Anime Maki

Anime Maki has moved!!!!!

2010-04-12T23:19:00.000-04:00

Thanks for stopping in to say hi, but I've moved to a new domain! Anime Maki is now located at:

www.animemaki.net

Yup! No more free hosting for me! I'm moving up in the world and all that jazz. Please join me in my new home!

Manga Review: Mikansei No. 1 Volume 2

2010-04-10T21:38:00.001-04:00

Clocking in at only two volumes Tokyopop's Mikansei No. 1 won't demand much from your shelf space. The first installment was released here in the latter part of 2009 and today we're looking at the second volume, which hit stores a little over a week ago. In case you're unfamiliar with this particular series, all you really need to know is that it's a shoujo romantic comedy. The book follows most of the genre stereotypes with regards to characters and plotlines, but the setting is more on the unique side.

Mikansei No. 1 follows the exploits of a girl named Neo Takigawa who happens to be from the 23rd century. In her time she's considered an outcast due to her love of loud music and flashy clothing. The norm in that particular time period is to conform and not stand out, so naturally that doesn't sit well with her. Through a series of circumstances she finds herself back in the 21st century and winds up joining a band in an effort to live out her dream. To hell with disrupting the timeline!

Neo makes a splash almost immediately and she befriends another musician named Saya Kudou, who also wants to make the big time, so they make a band called Clap=* (that's supposed to be a star by the way). Together they do what they can to get on stage, but that isn't as easy as either of them thought it would be. In the second volume of the manga their time is at hand and they've been hitting the streets trying to get people to come to their concert. Unfortunately things fall through and their venue isn't quite what they thought it would be. As one might expect, however, Neo finds the positive to the situation and looks on the bright side though when Saya announces he's going to leave the country and go back home she reacts in a way she never thought she would. From here a relationship grows between them and the two become closer as they strive to become a hit band.

One of the more interesting things that comes about in this installment is the involvement of people from the 23rd century who are tracking Neo down and trying to bring her back. There are some fun moments with regards to this as we see glimpses of the future as they are looking at the past. Both plotlines come together in a dramatic moment towards the end of this volume and it brings about a fitting, if not somewhat abrupt, conclusion to the series.

Mikansei's second volume by Majiko is attractive and packs a lot of personality onto each page. The book maintains a sketched look and isn't as polished as other efforts, but really I think that makes the artwork stand out more. The characters are cute, the backgrounds are detailed, and all around Majiko's style really speaks for itself. The translation of this installment is solid as well with smooth dialogue and no noticeable errors.

If you saw the first volume of Mikansei No. 1, then you'll definitely want to pick up this second piece to round out the collection. If you're new to the franchise though, you should consider this two-volume affair entertaining, but not exactly the freshest thing out there. The premise is appealing and packs a punch, though the character personalities and development don't break stereotypes. Overall it's entertaining, but not an incredibly memorable manga.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Mikansei No. 1 is rated Teen 13+ for Aggression (Rah!).

Manga Review: Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning Volume 11

2010-04-09T20:19:00.003-04:00

The mystery manga series, Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning, has been out for quite some time now. Originally the book by Kyo Shirodaira and Eita Mizuno ran for 15 volumes between 2000 and 2005 in Japan. In the States the manga's history is a little confounding considering Tokyopop had the license, but let it slide and Yen Press picked it up a couple years later. Along those lines Yen Press is releasing the eleventh volume of the book later this month.

In case you're unfamiliar with Spiral, you're not alone. In all honesty I've only seen the 25 episode anime that was released a few years ago, and I never went back to re-watch it. One thing to consider with that information is that the anime followed only through the sixth volume of the manga. So with that in mind my history with the series is a little fuzzy, though I'm familiar with the basic premise so it made what transpired in this installment relatively easy enough to figure out. Just keep that in mind, though truly if you've never read the manga before you're not about to jump in with the eleventh volume.

Spiral is a mystery book about a group of people known as the Blade Children. Basically the series follows Ayumu Narumi as he searches for his brother with "Blade Children" being his only clue. These people are apparently cursed, cat-eyed, and missing one rib. Bizarre to the say the least, but these people are considered dangerous in some circles, though looked upon as worth saving in others. There are Hunters who exist to track down and kill them, but in the case of Ayumu he winds up backing them and he's looked upon as the only one who can save them.

In this volume of the book things start out with Ayumu recovering in a hospital after a presumed attack or accident of some kind (as stated I didn't read the previous volumes, so I have no clue what happened). Basically all that happens in this volume is a month worth of Ayumu in the hospital talking to people and trying to figure some things out. He comes to a few conclusions and determines whose pulling the strings and why, but frankly nothing else really happened. I hate to say, but without knowing the plot up to the point just before this much of the dialogue and conversations were lost on me. You'll get much more out of this volume if you've been following the series, as some interesting revelations come through during these talks.

This installment of Spiral features some fantastic character artwork by Eita Mizuno. Faces offered lively expressions, clothing is detailed, and all around the look of the book is very attractive. There's hardly ever a background image though, so many panels look rather bare.

While this particular volume will hold more worth for readers of the manga, Spiral certainly is an interesting series. The anime was quite good and I appreciated the mystery surrounding the Blade Children. The situation Ayumu has been placed in certainly layers on the intrigue, and this volume sees some revelations to that end. It's a slow burn, however, and if you're not in the know then you're going to be totally lost from the get-go.

Review material provided by Yen Press. Spiral Volume 11 is rated Teen for Language and Violence.

DVD Review: The 14 Amazons

2010-04-09T09:19:00.001-04:00

FUNimation's the Hong Kong Connection is their latest lineup. This particular diversion is a cooperation with Celestial Pictures and sees their live-action department focus on the kung fu cinema of yore. That means you can generally expect each of these films to be chockfull of action, cheesy dialogue, and bad English dubs. Then again considering these dubs are new, FUNimation obviously knows its audience (which it certainly seemed they did when they talked about the HKC at Anime Boston 2010). One of their first releases, The 14 Amazons, has made its way into my hands and I have just finished watching it.

The 14 Amazons was a 1972 Shaw Brothers film directed by Kang Cheng. It features a tale about 14 women from the Yang family who are thrust into battle when they receive word that General Yang Tsung Pao was killed in combat. The women, along with the small army the Yang commands, head off to the front despite opposition from ministers of the emperor. It would seem that if you want a job done right, then you have to send in the women. The big villain here is the barbarians of the Western Xia, lead by their king and his ruthless sons. They are the ones that killed Tsung Pao, and just so happen to have the targets painted on their backs by Mu Kuei Ying (Ivy Ling Po) and the rest of the girls.

As the Yang family rushes to war and get into many skirmishes they receive help from slaves of the Xia along the way. The women prove to be not only cunning in their tactics, but also skilled with the blade in battle. There are many outstanding fight sequences here, and quite honestly the battles stand out from the effort we saw in Shaolin Hand Lock. Rather than traditional one on one kung fu fisticuffs, 14 Amazons features large scale action that bear an epic feel to it. Nothing is ever done simply in this movie and some of the scenes are quite impressive. Then again considering this film was choreographed by Cheng Hsiao Tung (House of Flying Daggers, Shaolin Soccer) I suppose that shouldn't be very surprising.

The 14 Amazons entertained from start to finish, but I was disappointed by two things. The first was due to the fact that there were so many cast members, it became difficult to keep track of who was who. Sure some of the Yang family has more important roles than others, but better introductions and more dialogue would have gone a long way to drawing viewers in. The second thing that didn't feel right here was the pacing. This is a film that starts out strong, gets dry for a while, and then wraps up quickly, which leaves the pace feeling rather erratic. Both of these are minor flaws in the grand scheme of things, and quite frankly the movie is ahead of its time in many ways.

The 14 Amazons is presented on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen image. Celestial Pictures did one hell of a job pulling this transfer together and quite honestly this is probably the best this film has ever looked. For a movie that's 28 years old it doesn't show any real decay, and that's an impressive feat. Sure some colors are washed out, there's some dirt, and each scene has grain, but that's all part of the charm, isn't it? More often than not this transfer is sharp with clean details.

The audio here is solid as well with a Mandarin mono track and English stereo being the main sources of output. As one might expect the presence on the soundstage is a little muted, but that's par for the course I suppose. The English dub stands out as having much cleaner, sharper audio, but personally I felt the Mandarin track was better. As far as bonus features are concerned there's nothing to see here folks. Sorry, move along!

The 14 Amazons is a fantastic flick with elements that are downright ahead of their time. The story is rich and deep, though character development suffers due to the overwhelming cast numbers. The same can be said for the pacing which is a little wonky, but regardless of these flaws the movie is quite entertaining. If you're curious about the Hong Kong Connection lineup then this is a great place to start.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation. The 14 Amazons is unrated. Please support Anime Maki by buying from Amazon.

DVD Review: Shaolin Hand Lock

2010-04-08T10:24:00.002-04:00

Who doesn't love cheesy kung fu flicks?

Apparently that's the reasoning behind FUNimation's latest lineup of films, the Hong Kong Connection. At this past weekend's Anime Boston convention I sat in on the FUNimation panel where they talked about, made fun of, and previewed their latest line. Wouldn't you know? I happen to have one of their first releases, Shaolin Hand Lock, sitting right here.

Shaolin Hand Lock was originally released in 1978 and was directed by Ho Meng Hua. This particular film was one of those Shaw Brothers flicks you could randomly catch late at night while channel surfing. In other words, it's basically the stuff that kung fu films are made off; overblown sound effects, cheesy dialogue, and all.
This particular picture is a revenge piece with a kung fu master, Li Bai (Dick Wei), being murdered at the beginning. We soon learn that Li Bai was the possessor of the dreaded Shaolin Hand Lock technique, but that he also passed it onto his children, Ching Yang (David Chiang) and Meng Ping (Chan Ping). When the murder took place the assassin mistook servants for Li's children, so that left the kids free to take revenge on the man responsible.

It's not long until Ching Yang is running off by himself to track down the assassin. He soon finds the man in a brothel and takes care of him the old fashion hand-locking kind of way. He gets some information from the man before he offs him, and eventually winds up getting involved with Lin Hao (Lo Lieh), who was the man that ordered the assassination. Working to gain his trust Ching goes undercover and eventually sees his moment to strike, however, Lin Hao was ready for his special technique. It would seem he has spent years practicing ways to defeat the undefeatable, and all Ching Yang winds up with is a wounded leg. Lucky for him his sister shows up to take off some of the heat. I'll leave out some of the details regarding what happens next, but let's just say the film basically winds up the way you'd expect it would.

Shaolin Hand Lock is presented on DVD with an anamorphic widescreen presentation. The film looks very good despite its age and it's clear that FUNimation took some time to clean up the image. Colors are vibrant, the image is crisp and detailed at times, and truth be told this is a transfer that hides the film's age quite well. There is some noise, banding, and blurriness to contend with, but none of these really detract from the experience.
As far as the audio is concerned Shaolin Hand Lock comes with its original Mandarin mono track as well as a newly dubbed English stereo offering. The English track in particular falls under the category of so bad it's good. It's clear FUNimation wanted to keep the campiness alive with its dub, and there are several points here where you'll burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of it all. Kudos should go to the team for understanding the appeal of the genre.

Shaolin Hand Lock is a fun, campy kind of movie that is the very embodiment of the genre. Every hit, slap, kick, or poke is met with a whip-crack noise and it's so overdone at times it is borderline ridiculous. Despite that fact, there's some solid action in this movie that lovers of the genre will certainly appreciate. The plot is more serviceable than engaging, but it works as a backdrop for the action and the pacing never really skips a beat. This is a gem that undoubtedly slipped under the radar for many and it's nice to see FUNimation dusting these off so to speak. After this one I'm curious to see what else the Hong Kong Connection has to offer!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation. Shaolin Hand Lock is unrated. Please support Anime Maki and buy from Amazon

DVD Review: Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne - The Complete Series

2010-04-08T09:43:00.003-04:00

Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne is freaking awesome. Buy it.

That's it. That's my review.

Okay, it's really not, but in all honesty I just saved you the trouble of reading through what I'm about to type. This latest anime release from FUNimation is without a doubt and hands down one of the best shows to come along in the past decade. It is uniquely mature, entirely captivating, and engrossing from start to finish. To put it bluntly, you've never seen a show like this before and everything about it stands out in a huge way.
Produced by Xebec and Genco Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne's original airing was in 2008. The show received six 45-minute episodes and instantly made an impact with its often grotesque erotic imagery. Adding to the mystique of the show is thef act that it was directed by Shigeru Ueda, who had his hands on Serial: Experiments Lain. But enough about the background, what's it all about?

Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne takes place in a world where immortals live among us. Basically there's a big tree called Yggdrasil that is not visible to mere mortals. Every once in a while Yggdrasil releases spores called Time Fruits and when one enters your body you become immortal...if you're a woman, that is. If you're a man you do not become immortal and instead your lifespan is shortened by a substantial degree. In return for having only a couple weeks to live you also gain immense power and become a being known as an Angel. Immortals fear Angels because they are the one force on Earth that can kill them by devouring them bit by bit. Making matters worse is the fact that when an Angel is close an Immortal woman will succumb to intense arousal.
Caught at the epicenter in the world of Angels and Immortals is none other than Rin. She's gorgeous, well-endowed, and dangerous. She also happens to have been around for about a thousand years. The show explores her life and we experience most of what happens through her eyes. Rather than chronicle the years leading up to a certain point the series begins in the 90's and follows a timeline of events right on up through 2055. There are some flashbacks to various points in the past to help flesh out her character, but what's most fascinating is the here and now, and what's coming. You really get the sense that the story is leading you somewhere and the giant leaps in time only hammer that fact home.

Early on in the show Rin and her partner, Mimi, get involved in a case involving a young man, Kouki Maeno, who says he doesn't feel quite right. It's not that he's really sick, it's just a feeling that something is off. It turns out that he's a clone and eventually comes into the employ of Rin's detective agency. Through the years they remain friends and one of the most impactful things about their relationship is the fact that as he grows older, gets married, and has a kid, Rin stays as young looking as ever. The show leaps forward in years and you just know he's going to bite the dust. It's sad for sure, but the series plays with the memory of the character by keeping his bloodline connected to Rin. Right up until the end there's a Maeno helping her out and it has a strong feeling of fate attached to it.

The core story of Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne focuses largely on the world and on Rin, but also on the involvement of a being named Apos. This person plays a large role in the shape of things to come and the show builds towards an inevitable clash between the forces of the Immortals and Angels. While the plot is certainly a winner it's the character drama and atmosphere that are the most engaging.
We've already talked about the characters, but what about that mature bit I talked about earlier? Well, this is a dark show and there is a ton of violence. Most of this violence actually happens to Rin, since she can't die. In the opening moments of the show we see her body blasted to pieces by a shotgun and further into it she's pierced repeated by a sadist, sucked through the engine of a jet, shot in the head, and disemboweled by an explosion. Adding to this is the presence of bondage, nudity, sex, and all manner of kinky things. It's not exactly hentai, but Rin definitely tiptoes the line and may be a little extreme for some tastes.

Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne lands on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. From top to bottom this show is gorgeous with fantastic designs and fluid animation. The team up between Xebec and Genco produced some fine results and there is virtually nothing to complain about with regards to the design of the show. The transfer is solid all around as well with strong colors, sharp details, and a picture that is quite stable. Equally satisfying, if not more so, is the audio package for Rin. This DVD set comes with English and Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital surround tracks to choose from. Both dubs are incredible and bring a lot to the table.

A decent supply of bonus features makes the cut here with clean animations, trailers, promotional videos, and an English audio commentary for the second episode. This was a treat to listen to and was one of the better anime commentary tracks I've experienced in a while. Add to this an original interview with Japanese cast members prior to the airing of the show and you have a collection of features a bit more substantial than we otaku usually receive.
Despite it's sometimes off-putting sadistic, sexual tone Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne is alone in the world of anime. There's something nothing else like it on the market and it is captivating from start to finish. I haven't felt this satisfied from a show in a very long time and it's easily on my list of top animes of all time. The only thing that would make this series better is a 1080p presentation on Blu-ray. Highly, highly recommended!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation and DVDTalk.com. Please support Anime Maki and buy from Amazon.

Blu-ray Review: Heroic Age - The Complete Series

2010-04-07T18:00:00.006-04:00

At last year's Anime Boston I caught a preview of Heroic Age during FUNimation's business panel. The teaser left me a tad underwhelmed, but after checking out the show on DVD my early impressions were thankfully misguided. The series turned out to be a solid science fiction anime with plenty of space opera elements. It wasn't something I would have labeled as "epic" or a "must see", but it was a good quality sci-fi production with some very climactic moments. The battles were big, the characters were interesting, and the story was interesting right to the end. With that in mind when the opportunity presented itself to check the series out on Blu-ray I jumped at the chance.

Produced by XEBEC, Heroic Age consists of 26 episodes and debuted in 2007. Directed by Toshimasa Suzuki, Heroic Age takes place quite far into the future. Man has set for the stars and wouldn't you know we're not alone. A long time ago there was a race of omnipotent beings known as the Gold Tribe who reached out through the cosmos in search of other sentient species. The came upon the Silver, Bronze, and Heroic Tribes and there was some history between them for a time. Just before the final curtain call on the Golden Tribe's existence in our galaxy a young upstart named the Iron Tribe (humanity) stood up and said "look at me!"

The Iron Tribe caught the Gold's attention and in the final moments of their time here, the Gold Tribe left Iron the gift of a savior. You see, the Silver and Bronze tribes sought to eradicate the Iron Tribe. Our worlds have been invaded and we've been pushed to the brink. The only thing standing between humanity and annihilation is a prophesized hero known as Age.

The lone survivor of a ship that crashed onto a desolate world over 60 cycles ago, Age possesses something called a Nodos, which is the final gift of the Gold Tribe. Basically with it Age is supremely powerful and can transform into a behemoth known as Bellcross capable of destroying armies of enemies without breaking a sweat. Considering humanity is about to be flushed down the galactic bowl it's no surprise that a ship carrying the princess of their race has been searching for cycles trying to find him. Despite his fearsome power and divine status, Age isn't exactly what they bargained for. He's naïve to a point and downright monkey-like. He hasn't really been around other people that often and considers the AI of a derelict ship to be his mother. Naturally he rubs a few people the wrong way when he joins humanity's fleet.

Now, despite his awkward behavior he makes friends relatively easily and there's no denying his power. He's got it stuck in his head that he's the one to save humanity and along with that notion there's a set of instructions set unto him by the Gold Tribe. In the process of driving back the forces of the Bronze and Silver, Age must also confront other bearers of the Nodos and their combat forms as well. They all want to destroy Age and humanity, but somehow, someway, there's a glimmer of hope in the fleet.

What makes Heroic Age stand out from beginning to end is its characters. There's a mystique built around each of them. Age is innocent, yet dangerously skilled and intelligent. Dhianeila is mysterious and infectiously hopeful as the princess of humanity. While those two take the center stage other characters such as Iolaus, Mobeedo and Nilval truly stand out even as second tier personalities. It also helps the show that Age's rival Nodos users are also richly developed and equally dangerous.

Throughout the 26 episodes of Heroic Age the story unfolds in a somewhat predictable manner, though there are a few surprises here and there. While you never really know 100% what's coming, you can rest assured that Age will see things through to the end. I mean, the show's named after him for crying out loud! You just know that if he's involved in a fight, chances are good he's going to come out on top. Towards the end of the show, however, things get a little sloppy. The pacing gets kind of erratic and some plot developments just aren't given the time they need to truly come to fruition. The show starts out fairly strong and stays that way for a majority of its run, but just fizzles out at the finish line unfortunately.

Heroic Age is presented on Blu-ray with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image. This release of the show hits home with 1080p that utilizes an AVC codec. The overall presentation here is fantastic and there's no grain and no compression anywhere here. Frankly there are only two flaws worth mentioning: aliasing and the black level. On the aliasing side of thing there are some terrible examples on the space ship designs used in the show. They just stand out as poorly rendered and whenever they move here you can clearly see the lines shift. As far as the black levels are concerned I was hoping this release would make them more pronounced, but as it stands the black levels were fairly shallow.

Dolby Digital Japanese 2.0 and Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 are the two audio tracks available for this show. While I'm typically a stickler for the original Japanese when it comes to my anime I occasionally from my preferences lie elsewhere with some shows. I have to say that Heroic Age is just that kind of show. The English TrueHD track supplied here really kicks the experience into high gear with some nice uses of the channels and an all around solid voice cast. The bass is employed liberally throughout the show as well and it stands out the most when Age becomes Bellcross and uses his powers. English subtitles are also included of course. As far as supplemental content is concerned this Blu-ray release of Heroic Age only features textless animations and trailers.

Despite the lackluster conclusion Heroic Age is a solid science fiction piece that fans of the genre should definitely check out. The characters are interesting, the battles are insane, and all in all the show bears a sort of high profile feel to it. The premise of the series is also quite good and there's a rich history the producers obviously had a fun time exploring. If you missed it the first time around on DVD then checking this Blu-ray out is something you'll want to consider.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation and DVDTalk.com. Please support Anime Maki and buy from Amazon

Manga Review: Cirque du Freak Volume 5

2010-04-07T08:11:00.004-04:00

While Cirque du Freak is a major motion picture at this point, it all started with a series of novels by Darren Shan. In 2006 a twelve volume manga was released in Japan with artwork by Takahiro Arai, and today we're looking at the fifth volume translated into English by Yen Press.

The manga follows the exploits of a young boy named Darren, who is turned into a half-vampire one fateful night. He struggles with the loss of his humanity and attempts to find acceptance in the world of vampires. Having left most anything from his former life behind, this installment of the book sees young Darren taking the necessary steps to moving to the next level. You see, typically it's unheard of for a vampire to be made at such a young age, and as such he isn't really accepted anywhere.

This installment sees Darren undertaking some trials that basically make or break a vampire. If you survive, you are revered in the vampire society and everyone pretty much has instant respect for you, however, if you fail you die. Yup, there's no do-overs with these tests. He doesn't necessarily know full-well what he's getting himself into at the outset, but Darren eventually steals his resolve to soldier forth.

The first trial he faces is a fascinating maze where he's blindfolded, tied to a boulder, and dropped somewhere in the center. From this point he must use his senses to find his way to the door in order to be released. Adding pressure to this event is the fact that water continuously pours into the entire maze, leaving him with roughly fifteen minutes before there's no room to breathe anywhere. Naturally he feels the pressure here, but he actually makes it through in the nick of time.

The next trial involves a lengthy crawl along a cavern riddled with needle-like stalagmites and stalactites. It's pretty brutal to read through as he's cut up badly, and even tougher once he realizes the slightest tremor or noise causes the deadly stalactites above him to fall. Yet again he makes it through alive, but he's quite injured without a lot of time before the next trial is to begin. That's where some mysticism comes in and we get to see Darren's bond with spiders play a beneficial role.

From this point forward the book goes on to take Darren through two more trials, and things take a rather surprising twist towards the conclusion of the second. It sets things in motion for the sixth installment, and quite frankly I won't divulge what transpires. It was out of nowhere and something fans of the book will want to experience for themselves.

The story here is quite good and the artwork by Takahiro Arai keeps in step. The characters are richly detailed with unique features and great expressions, and the backgrounds are just as detailed and dynamic. Some moments seem a little exaggerated, but these were done more for effect than anything else. The translation of this volume is good as well.

Cirque du Freak is a fascinating vampire story in its own right, and this manga is just as entertaining. The character development is top notch, the world is imaginative, and Arai's artwork suits the material. If you've been reading the series then you'll be pleased to know that the fifth volume lives up to expectations. However, if you're new to the franchise you'll definitely want to take the time to go through the first four installments. In the end you should consider this book recommended.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Yen Press. Cirque du Freak Volume 5 is rated Teen for Language and Violence.

Figure Preview: Houkago Play Kanojo

2010-04-06T18:26:00.002-04:00

The manga, Houkago Play, was something of a sensation when it was released in Japan in 2009. The was a Dengeki 4-Koma comic from Kurosaki Rendou sold out on its first run and became a hot topic shortly thereafter. Word of mouth was great for this particular manga and many likened its success to the characters, style of humor, and erotic content.

The book features a story about a boy and his girlfriend who are hanging out after school. There's a series of four-panel stories revolving around their time together, and in between the Girlfriend really stands out for her seductive and dominatrix-like nature. A little while ago Kotobukiya announced that a figure was on the way of the famous Girlfriend. This figure has some striking detail from the accentuated hair to her long legs and dark clothes.

Kanojo (Girlfriend) stands an impressive 10 1/2 inches tall (1/7 scale) and is made of PVC. She's available for pre-order now, though she should be out later this month with an SRP of $79.99.

Manga Review: Yotsuba&! Volume 8

2010-04-06T13:46:00.012-04:00

Ever heard of Yotsuba&!before? If you haven't then it's time to come out from that rock you've been living under. This hilarious manga series has been around since 2003 and is the brainchild of Kiyuhiko Azuma (the creator of Azumanga Daioh). The series is going strong in Japan and is up to the ninth installment, though no animation has been announced (sadly it seems Azuma doesn't want one). However, here in the States we have plenty to cheer about because the eighth installment is on the horizon thanks to Yen Press.

In case you truly don't know Yotsuba&!, all you really need to know is that it focuses on the adventures of five year old Yotsuba as she experiences the wonders of life in a way that only someone of her age could do. She views everything as a naïveté and spends most of her time with her adopted father, Koiwai. Even by little kid standards she's considered strange and often views things that are a part of every day life as though they are biggest, coolest thing in the world. Needless to say there's a lot of charm in this manga and Yotsuba truly is an entertaining character to watch and read about.

In the eighth volume of the manga Yotsuba has returned from the ranch with thoughts of cow-milking and ranching running through her head. She shares some of her souvenirs with the neighbors and in return she gets a gift as well. Thus Yotsuba determines that the day is opposite day and continues to pester Koiwai with statements such as "I'm Full!", when she means she's hungry, and "Yucky!", when she means it's good. This continues as the two go out for lunch and wind up bumping into some friends.

The next leg of their journey takes them into town during a festival as Yotsuba meets a panda and shakes his hand, experiences a haunted house for the first time, and eats some traditional cake. Of course she wanted strawberries and they didn't have a strawberry cake, so the people running the stall have to think of something else for her on the fly. After the festival a typhoon comes to town and Yotsuba is utterly fascinated by it. She drags her dad out into it and they wind up going to their neighbors house for some snacks. As the volume continues there's more festival fun and Jumbo and Yasuda head over to their house while Koiwai is away.

As always Yotsuba&!'s art style is absolutely gorgeous. Azuma has a style all his own and frankly it's one that I can't get enough of. I loved his work in Azumanga Daioh, but with this series it seems like he's really come into his own. Every panel is overloaded with detail and the characters all stand out through their expressions, especially Yotsuba. The translation for this volume is great as well and all around it will keep fans, and newcomers, of the series happy.

If you've been following Yotsuba's adventures then you'll be picking this installment up without hesitation. It's entertaining, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny from the first page to the last. There's a little bit of magic in this book and it's a shame that no animation has been planned yet. With only one more volume to go, it may be a long wait for fans of the book who want to see what happens next. Still, this series is highly recommended and this volume exemplifies why. Check it out.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Yen Press. Yotsuba&! Volume 8 is rated All Ages with some light examples of Language and Violence. Please support Anime Maki and buy from Amazon

Figure Preview: Marvel Bishoujo Phoenix

2010-04-05T16:11:00.004-04:00

Kotobukiya's Marvel Bishoujo line continues with the addition of the Phoenix, otherwise known as Jean Grey. This particular lineup of figures features some of the femme fatales from the Marvel Universe as rendered by popular anime artists and sculptors. The twist with Pheonix is there are actually two versions being released.

The first is the traditional version of the character:

The second version is the Dark Phoenix, which was another personality that emerged from Jean Grey during one particular saga of the X-Men comic:

Which version do you like? Personally I think the Dark Phoenix is the way to go, but then again that just happened to be my favorite interpretation of the character.

Both figures measure 9 inches tall (1/8 scale) and are available for pre-order now (released in August) with an MSRP of $64.99.

Manga Review: Maid Sama! Volume 4

2010-04-05T12:06:00.002-04:00

Maid Sama! came out a little while ago here in the States, but in Japan it started running in 2005. The manga was created by Hiro Fujiwara and hit the ten volume mark, with an animation set to be released sometime this year. That says something about the quality and popularity of the work, but does it have that kind of staying power in America? Not too long ago I had the chance to check out the third installment and it proved itself to be entertaining enough, but does that continue into the fourth volume?

Before we get going into what happens with this installment, let's backtrack a little and check out what the show's all about. The series follows the exploits of a girl named Misaki Ayzawa, who just so happens to be the student council president at her high school. She has a reputation for being tough as nails and single handedly changed the fact that Seika High used to be an all-boys school. She has a strong influence and is regarded by many to be strong of character, however, everyone needs a job. She gets a part-time gig at a maid café and much to her dismay a boy named Tamaki Usui discovers her "secret". Cue hilarious antics and the beginnings of a relationship.

In the previous volume Misaki had to take part in a dress-up race where she wound up dressing up like a maid. This bit took up a whole chapter and really was a nice exploration of her character. The book also introduced the character of Aoi, who happened to be a boy dressed as a girl. He/She created an interesting dynamic within the makeup of the cast. Towards the end of the installment a hypnotist named Kanou was introduced as well, and its his antics that kick off the fourth volume of Maid Sama!.

At the beginning of this book Kanou unsuccessfully tries to hypnotize Usui into hating Misaki. He wants to break up their friendship and potential relationship, and figures Usui isn't that strong of a character. He's mistaken, however, and Usui sees right through his attempts easily enough. That's when Kanou turns his sights to Misaki herself and winds up hypnotizing her into hating Usui. The trick is, she has to fall asleep at some point within the next 24 hours for the spell to take effect. After five o'clock the next day it will be null and void. What happens next is rather humorous as Usui does his best to keep Misaki awake by stalking her, harassing her, and fawning over her every time he sees her. It's pretty funny and in the end he's successful.

As punishment for Kanou's attempted hypnotizing Misaki forces him into a situation where he must work with girls. You see, Kanou has a fear of girls and thinks they are stupid and weak. Misaki more or less makes him appreciate the fairer sex for who they are and gives him ample opportunity to see their strength, and to see why they belong in the school.

The rest of the book moves forward with some episodic chapters involving a company trip to the beach. Misaki is forced to dress in a bathing suit and maid's apron, which Usui thwarts by giving her a hickey on her back. Aoi also catches them in a rather compromising position. The best bit of this installment comes later and sees Usui altering the course of Misaki's dreams as she sleeps by reading to her from a book of fairytales. We see the perspective of this story from the dream-state and it's quite amusing what Usui comes up with.

Like the volumes before it Maid Sama!'s fourth installment is very entertaining. The book features a sharply written script with lots of humor, fantastic artwork, and some wild memorable characters. If you haven't read the book before then you should consider it worthy of being added to your "to do" list. The series is shaping up nicely at this point and it'll be interesting to see how the animation compares later this year. Highly recommended!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Maid Sama! Volume 4 is rated Teen Age 13+ for Aggression and Mild Fanservice. Please support Anime Maki and buy from Amazon

Back up and running!!!

2010-04-04T10:25:00.002-04:00

Okay, so there was a bit of a blackout on AnimeMaki recently. A couple of things happened that just really set me back:

1.) The internet at my house died and I had to wait for a week until Comcast had an appointment to come out and fix it.

2.) My laptop died and I was unable to use the wifi at my work to post articles.

This left me high and dry with an iPod Touch being my only source of contact with the outside world. Then on top of that I spent the past couple of days at Anime Boston. Okay, so that's a good thing, but it also meant I wasn't at home to work on stuff. Here I am today though, caught up, internet ready, and facing a giant pile of stuff to post.

Thanks for reading my blog and keep coming back for anime, manga, and figure reviews!

Todd

DVD Review: My Neighbor Totoro

2010-04-04T10:15:00.007-04:00

Few names in anime are as prolific around the globe as Hayao Miyazaki and the production studio he co-founded, Studio Ghibli. After all their efforts are regarded as the best of the best, and have the most mainstream appeal here in America. Universally there's just a certain level of quality one can expect from a Ghibli film. From the story to animation, voice acting, and music, there's just such a fantastical atmosphere to each that they stand out like no other. There's a sense of magic and wonder to each release that truly speaks to the hearts of viewers young and old alike. Whether you're looking at one of their most recent efforts, or one of their oldest, there truly isn't a bad piece in Studio Ghibli's library.

Over the years Disney has released Ghibli's films in one form or another. While the only one to set foot on Blu-ray to date has been Ponyo, the rest have received 2-disc Special Editions. Today we're going to look at My Neighbor Totoro, which arguably stands out as one of Ghibli's most iconic.

My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro) was originally released in Japan in 1988. The film wasn't necessarily a breakout success, but over time it developed in stature and gained acceptance. It wasn't until years later that a dub was created, and even more time until Disney got their hands on the film and redid the dub with an all-star cast. They also released it for the first time with the original Japanese language and dub available on one disc. This 2-disc release offers the same in terms of quality, but we'll get into that in a moment. First let's talk about the film.

When My Neighbor Totoro opens up we're introduced to Satsuki and Mei Kusakabe, who have moved to a rural town with their father Tatsuo. Tatsuo's wife, Yasuko, is staying at a nearby hospital with a long-term illness and the family uprooted themselves to be closer to each other. Under these circumstances you'd think the move would be hard for the girls, but it's not really. The house they have moved into appears to be haunted by soot sprites (dust bunnies) and soon enough acorns litter the way to a much larger adventure.

Mei sees two furry little creatures scampering around and she follows them to a den in the nearby forest. There she meets a bigger creature named Totoro who is mysterious as he is cute and kind. Naturally Satsuki doesn't believe Mei's story until she sees Totoro with her own eyes soon after. Unwittingly they make friends with the creature and it's a magical friendship that takes them high into the air, on ride on a cat bus, and places they never thought possible.

While My Neighbor Totoro is a fascinating and captivating film in its entirety, I dare say that the plot is very thin and not complex in the least. It follows a simple structure and is more effective than it is flashy. The pacing is slower than one might expect and from top to bottom the film is very subtle. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you. It just really sets this film apart from others in the sense that it's unique and does its own thing without being too predictable.

Where the film's real heart lies is within its characters. Watching the downturn of events involving Satsuki and Mei's mother is heart wrenching, especially when viewed from their perspective. There's just an innocent nature to their reactions, though Satsuki's at the age where she understands the gravity of what her family is going through. Despite the darker tones in the plot, the film is never weighed down by them. Totoro acts as a ray of hope for Satsuki and Mei, and it's a role he fulfills wonderfully.

My Neighbor Totoro is presented on DVD with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio and has been enhanced for anamorphic widescreen playback. The transfer for this release is identical in every way to the one from a few years back. The picture is wonderfully vibrant with sharp lines, colors that pop in every frame, and clean animation all around. Some grain does find its way into the image and the picture flickers from time to time, but through and through this is a solid presentation for the film. My Neighbor Totoro is presented with English and Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks. First off, the dubbing quality is fantastic no matter which track you listen to. Personally I preferred the original Japanese language, but the English track with names like Tim Daly, Dakota Fanning, and Lea Salonga is quite impressive as well. On the technical side of things the presentation of My Neighbor Totoro is a little lackluster. The sound is crisp, clean, and fine otherwise, but the limitations of the 2.0 space on the soundstage removes one from the experience a bit.

For bonus features here some were available on the previous edition of the film, and some of the content is new. Some trailers are present on the first disc with the rest of the supplemental material presented on the second disc. Those with the previous release may recall the "Storyboard Presentation of the Movie", which is the movie essentially in its entirety as told through storyboard images. The new material for this release is broken up into a section called "The World of Ghibli"

There are two sides to "The World of Ghibli". The first is "Behind the Studio", which is broken up into eleven different selections. "Creating My Neighbor Totoro" (2:59) features Miyazaki in his home talking about working on the film, how it came about, and some of his impressions of the project. "Creating the Characters" (4:24) is a similar feature, but this time Producer Toshio Suzuki and Miyazaki are present for interviews. "The Totoro Experience" (2:03) once again features Suzuki and Miyazaki, and this one is more relative to the reception of the film itself. The two once again make an appearance in "Producer's Perspective: Creating Ghibli" (1:19) where they talk about the foundation of their company.

"The Locations of Totoro" (28:35) is the most robust feature here. It has been pulled from a documentary called "The Scenery of Ghibli" and more or less is a travelog with actress Mayu Tsuruta. In this feature Mayu shows us the many locations near Kanto that inspired, and were inspired by, the film. "Scoring Miyazaki" (7:19) has Joe Hisaishi talking about the music found in Miyazaki's films (Totoro and otherwise). If you've ever loved the music in these efforts then you'll appreciate this feature. Included here are also a two-minute original trailer for the film and "Behind the Microphone" (5:38), which features the American cast talking about working on the film. Closing out "Behind the Studio" are features for other Ghibli releases: "Creating Ponyo" (3:57), "Creating Kiki's Delivery Service (2:27), and "Castle in the Sky: Character Sketches" (2:40). Neither of these are extremely in depth looks, but are more than enough to make you want to watch those films.

The final feature on the second disc is "Enter the Lands". This inclusion is an interactive map that provides trailers, information, and artwork for Ponyo, My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, and Kiki's Delivery Service. Each map has a good amount of areas to explore and kids will undoubtedly love digging through seeing what's available. There's nothing substantial, mind you, but it's fun to take for a spin.

In many ways My Neighbor Totoro is a film about coping with loss and of growing up. It's a piece about the mysteries of childhood and a movie that will appeal to viewers young and old alike. As I stated, the plot isn't exactly the most involved thing about Totoro. The atmosphere, characters, and message ring through much louder than the core tale. It's a fairytale unlike any other and it's timeless in many regards. If you have never seen My Neighbor Totoro before, then you've been missing out on an amazing film.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation & DVDTalk.com. Please support Anime Maki and buy from Amazon

Blu-ray Review: Trinity Blood the Complete Series

2010-04-04T10:09:00.003-04:00

Vampires and anime go together like peanut butter and chocolate. Don't believe me? Look how popular Blood: The Last Vampire and Hellsing are. Beyond that there are other shows like Moon Phase, Rosario + Vampire, Karin, Vampire Princess Miyu, and Vampire Knight. See what I mean? Oh, and there's also a little show called Trinity Blood.

The show has been around in America for a while now, and chances are very good that you have at one point or another looked at either the individual volumes, or collection on DVD. Recently FUNimation took the next logical step for the franchise and retooled it for a Blu-ray release. All 24 episodes are presented here on three Blu-ray discs with an accompanying 22-page art booklet to boot.

Trinity Blood's main plotline all began several years prior to the show's current timeline. As the story goes humanity made it to the stars and even got as far as Mars, where they discovered two types of nanomachines which they naturally injected themselves with. This changed our fate forever and created two types of beings: the Methuselah and Crusniks.

The Methuselah were basically augmented humans who took on several vampiric traits. The Crusniks turned out to be a vampire to the vampires. While the Methuselah treated themselves to humans, the Crusniks liked the taste of Methuselah ("Tastes great! Less filling!"). With these two new types of people back on Earth all hell broke lose and a war erupted that nearly destroyed the world.

In this setting the Vatican stands as the last safe haven for humanity, but with diplomacy there's some wheeling and dealing going on in the background. There's a group known as the Rosen Kreux that is working on their own secret agenda (they're basically the bad guys), and beyond them there's yet another faction known as AX (basically the good guys). No matter how you slice it, that's a lot to take in and to say Trinity Blood is a complex show would be an understatement.

The lead character here is arguably a guy named Father Abel Nightroad, who works for the AX. Abel is one of the legendary Crusniks and was born nearly a thousand years ago and fights for the Vatican. The show follows most of his exploits as he tries to stop the Rosen Kreux. It's worth noting that Abel isn't exactly your typical hero since he suffers from Vash-complex (yes, of Trigun fame). What I mean by that is Abel is obnoxiously goofy at times in order to hide his fearsome power. I hated it in Trigun, and I'm not too keen on it here. Thankfully the rest of the cast built around him is solid and the concept is interesting, so it washes out in the end.

It should be said that Trinity Blood is a rather unbalanced affair. The first half is largely episodic and dry while the latter episodes really kick it up a notch. Because of this the pacing feels disjointed somewhat, and some of the details in the plot come to fruition a little too late in the game. Despite that the show is quite entertaining and there's some cool action, especially for those in the audience who enjoyed Hellsing.

The show looks fantastic on Blu-ray as well with a full 1080p output, AVC encoding, and an anamorphic widescreen transfer. The quality of the show was incredible to begin with thanks to the production by Gonzo, but in high definition it's even more gorgeous. Lines seem sharper, colors are more vibrant, and all throughout the compression rate is better with less noise. It's not a perfect picture, mind you, but it's definitely better than the transfer offered by the DVD. The same can be said for the audio as well with the Dolby Digital TrueHD English 5.1 track being the winner as far as presence on the soundstage is concerned. The Japanese Dolby Digital 2.0 track offered a much better dubbing cast, however.

For bonus features this collection is a little light. Clean animations, trailers, and some historical facts about the show are all you're going to find here. The booklet, while cool, unfortunately doesn’t hold a candle to the six booklets that were released with the DVDs when they came out.

Trinity Blood may be a somewhat unbalanced effort, but the show is quite entertaining at times. I enjoyed most of the characters, the setting, and the action, but felt the episodic pacing, goofy Abel, and certain points in the plot dragged the show down a smidge. It's strongly recommended though, and if you haven't seen it then by all means, consider this Blu-ray presentation the way to go. I wouldn't exactly call the video and audio light-years beyond what the DVD offered, but it's a step up in that department even if you forgo some of the material from the original booklets.

Maki Rating:

Review Material provided by FUNimation. Trinity Blood is rated TV-MA.

Manga Review: Spice & Wolf Volume 1

2010-04-04T10:07:00.003-04:00

I'd be lying if I said I didn't fall in love with Spice & Wolf the animated series when I first saw it. The show just popped in every way from the intriguing characters to the story and personality. Everything about the anime caught me off guard in a positive way and stood out as unlike anything I had seen before. Then again, it all started somewhere, right?

Spice & Wolf began as a novel by Isuna Hasekura and was published in manga form back in 2008. It took a couple of years, but Yen Press has translated the book and we finally have the first volume in hands. How does it stack up? The short answer to that question would be that I enjoyed this first installment as much as I liked the anime. Then again, that wouldn't make a very compelling review now, would it?

Spice & Wolf is about a traveling merchant named Lawrence who is always out to make a dollar (or Trenni Silver coin, if you will). He roams the land with his carriage and horse making trades and working the market to his benefit. At the beginning of the story he travels to a village where a pagan ritual is underway involving a wheat crop and a wolf god named Holo. It would seem it has become a tradition for the villagers to chase someone with a stock of wheat as the embodiment of Holo, however it's more of a game now than anything religious. There used to be a time before farming technology improved that Holo was truly looked upon as a deity.

Lawrence takes all this in and winds up leaving with some of their wheat crop after a trade. That night he's surprised by a beautiful naked girl sleeping in his wagon, however, the fact that she had a long fluffy tail and ears were more startling to him. This girl happened to be Holo herself! After convincing Lawrence that she is indeed who she says she is, Holo goes on to describe how she had essentially become a prison of the wheat. She can only go where the wheat goes and will only disappear when the wheat dies, which is basically never in this case. She wishes to travel north to her homeland and Lawrence reluctantly allows her to tag along.

Holo and Lawrence become unlikely traveling companions, yet at the same time they are nearly of a kindred spirit. Lawrence's awareness of money and Holo's intelligence, abilities to lie, and ears that can decipher the slightest irregularities in the purity of coins go hand in hand. As they travel Holo finds ways to help Lawrence to repay him for freeing her and allowing her to head back home.

Much like the show, the book is really about Lawrence and Holo and the relationship that develops between them. They play off each other very well and whether Holo is teasing Lawrence, or they're working together on a deal, it's always a joy to see the two together. Adding to the richly developed characters is a robust world surrounding them. All the talk of markets, currency, and trading is quite unique in the manga world, and in that regard Spice & Wolf is truly fascinating. Hasekura truly went the extra mile to think of every minute detail in order to craft an original and expansive world.

As was the case in the anime, the artwork here is absolutely fantastic. With character designs by Jyuu Ayakura and detailed artwork by Keito Koume, Spice & Wolf literally leaps off the pages. Every panel is packed with careful brush strokes and the characters display all kinds of emotions and facial expressions. Likewise the translation job provided by Yen Press is certainly noteworthy. Holo has a unique way of speaking that I'm pleased to see represented here in true form.

Whether you've read the book, have seen the anime, or simply never heard of it before, Spice & Wolf is a franchise worth picking up without hesitation. The first volume of this manga is highly entertaining, full of charm, and features two of the most interesting characters to grace the manga world in some time. I can't say enough good things about this book and story. I loved every detail about it and highly recommend it without hesitation.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Yen Press. Spice & Wolf is rated M for Mature due to Language and Nudity.

Manga Review: Bokurano Ours Volume 1

2010-04-04T10:05:00.004-04:00

Every once in a while you read or see something that hits you in a way that's unexpected. When VIZ's latest release, Bokurano: Ours, was announced everything I read about the title suggested it was just another giant mech piloted by kid manga. To be quite fair the genre has been played to death and anything remotely close to the genre feels stereotyped somehow. Now that the first volume of Bokurano: Ours has come out, I dare say that my preconception of this manga has been shattered.

Bokurano: Ours follows fifteen children over the course of a summer as they take part in a program called "Seaside Friendship and Nature School". The kids all attend the same junior high school and are in the seventh grade together (the exception being one girl who is in the fourth grade). When the book opens the kids are all on a beach doing some natural research for a project. After a while they discover a cave entrance and head inside to see what they can find. The cave is dark, but just a little ways ahead of them is a source of light so they decide to keep going. What they find is more than they bargained for.

A strange man named Kokopelli has apparently been working out of this area, as evident by a lot of computer hardware and such. He tells the children that he's working on a game and asks if they would like to participate. He convinces them to sign up by touching an object, and the next thing they know they all wake up on the beach thinking it was a dream or something. When a giant beast is summoned into existence before their very eyes the reality of their "game" hits home.

As it turns out Kokopelli is an alien of unknown origin who invites them to each take a shot at piloting the massive mech. In turn the kids will all have to defeat other massive monsters in an effort to save the world. Naturally some of the children are fearful of that prospect, and others jump at the chance to sit in the pilot's chair. What happens next once they start playing is something that simply has to be seen to be appreciated, in all fairness. There are some heavy duty spoilers that would be dropped if I continued going on about the plot, so I'll refrain from that direction.

Aside from the story, another thing that stands out about Bokurano: Ours is the dark nature of it all. Some unexpected stuff happens and a lot of people die. Adding to that sense of tragedy is the way it is played out with the children as they all deal with the gravity of the situation. It's quite unique in many regards and in between all the drama is the sense of a foreboding mystery working in the background.

Bokurano: Ours was created by Mohiro Kitoh and features some fascinating, unique artwork. There's a frantic look to every line and one really gets a sense of movement and emotion in each frame. There's a lot of detail in the book and some of the designs truly speak for themselves. The translation is smooth as well and there really is no problem as far as editing is concerned.

The first volume of Bokurano: Ours is quite a success. The book is fascinating and messes with readers in many ways. The mystery is compelling, the relationship the kids form shows promise, and the dark undertones really leave a sense of unease after putting the book down. It's not quite a horror, but rather a manga that's more adult and suspenseful than one might think. It'll be fascinating to see where the series goes from here and I for one look forward to the next installment.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by VIZ Media. Bokurano: Ours is rated for Older Teen.

Manga Review: Arata the Legend Volume 1

2010-04-04T10:02:00.004-04:00

Yuu Watase's Arata the Legend debuted last year in Japan, which makes the fact that we already have an English language release all the more impressive. Typically manga takes a little longer to make its way to our shores, but VIZ Media obviously wanted to get its hands on this license as soon as possible. With that in mind we dig into the first volume. Was it worth getting this manga to the masses as quickly as it did?

Arata the Legend takes place in another world where things are a little different than they are here. Some of the women can use magic known as Amatsuriki, while the men are powerless and can only use abilities from ancient weapons known as Hayagami. Their world is in turmoil and some things are set in motion before the book even begins, so readers may be a little fuzzy on the details because the book simply doesn't delve into the story's history.

Basically all one needs to know is the people of this world worship a princess who is only supposed to rule for a certain amount of time. Unfortunately her replacement can only come from a particular clan and they simply haven't produced a girl for quite a while. That's where Arata from the Hime Clan comes in, but he doesn't have the right "equipment" to take over for the current princess. His grandmother lied about his gender when he was born and has told him it is his destiny to portray a girl and take over the throne. Naturally he doesn't want that.

One thing leads to another and there's some political upheaval as Arata is falsely accused of murdering the princess. Soon he's chased into a mysterious forest and we're told that the only way he'll emerge is if he becomes a different person. From there the book changes gears to current day Japan where a high school student, also named Arata (let's call him Arata-B), is trying to get through his every day life. He's picked on at school, and in general finds that he doesn't have any trustworthy friends. Through a set of circumstances he and the other world Arata switch places and visit each other's worlds.

To say that Arata-B is lost from the get-go would be an understatement. He's being hunted for murdering the princess, Arata-A's grandmother is trying to shove destiny crap down his throat, and some of Arata-A's servants are clamoring over him. To make matters even more challenging for Arata-B he is chosen by a magical Hayagami blade and bestowed with the power of wind. From this point on he takes steps towards fulfilling his destiny in this strange new world, and there's even a meeting with Arata-A where they talk about these things.

If you're reading this and you're confused by all the "Arata-A and B" nonsense, I apologize. In all honesty the shift in setting and the fact that the characters have the first name is a little jarring at first from the perspective of a reader. The story is also rather perplexing as it leaves many details that have to do with the plot out of the picture. With the pacing and the way things unfold I'm sure more information will emerge down the road, but for now this first volume leaves readers in the dust a little.

As always, Watase's creativity and art designs speak for themselves; after all she was the creator of Fushigi Yuugi. The characters are wildly expressive, the backgrounds are richly detailed, and throughout this book there's just an overall sense of wonder in the artwork. It's whimsical and engaging, and because of that it really stands out as one of the book's strongest suits. The translation and writing is solid as well and there isn't a flaw to be found in this volume.

Arata the Legend's first volume is a success overall, but I do have some reservations about it. As is the case with any new book the introductory volume makes or breaks whether or not a reader will come back to it. I appreciate what I've seen of the story and the characters are developed well, but the lack of details as far as what's going on leaves one with a bag full of questions and not a single answer. I'm certain those answers will come in future installments, however. If Arata proves to be even half as entertaining as Fushigi Yuugi did then the trip will be worth it. Consider this installment strongly recommended.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by VIZ Media. Arata the Legend is rated Teen.

Manga Review: Mugen Spiral Complete Series

2010-03-25T19:25:00.002-04:00

Originally released in Japan in 2004 Mugan Spiral has made its way to the States in the form of a collection of its two volumes. Created by Mizuho Kusanagi, Mugen Spiral came out in America back in 2007. Tokyopop has collected both volumes and is presenting them as a massive 400-page edition slated to be released next week. If you already have the prior release then there's really no need to get excited about what's here (unless the special stories at the end weren't included in the first printing?), but if you haven't read the book before then you may want to give this a shot.

In some ways Mugen Spiral reminded me of a cross between Natsume's Book of Friends and Inuyasha. The series follows the exploits of a mystic named Yayoi who happens to be 78th in the line of Suzaku mystics. As it stands she's pretty powerful, but despite this ability she's also quite lonely. Her parents are both dead and she pretty much just gets by due to the fact that demons continuously try to kill her in order to ascend in rank. When one such demon, Ura, tries to take her down he finds much more than he bargained for.

Ura is strong, even by demon standards, and he's the son of the current demon king. Taking down Yayoi should have been an easy job, but she used her powers and the magic of some rosary beads made of cat bone to turn him into a black cat. Now Ura lives with Yayoi as a pet of sorts, though he becomes a trash-talking demon kitty hell-bent on taking Yayoi down and eating her. Normally people would be a little put off by that, but Yayoi just goes with it and brushes his constant tirade of threats aside.

Early on in the book it becomes clear just what kind of relationship the two are going to have. While Ura does remain in his cat form he is able to release his powers and turn into his true form whenever Yayoi kills off one of the beads on his necklace. She winds up having to do this quite a bit because Ura isn't the only demon gunning for her head. Sure she's more adept than most other mystics and she can pretty much take care of herself, but other demons want to become king and in order to that they basically have to kill her. Lucky for her Ura won't let another demon eat her before he does, so he becomes himself at just the right times to rescue her when she is in over her head.

Predictably over the course of the book a relationship forms between Ura and Yayoi, despite their adversarial beginnings. Yayoi sees through Ura's tough exterior and she begins to grow on the demon after a while. She perplexes him in ways girls often confuse boys and the manga is full of development of the character's personalities and their relationship. Through the course of the story other characters are introduced as well, such as Ura's brothers, and they certainly shake up the continuity and dynamic of the series.

Kusanagi's Mugen Spiral was a fun book with some fantastic artwork. The designs were sharp with a wide range of expressions (I particularly enjoyed Ura's cat form and how he was portrayed). Backgrounds were rather simplistic, but there were a few panels packed with details. The translation work was solid as well with some liner notes and sideline commentary.

Despite feeling rather familiar in some respects, Mugen Spiral is a fun two-volume manga presented at a very affordable price here. You can pick this up on Amazon for around $11 and frankly you can't argue with that. Sure it's a little predictable and the setup is nothing new, but it packs in plenty of laughs and personality.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Mugen Spiral is rated Teen Age 13+ for Non-Sexual Nondescript Nudity, Mild Violence, Mild Gore, and Mild Language.

Manga Review: Happy Cafe Volume 2

2010-03-22T15:57:00.003-04:00

A little while ago we got the chance to check out the first installment of Kou Matsuzuki's Happy Café thanks to the team over at Tokyopop. The book originally launched in 2005 and found itself with a second volume later that same year. In case you missed the review of the first volume here it is. If you don't want to bother with that link here's a brief description of the manga:

Happy Café follows the exploits of a 16 year old girl named Uru Takamura who comes to find herself working at a place named Café Bonheur. Her only goal in life is to basically make other people happy and when she sees the kind of pleasure the guys at Bonheur churn out she naturally must get a job there. The café is operated by a mysterious manager who leaves it run by two guys named Shindo and Ichiro. Shindo is the baker and all around gloomy gus, but he's happy when he's baking and his treats put a smile on anyone's face. Ichiro is easy going, but prone to falling asleep when he's hungry, which is a crux of the humor in this manga.

To put it bluntly, the set up for Happy Café is simplistic almost to a fault, but there's an endearing charm to it all. The first volume shows as Uru gets acquainted with Shindo and Ichiro, and in general, life in the café. Nothing really happens in the first volume and basically it kicked it into neutral only to introduce the characters and setting. Thankfully some of that changes with this installment.

The opening chapter presents more of the same with Uru, Shindo, and Ichiro operating business as usual. Things change, however, when a pair of troublemakers from a rival pastry shop shows up and causes quite the stir. Their appearance instantly creates tension in Café Bonheur, which is a good thing. Competition is good for business, they say, right? Well, when the guys post a "closed" sign on Bonheur's front door and spread rumors about the cost of their sweets the gloves come off, sort of.

In addition to their appearance this volume also heads down some amusing paths as Shindo hurts his baking arm trying to save Uru from a nasty fall. This sets up an awkward situation during a contest between the two bakeries. Not only does all this happen, but Strawberry Girl makes several appearances, and Uru's mother makes a café house-call. It all comes together to make a volume of the manga that's far more interesting and entertaining than the first. It's clear that Matsuzuki's book no longer relies on Shindo's mysteries and Ichiro's narcolepsy to provide interesting material for the reader and the events in this book actually left me curious about what would happen next.

Once again Matsuzuki's art style is a standout with some attractive designs and solid backgrounds. Again there's a simplistic nature to it all and not every panel is brimming with detail, but it's done for emphasis and it's effective. The translation is good as well and there were only a couple of minor mistakes in the book.

The first volume of Happy Café left me a little underwhelmed, but I'm pleased to report that things are far more interesting in the second installment. The characters are livelier, the world is developed more, and the secondary characters worked perfectly. I'm interested in seeing where it all goes from here, and if this installment is any indication, it can only get better (hopefully).

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Happy Café Volume 2 is rated Teen 13+ for Mild Sexuality, Aggression, and Moderate Language.

Manga Review: Red Hot Chili Samurai Volume 1

2010-03-18T18:15:00.004-04:00

Dang, has it really been a week since I've made a post? It's amazing how much time flies when you're not having fun! The story of this past week is work, work, and more work. While I do have several other reviews in the works, much of my spare time lately has been spent watching anime and reading manga (such as the massive pile of books that just arrived from Tokyopop). The first title I've cracked into in their latest lineup is Red Hot Chili Samurai.

Created by Yoshitsugu Katagiri, Red Hot Chili Samurai actually has nothing to do with the "Red Hot Chili Peppers", contrary to what the hot red chili comparison would have you believe. This first volume was originally released in Japan in 2007, and becomes available here in the States March 30, 2010.

The first thing I want to say about Red Hot Chili Samurai is that the book just doesn't pop in any way. Sure it's whimsical and the world it takes place in is fairly interesting, but the characters are rather generic and hardly developed at all in this opening installment. You'll feel no connection with the hero or his sidekicks, and some things just aren't explained well enough to draw you in. This isn't a grievous strike against the manga, but rather an example of its lack of a hook. You won't feel endeared to it with this volume and you won't wait with bated breath for the second installment.

So what is the book all about? Well, it centers around the exploits of a young chili pepper loving samurai named Sento Kokaku, who is also referred to as Hanshu. What's a Hanshu? Well, it's not really explained, but basically what I gathered from reading this volume is that his bearing of a black crane tattoo is a status symbol that identifies him as the son of the Hanshu. You know, whatever the Hanshu happens to be.

Anyways, Kokaku works for his father and pretty much just goes around helping people out. He's joined by a silent ninja, named Shou, who supplies information and two more active members: Ento and Ran. Together they form a group that gets involved in things that just don't seem right. For instance there's a brothel where some bad stuff is going on, a kid finds himself getting picked on, and there's a gambling den that's cheating its customers. In each instance it's basically up to Kokaku to jump into things feet first, beat the snot out of everyone, and call it a day.

The only really interesting bit in this installment is the introduction of a rival of sorts called Shikki, the Turtle. Shikki basically comes along and contrasts Kokaku's heroic ideology. Where Kokaku doesn't necessarily kill people indiscriminately, Shikki does and he's not afraid to bare the sharp part of his blade. They clash at first and square off, but eventually they come to an understanding of sorts. It's an interesting relationship that shows potential for future installments.

The stories here are broken up into chapters, as are most manga, and for the most part each chapter is exclusive. There's no overarching storyline that carries through, and this unfortunately detracts from the development of its characters. Sure Ran and Ento get some decent interactions with Kokaku, and Shou is a great source of comic relief, but beyond that you don't really see much of the background characters. Kokaku gets the most development here, though the only thing we really learn about him is how he grew to love peppers so much and how he developed his hero code. It's unfortunately very light and in some instances it does not make much sense.

Red Hot Chili Samurai's first volume is not a complete failure. It's entertaining to read, there's a great deal of humor, and the action is pretty good as well. Katagiri's artwork is fantastic and throughout the book there are solid designs from the background to the characters. The sense of movement and emotion is fantastic and the translation of this manga is smooth as well. Despite the many positives the series has going for it a lack of development and standalone storylines don't necessarily help things out here. Hopefully that will change in the coming volumes, but for now consider this one lightly recommended.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Red Hot Chili Samurai is rated OT (Older Teen 16+) for Mild Voilence, Mild Gore, and Tobacco Reference/Use.

DVD Review: Evangelion 1.11: You are (Not) Alone

2010-03-11T23:18:00.007-05:00

Evangelion 1.11 may very well be the greatest thing to happen to anime since...well...it's awesome. Let's just leave it at that.

Have you ever heard of a little show called Neon Genesis Evangelion? Perhaps you may recall this little number from the mid-90's? You know, it's that one with giant mechs piloted by children prone to psychotic breakdowns as they try to save the human race for annihilation. Yes, THAT Evangelion!
It should go without saying that the original series was a breakout success and proved to be a benchmark for anime at the point in time that it came out. Things being what they were, however, the show wound up ending on a rather convoluted note. Rather than go into the details, let's just say that it was so confusing that the original staff put together a couple of OVA releases in an attempt to make it clearer. Their efforts were successful enough, but there was still the feeling that the franchise could have been done better. Now, over a decade later, Hideaki Anno and company have reignited the project as a series of films. The first, Evangelion: You are (Not) Alone is here in my hands.

In case you're unfamiliar with this revitalization of the franchise, then let me fill you in. Basically what happened here was the original animation was cleaned up and interspersed with new animation and effects. The story was tightened up as well to make things more cohesive. This first film is more or less the consolidation and combination of the first six episodes. It was released a few months back here in the States as Evangelion 1.01, but a special edition in the form of 1.11 has just come out with additional animation and bonus features. The release is available on Blu-ray and 2-disc standard definition DVD as well.
In the opening moments of Evangelion 1.11 we're introduced to none other than Shinji Ikari, who is roaming the streets of a city under lock down due to the appearance of an Angel. The military is fighting against this monster with all their force, and just when it seems that Shinji is about to bite the big one, his rescuer comes along and carts him off to meet his father. Shinji's dad, Gendo, is quite the son-of-a-bitch who basically shuns his own son and uses him for his own personal goals, regardless of how he feels. What is his goal, you ask? Well, saving the world basically, but it's a little more complicated than that.

If you are unfamiliar with Evangelion then you should know that at this point in history about half of the world's population has been wiped out due to an event called Second Impact. In the year 2000 a meteor struck the planet and along with it the Angels came about. In order to prevent a Third Impact, and in an effort to save humanity, an organization known as NERV has put together monstrosities of their own known as Evangelions. These biomechanical creatures seem to be the key to humanity's future and are basically the only line of defense we have against the Angels. The only problem is that the Eva units can only be piloted by children. That's where Shinji comes in.

You are (Not) Alone quickly settles into its story and basically pushes Shinji into Eva Unit 01 in an effort to save Tokyo-3. After one hell of a fight Shinji emerges victorious, but the celebration is short-lived. Shinji really doesn't want any part in this battle and making matters worse is the fact that the Angels keep on coming. The fate of the world is thrust upon his shoulders and it's more than the 14-year old can handle. Shinji doesn't have to do it alone, however, since he also works closely with the cold and indifferent Rei, and excessively lively Misato.
The story here is top notch and presented in this form, the opening leg of the Evangelion arc is truly compelling. Considering this part of the journey focuses largely on the conflict with the Angels there are a ton of battles. Some of the moments here are truly epic, and even though we may have seen them before, they have never looked quite this good. With all of that being said, You are (Not) Alone does have its flaws.

Though Anno and his team took time to develop the characters over the course of the show itself, there's not much room for that in this film. Shinji stays whiny throughout, Rei is a cold fish, Misato is overly boisterous, and Gendo is just a dick. The lack of development for each of the film's main characters hurts the experience somewhat and leaves it feeling unbalanced. The characters are almost one-dimensional in many ways, which is a far cry from how they wound up at the end of the series. Hopefully we'll see more focus on the characters in the next three films, but that's going to be a long time coming unfortunately.
Evangelion 1.11: You are (Not) Alone is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. Having watched both the Blu-ray and DVD versions, I can honestly say that the Blu-ray picture is much sharper and more refined, but the DVD is nothing to scoff at. This is a gorgeous film from top to bottom. The color palette is bright, the image is sharp, and all around there's very little grain and virtually no compression. The sound package is awesome as well with English and Japanese 5.1 tracks that truly pack a punch. The sound-field is diverse, rich, and the film truly packs a punch at some points.

Some trailers for other FUNimation titles are included here, as are some previews, trailer spots for the film, and a promotional music video. "Rebuild of Evangelion: 1.01" stands out as something that might have held a lot of promise. I mean, it hints at being a behind the scenes making of feature, right? In some sense it kind of is with two different versions of the changes made from the show to the film, but in all fairness neither is extensive or informational enough to be very interesting.

From top to bottom Evangelion 1.11 is an incredible release. Whether or not you've seen the original is irrelevant. GO BUY THIS NOW! I can't stress how truly awesome the film is and how great it looks (though the Blu-ray is better). You are (Not) Alone is absolutely a title I unequivocally recommend whole-heartedly.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation.

Blu-ray Review: Yojimbo - The Criterion Collection

2010-03-10T20:09:00.007-05:00

Okay, so I realize that this review isn't about anime and it really doesn't have anything to do with the format. What it does pertain to is Japanese cinema, and I personally feel that appreciation of both go hand in hand. Also this is my blog and I want to review Yojimbo so, yeah. If you're an otaku that hasn't experienced a Kurosawa film before, then by all means consider this a wake up call.

There's just something about the classics that never go out of style. They are every bit as fun to watch today as they were when originally released, and that holds especially truly for just about every film in Criterion's lineup. I can honestly say that I don't know of any other company with as much variety and quality as they offer in their catalog. One of the most popular lines of theirs, from the standpoint of collectors, has been the accumulation of pictures from famed Japanese director, Akira Kurosawa.

In fairness it's almost daunting to think about the quality Kurosawa pushed out through the 30 films he created, however, there were a few that stood out and really withstood the test of time. With the shift in format towards high definition the Criterion Collection has made the move to Blu-ray and has taken Kurosawa with them previously with their release of Kagemusha. Released later this month Yojimbo and Sanjuro will both avail themselves in 1080p. The titles will be packaged as a collection or individually. For the purposes of this review we're looking at Yojimbo specifically.
In 1961 Yojimbo was released and it quickly solidified itself as a darkly comic Japanese western. Starring legendary actor Toshiro Mifune, Yojimbo followed the exploits of a wandering samurai named Sanjuro Kuwabatake who has the misfortune of happening upon a town with some serious problems. Upon arriving he's greeted by a dog scampering down main street with a human hand in its mouth. From that point Sanjuro comes upon two warring gangs vying for control in the village, and eventually settles down in a small restaurant in order to get the dirt on what's happening.

It would seem that the guy who runs the brothel and silk factory is clashing against the man in charge of sake production. Bad blood has been going on between them for some time now and both have hired thugs and mercenaries in an effort to out do the other. As the restaurateur states, there's nobody making money at this point in the town aside from the guy who makes coffins. Both sides are losing men and the village has lost all hope. Naturally Sanjuro sees an opportunity here.

The samurai wastes little time unleashing his skills and showing both gangs why they want to go bankrupt to have someone of his caliber on their side. Sanjuro plays them off each other masterfully and creates a much stronger element of confusion and chaos. He brings events to a boiling point several times during the film, and each time it happens he sits back and watches the events unfold.
Eventually some other characters stand out to throw a wrench into Sanjuro's plans. The son of the sake brewer, Unosuke (Tatsuya Nakadai), is introduced into the plot as Sanjuro's rival. He's a pistol-toting badass who quickly asserts himself as a fearsome person, though he doesn't display much in the way of sword abilities. Inevitably the film comes down to a showdown between the dark forces of the town and Sanjuro, and naturally Unosuke is a part of that.

When examining Yojimbo as a film there are a few things that stand out almost immediately. For starters the atmosphere is undeniably unique. Kurosawa's vision brought through some incredible moments here and everything from the music direction to the cinematography and action comes together in an East meets West kind of ordeal that feels like no other. Adding to that layer of mystique is a darkly comedic vibe that uses dialogue and visuals for laughs, which really helps break up the foreboding tone that blankets everything.

Probably the biggest thing about Yojimbo that stands out as a shining reason to watch it is Mifune's portrayal of Sanjuro. Of course Mifune was a legendary Japanese actor, but his role in this film is downright iconic. From the awkward twitch of his shoulders to the way he carries himself and spits out dialogue, Mifune comes across as the ultimate badass. This is still the case even when Sanjuro is taking his lumps and up against seemingly impossible odds. Going along with the western motif in Yojimbo, Mifune's performance here could make light similarities to Clint Eastwood's character from "The Man with No Name" trilogy (though really since Sergio Leone was a Kurosawa fan, I suppose the comparison could be the other way around).
Whether you've seen Yojimbo before or not, all you really need to know is that it's classic Japanese cinema and a downright awesome samurai flick. It's a period piece done in a fashion that only Kurosawa could do and I dear say that Mifune absolutely makes this film as priceless as it is. It's a classic among classics and deserves to be in the collection of anyone who appreciates older films.

Criterion's remastered standard definition DVDs looked pretty darn good, but they hardly hold a candle to the spectacular transfer available for this Blu-ray release. Presented with its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, 1080p resolution, and encoded with MPEG-4 AVC Criterion's Yojimbo is truly a force to be reckoned with. Seriously; for a film that was originally released in 1961, the cleanup job done for this disc was simply astounding!

From top to bottom the picture is crystal clear with hardly a moment that seems out of focus or flawed in any way. Every scene strikes an appropriate balance between blacks and whites, and every single detail from blades of grass, panels of wood, or even patterns on the costumes stand out. The image is free of dirt and scratches, there's no compression of any kind, and the only thing that's even worth mentioning is a minor flickering that takes place in a few scenes. I never imagined that Yojimbo could look as good as it does here. Hats off to Criterion!

The audio package on this release is downright awesome as well. When you approach Yojimbo keep in mind that there's not a bombastic 5.1 track or anything of that ilk. Instead, a Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 3.0 and Japanese LPCM 1.0 are included here. The limited range in the sound field may be off-putting for some, but personally I felt this presentation retained the integrity of the original track. The quality is clear, concise, and downright free of any flaw. It's an improvement over the DVD release of the film, though not quite as grandiose as the video quality. English subtitles are included.
A good supply of supplemental content makes its way onto this Blu-ray release of Yojimbo as well. For starters there is a classy 22-page booklet packed in with the case. It features pictures and information about the film as well as musings on the genre by Kurosawa and other prolific personalities. Film historian Stephen Price provides a solid and informational audio commentary for the movie that is definitely worth checking out at some point. There's also a stills gallery, trailer for the film, and teaser as well. The biggest draw from the bonus feature menu (aside from the audio commentary) is a featurette created as part of the "Toho Masterworks series, Akira Kurosawa: It Is Wonderful to Create" (44:37). This is basically a scene by scene look at many of the film's better moments. There's also a fair amount of commentary provided by people who worked on the film.

Yojimbo's Blu-ray release is nothing short of extraordinary. Criterion went through a clearly painstaking process to get all the details right from the video to the audio. This release is a dramatic improvement over the original and stands as Criterion's best Blu-ray release to date, in my opinion. It's absolutely not to be missed by fans of the film. If you've never seen Yojimbo then consider this the best opportunity ever to check out one of Kurosawa's more iconic films.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Criterion. Screenshots in this review are from the standard definition release and are not indicative of the outstanding quality present on the Blu-ray disc.

Blu-ray Review: Claymore the Complete Series

2010-03-08T21:13:00.007-05:00

Claymore kicks all kinds of ass. 'Nuff said.

Seriously, if you've never seen Claymore before you're in for one hell of a treat. The 26 episode series originally aired in Japan during 2007 and came from the manga-ka Norihiro Yagi back in 2001. The show came out on DVD a little while ago and right from the gate it was clear that FUNimation did themselves a favor by picking up this license. While the aforementioned standard definition release is already on the market, FUNimation recently sent out a Blu-ray version of the complete series to stores as well. Is it worth it?

For the unfamiliar, Claymore could be best likened to Berserk, though that's not entirely a fair comparison. The show takes place in a fantasy world where demons known as Yoma feed on humans. They are fearsome beasts that can take over the bodies of people, inherit their memories, and when the time is right, strike. To say the populace is essentially an All You Can Eat Yoma buffet (which costs just $6.99 after your senior discount) would be an understatement. Fortunately for us frail morsels, er...I mean mortals, there is a group known as the Organization.

The Organization is a collection of people known as Claymores and a hierarchy of order. These people are pretty much the only force that stands between the Yoma and their midnight munchies. As such one might think that these Claymores would be heralded as heroes and revered for the services they provide. Unfortunately that's not really the case.
You see, the Claymores are women who not only fearsome warriors, but also half Yoma. When they are young they undergo a ritual that essentially merges their human bodies with the flesh of a Yoma. It's a painful process to be sure, but what winds up happening is they retain their human consciousness and memories all the while gaining the strength and ferocity of the Yoma. There's a catch, however (isn't there always one?). By doing this they also run the risk of being overtaken by their Yoma half and losing themselves to the beast. This generally occurs if they use too much of the power within them. Naturally they are viewed as ticking time bombs, because that's essentially what they are, but there are contingency plans for if a Claymore gets to that point.

In Claymore the story follows a particular member of the Organization known as Clare. She's a tough as nails fighter, adept with a sword, and all around badass when it comes to dealing with Yoma. One day a village sends a request to rid themselves of a Yoma and it's Clare that responds. She takes care of the beast, but in the process winds up helping a young boy, Raki, out since he was essentially ostracized by the town who all thought he was next up to be a demon in disguise. There's really no rhyme or reason to why she took in Raki, but it seemed to be a whim that struck chords with a memory of her own past. They make an unlikely duo for sure!

The show follows the two for a while and then breaks off into a tale about Clare's past and how she became involved with a Claymore named Teresa. This splinter in the plot is important for a couple of reasons. First it lets you see Clare's frame of mind in her reasoning to let Raki tag along. Second it introduces to a main villain in the second half of the series, Priscilla.
From this point Claymore basically picks up momentum right to the end with talk of war and the chaotic ending of the Organization. Claymores are either killed or Awakened (they become powerful Yoma) and Clare and Raki are caught in the middle of these events. It's fascinating to watch everything unfold and the series is rock-solid in just about every way. From the over-the-top action to the character development and plot, which is full of surprises, Claymore really pulls it together. With that being said the ending is a little bit of a letdown, but considering the show got ahead of where the manga was at by this point it seems as though the producers just kind of improvised. It wasn't bad, but just not quite up to snuff compared to the rest of the show.

Now, in case you're wondering "what's the big difference between this Blu-ray version and the original standard definition one?" This version of Claymore is presented on Blu-ray with a 1080i high definition transfer that uses AVC encoding. The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen image is certainly better to look at than the original presentation. The overall picture quality has been ratcheted up a notch and all around the anime is sharper and better defined. Colors are vibrant, the image is stable, and there's very little to gripe about. Sure there are some moments where grain and artifacting can be easily spotted, but they aren't pervasive enough to ding Claymore too much. It's a very good transfer all around, just not as flawless as one might hope.

The sound quality on Claymore's Blu-ray release is a tinge better, however. With Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 and Japanese Dolby 2.0 tracks there's plenty of variety to be had. The dubbing quality of both tracks remains up for debate for which one is the better option, but technically speaking you just can't pass up the Dolby TrueHD track. It's far better than the 2.0 options and is much more diverse in its offering. The action fills the soundstage and all around the sense of immersion is quite good.
Claymore hits Blu-ray with three discs and comes with some additional bonus content as well. Packed in with the set is a slick 48-page art, sketch, and interview booklet for starters. There are also six English commentary tracks, trailers, cast auditions, clean animations, original TV commercials, and interviews with the original Japanese staff. That's a rather loaded package as far as anime is concerned and it's nice to see these features ported over form the original DVD release.

The bottom line is Claymore is a lot of fun to watch. It offers up some intense action, richly developed characters, and a story that will keep you strung along to the end. It's quite violent at times and maintains an edge that few other shows could even hope to get close to. If you missed it before on DVD then consider the Blu-ray a solid investment, however, if you already have the original release in your collection then the quality of the Blu-ray's presentation is certainly worth the upgrade.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation. Claymore is rated TV-MA and contains scenes of graphic violence, partial nudity, and strong language.

Manga Review: Blood Honey

2010-03-07T21:01:00.005-05:00

What happens when a vampire family's bloodline begins to run thing? Their descendent gets a job at a blood donation clinic, that's what!

That's vaguely the premise behind Blood Honey by Sakyou Yozakura, which is the latest from Tokyopop's Blu yaoi lineup. For a better description, here's what the back of the book has to say for itself:

"Nurse Yuki Akabane is a descendant of a line of vampires. He's often visited at the hospital he works at by a donor nut named Osamu Mayuzumi, the insatiable cram school teacher. Yuki never really thought twice about Mayuzumi, but when he drinks some of his blood on a whim, it tastes so good to him that he tries to get closer to him to savor more... Will he ever be able to drink another's blood again?!"

When Blood Honey starts out that's exactly what we get within the first couple of pages. Yuki is a relatively good natured vampire and he's quite sick of Mayuzumi coming around constantly and asking for him. One could say that Mayuzumi is Yuki's stalker, but since Yuki is so adept at drawing blood for humans he naturally has quite the clientele. When Yuki does sip the deliciously sweet blood from Mayuzumi, he devises a way to get the man to come to his house and give him his blood outside of the clinic. During such efforts Yuki cooks him "stamina" dinners and the two hang out for a time almost like a date kind of.

Eventually Yuki is caught at work by his boss, and we are soon treated to the knowledge that his employer is a hound dog and seems to lust after Yuki. Luckily for the vampire his favorite client showed up in the nick of time to save him from being sexually assaulted. That's more or less the beginning of their relationship, but as the book continues Yuki finds other lovers as well.

Now, let me just state that I am not a fan of yaoi. At all. I appreciated Yuki's character and found some of the writing and moments in this book to be rather amusing. The story has a lot of promise as well and Yozakura created a very interesting world and some fun characters. Unfortunately there's quite a bit of hardcore yaoi material here and, well, it's just not my cup of tea. I personally don't want to see guys having sex with each other or jerking each other off, but if you're into that kind of thing then there's plenty of stuff here that you'll enjoy. Trust me on that. The book has relatively uncensored pornographic material aimed directly at yaoi lovers.

Blood Honey will score well with fans of the yaoi genre, but as stated I'm just not one of them. I tried to objectively ignore the content I didn't want to see, and what's here for a story is quite entertaining. Yuki's character is a lot of fun and the book really comes to life when it's focusing on him, but even so there are times where plot gets sidetracked or introduces a character that doesn't quite jive with what has already been establish. Overall this book will entertain yaoi fans, but the content will be lost on everyone else (which includes me, unfortunately).

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Blood Honey is rated M for Mature and includes Explicit Sexuality, Sexual Full Body Nudity, Mild Violence, and Alcohol Use.

Manga Review: Remember

2010-03-07T20:21:00.003-05:00

Remember is a rather peculiar title for Tokyopop's lineup, but it's one that leaves one with the impression that it's a format worth exploring. I say it's odd because Benjamin isn't your typical artist, and the oversized, full-color book is definitely off-kilter from the usual manga expectations. This graphic novel is more akin to what American comic book fans are used to, and the style from the creator is definitely all its own for better or worse.

Remember is broken up into two short stories and it's not designed to be a long series with multiple installments. Basically if you're familiar with Benjamin's works you'll undoubtedly want to check it out for that merit alone, but if you're new his style then the look of the book is the first thing that will grab you.

I'm more of a substance-over-style kind of guy, but the first thing I wanted to mention was the artwork in Remember. Benjamin has an extremely unique approach to creating a graphic novel. Rather than go the traditional route with pencil and paper he does a breathtaking watercolor-like painting style. This allows for a greater sense of movement and more striking details. For instance in the first story in this book he uses soft blues and greens with the occasional red hue added in for impact. In the second story there's a much more varied employment of color and even some sections that borderline seem to be done with a charcoal template. No matter which one you're reading you're assured to get a different feeling from each panel and the experience is memorable because of that.

With the style section out of the way looks talk about the substance, which unfortunately isn't as solid as one might hope.

The first story, "No One Can Fly, No One Can Remember" features a tale about a struggling comic book artist who can't catch a break in the industry. It would appear that no matter what he produces, publishers just aren't interested. It's not that the kid's work is bad by any means, but according to the publisher people are only interested in something familiar and says you basically have to plagiarize something in order for it to sell. Could Benjamin be soap-boxing about the Chinese comics industry? Hmmm.

At any rate the artist is rather temperamental and self-centered. He doesn't see those around him, or really seem to care, which makes him seem like a total dick when a kind-hearted girl named Yu Xin takes a liking to him. She used to be in the industry, but has since quit since it doesn't really pay the bills. She sees something in him though quite honestly I don't know what since he treats her like crap, yells at her, and sleeps with other girls. Flawed characters, lame dialogue, and a plot that goes virtually nowhere hold this one back.

The second story, "That Year, That Summer" is a little more interesting, though nowhere near as long as "No One Can Fly, No One Can Remember". This one follows a student attending an art college while working on his relationship with his girlfriend. Meanwhile he befriends a fellow student who happens to be poorer and finds himself constantly abused by those around him. It's a darker tale and a little more interesting because of the more sharply defined characters. Ultimately it's the better of the two despite being less than half the length of the first. Additionally there is a preview for one of Benjamin's other works "Orange".

Remember is an interesting release, though I fear it's a rather polarizing one. On one hand the two stories provided here vary greatly in terms of quality and focus. The first drags on for too long while the second doesn’t last long enough. They strike a balance somehow, but neither is a tale that will stick with you long after reading. What does leave an impression, however, is the absolutely gorgeous artwork on each page. Benjamin has a style that is unlike anything else in the world of manga. I'd liken it to a sketchier version of Alex Ross, but with an Eastern flare. It's a seductive kind of art style that really draws you in, and because of that this book recovers some lost ground.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Remember does not carry a rating, but there is drinking, smoking, mild violence, and mild sexuality in case you're curious.

Manga Review: Alice in the Country of Hearts Volume 2

2010-03-04T13:15:00.006-05:00

Originally released in Japan in 2008, Alice in the Country of Hearts (Wonderful Wonder World) provided to be a rather unique look at the Alice in Wonderland tale. Written by QuinRose and illustrated by Soumei Hoshino, we received the first volume of the English translation from Tokyopop recently. Well, the second installment is upon us now, and that's the true test of any manga. Does Alice live up to the expectations set by the premier?

The first volume of the book was an entertaining piece that left a lot of questions unanswered. There's a mystery at play here, and even after reading the second book I can honestly say we only have partial answers. In case you missed it, let's recap what transpired in the first installment.

Basically Alice was kidnapped by a guy with bunny ears named Peter White. The fell down a deep chasm and Alice soon found herself being force-fed a potion which involved her in a game of sorts. She's unable to leave Wonderland until the game is complete, or so she's told. What transpired from this point was Alice's discovery of the world and her meeting of its various inhabitants. There's the Hatter who runs the mafia, the Queen who controls the kingdom, Mary Gowland who operates an amusement park, and Julius the mysterious man in the Clock Tower. For each of those main players there are also secondary ones such as Ace, Elliot, the twins, and Boris the cat boy. As Alice makes friends in Wonderland the vial of potion refills slightly, and it's only when it's filled that she'll be able to leave. Interesting, huh?

The second volume of Alice in the Country of Hearts kicks off right where the first one left off with Alice at the Hatters for a tea party. Elliot lets his guard down and shows his true colors around Alice, and the Hatter does to an extent as well. Alice finds herself confused about some parts of their conversation, but leaves on good terms with talk of love in the air. It's clear that just about everyone in Wonderland is smitten with Alice in some way or another, and in the case of the Hatter it would seem that his love is a dangerous thing.

Peter seems to be the most obsessive about his feelings for Alice, however. Several times in this volume he appears either to look for her when she's not around, or hits on her when she's right in front of him. Throughout it all though, he seems to be genuinely pleased even to not be with her as long as she's happy. He often comes to her defense when she thinks someone will do her wrong. It's charming in a way, despite his being a perverted creep and all.

What really stands out in this installment is the revelation about clocks in the world. As an outsider Alice is shown to be one of the only people in all of Wonderland with an actual heartbeat. It would seem that every person we've met so far as a clock for their ticker, and that puts an even more mysterious spin on the Clock Tower and Julius. He repairs people's clocks when they are killed in order to allow them to be reborn in another body. It's interesting, yet haunting in a way, and we even get to see impressions of this work from characters such as Peter and Elliot. What this holds for the future installments of the series remains to be seen, but I'm sure this will be a major factor in the story since it's made such a big deal of in this volume.

Once again the artwork and translation of this book are downright awesome. The quality is on par with expectations set by the first volume and all around it's a very entertaining read. It's a rather wordy manga and as such it lasts a bit longer than others, so that's a definitely plus as well. All in all if you ever enjoyed Alice in Wonderland, then Alice in the Country of Hearts will most likely be right up your alley. It's engaging, mysterious, and extraordinarily unique in many ways. Give it a shot if you haven't read it yet and you may be pleasantly surprised!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Alice in the Country of Hearts is rated OT (Older Teen 16+) for Mild Sexuality, Mild Violence, and Moderate Gore.

Eroge Game Review: Cosplay Fetish Academy

2010-03-03T10:54:00.010-05:00

Can't get enough eroge PC visual novels? Well, here's another one for you just in case you may have missed it! Cosplay Fetish Academy is a deliciously naughty title originally released in Japan by Sekilala. The game features artwork by Kazuma Muramasa and has been translated into English by Peach Princess. As one might expect, this game is rated 18+ and contains adult content, though I presume that was an easy deduction, especially from the screenshots supplied below. Cosplay Fetish Academy is available through Jlist for $34.95.
Cosplay Fetish Academy is similar to just about every other visual novel out there and puts you in the shoes of a young male about to have an adventure in sex. The gameplay is rather straightforward and really all you do is make textual based selections to direct the action of the story. There's nothing here resembling interactivity of any kind, aside from the selections, so anyone looking for traditional gameplay will be left wanting. Those who know what to expect from a visual novel will feel right at home, however.

In Cosplay Fetish Academy you slip into the shoes of Ryouji, who is a student at Seiai Academy. He seems to be your average kid, and he actually lives in this town with his cousins Shana and Yuuki, who happen to be staying at his place. Everything was going fine for the trio until one day a freakish storm occurred and turned their world upside down!
As it turns out in the game Ryouji and Shana were visiting Yuuki at a shrine she works at as a miko priestess. A bizarre thunderstorm rolled through and the three duck for cover, passing out in the process. Now the world around them has changed and the girls that attend a nearby girl's school now strut around in risqué cosplay outfits and fetish gear. The girls were naturally taken aback by this, but Ryouji soon found himself to be in heaven as every girl he passed bared more flesh than the one before her. As it turns out through the course of the story, the three have been transported to a new world/dimension only slightly different from theirs. It just so happens to be full of eye-candy!

Cosplay Fetish Academy's story is entertaining throughout and it lasts a good long while. With that being said it does feel like the tale just takes forever to get going. Events unfold in a slow, drawn out manner and most of the reveals just aren't as climactic as they should feel. The story is entertaining as a background for the action, however, this game falters a little is in the character department.
From Ryouji right on down through Yuuki, Shana, Kotori, Maika, and Akari, every personality in this game is one-dimensional. They basically serve one purpose and one purpose only, often acting blindly and bizarrely in order to get to a point the story wants them to be at. I suppose it's not glaringly different from other visual novels, but the characters have a way of removing you from the story a bit. That's not necessarily a good thing, because they are supposed to be the thing that draws you in and makes you care. There are still plenty of entertaining moments in the story here, but getting to them can be a little annoying at times.
As is the case with other visual novels, Cosplay Fetish Academy lets you go down different paths and make selections that change the course of the game. There are several endings to be found here and a couple of each girl you choose as to be expected. How you get to them, or which one you select, is entirely up to you and there's quite a bit of freedom here. Because of that this game lasts for a long, long time so be prepared to lose a lot of sleep pouring through the options.
I'm sure by this point you're probably wondering about what kind of action there is to be had here. Along those lines Cosplay Fetish Academy does not disappoint really. The game addresses nearly every fetish otaku have in the costumes it dresses the females in. There's all kinds of flesh to ogle at in every scene, and of course there are sex scenes aplenty. These are tame and tasteful by most standards and there's really no kink involved, despite some of the promise made by these outfits. Those looking for hardcore hentai content will be disappointed, but anyone just looking for quality scenes with fine art will be pleased enough.

Speaking of the game's artwork, the content supplied by Kazuma Muramasa is simply too awesome. Every character's design stands out for all the right reasons and all around everything in this game clicks. The backgrounds are great, the color palette is vibrant, and the designs are truly captivating. The sound effects, voiceovers, and soundtrack compliment the art design in the game. All told both combined to make a very rewarding experience that helps pick up the pieces where the story/characters may be lacking. As is the case with other titles in the genre there are also CG collections and scenes to collect as you play through.
Cosplay Fetish Academy is a good visual novel all around and it provides plenty of eye-candy for players to gawk at. The story is entertaining and interesting enough to keep you strung along, and the various adult scenes make the journey worth it. Presentation is another strong suit that this title brings to the table and it's simply gorgeous throughout. If this game has any flaw it's that the characters are kind of one-dimensional and you'll never really form a connection with them. That's a small chip in the armor though, since this is a solid experience from start to finish. Consider it recommended.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Jlist. Cosplay Fetish Academy is rated Adults Only 18+ for Strong Sexual Content and Erotic Costume Play.

Manga Review: Biomega Volume 1

2010-03-03T09:31:00.003-05:00

Space zombies, and synthetic humans, and a talking bear. Oh my!

VIZ Media's latest release, Biomega, takes all three of these things and mashes them together into a rather compelling, if not somewhat bizarre, science fiction horror manga. Created by Tsutomu Nihei Biomega originally hit Japan in 2004. The book ran for six volumes, and it took some time, but today we're finally looking at the first installment in English. Was it worth the wait?

In many respects the concept in Biomega has been tackled repeatedly before by many. How many times have zombies decimated society? For that matter, how many times have space zombies threatened our extinction? While Biomega follows this familiar path it does a few things different with its premise. For starters the manga takes place well into the future (the year 3005 A.D. to be exact) and sees humanity venturing further into the solar system. There have been colonies on Mars that nobody has visited for years, and though this technology exists humanity seems to remain largely on Earth.

After an opening that takes place on the barren wasteland of Mars Biomega launches its main story one year later. A lone warrior named Zoichi, an agent of Toa Heavy Industries, is riding towards a massive citadel in search of something. It's not long until he comes across a pack of drones (zombies) and accidently winds up injuring a girl who seemed to be on the run from them. Despite being dismembered, her body pulls itself together and she gets up to run away. Adding to Zoichi's bewilderment the girl is rescued by a talking bear with a gun and the two make their escape.

It turns out the girl is named Eon Greene and she's something known as an Accommodator. Basically what that means is she is a drone whose body has actually melded with the virus on a genetic level. She's essentially a zombie queen who will live forever and is virtually impossible to kill. A mysterious organization is collecting other Accommodators in order to restart the human race. All that stands between them and the annihilation of humanity is Zoichi. Complicating matters is the fact that a drone is high up in the atmosphere releasing spores that will infect basically everyone. To say Zoichi has a bit of a struggle ahead of him would be an understatement.

Biomega stands out thanks to its dark gritty artwork by Nihei. The heavily penned lines convey a great sense of action and motion in nearly every panel. Whether Zoichi is riding his bike, dropping a room full of enemies before his gun's barrel cools, or launching a laser at an ICB missile, the look of this book is really dynamic. Sometimes the style overtakes the details and there's just too much going on, but that flaw is easy to overlook.

The first volume of Biomega is quite frankly over before you know it. There's sparse dialogue and its story is largely told by the action that fills easy page. Still, the manga manages to bring together an interesting sci-fi zombie tale, entertaining characters, and loads of style. It leaves you wanting the second volume, which is ultimately what a good manga should hope to achieve. Recommended.

Maki Rating:

Review Material provided by BlogCritics.org.

Manga Review: Haru Hana Complete Collection

2010-03-02T02:33:00.004-05:00

Originally released in Japan in 2004, Haru Hana was a three volume manga written and drawn by Yuana Kazumi. Tokyopop snagged the rights to the book and released all three volumes as a complete collection here in the States. Resting firmly within the shoujo genre Haru Hana is a charming book with a lively cast and entertaining premise. If you have an appreciation for shoujo then chances are very good you'll dig this series.

Haru Hana opens up and introduces us to Hana Yamada from Osaka. She's a new transfer student at a school in Tokyo and she arrives hoping to overcome her rather bizarre condition. Back home any time she touched a boy she broke out in hives. The only remedy for this was an immediate dose of green tea. Apparently Hana thought there would be no boys in Tokyo, or at least none that would cause her to break out in hives. Boy was she wrong!

The first day of school doesn't go exactly as planned and she meets some interesting and shady characters. No characters in the manga are quite so shady as her sister though. Early on she announces that she found Hana a job, but little does our leading lady know that she's basically been sold into slavery. It would appear that in order to pay off her debts, her sister promised a particular business that she'd find somebody to work it off for her. Soon enough Hana finds herself in the non-paying employ of a relaxation room. What's a relaxation room you might ask? Well, it's basically a place where (mostly) female patrons go to have their bodies and souls massaged by a touching and tragic youth named Haru.

From the get-go Haru rubs Hana the wrong way. He continuously torments her and seems to get a kick of making her break out into hives. His boss (who is flamboyantly gay one might add) tries to help Hana out, but since he's smitten with Haru that doesn't work very much. Eventually Hana learns more about Haru and they form a friendship and working relationship. Soon the combination of Haru's skills at massage and empathy, and Hana's soothing violin talent, take over the business. The shopkeeper renames it Haru-Hana and from there the book really takes off.

A host of other characters are introduced from a violin teacher for Hana and prospective love interest for Haru. Throughout it all the book largely focuses on the relationship of its two main characters though. Haru struggles to recall a past he's forgotten and Hana tries to overcome her hive breakouts, which eventually dissipate aside from her contact with Haru. It soon comes to light that Hana's condition is indicative of her feelings towards Haru, though that is rather predictable I might add. From here on the book is all about their relationship and the feelings they develop for each other. It's rather standard, and a bit predictable, but there's plenty of charm here.

Haru Hana is a solid looking book with some great artwork. Kazumi's art style is both dynamic and attractive with lots of detail in both the characters and background. The translation of this book is solid as well, though there were a few lines of conversation that just didn't seem to flow as well as they should have. Overall this manga is wonderfully produced and presented.

If you love shoujo manga then Haru Hana from Tokyopop is certainly one that's worth checking out. It's entertaining from start to finish and leaves you satisfied in the end. The characters stand out more than the story, but that's often the case with books based on relationships. Consider the book recommended if you like the genre, but it's not something that's widely entertaining.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Haru Hana is rated T (Teen 13+) for Mild Sexuality, Aggression, Mild Fanservice, and Tobacco Reference/Use.

Manga Review: Hanako and the Terror of Allegory Volume 1

2010-02-24T21:27:00.003-05:00

I've read through a lot of manga in my time, but Sakae Esuno's Hanako and the Terror of Allegory is undoubtedly one of the most bizarrely named manga titles I've ever seen. Despite that, this first volume from Tokyopop is actually quite entertaining and engaging. Anyone interested in horror manga should definitely consider this title when looking for a new book.

Hanako and the Terror of Allegory takes place in modern day Japan and focuses on a detective named Daisuke Aso, who was a police officer back in the day. Aso doesn't investigate normal crimes though. I mean, he would like to, but more often than not he's drawn into cases involving his specialty, Allegories. In the context of this manga an Allegory is the physical manifestation of a person's compulsive belief in an urban legend. Basically the book is saying that if someone fears something strongly enough, it can come true. Just think about that next time you're afraid the boogeyman is hiding in your closet.

At the start of the book a young woman named Kanae Hiranuma hears about Aso's unique field and goes to see him about something that's been bugging her. She heard a story about a man with an axe hiding beneath a woman's bed, and lo and behold suddenly she has a guy under her bed. He's rumored to only come out when you fall asleep and Kanae has been forcing herself to stay awake due to that fact. Aso reluctantly takes the case, but he does so only at the prodding of his partner, Hanako. To make the first chapter short I'll just tell you that Kanae was indeed suffering from an Allegory and Aso and Hanako arrive in just the nick of time to rescue her. In the aftermath of this event Kanae is compelled to join them in their efforts to help others like her.

The other two storylines in this book follow other Japanese urban myths as well. For instance there is a tale about a slit-mouthed woman and one about fish with human faces. Both stories are told from a rather unique perspective and how Aso, Hanako, and Kanae react to each situation is quite engaging. As fascinating as each of these respective stories is, though, I have to say the biggest draw for me was the mystique involving the characters themselves.

Let it be said that Kanae is the only "normal" person in this trio. It's through her point of view that we see, and learn, many things about Aso and Hanako. For instance one of the first things Kanae notices about Aso is his peculiar fetish for having pornographic reading material lying around the office. We soon discover that it's mostly for Hanako, but Aso enjoys it as well. Some amusing bits come from this, but it still isn't the most interesting piece.

Hanako and Aso are both Allegories themselves. In the case of Hanako she embodies the urban legend of a girl who can travel from bathroom to bathroom, which explains why she keeps herself locked in the laboratory all the time. She's almost always securely fastened to a toilet seat, but she's able to roam about just fine otherwise. Aso, however, is something entirely different. Any time he's near an Allegory he begins to hiccup. He suffers from the urban legend that if you hiccup 100 times in a row you'll die, so naturally he has to limit his exposure. He also contains powers of another nature entirely. These are touched upon briefly here and there, but nothing is really fully explained. What he is exactly remains a mystery and that's enough of a hook to keep me tuned in for the next installment.

Hanako and the Terror of Allegory is drawn beautifully by Esuno. The characters are simplistic looking, but there's enough detail in their expression and the world around them to draw readers in. Add to that a solid translation job by Satsuki Yamashita and you have an attractive and enjoyable English version of a peculiar manga. It's a unique combination that will endear itself to many.

While it never quite reaches levels to qualify as horror of a fearful nature, Hanako and the Terror of Allegory is downright creepy at times. Esuno adeptly draws viewers in and crafts each story in such a manner to keep you guessing what's going to happen from panel to panel. This first volume is a quality piece of work and was a great read. The second installment can't come soon enough and if you're in the market for a new manga series you should consider this one highly recommended!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Hanako and the Terror of Allegory is rated OT (Older Teen) 16+ for Sexual Partial Nudity, Mild Violence, Mild Gore, and Moderate Fanservice.

Manga Review: Deadman Wonderland Volume 1

2010-02-23T09:51:00.003-05:00

Originally released in 2007 in Japan and ongoing with six installments already, Deadman Wonderland is the brainchild of Jinsei Kataoka and Kazuma Kondou (Eureka Seven). The manga has been doing well and in all honesty it's probably only a matter of time until there's an animation produced. Until that happens, however, the franchise has found its way into Tokyopop's hands and recently the first installment has been released.

Deadman Wonderland takes place a short distance into the future where a massive earthquake has hit Tokyo and submerged more than 70% of it. In the aftermath there was a whole lot of destruction and lives lost. Despite this dark time there were some survivors as well, and this book follows the life of a teenager named Ganta, whose life is once again about to be turned upside down.

At the beginning of the book Ganta seems to be a normal high school student. He's sitting in class talking with his friends about an upcoming field trip, but that's when things take a turn for the worst. He spots a floating red being outside the window and soon the man attacks the classroom, slaughtering everyone except for Ganta. In his case the red man impales Ganta with a red crystal. Naturally Ganta is taken aback by these events, but making matters worse is the fact that the courts have deemed him responsible. They label him a cold-blooded mass-murderer and sentence him to life inside a privately run prison facility named Deadman Wonderland.

Now, for reference, Deadman Wonderland is basically a Disneyland where inmates are the cast members. They entertain the people who come to watch them through various events. It's kind of strange and a hard concept to grasp, but as long as you just go with it in the context of the story it works well enough.

Once Ganta winds up in Deadman Wonderland he quickly learns the rules. If you don't eat a special piece of candy every three days then a collar around your neck will kill you. You need a form of currency known as CP in order to live, eat, and buy things. You also don't want to piss off the guards unless you want to end your stay the quick way. In between all of this he meets other fascinating characters such as the mysterious Shino, who appears to be a girl from his past, a fellow inmate named Azami, and a person who seems to be up to no good named Yo.

As fascinating as all of this is, the biggest draw for Deadman Wonderland is the red man known as the Original Sin. He's greatly powerful and connected to Ganta in some way. In fact it would seem that some of his powers have been bestowed upon Ganta. What purpose this will play out in the future isn't really revealed in this installment, but I'm sure it's something that will be explored in the coming installments.

With all of that set up in place Deadman Wonderland's first volume certainly takes a lot of out of you. It's an exhausting read in some respects and by the end all you'll have is a head full of questions, rather than answers of any kind. It's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you, though I can't help but feel lost in the shuffle somehow. Hopefully that feeling will change in the coming volumes.

As far as how this book is presented, all I can say is the artwork by Kondou is as stunning as one would expect. Every character looks great and is attractively designed. Deadman Wonderland's unique looks truly stand out and all around there's a great sense of action and emotion in each panel. The translation of this book is handled pretty well and all around the quality stands up to scrutiny. At the back of this book there are also a couple pages of four-panel comedic pieces from the Deadman Wonderland universe as well as a preview for Hanako and the Terror of Allegory.

From the first page to the last Deadman Wonderland is a book with a lot of promise. It's an entertaining read, packed with action, and there's enough mystery to keep you strung along. I'm not 100% sold on the franchise from this first book, but it's certainly done well enough to keep me tuned in to see how things shape up in the future. If you're looking for a dark series with a bunch of action then this release may be right up your alley!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Deadman Wonderland is rated OT (Older Teen 16+) for Non-Sexual Full Body Nudity, Moderate Violence, Moderate Gore, and Moderate Language.

Editorial: 3D Anime... Think About It!

2010-02-22T22:17:00.009-05:00

Okay, so 3D has been around for a long, long time, but with the success of Imax and 3D films such as Avatar, 3D technology is better than ever and it's coming soon to the home market. Sure when 3D TVs launch later this year they are undoubtedly going to be incredibly expensive, but if it survives long enough to come down in price isn't that going to be awesome? I think so anyway.
The applications of this technology for home theaters will revolutionize many industries (and not just the porn biz - think about that for a second...). Sports, travel shows, documentaries, talk shows (Jerry Springer 3D!). I can see so many things being better because of 3D televisions, but what about anime?

In my humble opinion here are five shows that absolutely would be required to have a 3D conversion:

Cowboy Bebop:

What could be cooler than watching Spike and Jet kick some ass in 3D? Mmmm... pretty much nothing. That's what.

Ghost in the Shell:

Major Kusanagi in 3D? Yes please!

Gankutsuo:
This is already a breathtaking show. Just imagining it in 3D is enough to make my head spin!

Gurren Lagann:
Pierce the heavens in 3D! This epic show just got even more so (Yoko in 3D. *drool)

Samurai 7:
And finally, we have one of the most expensive anime ever produced. If you've already seen the show then you can just imagine what some of these battle sequences would look like in 3D.

Think 3D anime would be a good thing? A bad thing? What shows would you, or would you not (*cough* Dragonaut *cough*), want to see? Feel free to leave a comment!

DVD Review: Linebarrels of Iron Part 1

2010-02-21T19:32:00.008-05:00

Just say no. I'm not talking about drugs (though those are bad too, okay?), I'm talking about Linebarrels of Iron.

This latest effort from Gonzo is aimed at a subsection of anime fans who love giant mech shows and fanservice, of which I consider myself a member. This particular series made its debut in manga format in 2005 and was turned into an animation a few years later. With 24 episodes in all FUNimation has decided to release the series in a two-part 12 episode apiece format.

Linebarrels of Iron starts out by introducing us to the main character in the series, Kouichi Hayase. Despite how he feels inside, Kouichi is about as useless as they come. He's a punching bag for bullies, never stands up for himself, and constantly has to rely on his two best friends, Yajima and Risako. All around he's a very weak character and one day when he's on a quick errand for some bullies to stave off a beating he's killed. Now, when I say killed I mean giant-mech-crash-landing-from-space-on-top-of-him killed. You don't get a much more unlucky than that.
The pilot of this giant mech, Emi Kizaki, uses its powers to resurrect Kouichi and save his life. Doing so meant that the boy became what's known as a Factor and his life would forever be tied to the fate of the machine, Linebarrel. The two are soon put under the watchful eye of an organization named JUDA and chased relentless by a group known as Katou. Needless to say there's a lot of giant mecha battles and destruction that follows.

While the action in this series is absolutely incredible, the rest of it unfortunately is not. For his part Kouichi is without a doubt one of the worst protagonists I have ever seen. He's whiny and pathetic at the beginning, and once he's bestowed with powers that make him inhuman he does a complete 180. At that point he constantly runs around claiming to be a "champion of justice", but in reality he just becomes a giant douche-bag. His cockiness grows to such an extent that he alienates his friends and doesn't care that he's causing just as much damage to those around him as his enemies. The show matures his character a little as it moves forward, but considering he's such an ass at the beginning it's hard to shake that image.

Making matters worse is the fact that the support cast does nothing to alleviate the headache of watching Kouichi. Emi is too quiet and useless, Yajima is level-headed but not used enough, Risako is nearly as winy as Kouichi, and the rest of the cast from allies to villains fits one stereotype or another. There's just nobody in the cast that stands out for positive reasons and the only person who is mildly interesting is Moritsugu, who heads up the special task force at JUDA.
Aside from the flaws of the cast of characters, the story that backs Linebarrels of Iron isn't outstanding either. Once the show gets going and starts following Kouichi it meanders about for a while with one goofy episode after another. Several episodic staples are included here and they really hinder enjoyment of the show. However, I must say that the core setup revolving around the history of the world, how the mechs came around, and what Katou is after truly stands out. The series has a fascinating background and the lackluster elements that surround it truly make it pop, so I guess that's one saving grace.

Ultimately Linebarrels of Iron is just an average (sometimes below) anime series. There are some things this show does very well. The animation is stellar, mech battles look great, character designs are attractive (did I mention an abundance of fan-service?), and the setting for the series holds a lot of promise. Unfortunately the characters are absolutely terrible and the show fumbles the ball far too many times in these twelve episodes. Diehard mech fans may want to rent it to see what it's all about, but everyone else can just skip it.
Linebarrels of Iron is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. The show is bright, colorful, and maintains the level of animation and design quality you'd expect from a Gonzo production. All around this is a solid looking piece of eye-candy. It sounds pretty good as well with English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 tracks. The English obviously kicks it up a notch where action is concerned, but the Japanese is probably the better of the two with regards to dub quality. As far as bonus features on this collection some original Japanese TV spots are included here as well as trailers, clean animations, a music video, and a promotional video. A commentary track is available for the sixth episode and it does a pretty good job of letting you in on the personality of the cast.

Linebarrels of Iron just isn't off to a great start. The first 12 episodes of this series waste a lot of time and things don't really get interesting until the last episode here. It's very generic in many regards and Kouichi is without a doubt the worst "hero" in an anime in recent memory. The action is great, the production values are solid, and the background is interesting, but aside from those points this one is a huge letdown. I say skip it.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation.

Manga Review: Alice in the Country of Hearts Volume 1

2010-02-21T19:26:00.005-05:00

With the upcoming Tim Burton film it would seem that attention has been drawn once again to Alice in Wonderland. In the case of the manga world Alice in the Country of Hearts (Wonderful Wonder World) was released in Japan in 2008. This creative, very Japanese spin on the classic tale by Lewis Carroll is quite unlike any iteration you've seen before. It's dynamic from the start and keeps you guessing as the pages unfold. I dare say Tokyopop has a hit on their hands, but we'll have to see how the story pans out in future volumes.

Alice in the Country of Hearts was written by QuinRose and illustrated by Soumei Hoshino. The back of the book offers up the following description:

"Wonderland is officially at war! And Alice is trapped in the middle of it all. Will she make it out alive? A little arrogant, stubborn, and determined to get back home, Alice isn't fazed by these challenges...until she discovers that every man is gun crazy and weirdly in love with her. What's going on in Wonderland?!"

Quite honestly the description does a decent enough job of loosely filling you in on what's going on here. As one might expect there's much more to the story than meets the eye and exploring the book through Alice's perspective is much more engaging than one would think.

It all begins with Alice taking a nap in the yard only to be interrupted by her sister. There's talk about games, cards, and a book that's both a fairy tale and novel. Soon enough Alice falls back asleep only to be scooped up by a tall gentleman with rabbit ears named Peter White. Peter carries Alice to a giant chasm nearby and jumps in, essentially kidnapping her. Upon landing he forces Alice to take some "medicine" which is basically something that keeps her in this Wonderland until her game is complete. What's her game you may ask? Well, basically she has to refill the bottle by making friends with people all around the land and she can't leave until the vial is full once again. Weird, I know, but just go with it.

Shortly after arriving in Wonderland she stumbles upon the Hatter's mansion and is greeted by his guards, Dee and Dum. Narrowly escaping the encounter Alice roams the land in search of anyone who could help her and comes across a Clocktower run by a guy named Julius. He explains that Wonderland is in the midst of a three-part war. The Hatter's realm, the Queen of Heart's kingdom, and an amusement park land run by some guy named Mary Gowland are all at odds with each other. Heading into these territories is dangerous for anyone, let alone an outsider like Alice. Despite this, as the story moves forward Alice finds herself meeting people from all three lands and eventually coming to know their dignitaries.

Alice in the Country of Hearts has so much more to offer than just watching Alice wander around and meet people. The line of reality begins to blur as Alice comes to the realization that she must be dreaming, and yet somehow she can fall asleep inside her own dream. Adding to that is the fact that as part of her game, and her desire, everyone in Wonderland must fall in love with her. Faces begin to look familiar to her and the whole thing feels like an exploration of her subconscious. It's delightfully twisted in many ways and is really quite engaging in this first volume.

One thing to take away from reading this introductory installment of Alice in the Country of Hearts is just how gorgeous the book is. Hoshino's art style is certainly dynamic in every way. From the backgrounds to characters the designs are gorgeous and everything stands out. Alice, Hatter, Peter, the Queen of Hearts, and even Dee and Dum are all sharp looking and somehow different than you'd expect. The translation is decent though there were some typos in the book that stood out, as well as other pieces of conversation that didn't seem quite right.

If you're looking for a new manga to sink your teeth into and you like the story of Alice in Wonderland, then Alice in the Country of Hearts will be your new favorite book. It's intriguing, entertaining, and mysterious all at the same time. It reinvents a classic with new energy, and that's something that's tough to do. Bring on the second volume!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop. Alice in the Country of Hearts is rated OT (Older Teen 16+) for Mild Sexuality, Mild Violence, and Moderate Gore.

Eroge Game Review: Yume Miru Kusuri

2010-02-19T14:17:00.011-05:00

Hey guys! Once again we have an eroge PC game for review. This time around it's Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream by Ruf. Originally released in Japan in 2005 this visual novel took a while to make its way to the States, but it received an English translation by Peach Princess. Like most other eroge visual novels Yume Miru Kusuri is rated 18+ and contains adult content.
Similar to other entries in the visual novel genre Yume Miru Kusuri puts you in the shoes of a male character on the verge of an adventure in relationships and sex. The content of the story is quite captivating at times, and quite cheesy at others, but throughout it you are given a sense of control over some of the events. For instance at various points you will be presented with options like what to do, where to go, or who to hang out with. Each results in a different path, though they all converge on a larger storyline.

The story follows Kouhei Kagami, who is your average Japanese school student with solid grades, friends, and such. Like most kids his age Kouhei feels a little on the lost side and though he's surrounded by people, he feels lonely to an extent. When Kouhei meets three girls who all share similar feelings about the world their destinies collide and their fates get tied together. As the story progresses Kouhei must choose between the three girls and decide what relationships he wants to pursue. I know this doesn't sound very different from other visual novels, and in some sense it's not, but the characters all stand out in unique ways and the manner with which the story draws you in can be quite captivating at times.
The success of Yume Miru Kusuri hinges solely on the quality of the character development. Things start out lighthearted enough with each of the girls (and with Kouhei for that matter), but soon enough the sense of drama increases and even heads down some dark paths depending on your choices.

The girls here are the quiet and isolated Aeka, the student council president Mizuki, and the bizarre fantastical cat girl Nekoko. How you meet each girl is a set part of the story, but how relationships develop is most entirely up to you. You essentially pick which girl you want to be with and from there the game takes you down many paths. In fact there are two different endings for each girl (a good and a bad) and in the end you're looking at six total conclusions to the game. Naturally that warrants many play-throughs and it's a testament to the quality of the game overall that this never gets tedious.
The game lasts a while too and is on par with the average length of a visual novel, meaning you can expect many late nights and a loss of sleep as you go through "just one more scene" before bed. It's a rewarding experience and one that keeps you coming back. One could say that's the real "drug" behind A Drug That Makes You Dream. With that being said if you haven't experienced a visual novel before or are looking for anything resembling gameplay you're going to be disappointed. It's just not here, and frankly it shouldn’t be.

Like many of the most successful visual novels Yume Miru Kusuri features some absolutely stunning imagery. The artwork by Haimura Kiyotaka is gorgeous on every level. It's detailed, vibrantly colorful, and all designs from the characters to the backgrounds truly stand out. Next to Princess Waltz this is one of the most beautiful visual novels I've ever experienced. Adding to that presentational quality is sound outstanding voice work quality and a soundtrack that is utterly captivating. It's a complete package that speaks highly to the production values.

Yume Miru Kusuri comes with Japanese dialogue and English subtitles.
The writing is good as well and the English translation provided with this game is nearly flawless. With that being said there are some lines that just don't need to be there and stand out as being awkward. One presumes these were a part of the original title and therefore a part of the script. There's nothing glaring, mind you, but if you're getting into a conversation you'll sometimes be tripped up over silly statements and off-wording.
Now, what about the sex? Of course that's one of the reasons you are interested in picking up this game, right? The game offers many scenes with each of the girls and all of them stand out as being more erotic than hardcore. There's nothing too kinky here and the action feels just right somehow based on the relationships you develop. Once you complete each scene that particular one becomes available through the Event viewer in the Extras menu. To that end there are is also a CG viewer and music selection as well in the same menu.
From start to finish Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream is an incredible visual novel. It features a captivating story with several dark, dramatic moments in the latter parts of the tale. The characters are extremely well-developed and you'll want to play through multiple times just to experience what each has to offer. The script holds some lame lines sometimes, but that's really the only flaw here. If you're in the market for a new eroga PC title then this one comes highly recommended!

Maki Rating:

Yume Miru Kusuri: A Drug That Makes You Dream is available through the website that consists of epic win: Jlist. The costs are $34.95 for the DVD-ROM and $29.95 for a download.

Review material provided by Jlist.

Eroge Game Review: Princess Waltz

2010-02-11T01:00:00.012-05:00

Originally released in Japan in 2006, Princess Waltz is an eroge Visual Novel published by Pulltop. The game proved to be a success overseas and in 2008 it was brought to our shores by Peach Princess. Like most eroge PC titles, Princess Waltz is rated 18+ and contains adult themes.

Princess Waltz takes place in something of an alternate reality that infuses a fantasy world and our own. What exactly is a princess waltz? Well, basically some princesses from the fantasy world of Eldelant duel (waltz) for the opportunity to become queen and ascend to the throne. Their dangerous dance is coming to our world and as Fukamori Arata you unwittingly get swept up in these events when a pretty new transfer student named Chris comes to town.
Soon enough Princess Waltz throws Arata right into the thick of it with magical princess transformations, huge monsters to battle, and plenty of danger at every turn. He used to be your average high school student, but now he's merging with princesses and fighting demons in alternate versions of our own world. With this kind of background the plot gets a little convoluted at times, but the script is quite good and you won't be lost along the way. There are plenty of characters to get to know, plot twists that take you by surprise, and by the time all is said and done you'll feel endeared by this world.
With that being said Princess Waltz's story lasts a long, long time. It was much longer than I was expecting it would be and in all honesty I'd equate the length it takes to get through the story to the average time it takes to beat a modern RPG. Granted a lot of time is spent on a few unnecessary plots and dragged out cut scenes, but those are minor complaints in the grand scheme of things. Really the only drawback with regards to the story in this game is the fact that it's entirely linear. There's no choice on your part whatsoever and you're kind of just along for the ride. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but some semblance of control could have gone a long way to rounding out the experience.

In fact that only real control you have over the game come in two parts: the combat system and the romance system.
On the combat side of things there will occasionally be breaks in the story that force you to fight against one monster or another. This is handled via a gameplay mechanic that is very similar to collectable card games. Basically there are blue, red, and green cards with attack values on them. They stack up against each other in a rock, paper, scissors format with attributes and bonus being applied to whatever color trumps the other.

Battles are broken up into two rounds. The first essentially determines who will be on the offensive. If your cards total more than your opponents then in the next round you'll be able to attack and vice versa. It's simple enough and all you're trying to do is lay out cards with higher value than your opponent on each turn. Adding some complexity to this system is the availability of skills that can be used offensively or defensively. In order to win you simply need to cause enough damage to your opponent to reduce their hit points to zero.
Quite honestly the combat system is very straightforward and simple. The game adds layers of complexity to it as you move forward, but the problem is that just as soon as you feel you get the hang of it, the game ends. More of a tutorial or more opportunity to battle would have been greatly appreciated. As it stands it serve as a nice break in the monotony of watching cut-scenes, but almost feels tacked on to a degree.

The romance angle comes later in the second chapter. While you get to conquest one character in the first chapter of the story, the second allows you to select a princess to carry your seed towards the end. Doing so unlocks a sex scene for you to watch, and if you have the time, or inclination, you may want to create a separate save at the point you make your first selection so you can unlock the other scenes. These are available through the extras menu from the title screen. The quality of these varies greatly. Some are fantastic while others aren't really worth the effort. Also available through the extras menu are a gorgeous collection of CGs and a full selection of music from the game.
Gameplay and story aside, the one thing that stands out most about Princess Waltz is the presentation quality. Not only does the game sound great with a vast amount of voice acting, awesome music, and solid sound effects, but it's just about one of the best looking visual novels you'll ever see. The art design is second to none and each panel is a sight to behold. The artwork is vibrant and very attractive as you can see from the screenshots I've included with this review. The producers of this game truly outdid themselves and I'd love to see more from this series in the future.

For reference Princess Waltz comes with Japanese dialogue and English subtitles.
If you're in the market for an eroge visual novel then by all means check Princess Waltz out! The story is fantastic from start to finish, the characters are endearing, there's a great deal of humor, and the action is solid as well. Sure sex isn't really the main focus by any stretch of the imagination, but the artwork and sound offer plenty of ecchi bits to titillate you in that sense. This is a solid title all around and definitely worth the cost of admission.

Maki Rating:

Princess Waltz is currently available through the always awesome J-list for $39.95.

Review material provided by Jlist.

Manga Review: Samurai Harem Volume 3

2010-02-09T10:19:00.003-05:00

Created by Yu Minamoto, Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi originally came out in Japan in 2006. The manga became a success and went on to garner more than ten volumes and even found itself animated a couple years later. Tokyopop got a hold of the license for release here in the States and they recently released the third installment.

True to its name Samurai Harem is basically a harem comedy. It features a nearly solitary male lead named Yoichi, who finds himself surrounded by beautiful girls everywhere he looks. Naturally awkward situations and fan-service rules apply, so if you have an affinity for dirty minded manga then by all means this is one for you. After all the book is rated Mature "Ages 18+" thanks to Moderate Sexuality, Non-Sexual Full-Body Nudity, Explicit Fanservice, and Mild Violence. In other words it's right up my alley!

In the third volume of Samurai Harem Yoichi and the girls head to an island resort for an all expenses paid vacation. This gives ample time for bikini shots, breast groping, and other awkward situations that end with Yoichi getting punched, slapped, or beaten into oblivion. It's a standard use of the humor and there's more eye-candy than story at the beginning, but it's all in good fun. There's a bit of a mystery surrounding Kagome's character and she simply doesn't want to go into the water for two reasons: she can't swim and her breasts are much larger than anyone expected.

In the second chapter of the book our heroes make their way to a hot-springs resort and find a place to relax. Unfortunately that’s short-lived as a story about a haunted cave surfaces and Ukyo and Sakon reveal themselves as masterminds of a nefarious trap. There are some rather entertaining moments here and ultimately the villain's trap blows up in their face. Ukyo's desire for Ikaruga gets the better of him and Sakon's disguise fails to fool both Yoichi and Ikaruga, though it's quite a sneaky thing to do.

After the bit that takes place in the cave it turns out that Ukyo and Sakon aren't quite done with the group. There're more traps to be sprung and a plot that involves Ryo making his way to the island to express his love for Ikaruga. Before this volume comes to a close it heads down some familiar territory with a traditional festival done in a way that only Samurai Harem could.

If you've seen Samurai Harem before then you already know what to expect in terms of both story, sense of humor, and Minamoto's art style. In so many ways the designs of this book truly stand out and both the characters and backgrounds are simply drop dead gorgeous. The expressions of the characters, the sense of action, the detail in clothing, and even the larger-than-life female forms are quite eye catching. Who would have thought that young teenage girls would be this voluptuous? Apparently Minamoto did.

From start to finish Samurai Harem: Asu no Yoichi volume three is full of laughs and plenty of action. The fan-service appeal, vibrant characters, and entertaining story stand out in many ways. If you read the first two books then this third installment should be a no-brainer. However, if you're new to the manga you'll definitely want to check out the first volume to see if it's your cup of tea. We've seen franchises like this before, and it's safe to say that they are an acquired taste.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop.

DVD Review: Naruto Shippuden Box Set 1

2010-02-04T21:45:00.006-05:00

In the world of anime there are just some franchises that stand out and develop more of a following than others. Shows like Dragon Ball and One Piece are prime examples of that, but when you're talking about series of that magnitude you'd be missing the buck if you didn't bring up Naruto.

In case you're unfamiliar with Naruto all you really need to know is that it's about a world of ninjas where villages set apart and use various skills to assert themselves in the ranks of their peers. Years ago a deadly Fox Demon tore apart Konoha Village, and their leader sacrificed his life to seal the demon within the body of a baby boy. Now that he's grown up Naruto has found himself shunned by those around him and he's become brash, obnoxious, and powerful all at the same time. He eventually makes several friends and is inevitably betrayed by Sasuke, who is on a quest for power and vengeance. Their rivalry is a driving force that backs the show and right up to the end it's something that defines the characters and those around them.

With over 200 episodes and several movies the first Naruto series killed the anime charts and the original manga was even more successful. After some time the show got ahead of where the manga was and kicked it into neutral with filler episodes and absolutely no development whatsoever. Thankfully Shippuden corrected that.

The sequel, Naruto Shippuden, took the franchise ahead by a couple of years. Naruto was no longer considered an immature kid, but instead he has become an immature teenager. With new abilities, an improved sense of self on the battlefield, and more resemblance to that Hokage he desires to be, Naruto was once again a force to be reckoned with. One of the most striking things about Shippuden at the beginning is just how much he has/hasn't changed since we last saw him. Not only has Naruto matured, but the world around him has grown as well. Sakura is deadlier, Rock is more of a badass, Gaara is the leader of the Sand Village, and all over the place there were several nice touches added here.
For a little while now VIZ has been releasing Naruto Shippuden with individual volumes was something of a source of frustration for fans of the franchise. After all, VIZ's treatment of the uncut version of Naruto was stellar with a colorful array of boxed sets featuring multiple episodes and three discs worth of content. Going from boxed sets such as that to single discs with four episodes felt like a massive letdown. Thankfully it was soon announced that an Original & Uncut box would be released of Shippuden and that's what we have in hands today. Like the other treatments from VIZ this set includes three discs and 13 episodes and finally gives fans a nice chunk of Naruto all at once.

The set opens up and reintroduces us back into the world of Naruto and his ninja brethren. Right off the bat Lady Tsunade wants to see how far Naruto and Sakura have come, so she pits them in a battle against Kakashi-sensei. This instance included some nice throwbacks to the first training mission the two had with Sasuke and provided ample opportunity for flashbacks to the start of their friendship.

It hasn't been that long since we saw Konoha, but it's nice to watch as the show catches viewers up to speed on what's changed in the village these past couple of years. We see a lot of these examples through Naruto's eyes as he bumps into old friends and checks out how the place has evolved. Fans will recall that he's been away training with Jiraiya so he simply hasn't been around.

Once the immersion back into the world is over and done with Gaara finds himself in a bit of hot water. It would seem that the Akatsuki (the main villains of the series) have been on the move and they've set their sights on Gaara for some reason. A couple of Akatsuki agents are sent to the Sand Village to capture him and what transpires for nearly the entirety of this installment is the rescue efforts. Old friends and foes come together to save Gaara and throughout it's revealed that the Akatsuki are seeking Naruto as well. Could this all be part of a clever ruse to get both prizes at the same time?

By the time the first set is over you'll be itching for the next. The first thirteen episodes have several cool moments and they really take us back to many highlights of the first season. With that being said there are still many extraneous pieces in each episode and things could have been much tighter. This isn't a byproduct of VIZ's transfer, but rather of the original production itself. The show is just filled with flashbacks, recaps, and recycled pieces of animation. Nestled in between is a solid experience and one that's definitely worth undertaking by fans of the original.
Naruto Shippuden lands on DVD with a 1.33:1 fullframe aspect ratio. The show looks very similar to the original in terms of technical aspects of the transfer. There's a light amount of grain, but the picture is solid all around with a great vibrancy and clarity. The lack of a widescreen presentation for this sequel is a bit disappointing, but coming from the original it's not too much of a letdown. English and Japanese 2.0 stereo are the audio options that are available on this boxed set. As far as the cast is concerned it's worth noting that most of the actors sound exactly the same and the tracks are on par with expectations. The technical quality is a little on the flat side, but it strikes up a decent balance that sounds exactly like the first series.

On the individual disc release for these episodes there were no bonus features aside from some trailers. For this boxed set though, there are actually three to take a look at. These are included on the third disc of the set and are actually more substantial than what we saw with the first series. "Voice Actor Featurette: Return of a Ninja" (14:34) is an English feature that looks at the American cast of voice actors. It's entertaining and the cast stands out as very upbeat. To say they fit their roles perfectly would be an understatement. "Relationship Chart: Team Kakashi" is a bit redundant of a feature and it's just textual information about how Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura all relate to each other. And finally there's a production art gallery with fifteen black and white sketches to click through.

Experiencing Naruto Shippuden as a boxed set with 13 episodes was far better than taking it a handful of episodes at a time. Fans of Naruto that held off should consider this set highly recommended, but those who picked up the individual discs have a tough decision. The bonus features are a welcome addition, but hardly a deal breaker. It all comes down to how you want the show to stack up next to the original on your DVD shelf. Either way the series is very entertaining so far and holds a lot of promise, so in that sense Shippuden is a must have.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by VIZ.

Manga Review: Fate/Stay Night Volume 6

2010-02-04T13:26:00.003-05:00

Fate/Stay Night was one hell of a show. The series hit America a couple years ago as a Geneon licensed anime, but since then has fallen into FUNimation's hands for distribution. Thank goodness, because this is one franchise that absolutely should not fall into obscurity. While the animated line was a success, the book form has been doing well for itself too. Tokyopop has been translating and releasing the manga for a while now and recently the sixth installment hit store shelves.

In case you're unfamiliar with the series it all follows the exploits of a young man named Shiro. He unwittingly comes to posses something known as a Magic Circuit and becomes embroiled in events far greater than he ever could have imagined. Basically there is magic out there and people with this skill can summon beings known as Servants, who fight for their masters in an effort to win the battle for the Holy Grail. There's more to it than that, but part of the joy of this series is uncovering some of the basics. All you really need to know is that Shiro doesn't want anyone to fight and die. He commands his servant, Saber, to spare life whenever possible and does what he can to ensure that he is able to take care of himself. In the sixth installment what he has learned and his ideals are put to the test.

At the start of this volume Tosaka and Archer are locked in battle with Shinji and Rider. There's a big bad barrier up around the school and Shinji is up to some dark, demented things to he has to be stopped. While their battle wages on for some time, Shiro and Saber eventually step in to attempt a resolution to the fighting and make Shinji see the error of his ways. Naturally this doesn't happen. Rider and Saber battle it out while Tosaka feels betrayed by Shiro. The battle is put on the afterburner for some time when Rider and Shinji flee, but these events could have lasting ramifications on Shinji's relationship with Tosaka.

Eventually the bits of action pick back up as Shinji makes a move to a much more populated area to cause more damage. Saber and Rider go at it again in a massive fight that sees a lot of destruction, but we get the chance to see Shiro show was he's learned against Shinji. He even gets to the point where he's doing well within the fight, but a surprise attack from Rider changes the tempo a bit. The whole thing ends with a big epic attack that will leave readers wanting to see the resolution in the next installment.

Quite honestly there's not much else that happens in this volume apart from the battle between Shinji, Shiro, and their servants. Because of that it feels like there's very little development. The book also tends to be over before you know it. A few minutes with it will put you at or beyond the halfway point and that's a little disappointing. If you want to savor the book and take in more of the world you're going to have to wait because it's all action from the first page to the last. Not that there's anything wrong with that, really.

Once again the artwork provided by Dat Nishiwaki is absolutely incredible on every single page. All of the character designs pop and you truly get a sense of the action that's taking place here. The backgrounds in particular stand out and there's a great deal of detail in their destruction. The translation is also solid, though in fairness this isn't a particularly wordy installment.

Fate/Stay Night is one of my favorite anime series and the manga stands out at an equal level. Tokyopop has done a great job with the series with their English release, and I can't wait to see what comes in the following installments. With that being said this particular one is all about action and there's very little with regards to actual plot. It's a light read and it's a quick one, but fans of the series will appreciate every panel. This is yet another fine volume and if the book is anything like the anime then it only gets better from here!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Tokyopop.

Manga Review: Natsume's Book of Friends

2010-02-02T22:38:00.003-05:00

Natsume's Book of Friends is one of VIZ's latest releases and dare I say it's one of the best manga I've read in a while. The book, which was created by Yuki Midoikawa, was released in Japan in 2005 and since then nine volumes have come out. There's been an anime too, though no American licensor has picked it up for release here quite yet. It took over four years for the manga to make its way to our shores, and I dare say that the wait was well worth it.

Taking place in modern day Japan Natsume's Book of Friends follows the life and times of Takashi Natsume. Takashi is a bit of a loner and tends to move from place to place without family (or friends for that matter). He's always been viewed as something of an odd duck and this is mostly attributed to his random freak-outs and spastic reactions to nothing. Little do most people realize that Takashi has a rare ability, the power to see spirits and demons known as Yokai. If you were to open a door and see a one-eyed monster licking its chops at you, you'd probably run the other way as well. To say that Takashi has looked upon this power as a curse would be an understatement, but he soon discovers that it's an ability that has its uses with the proper application.

While on the run from some hungry and persistent Yokai Takashi inadvertently breaks a rope (Kekkai) that was used to seal in yet another Yokai. This spirit appears as a cute porcelain cat named Nyanko Sensei, but it's merely the form it chooses to use for humans because in reality this kitty is a fearful monstrosity. It's soon revealed that Takashi smells like a woman named Reiko Natsume, who happened to be his grandmother. Since young Takashi doesn't really know his family, he's naturally struck by this and even more so when the cat spirit tells him about Reiko's incredible powers over Yokai.

The pieces slowly begin to connect under the advisement of Nyanko. Basically Reiko could not only see Yokai, but entered duals with them in an effort to get their name collected in a book. Once a name was in the book it belonged to Reiko and the spirit could no longer act by themselves or against her will. Naturally this was a fearful thing for Yokai, and since Takashi smells like Reiko they are tracking him down to get their names back or kill him, whichever is easiest. Nyanko is different though, his name is apparently not in the book, but he makes a deal with Takashi to travel with him and collect the book when he dies.

Death may come sooner than one might think considering Nyanko constantly makes comments about how weak Takashi is and how easy it would be to eat him. In one chapter Takashi wakes up from sleeping to find his head in Nyanko's mouth. It's hilarious, yet not because it forces the kid to stay on his toes at all times. This basically makes him more formidable and you can see his development throughout the course of this first installment.

The whole point of Natsume's Book of Friends is to introduce us to the various Yokai trying to get their names back. Takashi is more than happy to oblige, but it's very taxing and dangerous for him. In this book we receive four chapters, and all are quite good. The one that stands out the most involves a Dew God who is down to his last follower. There are many moments in this story that really show Takashi's maturity for someone his age.

The artwork in Natsume's Book of Friends is quite good as well. Yuki Midorikawa's designs are quite detailed and every panel is a feast for the eyes. Some of the Yokai tend to look alike, but there are a few that really stand out. The backgrounds are handled nicely and the character expressions are great. There are also some notes included throughout the book from Yuki and some reference material to some of the terminology in the back.

From the first page to the last Natsume's Book of Friends is a very entertaining read. It's original, looks great, and contains just the right balance of humor, drama, and development. I'm really looking forward to the second volume and hope the anime gets licensed. This one has the makings of a hit and VIZ's first release should be considered highly recommended.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by VIZ.

Figure Review: Celestia (Shining Wind)

2010-01-27T23:34:00.016-05:00

The Shining series of video games has been quite popular for some time now. While not every installment of SEGA's venerable action-RPG series has made its way to the States, the fact that titles are still being released in Japan speaks volumes. Not only that, but Kotobukiya's lineup of figures from the series is quite popular as well. I mean, just look at how many figures they've released over the years.

Primarily that line of figures is from Shining Wind, which was a 2007 title for the PlayStation 2. The latest release from Kotobukiya in this lineup is Celestia, who happens to be the elven queen of Astria - also known as "The Eternal Forest’s Chanting". Her character plays a pivotal role within the story, and it's only fitting that a queen get the royal treatment when it comes to her figure, right?

Sculpted by Shou Kojima, Celestia is made of PVC plastic and measures 1/8th scale. She retails for $59.99 and can be found on Kotobukiya's English store: http://store.kotous.com/shining-wind-celestia-anistatue.html

The Packaging:

As you can tell, Celestia comes in a window box with character artwork from Tony Taka gracing the front and back. Note the cutout of Lassi on the sides of the packaging. This package includes Celestia, Lassi, a book, and a felt stand for all three to sit on.

The Figure:

First off, I just want to mention how strikingly gorgeous this figure is. Kojima-san did one heck of a job on the details and it mirrors Taka-san's drawing in almost every detail. Being an elf queen, you'd expect Celestia to look very regal and this figure achieves just that. I found the pose to be quite appropriate and there is just something peaceful about the way she's sitting. One could almost picture her under a forest canopy reading her book with Lassi close to her.

That's the figure as it's meant to be displayed out of the box, but there are some customizable elements to her. Unfortunately the pose is not one of the things you can change, but her torso separates from her bottom half to all access to her green dress and white skirt. Both can be removed easily and hidden beneath are some white panties, should you prefer to display her that way.

No matter how you choose to display Celestia, she's going to look great on your shelf of figures. Apart from the overall appearance of the figure, some of the details that stand out are the light tattoo on her forehead, the etchings on her outfit, and the tranquil colors that were used in the design. The greens from her dress smoothly transition into the yellows of her top and golden hair. This makes the eyes contrast nicely and stand out even more.

The overall build is quite solid and there were only a couple of chips here and there (one on a strand of Celestia's hair and another on Lassi's right ear). Neither was glaring by any means and overall the quality control department at Kotobukiya gets a big thumbs up! This figure is a major bargain for the asking price and it's definitely one fans of Shining Wind simply must buy!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Kotobukiya.

Figure Preview: Vanessa - King of Fighters

2010-01-18T04:33:00.000-05:00

More figure shelf filler! This time around Yamato Toys has announced a new addition to the King of Fighters lineup with their release of Vanessa. If you're a fan of the series then you'll know that this character debuted in King of Fighters 2000 and contrasted the young roster quite nicely. While most fighting game characters have rather shall we say, eclectic, origins, Vanessa takes the cake in some regards. She's basically an older housewife who doubles as a mercenary on the side.

Yamato's new PVC figure faithfully represents the character and all her "assets". For those interested here are some preview pictures:

Vanessa stands approximately 12" tall (1/6 scale) and comes with an MSRP of $112. She's set to release around April/May of 2010 and should fit nicely in any King of Fighters fan's collection.

DVD Review: Tears to Tiara Collection 1

2010-01-17T13:57:00.004-05:00

Tears to Tiara isn't the most unique show in the world. Like so many other shows this one evolved from a PC ero-game, which happened to have caught on enough to warrant an animated version. We've seen it several times before and I'm sure anime publishers aren't going to stop looking to PC games for releases any time soon. Generally speaking that's a fine thing, but I must admit that not every endeavor of this sort is met with success. Quality is often hit or miss. Thankfully, in the case of Tears to Tiara, the good certainly outweighs the bad.

For all intents and purposes Tears to Tiara is a very straightforward, and one might argue generic, entry in the fantasy genre. All the staples are here from an ancient land with rich history that involves elves, dwarves, and what have you to magic users, sword wielders, and an ancient demon returning to the world. Many of the trappings will be instantly familiar to anyone that has watched anything such as Record of Lodoss War, Utawarerumono, or even Tower of Druaga. Granted Tears to Tiara marches to the beat of a different drummer, but many of the staples are there.

The show takes place at an undisclosed point in time on a world that has seen many changes and ages. This place has gone through the age of elves, dragons, dwarves, and names of some various metals, but for the purposes of this series we find ourselves in the Iron Age, or the Age of Humans as it were. Not much is revealed about the history of what's going on here, and in all fairness there's not much in the way of revelation about where the series is going by the end of this thirteen episode installment. It's a rather cryptic show with a lot of "legend says" and mythology that is just kind of dropped out of the blue. It's not such a bad thing, but more references in these episodes would definitely have gone a long way to fleshing out the world.

Basically the story in Tears to Tiara focuses on events that surround a village of a people known as the Gael. The chieftain's daughter, Riannon, happens to have a drop of elven blood in her so she's regarded as a person of significance when it comes to ritual sacrifices in the name of divinity. At least that's what a traveling priest and his sizeable forces would have you believe. He arrives in the Gael village to pillage and burn it down, but his ultimate goal is to get his hands on Riannon. She's to be used in a ritual to revive the Demon King, Arawn, and bring about the destruction of the world. Charming, huh?

While Riannon is in the priest's custody her brother, Arthur, assembles the troops and charges off to rescue her. He arrives a tad late and finds that the ritual is already underway, but before Riannon can be sacrificed a series of events is set into motion that proves to be rather unexpected. Arawn does indeed come back in mortal form, but rather than serve the priest and launch his destruction campaign he winds up saving Riannon from danger. This prompts Riannon to claim Arawn as her husband, thus making him the Gael's new chieftain. Naturally this doesn't sit well with Arthur, but he's not quite a match for Arawn. Just imagine the good times that would come from being lead by the king of all demons.

Throughout this volume Tears to Tiara explores each of its main character's backgrounds and relationships. What it basically boils down to Arawn doesn't seem like that bad of a guy and he keeps alluding to humans gave him a title, so that is what he must be. He's undoubtedly the center of attention for the show and a running gag is the collection of wives he amasses from the moment he appears in the world. Riannon is almost too goodie goodie for her own good(ie), Arthur is gungho and comes off as one-dimensional at times, and Morgan is the spunky eye-candy who is rather boyish thanks to many of her mannerisms. There is also a great deal of enemies as well and a few characters stand out such as Gaius and the rest of the Divine Empire's henchmen.

Tears to Tiara is presented on DVD witha 1.78:1 anamorphic aspect ratio. The show looks very good with some fine quality all around, sharpness, and bright colors. There is some grain to contend with, but it's never to the point it's very distracting. The audio presentation for Tears to Tiara doesn't really pop as much as it could have. The Japanese 2.0 track is realtively flat, there's no English selection, and all around the series just sounds fair, never great. Clean animations and trailers are all that make the grade here for bonus features.

Tears to Tiara is a charming show at times and though it plays it fairly safe, it definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer. The story feels like it's building up to something great and the characters receive an incredible amount of fleshing out with these episodes. The cast is large, but one gets the impression that screen time is well balanced so nobody gets lost in the shuffle. That's a feat within itself, though it's fair to say that Arawn steals the show. He's a fascinating protagonist and the other main characters work off him very well. Sentai Filmworks has a good show on their hands and I have to say that I'm really looking forward to the second installment.

Maki Rating:

Figure Preview: Marvel Bishoujo Statues

2010-01-16T23:02:00.007-05:00

Long before I was into anime and manga you could not separate me from my comic books. Spider-Man, Batman, and X-Men were among my most cherished possessions when I was younger. I went for anything having to do with any of anything regarding those comics and to this day I can't tell you how pleased I am that these franchises continue to be revisited. I am, however, surprised at the support from Kotobukiya for fans of American comics. For instance, they've branded a successful segment of figures/statues featuring some of Marvel's best female heroines entitled, Bishoujo (美少女 - beautiful young girl).

While Rogue and Black Widow are already featured in the lineup two more femme fatales are up for pre-order.

The first is Scarlet Witch:

The Scarlet Witch stands 7 1/2 inches tall (1/8 scale) and was sculpted by Koei Matsumoto. Like other bishoujo statues she's made with PVC plastic and will be out in February with an SRP of $64.99.

Next up is (my personal favorite) Psylocke:

Psylocke stands 9 inches tall (1/8 scale) and was sculpted by Yu Ishii. She's also made of PVC plastic and will be available in June with an SRP of $59.99.

Both of these figures are available for pre-order through the KotoUS store or your favorite importer.

Figure Preview: Evangelion duos

2010-01-13T23:58:00.004-05:00

With the recent release of Evangelion: You Are (Not) Alone on DVD (and Blu-ray soon) it's not surprising that Kotobukiya has some figures on the way. Rather than focus on the EVA units or individual characters, collectors can snag pairs of characters at a time. I found the poses for these two releases rather interesting and a bit different than what one would expect. Pictures are worth a thousand words though, so without further delay.

Rei & Asuka - Plug Suit Version

Rei & Asuka measure 8 inches in height and will see release this March with an SRP of $69.99.

Shinji & Kaworu

I do not have measurement details yet on Shinji and Kaworu (though they are 1/8 scale), but one would assume since it's a companion piece it should be roughly the same size as Rei & Asuka. This release hits in March as well with an SRP of $59.99.

Needless to say if you're a Neon Genesis Evangelion fan these figures are right up your alley. Then again, if you're a diehard collector then you may recognize these from a couple of years ago. The original line was so popular that they were lined up for a re-release. Maybe they'll prove to be just as successful?

DVD Review: Eureka Seven Complete Collection Volume 1

2010-01-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I was digging through my collection the other day and pulled out an oldie, but goodie, that I wanted to feature. It's been around for around four years or so and Bandai has done pretty well with the license, but Eureka Seven definitely deserves more attention. Sure it's been on Cartoon Network and yeah there's been a theatrical release of the film, but many of the otaku in my circle haven't actually gotten around to watching it. Blasphemy I say! Blasphemy!

The show takes place on an undisclosed world at a point in time where humanity has unearthed monstrous and ancient machines known as LFO's. Natural changes have occurred through the world and all of the technology seems to run off of tapar, which is an energy of sorts that allows LFO's, boards, and ships to fly. Making matters worse, the tapar often times locked in the ground somewhere and frequent tectonic shifts cause quite a lot of damage when they happen. Cities have been leveled by these events, but in all fairness the militant government that controls the world has done much more damage to the livelihood of people. To that extent there are groups of people who live outside the law by running errands and doing odd jobs for people. One such group is Gekkostate.

Gekkostate is lead by a guy named Holland and consists of a group of talented ex-military types and LFO pilots. They were all part of a squad when they worked for the powers that be, but they became fed up with the military's policies and all the senseless slaughter, so now they enter battle against the organization they used to work for. They have become notorious and people around the globe idolize them for the freedom they embrace. One kid in particular looks up to Holland quite a bit, though he soon realizes that heroes aren't necessarily all they're cracked up to be.

Renton Thurston lives with his grandfather, who professes to being a simple mechanic though there are hints early on in the show that the Thurston name carries some weight. We soon discover that Renton's father, Adroc, is something of a legend. Songs are sung about the man and everyone's jaw drops when they realize that Renton is his heir. There's a bit of a mystery surrounding this connection as well as it becomes quite evident that Renton has a destiny of sorts that is tied together with a girl named Eureka and an LFO known as Nirvash, or Type Zero; the world's oldest LFO.

Since the story follows Renton we see just about all of it from his perspective. He's an average 14 year old, with all the mood swings and hormones that go with it. As such he instantly develops a crush for Eureka, whose odd styles and manners add to a certain mystique about her. Naturally when the opportunity comes to travel with Eureka and his idol Holland, he takes it. Renton joins the ranks of the Gekkostate and from there the mysterious nature about his relationship with Nirvash and Eureka grows. Nothing is really explained in this part, but we do get a lot of fascinating material before episode 26 brings it all to a close. As interesting as all of that is; and trust me when I tell you that it will keep you glued to the set, I found the character relationships and developments here to be the most involved aspect of the show.

Renton grows so much in such a short amount of time. You really get a feel for his character, that he's human and at that age where you're almost an adult but not quite. Eureka gets a boatload of screen time as well and she's every bit as engaging as Renton is as a main character. The other characters in the show all come across as richly developed and human as well. Holland in particular struggles with the responsibilities of leadership, ghosts from the past, and some personal demons. The only thing I didn't like about his character was the fact that he took out all of his anger on Renton, to the point that he continuously beats the kid up, yells at him, and treats him like crap. This isn't so bad a problem later on in the show, but we'll deal with that review when it comes time.

Eureka Seven is presented on DVD with a 1.33:1 full frame aspect ratio as it was produced with in 2005. While the aspect ratio may leave something to be desired, the artwork is striking, fluid, vivid, and attractive. Some blocking is noticeable in parts and there is some aliasing at times. Grain isn't necessarily pervasive but it's visible enough to be noticed in darker sections of the show. The show is presented on DVD with English and Japanese 2.0 stereo tracks. Some of the material comes across as kind of flat, while some of it does have a nice amount of depth. Overall both tracks do a fine job with the material at hand, though if you're looking for something that will work your system you're going to be left wanting. The discs in this collection are recycled form the individual volumes. Each disc contains clean animations and trailers, but the real treat is the fact that they each contain interviews and commentaries with the cast. Some of these selections are quite lively, informative, and very interesting to watch.

As it stands the first 26 episodes of Eureka Seven are downright awesome. I didn't feel that there was a single bad element to anything here and I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish. It's a rich, deep storyline with characters that are memorable and feel real. The constant sense of a mystery just beneath the surface keeps you coming back, and the burgeoning relationship between Renton and Eureka oozes charm. The second part and movie only make the series even better, but if you've never seen the show before definitely give this first part a shot. You'll be glad you did!

Maki Rating:

Blu-ray Review: Ichi

2010-01-11T20:41:00.005-05:00

he Zatoichi series is well-known among lovers of Asian cinema. The tale about a blind swordsman traveling the countryside of Japan and saving villagers is a very old concept indeed. It’s a classic theme and mirrors many of the sentiments found in other samurai films. While there have been many spin-offs and films with this particular ideal, FUNimation’s latest release, Ichi, aims to stand out in a sea of “me too’s”.

Ichi is about a blind woman (Haruka Ayase) of the same name who is traveling the countryside looking for a person from her past. Along the way she gets into one situation or another, but despite her handicap she’s more than capable of taking care of herself. The wooden cane she uses to feel her way around also doubles as a razor sharp sword, and she uses a backhanded technique to slice her way through anyone that gives her trouble or tries to harm her. That seems to happen quite a bit actually, and at the start of the film she finds herself being harassed by some bandits. Lucky for her a wandering ronin named Toma (Takao Ôsawa) happens to come by at the exact same time.

Actually...scratch that last sentence. Toma is the way who actually needs saving when he can’t pull his sword out of its sheath (there’s a bit of a lame story about this, but more on that later). Despite being blind, Ichi slices their assailants to pieces and wanders off on her own to continue searching. Toma follows her, offering to protect her on her journey and complains how she cost him money. Ichi decides to help pay him back in a gambling parlor when they make their way to an inn town, but things take a turn for the worse when bandits confront them claiming Toma was cheating. Ichi kills them all in no time flat and one misunderstanding leads to another and soon enough the villagers think Toma did it and purchase his protection services from the bandit’s leader, Banki (Shido Nakamura).

From this point Ichi goes on to push the story forward in rather predictable ways. I won’t divulge any of the details, but let’s just say if you’re looking at a samurai film with bandits and two heroes I think you can put two and two together. The movie also goes on to work on the relationship between Ichi and Toma in a predictable, safe manner. None of this is necessarily bad, but it does dull the impact of Ichi quite a bit. The overall story is entertaining, though it doesn’t stand out as much as it should.

Lack of originality aside Ichi has some other issues with the film that hold it back. The pace is much slower than one would think with very little in the way of action. Sure there are the random fight scenes and flashbacks here and there, but the bulk of the fighting is saved until the end for the climactic battle against Banki (which is dragged out, oddly enough). The acting is also not very good by most standards. Ayase, for her part, does an incredible job as Ichi. Unfortunately everybody else hams it up. Nakamura as Banki is just a terrible pick. The character becomes such a joke and it takes away from some of the dramatic moments. Some other nitpicks from watching the film include a guy with a wig that looks like it came from Wayne Newton’s closet of wigs and some tacky looking CGI blood.

Ichi is presented on Blu-ray with an anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. The film also hits Blu-ray with a full 1080p resolution with AVC-MPEG4 encoding. The picture quality of the feature is very good with some nice detail and strong use of colors. Shadows and black levels are rich and all around there’s a nice contrast in the picture. There’s a certain crispness to the picture that is welcome and helps to bring out some of the subtler details. With that being said some grain in the background becomes apparent and distracting in a couple of scenes, but these instances are few and far between. Overall this is a solid video package for Ichi.

For audio presentation Ichi comes with Dobly Digital TrueHD 5.1 tracks for both English and Japanese languages. The quality is very good with no flaw on either track. The output for both selections is clean, sharp, and maintains a solid presence on the soundstage. It’s not the most boisterous audio package out there, but it’s more than serviceable and compliments the film well enough. Dialogue is clean and clear, music is booming at times, and the action plays across the channels effectively.

All the bonus features on this Blu-ray of Ichi are presented in 480p and come with Dolby Digital 2.0 for audio, sadly enough. For starters there is a massively comprehensive “Making of” featurette which clocks in at over an hour (1 hr 15 min to be exact). This supplemental includes several behind the scenes shots and commentary from cast and crew as well as an examination of many of the film’s fight scenes. Up next is “VFX Making of” (14:41) which looks at some of the film’s digital effects, though they were hit or miss throughout the film. This feature is a bit on the dry side, but interesting from a technical standpoint. Over seventeen minutes worth of deleted scenes are included on Ichi, thirty minutes worth of interviews at a theater event, original trailers for the film, and some trailers for other FUNimation live-action releases.

Despite the film’s flaws I actually enjoyed Ichi quite a bit. Ayase’s take on the blind swordswoman traveling from village to village is certainly the most compelling component of this film, but there are many fun moments to be had as well. The samurai-saves-the-villagers theme is a little too overplayed, but it’s handled deftly enough despite lacking originality. The climax of the film is relatively dry though and in the end I’d say Ichi is more a middle of the road movie instead of a must-see. Solid A/V quality all around and some great bonus features definitely bolster the overall rating of this Blu-ray. A recommendation for sure, but it’s more for those who love samurai films and want something familiar, yet different.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by FUNimation.

DVD Review: Naruto Shippuden - The Movie

2010-01-11T04:21:00.001-05:00

The original Naruto series finished its run just a little while ago and VIZ has begun releasing the sequel, Shippuden, in case you were unaware. It should be no surprise then that the first Shippuden animated film would find its way to our shores. The first series received several films during its time and I'm sure the same will hold true for the second leg of Naruto's journey.

Much like other anime franchises, Naruto's films felt like extended episodes from the show, just with better animation and slightly more grandiose stories backing the adventure. Some of these have been successful, but for the most part they aren't necessary viewing material for fans, but rather just something else to watch. With that in mind, how does Shippuden's first film stack up?
Originally Naruto Shippuden: The Movie came out in 2007 over in Japan, but since VIZ only recently started releasing the show here in the States it's not surprise that it took a couple of years. After all, what's the point in watching a Shippuden movie if we haven't even received the show yet? If you've been a follower for some time and know the Naruto franchise in and out then you should be pleased to note that this movie in no way messes with the timeline of Shippuden. We've only received a handful of episodes from the series at this point and thankfully there is no spoiler material anywhere in this film.
Naruto Shippuden: The Movie begins rather boldly with the death of Naruto. He's fighting a giant serpent thing and the tide of the battle seems to be going in his favor until he's impaled by a large tentacle. There's a bit of a funeral back at Konoha and from that point the movie launches the title screen and takes you back in time to the point the beginning of the end came about.

Basically what's going on here is nothing surprising to anyone who has watched the show or movies. A big powerful demon is on the verge of being reawakened and if that happens all hell will break loose and the world will come to its end. Rather than fight the throngs of devils head-on, Naruto, Sakura, Neji, and Lee are assigned the special task of guarding a person of great importance. It would appear that a priestess is out there that is the only one who possesses the ability to stop the resurrection and save the world. She also has visions of the future, which is the snippet we saw of Naruto's death.

Along the way minions of the demon try to kill the priestess and prevent Naruto and the rest from achieving their objective and stopping their master. The four minions are pretty powerful and go through many transformations during their battles. They are basically very similar to some of Orochimaru's goons, however, and don't really stand out as being unique or interesting. The same goes for the main villain in the film, who is almost too straightforward and one-dimensional for his own good.
The script here isn't anything special either. The plotline kind of deadpans and it's not very entertaining, and the only thing that really drives the film are its characters. Naruto is an entertaining idiot as always, Sakura, Lee, and Neji are also their usual selves. The priestess is snobby and more like Naruto than anyone would care to admit, but somehow the two play off each other very well. Fights are another big draw here, and though Naruto's name is in the title, I dare say that it's Lee who really steals the show as always.

Naruto Shippuden: The Movie hits DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen presentation. The film is as bright and colorful as the rest of the franchise and the picture quality is just as appealing. There are some moments where light grain is noticeable, but there are no other detractions worth mentioning. Japanese and English 5.1 are available here for audio tracks. Both have a nice presence on the soundstage and each offers a slightly different experience with regards to the quality of the dub. The sound here is crisp, clean, and the presentation revs up during the film's many fight scenes. For bonus features there is the original Japanese trailer, clean animations, and trailers for other VIZ titles. There is also a little booklet included with artwork and information about the characters in the film.
From start to finish Naruto Shippuden: The Movie isn't bad, but it's not exactly amazing. It's a standard Naruto adventure with few surprises and very little drama. It's basically an extended episode of the show with plenty of laughs, fighting, and Naruto antics to appease fans. If you're enjoying Shippuden then this movie is worth checking out, but it's not exactly a run-out-and-see kind of experience. It is worth noting that the film will also not spoil anything of the show for you, so you don't have to worry about it being ahead of where VIZ is with its release. When you get around to it you'll be pleased enough and that's why this release receives a light recommendation.

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by VIZ.

Figure Preview: Sister Princess x2

2010-01-10T21:56:00.000-05:00

Sister Princess was a show that came out in Japan back in 2001 and was later released here in the States in 2006 by ADV. To say that the series was a bit obscure in America would be an understatement, but in Japan the series was popular enough to receive a game, some manga, a series of light novels, and a sequel. That's nothing to scoff at and there's even a toy line that has still proven to be successful enough to run even seven years after the sequel came off the airwaves.

Kotobukiya has a pair of PVA figures on the way from their 4-Leaves Legends Girls lineup. Like the recently previewed Azumanga Daioh figures Sakuya is featured here in a bikini, despite the fact that it's winter! Kaho, however, features a more respectable school uniform that fans of the show may recognize.

Sakuya:

Sakuya stands 7 inches tall (1/8 scale) and is scheduled for release in March with an MSRP of $54.99.

Kaho:

Kaho stands 7 inches tall (1/7 scale) and is schedule for release in February with an MSRP of $54.99.

Stay tuned to Anime Maki for more figure previews and possible reviews!

Book Review: Tsubasa ALBuM De REProDUCTioNS

2010-01-10T00:01:00.002-05:00

Serving as a way to celebrate CLAMP's 20th anniversary, and to give fans of the all-female manga-ka team something else to fall in love with, Del Rey has recently released an awesome art collection from their Tsubasa franchise. Entitled Tsubasa: ALBuM De REProDUCTioNS Original Art Collection, this book is quite the sight to behold.

Presented in an oversized format, this art collection is 102 pages of CLAMP masterpieces as they have been pulled from various sources. Each page is loaded with amazing examples of CLAMP's designs and eclectic style. If you're unfamiliar with the manga-ka then you should know that each character features elongated proportions. Legs, arms, and even entire bodies are often stretched beyond reason. It gives the artwork a very unique look that stands out and defines who they are. One look at a single piece here and you'll instantly be able to recognize it as CLAMP.

Now, Tsubasa also happens to be one of their more successful franchises. It's basically a culmination of all their works. Various characters cross-over from one series to the next, but ultimately the series is its own entity. The plot follows the tale of a guy named Syaoran on a quest to save the girl of his dreams, Sakura, along with his travel companions Fai and Kurogane. It's a fantastical franchise that launches its characters from one world to the next, so in each segment the looks is more and more diverse. This art book catalogues a majority of their more striking adventures.
Included here are colored full-paged versions of pieces seen in Japanese magazines, on advertisements, or even CD covers. The breadth of content is formidable and it's safe to say that outside of the manga chapters and anime, these pieces have never been available in the States before. What's great about this book from the standpoint of a fan of the franchise (which I happen to be, by the way) is the pair of drawings and five-page manga, both of which are exclusive to this release. Nice!

Out of the 102 pages of artwork there are a few that stand out above the rest in my opinion. On pages 8 and 9 there are two pieces of artwork that pay homage to the Hanshin Tigers in a rather fantastical way. On pages 32 and 33 there is an epic image of Kurogane and his sword Ginryu that originally appeared in KC Deluxe Version 3 Cover and Case. A great picture of Sakura and one of her feathers makes its way to page 65 while the Witch's magnificence graces pages 78 and 79. In all fairness every single piece here will make you stop and stare. There isn't a bad picture in the bunch and the book's presentation is very high quality. Towards the back (after the exclusive manga) there's also a guide with snippets of information about where the images came from and what inspired the girls to draw what they did.

If you're a Tsubasa or CLAMP fan then this art book is worth every penny you will pay for it and then some. I can't say enough good things about the quality artwork on every page. Del Rey did a great service to fans by releasing this here in the States and this book is truly a labor of love. Highly recommended!

Maki Rating:

Review material provided by Del Rey.

DVD Review: Spice and Wolf: Season One

2010-01-09T07:27:00.007-05:00

I'm going to just put it out there and say right off that bat that I LOVE Spice and Wolf. This little fairytale show began as a series of light novels which became a manga, several games, some OVA, and a couple of animated series. FUNimation has recently released the first 13 episode season and, if you couldn't tell from my opening statement, I was hooked right off the bat.
One of the things that first struck me about the series was just how unique it was. From the very ground up Spice and Wolf stands out on its own. There's nothing else like it on the market and we've certainly never seen anything like it here in America. For starters Spice and Wolf is more or less a fairytale that takes place during a faux historical European setting. It begins by following a traveling merchant named Kraft Lawrence who makes his way to a small town during their yearly wheat harvest. When he arrives a festival is already underway and it's to celebrate a wolf deity that made a pact with the town many, many years ago. There's some background on the story, but to make a long one short we'll just say that the wolf god, named Holo, is bound to the wheat in this town. It's rumored that she can appear in human form and there's something of a ritual surrounding that.

The night before he's about to leave this quaint little village, he finds a naked girl napping in his cart. She's cute, young, has adorable ears, and a big fluffy tail. Yup! Holo has decided to make her appearance and it's all thanks to the combination of furs and wheat Lawrence was transporting. Naturally Lawrence is first bewildered by her appearance and doesn't really believe her. She displays her monstrous true form, and lays all doubt of who she is to rest. Once their awkward introductions are out of the way Holo expresses her desire to travel north back to the region she lived in prior to being trapped within the village. Lawrence obliges and takes her along.

Spice and Wolf goes on to build upon Lawrence and Holo's relationship while they make their way to Holo's home turf, and that's what makes the series so special. Both of these characters do not fit into any kind of stereotype and they play off each other marvelously. Since Lawrence is a traveling merchant there's much discussion about business as he attempts to move goods from one region to the next and works his selling magic to turn a profit. There's a lot of talk about the economics of the world when Lawrence is involved and his mind is constantly set to figuring out how to make a profit.
Holo, however, is also known as the Wise Wolf. She has some ideas of her own, but her vainness and brutish attitude tend to get in the way. She's cocky and abrasive, so despite the fact that they both can be formidable when they team up, she also gets in Lawrence's nerves quite a bit. Despite that fact, he seems to like it. This creates a playful relationship that lasts throughout the series and you can see some real affection develop between them. It's a charming romance that builds slowly, and their reactions to each other are perfect in every way, especially when Holo gets under Lawrence's skin. Something she excels at, I assure you.

Another thing that stands out with Spice and Wolf is the great amount of continuity that carries over from episode to episode. From the very first moment Holo and Lawrence meet right up to the end the show follows every step of the way. As they travel from town to town, meet new people like the sheppard, Nora, and work various deals to get Lawrence more money the show just has an amazing flow. This combined with the relationship development makes the series feel like one long, extended movie.

Spice and Wolf is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. The transfer for the series is very good with a lot of fine detail, miniscule amounts of grain, and no compression of any kind. Of particular note is the art direction with is extremely attractive, stylized, and colorful. English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 are the available options for this release of Spice and Wolf. Both dubs are extremely good, and I dare say that I enjoyed the English track a little bit more. Also aiding that track is the fact that the 5.1 surround helped towns come to life and made the experience a little more robust. The only bonus features on this release are some clean animations and trailers.
I can't stress enough just how impressed I was with Spice and Wolf. It reeks of freshness and is just about one of the biggest charmers I've seen in a while. FUNimation's grab of this series was an awesome move and from start to finish the 13 episodes are totally engrossing. I truly hope they license the OVA and second series so we can get yet more of this fantastic franchise soon. This show is highly recommended in every way. I loved every minute of it and just couldn't get enough! Definitely be sure you check this one out!

Maki Rating:

Figure Preview: Azumanga Daioh x2

2010-01-08T23:55:00.010-05:00

Azumanga Daioh has been one of my absolutely favorite shows ever since it made its way to America. The sense of humor is unparalleled, the characters are lovable to a fault, and everything about the series just oozes charm. Though there are many characters to pick and choose from when it comes to crafting a PVC figure, Kotobukiya has announced a lovely duo that would make creepy Mr. Kimura's jaw drop.

First up is Osaka:

You can almost see her daydreaming and spacing out. Great pose in my opinion and truly fitting of the character! Osaka is 4 inches tall (1/7th scale) with an MSRP of $49.99

Next is Sakaki:

Being the athletic and, um, most mature of the girls Sakaki's figure certainly fits the bill for many otaku collectors! The only thing missing is a cut nekko walking by causing Sakaki to blush. Sakaki is 4 3/4 inches tall and 7 3/4 inches long (1/7th scale) with am MSRP of $59.99.

The details on both of these figures looks very good from the high resolution pictures, but of course it's a picture and we do not have the figures in hand to review as of yet. If you're an Azumanga Daioh fan, such as I, then you'll definitely want to look into these figures when they are released in March.

DVD Review: El Cazador de la Bruja Volume 1

2010-01-06T18:32:00.007-05:00

Written by Kenichi Kanemaki, directed by Kouichi Mashimo, and animated by Bee Train, El Cazador de la Bruja is a series of great lineage. Have you ever heard of Noir or Madlax? Well El Cazador de la Bruja is the spiritual successor to those two. It's the unsung conclusion to a girls with guns trilogy and is a damn kick-ass series in its own right!
Taking place in Mexico, El Cazador de la Bruja is a 26 episode show that follows the exploits of a bounty hunter named Nadie. This red-haired, tanned beauty means business. She's not afraid to pull out her guns and doesn't hesitate when it's time to throw down. When the show begins she's looking for someone and it's quite evident that person is Ellie, who a blonde girl with blue eyes that is quite mysterious in her own right. One event leads to another and Nadie winds up fighting to save Ellie's life and eventually finds herself protecting Ellie, rather than turning her in right away.

Together Nadie and Ellie travel to the south to unravel Ellie's enigmatic past. You see, she possesses some strange powers and seems to be quite dangerous to herself and others. The only memory she has of her youth is the death of a person close to her right before her very eyes. She recalls that it was her that killed him and that certainly has taken its toll. It's also worth noting that there are many references to her not even being human, but rather some experiment. Put two and two together and you have a character that stands out and a background for the series to work off of.

With Nadie and Ellie are traveling south to figure out what's going on, once their trip is done, Ellie has promised to be Nadie's bounty so she can collect the reward. Sounds easy, right? Well, consider the duo is being tracked by other bounty hunters, the CIA, weird people, and scientists things aren't quite that simple at all. There's more at play than meets the eye and throughout the course of the first half of the show the mystery begins to unravel.
Nadie is the hunter (el Cazador) and Ellie is the witch (la Bruja), the two make a fine pair of traveling companions. Nadie's brazen attitude and Ellie's naïveté play off each other quite well, though admittedly we've seen this style of pairing before. Still, the mysterious power residing in Ellie and the revelation that she's something known as Project Leviathan are certainly more than enough to make her stand out. Nadie's nonchalant reaction to everything also belies the fact that she knows more than she's letting on. The rest of the cast fulfills their roles adequately as well. The bounty hunter Ricardo and Lirio, the other witch L.A., and even the main antagonist Rosenberg all fill in the ranks quite nicely.

Though most of the show focuses on the relationship between its protagonists, the series is rather episodic. In traditional traveling buddy format, Nadie and Ellie come upon random strangers and new places, and we see how they react to each situation. The show deftly strings you along with the mystery carrot, but thankfully drops enough breadcrumbs to make each episode worth watching. There's also plenty of action here as well and if you appreciate girls with guns then you'll love Nadie instantly.

El Cazador de la Bruja is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio. The show is vibrant and sharp throughout with a fine production by Bee Train. The only flaw worth bringing up is a rather heavy amount of grain at times, but thise could be due to grittiness of the desert. English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 make up the audio presentation here and both perform just like you'd expect they would. Clean animations, trailers, and a commentary track are included for bonus features.
The first half of El Cazador de la Bruja leaves one with the impression that the show is shaping up to be something special. Sure it's rather straightforward at times, and yeah the characters fill specific archetypes, but there's an energy here that is completely its own. There simply aren't any shows with this setting and because of that the series stands out. If you enjoyed Noir or Madlax then this one is an easy pick. However, if you've never experienced either of those shows then all you need to know is that El Cazador de la Bruja is very entertaining and packs a punch.

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: Love Hurts

2010-01-04T02:22:00.000-05:00

Love Hurts is a recent release from Tokyopop that comes from the mind of manga-ka Suzuki Tanaka. If you've never heard of this one before, don't worry. Love Hurts is a rather obscure yaoi title that was originally released in Japan in 2004. The book is a collection of four short stories focusing on young boys in interesting situations and often painful relationships. After all as Nazareth sang about, "Love Hurts".

The first of the stories here deals with a couple where one of the guys, Sumi-san, spends his days playing video games and not doing much else. He's an addict and it's a habit that's putting a strain on the relationship with his boyfriend, Koji. Well, one thing leads to another and there's a panel that shows another guy knocking at their door looking for money that Sumi-san owes him. It's a decent amount of money and Koharu just isn't taking no for an answer despite the fact that there's no answer when he pounds on the door.

Koji reluctantly answers and is quite the sight once he's brought into focus. He's covered in blood and Sumi-san's body is lying bloodied on the floor. Putting two and two together Koharu naturally looks at Koji as the perpetrator, but in all fairness he takes things way too casual. I mean, if you were to talk into an apartment and saw a dead body on the floor you'd naturally freak out, call the cops, or do something dramatic. Well, it's not handled that way at all here, and the conversation gets even weirder when a stranger happens by and forces his way into the apartment to see what's going on.

The second story features a student living with his teacher, whom he happens to have a crush on. The situation is kind of awkward because only he feels that way. Making matters worse is the fact that they fight all the time and things get downright physically abusive. One might say that signifies they have strong feelings for each other, though I would argue that. Whatever the case, the teacher's hot temper causes him to beat up someone else and the situation goes from bad to worse when one of his female students pours salt in the wound.

Moving on, the third tale is about some people from a village with super-powered guys. There's some superhero mischief here, and some crime fighting, but mixed in is a story about two people who fall in love. The last short story here is about a girl who can hear alien voices, and the guy who adores her despite her peculiarity. This final bit doesn't exactly keep up with the yaoi theme, but that's not necessarily a bad thing, is it?

Tanaka has imbued Love Hurts with a lot of personality and packed in plenty of detailed artwork. Because of her efforts this is a decent little collection of stories that will please fans of the yaoi genre. It's not outstanding in any way really, but it's good enough for a recommendation if you're interested in the genre. Admittedly it's really not my cup of tea, but there was plenty to appreciate here and I look forward to other works by Tanaka in the future.

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: RE:Play Volume 3

2010-01-02T22:32:00.004-05:00

Prior to the third volume showing up at my doorstep I must admit that I never heard about RE:Play from Tokyopop. This American-based manga comes from creator Christy Lijewski, who also has some other works in publication. The series has been in circulation since 2006 and this installment marks the final volume, wrapping it all up as a trilogy.

In case you’re like me and weren’t really sure what was going on here, let me fill you in on the book as best I can. Basically it’s all about a punk band named Faust. They seem to be pretty popular as indie artists and play a lot of club gigs and whatnot. Cree is the vocalist, Rail is the guitarist, Izsak is the bassist, and Char is the Drummer. Now, there’s some relationship mumbo-jumbo here as Rail wants Cree, but Cree is dating Izsak. This is something that pisses Rail off to no end and he lashes out at Cree and Izsak constantly, though he never really expresses how he feels. As far as Izsak is concerned he bears something of an air of mystery. Strange people keep following him and there are times where he behaves oddly. Fans of the book and newcomers should note that we find out why in this installment.

The third volume of RE:Play starts out in a club with Izsak kissing some chick other than Cree, though she happens to witness the whole thing. Naturally her first reaction is to deck the girl who kissed her boyfriend. Her second reaction is to run away to the bathroom crying. Izsak, however, finds himself in a bit of a pickle. He has absolutely no idea who the girl that kissed him is, and now he has to make up with Cree. Something else was at work behind the situation though, and things are about to get a whole lot more interesting.

Char sees one of her professors at the club and is introduced to his boyfriend, who happens to be an editor of a popular magazine. As luck would have it he wants to do a spread on Izsak and a subsequent feature on Faust, naming Izsak its lead man. Rail has a huge problem with that and puts an ultimatum on the table that could shake the very foundation of the band. That’s not the biggest development that comes from this installment though.

Cree is kidnapped in the aftermath of the dramatic events at the club, and the perpetrators lure Izsak to them. What’s the catch? Well, I don’t want to spoil the big reveal here, but let’s just say it’s very...interesting. Since I haven’t read the other installments I’m not sure how this fits into the overall plot, but knowing what little I know of the series I must say it seems kind of out of place. Either way, it’s handled quite deftly and the story makes it believable to an extent, so I went with it. This plot more of less takes over and defines who Izsak is as a person.

Despite all that happens between Cree and Izsak in this installment, there’s also quite a lot of focus on the villains of the show and on Rail. On the bad guy side of things the dynamic duo of Niji and Laurent are charmingly dangerous and I really appreciated where Lijewski went with them. Also, before the volume ends Rail gets into a rather awkward situation and there’s a bit of a hint at a future place for his character as well.

All in all the third, and final, volume of RE:Play was quite good. There was a bit of a supernatural spin here with felt out of place, but since I didn’t know the rest of the series it might have already been introduced. Despite my lack of knowledge I truly enjoyed this manga. Lijewski’s writing and art style are inviting and easy to appreciate, and the story and characters both feel well-developed. If you’ve been reading the series up until now then you’ll be pleased with where this volume takes things, however, if you’re new to the show (like me) then consider checking out the first two installments. It almost feels like a supernatural version of Beck, but with more of a focus on romance.

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: Maid Sama! Volume 3

2010-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

The comedy-romance manga, Maid Sama!, began its lengthy run in Japan in 2005. The manga by Hiro Fujiwara has lasted for ten volumes overseas and is even in production to become an animated series at some point in 2010. Needless to say that speaks to some level of popularity, but how does the series resonate with American audiences? We've already seen the first two volumes of the series, but recently Tokyopop just sent the third to store shelves. Let's take a look, shall we?

Just in case you're unfamiliar with the manga, you should know it's all about a girl named Misaki Ayuzawa who happens to be the student council president of her school. This may seem like nothing special at first, but considering Seika High used to be an all-boys school prior to becoming co-ed, it's fair to assume that girls typically don't rise to that level of power. Misaki is feared by many and respected by most. She uses her influence to make changes for the better and she thrives in the tough atmosphere. Imagine, if you will, what the male population's reaction would be if they found out she also had a part-time job as a maid at a café. One boy in particular, Usui, discovers her secret. Cue hilarious antics and the beginnings of a relationship.

At the start of this installment Seika High is holding a Dress-Up Race. Students that are participating must dress up in costumes provided by the student body. It's a random grab and wouldn't you just know it? Misaki pulls out a maid costume that was put there totally by chance from her adoring fans. The events leading up to her discovery of the costume are pretty funny, and once she actually dons the maid outfit it gets even better. Usui's reaction to her is classic and when it comes time for the event there's some support from her friends as well.

Moving forward there are more scenes that take place both in the school and café that develop Misaki's character and her relationship with some of her friends. One of the chapters also introduces the café manager's niece, Aoi, into the fold, and let's just say that she creates an interesting and beautiful dynamic. She's very dramatic and contrasts Misaki's character quite strongly I like the prospect of what her character offers the series, and it will be interesting to see what comes of Aoi in future installments. Another interesting development happens towards the end of this volume that involves some hypnotism. I'll leave it for fans of the manga to discover what happens during this bit, but let's just say that we see Usui and Misaki in a compromising situation.

As was the case with the other volumes Hiro Fujiwara's manga looks fantastic. The characters are nicely detailed with attractive designs and wonderful expressions. I really enjoyed the maid-fetish design that was at play here and it's clear that Fujiwara has an affinity for it as well. Scattered throughout the book are omake and amusing little bits that aren't a part of the main story. It all comes together with the writing and translation to make a volume that absolutely pops and has a lot of personality.

If you haven't read Maid Sama! before, then you should definitely add it to your list. The manga is full of humor, placates to otaku fetishes in some ways, and offers a fine balance with its dramatic moments. The third volume pushes the series forward and introduces some new things that should prove very interesting in the coming installments. Highly recommended!

Maki Rating:

New Years Contest!

2009-12-31T10:39:00.003-05:00

Want to win some great anime? All you need to do is follow my blog! Just click the follow button to the right side of this page (it's right below my sponsor tab). When I get to 50 followers I will draw 2 names and contact them. It's that easy!

The prizes to be distributed are:

1st place: Lupin the 3rd Final Haul Movie Pack (out of print)
2nd place: Magikano: Complete Series

Bonus prize! Follow me on Twitter and when I hit 100 followers someone will win:

Pumpkin Scissors Complete Series

Sound good? Yeah, I thought so too! Feel free to post about this contest on Twitter and Facebook! The more people who enter the sooner prizes will be distributed!

Good luck!

Manga Review: Inuyasha - VIZBIG Edition 1

2009-12-31T00:37:00.000-05:00

Rumiko Takahashi is a legend. With stuff like Ranma 1/2, Urusei Yatsura, and Inuyasha under her belt it’s no wonder the Takahashi name is synonymous with anime and manga as a medium. While each of these venerable series have been out for quite some time, it’s nice to take a look back once in a while. VIZ has just released a massive “VIZBIG” volume of the first three volumes of Inuyasha’s manga. Totaling 576 pages in all, this omnibus release is something to behold, whether you’re an Inuyasha fan or not.

For the uninitiated, Inuyasha begins with a tale the originates back in feudal Japan and sees a half-demon, named Inuyasha, attacking a village in search of the Jewel of Four Souls. A young miko named Kikyo uses her powers to seal the demon and dies protecting the jewel. Centuries later one of her decedents, Kagome, finds herself in the midst of events beyond her imagination. One day Kagome happens to be near a well on her family’s property and she’s dragged into it by a centipede-like demon. The well takes her into the past and soon enough she’s face to face with people from Kikyo’s village, including Kikyo’s little sister (who is now quite old).

After realizing the gravity of what just happened Kagome is attacked once again by the centipede demon. Hope seems lost, but when she finds herself face to face with the sleeping Inuyasha her course of action seems clear. With little hesitation she awakens Inuyasha from his slumber, against Kaede’s wishes, and he reluctantly comes to her aid. After taking care of the centipede Inuyasha turns on Kagome, thinking she is Kikyo. You see, Kagome looks like her, smells like her, and Inuyasha can sense a Shikon Jewel on her person. Naturally he wants to get his hands on it, but the quick thinking Kaede helps out by putting a collar on the half-demon that makes him susceptible to Kagome’s command.

With everything going on Kagome really just wants to go back home. She heads back to the well which brought her to this point in time, but is intercepted by a crow demon that wants to get its claws on her Jewel. This leads to another battle that sees Inuyasha springing into action at Kagome’s side. Though he defends her it would seem that Kagome has some innate abilities that came from Kikyo, such as an affinity for using a bow and arrow and seeing things other humans cannot. The conflict with the crow actually holds ramifications for the rest of the series, because Kagome’s Shikon Jewel is shattered into several shards that scattered across the land. This prompts a searching mission for Inuyasha and Kagome, and the two have to work together to recover all the shards.

From this point the manga moves forward with their adventure and pushes their relationship to new bounds. There’s also plenty of action as well as various enemies step forward in this installment such as Yura of the Hair and Sesshomaru, Inuyasha older half-brother. I particularly enjoyed the second volume of the manga, which featured an epic confrontation between the demon brothers (the first of many, I assure you). Peppered in between the battles and talk about the Jewel shards are various trips to present day Japan by Kagome and other demons (Inuyasha even crashes her house at one point). It adds to the mystique of the series and really fleshes out the overall plot and character development.

While much of what we see within the first three volumes sets up the rest of the franchise, there are plenty of important happenings here. 28 chapters are featured here and by the end we even receive the introduction of the endearing young fox-demon, Shippo. If you’re familiar with Inuyasha then you already know that the story becomes epic beyond this point. I mean, with this release we receive a mere three installments of the manga, which features a total of 56 volumes. It’s still a meaty chunk of Inuyasha and highly recommended in every way. Just know that once you sign up you’re going to be in for the long, long haul.

Inuyasha’s VIZBIG release faithfully presents the original story, translation, and Takahashi’s fantastic artwork. If you’ve never seen the manga before, then all you need to know is that Takahashi is a legend for a reason. Her work is inspired, detailed, and truly captivating. This book is also much larger than traditional manga with proportions that allow for magnified images, larger text, and bigger pages.

From the first page to the last, Inuyasha’s first VIZBIG collection is truly an instant classic. With 56 volumes of the manga to collect, that’s pretty daunting for newcomers and those late to the game. The first three volumes come together for a massive release that endears itself to rookies and fans alike. This is one manga that should be in everyone’s collection.

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: Only One Wish

2009-12-31T00:36:00.000-05:00

Mia Ikumi, the creator of the successful Tokyo Mew Mew franchise, has explored other side-stories over the course of her manga-ka lifetime. The latest of which is a one-shot manga entitled, Only One Wish. This release originally came out in Japan in 2005, but recently Del Rey translated it and brought it Stateside for Ikumi's English-speaking fans to sink their teeth into.

Only One Wish is rather strikingly dark at times. It's a manga that's aimed towards teenage girls, but there's a foreboding tone that permeates throughout the book. It's certainly not your typical shojo read and it's clear that Ikumi had a strong vision of the theme she wanted to use. Basically the book's four chapters boil down to the simple, old saying, "Be careful what you wish for."

The manga's main character is a nameless witch, who appears with a cape, pointy hat, and scythe. In almost every frame she's accompanied by a cell-phone and a black cat and bears a mischievous smile. While she doesn't have a huge part to play in each story, she certainly sets the tone because it's her magic that makes things happen. Manga and anime lovers that have seen or read Hell Girl, should compare her to Ai Enma from that franchise.

As the focal point for many of the book's happenings, the witch is referred to as an "angel" and takes text messages from those who have a strongly desired wish. Her number appears to people in the nick of time, just as Ai's web address would avail itself to those seeking revenge. In the four short stories here, the angel is shown at the beginning of the chapter, at some point in the middle while things are going on, and she brings about a fitting close with a wink and a nod. It's enigmatic to say the least, but those looking for a dark-fantasy tale will find Only One Wish quite captivating, even if it's not the freshest concept out there.

The first story is about a group of friends get in a tiff over a boy and all hell breaks loose after that. The girls basically go at each other's throats, using their wishes to get even and make things right in their eyes. "Friends forever" isn't exactly the case by the end of the chapter and there's an open-ended resolution that leaves you playing with the possibilities in your head. The second story in this book follows a dead girl who wants to rejoin the land of the living. She's given the opportunity, but must get the boy of her desires to kiss her within 24 hours. Things get complicated when someone else gets close to the girl and even more complicated still towards the end. A surprise ending closes this chapter out and I think it stood out as one of the better stories available in the manga.

Chapter three is about a girl who wants nothing more than to be close to the one she likes the most. Unfortunately for him she makes the wish to have him shrink down in size so she can carry him around and take care of him like a doll. It's strange to say the least, but plays into a nice angle about the girl growing up. And finally, the last chapter here is a less involved story about some kids who misplace their cell-phones. It's also worth noting Tokyo Mew Mew fans will appreciate that the book also closes with a special mini-story from Ikumi's more successful franchise as well!

Only One Wish is a fun read with an interesting story and some very nice artwork by Ikumi. Whether you're a fan of her earlier works or not doesn't really matter when it comes to this release. It's a stand-alone story that does what it sets out to do. Sure the whole "be careful what you wish for" theme may not be the most original one out there, but there's something about the way Ikumi approached it that makes it stand out. I would be interested in seeing this revisited at some point, but who knows whether or not that will happen. Regardless, consider Del Rey's latest release strongly recommended!

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture, Volume 1

2009-12-30T07:12:00.000-05:00

The latest release from Del Rey comes from a manga that has been going strong since 2004. Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture is decidedly different from most every other manga out there. It all comes from the mind of relative unknown Masayuki Ishikawa who, to my knowledge, hasn’t been published prior to this work. But you know what? That’s okay! Ishikawa’s book stands out in many ways and it looks like Del Rey did the right thing scooping it up.

At first I was unsure of whether or not a manga about agriculture would be interesting. I mean, agriculture isn’t the most fascinating subject in the world. Where Moyasimon stands out is with the unique ability Ishikawa bestowed upon the main character.

Tadayasu Sawaki is a first year college student at an agricultural college somewhere in Tokyo. He comes from a more rural area of Japan, but what stands out most about Tadayasu is his bizarre ability to see germs, bacteria, and other microbial organisms. While they are naked to the human eye, Tadayasu can see everything from the common cold, to bacteria that would cause food-born illness, and even the active ingredients inside fermenting sake.

Yes, Tadayasu’s uniqueness has often made an uncomfortable focal point for many people to poke fun at. He’s been ridiculed and his peers have made fun of him. Needless to say he doesn’t talk about his powers because he doesn’t want the weird looks, teasing, and untrusting gazes. Fortunately he does have a friend named Kei Yuuki who has also decided to attend the same agriculture college. They’ve been buddies for a while and Kei is one of the only people who knows about Tadayasu’s ability, and accepts him for it. When the two arrive at the university they are greeted by an old friend of Tadayasu’s grandfather, Professor Keizou Itsuki, and his assistant Haruka Hasegawa.

Itsuki is a mad scientist kind of guy. He knows about Tadayasu’s powers and is constantly conducting experiments in fermentation and testing his new student’s ability. In many ways he reminded me of Professor Farnsworth from Futurama, but he’s not quite as whacked in the head...or is he? Anyway, Itsuki takes Tadayasu and Kei under his wing and along with Hasegawa they go from one subject to the next, all revolving around Tadayasu’s ability to see bacteria.

So what happens in this volume? Well, in all honesty a lot of time in this opening installment is spent introducing the characters. The greater focus is on the bacteria and germs within things, and then Tadayasu’s reaction to these guys. He sees them as cute, personable critters and can even interact with them. They talk to him and he often watches as they play around. It’s rather charming and is one of the main reasons Moyasimon stands out so much. Watching as Tadayasu walks into a dirty room, sees e-coli on lettuce, or even witnesses yeast playing around in sake is very entertaining.

Aside from learning about Tadayasu, seeing the germs, or reading about character reactions to his powers, there’s not much that happens here. Some goofball sophomore students named Misato and Kawahama make a mess of things with some illegal sake brewing, and Itsuki is downright goofy, but that’s about it. A more interesting plot develops towards the end of this volume, so the next one should be much more interesting and faster paced.

Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture is well-written, nicely translated, and features some downright fantastic artwork by Ishikawa. I really enjoyed the look of the world and all the germs Tadayasu sees in the world. Things have a simple, yet refined look, and it stays constant from start to finish.

If you’re looking for a new manga to check out, Moyasimon: Takes of Agriculture is definitely one that should be on your list. The setting is very unique, the character are nicely developed, and when you combine everything you have one fascinating and entertaining read. I look forward to the next installment and give this one a solid recommendation.

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: Tactics, Volume 8

2009-12-29T21:16:00.002-05:00

Generally speaking those who love manga and anime generally check out the book form of a franchise before the animated one. I, however, did things backwards with Tactics. I had the opportunity to watch the 25 episode episode show from 2004 long before I actually read the ongoing manga. Both serve as fine representations of Sakura Kinoshita and Kazuko Higashiyama’s original work, but I must admit that I enjoyed the manga version much, much more.

In case you’re unfamiliar of the franchise it basically takes place during the Taishou period in Japan and follows the exploits of Kantarou Ichinomiya. Kantarou possesses the ability to see demons, spirits, and other creatures regular humans cannot. Because of these powers he has become a folklorist and exorcist, working independently to help those in need bothered by things that lack explanation. Joining Kantarou is the oni-eating tengu known as Haruka and a fox-spirit named Yoko. The series follows their exploits as they take on various missions revolving around the exorcising theme.

Tactics has been in circulation now in the States for some time and Tokyopop just released the eighth installment of the series. Fans will undoubtedly be dying to know how the bit with Minamoto winds up in this volume. Those who read the seventh installment undoubtedly recall it ended with Kantarou squaring off against Sakata. In the opening pages here we do indeed see Kantarou and Sakata in a heated dual, and things get worse for our hero when Minamoto shows up to help Sakata. Just as the tides turn, however, Haruka jumps in to save the day.

What transpires next is a lot of fighting as Haruka shows just how cool he is. One thing leads to another and things get a bit darker for a few pages as the battle escalates. There are a few surprises in store for readers during this conflict and I appreciated the way things were resolved. It felt very appropriate given the tone of Tactics and what we’ve learned of its characters. Speaking of learning about the characters, there’s a bit of development in the relationship between Haruka and Kantarou that transpires in the rest of the volume. It’s very welcome and truly pushes their bond further than any of the previous installments.

As the eighth volume continues there’s a bit with Muu-chan and Sugino that is as entertaining as you’d think it would be, and Kantarou gets involved in the story as well. Shortly after there’s another chapter about a kappa and a few others as the installment goes on to feature more tengu bedtime stories.

As always, Higashiyama and Kinoshita have put together a fantastic volume of Tactics. The writing is superb, the stories here are engaging and suspenseful, and the artwork is certainly a cut above. Every page is full of detail and those that have enjoyed the seven prior volumes will undoubtedly feel right at home here.

Tokyopop has another fine installment of Tactics on their hands with this eighth volume. The development that happens between Haruka and Kantarou here is about as rich as any we’ve seen so far, and the variety in content is solid as well. The different chapters all have something unique to offer and the conclusion to the conflict with Minamoto at the beginning definitely fits the bill for action. This volume is highly recommended!

Maki Rating:

Merry Christmas! メリークリスマス

2009-12-25T02:13:00.005-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and happy holiday!

Hope your day is filled with quality time with friends and family. Take the time to savor the moments you have, embrace life, and look forward to what the coming year may bring. Most importantly, remember that Santa doesn't love you if your poor (Thank you Hayate the Combat Butler!).

^_^

Seriously though. Eat, drink, and be safe! See you again soon!

-T out!

DVD Review: To Loveru, Collection 1

2009-12-23T09:59:00.007-05:00

To Loveru is epic, I dare say. Sure the fan-service is gratuitous. Yes, some of the harem-comedy elements are sometimes too familiar. But you know what? It works. I loved this show from the very first episode and right up through the end of this collection I couldn't get enough of it. Sure, nearly every scene is full of panty shots, cleavage, naked boobs, and what have you, but the outlandish, slapstick sense of humor makes this show a true joy to watch!

Originally this show began as a manga back in 2006. It was written by Saki Hasemi and featured artwork by Kentaro Yabuki (Black Cat). The franchise was later turned into an anime in 2008 and since then it has received a couple video games and even an OVA release in Japan. I think that speaks to the popularity of the title overseas, so it stands to reason that it should be just as successful here, right? After checking out the first 13 episodes of the show I can honestly say that it's highly entertaining, but it's certainly something that lovers of the harem-comedy genre will embrace more than others.
The show centers around the life of a high school student named Yuuki, who happens to be about as unassuming as they come. He is your average every day teenager who dreams of girls, hangs with his friends, goes to school and, well, not much else. In To Loveru's opening moments we see him agonizing over talking to some girl named Haruna. It would appear that he has a massive crush on her, but just can't seem to muster up the balls to actually strike up a conversation. The problem is any time he actually does get the gal to do something about it an unseen object has the misfortune of striking him in the head without fail. In the first episode of this show he doesn't get hit on the head, but rather a UFO crashes down right at his feet!

You would think that a person would take these incidents as a hint, but Yuuki is rather single-minded. Rather than be bewildered about almost dying from a crashing UFO he soaked in the tub that same night and imagined Haruna in a bikini. It was at that very moment that his bathtub exploded and left him cupping a pair of large breasts that belonged to a very cute, very naked alien princess. This single act changed Yuuki's life forever.

The girl's name is Lala and she's from a race of people known as the Deviluke. As luck would have it the grabbing of breasts, such as Yuuki did, is part of the proposal ceremony. Soon enough Yuuki finds himself with a galactic misunderstanding as he's now betrothed to Lala. Making matters worse is the fact that Lala's idiot brother has threatened Yuuki with the fate of the Earth if he tries to back out of the relationship. All poor Yuuki wanted was to be with Haruna, but now with a sultry and well-proportioned alien princess at his side that will undoubtedly be a little more challenging.
If you've seen any harem-comedy then I'm sure you probably already have some idea how the show goes. As the episodes progress things become more complicated for Yuuki with regards to relationships. Some of the characters fit stereotypes, but I dare say that Lala grabs the most attention. She's not ashamed to show her naked body, she's boisterous, curious, and almost always cheerful. This contrasts Yuuki's brooding, reserved, and often depressed nature, but the two play off each other incredibly.

Things get more complicated and dangerous for Yuuki as the show progresses. Misunderstandings continue to happen as he winds up in one awkward situation after another (usually something Lala does to embarrass him, like transporting them both naked into the girl's locker room where Haruna happens to be!). What really sells the comedy here is Yuuki's overreaction to absolutely everything that happens around him. He's constantly blushing, freaking out, or blowing up in each episode. Granted many of these incidents occur due to one of Lala's inventions going haywire.

The show looks gorgeous on DVD as well. The series is presented with anamorphic widescreen and the image is about as crisp as one would expect. There is a minuscule amount of grain and compression artifacts, but neither is enough to detract from the bright, crisp, and clean look of the animation. Japanese 2.0 stereo with English subtitles is the only way you're going to be listening to this show, but it's just fine enough. I do wish there was a 5.1 track just to improve upon some of the sound effects here, though the 2.0 is serviceable. Bonus features include trailers and clean animations only.
There are so many reasons To Loveru is a success. Sure it doesn't completely reinvent the harem-comedy wheel, but it's a charmer through and through. The gratuitous amount of fan service gets a little silly at times, but the brand of humor, storylines, and characters more than make up for it. If you appreciate the genre then this release is a must have. If I may be so brazen, I dare call this one an instant classic.

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: StarCraft: Ghost Academy, Volume 1

2009-12-22T20:28:00.003-05:00

While it's not manga from Japan we enjoy all forms of graphic novels, so when the opportunity arose to check out StarCraft: Ghost Academy from Tokyopop, I naturally took it. Based on the hyped and then dead game by Blizzard, Ghost Academy comes out next week and acts as a sequel to the novelization of StarCraft: Ghost. If you're unfamiliar with the game franchise then all you really need to know is that it's science fiction and features all kinds of ass-kicking and aliens. Ghost Academy focuses more on the human aspect, and more to the point, those with special psychic powers.

Now, before I dig too far into the review of the material housed within the pages of this book I wanted to take a second to bring up the writing style and artwork. Keith R.A. Decandido penned the script here and fans of the franchise will recall his work on the Ghost novel, Nova. He does a nice job here and the dialogue flows and pops, imbuing characters with personality. Fernando Heinz Furukawa handles the visual side of things quite deftly with some great designs and loads of detail. With that being said I must admit that while his style is very nice, a lot of the faces look exactly alike, but I should digress from nitpicking. With that out of the way, on with the review!

Much like the focus of the dead StarCraft Ghost game, Ghost Academy sees a Ghost cadet named Nova as its main protagonist. Nova is particularly promising in many regards. For starters she has a PI score of 10, which is literally off the charts by comparison to some of the other members in training. Another thing she has going for her is her quick reaction time which has saved her hide on more than one occasion. The only downside we see with Nova in this installment is the fact that she's not necessarily a team player.

While Nova stands front and center in the graphic novel she's surrounded by a host of other characters who make up what's known as Team Blue. Tosh is their leader, Kath is another senior member, Lio is just kind of there, and Aal is the newest recruit. Each of the characters brings some type of dynamic to the story here. For instance Lio is addicted to a drug called Hab and just sucks all around, Aal is a cocky privileged kid, and Kath and Tosh have a relationship. There are some other characters that share some of the spotlight in this novel as well, but in all honesty the main events follow Nova and her development.

After reading through this first installment I have to say that I truly hope the series is headed somewhere. Why do I say that? Well, nothing really happens here! It's all set up, introductions, and development of the characters, but there's really no concrete story. Sure there are little pieces of conversation that hint towards something that may be coming down the road, but the entire volume consists of Team Blue going through training courses. That's it. Even then we get badgered on the fact that Nova is better than everyone else and she'd be so much better if she would just display some teamwork.

The story so far just doesn't feel balanced and there aren't many dramatic moments. Sure we get to see Nova blow some stuff up, Aal kick some butt with kung fu, and Lio have a bad reaction to hab (Drugs are bad okay? Just say no!), but that's pretty much it. Still, there are plenty of references to the rest of the franchise and diehards will appreciate the lingo and bits and pieces of information that pop up about other species. In the end this is one that is geared more towards StarCraft fans, and not necessarily something that newcomers will be able to appreciate. Even so the story here is kind of flat and the first volume doesn't exactly take off. Here's to hoping the next installment will push things to the next level!

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: V.B.Rose Volume 7

2009-12-22T14:59:00.003-05:00

Banri Hidaka's V.B. Rose began running in 2004, and in Japan the series has made it to 14 volumes. Here in the States, however, Tokyopop is still working their way through the romance series and today we're looking at the seventh installment. In case you're unfamiliar with this series all you really need to know is that it's a romance about a girl named Ageha and a bridal shop owner named Arisaka. This has been a slow burn from the beginning and it's one of those romances that is taking its sweet time coming about. You get a snippet here and there, but major developments are often few and far between. This installment pushes things forward somewhat, but in a direction that's a little different than readers may expect.

Volume seven opens with Arisaka and Ageha celebrating their birthday together. It's a cute enough scene as the two get to know each other better and watch fireworks, but nothing big comes about. It's evident that they care for each other though neither takes the next step and spills their guts about their feelings. As a reader this is kind of frustrating, but I'm sure Hidaka intended for it to be that way for the characters as well. It leaves Ageha questioning their relationship and she even has to go to her schoolmates for advice in how to approach things or handle situations. Meanwhile Arisaka gets grief from his friends and business partner as well.

Complicating matters this time around Kana Hirose shows up to the show. She's introduced as a corsage maker, but she's actually more than that to Arisaka. Let's just say that her appearance is enough to make Ageha uncomfortable. More than Kana's past with Arisaka leaves her character standing out because she has quite the attitude and contrasts the characters we've come to know. How the two could have had a relationship is beyond me, but it's enough to make Ageha's head spin and thoughts drift, so it's entertaining enough.

The questioning about their relationship goes on for a while as both Ageha and Arisaka lose themselves in their own thoughts. Just as the volume begins to wind down and come to a close, however, something happens that turns the story on its head. I don't want to give it away since it's such a big turnabout, but let's just say that someone steps forward and expresses feelings. Maybe it's who you think, and maybe it's not. All I know is I wasn't expecting it and the next installment should be very interesting because of it.

As always Hidaka's artwork is top notch. Each panel is full of detail with nice backgrounds when necessary and solid character designs. I must say that Arisaka's appearance still confounds me though. He's almost too girlish for his own good, though I suppose the manager of a bridal boutique should be somewhat.

All around the seventh installment of V.B. Rose will keep fans happy. There are enough developments between Ageha and Arisaka here to string you along, the appearance of Kana is welcome, and the surprise at the end brings about an interesting climax. We'll see how things resolve themselves in the eighth volume, but for now consider this one easily recommended if you enjoyed any of the previous releases.

Maki Rating:

DVD Review: Bamboo Blade Part 1

2009-12-21T21:18:00.006-05:00

Bamboo Blade originally came out back in 2004 as a manga by Masahiro Totsuka and was later turned into an anime series just a couple years ago. It lasted for 26 episodes and proved to be moderately popular in Japan. Will it have the same success here? FUNimation just compiled the first collection of 13 episodes and has released them as a two-disc set. If this collection is any indication of how the show will be received by American audiences, then the answer to the proposed question would be a resounding yes!
Bamboo Blade is a rather straightforward sports-comedy with kendo being its main source of action. The story here revolves around a painfully hungry and debt-ridden kendo teacher who is truly down on his luck. Nobody takes part in his club, he's quite disheartened, and all around he's a sad individual, but he's not without hope. One night while trying to get a buddy of his to buy dinner a challenge is put on the table by his friend, who also happens to be a kendo instructor at a rival school. Basically all Kojiro has to do is assemble a team of five girls and get them all trained and ready for competition. Should he win, Kojiro will eat at his friend's father's traditional sushi restaurant free for a year. Should he lose he will have to give up a kendo trophy that he more or less forgot about. Sounds like a win-win situation, right?

Well, things get off to a rocky start for sure. Complicating matters is the fact that when he begins thinking about this challenge he only has one member in his club. All the upper classmen have moved on and no lower grades have expressed interest in kendo activities. Naturally it gets Kojiro down, but he's not about to give up! Free food will be his and it's just a matter of finding an able body that can hold a blade.

First up on his recruiting roster is a young girl named Tamaki. Kojio and his only active member, Kirino, happen to come across Tamaki in a series of bizarre events where several objects and the school's principal are thrown at them one day. Tamaki steps in with a broom and saves them with ease. It's clear from the start that she's experienced with kendo and it's revealed that her family runs a dojo where she has been training every day for her entire life. This makes her a master of sorts, but considering she looks upon kendo as a household chore she doesn't express any interest in joining the group.
This all changes when she sees the opportunity to step in and be a hero as one of Kojiro's new male recruits is being bullied by another schoolmate in the dojo. Though she has never set foot inside this dojo before she gives it to the bully quite good, despite the fact that he's very skilled. It's rather amusing to watch as this little girl wallops on the guy and affirms her decision to join the kendo team to fight for justice. This reminded me a little of Konata from Lucky Star and really made me appreciate the character of Tamaki even more.

Slowly, but surely, the rest of the team falls into place. The latest male recruit's girlfriend, Miya, joinst he ranks, a hot-headed AWOL member named Saya comes back, and another first year student named Satori joins as well. A lot of the show is the preparation for the big event and this first installment goes from episode to episode following the group gathering more members and training to do their best. While his friend's dojo is chockfull of students, Kojiro seems content with what he has. The kids mostly know that he's training them for his own selfish reasons as well and I assure you that leads to plenty of amusing moments.

Bamboo Blade is presented with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio and looks pretty damn good. It's not often you see a kendo-themed anime so the designs are quite striking and many things really stand out. The picture quality is solid as well with some grain and a few compression artifacts being the only thing worth nitpicking. The audio comes with English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0, and both tracks feature very good dubs. I like the Japanese track a little better since the English one doesn't use the soundstage as much as it should. As far as bonus features are concerned this release only offers trailers and clean animations to sate your appetite.
In this first part of the series we get to see a lot of tournament action as there is a school contest and practice against another dojo. It's all leading up to the climactic battle that backs the premise of this show and watching the series get to that point is very entertaining. There's a lot of humor here, the characters are quite endearing, and the writing has a lot of personality. Bamboo Blade was kind of a sleeper hit in my opinion and it's a show that I really enjoyed watching. I can't wait for the second installment in order to see if Kojiro gets his chance for free food or not!

Maki Rating:

Manga Review: Happy Cafe Volume 1

2009-12-20T13:10:00.003-05:00

Originally released in Japan in 2005, Happy Café finds itself nestled firmly in the shoujo genre. The manga has apparently gone on to receive other volumes overseas, though here in the States Tokyopop has just released the first one. It should be said that the first volume of a manga is much like the first episode of an anime series, or anything else for that matter. One typically gets a general idea of what it's going to be about, but it's rare when something grabs and hooks you right out of the gate. Kou Matsuzuki's Happy Café is such a release that is kind of hard to gauge from its opening volume.

Happy Café doesn't offer many surprises. You see a happy looking girl on the cover with a couple of metro boys, and that's pretty much what this manga presents. The story centers around a bakery named Café Bonheur, where its patrons seem to leave happy. This entices 16 year old Uru Takamura to the point she enters the café and offers to work there for free after frequently seeing customers leaving with a smile on their face. She's a spirited little girl with a somewhat troubled past and wants nothing more than to bring happiness to other people. Once she enters the café, however, she notices that some things aren't quite what they seem to be.

For starters the baker in the café, Shindo, doesn't appear to be the kind of guy who would instill good feelings in others. He's kind of sullen and violent, frequently hitting people and saying what's on his mind regardless of other's feelings. Be that as it may though, Shindo-san is a remarkable baker and Uru notices that he's quite a different person when he's in the kitchen. He smiles and looks pleasant, which is a far cry from his outward appearance the rest of the time. Joining Shindo at Bonheur is Ichiro, who is well-mannered, but something of a narcoleptic who falls asleep constantly. The only way to revive him is by shoving food in his mouth. Odd, I know, but it's pretty funny and stands as one of the manga's running gags.

Once the three main characters are introduced; which happens during the first couple of pages, Matsuzuki begins building on their relationships and personalities. Uru, Shindo, and Ichiro are interesting enough by themselves, but I must say that they do play off each other quite well in this volume. Uru seems to be smitten with Shindo, Shindo sees a little of himself in Uru, and Ichiro is almost too nonchalant for his own good. There are many amusing bits that stem from their interactions, but anything resembling an interesting, cohesive story is not really part of the equation.

Happy Café seems almost too content to just keep things in neutral for this volume. Some stuff happens, but it's nothing that will really hook readers. There is plenty of potential for sure and the characters are fun enough so there may be some nice developments in the next volume. Now that the introductions are out of the way one would hope that Matsuzuki would take the plot to the next level.

As far as the artwork is concerned, Matsuzuki's style is pretty attractive and detailed at times. There are many points in this volume where there are no backgrounds and at times characters are merely represented by outlines and simple shapes. Despite some of these shortcuts the manga looks quite nice and the art style is very enjoyable.

If you're looking for a new manga to sink your teeth into Happy Café may be right up your alley. Then again, you really have to be looking for a shoujo comedy in order to appreciate anything that happens here, because there's not much else. The unfortunate part about this first installment is the fact that nothing really happens here. The story doesn't become interesting and the character development only goes so far. Hopefully the next volume will change that, but until then this one looks to have some promise.

Maki Rating: