The WINGS of REAN Vol. 3 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 24, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“The final volume concludes with a more political storyline, more battles, more confusing characters and an ending that only Tomino Yoshiyuki would dare do in an anime series. I was literally left with a ‘what the heck just happened’ moment and had to scour the Internet to get everyone else’s opinion the final scene. You’ll either see it as brilliant or cruel!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: The WINGS of REAN Vol. 3

DURATION: Approx. 48 minutes + 18 minutes (special features)

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/NTSC / 16:9 LB / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital 5.1 ch and Dolby Digital Stereo / English subtitles

CATALOG #: BUDH0108

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATING: Suggested 13 and Up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Tomino Yoshiyuki

VISUAL CONCEPT CREATOR: okama

CHARACTER DESIGN: Kudoh Masashi

MECHANICAL DESIGN: Shinohara Tamotsu, Sakura Takumi

COLOR DESIGN: Yokoyama Sayoko

ART DIRECTOR: Ikeda Shigemi

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Oogami Youichi

MUSIC: Higuchi Yasuo

SOUND DIRECTOR: Wakabayashi Kazuhiro

PRODUCED BY SUNRISE, BANDIA VISUAL, BANDAI CHANNEL

Aura Battlers dance wildly in the skies above Tokyo. Who is the Wings of Rean warrior who will save the two worlds from total annihilation?

Guided by the Auro Road, Aesap and King Sakomizu roam beyond time and space. To wipe out the festering hatred, Aesap musters his last ounce of strength and streaks through the sky!

The Hojo Army and resistance force have passed through the Auro Road and emerged on Tokyo Bay. There, the two armies decide to join forces and follow the same path. In cooperation with the Hojo Army, Rori and Kanamoto strike down Tokyo Tower, shocking the city into a state of unprecedented chaos. Meanwhile, led by the Wings of Rean, Aesap and King Sakomizu arrive in Japan at the end of the World War II. Skies riddled with B-29’s…atomic booms…the battle of Okinawa… Sakomizu is filled with anger and sadness. Aesap sees his parents before he was born. When their journey to the past ends, they find themselves in the skies above present-day Tokyo Bay.

Tomino Yoshiyuki is a director and writer that is a person who I highly regard his talent for creating such series such as “Mobile Suit Gundam” (and many more series under the Gundam monicker), “Heavy Metal L-Gaim” and “Aura Battler Dunbine”.

With the latter, Yoshiyuki introduced to viewers back in 1984, a new world known as Byston Well (a world that exists between the land and ocean) and from the 49-episode series of “Aura Battler Dunbine”, in 1988 with the three episode OAV series “Aura Battler Dunbine: The Tale of Neo Byston” and an OAV with the 1999 “Tales from Byston Well: Garzey’s Wing”.

In 2005, Tomino returned with the six episode ONA (Original Net Animation) series titled “The WINGS of REAN” which is based on a light novel of his published back in 1983 through 1986.

Before I review this final volume, I just want to say that each time I can watch a Tomino-created series, I’m excited. Similar to Shirow Masamune and other mangaka and directors, I have admired those who are able to create anime series with a detailed storyline but also see how their experience from their well-know work from the past three or four decades deviates from their modern work.

“The WINGS of REAN” is Tomino’s modern work. An ONA (original net animation) series that he said he didn’t want to recreate from the novel and at the same time create something with his young staff in mind and creating for a new generation of anime viewers.

So, with an anime series like this, there is so much story to be told, so many characters introduced but only six episodes to tell it. And unfortunately, this is the caveat for a series like “The WINGS of REAN”. Where Tomino has had the luxury of telling his stories from “Mobile Suit Gundam” to “Aura Battler Dunbine” in many episodes, but for this he has only the luxury of six episodes.

Six episodes are not enough and this series is so beautiful, characters aplenty but because the technical accomplishments of the battles and use of 3DCG, Tomino was able to get his staff to create something special but the double edge sword hurts this anime series with the fact that you hardly get any character development and viewers are limited to battles galore, characters and mecha all over the place and all out chaos.

Episode 5 titled “Above Tokyo Bay” features that similar, confusing battle of episode 1 between the Hojo Army, the resistance and this time, major buildings and landmarks in Tokyo are destroyed and possibly mass casualties.

One thing that I found important from the series is Tomino’s interview when he said the main story was always between Aesap and King Sakomizu. But early in the series, you are somewhat led to believe that the story was about Aesap and Sakomizu’s daughter Lyukus.

In episode 5, as war between the factions are now taking place in the Upper Realm with everyone fighting including the Japanese and American military, both Aesap and King Sakomizu get to see an almost real glimpse of the past during World War II.

For Sakomizu, his Japan, his Tokyo was during a time when there were land, trees and not the concrete jungle that it is now. His face and reactions is captured as a man of awe and disgust to see the land he loves, no longer the same. His goal to protect Japan from the US aggressors are spoiled to find out that Japan and the US are allies. But to see the atrocities committed through war not by the Americans who dropped the nuclear warheads in Japan but also the Okinawans and what they suffered from the Japanese Imperial Army.

As for Aesap, watching his parents….Japanese mother and American father married and even Sakomizu seeing for himself, a Japanese and American in love.

Needless to say that this episode features part of modern Tokyo being destroyed because of war and past Japan being destroyed by war. But most of all, Tomino’s gutsy coverage of the battle of Okinawa on an anime series, especially since its a touchy subject between the Okinawans and the Japanese government today.

In episode 6 titled “Sakura Tempest”, the war continues but Sakomizu’s rage of seeing how Japan has changed is starting to consume him. But most of all, to find that he was a man that was fighting for his homeland, now knowing that those who are fighting against him are the Japanese and USA military.

As for Aesap, he confronts his terrorist roommates who want nothing more but to cause destruction to Japan and he tries to put a stop to their destruction.

As volume 2 featured a spontaneous kissing scene never seen in an anime series, Tomino does something at the end of the final episode that is definitely going to make people either really ticked or people to think Tomino as creative and gutsy for the final scene alone.

VIDEO:

Since this DVD release is from Bandai Visual, and BV releases are known for its quality, the video is 16:8LB and presented with a framerate of 1.78:1. As for the animation, the animation was very colorful and the character designs are by Kudoh Masashi, known for his work his character design work for “Aquarian Age”, a few episodes of “Planetes” and “Witch Hunter Robin” but mainly for the popular series “Bleach”. The mechanical designs were done by Shinohara Tamotsu (known for his live action work with the “Kamen Rider” series and creature designs for “Samurai Deeper Kyo”) and Sakura Takumi (who has worked for Tomino in series such as “Turn A Gundam” and “Brain Powered”).

AUDIO:

With the amount of battles happening in the first episode, that is where you start to enjoy the audio from Banda Visual releases. Again, known for their quality for encoding at 448 kbps, “The WINGS of REAN” sounds very cool ala Dolby Digital 5.1.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The special feature on volume 3 features a promotional trailer and “The Wings of Rean ‘Orchestration Guide’”.

This was quite interesting to watch as Higuchi Yasuo talks about creating the music and not being held by any boundaries by Tomino and given somewhat free reign to create what he wanted.

Most of all, to hear from the musicians talk about Yasuo’s style and talking about the stress and frustration of creating the musical score for the animated series.

A lot of information and found Higuchi’s approach to music and working with Tomino quite interesting.

And similar to the past two volumes, the behind-the-scenes booklets are very informative.

Included is an interview with Shinohara Tamotsu who designed the Aura Battlers and a mechanical settings gallery. Also, an interview with Chief CG Designer Katayama Ayuki and 2D Effects Chief Furuhashi Hiroshi in regards to the challenge of creating the scenes, especially the chaotic war scenes.

A very interesting interview with Tomino Yoshiyuki in regards to his directing the 3rd installment of the series. I find his interviews fascinating, nearly cerebral in his answers of logic and more. Reading these interviews is actually what enhanced my appreciation for this animated series and what he was able to do, is not something that can be easily conveyed in a live action film Especially with so many characters and so much destruction.

And last, the book concludes with the storyboards for episode 5 and 6.

I have to admit that on my first watch, I felt that this story was just too confusing with so many characters being thrown at the viewer. Things got much better in vol. 2 as it featured more character development but vol. 3 returns to a similar setting as vol. 1 but instead of the battles galore and many people being shown (and can easily confuse the viewer), I felt that Tomino’s coverage of Sakamizo and his eyes of seeing Japan in the past and how he sees Japan in the 21st Century.

And his prejudices and how it contradicts Aesap (a half Japanese and half America) and his view of a more modern Japan just goes against everything that Sakamizo believes or thought he believed in.

Episode 5 was quite a political episode and episode 6 was more or less the grand finale.

Personally, I felt there was just too much story that could have been told and so many characters introduced that I wish that an ONA series this complicated, could have had a longer episode run.

So, with what they were able to accomplish in six episodes, especially visually, was well done. Animation was just beautiful, acting was well done and for mecha and action fans, battles galore.

And what you are left with is enjoying the series on its technical merits and what was accomplished or a lack of a strong, character driven storyline.

I’ve read so many Japanese blogs that credit Tomino’s logic and perspective and I can agree 100% with these fans because he really has an answer for every question thrown against him in the interview. So, I really enjoyed reading how his mind works (in the special booklet).

“The WINGS of REAN” is not a perfect anime series that has a share of problems and mainly, the series is just too busy with the Hojo Army and Resistance at war and Japanese and US military just thrown into the mix. It does get confusing.

But I can’t help but enjoy this series on a different level for it’s animation but also the logic behind those scenes. I will admit that the booklets that came with each volume enhanced my appreciation for this ONA series.

And last but not least, the final scene. This will depend on the viewer but I find it interesting to see how it all played out and Tomino’s way of showing that not all things end with a happy ending.

+ Another story from “Aura Battler Dunbine” written and directed by Tomino Yoshiyuki

+ Cool video and audio and an informative booklet provided again by Bandai Visual/Honneamise. Gives you appreciation of the work of the director and character designer.

+ Very good voice acting

+ A very cool interview included in the booklet. Full of information!

- No English dubs for those who need that.

- This anime series is not for everyone. A lot of characters and a lot of storyline that is pretty much made into six 20-minute OAV’s on a world and storyline that probably could be effectively told in a dozen or two dozen (or more episodes). The focus is more on the battles, character philosophies and not so much on character development.

+/- - The final scene of episode 6. You either will love it or hate it.

Tags: リーンの翼, The WINGS of REAN, Tomino Yoshiyuki, Yoshiyuki Tomino

Filed Under: DVD Reviews
Tagged: リーンの翼, The WINGS of REAN, Tomino Yoshiyuki, Yoshiyuki Tomino

The WINGS of REAN Vol. 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 23, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“In the second volume of Tomino Yoshiyuki’s ‘The WINGS OF REAN’, The King of Hojo, Sakamizu is revealed to be a WWII Kamikaze pilot that has somehow ended up in another world. A very intriguing volume and possibly one of the best, spontaneous kissing scenes to ever be featured in an anime series!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: The WINGS of REAN Vol. 2

DURATION: Approx. 48 minutes + 9 minutes (special features)

DVD INFORMATION: COLOR/NTSC / 16:9 LB / Japanese Audio (Dolby Digital 5.1 ch and Dolby Digital Stereo / English subtitles

CATALOG #: BUDH0108

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honneamise

RATING: Suggested 13 and Up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Tomino Yoshiyuki

VISUAL CONCEPT CREATOR: okama

CHARACTER DESIGN: Kudoh Masashi

MECHANICAL DESIGN: Shinohara Tamotsu, Sakura Takumi

COLOR DESIGN: Yokoyama Sayoko

ART DIRECTOR: Ikeda Shigemi

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Oogami Youichi

MUSIC: Higuchi Yasuo

SOUND DIRECTOR: Wakabayashi Kazuhiro

PRODUCED BY SUNRISE, BANDIA VISUAL, BANDAI CHANNEL

The blind ambition of King Sakomizu has been unleashed. With a premonition of impending war, Aesap and Lyukus reunite on the battlefield!!

King Sakomizu prepares for his invasion of the Upper Realm. Meanwhile, rebels within the US forces make contact with the Hojo Army. Amid premonitions of impending chaos, Aesap’s Aura Battler, Nanajin, takes to the sky!

It turns out that, just like Aesop, the King of Hoo, Sakomizu is also from the Upper Realm. And he was a kamikaze pilot in the waning days of World War II in the Pacific theater. Now that he’s acquired weapons in the Upper Realm, Sakomizu at last sets in motion his dream of invading his former home. Meanwhile, Aesap and Lyukus get separated and Aesap rides Aura Battler Nanajin in search for her. In a scuffle with the Hojo Army and resistance force, Aesap and Lyukus reunite in dramatic fashion. “I wanted to see you, Lyukus!” “Aesap!” They finally fell the warmth of each other’s embrace… but can they stop King Sakomizu?!

In 2005, Tomino returned with the six episode ONA (Original Net Animation) series titled “The WINGS of REAN” which is based on a light novel of his published back in 1983 through 1986.

Now here we are with volume 2. With volume 1, I felt that there was a big chance that viewers could have been led to a state of confusion with so many characters being thrown into the mix and there was just so much featured in terms of battles and various oppositions and really, things got too confusing.

It’s one thing to have breathtaking backgrounds and cool animation but when the storyline is hard to follow, it makes things a bit difficult.

So, let’s do a quick recap:

Aesap Suzuki - Half American and Half Japanese and the main character of the series. His father is a commander of the US military base in Iwakuni City. He lives with Rori Yahan and Heiji Kanamoto and it appears the three were going to do some terrorist activities against the American base.

Lyukus Sakomizu - The other main character who ends up being saved by Aesap. She is the daughter of Sakomizu, King of Hojo. She is rebelling against her father and takes “The Wings of Rean boots” and somehow the battle in her own world ends up in the upper realm (where humans and modern time takes place).

Amahlgan Rudol - Created a country along with the help of Sakomizu but the friendship ended with Sakomizu continued to expand his domination to other lands and now Amahlgan leads a resistance force against his former friend.

In episode 3 titled “Groundling Aura Force”, after the last confrontation between Sakomizu’s forces, Amahlgan’s forces and Aesop and Lyukus, Aesop ends up on Sakomizu’s side and doing what he can, so he can get close to Lyukus. Lyukus on the other hand is now with Amahlgan’s village. If anything, what is known is that a battle between the King of Hojo Sakomizu and Amahlgan is going to happen.

But the most important reveal was that Lyukus’ father Sakomizu was from Japan as well. And in his mind, wants to take his weapons from the new world and destroy the Americans and even the Japanese and take the war back to the Upper Realm.

In episode 4 titled “The King’s Designs”, the Hojo army has captured Amalghan and Lyukus. Both are imprisoned but for Aesop, he will do what he can to find Lyukus. And the war between the Hojo Army and the Resistance goes into full force.

VIDEO:

AUDIO:

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The special feature includes Tomino’s Aerial Research Documentary “Over Tokyo 2006″. Pretty much Tomino Yoshiyuki goes on a helicopter ride and takes pictures of Tokyo from above. Scouting areas that will be seen in the battle in the Upper Realm for OAV episode 5. Storyboards are shown and animation as well in this 17-minute special feature.

This was pretty cool and good to see how the scouting location paid off for Tomino and crew as evident in episode 5.

And similar to the previous volume, there is “The WINGS of REAN” behind-the-scenes book with another in-depth interview with Tomino Yoshiyuki and his approach to the second installment. The interviewer does a great job asking questions in regards to scenes, setting, storyline and more.

Yoshiyuki does talk about the difficulties he had with these ONA’s because he was working on the Zeta movies at the same time and thus when he was working on these episodes, he approached it as a movie version and mentioned that he should have taken a single, self-contained episode approach instead. And how he had regretted that.

Also, another interesting reveal is when asked why the content on the ONA’s are different from the novel, Tomino tells the interviewer that he does not like to take something from the past and doing it again. He wants to create something original and in this case, from the vision of a new generation through his young staff.

Also, because many people are not familiar with the novels or have seen “Aura Battler Dunbine” or “Garzey’s Wings”, it was really cool to have Bandai Visual to explain things from the novel and certain areas that may have been cloudy for those unfamiliar with Tomino’s works.

And of course there is so much to the interview that it is worth reading. Also included is another interview but with okama (Visual Concept Creator), rough sketch gallery, storyboards and more.

Again, Bandai Visual does a great job of supplying a booklet that really features a lot of information!

With episode 3 and 4, I actually enjoyed it because now things are a bit settled down, you can focus on the characters and get a little bit more of character development than too many images and battles from the first volume.

I really do feel that “the WINGS of REAN” is a story that needs more than six episodes to tell. With so many characters and so many things happening, it’s really easy to get lost with this anime but unlike the first volume with fighting and characters all over the place, you get to see character development. How Lyukus and her mother don’t get along. How Lyukus is really compassionate towards Amalghan and how he shows the same thing back for his former friend’s (and now enemy) daughter.

If there is one highlight from this series, it’s episode 4 and it’s one of the most spontaneous kissing scenes you will ever see in an anime. I was quite surprised of how much was put into that kissing scene but nevertheless, I enjoyed it.

Again, the series is beautiful to watch. Great background, cool mecha and space ships galore but at the same time, so many characters that it’s easy to get confused. Not as bad as the first volume but fortunately, episodes 3 & 4 is much easier to follow and I found it quite enjoyable.

Again, the booklet that has come with these first two volumes are just amazing. Very in-depth interview with Tomino and he speaking his mind especially sharing plus and negatives of his experiences in working o this animation series and things that he wish he had done.

This series is not going to be for everyone especially those who want an well-written, in-depth storyline. The truth is that you have a world created by Tomino and a storyline that probably worked so well in the novel but there is only so much you can do with six episodes. Give him 50 like he has done with Mobile Suit Gundam and I would be curious to see how different the series would have turned out.

But nonetheless, again, I enjoyed this second volume and I definitely look forward to the next and final volume.

+ Another story from “Aura Battler Dunbine” written and directed by Tomino Yoshiyuki

+ Cool video and audio

+ an informative booklet provided again by Bandai Visual/Honneamise. Gives you appreciation of the work of the director and character designer.

+ I really enjoyed the special feature of watching Tomino on scout location via helicopter around Tokyo and taking pictures and seeing the storyboards and eventually how it all played out in episode 5.

+ Very good voice acting

+ A very cool interview included in the booklet. Full of information!

- No English dubs for those who need that

Tags: リーンの翼, The WINGS of REAN, Tomino Yoshiyuki, Yoshiyuki Tomino

Filed Under: DVD Reviews
Tagged: リーンの翼, The WINGS of REAN, Tomino Yoshiyuki, Yoshiyuki Tomino

NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE DVD COLLECTION (A J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 18, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“An anime series that shows a perspective of war through the eyes of a young teen. The savagery, the brutality and how even through darkness, how hope can go along way. A riveting anime series that is worth watching and even worth owning! “

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE DVD COLLECTION

DURATION: 325 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC

COMPANY: Central Park Media/ US Manga Corps

RATING: 16 and Up

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR & ORIGINAL CREATOR: Daichi Akitaro

SERIES COMPOSITION & SCREEN PLAY: Kurata Hideyuki

MUSIC: Iwasaki Taku

CHARACTER DESIGN: Ohizumi Atsushi, Nishino Rie

ART DIRECTOR: Nomura Masanobu

CHIEF DIRECTOR: Nishino Rie

CAST INFORMATION:

Matsutani “Shu” Shuzo - Okamura Akemi

Lala-Ru - Nazuka Kaori

Tabool - Suyama Akio

Sara - Nakao Azusa

Boo - Konishi Hiroko

Hamdo - Ishii Kouji

Abelia - Yasuhara Reiko

Sis - Matsumoto Rica

Nabuca - Imai Yuka

Dragged through a time warp by a strange machine, Shu is thrust into a hellish future as it explodes into war! He is caught in the carnage as a tyrant unleashes deadly force against a rebel army. But Shu is not alone… He is surrounded by courageous soldiers, a battalion of enslaved children and enigmatic wanderers, each with their own fascinating story. Together, they face the ultimate challenge of survival in a world gone mad!

I’ve read so much about “NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE” for so many years.

Pretty much about the brutality featured in war and children having to fight in war. War can be depicted in so many ways on screen but director Daichi Akitaroh (Director of Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl and Elf Princess Rane) wanted to show how dark, dangerous and sick war can be.

You also have the talents of screenwriter Kurata Hideyuki onboard and is works with “R.O.D.”, “Kamichu!”, “Excel Saga” and many other series is well noted.

But for the series main protagonist, not a knight in shining armor but a naive young teenager who believes in himself and others and his passion for survival and not at all submitting himself to the woes of a war is what I found quite interesting

This 13-episode anime series aired on WOWOW in Japan back in 1999-2000, was released on DVD in the US by Central Park Media/US Manga Corps back in 2002 and is currently airing on the Sci-Fi Channel in 2008.

I figured I wanted to watch for myself of how this anime series truly is and figure out if it would impact me the same way anime such as “The Grave of the Fireflies” or “Barefoot Gen”. And although those anime can be seen as ultimately depressing ie. casualty of war, I know “NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE” for some reviewers felt it was too much for them because of the brutality and torture of key characters. So, I had to watch it myself and see if I felt the same.

The storyline of “NOW AND THEN, HERE AND THERE” is about a teenager named Shu. Shu is naive, almost a brat in someways and it shows in his technique during Kendo training. No focus, just all out attack and not worrying about defense.

One day as he walks home from his training, he goes up a water tower and sees a girl sitting down. As he tries to communicate with her, some monsters and space craft teleport to capture her. Shu goes to rescue the girl.

After some intense fighting, everyone is teleported back to another time. Where war and strife is common and water is a resource that is not available and rationed.

Whoever owns water will be powerful and thus a dictator named Hamdo wants it.

Hamdo who has conquered towns and killed many, destroyed their villages and whoever survives has become part of their army, typically the children who are then forced to be soldiers and inflict the same kind of destruction and pain on other villages by a the dictator’s false promise that upon wars end, they get to go back to their village.

The Hamdo and the army of Hellywood knows they need the water and to do that, they need the girl named Lala-Ru.

Lala-Ru is the keeper of a bracelet and with her power and the bracelet, she has the power to create water or oceans but each time it is used, she uses up her life force.

Both Shu and Lala-Ru are held captive but Lala-Ru’s bracelet is held by Shu and eventually loses it. But Hamdo, being the evil maniac he is, tortures Shu to find out where the bracelet is.

In Hellywood, you are introduced to other kids who are in the army such as Nabuco. Nabuco is the top of young soldier list and is seen as a leader and wants so much to return back home to his village but knows he must kill to do so.

Because he is saved by Shu, he tries to help Shu at a distance and eventually trying to convert Shu to a soldier.

You meet Sara, another person from Earth transported to this new world and has been serving time in jail because she looks like Lala-Ru. Shu promises her that he will find a way for them to go back home but for Sara, although not tortured, she is served by Hellywood to one of their soldiers to be raped.

The scenes of rape and torture are not shown on the DVD’s. It’s pretty much implied by the screams that you hear and how Shu and Sara are after their ordeal. Shu beaten up and bloodied, Sara who’s demeanor has changed considerably after the rape.

It’s a dark anime series but you end up rooting for these people who have suffered from tyranny and just hope they can overcome their challenges, survive and go back home.

VIDEO:

For a 1999-2000 TV series, the animation was simple, clean but the overall background theme of a desolate desert-like appearance of the land due to the lack of water and drought was well featured. The use of oranges and reds and browns, earth colors are used to showcase the overall feel of the series outdoors.

But all in all, I felt the animation to be well done, colorful and for a series nearly a decade old, everything looks very good.

AUDIO:

The series is presented in English, Dolby Digital 5.1 and in Japanese via dolby digital stereo. I watched the series mainly in Japanese and Shu’s voice really makes him feel like a young teenage kid, while in the English dub, it gives an impression that he is slightly older.

But both audio presentations are done quite well!

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The box set features a lot of special features and each volume (disc 1-3) showcases an art gallery, character sketches, mechanical sketches, background sketches, textless closing, storyboards, sneak peeks and DVD-Rom.

The fourth disc features more exclusive special features with a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the series and interview with the Central Park Media staff behind-the-scenes. Also, never-before-seen production sketches and storyboards, the Japanese opening and much more!

This is what you pretty much expect from a box set and again, Central Park Media/US Manga Corps delivered in this respect. They really give you your money’s worth with their collections and if you were going to buy this series, the box set is the best place to go and you can find it online quite cheap these days.

I really enjoyed the series and each episode was quite riveting and really didn’t want to stop watching once I started. The episodes really draw you in and there is a lot of intrigue and overall a well-written storyline and both the Japanese and English voice acting are well done.

The overall mood of war, how one has been affected by war was seen through the atmosphere created by staff and also the well-done acting to make you feel the pain of war. The storyline was well-written and each episode is definitely going to keep you glued and not wanting to stop. But also, I expect that the darkness of war and the things that happen during war time is not something everyone can see.

Yes, there is torture and their is rape. The major torture or rape scenes are not shown on this DVD but you know it happened after you see the mannerisms and the faces of Shu and Sara.

No one wants to see villages full of families and babies getting decimated by war but in war and watching the tyranny of Hellywood and its young soldiers doing the same things that were inflicted upon them by the same group they serve for is a key to show the state of how the soldiers are in.

A series built upon the survival and struggle of war is never meant to make the viewer feel easy but if anything, this series does give you hope. Hope for the main characters to get back to their homeland and hope that the war and the tyranny will end.

If I did have any problems with the anime series was the main character of Shu. If a cat has nine lives, Shu must be a cat because he was able to survive a lot of ordeals. But the main problem that I have is that Shu, literally a young teenager was able to accomplish a lot, as if he had some sort of superhuman status at times. So, I did he feel Shu’s character may be given a bit too much heroic/athletic abilities for his age and what he was able to accomplish

Granted, a person with determination and persistence can accomplish a lot but for Shu to accomplish what he did in this anime series, director and original creator Daichi Akitaroh really made this young character to a hero and able to accomplish things despite injuries, torture and yet keeping his head high and not being broken down. Definitely a rough contrast to reality, especially from those who have suffered war.

But all in all, this series was very enjoyable. Very solid storytelling and makes me wonder if there is room for a second series.

Nevertheless, I finally watched this series for myself and yes, the anime does show the dark side of war and not everyone is going to watch it because of the brutality of the soldiers and war is never beautiful. Especially with the psycho tyrannic dictator of Hamdo that is just creepy and makes you wonder why no one in his army has assassinated him.

But you do see the light through the actions of Shu and how he is able to change people through his will and determination.

An awesome box set DVD release from Central Park Media and a series worth owning!

+ Awesome anime series!

+ Characters that you care about! And well acted both in Japanese and in English.

+ Special features galore!

- This series may be too dark and brutal for some viewers. And main character Shu is given too much credit for his athletic and heroic abilities for a young teen.

ANIME DVD REVIEWS | ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT/POP CULTURE DVD REVIEWS

Tags: Akitaroh Daichi, Daichi Akitaroh, HERE AND THERE, NOW AND THEN

Filed Under: DVD Reviews
Tagged: Akitaroh Daichi, Daichi Akitaroh, HERE AND THERE, NOW AND THEN

GUNBUSTER vs DIEBUSTER - THE GATTAI!! MOVIE - AIM FOR THE TOP! DVD-BOX (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 14, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“Both ‘Gunbuster’ and ‘Gunbuster 2′ series get a film adaption but that means a trimming of scenes from the OAV series but on the positive side, new audio is featured for the original ‘Gunbuster’ and new footage included for ‘Gunbuster 2′.”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: GUNBUSTER vs DIEBUSTER - THE GATTAI!! MOVIE - AIM FOR THE TOP! DVD-BOX (aka Top o Nerae 2! & Top o Nerae! Gattai Gekijouban)

DURATION: 190 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital Stereo, Japanese language, English Subtitles, Region 1

CATALOG #: BUDH0138/013

COMPANY: Bandai Visual/Honnemaise

Released back in 2004

Gunbuster the Movie - As humanity sets out for distance space, a Machine Weapon squadron is created to combat the onrushing opposition of the Space Monsters! To avenger her father’s death and to win victory for all mankind, Noriko Takaya, scouted for her potential, joins her “One-sama,” Kazumi Amano, aiming to become an elite pilot -a “Top!” The curtain rises on their hard and perilous battle!! - Diebuster the Movie - In a future where the Space Monsters resume their invasion of the Sol System, the abilities of the young men and women known as the Topless, and their Buster Machines, are mankind’s final line of defense! One day, runaway girl Nono sets out for the capital to become a space pilot, and meets the figther ace Lal’C…neither realizing that the future of humanity rests on both of them!

I love this series so much. I needed to get that out first.

With my reviews for the first “Gunbuster” (Top o Nerae!) box set and then the DVD’s for “Gunbuster 2″ (Top o Nerae! 2 aka Diebuster), when I first heard about the film projects, which literally are abridged versions of the OAV series, at first I was a bit skeptical because there is so much storyline and character development, to try and make a movies out of these series, something has to suffer right?

Well, part of the exciting experiences of being a “Gunbuster” fan was the realization that the original voice actors were going to re-record their lines, there would be new sound effects and a 5.1 digital audio track.

As for “Gunbuster 2″, the film would feature new footage.

While my original reviews go into more detail on the films, I’ll give my impressions of each film.

For “Top o Nerae” (Aim for the Top Gunbuster) or “Gunbuster” was the directorial debut of acclaimed director Hideaki Anno, Gunbuster is a legendary anime fan favorite that casts pretty girls and giant robots into a moving epic of insterstellar naval war.

2015: Earth’s first faster-than-light ship, the Luxion, is lost, attacked by unidentified space monsters in the Perseus Arm. Six years later, Noriko Takaya, daughter of the Luxion’s commander, enters the Okinawa girls’ Space Pilot High School, vowing to be a pilot and follow her father’s trail to the stars. But is she prepared for the intense training to become a member of the elite Top Squadron? Noriko’s fight has just begun-and the fate of all humanity depends on her meeting the challenge!

The film features parts of the six OAV’s spliced together in one film. You lose a lot of the character development and the challenges that made the OAV really special. So, the things that you may have enjoyed from OAV episodes 1-3 which feature the struggles and challenges Noriko had to overcome, these are the segments that are cut the most and only a few parts are featured in the film.

But despite the cuts, the film manages to take the essential parts from the series and in all sense and purpose, the main focus and storyline of Takaya Noriko become a beginner and then training to become a talented pilot is featured.

And again, it’s understandable because it is a film and the cuts were necessary, otherwise if we didn’t want to watch it with the cuts, you can always forego film and focus on the OAV series.

If anything, the fourth and the fifth final OAV from “Gunbuster” is probably the only part from the series that doesn’t receive that many cuts or any cuts at all.

As mentioned before, with a new digital 5.1 track, that would mean that the film would have to be recreated audio-wise. Bringing back the original actors for voice work and adding more special effects.

The audio is indeed clearer and truthfully, I did not notice much of a difference between Hidaka Noriko’s voice work of the main character Noriko but those who have seen the film have said her voicework is much more polished.

So, overall staying with what Bandai Visual/Honneamise are known best for, it’s providing a high quality video and audio encoding on the DVD. And by saying that, as a Bandai Visual release, there is no English dub. So, if you are really hoping the new audio would bring possibly an English dub release, you won’t find it in this box set.

Unfortunately, the special features are just text bios and unfortunately, there are no video interviews or anything. (note: An announcement was made that the Japanese Blu-ray edition will feature interviews and more special features, let’s hope the film receives the same treatment if there is a Blu-ray release in the US.)

As for “Top o Nerae 2 - Diebuster” (or Gunbuster 2),the original “Gunbuster” OAV series had Anno Hideaki directing, the new series would feature “FLCL’s” Tsurumaki Kazuya as the original planner and director, Enokido Yoji writing the screenplay and character designs by Sadamoto Yoshiyuki. So, that alone had people guessing how three of the people behind “FLCL” would do in creating “Gunbuster 2″ would definitely be interesting.

For “Gunbuster 2″, we are introduced to Nono and Lal’C. Lal’C is part of the group know as the “topless” who are Gunbuster pilots and members of the Anti-Space Monster Interception Squad of the Fraternity. For Nono, she wants to be like the historic pilot known as Nono-Riri. And her first meeting with a “topless” has made her want to become a Gunbuster pilot even more. But what was revealed is that Nono is not your average type of person. She is a robot that happens to have some special abilities. You also start to realize that the space monsters are still there and ruthless than before.

As for the film, similar to “Gunbuster”, parts of the OAV series are cut to make an abridged film version. Whereas the original was created in 1988 and had to feature a new soundtrack, “Gunbuster 2″ was created in 2004 and featured newer footage and the cuts made weren’t too bad.

Where “Gunbuster” really took you on an emotional rollercoaster ride, the main focus of “Gunbuster 2″ of an android Nono who wants to be a pilot is there.

There wasn’t that much of an emotional ride in “Gunbuster 2″ until later in the series and thus, a lot of that emotional bond between Nono and Lal’c remains in the film.

There are some noticeable changes such as the scene from the OAV series starting out with Nono getting her name (Nono Riri) from Noriko (main character from the original Gunbuster) and also, the film does not feature Nono’s amazing attack abilities that she displayed in the first episode, it’s not featured in the early part of the film.

Also, instead of focusing on other pilots and how Nono was treated by them, the main focus is on the friendship between Nono and Lal’C.

So, of the two films, “Gunbuster 2″ came out the best mainly because the majority of the story really kicks in during the latter half of the OAV series whereas the original, I felt that each episode was equally important.

Nevertheless, the ending scene from “Gunbuster 2″ and how it ties into the first “Gunbuster” was just touching and overall, I enjoyed the film version of “Gunbuster 2″.

As for video and audio quality, top notch audio and video encoding from Bandai Visual/Honneamise since it’s a newer anime series and the colors are quite vibrant. Sound very clear and good use of audio direction coming from the speakers. And for those looking for an English dub, there is no English audio option for this DVD as well.

Of course, the OAV series featured important special features and featurettes that made me enjoy “Gunbuster 2″ so much more, there are only text bios of the staff featured on the disc. No special features in terms of interviews or featurettes.

What the box set does include are two booklets for both films with some technical jargon definitions, character bios and information on the mecha and spacecraft.

Included are 11 post cards which feature a heroine comparison between Takaya Noriko and Nono, Kazumi and Lal’C, Gunbuster’s Top Squadron and Gunbuster 2’s Fraternity and more. Also, comparisons for costumes, machine weapons, buster machine, cockpit, space monster, flagship comparisons and much more.

Last but not least, included is a Certification Exam for the hardcore “Gunbuster” fans and fans can take the exam online from the Bandai Visual website.

I guess the big question people wonder is if you own the OAV series, would you want the “Gattaii!! Movie” box-set?

My feeling on this is that, personally, I would go nuts if I was a “Gunbuster” fan and knew that despite the cuts made to the OAV series to make a feature film, not only do you get a film with a new audio track and another film with new footage.

Similar to Mobile Suit Gundam’s 08th MS Team “Miller Report” anime special, for that you only received several minutes of new footage and some people felt it wasn’t worth it. I felt that extra footage 1 minutes or more minutes, it’s still worth owning if you were a big fan and really enjoyed the series. The same goes with this box set.

And the same goes with this film. There is more than just a few minutes, you get the original cast from the first OAV series (which was created back in 1988) and having them redub the vocals over 15 years later. That’s pretty cool! Granted, I wish there were special features featuring those character’s return and an interview with them.

But of course, if you truly want to enjoy the series thoroughly, I highly recommend purchasing the OAV series.

And if you own the OAV series for both “Gunbuster” and “Gunbuster 2″, this “GATTAI!! MOVIE” box set is worth it because it’s two “Gunbuster” films and it features some new audio or footage

As for the personal experience, I’ll be truthful that the enjoyment for both series was watching the original OAV series. And the inclusion of the booklets and special features, especially for “Gunbuster 2″ really enhanced my appreciation for it.

This movie box set was more of a side dish after a wonderful dinner. The question is if you are hungry enough to purchase that side dish.

I have no idea if the Blu-Ray version of this set will be coming out, because if it is, you may want to wait since the Japanese version just announced mentioned interviews included in the special features.

But if it’s not going to be released and if you don’t own the OAV series yet, I recommend purchasing the OAV series first. The OAV series in its original format are just a blast to watch, do come with some special features especially for “Gunbuster 2″. And both come with informative booklets that really make you appreciate the OAV series even more.

And if you enjoy and fell in love with both OAV series like I did, then definitely check out this box set!

UPDATE: The Blu-ray for this box set will be released in the US. In addition to 1080p High Definition visuals and lossless audio, the first titles will be subtitled in English and French, and multi-lingual dubbing is being decided on a title-by-title basis. The products, to be released in Japan, North America, France and UK, will be identical to domestic Japanese products except that translated notes may be added in some cases.

Street Date: November 21, 2008 (Japan); Nov. 25 (USA); Dec. 2 (France); Nov. 24 (UK)
Pricing: 14,800 JPY(Japan); 99.98 USD(USA); 64.99 EUR(France); 49.99 GBP (UK)
Product: Three (3) Blu-ray Disc Box Set/COLOR（partly B/W）/approx. 280 min. /
Japanese Language/English & French Subtitles
Technical: Disc 1 (GUNBUSTER The Movie): Dolby True HD 5.1ch (Linear PCM
Stereo) / AVC / BD-50G /4:3, partly 16:9 [1080p Hi-Def]
Disc 2 (DIEBUSTER The Movie): Dolby True HD 5.1ch (Linear PCM
Stereo) / AVC / BD-50G /16:9 [1080p Hi-Def]
Disc 3 (Bonus Disc): Linear PCM Stereo / AVC / BD-50G /16:9, partly 4:3
[1080p Hi-Def]
Bonus Items: Two (2) Booklets with English/French translation notes.

+ Anything “Gunbuster” related is a plus!

+ New audio for “Gunbuster”, new footage for “Gunbuster 2″

+ Both “Gunbuster” and “Gunbuster 2″ OAV series get the film treatment

- Because they are films, the OAV series had to be trimmed and a lot of the character development between the main character and other characters are not explored thoroughly in the film version.

- No English dub for those who want that option.

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Tags: Diebuster, GAINAX, GUNBUSTER, Top o nerae

Filed Under: DVD Reviews
Tagged: Diebuster, GAINAX, GUNBUSTER, Top o nerae

Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection (A J!-ENT anime DVD Review)

August 13, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“The ultimate collection of another Transformers animated series that would introduce more Autobots, Decepticons and characters in 52-episodes. If you are a fan, especially a collector of Transformers merchandise, this anime alone brought so much to the fans. As for viewers, it might not be for everyone but for its sheer amount of characters, cool battles, even some deaths, it was an enjoyable series overall!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Transformers Cyberton: The Ultimate Collection

DURATION: 1144 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC

COMPANY: Paramount Home Entertainment

RATING: 13 and up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Ono Manabu

CYBERTRON, the TRANSFORMERS’ home planet, is on the brink of destruction as an ominous Black Hole looms. In order to save their world, the TRANSFORMERS embark upon an intergalactic scavenger hunt across the universe searching for the lost Cyber Planet Keys. The evil DECEPTICONS, villains unlike any you have seen before, are in a race against the heroic AUTOBOTS to recover the Cyber Planet Keys - keys that have the power to unlock the CYBERTRON planet itself, creating the greatest TRANSFORMER the universe has ever seen! The battle will span the galaxy in a race to wield the all powerful keys and save their home world of CYBERTRON from certain doom!

The TRANSFORMERS CYBERTRON: The Ultimate Collection seven-DVD set is presented in full screen format with Dolby Digital English Stereo. The collection includes all 52 episodes from the series and has a running time of 19 hours, 4 minutes.

I’ve noticed a lot of reviews on other sites that are calling “Transformers Cybertron” the worst. A lot of these reviewers haven’t really watched a “Transformers” animation since the first series back in the 80’s or “Beast Wars” in the 90’s.

But of all series, “Transformers Cybertron” (aka Transformers: Galaxy Force in Japan) is one of my favorite “Transformers” animation series since the original G1 series.

Like most “Transformers” series, the target are children and hopes for children to buy the toys. But of course, among the older and hardcore collectors, this anime was so cool because it would introduce so many characters and also feature a large amount of Transformers merchandise.

The series focus on three young humans Coby (the teenager gifted at mechanics), his younger brother Bud (your typical young child) and Lori (a teenage friend of Coby and obviously she likes him. And a person that can easily get frustrated).

To make a long story short, the autobots have evacuated to the Planet Earth after the destruction of Unicron has left a black hole. With the black hole threatening their planet, the Autobots must find a way to stop the black hole from devouring their planet and the whole universe.

The three humans discover the Autobots and after developing trust and friendship, the humans assist the Optimus Prime and the other Autobots who are trying to find the legendary Cyber Planet Keys and Omega Lock thanks to the help of an ancient Autobot named Vector Prime. Of course, the Decepticons are after the same thing.

The four Cyber Planet keys are scattered in four worlds. Planet Earth, the Speed Planet (Velocitron), the Jungle Planet and Gigantion, the Giant Planet.

And the adventure focuses on the search for the keys and Omega Lock but at the same time, with each planet, introducing more characters (Autobot, Decepticon or neutral), as well as other earthlings who are curious about the alien robots.

The series is quite long and in Japan, typically the anime with longer series are typically good for merchandise sales. May it be “Gundam”, “Pokemon” or “Naruto”, the same here in the US as a lot of “Transformers Cybertron” merchandise came out and if you were a collector of the line, to have so many Transformers (Autobots and Decepticons) from the various planets, small, tall or humongous was just satisfying.

As an adult, I enjoyed this series and as a father, my son was introduced to Transformers because of this series.

There are many battles, there are some Transformer deaths as well. But overall, the series was enjoyable if you stayed in it for the long haul.

There are some differences between the Japanese and American animations aside from character names and opening and ending themes but one difference is the leader of Velocitron (Speed Planet) in the US version is Override (a female Autobot) but in the Japanese version Override aka Nitro Convoy is a male character.

But all in all, I found “Transformers Cybertron” to be enjoyable, as a fan of the series and a fan of mecha, is the sheer number of robots introduced in this series.

A little bit of inclusion of things from the past such as combining Transformers that would combine with Optimus Prime or Megatron, the addition of minicons and much more.

VIDEO:

As for the DVD, the video quality is as expected for a newer series. The animation is colorful, vibrant.

AUDIO:

The series featured more dialog and music, so don’t expect any major audio channels. I didn’t expect any inclusion of the Japanese audio on this DVD, especially since the US and Japanese names of the robots are all different.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

I was disappointed that there are no special features. That would have been cool to feature something but there are no special features included.

I know…I know… many reviewers who plopped this DVD expecting some major Autobot vs. Decepticon with the same amount of carnage as the first animated film or even the live film would probably be a bit upset that things seem pedestrian because of the humans and robots working together.

Again, “Transformers” is geared towards children but there are many adults who treasure the series and are heavy collectors as well.

But for me, the whole 52-episodes was fun to watch so many characters be introduced and then to see the many various battles, especially as the episodes starts to near its end. This was the only Transformers series that actually made me buy nearly every merchandise at that time because I enjoyed it that much and it was definitely a great series for me and my son can enjoy together.

Too bad there aren’t any special features but still, you do get a lot of episodes in this ultimate collection and the price to obtain it online is much lower than retail.

Granted, those who are coming into this series thinking of the old school Transformers may or may not get into it and I can understand why some reviewers may dislike it. But for those who are “Transformers” fans and also a collector of the merchandise, the series was one of the better ones to come in a long time in my opinion.

ANIME DVD REVIEWS | ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT/POP CULTURE DVD REVIEWS

Tags: トランスフォーマーギャラクシーフォー, Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection, Transformers Galaxy Force

Filed Under: DVD Reviews
Tagged: トランスフォーマーギャラクシーフォー, Transformers Cybertron: The Ultimate Collection, Transformers Galaxy Force

Genshiken - Complete Collection (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 11, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“An anime series that anime, video game and manga fans can watch and enjoy immensely. One of the most unique, hilarious and enjoyable anime series that I have watched complete in one sitting and feel the need to rave to friends to check out! It’s that good!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Genshiken Complete Collection

DURATION: 300 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Animated, Color, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC0

COMPANY: AnimeWorks

RATING: 13 and up

STAFF INFORMATION:

ORIGINAL MANGA: Shimoku Kio

DIRECTOR: Ikehata Takashi

SERIES COMPOSITION: Yokote Michiko

MUSIC: Takumi Masanori

CHARACTER DESIGN: Kinoshita Hirotaka

ART DIRECTOR: Okui Shin

CHIEF DIRECTOR: Kinoshita Hirotaka

CAST INFORMATION:

Kohsaka Makoto - Saiga Mitsuki

Kasukabe Saki - Yukino Satsuki

Sasahara Kanji - Ohyama Takanori

Ohno Kanako - Kawasumi Ayako

Kugayama Mitsunori - Nomura Kenji

Madarame Harunobu - Hiyama Nobuyuki

Tanaka Soichiro - Seki Tomokazu

Sasahara Keiko - Shimizu Kaori

Genshiken Chairman - Ueda Yuji

Sasahara appears to be a quiet college freshman but certain darkness lurks within his soul. For one thing he knows what “cosplay” is and he’d like to know more. He knows how to unlock all the secret characters in Guilty Gear X and he’d like to know more. He knows what the plot twist is going to be in episode twenty-five of Kujibiki Unbalance because he’s read the manga and he’d like to know more.He’s heard of Doujinshi and he NEEDS to know more. Enter Genshiken the barely legitimized Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture home to all the various subspecies of Otaku!

It’s very rare for me to watch an anime series that catches my attention like “Genshiken” has. Sure, there are anime series that I enjoyed and can’t stop watching but for this anime series, after I was done, I wanted more! I wanted to share it with friends. I just had a great time watching the series and I hope more and more people discover it!

The TV series debuted back in 2004 and is based on a manga series by Kio Shimoku that was serialized in Kodansha’s “Afternoon” magazine back in 2002.

Directing the series would be Ikehata Takashi knwon for his work with “Inuyasha”, “Angel’s Egg” and “Turn A Gundam”.

But the overall series centers around a club at Shioo University. With various clubs to join, the first episode features freshman Sasahara Kanji who is looking for a club to that fits his tastes. As an anime fan, he is curious about the anime club, as a manga fan he is curious about the manga club. He meets Kohsaka Makoto who introduces him to a club known as “Gendai Shikaku Bunka Kenkyūkai” aka Genshiken (The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture). Which is literally a club that features a group of guys into anime, manga, video games, cosplay and ecchi dojinshi. Not specific to one thing but embraces it.

Along the way, we are introduced to other characters:

Kohsaka Makoto - Kohsaka is an otaku in a sense with his hobbies. Loves fighting video games, watches a lot of anime, listens to drama CD’s but unlike otaku, he’s very stylish from his hair to his clothing. Also, a master at the fighting video game “Guilty Gear XX”.

Kasukae Saki - A lot of the episodes center around her character. She is stylish and has fallen for Makoto (they eventually early on become boyfriend and girlfriend) but she can’t understand why he’s so hardcore otaku and just wants him to stop associating with the otakus of Genshiken and would very much like to see Genshiken stop. But eventually joins after the Genshiken chairman reveals to her that he knows some of her secrets.

Madarame Harunobu - The major otaku member of Genshiken and later becomes the club leader.

Tanaka Souchirou - The cosplay photographer of the club who likes to build cosplay outfits for girls. Also, the member who is totally into building plastic models.

Kugayama Mitsunori - The big, overweight member of the club. A good artist but not really motivated.

Ohno Kanako - The first female member of Genshiken that has a major interest in cosplay (and a fetish towards balding men)

The 12-episode series features a variety of storylines but what is most impressive is the tight writing behind the characters development and their various club activities.

I enjoyed every episode but a few of my favorites are:

Episode 3 - “Problems and Merits of Local Culture Promotion” - In this episode, the guys go to ComiFes and you learn through Sasahara’s first time of how long it takes to get into the event (and also to leave). With so much effort to get there and be the first to get limited edition dojinshi and swag, things go for the worse when Madarame falls on his hand.

But coming so far, Madarame is determined to get his limited edition’s knowing that his hand continues to get worse and worse and he possibly may have broken it.

This is a hilarious episode to see how these guys go crazy for ecchi dojinshi and how crazy they are about their fandom.

In episode 4 titled, ““The Sublimating Effects of the Dissimulation Brought on Through Makeup and Costume on Mental Obstacles”, Genshiken gets a new member by the name of Ohno Kanako. A girl who just came back from America that has long black hair and loves to cosplay. But for Saki, she doesn’t understand why a girl would want to join a club like Genshiken but due to her curiosity, she can’t help but understand a female’s perspective of being an otaku.

A hilarious episode just to see stylish Saki having a hard time comprehending female otaku’s and cosplaying.

In episode 6 titled “On Connecting with Others through Subculture”, Saki feels a bit underappreciated in her relationship with Kohsaka because of his otaku obsessions. So, she decides that maybe by taking an interest in video games (or game), she can get closer to him and have him pay more attention to her.

So, the guys teach her how to play “Puyo Pop Fever” and hopefully by playing a video game with Kohsaka, it will improve their relationship. Also, an introduction to Sasahara Keiko, Kanji’s younger sister who is a teen who is very outgoing and develops a crush towards Kohsaka but is in total shock that he is an otaku but yet looks so cool, stylish and handsome on the outside.

In episode 10 titled ““The Fetishism of Leisure Time Expenditures Considered by their Economic Result”, the club go to the beach and accompanying them is Kanji’s younger sister Keiko who is determined to get close to Kohsaka despite Saki being there. This leads Keiko to devise a plan by getting into her older brother’s anime series and watching them to get closer to Kohsaka.

This is a hilarious episode as Saki does what she can to prevent Keiko from getting close to her boyfriend.

And possibly my favorite episode, episode 11 titled ““On the Presence of Malicious Intent in Urban Crimes”. Something bad happens to the Genshiken club (a fire accidentally started by Saki) and their membership is revoked. In return, the club’s status in the upcoming cosplay contest is jeopardized but knowing that she owes the club big time, Saki agrees to the club’s demand to cosplay as the “President” character from their favorite anime series “Kujibiki Unbalance”.

This is also where “Genshiken” shines is that within this anime series, the group are fans of a TV anime series titled “Kujibiki Unbalance” (which is also released on DVD from AnimeWorks and OAV’s are featured in the anime DVD releases).

VIDEO:

For a 2004 TV series, colors are vibrant. I really enjoy the character designs and overall everything looks good.

AUDIO:

I watched the series mostly in Japanese (with English subtitles) but rewatched a few episodes via the English dubs and both are well-acted. English dub gives a different feel and vibe in my opinion but I realize that many anime fans dig the voice work for this series. So, it’s all good on both audio fronts.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

This is where each volume shines! There are a lot of special features. I mean A LOT!

Sure, you get the no-text opening and ending themes but there is a featurette for character show 2004 with the Japanese voice talent, a performance by Under 17 (Halko Momoi’s group) that performed the theme songs for “Kujibiki Unbalance”, an interview with the Japanese director Ikehata Takashi, interview with Ohyama Takanori (Sasahara Kanji) and Kawasumi Ayako (Ohno Kanako). Also, a press conference interview with Kawasumi Ayako (Ohno) and voice actress from “Kujibiki Unbalance” and just the Q&A was hilarious as the girls shared their opinions on “otaku” and which guy would they date from “Genshiken”.

But the biggest addition were the inclusion of the three “Kujibiki Unbalance” OAV’s. Clips from the series were shown during “Genshiken” as the club would watch the TV series in their club room. Granted, the series may not make much sense but fortunately, three volumes of the TV series are now available from AnimeWorks and those each include an episode of the three additional OAV’s of “Genshiken” (which introduce new characters to the club).

I really enjoyed this anime series!

One of the main reasons is because in college, I created a club similar to Genshiken but mainly a club where Japanese and Americans can get together and share their passion for Japanese music, variety shows, doramas, anime, video games and manga and much more.

We had a pretty big club (our club was the Asunaro Club) and we were not recognized officially by our campus, we had no interest in joining the Japanese club or the anime club but yet, we still put our event posters or flyers on campus walls and had some really awesome parties and get-togethers.

Similar to Genshiken, we had our stylish girls and we had our share of video game and anime otaku. We had girls who questioned our otaku members why they were into their crazy things. But yet, everything was all good and we had fun!

So, when I watch “Genshiken”, it reminded me of our club events and our get-togethers and the crazy situations that I had experienced.

Every episode was awesome! The characters were just well-liked and the story, I felt was just well-written and anime, manga, cosplay, hobby and video game fans can really watch and enjoy!

“Genshiken” is truly a unique series and I know about the comparisons of the old “Otaku no Video” anime OAV series which I enjoyed back then but “Genshiken” is much different as each character had something with their mannerisms and things that they liked, really make the series worth enjoying.

As for the DVD, Media Blasters has done the fans an awesome service by providing so many special features including the three OAV’s of “Kujibiki Unbalance”.

Just an FYI though that there are two complete collections available. One that is a “Premium Edition” but there are no differences on the DVD’s but the fact that one has a box and cost more money. The economy edition is if you don’t mind not having the box and just care about the DVD’s.

All in all, “Genshiken” is one of the best anime collections to buy and I can’t wait (and hope) for the second season to be released on DVD.

+ Awesome anime series!

+ Characters that you care about! And well acted both in Japanese and in English.

+ Special features galore!

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Tags: Gendai Shikaku Bunka Kenkyūkai, Genshiken

Filed Under: DVD Reviews
Tagged: Gendai Shikaku Bunka Kenkyūkai, Genshiken

Animation Runner Kuromi 2 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 6, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“An enjoyable parody of the anime industry, ‘Animation Runner Kuromi’ 2′ continues where the last OAV left off. An enjoyable OAV featured with a lot of laughs plus a lot of special features to make this another ‘Kuromi-chan’ OAV definitely worth owning!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Animation Runner Kuromi 2 (aka Anime Seisaku Shinko Kuromi-chan 2)

DURATION: 45 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital Stereo, English and Japanese language, Region 1

CATALOG #: USMD 2334

RATED: 16 and Up

COMPANY: US MANGA CORPS

Released back in 2004

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR & STORYBOARDS: Daichi Akitaroh

CHARACTER DESIGNER & ANIMATION DIRECTOR - Watanabe Hajime

SCRIPT - Itami Aki

SEGMENT DIRECTOR - Tamano Harumi

ART DIRECTOR - Shibata Chikako (Studio Kanon)

MUSIC - Masuda Toshio

PRODUCED BY Yamaguchi Satoshi

ORIGINAL CONCEPT/PLANNING/PRODUCTION by YUMETA CO., LTD.

CAST INFORMATION:

Oguro Mikiko (Kuromi) - Asoh Kaori/Lisa Ortiz

Shihonmatsu Hamako - Yasuhara Reiko/Carol Jacobanis

Takashimadaira Rei - Ishii Koji/Dan Green

Hassaki Hozumi - Matsumoto Yoshiaki/Wayne Grayson

Tanonaka Mizuho - Ito Eiji/Eric Stuart

Haryu Sheiichiro - Ichijo Kazuya/Dan Green

Fukami Aoi - Okamura Akemi/Angora Deb

Horaguchi Mai - Misawa Mayumi/Rachael Lillis

Kuromi is Back!

And more determined than ever to make it in the anime business. But all hell breaks loose when the boss quits smoking just when the workload burst out of control. Can Kuromi overcome this almost insurmountable obstacle?

I really enjoyed the first OAV and getting a chance to see the behind-the-scenes of an anime studio from the animated parody and the abundant of special features featured on the first DVD.

With this second OAV series, “Fruits Basket!” director Daichi Akitaroh, Watanabe Hajime and Itami Aki are back together for round II of the adventures of Studio Petit. And again, the OAV was a winner at the 2005 Tokyo Anime Fair.

This time, Kuromi’s boss decides to have the staff work not on just one series but three series.

For Kuromi, in her mind, more anime series means more staffing but not for Studio Petit. It’s more of everyone shifting their to different priorities and working on three anime series all at once.

Of course, with the staff being pushed to their limits and having to work on three series that are so different from each other, there is worry that the episodes for the series will not be completed in time.

Kuromi tries at first but everyone continues to have their excuses and leave work early.

But things change when the boss of Studio Petit brings in a veteran producer who will do what it takes to make sure the staff completes their deadlines in time, even if that means sacrificing quality. Even if it means firing the staff.

After watching this series, I actually had the same impression of Kuromi that anime studios, when they work on multiple series, more staff is brought in. But after watching this series, I can see how difficult things are if there are no staff hirings and the same staff have to work on multiple series.

This would probably answer why we have seen quality differences in animation (ie. the beginning half of “Ranma 1/2″ and the latter half) why a series was not as good as it use to be.

But all in all, how this is handled on this latest “Animation Runner Kuromi 2″ is hilarious, fun and enjoyable.

VIDEO:

The original OAV series was released back in 2004 and unlike the last series which kept switching from animation to character sketches, this one doesn’t do that. And I didn’t mind that one bit.

AUDIO:

I watched the OAV series both in English and Japanese and both are well done. There is no true action and if anything, it’s more or less an anime that is full of dialogue. But audio for the voice work and music came clear and found no problems.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Central Park Media/US Manga Corps really delivered in terms of special features on the first OAV DVD release. The same with this second DVD.

Included are alternate angles, storyboard features, interview with Daichi Akitaroh, A segment titled “A Day in the Life of Kuromi”, art gallery, sketch gallery, Kuromi trailers and more.

The intervew with Daichi Akitaroh is around eight minutes long and he goes into why a sequel was created and how he wanted to tie up a few loose ends left from the first. How he also wanted to go deeper by adding a rival for Kuromi for this episode.

My favorite was a 10 minute feature with Japanese voice actress Asoh Kaori (Kuromi) having to work as an animation runner for a day at an anime studio.

In this featurette, Asoh goes to the residences of the animators to pick up completed pieces and just running back and forth from the office. Also, a message from the staff behind the second OAV series. This was very fun to watch and although everyone was in a lively mood for this feature, I can only imagine how things are during deadline week at an anime studio.

But again, CPM delivered on the special features for this second DVD.

Similar to the first episode, a parody of what goes behind-the-scenes at an anime studio and the second OAV continues the craziness of the first but also gives some insight on anime studios, dealing with budget and handling multiple series.

It was great to see the first OAV accepted by so many viewers in Japan and thus warranting a second version.

But the good news is that because the first and second OAV series came out years ago, you can find it for a cheaper price online.

The fact that this series parodies an actual anime studio, it is a pretty unique anime series. With the first OAV being a bit more straightforward anime of staff against time, the second OAV is the same but now the staff has to deal with three anime series at one time and the episode has a more of a dramatic storyline as there is now an antagonist who is making life rough for Kuromi and staff.

If you bought the first, you would definitely would want to buy the second OAV. For those wanting a collection box set with both OAV’s, with the state of the anime DVD industry right now, not sure if Central Park Media is interested in doing that. But again, you can find both OAV’s for a low price online if you look.

So, all in all, another cool OAV episode in the life of Kuromi and the staff at Studio Petit. Check it out!

+ A hilarious parody on what goes behind-the-scenes at an anime studio!

+ Really good voice acting on both the Japanese and English dialogue

+ A lot of special features that are enjoyable and informative

ANIME DVD REVIEWS | ASIAN ENTERTAINMENT/POP CULTURE DVD REVIEWS

Tags: Animation Runner Kuromi 2, Anime Seisaku Shinkō Kuromi-chan 2, アニメ制作進行くろみちゃん 2

Filed Under: DVD Reviews
Tagged: Animation Runner Kuromi 2, Anime Seisaku Shinkō Kuromi-chan 2, アニメ制作進行くろみちゃん 2

Animation Runner Kuromi (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

August 6, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment

“An enjoyable parody of the anime industry, ‘Animation Runner Kuromi’ is an enjoyable OAV featured with a lot of laughs plus a lot of special features to make this OAV definitely worth owning!”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Animation Runner Kuromi (aka Anime Seisaku Shinko Kuromi-chan)

DURATION: 40 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital Stereo, English and Japanese language, Region 1

CATALOG #: USMD 2334

RATED: 16 and Up

COMPANY: US MANGA CORPS

Released back in 2003

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR & STORYBOARDS - Daichi Akitaroh

CHARACTER DESIGNER & ANIMATION DIRECTOR - Watanabe Hajime

SCRIPT - Nagatsuki Toh

STAGE DIRECTION - Tamano Harumi

ART DIRECTOR - Shibata Chikako (Studio Kanon)

MUSIC: Masuda Toshio

CAST INFORMATION:

Oguro Mikiko (Kuromi) - Asoh Kaori/Lisa Ortiz

Shihonmatsu Hamako - Yasuhara Reiko/Suzy Prue

Hozumi Hassaku - Matsumoto Yoshiaki/Wayne Grayson

Tanonaka Mizuho - Ito Eiji/Eric Stuart

Haryu Sheiichiro - Ichijo Kazuya/Dan Green

Fukami Aoi - Okamura Akemi/Angora Deb

Horaguchi Mai - Misawa Mayumi/Rachael Lillis

From Akitaroh Daichi, director of ‘Fruits Basket’, ‘Now and Then, Here and There’ and ‘Jubei-chan the Ninja Girl’

Music by Masuda Toshio (Excel Saga)

THE ULTIMATE BEHIND-THE-SCENES!

Ever wonder what it would be like to work for an animation studio? Kuromi just landed her dream job at the famous Studio Petit, and boy is she in for a rude awakening! The boss is hospitalized moments after she arrives (he gave his life to anime), and suddenly Kuromi is the new head of the ultimate team of slackers! It’s up to her to finish “Time Journeys Episode 2,” or fans everywhere will be let down. Will Kuromi’s love of cartoons clean up this horrible mess…or make an even bigger one?

I bought this DVD immediately when it was released.

Who could pass up an an anime based and parodies the actual anime industry? I’ve heard about these type of parody anime and I recall reading about Mikimoto Haruhiko (”Macross”, “Gunbuster”, etc.) actually creating one but was only given to staff and friends back in the early 90’s but really haven’t seen anything for the many years I have been watching anime.

But there are always stories about the behind-the-scenes of an animation studio and how sometimes the anime that is aired, sometimes gets there within minutes or an hour after finalization. From the crazy tight deadlines and overworked staff, for those of us here in America who will never get to experience or see that kind of work environment of how anime is created and developed, fortunately “Animation Runner Kuromi” is here.

The series is directed by Daichi Akitaro known for his work with “Fruits Basket”, “Now and Then, Here and There” and “Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl” to name a few. The sreenwriter is Nagatsuki Tou and the OAV won “BEST OAV” Award at the Tokyo International Anime Fair.

The series is about a new employee named Oguro Mikiko (which the president of the company automatically names her Kuromi) who was hired to work at the famous animation studio, Studio Petit.

The studio is behind on schedule for “Time Journeys Episode 2″ and with the boss falling ill, he appoints Kuromi as production desk manager and puts her immediately in charge.

Essentially just a newbie in the industry with hardly any experience, Kuromi is put in leadership position and has to motivate a staff that is too lax and literally a bunch of slackers. With the threat of the second episode of “Time Journeys” not being completed, Kuromi is learning that this staff, during deadlines, they make excuses and end their work early. The fact that many of them work at home, makes it a problem for Kuromi.

Because of their way of working, Kuromi feels dejected and has nightmares that the episode will not get to the TV station on time and feels like quitting.

But Kuromi decides to not quit and make immediate changes that will affect the studio and hopefully they will complete the next episode of “Time Journeys”.

VIDEO:

The original OAV series was released back in 2001 and drawn in a fun, cute manner. Really interesting how the anime switches from animation to the actually sketches during the series. But all in all, the OAV is colorful and the fact that there are many scenes where there is no animation but character sketches makes this OAV a bit unique.

AUDIO:

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Central Park Media/US Manga Corps really delivered on this DVD release by featuring plenty of special features.

Included are interviews with director Daichi Akitaroh and U.S. voice actor Lisa Ortiz, director commentary track, alternate angle storyboards, the animation process - a mini documentary and director’s diary.

For the five minute featurette on the animation process, this features an informative interview with Matt Sheridan on animation, animation staff and how computers have helped the industry.

The interview with Lisa Ortiz clocks around four minutes and Lisa talks about the challenges of doing the voice work of this anime because she had to act while viewing the scenes and a different way for her of doing things. Included is footage during the recording of the English dub voice work featuring Lisa.

As for the interview with Daichi Akitaroh, this one is about five minutes long and was done back at the Big Apple Anime Festival in 2002. Daichi reveals that the characters are based on people he knows and the way they are but a character is not just an example of one person but how several of the negative traits of the characters featured can be a part of an individual. Daichi also goes into how he alleviates some of the nuances faced at an anime studio and more.

But also included is a near 3-minute footage of behind-the-scenes of the creation of this series and I found this to be very cool and glad to see this included on the DVD.

In the DVD-Rom features, an art gallery, script and cast & production credits are included.

I pretty much enjoyed the insight of an anime studio. May it be the parody from the anime OAV or the actual behind-the-scenes footage on the special features.

I’m very glad to see that CPM decided to include so many special features for the DVD release and all in all, it was just a blast to watch, especially if you have interest on what goes behind-the-scenes at an anime studio.

But all in all, this is an OAV that is not meant to be taken seriously, it is not meant to spawn a TV series. It’s just a parody on what goes on at an anime studio and for anime fans to j