“Season 7 of Dragon Ball Z takes place seven years after the battle with Cell.  Featuring on Gohan as a teenager, introducing Goku’s younger brother Goten and a focus on battle tournaments!”

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DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z (SEASON 7)

DURATION: 565 minutes

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

COMPANY: Funimation

Released on November 11, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Includes the Complete Great Saiyama & World Tournament Sagas

Seven Years of Peace have passed since the defeat of the monstrous Cell, and the Z-Fighters have enjoyed a return to normal life.  Goku has eagerly continued his training in Other World, Krillin has gotten married and Gohan has renewed his scholarly pursuits while attempting to navigate the pitfalls of high school.  Two fresh new Saiyan faces have also appeared on the scene-Goku’s son Goten, and Vegeta’s son Trunks!

Now, the time has come for the Z-Fighters to reunite, as the new World Martial Arts Tournament is set to begin.  The greatest warriors on Earth have come together for their chance to capture the title of the reigning champion, Mr. Satan - but behind the scenes, sinister forces are at work.  An evil eye watches the competitors’ every move, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.  The action grows firece on the tournament floor, but for the Z-fighters, the real fight is only just beginning!

TRAILER:

Another awesome Dragon Ball Z season box set is here and it features a three-arc storyline.

The first arc features focuses on Goku who is still dead and living in the underworld.   But with the Underworld Martial Arts Tournament coming full force, King Kai and the other Kai’s wager on who will win the tournament.

This arc features King Kai and West Kai at each other’s throats of who is the best, Goku or Pikkon? And thus the first disc on this box set focuses on the tournament.

The second arc then reintroduces us to Z-Fighters seven years later.  Gohan is now a teenager and will be attending public high school for the first time.  As expected, with his strict mother Chi Chi, Gohan becomes a straight A student.  But you also learn that he has a seven year old brother named Goten.

As Gohan enters high school in Satan City (named after Mr. Satan because of his lie that he is the one that defeated Cell), he sees that there is trouble in the city with bank robbers and so forth, so with the help of Bulma, creates a costume for him and thus Gohan goes under the secret identity of Great Saiyaman.

In high school, he meets Bedil (Mr. Satan’s daughter) who is a powerful fighter and helps the police force take on the criminals.  Eventually, she catches on to Gohan’s identity and demands Gohan to teach her how to fly or else, she will reveal his secret identity.

I have to admit that when I first watched these episodes (when it was first released in Japan), I absolutely loved the chemistry between Gohan and Bedil.  So, it was great to see how the two fighters get close to each other and it’s almost similar to how Goku and Chi Chi became boyfriend and girlfriend (and eventually husband and wife).

For the third arc, a new World Martial Arts Tournament is happening and the Z-Fighters intend to take part.  Also, Goku has been granted a 24-hour stay in Planet Earth to take part in the tournament.  The first part of this third arc features the junior division in which Son Goten and Trunks enter the tournament.  The second part features the main division which the Z-Fighters (Goku, Vegita, Piccolo, Krillin, No. 18, Gohan, Android 18 and Trunks/Goten in disguise) are taking part in.   But introduces two mysterious characters named Shin and Kibito which somehow scares Piccolo for some unknown reason.

And then there are other fighters who seem to have superhuman power levels and along with the two mysterious characters, the Z-Fighters must find out who they are and what is their scheme.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

The video looks great on DVD and for those of us who have multi-generation fansubs or fading VHS tapes, just having these episodes on DVD and everything looking great. I know some people have a problem with the show receiving some cropping but for me it’s quite miniscule.  The series has been remastered in high-definition and digitally restored widescreen transfer from the original Japanese film.

As for the audio, the audio features newly revised English dialogue, English voice track with original Japanese music (in Digital 5.1 surround or original TV broadcast in Stereo).  Also, featured is the original Japanese language track (in mono).

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special features include trailers and open and ending themes. If there was one thing lacking with the DBZ box sets, it’s the fact that there are really nothing in terms of special features.

I have to admit that I’m a bit biased towards the “Dragon Ball Z” anime series.  I loved the series when it was first release in Japan and still passionate about it today.

The fact that FUNimation Entertainment releases these season box sets with plenty of episodes (25 in this box set) for under $30 is just awesome!  Could you imagine that just several years ago, the series was released with only a few episodes per disc (and there are literally a few hundred episodes of DBZ) and were sold for under $20 at one time.  So, the fact that you can watch all these episodes with digitally remastered video and revised audio is just great!

As for this box set, personally I enjoyed the Great Saiyaman arc.  We watched little Gohan grow up and now he is a teenager and although he doesn’t know it yet, he has met someone he cares about and willing to help her no matter what.  The chemistry between Gohan and Bedil is just awesome and episodes just focusing on these two were just great.

Also, episodes featuring Goten and Trunks and seeing these two go against each other in the Junior Division of the World Tournament was fun to watch.

And of course, to see how everyone has changed.  Especially Krillin who is now married to Android 18 and both have a daughter.  Heck, Krillin now has hair!

But once you get to the third arc, you know that we are now heading towards the explosive final “Dragon Ball Z” villain arc of the coming of Majin Buu and with that being said, similar to the fifth season box set, season seven may leave people feeling cheated because there are only 25 episodes instead of the 30+ episodes.

In fact, discs 4-6 only contain three episodes each.  Disappointing but at the same time, I understand why FUNimation had to do it, and that is to make sure that a TV season focuses on certain arcs.  This season box set focuses on the Great Saiyaman but also the Underworld Martial Arts Tournament and the World Martial Arts Tournament.

It’s easy to get spoiled since the first few seasons and even the last season, fans have been treated with more than 30 episodes.  But still, considering how much these episodes were sold at one point and the fact is, you still get 25 episodes at under $30, that’s still a great deal.

Also, if you are buying Season 7 of the the series, more than likely you have committed yourself in buying every season of “Dragon Ball Z”.

All in all, another fun and enjoyable season of “Dragon Ball Z”.  Check it out!

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“The eighth volume of ‘Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~: A Tale of the Eight Guaridans’ continues the  storyline of the Eight Guardians searching for the last two Sacred Talismans, more revelations of one of the demons and much more!”

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DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Haruka ~Beyond the Stream of Time~ - A Tale of the Eight Guardians Vol. 8

DURATION: Approx. 74 minutes

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

CATALOG #: 61509

COMPANY: Bandai Entertainment Inc./Honneamise

RATING: Suggested 13 and Up

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

STAFF INFORMATION:

DIRECTOR: Tsunaki Aki

SERIES PLANNER: Okazaki Junko

CHARACTER DESIGN: Ohnuki Kenichi, Kotani Khyoko

ART DIRECTOR: Sakamoto Nobuhito

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Arakawa Kousuke

COLOR SETTING: Ario Yukiko

SOUND DIRECTOR: Honda Yasunori

MUSIC: Hirano Yoshihisa

EDITOR: Morita Seiji

Original Story by Tohko Mizuno (serialized in LaLa and Lala DX by HAKUSENSHA)

Opening Song: “Haruka Kimi no Moto e” performed by Morimura Tenma (Seki Tomokazu), Inori (Takahashi Naozumi), Nagareyama Shimon (Miyata Kouki)

Ending Song: “flowin’ -Ukigumo-” performed by Sefle (Akikawa Yuu), Ran (Kuwashima Houko)

Animation Created by YUMETA COMPANY

VOICE ACTORS/ACTRESSES:

Motomiya Akane - Kawakami Tomoko

Minamoto-no Yorihisa - Miki Shin-Ichiro

Morimura Tenma - Seki Tomokazu

Nagareyama Shimon - Miyata Kouki

Fujiwara-no Takamichi - Nakahara Shigeru

Tachibana no Tomohmasa - Inoue Kazuhiko

Eisen - Hoshi Soichiro

Abe-no Yasuaki - Ishida Akira

Princess Fuji - Otani Ikue

Akram - Okiayu Ryotaro

Ran - Kawashima Houko

Abe-no Seimei - Matsumoto Dai

Little Tengu - Shimakta Junko

Tengu - Taniyama Kisyo

“The meaning of those words you said when we first met… I now understand.”

Can the demons and humankind ever understand one another?  Where does the final Sacred Talisman, the Talisman of the North, lie?  The power of the Dragon God that dwells within Akane grows stronger with each passing day, while the thoughts of the Eight Guardians weave and clash…

The eighth volume of “Haruka~Beyond the Stream of Time~ A Tale of the Eight Guardians” brings us closer to the group accumulating all Sacred Talismans but also an interesting reveal on the side of the demons.

In Episode 21 titled “Demons and People”, the story focuses on Inori and dwelves deep into finding out why he has a hatred towards demons and also his relationship with his sister.   Especially how his sister has a strong connection to demon Akram’s right hand man Ickiditarl.  Inori, protective of his sister decides to take matters in his own hands to fight the demon.   Also, the curse that Akram has put over the villages have made life much worse with a major drought and no food being produced.

In episode 22 titled “When Demons Appear”, Tenma’s sister Ran wants to know what happened to them and why they are in another land.  Not having remembered that she was summoned by Akram and having worked with the demons, Guardian/android Yasuaki who has no emotions, tells Ran everything.  This sets everything in a tale spin as Ran leaves the compound and makes herself vulnerable to Akram.  Akram’s plan to take the Talismans away from the Eight Guardians begins.

In episode 23 titled “Dusk”, Akram succeeds in his mission in obtaining Ran and also stealing the Sacred Talismans.  But one is still left and that leaves Yasuaki and Eisen the only Guardians who have not obtained a talisman.  When one of the demons tells Yasuaki that there is no chance of getting the final Talisman, Yasuaki feels that because he is an android and lacks any emotion, he serves no purpose. So, Yasuaki tries to understand his worthiness to help Akane.

VIDEO:

Video is presented in anamorphic 16:9:LB and presented in 1:71:1 aspect ratio. I watched this DVD twice now on my 52″ inch television and on my 24″ iMac. And as I have mentioned before in my reviews, “HARUKA” has beautiful conceptual art when it comes to the backgrounds and just overall, how the whole land just looks lush. Colors galore! And I also enjoy the character designs. The men of course are quite Bishonen but the overall costumes to the colorful settings of the backgrounds mesh well with each other. Beautiful anime.

AUDIO:

As most of Honneamise releases, there is no English dub track and as most Honneamise releases, the encoding of audio for their DVD’s are top notch as audio is encoded at 448 kbps and clear audio. As for voice acting, I have been so far, very pleased with the Japanese voice acting for the characters.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The “HARUKA” DVD’s do not really come with many special features. Mainly featured on each volume is bonus footage titled “The Demon’s Soliloquy” which is more or less Akram’s voice and his rendition of the teaser trailers.

And as with each volume, there is a four fold, double paged booklet which features episode synopsis, images, character profiles, super deformed characters images, staff interview with Ritsuko Hayasaka (scriptwriter), cast interview after the recording the series part 1 and a section titled “Anthology of the Eight Guardians - Poems Unraveled” which features the poetry shown at the end of each episode.

With volume 8, the series continues with the adventures of the group trying to get the Sacred Talismans but if anything, more background stories that explains a few things such as Inori and his sister and his hatred for demons.  Also, we learn the true nature of the demon Ickiditarl.  Also, a storyline that focuses on Tenma’s sister Ran and of course, a Yasuaki episode that deals with him being an android.

So, volume 8 does focus on character development for Inori and Yasuaki but also a volume setting things up for a major confrontation between the eight guardians versus Akram and the demons.

The series has focused so much on character development and has had its share of action scenes but it’s been a stable ride so far.  No major deaths or consequences but it seems that things are now getting revved up for possibly a major battle between the Eight Guardians and the demons.  So, definitely look forward to volume 9.

+ Beautiful artwork and character designs and continuing Bandai Visual/Honneamise quality for audio and video encoding.

+ Really entertaining storyline so far. I really dig the character development for the series.

+ Really good voice acting from top talent from Japan and easy to ready English subtitles

- Unfortunately no English dub for those that need their anime with that option.

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“The season 6 box set will probably be one of the better selling of the ‘Dragon Ball Z’ sets due to the popularity of the battles against Cell.  Definitely loads of action and for those that waited for Gohan and even Trunks unleash their full power, you’re going to love this season!”

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DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z (SEASON 6)

DURATION: 700 minutes

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

COMPANY: Funimation

Released on September 16, 2008

Having at last achieved his Perfect Form the evil Cell’s powers have soared to terrible new heights overshadowing even the greatest of the Z-Fighters. Eager to demonstrate these newfound abilities and prove his superiority Cell proposes a tournament. He issues an ultimatum to the people of Earth: produce a worthy opponent or die!The day of reckoning upon them Goku and the Z-Fighters line up to participate in Cell’s twisted game the world’s best hope of defeating the monster. But they are not the only ones brave enough to accept the challenge - the reigning World Martial Arts Champion Mr. Satan has also stepped into the ring!Now with the fate of the human race hanging in the balance one of these valiant fighters must come forward to defeat the seemingly invincible Perfect Cell - but who will it be?

The Cell saga continues as Cell who has sinced absorbed the androids 17 & 18 is now complete but not it’s time for the battle that everyone has been waiting for.  Goku vs. Cell which later becomes Gohan vs. Cell.

Without revealing too many spoilers in regards to this season, not only is it full of action, the series had a great build up of how evil Cell was, his goal to achieve his complete stage but also to showcase the additional characters much stronger than before and trying to take Cell down.

Whereas the Friezer battles were long but I felt a bit drawn out for the sake of having many episodes, with the “Cell” storyline, I just felt that everything came together quite well and didn’t take forever to get towards the conclusion.

I really enjoyed the camaraderie of Goku and his friends and most of all to see Vegita and his acknowledgment that he has things about himself that he really needs to work on.

And you also get the introduction of Mr. Satan, world’s greatest champion which will be interesting on how he and his family become important to the series probably in the next upcoming season.  So, definitely stay tuned for that!

But overall, this is another wonderful box set for an awesome animated TV series.  Definitely for those who love action and can’t get enough of it.

As for my problems with the last season box set which disc 4-6 only featured three episodes, season 6 fortunately features a full disc 4 but season 5 and 6 has only three episodes each.  But I kind of understand as they transition to the next season which will take place several years into the future and these DVD box sets are created to have six discs and not five.

And again, for $29.99, for all these episodes, about the same price or less than buying an American television series box set and Funimation has definitely set the standard which I hope many of the anime industry will follow.  You get the bang for your buck for these season box sets!

VIDEO:

The video looks great on DVD and for those of us who have multi-generation fansubs or fading VHS tapes, just having these episodes on DVD and everything looking great. I know some people have a problem with the show receiving some cropping but for me it’s quite miniscule.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special features include trailers and open and ending themes. If there was one thing lacking, it’s the fact that there are really nothing in terms of special features.

Season 6 was another action-packed season that I could have probably watched in a full sitting.  I found myself really attached to each episode and not wanting to stop because there was so much action and this time around, each character has its importance.  From Kirilin having feelings for Android 18, Android 16 showing his love for nature and wanting to help the team, Goku showing his newfound power but noticing that his son has an even impressive power, Vegita and Trunks together trying to develop their relationship as father and son which never happened in the future Trunks lived in.  And so much more!

This was among my favorite seasons of “Dragon Ball Z” when I first watched it air in Japan but knowing what’s coming soon next season with the Super Saiyaman series and especially the Buu series and more characters and development, I can’t help but be excited with what is coming next from Funimation.

Again, more bang for your buck with these box sets and for “Dragon Ball Z” fans, you don’t want to miss any of them.  Check it out!

+ Characters you care about and a good balance with action!

+  One of the best nemesis storylines in the whole series!

+ Pretty awesome battles!

+ One of the best English dubbed anime series, if not the best out there!

- Lags on special features.

- Funimation cut the episode count down on disc 5 through 6 to only 3 episodes.

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“The battle against Cell box set is now available in retail but in a surprising change from previous box sets, Funimation puts only three episodes on disc 4-6 instead of the typical 6-7 episodes.  A sign for things to come?  Still a great deal for its price but I hope this is not a sign for future releases to come.”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: DRAGON BALL Z (SEASON 5)

DURATION: 615 minutes

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

COMPANY: Funimation

Released on May 27, 2008

The Z-Fighters gather their forces in an effort to combat the Android menace that has been set loose upon the planet. But they are about to discover that the Androids are the least of their worries. An even greater threat has risen from the shadows: Dr. Gero’s most lethal creation Cell!Born from the genetic material of the greatest warriors ever to walk the Earth Cell is Dr. Gero’s ultimate weapon a perfect fighting machine capable of duplicating all of the Z-Fighters’ most powerful attacks. Now after years of waiting Cell has begun to unleash his terrifying powers wiping out entire cities as he gathers the energy he needs to fulfill his creator’s grand design.Time is short! The Z-Fighters must find a way to stop this monstrous foe before he completes his quest to absorb the other Androids and achieves his invincible Perfect Form!Contains the complete Imperfect and Perfect Cell Sagas (26 episodes).

One of my favorite episodes in the “DRAGON BALL Z” anime series was the Cell saga.  The toughest enemy that the team has fought yet and the series focuses on everyone trying to prevent Cell from absorbing the androids while the Saiyan’s Goku and son Gohan and Vegita and his son Trunks (future) train to get stronger, so they can prepare to fight Cell.

With each DVD season box set release of “DRAGON BALL Z”, as a hardcore fan of the series, it’s just incredible to get over 30 episodes for almost the same price or less than most American television box sets.

Season 5 surprisingly in duration wise, shorter than the previous volumes.  Where each DVD had around 5 or more episodes, on disc 4-6, there are only three episodes on each disc.

I was surprised and I have to admit that I would be upset if Funimation did this from here on in but I understand that it’s business and with everyone buying these box sets because it’s awesome price for a large number of episodes, you can’t beat it.  But I’m just hoping that this is not a permanent decision.

VIDEO:

The video looks great on DVD and for those of us who have multi-generation fansubs or fading VHS tapes, just having these episodes on DVD and everything looking great. I know some people have a problem with the show receiving some cropping but for me it’s quite miniscule.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Special features include trailers and open and ending themes. If there was one thing lacking, it’s the fact that there are really nothing in terms of special features.

Season 5 ends with a cliffhanger to the upcoming Cell games chapter and at the time of writing this review, Season 6 is now available in retail.

There is a lot of action in this series and no filler episodes.  It’s straight mayhem as Cell continues to absorb people and the heroes can do nothing but just hope they can hang on for a day or more while the Saiyans complete their training and hope to defeat Cell.

The Cell series was quite popular back then when I was watching the series in straight Japanese and the whole android storyline was just exciting to watch (especially the special episode in Future Trunks world which pits him and an older Gohan against the evil androids).

Speaking of the special, the special is not included and I assume that they will hopefully release it with the movie collection re-release.  But for those who have never seen it and don’t intend to buy it, there is an episode that shows footage from that special.

Overall, Season 5 is a very good box set.  I was put off by the sudden drop of episodes when you reach disc 4 and noticed every disc thereafter only has three episodes.  Again, I hope this is not where the future of the box sets are going.  But with season 6 now available, I guess I’ll find out.

Nevertheless, you still get over 20 episodes but after being spoiled with 30 or more episodes per box set, it just sucks to get this drop.  But I understand it’s a business decision that probably will work since people are hooked on this DVD box set for its sheer amount of episodes and great price.

All in all, another cool box set release from Funimation, just a bit sour about the drop in episodes though.

+ Characters you care about and a good balance with action!

+ Pretty awesome battles!

+ One of the best English dubbed anime series, if not the best out there!

- Lags on special features.

- Funimation cut the episode count down on disc 4 through 6 to only 3 episodes.

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DVD: Tokyo Majin Vol. 1

DISTRIBUTED BY: ADV Films

DURATION: 125 minutes (Episodes 1-5)

RATED: TV MA V

RATIO: 16:9 Anamorphic

RELEASE DATE: December 11, 2007

OFFICIAL WEBSITE (US) | JAPAN

Tokyo is the setting of where waves of mysterious deaths happening throughout the city and the dead have reawaken and are controlled by monstrous creatures and are seeking power that could bring about the final apocalypse.

As the police and the people of Tokyo are helpless, five unlikely heroes have come to save the day. They are students of Tokyo Majin!

“Tokyo Majin” (Tokyo Majin Gakuen Kenpuchō: Tō) is an anime that has already ran for two seasons this year on Japan’s satellite anime channel Animax and has spawned a PlayStation and PlayStation 2 video game years earlier.

Similar to the popular “Megami Tensei” video games, fans of the video game series (first game was on the PSX back in 1998) have been wanting an anime series and now, here it is.

The series revolve around five students of Megami Academy. The school has been rocked by students that have gone missing at their high school and deaths are mounting.

A new student named Hiyu Tatsuma has come to the school and gets acquainted with the other students such as the brash Horaiji Kyoichi of the kendo club, Daigo Yuya of the wrestling club, Sakurai Komaki of the archery (kyudo) club and Misato Aoi, the student body president and from a wealthy, powerful family.

Throw in a few characters for comedy relief which including Tohno Kyoko, reporter of the school newspaper (behaves like one of the paparazzi) and Maria Alucard, a teacher at Megami Academy.

Upon watching the first volume, I will say that the first episode was a bit confusing. You are introduced to characters from days old, to characters in the present and without any proper introduction until you get to the second episode. But what you do see from the first episode are cool characters, cool animation and fighting and violence that you come away wondering if this is like an “X-Men” or “Persona” style of anime that takes place in high school.

But once you get to the second episode, you get to know a little bit about the characters and how each of them are so different from each other. What you are able to piece together is that Tatsuma was sent to the school for a reason, Kyoichi is a fighter but a total dick and even more to Aoi, Daigo is a tall brute that wrestles but loves to cook and has a thing for Komaki and both Komaki and Aoi are best friends.

Episode 2 goes into the five discovering their powers.

In episode 3, crows are attacking the city and also, a mysterious figure is spying on the five. This leads to a battle between the five and Umon Raito, a lightning wielding fighter and former lead vocalist of the rock band CROW.

In episode 4, you are introduced to Karasu Ryouchi, the leader and lead guitarist of the rock band CROW who joins with the bad monsters and is given the power to manipulate lightning and electricity and takes on the five students. It appears that Ryouchi doesn’t like his former bandmate Raito for a reason.

In this episode, you get to learn about the band CROW and why the band disbanded. Also, the five learn that they are not the only people gifted with supernatural powers and that there are others using their power for evil.

In episode 5, the five heroes discuss their new lives and how living a normal life will never be the same. Students continue to die and this time, the next target is student body president Misato Aoi. This is the introduction of doctor Iwayama Takako who has the power to treat patients wounded by demons.

The animation for “Tokyo Majin” is pretty cool. What I like is the different color usage for day, night and early evening. I enjoy the character designs. It’s very stylish and hip.

The audio for the English dub and the Japanese are both well done. I watched both series completely in English and Japanese and both are cool in their own cultural way.

As for the DVD special features, the first volume features the clean opening and closing animation, ADV previews and DVD credits.

“Tokyo Majin” is a very fast-paced anime that features a good balance of over-the-top humor and violence.

I know during these times of anime such as “Bleach” and even “Naruto”, anime about teamwork and the team taking on evil may be a bit overplayed. But I’ve seen it through the years form “Ranma 1/2″, “Fushigi Yuugi”, “Rurouni Kenshin”, “X” to the current cream of the crop anime with similar storylines.

And I suppose, one would wonder what makes “Tokyo Majin” so different from the others out there.

I suppose with “Tokyo Majin”, it reminds me of the popular NBC sci-fi show “HEROES” where people are suddenly with special supernatural powers and in this case, people are dying, the dead are coming alive ala zombies and some unfortunate things are happening in Tokyo. Then you have the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” type of feeling with high school people (who would probably never hang out), joined together for a common cause to eliminate the evil and take on those with powers who use it on the side of evil.

Now will “Tokyo Majin” rise up to be a classic like the other anime that I have mentioned? It’s too early to say.

It has a cool style to it, it has cool character designs and also cool J-Rock music. I found the characters mostly to be quite likeable and overall, I feel “Tokyo Majin” to be a very cool anime with a lot of potential.

Because this game is pretty much based on a popular video game, not too say that I was not expecting much but I will say that it definitely exceeded my expectations.

As for the DVD, I was a bit surprised that there were only just the offering of clean opening and ending themes but looking at the Japanese release of the DVD, it’s pretty much the same.

So far, I am enjoying what I have seen so far of “Tokyo Majin”.  Awesome action featuring an akward team of heroes, each with special abilities going against hardcore demons, zombies and evil in general.  A little humor hear and there.  But it’s nice to see the human side of high school students who want to use their powers for good and those who just want to go on living their high school life and have fun and know that they will need to make a choice on how to live their life.

I definitely look forward to watching more episodes of this series!

ANIME TITLE: Welcome to the NHK

DVD INFO: Volume 1 of 6, episode 1-4, DURATION: 100 minutes, 16:9 - Anamorphic Widescreen, rating TV MA

DISTRIBUTED BY: ADV Films

Sato’s life is going down the drain. A college dropout, he rarely goes outside and sleeps sixteen hours a day. Amidst his internet porn site, he finds himself falling further into a pit of despair.

Sato has now decided that a sinister broadcast company known as “The NHK” is trying to transform their viewers into jobless, societal recluses by showing cutesy anime girls.

Unable to resist these charms, innocent victims like Sato are soon too busy watching TV and play pornographic computer games to pursue a normal life. In his darkest hour, Sato has a chance encounter with a beautiful girl named Misaki, who claims that she can cure him of his perverse ways. Is she really an angel of mercy? Or a devlish agent of the NHK? Swimming in a sea of corruption. Sato prepares for the battle of his life. Welcome to the NHK!

A beautiful, fun and very perverted anime series. Welcome to the NHK!

I have to admit that I found this anime series to be very enjoyable and hilarious because it manages to poke fun on current situations happening in Japan.

In Japan, the government has the NHK. In the US, we have PBS. In Japan, the NHK comes to collect money each month and due to indiscretions of top staff with financial situations, many people in Japan have refused to pay for their NHK fee. But for this anime, the term NHK means “Nihon Hikikomari Kyoudai” (Japan Useless People Club).

The term “hikikomari” is typically a term for those who are reclusive and stay indoors all day. But the main character Sato is “hikikomari” but he is also a NEET (Not in Education, Employment).

Lately in Japan, there has been a growing number of NEET’s (people who are unemployed and really not doing much with their lives). There have been countless articles of how NEET’s who have no employment (some now are homeless) are staying at Manga and Maid cafe’s, some which is getting so bad that they are homeless and stay and sleep at those cafe’s.

With “Welcome to the NHK”, the series is like a hilarious and perverted (no nudity) way of poking fun at extreme otaku culture, NEET’s and hikikomari.

So, why I enjoy “Welcome to the NHK” is that its a series that not only pokes fun at Sato’s feeling of conspiracy at the government NHK channel (feeling that it corrupting peoples minds with too much anime, so otaku’s become unproductive NEET’s) and the main character who suspects a conspiracy by the government and his paranoia has led him to become a NEET or worse a recluse who has not ventured out of his apartment for a year.

For Sato, his paranoia runs wild inside his porn and tissue-infested apartment and someone next door keeps blasting idol moe music. But things change when his door knocks and a woman and her niece are trying to get magazine subscriptions sold and one magazine was featuring an article on NEET’s.

Sato automatically thinks he’s being watched and decides he needs to change his life and to help him is Nakahara Misaki (the woman’s niece) who feels she can cure him and his recluse tendencies.

The animation is beautiful and what I like a lot about this series is the attention to detail for locations and objects in Sato and his friend’s apartment. GONZO really did a great job showcasing the animation.

The voice work in both languages are done well and for the English dub, there is a bit of profanity but it fits with the type of character and livelihood that Sato lives because he is essentially a pervert.

As for special features, “Welcome to the NHK - 1st Conspiracy” features the clean opening and ending themes and a information segment on the terminology used on the show.

“Welcome to the NHK” (NHK ni Yokoso! is truly an enjoyable, surreal anime series that shows otaku culture to the extreme.

Not only is it an anime series that pokes fun at anime series and the otaku culture, it also goes into Japanese pop culture especially the Akihabara/moe vibe that some fans are hardcore for.

Despite the perverted situations, this anime series is not hentai but the mature situations are there and easily you can put 2 and 2 together with what is going on with Sato when you see a lot of kleenex and explosions happening after he plays erotic girl games and looks at porn.

Also, I really enjoyed the overall feel of the animation. Each scene and background shows Japan instead of the rehash of homes and trees that you tend to see with some anime. There is detail on the backgrounds, the bedroom of Sato and little intricacies that would make a Japanophile proud.

Also, the acting is done well both in English and Japan. The English dialogue is a bit more profane but fits with Sato’s character.

It’s really great to find an anime series that is unique and enjoyable all across the board from storyline, animation and acting and I just can’t wait to see what happens next!

“Welcome to the NHK” is a very unique, enjoyable and perverted anime that can poke fun at otaku culture and successfully grasp an anime viewer’s attention because more than likely, we know of someone who may live their life like these characters.

Come to think of it… that would be scary indeed.

DVD RATING: A

ANIME: Xenosaga Vol. 1: ENTER THE GNOSIS

INFO: 4 Episodes, 100 minutes

DVD ASPECT RATIO: 4:3

AUDIO: English 5.1 Surround Sound, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles

RATING: TV 14 V

JAPANESE WEBSITE | US WEBSITE

Humans have abandoned the planet Earth after the invasion by the merciless Gnosis.

Welcome to the anime series “Xenosaga” based on the popular Namco RPG video game series on the PlayStation 2.

The story revolves around the character Uzuki Shion, a chief engineer of the Vector Corporation who is working on a top secret weapon (android) known as KOS-MOS, humankind’s latest resort to fight against the Gnosis.

The planet Earth is literally non-existent and during this time, humans and their android creations known as Relians co-exist in the universe. But of course, there are many humans who refuse to acknowledge androids as a separate living entity.

The Gnosis are after the Zohar , something that the crew of the Woglinde currently has and it leads the Gnosis to attack the crew of the spaceship Woglinde, the same ship that the main character Uzuki Shion is part of.

While the crew of the Woglinde are under attack, KOS-MOS android automatically switches on to defend Uzuki but as for defending the ship and Zohar against the Gnosis (which the android is programmed to do), KOS-MOS doesn’t do a thing.

Thus the first four episodes pretty much introduces many characters and follows the crew before and after the attack from the Gnosis.

If anything, I was a bit curious of how they would take a complicated storyline from the videogame (3 lengthy Xenosaga RPG videogames for the PS2) and try to make it to a 13-episode TV series.

But so far with the first four episodes, I found “Xenosaga” entertaining.

What I like about the series is it has a little of that “Star Wars” and new “Battlestar Galactica” type of feel to it. That being said, the series is quite complex and it may take several views to comprehend the storyline.

There are a lot of characters that appear on the first episode and almost similar to Sci-Fi hit series “Battlestar Galactica”, you have that complexity and you are introduced to many characters on both sides and it may be confusing at first, but once you get into further episodes in the series, everything starts to flesh out.

For “Xenosaga”, the same situation and by the third episode, you get a clearer picture of what’s going on and in this case, because so much happens within the Woglinde and then the ambush from Gnosis, characters are quickly whittled down but the main characters still remain.

As for the animation, this may or may not be a deal breaker for the video game fans who were so involved with the 3D characters of the video game series. I found the video game series beautiful, I found the animation pretty good but nothing awespiring.

My personal feeling is that with a storyline so complex and so many people and so many intricacies of science fiction, definitely would make it difficult for creators to have so much completed before airing on TV Asahi.

To tell you the truth, as an avid Japanese RPG gamer, I tend to say that the graphics are not as important to an RPG game, it’s the storyline and the overall gameplay.

So, for an anime series based on an RPG, I would probably like to see more focus on the storyline than the animation. Because of the complexities and the fact its based on an RPG, perhaps its why I’m so lenient when it came to the animation.

As for the voice work, I didn’t compare the voice work to the video game series but listening to both Japanese and English dubs, I found both to work quite well with the characters.

As for special features, surprisingly only the clean opening and ending animation. So, no commentary folks.

Now, can someone who hasn’t played the video game be into “Xenosaga” the anime series?

In my opinion, if you are looking for a sci-fi anime, then yes. Gamer or not a gamer, it really doesn’t matter. What if comes down to is if you enjoy an in-depth sci-fi anime series.

Because the storyline is a bit complex, it’s very hard to give “Xenosaga” a must-see recommend without watching the whole series completely and seeing if it’s worth the time to invest.

For me, because I enjoy the video game series and I enjoy sci-fi anime, I was pretty stoked to finally get a chance to watch “Xenosaga” the anime series.

The first four episodes are merely introduction of the characters and you have a sense that hell is going to break loose in future episodes.

But so far you are left with tidbits of information that drags you into wanting to see how the puzzle piece fits. Of course, not entirely cerebral in a “Ghost in a Shell” manner but I’m definitely interested to see where the storyline goes from the second volume on.
So, the best thing I can say right now is that if you are into complex sci-fi anime series or a fan of a sci-fi series such as “Battlestar Galactica”, then there is a good chance that “Xenosaga” is one adventure that you don’t want to miss.

ANIME: RED GARDEN VOLUME 1: LIVE TO KILL

INFO: 4 Episodes, 100 minutes

DVD ASPECT RATIO: 16:9 LB

AUDIO: English 5.1 Surround Sound, Japanese 2.0 with English Subtitles

RATING: TV MA V

JAPANESE WEBSITE | US WEBSITE

“RED GARDEN” is Absolutely Beautiful but Yet Dark and Disturbing

What would you do if you were given a second chance at life?

Welcome to the life of four teenagers who are given a new chance at life but things are not as what you may expect.
In October 2006, GONZO’s “RED GARDEN” appeared on TV Asahi. The show ended at 22 episodes in March 2007 and now the teen/horror drama will be released in the US in September.

“RED GARDEN” is an anime that takes place in New York and revolves around four teenagers:

Kate Ashley - A member of GRACE, the top students who police the school for students who are late to class and to ensure that all is well at their high school but trying to cope with life after the death of her good friend Lise.

Rachel Benning - The popular girl in school, wearing the most expensive clothes and always partying with her friends.

Claire Forrest - Independent and outspoken. Not a student but works (or tries) to make ends meet.

Rose Sheedy - A shy girl who takes care of her siblings while her mother is hospitalized.

The four girls have nothing to do with each other but each share a common friend named Lise Meyer who has been murdered. To make matters worse, other young girls from their high school are being murdered. Also, for the four, they can’t seem to remember what happened the night of Lise’s murder.

One night, the four are brought together and wait until a mysterious man and woman appears to them and tells them that they all were murdered and have been given a second chance at life. But to stay alive, they will need to kill the beasts who murder at night.

They have no choice but to fight and win. Or else they die.

The first volume of “RED GARDEN” is the introduction of the characters and shows how they are at school and how they try to cope now in their real lives knowing that they have been murdered. The four seek the answers to why they can’t remember that one night and the answer to their question is shocking.

The animation is actually unique when it comes to the character designs. Ishii Kumi does a great job at giving us something fresh and new.

I actually like taking certain situations from anime on characters in Japan but giving that spin on American characters.

For example, Kate’s group GRACE wear these interesting uniforms while policing the school grounds. Rachel has that prissy debutante look, Claire has the sporty look and Rose, well she’s quite normal.

Also, I like how on video games such as “Silent Hill” or “Rule of Rose” that utilize the noise on haunting and dark segments, the same on this anime. Very creepy and beautiful of how they animated these segments.

The scene which explains how the four girls were murdered was animated beautifully but at the same time, so disturbing.

“RED GARDEN” is interesting in that its an anime where it was created around the voice acting. Rather than the opposite way which most animation is made.

Now, I watched this anime both in Japanese and in English and the Japanese voice acting is well done and when the girls start singing a song… again, so beautiful but yet so creepy.

But after watching the English dub, I found it so appealing of how they made the vocals of the characters fit. A slight change in dialogue to make it more appealing to the dub viewers, although small changes, it definitely gives the viewers the feeling of where they are in their personal lives.

For example, there is a scene where Kate and Rose visit Rachel at home. Rachel, who obviously is rich, really is snide and condescending to both Kate and Rose. In the Japanese dialogue, you understand it. In the English dialogue, the delivery of how Rachel says it is captured perfectly. So, I definitely will say that I enjoyed the English dubbing for this anime a lot.

As for special features, the first volume comes with the clean opening and ending animations. Also, ADV previews.

I was a bit disappointed that there were no director or voice actor’s commentary (I’m growing to enjoy these with ADV releases) but all in all, I enjoyed the first four episodes and look forward to watching more.

I have to admit that I was not really sure what to expect from “RED GARDEN”. It’s almost like a twisted “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” but in this case, these girls do not want to be killing monsters each night and its bad enough coping with the fact that you’ve died and now you have to fulfill this obligation of fighting monsters for the rest of your life.

Is it worth living this second chance of life or is it better off dying?

The way the girls are dealing with this, how horrified they are about having to kill or be killed, I must say again, I’m quite impressed with the storyline so far.

I hope that in future releases, perhaps an interview with the director or series creator discussing why they chose to create the anime around the voicework. Why they chose America as the setting for this series? Why all the monsters are men? Also, it would be great to hear commentary from the voice actors talk about their approach of playing the certain characters, especially since the characters are American.

From the music to the awesome voice acting in conjunction with an intriguing storyline and animation that is absolutely beautiful but yet with undertones so dark and disturbing, makes “RED GARDEN Vol. 1″ a recommended buy.

Another world where the government and the police are corrupted.

Another world where the hunted are the “coyotes” (space pirates) and in this series, the “coyote” target is a man named “Mister”.

Prepare yourself for action and adventure, it’s the Coyote Ragtime Show.
“Coyote Ragtime Show” is a 12-episode anime series which began airing on Japanese television in 2006.

The storyline centers on a few characters. The main character is “Mister”.

A man wanted for many offenses. He has used so many names that the investigators have been thwarted. He is also a well-known space pirate aka Coyote.

Angelica is an investigator who is determined to catch “Mister” and finally gets tipped off that he may be in a prison.

And then there is Madame Marciano. The evil enemy that is after “Mister”. She and her twelve sisters (killer androids dressed in lolita outfits) with help from the government are after “Mister” as well.

In episode 1, the storyline focuses on investigator Angelica who is after “Mister” but at the same time, a plan to break “Mister” out from prison is underway.

In episode 2, we are introduced to Franca. The daughter of Pirate King Bruce who trusts “Mister” to raise his daughter after being severely wounded.

Franca carries a necklace that she believes leads to a treasure.

In episode 3, we are introduced to Mr. Swamp, King Bruce’s right hand man and a man who is a bit jealous that Bruce entrusted “Mister” with his daughter and not him. “Mister” visits Mr. Swamp for assistance.

In episode 4, the secret of Franca’s necklace is revealed and we learn more about her father Pirate King Bruce and how he pulled off the most difficult, ultimate heist.

At first glance, the first episode made me think animated version of “Prison Break” but as the episodes progress, it becomes more of a two cats fighting over a mouse, but the mouse happens to be a very good space pirate.

The animation for “Coyote Ragtime Show” is well done. The English dub and the Japanese are very well done with the English dub actually more on mark with the overall feel of the series.

Special features include a production artwork gallery and the clean opening and closing animations.

All in all, “Coyote Ragtime Show” is a fun sci-fi, action anime series.

To see the enemies as 12 cute-girl, although violent androids in lolita costumes is quite intriguing.

I was hoping that the first episode was how the anime series would pan out with Angelica being the main character trying to catch the ultimate pirate but the main protagonist is “Mister” himself.

Nevertheless, it is a good series that you may feel that you have seen somewhere else before, but it does offer something different.

B — DENNIS A. AMITH

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MOVIE COMPANY: AD Vision Films
TYPE OF MOVIE: Sci-Fi
DURATION: 100 minutes

The aliens have destroyed our base on Mars, wiped out our space fleets, and now, only one ship stands between Earth and total annihilation! Disgusted by the incompetence of Earth’s military, the independent arms manufacturer Nergal has built its own space battle cruiser. But due to the shortage of trained soldiers, they’ve had to assemble the most unorthodox crew to ever launch into orbit. With a cook who’s also a pilot and an Admirals’s daughter in command, the new starship is the most formidable fighting vehicle ever conceived. But before it can see action against the Jovian invaders the crew must win their first victory against their own species as they fight off a ruthless attempt by Earth’s military to seize the Nadesico! Get ready for the wildest space adventure ever in the amazing new series that was voted the ‘Best Anime Show Of All Time’ by Japanese animation fans, MARTIAN SUCCESSOR NADESICO!

DVD EXTRAS:

Japanese Language

English Language

English Subtitles

Translation Notes

Textless Opening/Ending

Character Profiles

ADV Nadesico Trailer

KNOWN DVD SECRET(S): None that I know of

DVD REVIEW:

This anime is one of the popular TV anime series to come from Japan in the late 90’s.  Once you buy this DVD, you will have to commit yourself to buying more and more including the movies.  In other words, commit to stay and watch the whole series.

I watched this series when it first came out in Japan and I remember the buzz from anime fans of how they loved the series.

I wish there were more episodes per DVD but since it’s a popular title, ADV Films knows that people are going to buy the DVD nonetheless.

The DVD features the textless opening and ending themes, character profiles and the typical ADV trailers.

Stay in for the long haul and you will enjoy this series.

THE ANIME: B+
THE DVD EXTRAS: C+
THE DVD OVERALL:  B-