Japanese cast in this series is once again very strong and features some professionals including Katsuyuki Konishi, Toshihiko Seki, Akira Ishida, Toshiyuki Morikawa and Junko Noda just to name a few. Each character’s voice seemed to match what one would imagine they would sound like and the acting was very well done. As for the English dub… I hate to report that it’s not the worst I’ve heard, but it’s definitely not one of the best I’ve heard either. Even though I usually end up watching anime in Japanese, I do watch English dubbed anime at times. I’ve seen some amazing dubbing jobs where I actually didn’t care what language I watched it in, but this one was a little too painful for me personally. The voices themselves weren’t too bad, even though Akiko sounded a bit too awkward to me and young Seimei sounded… old. The pronunciations of the Japanese terms and names such as “onmyouji” (often pronounced “an-myouji”), “Masahiro”, “Guren” (which all come up quite often…) were a bit off and painful for me to listen to because I speak the language… Once again, not the worst… but for me I would definitely have to go for the Japanese version.

There is also a slight romantic element in this series between Masahiro and Akiko, but it is pretty subtle and innocent. Their relationship is used more to show how dedicated he is to protecting her and how much she cares for him. I believe that is actually one of the best parts of the story and I admire their relationship. I also respect the relationship between Masahiro and Mokkun/Guren because of how dedicated they are to each other.

I highly recommend this series for those who are interested in the supernatural and Japanese history and or mythology. For those who enjoyed series like “Yu Yu Hakusho”, “The Hakkenden”, “RG Veda”, the “Saiyuki” series, or “Inuyasha”, I highly recommend this series as well. “Shonen Onmyouji” has a great story and because the anime only covers part of the story in the novels, hopefully we’ll be able to see more in anime form in the future.

 

Kaze no Stigma Volume 2 – Fire (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

“Kaze no Stigma Volume 2-Fire is the second half of a fantastic action-packed series with a great cast of characters and humor. A must-see!”

Image courtesy of © Takahiro Yamato/Hanamaru Nanto/FUJIMI SHORO-Stigma of the Wind Partners. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Kaze no Stigma Volume 2 – Fire

DURATION: 288 Minutes

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

COMPANY: GONZO/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV14

Release Date: Sept 1st, 2009

Originated by Takahiro Yamato/Hanamaru Nanto

Directed by Junichi Sakata

Music by Yutaka Fukuoka

Music Direction by Youta Tsuruoka

Art Direction by Yasutada Kato

Character Design by Yasunari Nitta

Produced by Takashi Tachizaki/Hidemasa Arai/Tsuneo Takechi

Featuring the following voice talent:

Daisuke Ono/ Robert McCollum as Kazuma Yagami

Ayumi Fujimura/ Cherami Leigh as Ayano Kannagi

Rika Morinaga/ Josh Grelle as Ren Kannagi

Sayaka Ohara/ Colleen Clinkenbeard as Kirika Tachibana

Masaki Terasoma/ R. Bruce Elliott as Jugo Kannagi

Rikiya Koyama/ Mark Stoddard as Genma Kannagi

Yuka Inokuchi/ Kate Oxley as Yukari Shinomiya

Shizuka Ito/ Brina Palencia as Nanase Kudo

Chiaki Takahashi/ Caitlin Glass as Catherine McDonald

Yui Makino/ Leah Clark as Tsui-Ling

Kenyu Horiuchi/ John Swasey as Bernhardt Rhodes

The only person with a chance to melt Kazuma’s chilly exterior is the same red-hot firebrand who incinerated his chances of a happy home life. Ayano is the smoldering redhead who issued a royal beat-down to her cousin and staked her claim to the Kannagi Clan’s sacred sword. This stubborn flame thrower is a prodigy when it comes to making things explode, but she fights with an enraged, reckless abandon that could get her burned. Put her in the same room as Kazuma, and there’s bound to be fireworks. Trouble looms on the horizon, and a pairing of Wind and Fire is Tokyo’s best bet to survive the night and see the light of day – provided it can take the heat.

“Kaze no Stigma” centers around Kazuma Yagami, a former member of the Kannagi family that was banished by his father from the clan after he was defeated by Ayano Kannagi for the title of successor of the Enraiha, which is the family’s sacred sword. The reason he lost was due to the fact that he isn’t able to use En-jutsu, the art of controlling fire. He returns after four years and is able to use Fu-jutsu, the art of controlling wind. Kazuma proved to be an amazing Fu-jutsushi, being able to manipulate wind to the point that he can make blades of wind and even fly. He is reunited with Ayano as well as his younger brother, Ren who can also control fire. He came back to Japan much stronger and rather cold because of his experiences and training over the last four years but it seems that Ayano is the only one that can get through to him. Ayano on the otherhand is very hot headed and is rather reckless, especially when it comes to fighting. Together they fight youma and other threats that appear before them.

This particular volume, “Kaze no Stigma Volume 2-Fire” contains the last 12 episodes of the first season of “Kaze no Stigma”.

“Kaze no Stigma” focuses on the following main characters:

Kazuma Yagami – Is the main character in the series along with Ayano. Kazuma is currently a very powerful Fu-jutsushi, but that came as a result of him being banished from his own family of En-jutsushi. He is a “Contractor”, meaning he got his powers of the wind from the Spirit King of the Wind. When he was sixteen, he lost against his cousin Ayano in the ceremony to decide the successor of his family and because of that, he was banished. After being banished, he spent four years training and ended up being a skilled Fu-jutsushi when he reappeared in front of everyone after four years. He can be rather cold, but he is very caring when it comes to his younger brother, Ren and even though he wouldn’t admit it, he cares about Ayano as well. Along with Ayano, they protect the city from youma and other threats that come their way.

Ayano Kannagi – Ayano is the hot-headed cousin of Kazuma and Ren and is the current successor of the Kannagi family. She was the one that defeated Kazuma years back and became the rightful owner of Enraiha. She is a skilled En-jutsushi but she is rather reckless and has a tendency to act before thinking which gets her in trouble. Despite fighting with Kazuma all the time, her true feelings for him are rather different and despite her realizing it or not, those around it can see it.

Ren Kannagi – Ren is the younger brother of Kazuma and is also an En-jutsushi. He looks up to Ayano and Kazuma very much. He may not be as powerful as either of them, but he is still rather strong and he is also very kind hearted. His power of the golden flame has purification powers.

Kirika Tachibana – Kirika is a young detective that works for the Tokyo MPD but works with the supernatural. She occasionally works with Kazuma and the others.

Jugo Kannagi – The current head of the Kannagi household and the father of Ayano. He worries bout his headstrong daughter and is always coming up with schemes to try to get Ayano and Kazuma together. He is always hoping they make some kind of “mistake”…

Genma Kannagi – Genma is the very strict father of Kazuma and Ren and is the one responsible for banishing Kazuma. He and Kazuma share a very love/hate(probably more hate) relationship and whenever they meet, they usually end up physically fighting each other.

Secondary Characters

Yukari Shinomiya – One of Ayano’s best friends. She is very loyal and seems to be in the know with everything going on in school, and even outside of school. She also carries around a taser…

Nanase Kudo – The second of Ayano’s best friends. Just like Yukari, she is very loyal. She is a talented athlete and is in a lot of athletic clubs.

Catherine McDonald – Catherine is a fire magic user that comes from America from the prestigious McDonald family, the most powerful family of magic users in America. She comes to Japan to duel Ayano for the title of the most powerful fire user in the world. She also ends up being a rival to Ayano involving something else… Kazuma.

Tsui-Ling – Tsui-Ling is a mysterious young woman that is somehow involved in Kazuma’s past while he was away from Japan…

Bernhardt Rhodes – The main antagonist of the second half of the series. He is tied to Kazuma’s past and is out to get revenge against him.

“Kaze no Stigma” features a total of 12 episodes on two DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 13- Let’s go to the Amusement Park – Kazuma, Ayano and Ren go to the amusement park for a day of relaxation, meanwhile Ayano’s father has other ideas for this specific date at the amusement park.
• EPISODE 14- Another Ayano Disaster – Kazuma and Ayano go on a “date” at a fancy restaurant, but are interrupted by a visitor from America.
• EPISODE 15- Catherine Returns – Catherine seeks a rematch with Ayano and gets herself an unlikely coach… Kazuma.
• EPISODE 16- Father and Son – Yukari and Nanase once again help out in Jugo’s plot to get Ayano and Kazuma togeher, this time having them go to a hot spring.
• EPISODE 17- How To Defeat a Magic User – Nanase’s friends in the tennis club are being cursed one by one after they punish a peeping tom that they caught taking questionable pictures of them.
• EPISODE 18- Tokyo RPG – Nerds all around Tokyo seem to be living out their RPG fantasies… in real life.
• EPISODE 19- Pandemonium – Ren disappears so Kazuma and Ayano go to find him and meanwhile try to figure out the mystery of the RPG called “Pandemonium”.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 20- The Remnant of the Emerald – We get to see a glimpse of Kazuma’s four years away from his family and his connection to Tsui-Ling.
• EPISODE 21- The Raging Wind Mage – An enraged Kazuma starts to show darker powers than his usual.
• EPISODE 22- Determination and Hesiation – Kazuma continues to try to find Pandemonium, no matter what it takes.
• EPISODE 23- The Crimson Flame – Kazuma and Ayano duel once more and Ayano is determined to do whatever it takes to get Kazuma back.
• EPISODE 24- Protectors of the Wind – The final battle against Bernhardt and Kazuma’s past begins.

VIDEO & AUDIO

“Kaze no Stigma” is presented in 16:9. Because this series was done by GONZO, the animation and character designs are gorgeous.

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

There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are textless opening and ending, trailers, and a section called Ayano’s House Call: All-You-Can-Eat Cakes Parts 4-6 where some of the seiyuu get together for little talks about various things including a chance to “reflect on their errors”.

“Kaze no Stigma” is a action-packed anime series with humor mixed in that I think many people will enjoy. The characters in this series are fantastic and they have great chemistry with each other. The relationship between Kazuma and Ayano is thoroughly entertaining throughout the series. Another great relationship in this series is that of Kazuma and Ren.

Despite being complete opposites when it comes to personalities, Kazuma is always there for Ren despite usually being rather cold and Ren is very loyal and caring toward his older brother. The general story of the series is exciting and keeps the audience wanting to find out more. This volume has its serious moments, but for the most part stays rather light-hearted while being action-packed. This combination is one of my favorite anime genres to watch.

This volume is the second half of the series and as good as it is on its own, I would recommend watching the first half of the series as well. Although this series is easy enough to understand after reading a synopsis of the story and is amusing enough on its own as well.

I believe that this series would appeal to a very broad audience. This series has action, comedy, and even a bit of romance. There is also a tiny bit of fan service for the guys involving Ayano and I’m sure girls will love Kazuma and the cute little Ren. The fan service isn’t overwhelming though.

A few of the things I enjoyed most in this half of the series was the relationship between Ayano and Kazuma and the fighting between Kazuma and his father. In ways, the combination of action and humor in this series reminds me of Yu Yu Hakusho, and One Piece, both amazing series. Another great character that shows up in the second half of the season is Catherine McDonald.

Her lack of understanding of Japanese a times is quite amusing and leads to funny situations. There are some very dark moments in the second half of the season as well, especially in episode 21, but once again everything seems to balance out very well in the series.

The art is great and voice work on both the Japanese and English sides are fantastic. GONZO always does a great job and never disappoints.

I highly recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a funny action packed series that doesn’t drag on for episodes. “Kaze no Stigma” won’t disappoint.

 

The Story of SAIUNKOKU – The Complete Season One DVD Box (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

“The Story of Saiunkoku” is a beautiful, piece of work about love, dreams, and that anything is possible with perseverance.

Image courtesy of © Sai Yukino, Kadokawashoten/NHK, SOGOVISION. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: The Story of SAIUNKOKU – The Complete Season One Box Set

DURATION: 975 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN, BILINGUAL DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0 (ENGLISH & JAPANESE)

COMPANY: GENEON/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: October 9th, 2009

Based on the Original Story by Sai Yukino

Directed by Jun Shishido

Music by Kunihiko Ryo

Music Director by Fusanobu Fujiyama

Character Design by Miwa Oshima

Produced by Yuji Shibata

Featuring the following voice talent:

Houko Kuwashima/ Kelly Sheridan as Shurei Hong

Tomokazu Seki/ Brad Swaile as Ryuki Shi

Hikaru Midorikawa/ Andrew Francis as Seiran Si

Shuichi Ikeda/Michael Kopsa as Shoka Hong

Toshiyuki Morikawa/ Michael Adamthwaite as Shuei Ran

Nobuyuki Hiyama/Andy Toth as Koyu Ri

Akemi Okamura/ Nicole Oliver as Shusui

Koji Ishii/ John Novak as Adviser Sho

Naoki Bandō/ Trever Devall as Enjun Sa

Mitsuru Ogata/ Dale Wilson as So Taifu

Eri Sendai/ Chantal Strand as Korin

Kentarou Itou/ Jason Simpson as Ensei Rō

Mitsuaki Madono/ Louis Chirillo as Reishin Hong

Kazuhiro Nakata/ Mark Oliver as Kijin Ko

Daisuke Namikura/ Reece Thompson as Eigetsu/Yogetsu To

Hidenobu Kiuchi/ Matthew Erickson as Ryuren Ran

Takehito Koyasu/ John Payne as Sakujun Sa

Kousuke Toriumi/ Kyle Rideout as Kokujun Sa

Rumi Shishido/ Natalie Walters as Shunki Sa

Saiunkoku is a country with eight powerful houses governed by one emperor. However the new leader Ryuki Shi cares not for his new role and is rumored to spend his days chasing after noblemen in his court. Enter Shurei Hong, a princess whose family has fallen upon hard times. Her dreams of becoming a government official are unattainable since she is a woman, but a twist of fate gives her the chance of a lifetime. If she agrees to become the emperor’s consort and turn him into a respectable ruler, she will be greatly rewarded…

The Story of Saiunkoku by Sai Yukino centers around Shurei Hong, a young princess whose life long dream to become a government official is unattainable because she is a girl. To add insult to injury, despite being a princess, her household is rather poor so she does quite a few odd jobs to help out the family.

She lives with her father Shoka and Seiran, a young man that her family adopted when she was a child. One day, her household is visited by one of the Elders of the Kingdom, Adviser Sho and he has an offer for her: if she can make the current emperor a worthy emperor that can do his job, her and her family would be greatly rewarded. She accepts, but then realizes the other part of the deal was for her to become his consort. Nonetheless, she works hard to make Ryuki Shi, the current emperor all he can be and a worthy ruler.

Ryuki Shi is the young, somewhat naive, carefree emperor that doesn’t really try to do his duties as emperor. To Shurei’s surprise, in truth he’s rather smart and skilled but lacked motivation. He meets Shurei and decides to become a bit more serious about his role emperor and in the meantime, falls in love with Shurei.

Another reason Shurei took up the offer is because she felt that this was a way to get closer to her unattainable dream: to become a government official. Even though she is more than qualified to become a government official, she cannot because of the laws of the land saying that girls may not take the exams to become government officials.

Her perseverance, intelligence, and passion for her dream gain the attention of not only the emperor, but the officials surrounding him including Koyu Ri, Shuei Ran, Kijin Kou and many others. Ryuki Shi makes it his priority to help her achieve her dream… and hopefully one day marry her as well.

The Story of Saiunkoku is a beautiful, sophisticated anime dealing with various important themes such as love, equality, trust, politics and perseverance.

“The Story of Saiunkoku” focuses on the following main characters:

Shurei Hong – Shurei Hong is the only daughter of Shoka Hong. Despite being a princess, her family is rather poor so she has been performing random jobs ever since she was very young. She is beautiful, intelligent, and says exactly what’s on her mind. Because of her upbringing, she is also rather humbled despite being a princess and tries not to rely on others for too much help. One day, Adviser Sho appears at her home and makes her an offer: if she can help turn around the lazy emperor and make him into the great emperor he should be, her and her family will be financially rewarded. She doesn’t hesitate to take the offer but then realizes that the role calls for her to be the emperor’s consort. Despite that, she keeps that same attitude even when she is at the palace and that might be one of the major reasons that Ryuki really falls for her. Despite Ryuki falling for her, she doesn’t really return his feelings, especially at first because she has so many responsibilities. Despite her not being able to attain her dream because of being a woman, it doesn’t stop her from studying every day and doing her absolute best to help out the kingdom, even if it has to be through Ryuki.

Ryuki Shi – The young emperor of the kingdom. Shurei is sent to the palace as his consort and he falls in love with her. He seems rather helpless and rather unintelligent but in reality, he is rather strong and rather intelligent when he wants to be. He had a rough childhood being the youngest of six brothers and was the last in line to be considered to be the next emperor. He was constantly bullied by four of them, but one of his brothers, Seien, was always there to help him and be there by his side whenever he needed him and constantly saved him from his other brothers. One day, Seien was exiled and eventually, his other brothers fought each other for the throne and perished, leaving only Ryuki to become emperor. One of the major reasons he didn’t want to become emperor was because he was hoping that one day that Seien would return and become the emperor because he thought he was much more worthy than him. When he meets Shurei, he feels drawn to her and becomes inspired to become a worthy emperor for his kingdom when he hears about her dreams to better the kingdom herself despite her limitations.

Seiran Si – Seiran is the adopted son of the Hong household that has been living with Shoka and Shurei ever since she was a child. He is like an older brother to Shurei and is there for her whenever she needs him. Because he was taken in so generously by the Hong family, he has made it his life long duty to repay their kindness by serving them. He is intelligent and is also a strong and skilled fighter. He has a mysterious past that is somehow tied with Ryuki.

Shuei Ran – Shuei Ran is the general of the Shaorin army. He is extremely skilled as a swordsman and has a smart mouth but a calm demeanor. He claims to be Koyu’s best friend, but Koyu angrily denies it and he loves to tease him. Despite being a ladies man and having a rather care free attitude, he is very responsible when it comes to his duties as the emperor’s guard.

Koyu Ri – Koyu Ri is the very young, yet highly intelligent government official who holds the title of Assistant Secretary of Civil Affairs. He was the youngest person to pass the official exams, passing at the age of sixteen. He is rather short tempered and the emperor infuriates him because he keeps wandering off without doing his duties. When he finally gets assigned to the emperor, he lays down the law and keeps on the emperor and makes sure his studies and his duties are done. Shuei is another person who gets on his nerve because he also doesn’t seem to take his job seriously and he is always teased by Shuei because of his seriousness. Despite being a genius, he has absolutely no sense of direction and frequently gets lost in the palace and anywhere else when there’s no one with him.

Shoka Hong – Shoka is Shurei’s father and works in the archives at the palace. He is kind and seems rather mild mannered and a bit clutzy, but he has a secret side to him that even his daughter doesn’t know.

Secondary Characters

Eigetsu/Yogetsu To – Eigetsu is a kind and sweet 13 year old boy that comes to the capital to take the final exams to become a government official. Despite his very young age, he is very smart and is able to place first in the national exams. Along with Shurei, they both overcome obstacles that come their way because of who they are and become close. Eigetsu cannot drink sake or even stand the smell of it. However, if he is forced to drink sake, he turns into a different person named Yogetsu, who is pretty much the very opposite of him…

Ensei Rō – Ensei first appears as a starving man outside of Shurei’s house. It is later revealed that he has a shared past with Seiran and despite his shaggy looks, he has is quite intelligent and is involved with the government. He admires Shurei and helps her out in any way he can.

Ryuren Ran – Ryuren is the very eccentric younger brother of Shuei and is very strange. He wears very flashy clothes and sometimes tries to talk to people using his flute. His actions are sporadic and random for the most part which confuses and annoys everyone around him but he is a genius.

Advisor Sho – One of the three Elders of the kingdom who offers Shurei a reward if she is able to better the emperor. He is very wise and seems to be pulling the strings behind the scenes quite often. He holds a secret that no one knows about…

Enjun Sa – The second of the three Elders of the kingdom. He is very wise but has a secret agenda…

Sō-Taifū – The third of the three Elders of the kingdom. He is a war hero and is responsible for training Ryuki and Seinan in the art of the sword.

Shusui – Shusui is one of Shurei’s ladies in waiting. She is very beautiful and does her job very well (besides sewing), but seems to be very skilled in other ways despite being a lady in waiting…

Korin – Korin is another one of Shurei’s ladies in waiting. She seems very shy and loyal but is also very loyal to her adoptive father, Enjun Sa and would do anything for him…

Reishin Hong – Reishin Hong is the younger brother of Shoka and Shurei’s uncle that she doesn’t know about. He is in charge of the Civil/Public Administration Department and is Koyu’s adoptive father. He is also very close friends with fellow official Kijin Ko and makes him all of his interesting masks…

Kijin Ko – Kijin Ko is the somewhat strange chief minister of the Department of Treasury and Finances. He is usually very strict, but shows a much kinder side when it comes to Shurei. He is never caught without a mask on his face which everyone assumes that he wears because he is horribly ugly but there seems to be more to him than he lets on…

Sakujun Sa – Sakujun Sa is the middle son of the three brothers who are of the royal family of the Sa province. He shares a past with Seiran and can be rather ruthless considering some of the actions he has taken…

Kokujun Sa – Kokujun Sa is the kind-hearted youngest brother out of the three brothers who are of the royal family of the Sa province. However, because he is so kind, he is viewed as weak from some.

Shunki Sa – Shunki is Enjun Sa’s granddaughter. Because she has a direct relation to Enjun, she is hidden away to protect her from those who may go after her life. She lost her parents when she was young and they were killed from a seemingly unlikely source…

“The Story of Saiunkoku” features a total of 39 episodes on nine DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 1- Every Good Deal Has a Catch – Shurei is offered a job worth 500 gold coins, but it’s the last thing she expected…
• EPISODE 2- A Frog in the Well Knows Not About the Ocean – Shurei tells Ryuki of the painful events from 8 years ago and tries to get him to know more about the world.
• EPISODE 3- The Capable Falcon Hides Its Talons – Shurei finds out that Ryuki is not as stupid as he acts.
• EPISODE 4- Treasure Buried is Treasure Wasted – Ryuki finds out a secret about Seiran.
• EPISODE 5- A Genius Can’t Better a Hardworking Man – Everyone meets Shuei’s awkward brother, Ryuren.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 6- Lacking the Finishing Touch – Ryuki becomes more of a responsible emperor but Shurei is kidnapped.
• EPISODE 7- He Who Swims a Lot Will Drown – Ryuki is desperate and will do anything to save Shurei.
• EPISODE 8- To Borrow a Cat’s Paw – Someone mysterious appears from Seiran’s past.
• EPISODE 9- A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step – Shurei starts work in the outer courts but disguised as a boy.
• EPISODE 10- Good Things Come to Those Who Wait – Everyone finds out who Ensei really is.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 11- There’s No Medicine For Lovesickness – Shurei falls ill after falling into a cold river and people from the palace come to help.
• EPISODE 12- Discretion is the Better Part of Valor – Shurei meets a shy young man named Eigetsu who seems to hold some secret.
• EPISODE 13- An Unexpected Surprise – Eigetsu’s secret is revealed and Shurei, Eigetsu, and Ryuren take the national exams.
• EPISODE 14- Three Years on a Rock – Shurei and Eigetsu start their jobs as government officials but they face a lot of trials from the other new officials out of spite.
• EPISODE 15- A Child Knows Not of His Parent’s Feelings – Despite all of his success, there’s still something Koyu longs for.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 16- There Are No Demons in this World – Shurei and Eigetsu’s troubles keep mounting but they keep doing their best. Meanwhile a plan to get rid of Shurei and her sponser, Reishin go into effect.
• EPISODE 17- Let Sleeping Dogs Lie – Kuro Hong sets his own plan into effect after hearing of Shurei’s treatment.
• EPISODE 18- Hiding One’s Head But Not One’s Bottom – Shurei is finally able to prove that she is truly worthy of being a government official.
• EPISODE 19- Send Your Child on a Voyage – All of the new officials are given their new positions. Shurei and Eigetsu are both assigned to the Sa province.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 20- Flowers Blooming From Dead Trees – Seiran recalls his past and how he ended up with the Hong family.
• EPISODE 21- The Wise Man Does Not Court Danger – Shurei finds out who was behind her kidnapping a year ago.
• EPISODE 22- While There is Life, There is Hope – Korin joins Shurei and Eigetsu on their journey to the Sa province and they have 3 months to get there.
• EPISODE 23- Companionship in Travel, Compassion in Life – Just when they are about to reach the Sa province, everyone but Shurei gets captured and Shurei must find a way to free them.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 24- Bolt Out of the Blue – The mastermind behind the kidnapping is revealed and the party is able to escape with the help of someone linked to the kidnapping.
• EPISODE 25- An Accidental Resemblance – Everyone heads to Kinka without knowing about the others. Seiran and Ensei confront someone from their past.
• EPISODE 26- Crows in a Moonless Night – Sojun finds out that Korin was captured instead of Shurei and is enraged.
• EPISODE 27- The Prettier the Flower, the Higher the Branch – Shurei is finally reunited with the rest of her friends.

DISC 7:

• EPISODE 28- It’s Always Darkest Before the Dawn – Shurei and her party try to clear out the bandits in Kinka.
• EPISODE 29- 1000 Years’ Worth of Thoughts in a Single Day – Shurei and the others learn of a blockade on the Sa province capital, Koren and hurry over there.
• EPISODE 30- Women Are Brave – Shurei is determined to get through the blockade no matter what to meet the 3 month deadline.
• EPISODE 31- A Diamond in the Rough – Shurei decides to go to the selection ceremony despite the dangers that await her.

DISC 8:

• EPISODE 32- A Woman’s Word Is Her Bond – Shurei searches for Eiki and Kokujun in the Sa Palace.
• EPISODE 33- No Use Crying Over Spilled Milk – The day of the Selection Ceremony for the new head of the Sa family finally arrives.
• EPISODE 34- Fight Poison With Poison – Shurei and Shunki go to find Kokujun while Seiran confronts Sakujun.
• EPISODE 35- Every Meeting Ends in Parting – Kokujun is officially named as head of the Sa family.

DISC 9:

• EPISODE 36- All is Right in the World – Shurei and Eigetsu meet their assistant governer, Yushun Tei.
• EPISODE 37- Tears From Eyes and Rain From Heaven – Shurei and Eigetsu finally safely become the governers of the Sa Province. Shurei dives into her work to get her mind off of something and Shurei and Seiran head back to Kiyo.
• EPISODE 38- There Is No Today After Today – Shurei along with Seiran, Yushun, Kokujun, and Rin Sai get to Kiyo to attend New Year’s Greetings to the Emperor celebration.
• EPISODE 39- Fate is a Mysterious Yet Fascinating Thing – Shurei tries to hold a get together to reunite with all of her loved ones, but Ryuki isn’t anywhere in sight…

VIDEO & AUDIO

“The Story of Saiunkoku” is presented in 16:9. The animation is high quality and the atmosphere as well as the character designs are very pretty.

For audio you have the option of either Japanese or English.  Both are in Japanese and English 2.0.

There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are textless opening and textless ending options on disc 1 and 2. Otherwise there are Geneon previews available on each disc.

When watching the first episode of this series, I believe that some may get the idea that it is going to end up being an anime solely about a love story between Shurei and Ryuki… however the actual series strays far from that. Of course, the possible love story between Shurei and Ryuki are indeed a factor in this whole series, but most of the series centers around Shurei and her dream to become a government official and all of her trials and tribulations to attain that dream.

This anime surprisingly deals with alot of heavy issues such as discrimination because of age or sex. In fact, each episode corresponds with the proverb mentioned in the episode title, so each episode has some moral theme discussed. I think that was one of the parts of this anime that I enjoyed the most because I love kotowazas or proverbs. I thought that was smartly put together and entertaining.

This anime is for the most part is pretty serious, but blends in humor and action. The humor in this series can be silly, but is never too over the top. As for the action, the action is a bit more subtle so for those looking for a series full of fighting and action throughout, this series may not be for them. There is also romance involved in this series as well, but that is once again not the prominent theme of the series. However, I think the relationship between Shurei and Ryuki is absolutely charming. This is also a very character heavy series, but thankfully despite the many characters, it’s not too overwhelming. Although somewhat remeniscient of “Fushigi Yuugi”, the stories are very different and the only similarities might be that there are many important male characters surrounding one female lead character and that the stories take place in kingdoms with a lot of Chinese influences. Also, Shurei and Miaka are nothing alike.

This series mostly concentrates on Shurei’s perseverance on attaining her dream: to become a government official and helping everyone that she can. Throughout the series, she keeps overcoming various obstacles and is able to make the impossible possible. Of course, she has assistance from those around her, but the reason many of them even help her out is because they are inspired by how hard she works on her own.

This series has an all-star Japanese cast including Houko Fukushima, Tomokazu Seki, Hikaru Midorikawa, Nobuyuki Hiyama, Toshiyuki Morikawa and Shuichi Ikeda just to name a few. The English cast did a great job in the dub as well.

I believe this would be a great series for a variety of audiences. This series is smart, charming, and has bits of humor mixed in. I believe that some female fans will look forward to seeing all of the nicely drawn male characters that surround Shurei in the series. Even though action is not one of the most prominent factors of this series, there is enough of it considering this story is about politics and war as well.

However, because this is such a sophisticated story and deals with alot of politics, it may be hard for younger audiences to understand everything. I believe the humor is enough that it can keep their attention if they were to watch it.

As you watch the series, you find yourself cheering Shurei on because of everything she has to go through and what she’s willing to do just to attain her dream. Throughout the series she is able to make the impossible possible and even though the circumstances may be different in our lives, I know most of us can relate to wanting to attain an assumingly impossible dream.

I highly recommend this series and hope that others are able to enjoy it as much as I did.

 

When They Cry (A J!-Ent Anime DVD Review)

“When They Cry” is an exciting and shocking psychological horror anime that will leave the audience breathless. An amazing piece of work!

Image courtesy of © Ryuishi07/07th Expansion, Studio Deen. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: When They Cry – Complete Box Set

DURATION: 650 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, ENGLISH DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0, JAPANESE DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0

COMPANY: Studio Deen/GENEON/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 16+

Release Date: July 21, 2009

Based on the Original Story by Ryukishi 07/07th Expansion

Directed by Chiaki Kon

Sound Design by Hozumi Goda

Character Design by Kyuta Sakai

Anime Production by Studio Deen

Featuring the following voice talent:

Souichiro Hoshi/ Grant George as Keiichi Maebara

Mai Nakahara/ Mela Lee as Rena Ryugu

Satsuki Yukino/ Kelli Kassidi as Mion Sonozaki

Satsuki Yukino/ Kelli Kassidi as Shion Sonozaki

Mika Kanai/ Minx Lee as Satoko Hojo

Yukari Tamura/ Reba West as Rika Furude

Yuu Kobayashi/ Darrel Guilbeau as Satoshi Hojo

Chafurin/ Joe Dimucci as Kuraudo Oishi

Toru Ookawa/ Kyle Herbert as Jirou Tomitake

Miki Itou/ Karen Strassman as Miyo Takano

Toshihiko Seki/ Dave Mallow as Kyosuke Irie

Daisuke Ono/ Patrick Seitz as Mamoru Akasaka

Summer 1983… Hinamizawa is a tranquil village, but its inhabitants have been plagued by strange deaths and unexplained disappearances seemingly every year. Some say it’s the terrifying curse of Hinamizawa’s legendary deity, Oyashiro-sama, causing victims to be spirited away by monsters, but is this town harboring dark, horrifying secrets even more sinister than any superstition or myth?

When They Cry is an anime based on a computer game series of the same name. The game and anime are both by Ryukishi07/07th Expansion.

The story centers on Keiichi Maebara and his group of friends who live in the small town of Hinamizawa. On the outside, it seems to be a very quiet, peaceful town but once you get past the exterior, you find out there is something much more dark and sinister going on in this town.

Murders, curses, disappearances, conspiracies, betrayals, and paranoia surround everyone who lives in this town. For the last four years, there have been mysterious deaths and disappearances after the night of the Cotton Drifting Festival and the latest festival is about to happen and the deaths and disappearances seem right behind once again.

The residents of the town believe that all these occurrences are the work of Oyashiro-sama, a local deity that is believed to curse those that betray him or those who try to hurt the land surrounding Hinamizawa.

Keiichi doesn’t think much of this so called curse until he is surrounded by the deaths and disappearances of people first hand. He starts to suspect his friends and suddenly he feels like someone may be after him…

Could someone really be after him or could it just be paranoia? Is he indeed the one being chased or is he the one going after the people around him without knowing? Are there villains using the curse of Oyashiro-sama as a decoy to commit murders and other crimes… Or does the curse actually exist?

“When They Cry” focuses on the following main characters:

Keiichi Maebara – Keiichi Maebara is one of the main characters of the series. He just moved to Hinamizawa, but because of his friendly personality it didn’t take long for him to make friends. He starts learning about the various things that go on in Hinamizawa and quickly starts learning that not everything is as peaceful as it looks…

Rena Ryugyu – Rena Ryuugu is one of the girls in the group of friends. She had just moved to Hinamizawa a year ago and firmly believes in the curse of Oyashiro-sama even though she is new to town. She is in love with cute things that no one else finds cute… and often goes to the town dump to find more treasures.

Mion Sonozaki – Mion Sonozaki is the leader of the group of friends and is quite the tomboy. She is the heir to the Sonozaki family, one of the great families of Hinamizawa as well as being a yakuza family. She is definitely confident, strong, and is very caring about her friends. Because of her lineage, she has an insight of everything going on in Hinamizawa. She has a twin sister named Shion.

Satoko Hojo – Satoko Hojo is another one in the group of friends and is one of the younger girls. She lives with Rika and has had quite a hard life despite her young age. Her parents were killed a few years before and her older brother Satoshi disappeared mysteriously. She was living with her abusive aunt and uncle but now lives with Rika and tries her best to live a normal life.

Rika Furude – Rika Furude is another girl in the group of friends and is at first look, a very cute little girl but in the end is one of the most complex characters of the whole series. She is the head of the Furude Shrine and has an active part at the yearly Cotton Drifting Festival. She lives with Satoko and most of her conversations consist of just saying “Mii~”.

Shion Sonozaki – Shion Sonozaki is Mion’s twin sister that is sort of separated from the main Sonozaki family because it was a bad omen for their family to have twins. She and her sister get along very well and actually switch places randomly without people knowing. For the most part she is more girly than her sister and works as a waitress at Angel Mort. She enjoys the fact that she doesn’t have to take on the responsibilities of being the heir to the household, but she holds a dark secret…

Secondary Characters

Satoshi Hojo – At first, we don’t see Satoshi at all and just keep hearing about him. He finally appears toward the end of the series. He is Satoko’s older brother who is very protective of her. One day, he mysteriously disappears…

Kuraudo Oishi – Kuraudo Oishi is the head detective at Okinomiya Police station that wants to figure out the serial murders also known as Oyashirosama’s curse.

Jirou Tomitake – A mysterious cameraman that shows up to town one day and seems to be a friend of Miyo Takano.

Miyo Takano – Miyo Takano is the head nurse at the local hospital and is also very knowledgeable about the Oyashiro-sama legend.

Kyosuke Irie – Kyosuke Irie is a doctor that works at the local hospital and he is also the head coach of the little league team. He has a weird Lolita complex.

Mamoru Akasaka – Mamoru Akasaka is a police officer from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department that shows up to Hinamizawa to find clues on a missing grandson of a high-ranking official. When he gets there, he encounters Rika Furude.

“When They Cry” features a total of 26 episodes on six DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 1 (“Spirited Away by the Demon” Chapter ep 1)- THE BEGINNING – Keiichi is new to Hinamizawa and is enjoying the life in a small town with his great new friends… but then he finds out about a murder that happened…
• EPISODE 2 (“Spirited Away by the Demon” Chapter ep 2)- THE SECRET – Keiichi asks his friends about the murders that happened but they tell him they know nothing. However, he finds out otherwise…
• EPISODE 3 (“Spirited Away by the Demon” Chapter ep 3)- SUSPICION – After realizing that someone is after his life, Keiichi becomes suspicious of his friends, but the feeling is mutual…
• EPISODE 4 (“Spirited Away by the Demon” Chapter ep 4)- DISTURBANCE – Keiichi finds himself not being able to trust his close friends anymore, but the result is something no one expected…
• EPISODE 5 (“Cotton Drifting” Chapter ep 1)- JEALOUSY – Keiichi meets Mion’s twin sister, Fashion

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 6 (“Cotton Drifting” Chapter ep 2)- TAKANO – Keiichi and Shion go with Miyo and Tomitake to sneak into a shrine on the night of the Cotton Drifting festival.
• EPISODE 7 (“Cotton Drifting” Chapter ep 3)- LIES – Keiichi admits to sneaking into the shrine… but then Satoko and Rika mysteriously go missing.
• EPISODE 8 (“Cotton Drifting” Chapter ep 4)- WISH – Keiichi and Rena confront Mion about the disappearances of their friends, but the result is something neither of them expected.
• EPISODE 9 (“Curse Killing Chapter ep 1)- OLDER BROTHER – Keiichi finds out that Satoshi, Satoko’s older brother, mysteriously disappeared but he keeps hearing different reasons.
• EPISODE 10 (“Curse Killing Chapter ep 2)- BOND – Satoko misses a few days of school and her violent uncle is back in town. Keiichi goes to check on her and is horrified at what he finds.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 11 (“Curse Killing” Chapter ep 3)- BORDERLINE – Keiichi decides to save Satoko from her uncle, no matter what it takes….
• EPISODE 12 (“Curse Killing” Chapter ep 4- LOST ITEM – Keiichi is now unsure if he did what he did the other night because his friends say he was elsewhere…
• EPISODE 13 (“Curse Killing” Chapter ep 5)- APOLOGY – Losing his grip on reality, he goes to check on Satoko who needs medical attention. Later on, he finds horrific scene that leads to a big misunderstanding…
• EPISODE 14 (“Time Wasting” Chapter ep 1)- HINAMIZAWA – Mamoru Akasaka comes to Hinamizawa to investigate the kidnapping of the grandson of a high-ranking official.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 15 (“Time Wasting” Chapter ep 2)- SIGN – Akasaka and Oishi find the missing child, but Akasaka soon finds out the ominous meaning of Rika’s warning.
• EPISODE 16 (“Eye Opening” Chapter ep 1)- FIRST LOVE – Shion takes Mion’s place and falls in love with Satoshi.
• EPISODE 17 (“Eye Opening” Chapter ep 2)- RESPONSIBILITY – Satoshi apologizes to Shion, thinking she is Mion so she reveals that she is Shion. Satoshi’s aunt goes missing and the two get questioned by the police. After being released, Shion must face something worse: her family.
• EPISODE 18 (“Eye Opening” Chapter ep 3)- ONI’S BLOOD LINE – Shion finds out that Satoshi goes missing and she investigates the history of the murders. She then expreiences dejavu when she meets Keiichi.

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 19 (“Eye Opening” Chapter ep 4)- REVENGE – Shion suspects her family is behind the mysterious deaths and disappearances including Satoshi’s and decides to take things into her own hands.
• EPISODE 20 (“Eye Opening” Chapter ep 5)- COLD HANDS – Shion keeps exacting her revenge on everyone who she thinks is responsible for Satoshi’s disappearance.
• EPISODE 21 (“Eye Opening” Chapter ep 6)- CONDEMNATION – Shion’s revenge takes a turn for the worst and for a second she realizes she might have gone too far, but it’s too late.
• EPISODE 22 (“Atonement” Chapter ep 1)- HAPPINESS – Rena meets her father’s girlfriend, Rina. She seems nice but she finds out that she’s not what she seems.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 23 (“Atonement” Chapter ep 2)- PLACE TO RETURN – Rena confronts Rina and Rina tries to kill Rena.
• EPISODE 24 (“Atonement” Chapter ep 3)- DOCUMENT 34 – Rena studies Takano’s notes about Oyashiro and finds out the truth…
• EPISODE 25 (“Atonement” Chapter ep 4)- EARTH INVASION – Rena has become totally untrusting of her friends, and has found out the truth behind Oyashiro-sama’s curse… aliens! …What?
• EPISODE 26 (“Atonement” Chapter ep 5)- RETAKE – Rena takes the school hostage to get her point across. This is the final showdown to hopefully get out of the curse of Oyashiro-sama.

VIDEO & AUDIO

When They Cry is presented in 16:9. The animation is high quality and does a great job of switching back and forth between a light comedic mood to a dark scary mood. The character designs lean more toward shojo manga but looks great. For audio you have the option of either Japanese or English. There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features on the discs, however there are Geneon previews available on each disc.

For audiences watching this anime with no prior knowledge of this series, it will most likely be rather confusing. But I hope that detract everyone. I know it confused me quite a bit. One of the main reasons is because this series is not linear. There are story arcs in this anime and the story resets itself after almost each arc and restarts with a slightly different story with the most of the same exact characters and some similar events such as the Cotton Drifting Festival and the story of the dam construction. Pretty much, each arc there is a different killer and a different outcome.

Each arc starts out light-hearted and funny, revolving around the main characters: Keiichi, Rena, Mion, Satoko, Rika, and some arcs Shion as well. After each arc, you see a different side to each character for better or for worse.

After you figure out what’s going on in the series, you realize the whole series is a serious mind trip. After the first 4 episodes, I was utterly confused and in shock at what happened. Then the series goes on as if nothing happened. Actually, it resets.

I don’t recommend this anime for the faint of heart. The art and humor of this series is very cute, but pretty much after the first episode of each arc, the story turns rather dark and scary. Don’t let the art fool you, this series is rather dark. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s actually rather intriguing. What’s also intriguing is how quickly some of the characters turn psychotic and dark so quickly when the second before they were being cute and bubbly. The characters in this series are absolutely fascinating.

The art and character designs go from cute and bright to psychotic and scary in a second depending on the scenario. Despite the drastic change, I think that it’s pulled off rather well. The seiyuus in the Japanese cast are superb and the English cast does a wonderful job too. The various roles call for diverse acting just within individual characters. Certain characters go from being super cute to psychotic in an instant. Some of the notable Japanese cast includes Souichiro Hoshi, Satsuki Yukino, Mika Kanai, Miki Itou, just to name a few.

This series is suspenseful, entertaining and keeps the viewer guessing what’s going to happen next. It reminds me of Boogie-Pop Phantom because of the suspense and mystery as well as the darkness of the characters.

This series is like a puzzle, after each arc, you learn different things about each character that you didn’t know before and you put all the pieces together. The last two arcs act as answer arcs to two of the previous arcs and we get to see more of what happened and some previous questions are answered.

Bottomline: After getting over the initial shock of the first four episodes, I was intrigued on what could possibly happen next. This series definitely keeps the audience in their toes and constantly wanting to know what happens next. For Those who enjoy psychological thrillers, this is definitely a series they will enjoy.

This is a great series for those looking for something suspenseful and rather different from anything else you’ve seen before.

 

Backstreet Boys – This is Us (A J!-Ent World Groove Album Review)

“Backstreet’s Back again! In their latest album, “This is Us”, the group shows they have staying power and that they can pull off a new sound. Fun and Energetic! “.

ARTIST: Backstreet Boys

ALBUM: This is Us

LABEL: Jive Records

DURATION: 40:12

RELEASE DATE: 10/6/2009

BUY THIS ALBUM

 

Kyo Kara Maoh! Season II – The Complete Season Set (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

Kyo Kara Maoh! Season II – The Complete Season Set is excellent! Fantastic characters and story!

Image courtesy of © Tomo Takabayashi, KADOKAWA SHOTEN /NHK, SOGOVISION. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: Kyo Kara Maoh! Season II -The Complete Season Set

DURATION: 975 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, ENGLISH DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0, JAPANESE DOLBY DIGITAL 2.0

COMPANY: Studio Deen/GENEON/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: July 21, 2009

Based on the Original Story by Tomo Takabayashi

Original Character Designs by Temari Matsumoto

Directed by Junji Nishimura

Music by Yoichiro Yoshikawa

Character Design by Yuka Kudo

Anime Production by Studio Deen

Featuring the following voice talent:

Takahiro Sakurai/ Yuri Lowenthal as Yuri Shibuya

Toshiyuki Morikawa/ Doug Erholtz as Conrad Weller

Kazuhiko Inoue/ Mike Davis as Günter von Christ

Akio Otsuka/ Jackson Daniels as Gwendal von Voltaire

Mitsuki Saiga/ Mona Marshall as Wolfram von Bielefeld

Miyata Koki/ Grant George as Ken Murata

Masako Katsuki/ Kristy Pape as Cecilie von Spitzweg

Masanori Takeda/ Marvin Lee as Josak

Yukana/ Lara Cody as Ulrike

Hiroaki Hirata/ Richard Cansino as Lord Geigen Huber Grisela

Unsho Ishizuka/ Terry Roberts as Stoffel von Spitzweg

Yasunori Matsumoto/ Doug Stone as Raven

Minami Takayama/ Michelle Ruff as Anissina

Risa Mizuno/ Joan-Carol O’Connell as Susannah Julia von Wincott

Masaki Terasoma/ Kirk Thornton as Adelbert von Grantz

Motoko Kumai/ Reba West as Greta

Hiroko Taguchi/ Mia Bradley as Giesela

Kazuhiro Nakata/ Dave Mallow as King Belar

Shinichiro Miki/ Tony Oliver as The Great One

Soon after locating “Hells Fire on Frozen Tundra”, one of the Four Forbidden Boxes, in Francia, Yuri and his team are captured by Big Cimaron’s army, led by none other than Conrad! Yuri is deeply hurt by this betrayal, but to make matters worse, King Belar of the Big Cimaron suddenly shows up, ordering Conrad to execute Yuri. With Yuri out of the picture, Belar can easily conquer the Great Demon Kingdom and control the whole world. Conrad must make a decision- but it may cost his own life!

Kyo Kara Maoh! is a series that centers around Yuri Shibuya, a seemingly normal boy that accidentally gets sucked into another world and learns that he is destined to become the next Demon King of the Great Demon Kingdom. He faces alot of challenges considering it is a different world and the fact that he now has this heavy responsibility of becoming the next Demon King, but he manages to overcome all of the challenges thrown at him. Because of the differences in cultures of Yuri’s world and this world, there are humerous consequences that ensue including his accidental marriage proposal to Wolfram when he slapped him across the face. Yuri’s goal as Demon King is to unify the Mazoku(Demons) and Humans of this world and collect the Four Forbidden Boxes scattered throughout the world.

Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 2 starts off right where Season 1 left off. Yuri and his team find one of the Four Forbidden Boxes: “Hells Fire on Frozen Tundra” and must defend it against Big Cimarron. Throughout the season, there is the main story line of finding all four of the Forbidden Boxes, but there are also many humerous side episodes that fill out this 39 episode 2nd season. With so many great characters and a great storyline, Kyo Kara Maoh! Season 2 will find many fans both male and female.

“Kyo Kara Maoh! Season II” focuses on the following main characters:

Yuri Shibuya – Half Human, half Mazoku. The main character of this story. He has black eyes and black hair. He was pretty much a normal guy who one day found one of his friends, Ken Murata being bullied by three bullies. Sadly, he wasn’t able to save him and instead, he ends up getting a swirly in the bathroom by the three bullies. However, that somehow sends him into the Great Demon Kingdom (And from there on, whenever he falls into the water he goes back and forth through the worlds. However, it is at the most inconvinient times…). From there leads his various adventures in the Great Demon Kingdom including an accidental proposal to Wolfram when he slapped him in the face. He is a very loyal person who thinks with his heart first, and is slowly becoming someone that everyone in the Great Demon Kingdom can approve of being the Great Demon King. He uses the demon sword Morgif that only he is able to use.

Conrad Weller – Half Human, half Mazoku. The second son of Cecilie and the son of the human: Dunheely Weller. Is very protective of Yuri. He is a very skilled swordsman and views things slightly differently than his brothers because he is part human. Has a connection with Julia.

Wolfram von Bielefield – Mazoku. The youngest of the three brothers and the son of Cecilie. Is very proud and is rather beautiful, but is also rather childish. He like Gwendal was against Yuri becoming the next Demon King… but he gets slapped by Yuri which in this world means a marriage proposal. Since then he slowly has feelings towards Yuri, even though most of those feelings are through him calling Yuri names and belittling him. Just like his brothers, he feels an obligation to protect Yuri… and becomes easily jealous if anyone else becomes too close to him.

Gwendal von Voltaire – Mazoku. The oldest of the three brothers that are the sons of the former Great Demon Queen. He is rather serious most of the time but seems to have interesting skills like baking…

Günter von Christ – Mazoku. He is the Yuri’s teacher and seems to be rather infatuated with him… he ends up being used as a guinea pig in most of Anissina’s experiments.

Ken Murata – Race Unknown. He is Yuri’s friend from Earth, who happens to also be the reincarnation of the Great Sage that served the Great One many years ago. He tends to be a slightly mysterious individual. He is very loyal to Yuri but also very loyal to The Great One.

The Mazoku:

Cecilie von Spitzweg – Mazoku. The mother of the three brothers and the former Demon Queen. As soon as Yuri became the next Demon King, she was freed of her duties and able to go on her free and easy quest for love. She seems rather airheaded at times, but she is rather intelligent and is very caring especially when it comes to her sons.

Jozak Gurrier – Half Human half Mazoku. A spy of the Great Demon Kingdom and a long-time friend of Conrad.

Anissina von Karbelnikoff – Mazoku. She is an inventor that lives in the castle and is a childhood friend of Gwendal. She likes to use Gwendal and Günter as guinea pigs for her experiments.

Ulrike – Is the child-like priestess that recieves word from the Great One.

Adelbert von Grantz – Mazoku. He was Julia’s fiancee. He holds bitterness to the Great Demon Kingdom because of the loss of his love.

Susannah Julia von Wincott – Mazoku. She is a very kind soul who had connections with Conrad and Adelbert. She is tied with Yuri in a very special way.

Lord Geigen Huber Grisela – Mazoku. He hated humans at first but eventually falls in love with a human woman and changes his outlook. He will do anything to protect Yuri.

Stoffel von Spitzweg – Mazoku. Cecilie’s older brother who was banished from the castle. His nephews don’t trust him and he is constantly trying to get into good graces with Yuri…

Raven – Mazoku. Stoffel’s aide and Cecelie’s childhood friend. He is rather smart but on the other hand will do anything for Stoffel.

Greta – Human. Yuri and Wolfram’s adopted daughter.

Giesela – Mazoku. Was a close friend to Julia and is Günter’s adoptive daughter.

The Great One – The first king of the Great Demon Kingdom. His soul looks over the land even now and the Mazoku do as he commands thinking it is for the best.

The Non Earth Humans

King Belar – Human. The ruler of Big Cimaron. Will do anything to get his way and to take over the world.

Dunheely Weller – Human. The father of Conrad and one of Cecilie’s many loves.

The Earth Inhabitants

The Shibuya Family: Shoma, Miko “Jennifer”, and Shori- Yuri’s parents and older brother. Shoma is a Mazoku and his mother is a human. Shori, his older brother is rather protective of his younger brother and is constantly saddened because Yuri won’t call him “Onii-chan”. Shori who is also half human and half Mazoku seems to have his own special destiny that awaits him.

Bob – Mazoku. Saved the Shibuya brothers when they were younger at one point. A mysterious figure that has the connections with the Demon World…

José Rodriguez – A mysterious doctor that has connections with Conrad. He likes Akihabara.

“Kyo Kara Maoh! Season II” features a total of 39 episodes on nine DVDs. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

• EPISODE 40- For Our Bonds – Yuri and his band successfully obtain the “Hells Fire on Frozen Tundra” but an unforeseen obstacle stands in their way…
• EPISODE 41- Conrad’s Return – Despite the return of Conrad, he is placed in a cell and under the watch of Francia guards.
• EPISODE 42- A Distant Promise – Yuri and Murata go back to Earth and Shori recollects the time he first met Bob.
• EPISODE 43- Baby Panic at Covenant Castle! – Back in the Great Demon Kingdom there are preparartions to celebrate the births of all the babies born within the last year. But somehow the events turn into baby vs dragon…?!
• EPISODE 44- The Phantom Girl – Ulrike collapses, meanwhile in town a young girl who looks like Ulrike causes havoc displaying mysterious powers.

DISC 2:

• EPISODE 45- The Betrothed versus the Fiancé – Stoffel tries once again to get closer to Yuri. This time he tries to introduce him to a Princess, however it seems she has an interesting link to Wolfram.
• EPISODE 46- The Priestess in the Forest – Yuri and the others hear word on the possible location of the final box: “the bottom of the mirror” and check it out.
• EPISODE 47- Proof of Life – We get to see into the past and see Gwendal when he was young and his interactions with Conrad’s father.
• EPISODE 48- Big Cimaron Strikes Back – Sensing a trap from Belar, Gwendal decides to meet with him alone but Yuri soon goes after him anyways but apparently Belar wasn’t the only one after him…
• EPISODE 49- The Lion and the Wolf – Adalbert kidnaps Yuri, but it’s not for the reason that everyone thinks.

DISC 3:

• EPISODE 50- My Beloved Julia – Adalbert learns the truth about Julia’s fate.
• EPISODE 51- Revenge Fiend? Maxine – For honor and to be able to go back to his homeland, Maxine goes after Yuri… Again.
• EPISODE 52- Conrart Standing Tall – Yuri looks into a ramen bowl that happens to be a Demon Mirror and gets sucked into the past and meets Julia.
• EPISODE 53- Dear King Yuri – Günter decides to go see the world.
• EPISODE 54- The Holy Sword and the Demon Sword (Part 1) – Hearing that someone with the Holy Sword is causing trouble, Yuri and the others go to find Alford, but instead find someone else with the sword.

DISC 4:

• EPISODE 55- The Holy Sword and the Demon Sword (Part 2) – Conrad and Alford go to stop the man who stole the holy sword.
• EPISODE 56- The Shadow Begins to Move – A mysterious man shows up at a ball held at the Covenant Castle and Wolfram disappears.
• EPISODE 57- The Creature From the Darkness – Yuri and Wolfram are captured and being taken to Big Cimaron but are rescued by an unlikely person…
• EPISODE 58- The King of Chaos – Yuri and Wolfram manage to rejoin Conrad and the others and Yuri suggests to talk to Belar…

DISC 5:

• EPISODE 59- Demons, to Earth – The Great Demon Kingdom decides to send a search party for the final box to Earth.
• EPISODE 60- Big Brother’s Anguish – The Demons are enjoying their time on Earth but Shori is distrusting of them.
• EPISODE 61- Another Demon King – The group goes to Switzerland to find Bob and clues on the whereabouts on the fourth box.
• EPISODE 62- Entrusted Hope – Bob doesn’t give the group a very warm welcome and tells the Demons to go back home.

DISC 6:

• EPISODE 63- Showdown! The Demon King vs. the Boney Corps – The animals in the Great Demon Kingdom start acting strangely and the Flying Bone Tribe seem to be making their way to the castle in large numbers…
• EPISODE 64- The Return of Snow Günter – Yuri accidentally pours poison on Günter’s head and in apparent death, Snow Günter and O-Kiku Günter appear…
• EPISODE 65- The Traveler Through the Snow – Yuri goes to try to find the “The Leaf of Minadia”.
• EPISODE 66- The Power of Feelings – Yuri and the others head back to Earth and even though no time should have passed while they were in the Great Demon Kingdom, one hour has passed on Earth. They go to Bob for help and to find a way back to the other world.

DISC 7:

• EPISODE 67- A Bridge to Tomorrow – Yuri, Günter and Giesela go to investigate something that is getting in the way of the construction of a bridge.
• EPISODE 68- The Age of Glory – A glimpse into the past of the Great One and the Originator.
• EPISODE 69- What Must Be Protected – Shori gets blown away to the Great Demon Kingdom.
• EPISODE 70- The Forgotten People – Something happens to Wolfram and mysterious assassins appear, endangering everyone.

DISC 8:

• EPISODE 71- Big Brother’s Big Rampage – Sensing Yuri is in danger, Shori uses the powers he just recieved but something unforeseen happens…
• EPISODE 72- That Which is Sealed – The boxes’ seals are falling apart and an ominous cloud hangs over the Tomb of the Great One.
• EPISODE 73- Dark Pulsation – Wolfram mysteriously attacks Yuri and the keys are stolen.
• EPISODE 74- The Controller of the Truth – The one who comes out of the sealed box isn’t who they were expecting…

DISC 9:

• EPISODE 75- The Sun and the Moon – Yuri is determined to fight the Great One and save Wolfram but another unexpected event awaits.
• EPISODE 76- Within the Darkness – Yuri must face off with the Great One in his inner psychological world.
• EPISODE 77- The Descent of the Demon King – The last box is finally opened…
• EPISODE 78- Until the Day We Meet Again – Yuri has to make a decision to stay in the Demon World or go back to Earth.

VIDEO & AUDIO

Kyo Kara Maoh is presented in 16:9. The animation is very high quality and is beautiful. The character designs are great. For audio you have the option of either Japanese or English. There are only English subtitles available.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Disc 1 had Textless Opening and a Fan Art Gallery, featuring the winners of the Kyo Kara Maoh! art contest held by Geneon and Animenewsnetwork.com
Disc 2 had Textless Ending. Otherwise, all of the discs have Geneon Previews.

I am very new to the Kyo Kara Maoh! Series but I have known about it for quite sometime. I did some research before watching the second season, as I had not seen the first season and the first thing that stood out for me was… There are SO many characters. So many that it’s actually rather hard to keep them all straight at first, but I quickly was able to catch on because each of the characters are so interesting.

I must admit though at first I didn’t know what to think… The Great Demon World, mazoku vs humans, Yuri and Wolfram being engaged because of a slap in the face, so many characters (most of them male), so many random side stories… There’s so much going on, but somehow it all fits in well together and once you get used to having so many characters, overall this series and this season are very interesting to watch. Not to mention the first episode of this series I ever watched was the first episode of the second season which is rather serious, compared to most of the season. After a couple of episodes, my mind was able to take in everything that was going on.

One of my favorite episodes are episodes 42 and 43. I love that someone named “Bob” pretty much is one of the most powerful beings on Earth. Also I just really enjoyed the humor in this episode with the baby vs the dragon. Another series of favorite episodes I had were the ones when all the main characters(Mazoku included) go to Earth and experience life on Earth. I actually enjoy the overall humor in this series. It’s all pretty smart humor, nothing too overdone in that sense. There are alot of ridiculous situations: The differences of customs in the Great Demon World vs Earth (ie: the fact that Yuri slapping Wolfram indicated a marriage proposal instead of a gesture anger), the fact that Yuri falling into any form of water can result him to go into one world to the other, poor Yuri being dressed up as a girl when he was a child, Yuri having an endless amount of male admirers, etc… There are so many great moments and quotes in season 2 as well.

Because of the wide array of characters, there is also an array of great seiyuus to give voices to those characters. Many of my favorite seiyuus appear in this series including Akio Otsuka, Minami Takayama, Toshiyuki Morikawa, and Kazuhiko Inoue just to name a few. The English dub in this series sounded great too.

I think this is a series that both male and female audiences. Guys can enjoy the humor, action, and adventure and female audiences I’m sure will enjoy the vast amount of bishounen characters this series provides. Not only that, I’m sure some female fans will also enjoy Wolfram’s jealous fits when it comes to any other person stealing Yuri’s attention…

Bottomline: Despite so many characters and so many things going on, this series makes it work and after you get to know the characters and the basic storyline, you’ll find yourself wanting to find out more and seeing more.

This is a must buy for those who are fans of the series but I think those who are looking to find a new series would enjoy this one too. Even though I would recommend everyone to get the first season first for any series but especially for this one since there are so many characters that coming into the series starting this season may be overwhelming. Despite that, I really enjoyed this season and this series and I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of the episodes.

Viewers will not be disappointed: this series has a great story, great humor and best of all it has fantastic characters!

 

DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

“DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU is a great prequel special to the whole Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball series that concentrates on the Father of Goku, Bardock.”

Image courtesy of © Akira Toriyama, BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI Animation Co., Ltd., Japan. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU

DURATION: 48 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Mono

COMPANY: TOEI ANIMATION/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: September 15, 2009

Based on the manga by Toriyama Akira

Directed by Daisuke Nishio

Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi

Character Design by Minoru Maeda

Anime Production by TOEI ANIMATION

Featuring the following Japanese voice talent:

Masako Nozawa as Bardock and Son Goku

Kazuyuki Sogabe as Toma

Yūko Mita as Seripa

Takeshi Watabe as Panbukin

Kozo Shioya as Totepo

Ryuusei Nakao as Frieza

Sho Hayami as Zarbon

Yukitoshi Hori as Dodoria

Banjō Ginga as Toro

Kinpei Azusa as Son Gohan

Ryo Horikawa as Vegeta

Shozo Iizuka as Nappa

Joji Yanami as Narrator

Featuring the following English voice talent:

Sonny Strait

Linda Young

Christopher Sabat

Chris Forbis

Stephanie Nadolny

Sean Schemmel

Mike McFarland

John Burgmeier

Bart Meyer

Ceyli Delgadillo

Chris Rager

Chuck Huber

Dale D. Kelly

Dameon Clarke

Justin Cook

Kyle Herbert

Mark Britten

Before there was Goku, there lived his father Bardock. A low-class Saiyan soldier under the command of Frieza, Bardock is attacked by the last of an alien race they are employed in destroying. Healing on his home planet of Vegeta, Bardock discovers he has been blessed with the ability to see into the future.

But the blessing soon becomes a curse, as the Saiyan finds himself haunted by visions: The tragic extermination of his own race and the destruction of their beloved planet, all at the hands of Frieza. Bardock sets off on nightmarish race with fate to avert the impending disaster. But as his strength fails and despair sets in, hope will be found in one last vision.

This is the story of Bardock, the father of Goku.

In this special that is a prequel to Dragon Ball, we get to see into Goku and Vegeta’s past and we are introduced to Goku’s father, Bardock. We get to see what Planet Vegeta was like and how the Saiyans lived before the terror named Frieza doomed their planet. The main story centers around Bardock, a lower class Saiyan who ends up challenging Frieza.

The Saiyans were a ruthless, violent, and very proud race. They only live to fight and destroy and “caring” is the last word to describe them. They worked under Frieza, who put them to good use, taking over planets for him, but they have no idea of the tragedy that is about to happen to this proud race because of their allegiance to Frieza.

After completely massacring the inhabitants of another planet, Bardock is randomly attacked by one of the survivors and is given the power to see the future, and the cursed future that awaits the Saiyans.

While he’s recovering from the injuries he sustained in battle, Bardock starts having visions of the future, including the future of his son, Kakarrot (aka Goku), and the horrible future that awaits his planet. At first, he ignores the visions and goes to catch up with his crew who went to destroy another planet. What greets him is the beginning of the cruel fate that awaits his race, and his one last fateful fight.

“DRAGON BALL Z: BARDOCK THE FATHER OF GOKU” focuses on the following characters:

Bardock – One of the many lower class Saiyans. Overall he lacks emotion, even when his son Kakarot is born, he doesn’t care. On a certain mission where he and his men were sent to destroy another planet, he was attacked by one of the survivors that “cursed” him with the power of seeing the future. After the attack, he starts having strange visions of the grim future of his planet and of his son and his future.

Toma/Tora – The tall member of Bardock’s crew. Bardock later uses Toma’s armband as his red headband.

Seripa/Fasha – The female member of Bardock’s crew and one of the few female Saiyans we ever see.

Panbupkin/Shugesh – The overweight member of Bardock’s crew.

Borgos/Totepo – The muscular member of Bardock’s crew.

Prince Vegeta – The prince of the Saiyans. Despite him only being a child, he is extremely proud and ruthless. He cares about nothing other than becoming more powerful.

Nappa – One of the higher ranking Saiyans that serves as Vegeta’s aide.

Frieza – One of the most powerful and ruthless beings in the universe. He has taken over and has destroyed many planets. The Saiyans serve him and have helped with ridding many of the planets and their inhabitants. Despite the Saiyans pledging their allegiance to him, he has a grim fate awaiting them and their planet.

Zarbon – The highest ranking among Frieza’s officials.

Dodoria – Another one of Freiza’s high ranking officials. He has a big part in the tragic fate awaiting the Saiyans.

VIDEO & AUDIO

Just like the “History of Trunks” DVD, the colors and quality of the video in this DVD are definitely cleaned up and pretty considering this originally aired almost 20 years ago. The picture looked great. If you watch the English dub, the sound is in stereo and surround sound, but if you watch it in the Japanese audio, it is in the original mono. The mono can be a plus or minus… the minus being I had to turn up the volume quite a bit on my DVD player, but a very big plus for me is being able to watch it with how I remember it. The mono sound actually is quite nostalgic to me, so I didn’t mind.

For those who watch the English dub, there are different character names and there is an entirely different soundtrack including music done by Sum 41, American Hi-Fi, and Saliva. However, you also have the option of watching it in the English dub with the original Japanese music as well.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features on this disc, however there are some FUNimation trailers.

Just like the “History of Trunks” DVD, despite how much of a DBZ fan I am, this was the first time I have actually seen this special all the way through. I have been watching Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z since I was a child in Japan when the original episodes were airing. I already knew what happens in this special, but it was great to finally be able to see it in its entirety.

Unlike the usual flow of the DBZ series, this is a rather serious episode. There isn’t much humor in this special. However humor may not have fit in because of this special being about Saiyans, who aren’t very funny to begin with. Even though we finally see other Saiyans, it really was just for a brief moment so that may be my only complaint. But at the same time that’s totally understandable since the story is about Bardock. It was really interesting to see how the Saiyans are toward each other vs. how humans interact with each other.

One of the cool things about this special is you actually get to see a female Saiyan, even if it’s for a little while. It’s also cool to see how Bardock’s trademark red headband turns red. It’s also great to see a glimpse of the Saiyans’ past, and you get to see why Vegeta is how he is and you get to finally see Bardock in action since in the series you only catch glimpses of him.

This would be a film I would recommend to Dragon Ball Z fans without a doubt. But for those who don’t know very much about the series, they may want to hold off on watching this until they know a lot more about the series as there are spoilers and the film may be confusing without prior knowledge of the series.

Overall this is a great film. A little more serious than other Dragon Ball Z films but I would still highly recommend it.

 

We Were There Vol. 2 (a J!-Ent Manga Review)

In “We Were There” Vol. 2, we get to see more into Yano’s mysterious past and there seems to be a step forward in Nanami and Yano’s relationship. This is a wonderful shojo manga full of laughs, drama and great characters. A must buy for shojo manga lovers and those who love cute love stories.

(C) Image courtesy of Yuuki OBATA/Shogakukan, Inc.

MANGA TITLE: We Were There Vol. 2 (Bokura ga Ita)

STORY AND ART BY: Yuki Obata (小畑 友紀)

FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: By Shogakukan

PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media, LLC

RATED: T for Older Teen

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

You know, that guy… He doesn’t seem to need anybody else. I don’t know how to put it, but… No matter how much we talk or what we do… It doesn’t reach him.

In this exciting 2nd volume of the award-winning series, “We Were There”, we finally get to see more into Yano’s mysterious past and Nanami and Yano’s relationship progress a little more…

In the first volume of “We Were There” we see that Nanami, a normal girl starting high school slowly falling for Yano, one of the most popular guys at school. However, we see her feelings go up and down for Yano because he himself goes up and down: from being very kind to being a jerk. Despite her frustrations, she can’t seem to help but be drawn to him.

In the second volume, we a actually get to see into Yano’s mysterious past and what exactly happened to him and his ex-girlfriend. We also start to understand why Yano may be the way he is and we see that Yano may share the same feelings for Nanami after all…

The main characters of “We Were There” Vol. 2 are:

Nanami Takahashi: The main character of this story. She is a kind, pure 15 year old girl that has fallen for Yano. She is the class president and is pretty much liked by the whole class. She tries to deal with Yano’s up and down personality and tries to figure out which is the “real” Yano. Despite how mean he can be to her at times, the next minute he does something kind which gives her mixed feelings once again. Despite all the annoyances, she can’t stop herself for falling for Yano and wants to be there for him.

Motoharu Yano : Nanami’s love interest with the mysterious past. In volumes 1 and 2, we get pieces of his past that finally seem to come together by the end of the second volume. He is easily the most popular boy in class but his personality is rather contradicting, making him very hard to read. We learn that his girlfriend, Nana, was killed in a car accident last summer which may be partially why he is how he is. Nanami confesses to him in the first volume, but he doesn’t really give her an answer on his feelings toward her. In this volume, we see his past and we also see him starting to trust and open up to Nanami.

Yuri Yamamoto : Is probably one of the least popular girls in her class. She is rather anti-social and usually keeps to herself. Despite the mean comments that come from the other students, Nanami does her best to defend her. Yano is another character that seems to come to her aide whenever she may need it, despite her cold replies. Yuri happens to be the younger sister of Yano’s ex-girlfriend, Nana. Yuri is definitely another mysterious character in this series.

Masafumi “Take” Takeuchi : Yano’s good friend that’s in a different class. He’s been close friends with Yano for a while, and tries to help Nanami with Yano. Overall, he seems to be a great guy, always looking out for Yano and Nanami.

Nana Yamamoto : Yano’s ex-girlfriend who died in a car crash last summer. She was older than Yano and is the exact opposite of her sister: beautiful and popular. Yano sort of steals her away from her ex-boyfriend, who to most seems like a horrible person, however she was in the car with her ex-boyfriend when they got in the accident…

Here is a brief summary of each chapter of volume 2 (spoiler-less summaries):

Chapter 5: In the first chapter of this volume, the kids are on summer break. Nanami goes to a festival in hopes of seeing Yano, but when she doesn’t see him and he doesn’t show up to any rehearsals for their class play, she goes to his house to give her a piece of her mind…

Chapter 6: This chapter is a flashback into Yano’s past and we get to see his relationship with his ex and the tragic end that awaited their relationship.

Chapter 7: The kids get ready for the final preparations for their class play for the school festival. Nanami notices that Yano is ignoring her and doesn’t know why again.

Chapter 8: In this chapter, Nanami is finally able to put most if the pieces together and their relationship progresses.

The second volume has the nice mix of comedy and drama that the first volume had and you see more progress in Nanami and Yano’s relationship. By the second volume, Nanami has gotten used to life in high school and while on summer break, she finds herself missing Yano.

However once again seemingly out of nowhere, Yano ends up being a jerk to Nanami so her feelings go up and down for him. But once again he redeems himself soon after. This volume had a lot of character development and we get some answers to some questions that lingered throughout the first volume. This volume still concentrates a lot on Nanami, but it also concentrates quite a bit on Yano and his past. Chapter 6 deals solely on him and what happened the summer before. By the end of the book, you are left wanting to know what happens next.

The characters are rather likable in this series. There really isn’t anything to dislike about Nanami: she’s overall a very pleasant character and she’s genuine. Despite how much of a jerk Yano can be, it’s hard to dislike him as well. Instead, we feel the complexity of his character and want to find out more.

Even though this is a love story, the story so far is rather light and not too heavy or dramatic and has a sense of mystery.

ARTWORK:

I am a fan of the artwork presented in the “We Were There” series. It’s not very elaborate in detail, but Yuki Obata’s artwork succeeds in showing the emotion that the characters are feeling. When Nanami as well as Nana both talk about “warmth”, somehow just through the art and the words, I was able to feel what they were feeling. I love Obata’s use of screen tones, which helps add to the emotions. I love the character designs: very pretty and cute.

I don’t read very many shojo manga… in fact out of the hundreds of mangas that I own, 90% are all shonen manga (what can I say, I grew up being a tomboy). However the few shojo mangas that I do own, I absolutely love. This series is quickly falling into that category. I love the main characters: Nanami and Yano. I like the contrast of Nanami’s character: who’s quite pure and straight-forward, vs. Yano’s character that is rather mysterious and complex.

The art is great: it’s not overly complicated but it’s in no way too simple. I think it’s just right for this series and somehow, the art really does help convey the emotions that the characters are feeling. The dialogue is funny and cute. The plot keeps you wanting to find out more and more about the characters. You feel Nanami’s confusion when she’s trying to figure out Yano. However, we start to understand Yano a lot more in chapter 6 of this volume. Another character that readers may want to know more about is Yuri Yamamoto… and what exactly the relationship between her and Yano is. Is it just because she’s the younger sister of his ex… or is there something more?

This manga is a great combination of comedy and drama. It’s not too heavy, which I think a lot of shojo manga end up being, even in the beginning. I highly recommend this manga for shojo manga lovers and also for anyone who likes great characters and a storyline that leaves you wanting to find out what happens next.

 

ゴロミの部屋第14回： Goromi no Heya: Just say no in Japan…

Hey look, I’m alive.

So… the last couple of months has been crazy in the Japanese Entertainment World. Of course, one of the biggest stories being Sakai Noriko was arrested for drug possession and drug use.

That, is crazy.

Sakai Noriko, the idol/actress/singer that was looked up by SO many people in Japan (and the world)… and it wasn’t just a certain age group or gender… She was admired by A LOT of people. She is a very well known name in the Japanese Entertainment Industry, not to mention in Asia in general. She was also known for pretty much having a clean record and having a “pure” image.

I’m not angry, I do find it very unfortunate though. Sakai Noriko is an amazing talent and I’ve loved her past dramas and always thought she was great. This doesn’t necessarily make me think of her any less, I just find it unfortunate because it’s heartbreaking that we’ll pretty much never see her in the geinou world of Japan again. If we do, it definitely will not be in the same way as before…

In Japan, they don’t take things like this lightly. It’s not like this country where if celebrities get caught with drugs or worse they seem to only get a slap on the wrist, pay a fee and resume their lives as normal. In Japan, something involving narcotics if you’re a celebrity… you will most likely lose your job.

Scandals will hurt or kill celeb careers in Japan. Hell, Kago Ai was fired for smoking underage (Well, that was her bad because she was dumb enough to get caught smoking AGAIN after being on probation for a year… didn’t help that she was also photographed coming out of a ryokan with a much older man right when she was supposed to come back. But, she’s back even if it’s with a different agency). A very well known comedian Tashiro Masashi had some issues with drugs (among other things) and pretty much can’t get work on TV anymore. This person was on TV SO much for about 20 years… and now, nothing…

Adding insult to injury, when Sakai Noriko first went missing… everyone thought it was because she wanted to stay out of the press because of her husbands arrest. Everyone was worried about her and felt bad that her husband did such a thing… of course, the twist in this case can make for a great drama itself… sigh.

Sun Music, her talent agency… I think tried really hard and tried to drag out having to let her go as much as possible. Usually when something like this happens, agencies don’t think twice about letting someone go. Sun Music seemed to wait quite a while before they made the official announcement that they let her go.

I know people make mistakes… but this one was a very costly mistake. On top of everything, Sakai Noriko has a young son. This whole situation just sucks…

Seriously, just don’t do stupid crap like this if you want to make it as a celeb in Japan. Hell, the paparazzi are already looking for stupid crap to call celebs on all the time. Don’t give them something like this and kill your career… Of course I can’t speak for her… but it can’t be worth it.

 

DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS is a wonderful special episode of the legendary Dragon Ball Z series, showing the dire future that Future Trunks grew up in, the future that Goku has died.

Image courtesy of © Akira Toriyama, BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA, TOEI Animation Co., Ltd., Japan. All Rights Reserved.

DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS

DURATION: 48 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 16:9, English 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound, Japanese Mono

COMPANY: TOEI ANIMATION/FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: TV PG

Release Date: September 15, 2009

Based on the manga by Toriyama Akira

Directed by Daisuke Nishio

Music by Shunsuke Kikuchi

Character Design by Minoru Maeda

Anime Production by TOEI ANIMATION

Featuring the following voice talent:

Joji Yanami / Kyle Hebert as Narrator

Takeshi Kusao / Eric Vale as Trunks

Hiromi Tsuru / Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma

Masako Nozawa / Dameon Clarke as Gohan

Shigeru Nakahara / Chuck Huber as Android #17

Miki Itou / Meredith McCoy as Android #18

Kōhei Miyauchi / Mike McFarland as Master Roshi

Naoki Tatsuta / Bradford Jackson as Oolong

Naoko Watanabe / Cynthia Cranz as Chi-Chi

Naoko Watanabe / Monika Antonelli as Puar

Daisuke Gōri / Kyle Hebert as Ox-King

Goku is dead, victim of a deadly virus. Last of the Z Warriors to pass, the Super Saiyan’s death has left the Earth far more vulnerable than ever before. With no one left to protect the planet, Androids 17 and 18 arrive to terrorize the great cities, plunging all into darkness where the inhabitants cower in fear. Is there no hope left in this apocalyptic horror? Is this the end?

Goku’s son, Gohan, is now a man, and with an extraordinary young teenager named Trunks by his side, the two determine to face off against the threat. But as tragedy follows upon tragedy, the world around Trunks is fast collapsing and there seems no check to the evil of the Androids.

This is the story of the future that never was.

Dragon Ball Z fans are finally able to see the past of one of the most popular characters of the series, Trunks.

The story takes place in an alternate future, the future in which “Future Trunks” came from, where Goku is dead. The story takes place 13 years after Goku’s death, where Android 17 and 18 have killed off most of the Z warriors and have plagued the world with their destruction. Much different from the past that Trunks went back to, and the time line that is the main story where both Androids, especially 18 showed they had a heart.

In this horrible future where the whole world is in ruins, the only ones that stand a chance are Gohan and Trunks. Gohan becomes a teacher to Trunks and after years of training, they go up against the Androids only to have more tragedy come into their lives. The only spec of hope is that Goku might have not been the only Super Saiyan powerful enough to defeat them after all…

“DRAGON BALL Z: THE HISTORY OF TRUNKS” focuses on the following characters:

Trunks – Trunks is the mysterious young man that appeared in front of the Z warriors one day, saying he was from the future. The story takes place in his future, a very dark future. The story starts when he is a baby and Son Goku dies, leaving the world in ruins because of Android 17 and 18. Trunks grows up in this horrible future along with his mother, Bulma and his mentor, Son Gohan. Being the son of the Prince of the Saiyans, Vegeta, he always wonders what his father was like since he never really had a chance to meet him. The majority of the story takes place when Trunks is in his preteen and teen years. He is very proud (just like his father), but he also has a strong sense of justice and is very caring.

Bulma – Bulma has been a prominent character in the Dragon Ball universe ever since the first episode. She is now older, and the mother of Trunks. She has calmed down quite a bit, but still acts as the ray of hope even in this horrible future. She constantly is working on a time machine in hopes that it can be used to help Goku before his tragic end, and to change this horrible future that they are now in.

Son Gohan – Son Gohan, the son of the legendary Son Goku, is the only Z warrior left. He is not the cute little boy anymore, but one of the only hopes left for the world against the Androids. He acts as Trunks’ mentor in fighting. He is now able to turn Super Saiyan like his father, and tries to help Trunks do the same so they may stand a chance against the Androids and defeat them once and for all.

Android 17 and 18 – The male and female android duo that was created by Dr. Gero to defeat Son Goku. However, Son Goku was dead by the time they were awaken so instead they decided to destroy everything else in their path. They are almost invincible in strength and have no compassion for anything. They take what they want and destroy everything else and are the ones responsible for the chaotic future that Trunks lives in.

VIDEO & AUDIO

The colors and quality of the video is definitely cleaned up and pretty considering this originally aired almost 20 years ago. The picture looked absolutely gorgeous. If you watch the English dub, the sound is in stereo and surround sound, but if you watch it in the Japanese audio, it is in the original mono. The mono can be a plus or minus… the minus being I had to turn up the volume quite a bit on my DVD player, but a very big plus for me is being able to watch it with how I remember it. The mono sound actually is quite nostalgic to me, so I didn’t mind.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features on this disc, however there are some FUNimation trailers.

Despite how much of a DBZ fan I am, this was the first time I have actually seen this special all the way through. I have been watching Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z since I was a child in Japan when the original episodes were airing. But because I was in the States when this special aired, I didn’t get to see it but at the time, Shonen Jump released anime-manga (Where they took scenes from the actual anime and made it into a manga) books of their theatrical releases and specials, so I got to know the story of this specials in that manner. I had seen bits and pieces of this special on TV but in the English dub so I didn’t want to really watch it at the time (I actually don’t mind the Dragon Ball Z dub, I am just too attached to the original Japanese voice actors, especially for this series).

Trunks is one of the most popular characters in the Dragon Ball Z universe. When he first appeared, he was surrounded in mystery and it’s great to see what happened in his past. (because by the time the main time line progresses, the future has changed.) It’s a sad story because you learn what happens to all of the main characters and you get to see a much different version of Son Gohan. The villains, Android 17 and 18 are also pretty different than the main time line versions. They are much more heartless and show no mercy for anyone. Everything that Trunks has to go through in this special is rather emotional, but it is very much worth watching and it fills in gaps for the main time line.

This release is great for so many reasons: an awesome story, the awesome picture quality, and it’s a great price. I highly recommend this DVD for any DBZ fan. I can also recommend this film for those not as familiar with the Dragon Ball/Dragon Ball Z universe because it is a great film, but I would advise watching or at least knowing the main story of the series or there will be a lot of spoilers or just sheer confusion.

Great action, great emotion, and a great film!

 

Next Page »