AnimeTalk

January 2011 Edition

by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, Neil Lumbard and Wen-Tsai

Welcome to the new year! 2010 was a blast and there was tons of fantastic anime that hit Japanese airwaves and US DVD shelves. 2011 promises to be a good year as well with upcoming Stateside releases such as Red Line, Summer Wars, and Evangelion 2.0. As far as what's come through within the past month we've yet again wrapped up our reviews for your convenience in this column. Before we get going too far ahead, let's introduce Neil! He's the latest member of our Anime Talk panel and will be joining us for reviews and columns. Welcome sir!

Some great stuff pass through our hands this month such as Black Butler, another installment of Fullmetal Alchemist, and Kaleido Star. There was also some not-so-great stuff, but that's the same every month it seems. This time around we also have a figure review from Dance in the Vampire Bund courtesy of folks at Kotobukiya, and there's a selection of manga reviews here as well! As always WTK provides some great bargains for all you thrifty otaku. It may be cold outside, but there's plenty to do indoors!

The third installment of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood has arrived on Blu-ray. There are few shows where each volume cranks the intensity up a notch. With climaxes aplenty, Fullmetal Alchemist continues to impress and it has kept me on the edge of the seat since the story arc diverged from the original series. In this latest installment Ed and Al head north to a wintery fortress, an interesting new character is introduced, events with Scar take an unexpected turn, and two new homunculi are featured. This is a show that is constantly packed with action and awesome storytelling and I absolutely can't wait until part four comes out!

Speaking of continuing volumes of shows on Blu-ray, Dragon Ball Z: Kai's third installment came out recently as well. If you've seen Dragon Ball Z then you already know what's going on in Kai. This reimagining of the original sees Frieza and his cronies launching an attack on Planet Namek. The difference this time around is the storytelling is more streamline and the action sequences feel sharper as a result. Fans of Dragon Ball will definitely want to invest in Kai if they haven't already.

Tsubasa: The OVA Collection is an enticing release for fans of the show. This single disc release features five OVA episodes that offer two different storylines. The nice thing about these episodes is that canon in the sense that they feature main villains of the show and continue to offer adventures with Syaoran and the gang. It's nothing groundbreaking by any means, but if you're looking for more CLAMP and more Tsubasa, you simply can't go wrong here!

Romance of the Three Kingdoms and boobs go together like...well, nothing really. Koihime Musou has been released by Sentai Filmworks/Section23 and it's not exactly what you'd call a great success. The show features a bevy of busty babes traveling the countryside in China defeating bandits and whatnot. There's plenty of opportunities for fan-service, since this is an ecchi show based on an eroge PC title, after all. Ultimately it's episodic and slightly charming at points, but hardly anything to get super excited about.

One show that is worth getting at least a little excited over is Black Butler. Though episodic in its own right, Black Butler provides plenty of dark mystery, supernatural action, and fun storylines. The show takes place in Victorian era London and features a young boy who just so happens to be the head of a major estate. He's joined by a mysterious and deadly butler that may or may not be a devil in disguise. This first installment was good enough to keep me intrigued until the last episode!

Gravitation is a surprisingly enjoyable show. It's primarily a shounen-ai romance and yet that doesn't prevent it from having a number of humorous moments spread throughout. It's quirky characters keep things interesting while it's entertaining writing and direction help it to succeed at a unique level for the genre. It's newly released DVD thin-pack may be light on extras, but the show itself is worth taking a chance on.

Have you ever had a dream that you wished to pursue? We will assume that the answer is a resounding 'YES!'. As long as that is indeed correct (and how could it not be?!) Kaleido Star: Season One would make an excellent addition to the growing library of any anime fan. The series found within Funimation's newly released DVD box-set reveals to audiences one of the most optimistic and uplifting stories ever told in the art form. It will also have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. If your anime collection does not contain this season set you surely overlooked the series in the past. Now would be the perfect time to introduce yourself to Kaleido Star. Highly Recommended!

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies would be an important title for any Dragon Ball fan to have. This DVD release represents the realization of what longtime Dragon Ball fans have hoped to see happen for years. Funimation at last presents the first Dragon Ball feature film UNCUT and with a brand spankin' new English Dub. Don't miss your opportunity to revisit this fun and entertaining classic entry in the Dragon Ball saga.

I bet you've never seen a vampire that looks like this before. Mina Tepes from Dance in the Vampire Bund is one of Kotobukiya's latest figures and it stands out for several reasons. Not the least of which is the loli design of the character.

Dance in the Vampire Bund has made headlines here in the States even though the series has yet to be released on DVD (though you can catch it online via streaming if you want to check it out). The series is controversial in a way since little Miss Mina is decidedly young in appearance. Those who have seen the show know that's nowhere near the case, since she's actually a princess in the vampire world and is hundreds of years old, but I digress. Mina has a naughty streak and her prepubescent appearance is pretty much just a mask.

Kotobukiya's version of Mina isn't shy about exploiting both sides of the character. For starters the figure is decidedly loli by design, but the naughty bits come into focus thanks to a seductive pose and lingerie. This is one vampire you might not mind being bitten by; loli fan or not (and for the record I'm not; I just happen to like the character in the show).

For starters, this Mina Tepes is different from most other anime figures out there thanks to her pose. She's lounging on a chair and not standing up, which is definitely a nice change of pace, even though it presents some problems. There is a chair that acts as a base and a piece of red velvet-textured cloth that sits on top. Once that's set up Mina rests on the chair as one might expect, however, the material of the cloth and the PVC of the figure don't exactly work well together. While they may be visually appealing as an aesthetic, in practicality the figure slides off too easily. It can be frustrating getting the figure to sit correctly because of this and it requires lots of experimenting. Just hope your figure shelf doesn't shake too much or you'll find yourself placing Mina back on her perch. This isn't a crippling flaw, but until you get the figure set correctly you should expect some frustration.

As far as the design is concerned, from top to bottom Mina is packed with details that outshine the display technicalities.

Her hair is long, flowing and golden with lots of details, curves, and spot on color control. There's no real split at the top of the head, which is a common figure problem, and her lengthy pigtails are tied off via ribbons on each side of her head. As you can tell from the photos, her face is rather whimsical and seductive. She's looking ever so slightly to the side with her red-tinted eyes and licking her white gloved hand in the process. It's a nice look that really captures the soul of the character.

Moving down the character there's a lace collar around her neck, which matches the details on the rest of her outfit. Her bodice, which is a deep red/purple is trimmed with ribbons and white lace, her leggings are trimmed with the same lace and elastic band, and there's a latex-like shine to the nylons and gloves. I liked the way the paint captured surrounding light and reflected it with a glossy texture.

Contrasting the stark red base, richly colored lingerie, and pure white accessories is Mina's pale complexion. You can tell his character is a vampire just from the "I haven't seen the sun in a couple hundred years" skin tone. It adds to the allure of the figure and definitely tips the scale in the quality control department. The pain job as a whole on this figure is fantastic and there really wasn't a flaw to speak of on my copy.

This figure will look stunning in anyone's collection, but it will be something Dance in the Vampire Bund fans will appreciate most. If you don't know the character you're probably going to be turned off by the loli with sex appeal kind of thing, but it's a look that works for Mina and Mina alone. Consider this figure strongly recommended for anyone interested in the show. I can't wait for FUNimation to release the DVDs, and just hope they come uncensored whenever that happens. For larger resolution images, please check out the original review for this figure here.

Mina Tepes from Kotobukiya is made of high quality PVC and measures 1/6 in scale, which is roughly 7 inches from head to toe. Sitting on the base I'd say she's roughly 4 inches to the top. The figure is currently available, as she was released in November 2010, and can be found at the following retailers:

Hobby Search AmiAmi HLJ BigBadToyStore

Manhwa is a popular sub-section in the graphic novel industry. These books from Korean creators have the properties of manga, but often view the subject matter and cultural references differently. In my opinion they totally stand apart from manga, for good and bad reason. Yen Press is the main purveyor of manhwa here in the States and over the past couple of months they've released several titles. Link to Article.

Zany kendo comedy goodness awaits readers in the latest installment of Bamboo Blade. The release from Yen Press continues to move forward and at this point the manga is really starts to heat up. I just put down the seventh volume of the Bamboo Blade manga, and I dare say I really like where things are headed. Link to Article.

Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning is a long-running manga series that has been turned into an anime. 15 volumes of the book have been released in Japan, and in the States Yen Press has had the license for a while. Volume 13 showed up recently and I just finished going through the book cover to cover. Link to Article.

Ever heard of GA Geijutsuka Art Design Class? Well, maybe you have, but I haven't. The series, created by Satoko Kiyuduki, was originally released in 2004. Yen Press sent over the third volume of this yonkoma and I just gave it a shot today. What did I think? Link to Article.

One thing I've discovered from the deluge of manga titles every month is that invariably there's a great amount of exposure to a gamut of titles. Some first volumes come out, but for the most part we're looking at continuations of ongoing series. As a review it's rather difficult to just jump in feet first into a show already a decent click into its run, but it's kind of fun as well. With that in mind I jump into Black God's eleventh volume. Link to Article.

I don't know about you, but I'm kind of burnt out on the zombie. I mean, I love a good zombie story just like everyone else, but the motif is getting so long in tooth it's not even funny. Games, comics, books, TV, movies, and anime; they all have tackled the living dead at some point or another. The latest attempt, at least in the animated sense, was High School of the Dead. Link to Article.

Not long ago I had a manhwa review wrap-up, but for some reason Jack Frost volume four didn't make its way there. I just checked out this book by Jinho Ko. What's it all about? Link to Article.

Hey, what do you know? It's another volume of Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning! This long running release licensed in the States by Yen Press continues to pump out the volumes. Only one volume remains, and I still don't really know 100% what's going on....Link to Article.

What do you think about the column?  Like what you see?  Don't like it?  Have a comment or suggestion?  Drop us an e-mail and let us know!
 
 

AnimeTalk

December 2010 Edition

by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, and Wen-Tsai

Hello and welcome to the December Anime Talk column! I don't think we need to mention that the Holidays are just around the corner and winter is pretty much here to stay for the next couple of months. What does all this mean? Well, I'm sure your wallets are taking a hit like ours are, but it also means that hopefully there's some downtime as well. I think you can figure out how we're going to spend our downtime: watching anime!

A few titles have come our way over the past month or so and we've tackled as many as possible. We also have some manga reviewed this time around and a figure review has been included as well. WTK has been keeping an eye on bargains aplenty as well, and though most of the Black Friday deals have come and gone, there are still some sweet savings out there.

On a business note, if you're reading this and are interested in joining DVDTalk's staff as a reviewer, now's the time! We're looking for a person to join our Anime Talk panel and review team. Feel free to head over to the Anime forum for more details! Without further ado, let's get on with the column!

The Straw Hat Pirates go looking for a fabled city of gold and end up fighting a god in FUNimation's One Piece Season Three Voyage Three. Their time in Skypeia has been interesting, to say the least, but when Luffy's crew has to face down the god of the cloud islands, it's unclear whether they'll be able to defeat the immensely powerful being... even though they have a god on their side too. It's another fun and wacky set of show that are sure to please fans.

Birdy the Mighty: Decode has come out, and it's downright awesome by many standards. The show takes place on Earth, but features aliens living among us. A super powerful weapon has been brought to our world and it threatens to destroy every living thing on Earth. The only thing standing in the way is Birdy, an intergalactic agent sent to recover the weapon. Unfortunately she accidentally kills a teenage boy while on the job, and in an effort to save his life, she takes his consciousness into her body. What happens after that point is an action oriented romp that is kind of a sci-fi version of Ranma 1/2. The first part is better than the second, but the franchise as a whole is pretty damn good.

Sekirei, however, isn't nearly as good as Birdy. This show also has sci-fi elements and features lots of action, but the show focuses more on breasts than anything else. That's right, Sekirei is yet another girls fighting girls kind of show where breasts are bared and panties are shot. Fan-service is the name of the game, and this one has it in spades. The show basically follows a young boy who can't find a girlfriend, but one day a busty lady happens to fall into his lap. The rest is generic history as they fall for each other. The show is dry, and sparsely entertaining.

And speaking of fan-service being used to a degree that it is actually detrimental to a show, we also looked at Girls Bravo. This one has been around the block a few times, but FUNimation has gotten their hands on the franchise and released a collection. Yay. This show is just plain and simply not good. It's about a guy whose bathtub is a portal to a world populated by 90% women. He accidentally visits it and they all want him. The only problem is he's allergic to the fairer sex. Fortunately for him one girl in particular, who isn't afraid to bare herself, takes a liking to him AND he's not allergic to her. What could go wrong with that?

Along those lines Nyan Koi is a show that's rather perplexing in its execution. On one hand the series is about a guy that is allergic to cats, and finds himself being cursed by a cat spirit. This means he can hear cats talk and has to do odd-jobs for them. On the other hand the show is a harem comedy with fan-service in the form of boobs and panty shots. The two concepts don't really jive well, but somehow it squeaks by. This one was far more entertaining than Sekirei and Girls Bravo put together.

Emo ninjas and bromance await those who check out Nabari no Ou, but then again if you've been reading the manga or have watched the show then you already know that. Yen Press has been releasing the book and I just so happen to have the fifth installment sitting right next to me. What's going on in this volume?

The back of the manga reads the following:

"Stripped of her sword Kurogamon by her traitorous elder brother, the hospitalized Raimei is forced to face up to the demons brought on by the battle with Raikou. Still, Raimei is not one to take life's blows lying down, and she decides to confront her brother once more. Standing in her way, however, is another member of the Grey Wolves! But instead of instigating another fight, this enemy has a story to tell...a story that will shatter the truth to which Raimei has been clinging for all these years..."

This installment is pretty slick for several reasons, though the most prominent is what happens at the beginning. Yoite decides to visit Miharu, but he chooses a rather inopportune time. Tobari is in the middle of scolding Miharu about the Shinra Banshou powers when Hanai interrupts them to tell them there's a boy collapsed at the street. Naturally Yoite's dangerous atmosphere plays into effect here, but he and Miharu have some quiet time to hang out and they are spoken to about happiness in life by Hanai. It puts an interesting twist on their relationship and the snippet of conversation fleshes out Yoite in a lot of ways.

Raimei spends some time recovering from her confrontation with her brother, and this volume brings the two back together again, though that happens much later on in the book. The stuff that fills the middle mostly focuses on Raikou and his past. Needless to say things aren't exactly the way Raimei's perspective remembered them and Raikou isn't as much a bad guy as he's played up to be. He's still a badass, don't get me wrong, but he's a little misunderstood. I did appreciate the focus on the Grey Wolves ninja this time around as well. If I remember correctly this should be the turning point in their involvement with Miharu, but I'm sure the anime differs largely from the manga.

The thing I like about this volume of Nabari no Ou is the direction is sends the storyline and characters. Events turn things around on their head and what was established up to this point is totally flipped. The last line of the book also leaves the door open for some crazy stuff in the next volume, and I'm sure it will leave fans on the edge of their seats.

If you're new to the franchise Nabari no Ou is a satisfying and cool ninja manga that really pushes the envelope. This installment brings about a lot of change and really sets up the path of things to come.

Highly Recommended

The sixth installment of Sumomomo, Momomo has hit store shelves. Fans of the series will want to check it out, but by this point newcomers will most likely pass the title over. Is the series worth going back to the original five volumes to check it out?

Sumomomo, Momomo features a story that takes place in a kind of fantasy world that's not too dissimilar from our own in some ways. It revolves around the life of a young girl named Momoko, who is a fierce warrior from the Kuzuryuu clan. She's got some crazy skill, but her sexist father feels that a woman can never reach a man's potential. The only way Momoko will become relevant is by marrying a guy who can help sire the future generations of the Kuzuryuu bloodline. Nice, huh? Well, Momoko winds up betrothed to Koushi from the Inuzuka clan, but the kink in this plan is that Koushi is definitely not the warrior type. He's apathetic and weak, which probably goes against what Momoko's father had in mind.

It's entertaining enough of a concept to keep a series going in my opinion, but this is the first volume I've read so I can't speak to the quality of the other volumes. One of the most difficult things about reviewing manga is coming into a series late in the game. As I haven't read the other installments, I naturally only gleaned so much from this book.

The details on the back of this volume are as follows:

"With three of the four antidote compounds in hand, Momoko and Koushi move on to face their most fearsome opponent yet -- Tenga Koganei! As the poison creeps ever closer to her heart, Momoko falls to the fierce leader of the Tiger Clan. Recognizing that there is little glory in defeating a weakened warrior, Tenga willingly hands over the final ingredient of the concoction that will save Koushi and Momoko. But there's a catch: There is only enough antidote to save one of them!"

The volume begins in the middle of some argument between Momoko and a girl in a Chinese dress. Apparently the girl took it upon herself to trash Momoko's relationship and generally speaking that doesn't go over too well with those of the fairer persuasion. Eventually some giant jackass named Tenga shows up and challenges Momoko. She's put to the test in this fight and to be perfectly honest their confrontation lasts for most of this installment. It's a little drawn out and over-the-top, but then again most big scale anime battles are like that and it hammers home some of Momoko's strengths (and Koushi's weaknesses).

Throughout the volume there's a plotline revolving around Koushi being poisoned in some fashion and there's an antidote out there that could save him. I'm not entirely clear on the details, but this plotline does play into effect in the latter parts of the volume. The Tenga storyline gets resolved by the volume's end, and the book sets up the next leg of the journey.

At the end of the day I enjoyed reading this installment of Sumomomo, Momomo, though much of it was lost on me since I haven't read the rest of the series. The characters seem lively enough and the plot is intriguing, so from my one volume examination the manga is good enough to warrant a recommendation. However, I do have to say that the sexist undertones don't really do the book justice. But then again maybe I'm just reading too much into that aspect.

Recommended

I freaking LOVE Yotsuba&!! This manga has been a little slice of joy and I borderline get giddy every time a new volume comes out. The ninth has hit store shelves, so what's in store for everyone's favorite five year old this time?

For some information on the series and a recap of the last volume, please check out my review for the eighth installment.

This time around Yotsuba's adventures through childhood continue with some exciting adventures. For starters there's a new addition to the family...Juralumin! Koiwai takes Yotsuba to a teddy bear shop and buys her a new friend. The bear tags along with Yotsuba basically wherever she goes for a while and it's quite entertaining to see her play with her new friend.

Other stuff in this volume includes Koiwai getting a new coffee maker, Yotsuba and her father's friends going out to dinner, and Yotsuba learning what a schedule is and how to make one. Towards the end of the volume Koiwai, Yotsuba, and their neighbors go to see hot air balloons in action. There are little things inside such as Yotsuba learning what a yoga ball is and the neighbors getting a grand tour of Koiwai's house, but that's pretty much it.

I realize that the above description doesn't exactly sound thrilling, but it's so ridiculously charming it's not even funny. This slice of life manga has more personality than you can shake a teddy bear at and Yotsuba is arguably one of the cutest characters ever put into print. Every panel has something to smile about and the book does a marvelous job of getting the childlike sense of wonder through to you as you read. If you've read the book then you know what I'm talking about.

This is a book for everyone, though really I think adults will appreciate its content more. There's something that strikes a cord within you while you read the book. It's funny, charming, and reminiscent of what it means to be a child. The world is a big place full of exciting things, and experiencing them through the eyes of Yotsuba makes everything feel special. This series is an instant classic and is an absolute must buy. I would start with the first volume, however, so that none of Yotsuba's antics are missed.

A Must Buy

A few months ago I reviewed a Kotobukiya Bakemonogatari figure. The figure was nicely designed, as are most Kotobukiya efforts, and really brought a lot of personality to the table. The publisher's follow-up release for the series keeps the charm going with loads of detailing and quirkiness.

Kotobukiya's Hachikuji Mayoi from Bakemonogatari was recently released just this past month. For those of you that haven't seen the show and don't know who Mayoi is, I think it's pretty clear from the pictures I've taken that she's got the kawaii thing down pat. Much like Hitagi was the embodiment of the spirit of the crab, Mayoi's spirit is that of a snail. With the dynamic pose and liveliness of the figure, one wouldn't presume such a thing.

From top to bottom Mayoi is loaded with detail. Her hair is designed in such a way that the pigtails look as though they are whipping through the air. They are connected by some sharp green ribbons and the part in her hair, as is typically a fault in PVC figures, is covered by a white headband. Her bangs also have the same feeling of movement and it remains instep with the rest of the figure. Her face is quite charming with bright red colored eyes and a mischievous smile.

Moving down the figure her arms are positioned in such a way to show strength as she's carrying a large backpack off of junk. Her posture is bent slightly under its weight, but she's hardly skipping a beat. In fact she's positioned on one leg and seems to be hopping along without a care in the world. Her skirt is creased nicely and comes complete with buttons and a cherry design on the front. Her right foot is jutting out to the side as though she's about to come in for a landing, while her left (which features a bandage on the knee) is firmly attached to part of the base.

The base is clear plastic and comes with a removable snail design. Fans of the series will appreciate the subtle character accent to the figure, though the design aesthetic works well whether it's there or not. The build of the base and fact that her foot is screwed into an attachment means Mayoi isn't going anywhere. She's perfectly balanced and firmly rooted. It's too bad because I like displaying my characters without bases whenever possible, though that simply wouldn't work with this kind of pose; and I love the pose!

Now, to the backpack there's a lot going on. For starters it's designed to look like a big, fat, pink bird. The right side of the pack has a grey teddy bear with a tear stuck in the pock, while the left features a rabbit, heart-covered pouch, and label with some kanji on it. Jutting out of the top of the backpack is a giant claw, which adds an air of mystery. Just what is Mayoi hiding inside this thing!?

I'm sure you can see most of these details in the pictures I took of her. I can't stress enough how whimsical this character is in person. There's a certain charm to Mayoi that comes from the design by Koei Matsumoto. The details are flawless on this figure and there's nary a missed opportunity with coloring and production.

Kotobukiya's Hachikuji Mayoi measures at 1/8th scale (she stands about 7 inches) and is constructed of quality PVC. The figure is currently available at Hobby Search, AmiAmi, and RightStuf!

My verdict: Highly Recommended

What do you think about the column?  Like what you see?  Don't like it?  Have a comment or suggestion?  Drop us an e-mail and let us know!
 
 

AnimeTalk

November 2010 Edition

by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, Bobby Cooper, and Wen-Tsai

Hello and welcome to Anime Talk once again! We've been busy this past month with reviews of anime and manga and hey, we thought we'd share them with you! Granted we don't have too many anime titles to feature this time around, but we compensate for that with plenty of manga reviews. In this column you'll find some sweet new stuff and classic titles as well. On the classic front we have the likes of Trigun and Dirty Pair to feature and on the new side of that coin we saw another Hetalia and Canaan as well.

Here you'll also find some of our suggestions for holiday shopping. 'Tis the season after all. To that end, WTK is here to help you by sharing some really good bargains. He's basically your ticket out of a coal-full of stocking. Be nice to him, not Santa, and I'm sure some awesome anime will appear under your tree this year!

We were able to look at the latest Naruto Shippuden collections this past month. First off, Naruto and the Leaf Village ninja are hot on the trail of the group that kidnapped Gaara in Naruto Shippuden Box Set 2 from Viz. The group the abducted the Sand ninja have something they want to do with the powerful warrior, and they just need to delay his rescuers for a little while in order to drain all of his energy. Will Team Kakashi and Taem Guy arrive in time? And even if they do, what then? In the third boxed set of Naruto Shippuden a lot events happen including: the introduction of a couple of new characters, one of whom may be a spy, trouble for the Tsunade, the fifth Hokage, and a new mission that may turn into a solid lead on where Sasuke is being kept.

You don't have to be a gear-head to enjoy the intense racing action in Initial D: First Stage, Part One. The story centers on Takumi, a prodigal drift racer who speeds down mountain roads while delivering tofu for his father's store. The only problem is that Takumi does not enjoy racing and barely knows more about cars than the average Joe who frequents Jiffy Lube every 3,000 miles. As the series progresses, Takumi develops a passion and competitive spirit that he never knew existed within him. This older series is surprisingly entertaining and will capture your imagination, regardless of your automobile IQ.

Anime series like Eden of the East do not come around very often, so if you haven't seen it yet, stop reading and find this set. On a graduation trip to Washington D.C., Saki Morimi meets Akira, a strange man her own age with no recollection of his past. Oh, and he's running around the national monuments naked. They head back to Japan where Akira discovers that he is an unwilling participant in a bizarre game where the goal is to save Japan. To divulge any more of the story rather than let you experience it would be an unforgiveable sin. This series has it all: likeable characters, an intricately crafted plot, tons of action, and more laughs than you might expect. Not a moment is wasted in this deep and mysterious story that never stops building until the very end and leaves you pining for more. The ending does not wrap things nicely--the story stops more than it ends. Thankfully, there are two movies being released that should clear up any remaining loose ends. Eden of the East is one those rare series that will appeal even to non-anime fans and should fit comfortably on everyone's Must-See list.

If you simply love watching hot anime babes shoot guns, then you might dig Canaan. Be warned, if you are able to make it through the latter half of the series fully conscious, the story devolves into an unsatisfying, introspective, melodramatic mush. Maria Osawa is a magazine photographer deployed to Shangai, China to cover an international anti-terror conference. She quickly finds herself the target of an assassination attempt by strange masked men whose heads pop like a giant zit when they are unmasked. A quiet, superpowered heroine named Canaan from Maria's past saves her from certain doom. The story follows Canaan's efforts to stop a terrorist group known as Snake from committing any further bioterrorism atrocities with the supposedly incurable Ua virus. This series sets itself up as a brilliant mystery/thriller and an audio/visual treat. Unfortunately, the forgettable characters and muddled ending fail to live up to expectations.

The next classic show on our plate this month was Dirty Pair, released by Nozomi Entertainment/RightStuf!. This classic series has definitely been around the block a few times in its 25 year existence, but every once in a while it's nice to get back to basics and explore the roots of anime fandom. This was one of those early shows that really grabbed my attention and drew me into the industry, but then again by the time I saw it I was a teenager. You do the math. Two girls running around in their underwear fighting crime. Yeah, it's not rocket science. But it's fun and that's what counts!

And finally, we have the other new show that's making headlines, Hetalia: Axis Powers. This twisted little show has been tearing up the charts and with good reason. Take the nations of the world and present them in the form of a single character. Now put those characters in the situation of world history and events like World War II, and you have endless possibilities. Whacky humor, insane personality, and a whole bunch of charm are crammed into this series and the second season keeps being awesome.

The first volume of Saving Life from Tokyopop introduces us to Haruhiko, who is living in a hovel with hardly a dime to his name. He pinches his pennies every month and takes extra precautions to do whatever necessary to keep his utility bills down. He goes hungry sometimes just to pay the rent. Given the fact that he's in such a state and living on his own, it's surprising to learn that he's actually the son of an ultra-rich family. Instead of living in the lap of luxury something snapped inside Haruhiko and he decided it would be a good idea to live the life of a regular person, scraping by to earn a living.

One thing keeping Haruhiko going is the fact that he just landed another part-time job at a café. It doesn't bring in much money, but it's enough to get by. This also gives us the opportunity to meet Jun-chan, a tsundere character archetype with an explosive attitude and distaste for men in general. Lucky for our protagonist he has a childhood friend, Yuriko, who tags along to help, and one of the maids, Nanako, from his mansion even comes to live with and take care of him. See a pattern developing here?

The first volume of the manga goes through the motions of introducing all the main players and giving readers plenty of opportunity to see the female cast in skimpy garb. Panty shots, lingerie picks, wet t-shirts, and plenty of provocative poses are used as gimmicks here. Many of these stem from Haruhiko's fantasies, but some come from stereotypical situations such as the guy walking in on the girl, accidentally grabbing her chest, or catching a glimpse of undergarments.

The bits that are supposed to be funny generally are in terms of what's unique to the series. Seeing Haruhiko go to lengths to save loose change is kind of amusing, and seeing Nanako piece together haphazard quick fixes is definitely a highlight. Really the main draw for the book at this point is the awkward situations its protagonist finds himself in and the nicely drawn fan-service by Kaneda.

At this point the series doesn't offer a hook. The characters are entertaining, but there's a stereotypical element to their relationships. The fan-service gags never feel fresh and even then what's here is relatively tame, even in comparison to Girls Bravo. Fans of that series will want to pick this up because the tone of the book is fairly similar, however, anyone looking for true laughs or something original will be left wanting.

For now I'm going with a very light recommendation for this one, and would go as far as to say you're probably better off checking it out in a bookstore before blind buying it.

Familiar in plot and execution, yet fresh with its approach to its subject matter and characters, Summoner Girl's first volume is set to come out in a few days. This title is one of Tokyopop's latest and comes from creator Hiroshi Kubota. Like magical girls, cute animals, and a can-do attitude? This is a book for you!

Set in an alternate timeline where Ayakami (powerful spirits) plague the land, there exists an underground collection of exorcists who utilize shikigami (other spirits) to protect the world. It's a straightforward and familiar concept that has been applied before in both manga and anime. In the case of Summoner Girl, however, Kubota has infused the magical girl element as well.

Hibiki is a fourth grade girl who has risen in rank among exorcists, mostly thanks to some assistants from her militant grandmother. She has been bestowed with five shikigami, who each represent various elements in the world, and has been charged with tracking down six magical jewels named Rikutou. Along the way the book introduces Kenta Oda, a young boy from a nearby temple, and a rival for Hibiki who is big on personality, but is yet unnamed.

The pacing for this first volume is rather formulaic with three chapters featuring three different stories. In each Hibiki comes into a situation and has to use her shikigami to get out of it. Rather than use brute strength, however, she looks for a peaceful solution and often attempts to win her opponents over rather than conquer them. This gives the series a lighthearted feeling that fits in with the cute artwork quite nicely. Even better is the overall sense of humor and style.

Summoner Girl's first volume was a fun read. Hibiki is a charmer if there ever was one, though it does leave her feeling a little generic. The shikigami really take the center stage as they each bring their outlandish personalities to play during each and every conversation. They also speak through Hibiki when they possess her and the intermixing of personalities is quite interesting. Hibiki's grandmother is a nutcase and Kenta's energetic ignorance provides plenty of laughs.

Ultimately this is a series that looks like it's going to be quite entertaining. I'm not certain how many volumes of the manga are released in Japan at this point, but it's got the set up for a long run. With that being said it also looks like the kind of book that could grow a little stale after a while. The formulaic storylines and generic plot disappoint, though the personality far outweighs any drawbacks.

This first volume is recommended.

Released by Yen Press the K-On! manga is set to take the American manga world by fire when it comes out later this year. Originally created by the mastermind manga-ka Kakifly, K-On!'s anime is soon to be released by Bandai. If you've been on a little thing called the internet within the past year or so (how else would you be reading this?) you've undoubtedly seen a hysterical fan-base erupt over the franchise. You can't go anywhere where anime fans go without hearing about K-On!. It's simply everywhere.

Bearing that in mind, there's undoubtedly a few of you out there that don't know anything about the series. After all, it still isn't "officially" released in America yet so there's a good chance many of you don't know about it.

Basically, all you need to know is that it's a manga about nothing, essentially. It's the moe anime equivalent to Seinfeld where hardly anything happens in each chapter. The manga follows the story of a group of school girls who go on to form a pop music club. They become friends, learn how to play instruments, and well...that's basically it. The story here really is just about the girls and their relationships.

The characters are Tsumugi (also known as Mugi), Ritsu, Mio (my personal favorite), and Yui. Ritsu is the go-getter and the driving force for much of the manga's antics. Mio is a close second and is often portrayed as the reserved quiet one. Mugi is arguably the most adorable and Yui is virtually drafted into the club against her will.

The manga gets started quickly with the introduction of all the characters and the building of the club. The 4-koma does a great job in each panel of setting up the punch line and delivering on the laughs. Every one of the 121 pages of this manga is loaded with laugh out loud of kawaii moments that will win you over. Whether it's watching Yui get accustomed to owning a guitar, seeing Mio dolled up in a maid outfit, or witnessing the girl's first performance; this book is a charmer.

Yen Press has a hit on their hands and I'd heartily recommend this book to anyone and everyone. It's funny, charming, and so damn adorable. This franchise has already shown it has staying power, and from my first taste it's easy to see why. I loved every bit of it and absolutely can't wait for the second installment!

Highly Recommended

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I freaking love Spice & Wolf. The manga and the anime. The franchise has such a unique story, memorable characters, and a charm unlike any other. I've highly recommended everything revolving around the series before, so do I consider the third volume of the manga the same?

If you're unfamiliar with Spice & Wolf please feel free to visit my reviews of the first and second manga before reading through this review for the third installment. There may/will be some spoiler material ahead for those of you who are new to the series. I'm also going to direct you to those reviews as a way to provide background on the series, rather than recapping or reposting information. With that in mind, let's get on with the review of the third manga, shall we?

This installment picks up with Holo and Lawrence on the run from the Medio Company and the Church. If you recall, the pair got caught up in a scheme to introduce a new form of currency that would devalue what was currently on the market. This was enough to put a price on their head. Making matters worse was the fact that the Church wanted to get its hands on Holo because she was considered to be a demon. Well, after a daring rescue Lawrence and Holo flee beneath the city into a maze of ancient tunnels and aqueducts.

At every turn they bump into their pursuers and eventually they are left cornered with nowhere to run. Lawrence is wounded and losing a lot of blood, and the only hope for their escape is for Holo to reveal her true form and kick some ass. This creates something of a rift in their relationship, but it's also the opportunity for a new beginning. It's around the halfway point where things start to get interesting after their flight, but I won't divulge how things transpire. All I'm going to say as far as details of the book are concerned is that in the latter half a shepherd named Norah is introduced. This was a nice addition to the anime when it occurred and I look forward to reliving it through the manga as well.

The third volume of Spice & Wolf continues to charm. The action in the first half is fast paced with some outstanding moments and a nice climax at the end of that particular storyline. From that point the book slips into its talk of economics and business for a while before building upon the characters even further.

The artwork continues to be amazing and the translation of the text is appropriately diverse and flowery. The manner with which the characters speak has been a real draw for me, and I'm pleased to see that it is a tradition that continues. The book has miniscule course language and some light nudity (oh, that Holo), but really it's nothing graphic or adult. I suppose I should say don't let the "M" rating fool you. It's not ecchi or something like Queen's Blade, but rather the content is handled with class.

It's all good in my opinion and I continue to be infatuated with this series. I can't get enough of Spice & Wolf and once you let Holo sink her teeth into you, you'll be hooked as well!

Highly Recommended

From the mind of author, James Patterson, comes a swashbuckling, sci-fi adventure about a high school student who must protect the Earth from alien invasions. James Patterson is a hugely successful American author who has a record, 56 titles appearing on the New York Times Bestsellers List. He's probably best known as the author of the Alex Cross novels. Daniel X is James Patterson's foray into the teen sci-fi/superhero arena and his second trek into manga--the first being Maximum Ride. Korean artist, Seung-Hui Kye, transforms James Patterson's prose into beautiful comic art in this fun, action packed, sci-fi tale with some surprising twists.

Daniel X is not your average, ordinary high school student. His parents were alien hunters who were slaughtered right in front of him when he was just three-years-old. Not unlike Batman, this event inspires Daniel to someday avenge his parents. The story skips to where where he is 15-years-old and following in his parents' footsteps by actively protecting Earth from aliens who want to conquer our planet.

Not much about Daniel X is original. Daniel's powers such as telepathy, transformation, and creation are described as his ability to manipulate the universal force. I suppose when you are deriving from an idea as embedded in pop-culture as The Force from Star Wars, there's no real point in shying away from it. Patterson's main storyline about aliens living among us, actively trying to conquer Earth, only to be held in check by secret "Alien Hunters" is obviously inspired by the Men In Black movies.

Daniel can somehow manipulate subatomic particles and create things and even people. The solitary teenager creates a family of his own as well as a group of four close friends. The individuals that Daniel creates each, presumably, have their own personality and free will. In a strange twist, one of his creations, Dana, is his dream girl.

Daniel eventually receives instructions to pack his things and head for Malibu, California--he's on a hunt for Seth, the #6 bad guy on the Top 10 Deadliest Aliens on Earth list. Upon reaching his destination, Daniel attends a local high school where he meets Phoebe, a cute, shy-ish new girl who is actually interested in him. Daniel uses his telepathic abilities to get a bead on how to talk to her and suddenly he finds himself questioning whether he should focus his attention on a real girl or stay on Dana. From here, Daniel must investigate the whereabouts of Seth and find a way to rescue the children that he has kidnapped.

Seung-Hui Kye's artwork in Daniel X is exceptional, featuring fine detail where appropriate. Daniel's facial expressions and body language exude goodness with the type of loneliness that would lead someone to create friends and family. Daniel's clique of manufactured friends, outside of Dana, are artistically uninspired. However, the other characters, especially the villains, look fantastic. Kye's action scenes are easy to follow and page-turning fun. The final battle between Daniel and Seth is an exciting, well-imagined conclusion.

Daniel X is a highly derivative sci-fi work with some manga hallmarks thrown in for good measure, but that doesn't mean it's worthless. The story of a high school student that must save the planet is hardly new to the world of anime/manga. The tight execution of the Daniel X's story, however, separates it from manga's crowded sci-fi subgenre. The plot seems rather ordinary at first, setting the stage for a "monster of the week" series. That is, until, Daniel is taken prisoner and transported to another planet where some loose plot threads begin to come together. The people he meets and the events that occur on this planet imply that the Daniel X universe is vast and brimming with a rich and fascinating history. I have never read James Patterson's Daniel X novels, but this manga book had me entertaining the thought of picking up a book or two just to see where this is heading.

Daniel X is a little Star Wars, a lot of Men In Black, a dash of Batman, and a few sprinkles of any number of manga stories Shake N' Baked to juicy perfection. The result is not wholly original or unique, but still somehow delicious. If derivative works offend you, then Daniel X will have you cursing James Patterson's very existence. But if you can just kick back and enjoy a well produced sci-fi tale, then this first volume of Daniel X is worth a shot. I'll definitely come back for seconds and hopefully thirds with this series.

How To Draw Shojo Manga is a bit of a misnomer. This book doesn't really focus on how to draw, but instead dives into the whole process of producing a manga comic, from start to finish. Some drawing instruction is included, but do not expect an exhaustive treatment of proportion, perspective, and poses.

Editors from various shojo magazines contribute to this beginner's manual to drawing manga. I'm not sure where this book fits on an artist's bookshelf. The chapters touch on actual drawing so briefly that the authors must assume you have received extensive art instruction from other sources. The authors could not possibly expect an artist to learn from instructions that basically say, "Here's how a face looks. Practice makes perfect!" How to Draw Shojo Manga briefly touches on topics such as perspective, storyboarding, paneling, layout, inking, dialogue, lettering and even how to handle criticism. There is also a very useful, short, bonus chapter for producing manga digitally that gives some pointers on using scanners, tablets, and Manga Studio. While the chapters are almost laughably short, the book includes excellent listings of materials to buy for producing both traditional and digital manga art. There are a few tidbits here and there, such as font sizes to use while lettering, panel styles, and camera angles, that are useful and easy to locate within the small book.

It is useful for new artists to see all the steps involved in creating a manga comic from inception to final product. Along with the instruction, the book includes a small side-story about Ena, an aspiring mangaka whose mission in life is to submit an entry for a manga contest. The sequences showing her frustrations as she learns the technique discussed in the chapter, messes up, crumbles her sheet of paper and starts over again are amusing; these scenes keep the book light in tone while emphasizing the take-home points. Ena's progress as an artist is nothing short of miraculous. She goes from a complete newb to rendering a beautiful shojo contest submission with only 132 pages of light instruction. If only I were as talented as Ena.

The writers of this book encourage young artists to simply keep drawing. As time progresses, they claim, you will eventually improve to a professional level. That method may very well work for some. However, the writers fail to stress that there is no sure path to become a mangaka; simply drawing manga endlessly, without instruction or critique, is a perfect recipe to introduce bad habits that are difficult to break. Think Rob Liefeld, the infamous American comic artist who somehow achieved success in the 1990's, but still to this day cannot draw a foot.

The advice in this book reminds me of many workshops at anime conventions where young artists bitterly grumble about their art teachers who do not respect manga as an art form or help them learn to draw comics. While some art teachers' condescending attitudes towards sequential art may be unfortunate, they are probably not out to dash your dreams; instead they simply want to help you become a better artist. Their argument is to learn to draw first. Learn how to draw what you see. Then, learn how to draw the human body in any pose and from any angle with proper proportions, expressions, and shading. Once you have the fundamentals down, use that knowledge to branch off into your own unique style. Young mangaka still perfecting their craft may want to seek materials that will help them actually learn to draw, such as the invaluable Vilppu Drawing Manuals, rather than drawing that one same, quarter-turned, manga-style face 1,000 times over. Learn to draw and don't be Rob Liefeld. I'm just here to help.

How to Draw Shojo Manga is a high-level survey about producing a manga comic. Entire books have been written on many of the topics that just briefly mentioned on single pages. This book is aimed at teenage aspiring artists that are interested in creating manga, but have no idea where to start and what steps are involved. Many useful tidbits are scattered throughout the book, but this is an entry-level pamphlet for aspiring artists to outline what topics they will need to study further. Look at the chapter or "step" listing and plan on purchasing good, in-depth books on each one.

What do you think about the column?  Like what you see?  Don't like it?  Have a comment or suggestion?  Drop us an e-mail and let us know!
 
 

AnimeTalk

October 2010 Edition

by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, Bobby Cooper, and Wen-Tsai

The days are getting shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the Christmas shopping season will be here before you know it! Now is the time to start thinking about what shows you want to add to your wish list, and this month we have a column full of anime worth adding to your collection. Coincidence? I think not!

Big name shows such as Sengoku Basara, Eden of the East, Corpse Princess, and El Hazard: The Wanderers were all released since our last column. Several other fan favorites such as Dragon Ball Z and One Piece received volumes as well. What's worth picking up? Read on for synopses and review linkage. WTK also has some bargains to cause your wallet some pain and we have another Shining Wind anime figure review. Let's get this column going before those darned Trick or Treaters show up!

The hilarious story of Sun and Nagasumi's life as students sworn to marry each other concludes in My Bride Is A Mermaid: Season One, Part Two. Sun is a mermaid who revealed her true form to save Nagasumi from drowning. Mermaid Law dictated that, as a result of a human seeing her true form, they must both be killed or marry. So, Sun moves in with Nagasumi's family and her own family, which is also a Yakuza gang, tags along. My Bride is a Mermaid features a crazy huge cast and focuses on the secondary characters in the final 13 episodes. This maniacal series keeps the laughs coming with its joke-a-minute script. Some of the gags fall flat, but more often than not, otaku with a sense of humor about their anime will find a lot to love here. Go ahead, try to hate it. I did and laughed out of spite until I admitted it's really funny.

El Hazard: The Wanderers is a complete remake of the classic OVA series, The Magnificent World. High school students, Makoto, Nanami, Jinnai, and their teacher, Fujisawa are transported to a new dimension when Makoto's science project goes haywire one day thanks to Jinnai's sabotage. In a new world known as El Hazard, the four split up and make their own way--Makoto and Fujisawa seek a way out, Nanami wants to make a fortune, and Jinnai wants to conquer and enslave the world. In this harem series, Makoto and Fujisawa meet several priestesses and princesses, causing most of the women to fawn over them. The Wanderers is a diluted version of the original OVA; the plot was simplified, some characters were changed, and much of the sexual content was either dialed down a few notches or wiped out completely. It's still a decent series, but there is no reason for anybody to see this instead of the far superior OVA series. This set is for hardcore, El Hazard competionist fans only.

The great experiment of remixing and remastering the beloved anime classic, Dragon Ball Z, continues with Dragon Ball Z Kai: Season One, Part Two. The first set ended with Goku and Vegeta in an epic clash--really, are Dragon Ball Z fights ever not epic? Following this battle, most of the key players in the cast make their way to Piccolo's home world, Namek, to collect the seven more Dragon Balls for various reasons. This set introduces the villain of dubious gender, Freiza, and sets up Vegeta as his enemy. Meanwhile, Krillin, Gohan, and Bulma are on the planet and vastly outmatched by both villains. Goku eventually heals up from his battle wounds and makes his way to Namek to help out his friends. This series continues to be an awesome remix of the classic and is a great spot for Dragon Ball newbies to jump in.

Monkey D. Luffy returns with his band of eccentric and off beat pirates in FUNimation's One Piece Season Three Voyage Two. In the past Luffy has had to battle super powered pirate, evolved sharks, and even a government's army, among other things. This time he's setting out to face his most powerful foe yet, a living god. If you've enjoyed the earlier releases, these 13 episodes will sure to please. The show is still as funny and offbeat as ever.

Naruto Season Three Volume One from Viz collects another 29 episodes of the ninja anime on six DVDs that are certain to entertain fans. This set starts the next big story arc in the saga, where Sasuke mysteriously leaves the Leaf Village in order to join Orochimaru, the villain who killed the third Hokage. Naruto and his friends aren't sure if the young ninja has been kidnapped or what, but they intend to bring him back, even if it kills them. A lot of fun, ninja action, and some heart-warming vignettes are contained in this enjoyable collection.

We get to the 100th episode, and beyond, in Bleach - Season 5: The Assault from Viz. This collection has Ichigo and his allies traveling to the Soul Society once more to protect it from the Bounts, being of incredible power who are plotting to destroy the Sereitei. The storyline is wrapped up in this collection and not a moment too soon.

A prison break, flying leeches, a samurai ghost and really spicy curry; Naruto Season Three Set Two has it all! After the chase for Sasuke that encompassed the previous collection, this set of shows consists of shorter stories that are over in a couple of episodes. Lighter in tone than the long story arcs, these installments are a lot of fun to watch.

It's here at last: The definitive edition of the most exciting saga in the world's most famous anime series. The Dragon Ball Z Dragon Box Volume 4 presents 42 more episodes in the classic series including the wrap up of the Android Saga which segues nicely into the appearance of arguably the series greatest villain, Cell.

Rental Magica, Parts 1 & 2 were released a while ago, though they recent made their way to our doorstep. The show received a lot of hype when it was airing and the complete series has been released by RightStuf/Nozomi. What's it all about? Well, it takes place in a world where magic is very much real, but not just one type of magic; all types. There exists here a form of magical contamination and it's up to a special group of magic users to clear things up. The only problem? The series is woefully generic to the point it's boring. Some of the action is lively and the characters are fun, but the story really falls flat for a majority of the run.

FUNimation's Corpse Princess features a dead girl coming back to life and fighting other dead people. Known as Shikabane, these dead beings aren't merely zombies or vampires. They have thought and can use their supernatural powers for whatever their lifeless hearts desire. It's up to a Shikabane Hime, "corpse princess" if you will, to stop them. They don't act independently, however, and they must team up with a monk handler. The series comes with Parts 1 and 2, and both sides of the coin are arguably different. Fun, packed with insane action, and offering plenty of fan-service, Corpse Princess is worth picking up.

Recently released on Blu-ray thanks to Sentai Filmworks/Section23, XAM'd Collection 1 brings the first 13 episodes and presents them on two discs. The show takes place in an alternate timeline slightly in the future where organic technology and mysterious flying machines are pervasive. Events follow a boy named Akiyuki who is chosen to be the host of a parasitic life-form named XAM'd. His future and very life depend on how he learns to live with the beast inside of him and with the backdrop of a war in the works, things get complicated quickly. Intense action and gorgeous art serve as compliments to this interesting story.

The second part of Dragon Ball Z: Kai has come out on Blu-ray. Once again we get a gorgeous glimpse at the reinvented classic. This installment finishes off the fight with Vegeta and brings Frieza into the fold. Tighter storytelling and edited footage really make Kai something special. For anyone who felt Dragon Ball Z was bloated and obnoxious, this is the version to check since it allows you to read between the lines.

The nations of the world get together as a cast of characters in the bizarrely charming Hetalia: Axis Powers. Really, any description of the show is too hard to put into words. Read the review for more detail, but all you really need to know is that this series is truly unique and unlike anything ever seen before. Oh, and it's pretty funny too!

Full Metal Panic the original season has been re-released on Blu-ray thanks to FUNimation. The series has also been remastered to improve the experience a bit. The show is a classic that really needs no introduction and it hasn't really looked better than it does here. Check out the review for more details.

Speaking of FUNimation Blu-ray releases, Slayers Seasons 4 and 5 have come along as well. The universe of Lina Inverse is a blast no matter how you slice it. Part fantasy, part action, and part comedy, the components collide with an explosive force. These newer seasons match the insane personality of the original to the letter and even introduce new characters into the fold. Totally worth checking out for fans of the original!

Eden of the East is one of the higher profile anime titles to come along in the past couple of months. This eleven episode series generated a lot of buzz from its initial Japanese release and the Region 1 audience will gobble it up for sure. It centers around events that take place roughly a year into the future where Japan has been hit with missile strikes by an unknown enemy. To make a long story short the show ties this event in with an amnesiac named Takizawa who is unwittingly taking part in a game of life and death. Equipped with a cell phone loaded with 8.2 billion yen, Takizawa is charged with saving Japan. Should he fail in his mission he will meet an unfortunate end and if he spends all the money, he'll suffer the same fate. It's a rock and a hard place in this mysterious and dramatic series that really draws you in. Eden is available on DVD and Blu-ray.

And finally we have an anime that was derived from a CAPCOM video game franchise. Sengoku Basara: Samurai Kings is an over-the-top, explosive series with crazy production values from Production I.G. The show takes place in the Sengoku Period of Japan and features warlords clashing with each other. Featured in these battles are key personalities who stand out due to their larger than life personalities and proficiency with weapons. Come to this show looking for more action than substance and you won't be disappointed. Sengoku Basara is also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

The Shining Wind series continues to be popular enough in Japan to warrant constant releases of the brand. Figures seem to be the most successful and we already have a couple from Kotobukiya in our collection. Their latest release, Xecty Goddess of the Wind, stands out as probably the most dynamic, however. Xecty is an artificial human created from the genes of Celestia. She's one of Baelgard's four guardians and eventually comes around as a character. Apparently. The show hasn't been licensed here so details of here character are unknown to me. All I know is that she's a gorgeous character and this figure makes for one heck of a prominent display piece.

Apparently Xecty Goddess of the Wind is a sister figure to another Kotobukiya release for Elwyn Goddess of the Forest. Here is a side-by-side comparison of their figures and the original artwork that they were designed from (drawn by Tony Taka).

Now, the subject of our review today is the brunette to the right of that image. As you can see she is virtually a mirror of the Elwyn figure (which is actually getting a re-release). Their poses are slightly different, but the builds are more or less the same. Xecty is made of PVC plastic and stands at roughly 12 1/2 inches tall. She is firmly adhered to the base and as I said already, she makes quite statement in a lineup of figures. I mean, she towers over all of them!

From top to bottom Xecty has plenty of design features that give her a unique look. Her brown hair is draped across her brow slightly with some detailed bangs and a strand of hair protruding upwards from the center. It's a cute look that almost gives her the appearance of a horn. Her head also has wings on either side, which go along with that whole Wind Goddess vibe of the figure. Just below the wings there is a pair of elven ears, which stick out quite a bit.

From there her long hair curls and swirls its way down her back and slightly towards the front. It's designed to be wavy like she's going through the air and kudos to Kotobukiya for pulling off the design. Xecty's face is ethereal with an expression of surprise. Her mouth is opened just a bit and her eyes are wide and detailed.

Her body is in a position that gives the impression that she's floating and about to land. The arms are raised slightly and all you can really see is flesh. Her chest is covered by a bit that looks like ruffled fabric and likewise her nether regions are shielded as well. The clothing has a nice flow to it that connects with the base to give the impression that even though she's borderline naked, she's wearing an elegant dress of sorts.

Her legs are hidden by the dress. Xecty's right leg is raised slightly and not connected to anything, while her left foot is securely screwed to the base. Trust me when I tell you that she ain't going anywhere.

By design Xecty is very attractive and there are several highlights that stand out with the figure. For starters her size is just awe inspiring. The upraised hands and the elongated position of her descent really makes her presence more pronounced than it probably should be. Also making her stick out more is the contrast between her long dark hair and the lightness of the rest of the paint job. From pale skin to light clothing, the hair's details really stand out.

Now, how about the bad? Well, upon close inspection Xecty's hair parts awkwardly at the top of her head. There is clear separation of the parts of her hair and it sticks out as a flaw. Thankfully the figure is so tall small details like that will be overlooked. I also wish there was another way to get Xecty to stand aside from being screwed into the base, but beggars can't be choosy. Another aspect to this is how she would look side by side with Elwyn and whether or not they would wash each other's pronounced features out.

Even with these questionable elements in mind, Xecty Goddess of the Wind is an awesome figure. The Shining Wind line from Kotobukiya really brings home the quality and a lot of that stems to both the production and original artwork by Taka. There are plenty of fans on both sides of the ocean and importers of the franchise will want to pick this one up poste-haste. Even if you're not a Shining Wind fan, Xecty's sheer size and tranquil design makes her a nice addition to any collection.

What do you think about the column?  Like what you see?  Don't like it?  Have a comment or suggestion?  Drop us an e-mail and let us know!
 
 

AnimeTalk

August 2010 Edition

by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, Bobby Cooper, and Wen-Tsai

Welcome back to Anime Talk! This is the "Back to School" edition of our column. Okay, so we're not going back to school, but all you kids out there are! Ha ha!

Sorry about that! Just playing around a bit. Seriously though, who has time for school or work or life when there's so much anime out there to review? This time around we have some reviews for such high profiles releases as Casshern Sins, Fullmetal Alchemist, and One Piece. There are some obscure shows like Shigofumi, Eyeshield 21, and Black Blood Brothers in the mix, as well as a few others.

This column also features two figure reviews from the good folks at Kotobukiya. We have figures from To Heart 2 and Bakemonogatari available for dissection and our poorly skilled photographer, Todd, has taken it upon himself to provide some snapshots. Bobby also reports on his visit to Dragon*Con and Wen-Tsai has a slew of bargains that will make your wallet cry uncle. Put away that homework, forget about studying for the test; take a few minutes to read through our column and I'm sure you'll find something that will help separate you from your hard-earned cash.

Monkey D. Luffy returns with his band of eccentric and off beat pirates in FUNimation's One Piece Season Three Voyage Two. In the past Luffy has had to battle super powered pirate, evolved sharks, and even a government's army, among other things. This time he's setting out to face his most powerful foe yet, a living god. If you've enjoyed the earlier releases, these 13 episodes will sure to please. The show is still as funny and off beat as ever.

An anime series about American football? What is this madness? Eyeshield 21 Part 2 continues the saga of the mysterious masked runningback and the Deimon High Devil Bats. In this set, the Devil Bats face off against two teams: Taiyo Sphinx, a campy Egyptian-gimmick team, and the best high school in the United States, the X High Aliens. Can the upstart Devil Bats possibly hang with one of the best Japanese football teams and the best American team? With a fun, but very simple, underdog storyline and amusingly bizarre opponents, Eyeshield 21 continues to be a pleasant surprise in the sports anime genre.

If you have not started watching Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, then you are missing out on one of the best anime series to come out in years. Brotherhood is a complete retelling of Fullmetal Alchemist that closely follows the original manga storyline. This second set of episodes delves further into the elaborate tale of political intrigue as state alchemists, Edward and Alphonse Elric, search for a way to bring back Alphonse's body. Their primary foes, the homunculi, human-like creatures created through alchemy, are further explored. Some new supporting Xingese characters, Ling Yao, Lan Fan, and May Chang, are also introduced in these episodes. Brotherhood already featured a large cast of characters and ran the risk of becoming unwieldy, but it handles these new additions with ease. The only disappointing thing about this DVD set is that it had to end. (For a review of the Blu-ray edition, please go here to see what Todd thought about it)

While Casshern Sins might be one of the coolest looking anime titles available, the uneven pacing of the storyline nearly derails what could have been an amazing series. Casshern wanders the planet in search of tidbits about his past. All he knows is that everyone blames him for the destruction of the world and that he is uber powerful thanks to his Wolverine-like regenerative ability. The episodes tend to meander off into symbolic tangents. The side stories, taken as single self-contained episodes are melodramatic, but not awful. However, these distractions kill the momentum of the series just as the main story starts gets good. It doesn't help that Casshern spends much of his free time wallowing in self-pity. Hopefully, the second part of Casshern Sins is more focused than this disappointing set. With a few tweaks, this series could easily be something special. (Todd also reviewed this one on Blu-ray. Reviews for Part 1 and Part 2 are both available)

Some time ago I checked out Black Blood Brothers when it first hit DVD, but now the series has been made available for Blu-ray thanks to FUNimation. If you love vampires, slick action, and loads of style then this show will be right up your alley. The whole thing takes place in a twisted version of the future where vampires have risen and humanity has naturally become their enemy. There's a place where the two live in harmony, however, and an Old Blood vampire and his brother are on there way to this mysterious place. Things aren't what they seem, however, and there are plenty of things, people, and vampires standing in their way. Check out what Bobby Cooper thinks of the series too.

If you were to kick the bucket tomorrow and were given the ability to write a letter to someone on your way out, who would you write to? What would you write? It's an interesting though, isn't it? Shigofumi from Sentai Filmworks/Section 23 explores that premise somewhat with a show that revolves around the existence of a letter carrier of the dead. It's a fascinating show with some real character development and a unique atmosphere. Think Hell Girl, but redone with a postal service instead of revenge killings.

Similarly, Full Metal Panic! is a show that's been out for a while. Originally the license was held by ADP, but since it fell into FUNimation's hands they've released the show on DVD and now again on Blu-ray. This is the mecha anime fan's wet dream come true. All components of this show from science, mysticism, humor, and action blend together in a way that few other series have been able to replicate. It's no surprise that two sequel seasons have been released and to this day the franchise continues to be as popular as it has ever been.

A few months ago I wrote a preview for the Senjyogahara Hitagi figure from Kotobukiya when it was announced. I was rather excited for the figure since Hitagi is a fun tsundere-type character. Her unique designs and outlandish behavior make her the star of the Bakemonogatari, in my opinion. Now that some time has passed Hitagi has been released in Japan. How does she stack up?

In case you're unfamiliar with Bakemonogatari, it's basically a supernatural show that focuses on a high school student named Koyomi Araragi. At the beginning of the series Koyomi is getting over his affliction after being turned into a vampire. He's starting to get back into the swing of things when he has a fateful encounter with the abusive Hitagi. After catching her he realizes that she weighs next to nothing. As the story goes Hitagi had a fateful encounter with a crab who stole her weight. The show follows their exploits in supernatural events and really builds a nice relationship between the two.

Hitagi's face is another powerful element of this figure. Her features as a whole are majestic with an expression of maturity. The eyes in particular received some great attention here and are truly captivating.

Moving down Hitagi, her outfit is appropriately light in tone with highlights and contrasting colors. The pinks match well with the purples, blues, and reds. Her shirt is accented with a pocket with some office supplies protruding from the top. The skirt, which is folding upwards a bit, is equally impressive and again gives the impression that the wind is lifting it somehow. And what's under the skirt? Panties! Not just any panties though, Kotobukiya brought another level of detail to the figure and ensured that scissors, staplers, and other office supplies were painted onto her skivvies.

On the base there is a slot in the back for the crab claw to be attached to. It's translucent as well with characters written all over it in red ink. Personally I think the figure displays better without the crab claw, but that's a matter of preference really. It's a unique feature that many will like, though it's kind of an eyesore in my opinion. Other display options include a stapler that fits into her right hand.

Whether you watched Bakemonogatari or not Kotobukiya's Hitagi figure is a tempting sale. The character is attractive designed here and the figure is assembled with great detail. The colors are perfect, certain design elements really stand out, and ultimately it looks great on display. It's one of the most whimsical figures I've seen in a while and despite the flaws (the hair thing and the fugly crab claw) I'm going with a high recommendation for this one.

Hitagi stands 8 1/2 inches tall (1/8th scale) and is made out of PVC plastic. You can pick her up at:

Hobby Search: $67.81 Play Asia: $74.90

To Heart is a popular franchise in Japan, though its success in American isn't quite as triumphant. The first season has been released by RightStuf, but is relatively obscure and definitely not in the mind of mainstream Region 1 anime fans. In Japan a second season, To Heart 2 has come out and frankly I'd argue that it's almost as popular as the first; if not more so.

The franchise got started as an eroge PC title, as do many romance comedies. Between the first and second seasons the settings were more or less the same, but the cast of characters changed dramatically. It was almost like the creators rebooted the series with a new set of personalities to take the helm. The gamble worked and the sequel proved to be more of a success as a result of their efforts.

From the "Another Days" brand, Kotobukiya has put together a figure for Konomi Yuzuhara. If you're a figure collector or you've been to a site such as Hobby Search or Play Asia, then you don't need me to tell you that bikini figures are a popular staple in Japan. Chalk up another one to add to that swimsuit-clad collection. It's not only the bikini quota that Konomi fills, but the loli fetish as well. She's a young character to begin with and is even younger than the show's male protagonist Takaaki.

Her body is slender and features a pale color. Konomi's innocent side is the fact that she's wearing a frilly pink two-piece bikini. It's cute and matches the overall personality of the figure well, but being a figure from an eroge game wouldn't be the same if there weren't some naughty element to it. Her left hand is lifting part of her top up as though she were adjusting the bikini or finishing just putting it on.

The figure has a sea green base to which her left foot attaches, leaving the right slightly elevated. The character is balanced well enough that she can stand on her own two feet without the base, but it definitely add an element of stability to it.

As you can tell from these pictures I was trying different things for the shoot. The Konomi figure just begs to be photographed on a sandy beach somewhere. Alas I couldn't make that happen, and frankly being a 30 year old guy taking pictures of a loli figure at a public beach wasn't exactly something I wanted to deal with. As is there are some backyard shots and in-house ones. I attempted to capture as many of the details and quality as I could while trying to keep the tone of the character as authentic as possible.

Konomi stands at 9 inches tall (1/6 scale) and is a PVC sculpt from Yuzo. You can find Konomi at these fine retailers:

Hobby Search: $76.64 Amazon.com: $89.99 Play Asia: $89.00 (alternate green bikini version)

For any To Heart 2 fans out there, Konomi Yuzuhara "Innocence" is a worthwhile investment. Her expression isn't quite as clear as one would hope, but the details on, and quality of, the figure are plentiful. Kotobukiya really goes out of their way to make some great stuff and this is no exception.

To Heart 2 or bikini figure fans can consider Konomi Yuzuhara recommended.

Each Labor Day weekend, tens of thousands of fans from all corners of sci-fi/fantasy fandom flock to downtown Atlanta to congregate in a celebration of geekdom. What began as a humble little sci-fi/gaming convention in the 80's has ballooned into the self-proclaimed "largest multi-media, popular culture convention focusing on science fiction and fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe!" While I'm sure Comic-Con and other citizens of the galaxy would dispute that claim, nothing changes the fact that Dragon*Con is a ridiculously huge convention that consumes five separate hotels in the heart of Atlanta.

Despite the overwhelming size of Dragon*Con, it was still wicked cool. There were 35 different panel tracks to follow with subjects such as anime, Star Wars, writing, alternate history, Whedonverse, ghost hunting, and MMORPG's. There was literally something for everyone. There were countless panels to attend, parades to watch, autographs to obtain, celebrities to meet, costumes to photograph, and dealers to haggle. With all that, the highlight of the weekend was simply kicking back at the Hyatt bar, drinking some adult beverages, and people-watching. Costumed con-goers represented superheroes, Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, anime, cartoons, steampunk, medieval, and countless other facets of all things sci-fi/fantasy.

The best costumers acted out their roles throughout the day. At any one time you could spot Gollum hunched over beer at the bar, Darth Vader storming through the masses with the swagger of a galactic overlord, and Star Trek characters performing scans on confused onlookers. My wife, who was dressed as Arlene from True Blood, met a sloshed Sookie who instantly wanted to be her friend for life--or at least for the remainder of the convention. Thankfully, she didn't meet a Terry who wanted to roleplay her boyfriend. I rocked a Darth Vader lightsaber and a dark Anakin Skywalker costume for the Saturday night parties. Not surprisingly, I had to fend off random assaults from Jedi knights who thought they could stand toe-to-toe with the Dark Lord. Fools. And, yes, I'm aware that Anakin did not get a red Sith lightsaber until after he donned the black helmet. It just looks cooler and coolness wins out over accuracy.

Sadly, there was but a meager representation of anime and otaku at Dragon*Con. The dealer rooms had maybe five anime booths, if even that, and the selection of loot was underwhelming. The anime panel track was relegated to a single, small, dungeon-like room in the basement level of a hotel. The only anime company that even bothered to show up was FUNimation.

Full props to FUNimation for attending, but where were Bandai, Viz, AnimEigo, Sentai Filmworks, or Media Blasters? Making an appearance at anime-centered conventions is wonderful, but those convention attendees are already sold on the hobby we love. It is no secret that the popularity of anime is waning. How often do anime companies have an opportunity to reach out to tens of thousands of people who are their target audience? These con-goers spend hours just roaming the floor looking for something to do. Set up a booth outside the dealer rooms. Load it up with some cosplayers, booth babes, videos, cool swag and reading material and reach out to the people. Anime and manga are awesome--many of these fans just don't know it yet.

This year's Dragon*Con marked FUNimation's first official appearance this convention. They hosted three anime panels: a Q&A, Greatest Hits clips show, and a sneak peeks panel. The only one I got to attend was the Industry Q&A hosted by Marketing Director, Lance Heiskell, who has one of the most awesome jobs in the world as an anime evangelist. Heiskell spent a good deal of time hawking FUNimation's efforts to grow a community around their website. Their goal is to create "the most badass anime community ever." He also nearly let the cat out of the bag about some changes to the FUNimation Channel, which I assume was the news that they are making a move to high definition. This was followed by trailers of upcoming releases such as Birdy the Mighty Decode, Sengoku Basara, Evangelion 2.22, and Eden of the East. While Evangelion and Sengoku Basara reeked of anime goodness and drew aaah's from the crowd, the loudest reaction of the day was the collective SQUEE from the teenage girls when Hetalia made its appearance.

The only other anime panel I was able to catch was "Self-Defense for the Otaku." No, they didn't teach us fanboys some nifty jiu-jitsu chokes to try out on bullies. This was a panel was all about rationalizing anime fandom against other, more mainstream forms of entertainment with fanatical followings. Namely, football. The host, Jake Tarbox, held an animated, preacher-like, motivational speech for all geekdom in this panel. His best argument was that anime is a format, not a genre. Too many people are quick to pigeonhole anime as being "for the kids" because of shows like Dragonball Z and Naruto (both of which are still awesome to this 30-something). His parallels of anime fans to football fans drew a lively and, at times, heated discussion from the audience. This panel was thought-provoking and easily had enough material and interest to continue for another half hour.

Should you ever decide to make the trek to Atlanta, there are a few things that I wish I knew before my first Dragon*Con. First and foremost, study that map. Know the layout and locations of the hotels where the convention will take place. I have been to large conventions before, but nothing like Dragon*Con, which is spread out amongst multiple hotels. There are few things more infuriating than fighting through a crowd of thousands in a fruitless search for a panel room and then begging a Hilton concierge for help, only to have him sneer at you and say, "Sir, the Concorde Room is in the Hyatt, not the Hilton." Also, no matter how hungry you think you are, don't eat the hotel food. It's either expensive, awful, or a combination of both. There are much cheaper and tastier options within five minutes of any hotel. Finally, attending any event that's remotely popular requires lining up absurdly early. Pick out one, maybe two, must-see events per day, line up early, and count anything else you get to attend that day as gravy.

If you have any nerd-like tendencies--and if you are reading this column, then you do--I highly recommend attending at least one Dragon*Con if you can manage it. No matter what your vice is, there's a little of something for everyone at Dragon*Con. It's overcrowded, it's scorching hot outside, and the multi-hotel layout is confusing. However, for one weekend, we the geeks get to rule over a city that once hosted the Olympics. It's worth the trip.

What do you think about the column?  Like what you see?  Don't like it?  Have a comment or suggestion?  Drop us an e-mail and let us know!
 
 

AnimeTalk

August 2010 Edition

by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, Bobby Cooper, and Wen-Tsai

Summer is winding down and all you kids out there are undoubtedly dreading the "back to school" blitz that's bombarding you. The summer months have certainly been slow on the anime front, however, we still have some new reviews worth digging through for this column. Titles such as Casshern Sins, Golgo 13, Master of Martial Hearts (*shudder*), and My Bride is a Mermaid. Granted not all of those may be masterpieces in the making, but there's an eclectic pile of titles to sift through for sure.

Bobby also takes a crack at a .hack manga and I dig into the awesome second installment of Spice & Wolf. WTK has a slew of bargains for you as well, and for sure there's bound to be something here to tempt your wallet. Spend some time with Anime Talk and let us help you find a fun show you may have missed!

Master of Martial Hearts is a ludicrous fanservice series about female fighters who battle each other for the chance to win the Martial Heart--a prize that will grant them their truest wish. Aya and her friend, Natsume, find themselves involved in a secret fight tournament when they happen upon a battle between an airline stewardess and a priestess. Aya jumps into the fight and saves the priestess, Miko, from a loss by defeating the stewardess. Miko disappears shortly thereafter because she technically lost the fight. Aya, as a result, enters the tournament to bring back her new friend. The fights in this series are formulaic and devolve into absurdity as the girls' clothes quickly disintegrate with each punch and kick. Gimmicky enemy fighters and a ridiculous ending seal the fate for this terrible series.

If you like your anime comedy with the slapstick knob turned to "11," then you will love the maniacal series My Bride is a Mermaid: Season One, Part One. Nagasumi is a teenage boy on a summer trip to see his grandmother at Seto Bay. One afternoon, while learning how to swim, Nagasumi nearly drowns only to be saved by the lovely mermaid, Sun. Mermaid Law states that, because Sun has revealed her true form to a human, one of them must die--unless they get married. What follows is a pretty funny, slapstick comedy that parodies most anime genres. The stream of jokes is nonstop throughout each episode. Some of the jokes and gags fall flat, but many of them are hilarious. My Bride is a Mermaid is worth checking out for longtime anime fans that don't mind loud, crazy, over-the-top sight gags and antics.

X: The Complete Series is an older, slow-developing, end of the world story involving two factions: one that wants to save humanity and another that wants to save the Earth by ridding it of humans. X focuses on Kamui Shiro, a young man who must align with one of those two factions. By choosing a side, Kamui causes a chain reaction of events and the fate of humankind depends on whether he can claim the Divine Sword and help defeat the other group. This series is a tale of two halves. The first 13 episodes are dull and give extensive background about underdeveloped characters. The second half, however, makes up for it with an action-packed, twist-filled conclusion.

A couple of columns ago, you probably read a blurb for Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne. Well, that release was for the DVD, and this one is for Blu-ray. That's right kids! FUNimation has upped the ante with a high definition remaster for the incredibly violent and sexy show. In case you don't know what it's about all you really need to know is that Rin features a story about immortal women and their demonically tempting mates. Heavy doses of BDSM and graphic violence take the center stage in one of the most captivating adult shows in a long, long time. The Blu-ray release of the series? It's solid as well. Check out the review for more details.

Speaking of violent and adult-oriented anime, Golgo 13 is back in action. Don't know who he is? Well, he's been around for quite some time, though it wasn't until recently that he resurfaced. Duke Togo is a badass assassin who is renowned for his skill with a sniper rifle. Sentai Filmworks has collected the first batch of episodes and presented it as a two disc set. Totally worth picking this one up!

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit is one of the best damn shows I've watched in quite a long time. I was glued to my TV until the last episode and even after that I ran out and bought the novelization. Haven't heard about it? Okay, the description is kind of involved, but basically it's a show about a female bodyguard who finds herself protecting a prince that bears the egg of a spirit from another land. It's much more involved than that, in all honesty. This series from Production I.G. recently received a totally worthwhile collection from Media Blasters. Sure it's expensive, but it's worth every penny!

On the subject of classic anime (referring back to Golgo 13), Fist of the North Star comes to mind. This is an ultra violent show from way back when that features a story about a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is on the brink and gangs rule the land. There's a sole wanderer traveling the wastelands and he cuts down all who stand in his way with a fearsome technique. Lucky for the innocent people he only uses it on bad guys. After all, when he can poke you and make your head explode, I think you want to be on his good side.

4koma, also known as Yonkoma, is a Japanese format for gag comics that contain one column with four panels, read from top to bottom. .hack//4koma is a collection of these four panel gag strips and a few non-canon comedy shorts that originally appeared in the magazine, .hack//G.U. The World.

The first half of the book contains 4koma comics that mix the characters from the .hack//Games video game series and .hack//G.U. The comics focus on Kite and Haseo meeting each other and going off on adventures such as battling foes in arena battles. The majority of the humor is Kite making fun of Haseo's low level character and how much Haseo despises Kite. Other characters such as Black Rose, Atoli, and Pi make appearances in many of the comic strips as well.

The second half of the book is a collection of short stories, two-page comics, and another set of 4koma comics. Peaco's Story is a traditionally formatted manga comedy that takes place across multiple pages instead of 4-panels. In this story, Atoli takes on a new avatar and personality to try and gain Haseo's affections. A series of two page comics entitled Gaspard's Go, Go To The World, by Inumaru, follow the adventures of the unlikely duo, Gaspard and Silabus. There are a few more 4koma comics, created by Keena Aruto, that feature characters such as Haseo, Ovan and Atoli. The last comic in the book, Gabiman, by Sumihito is a short skit involving the characters, Gabi and Ovan. The book concludes with reviews of the .hack//G.U. game by the artists involved in the .hack//4koma collection.

Although the introductory page welcomes both .hack fans and readers who are new to the series, you have to be a serious .hack fan to appreciate much of what this book has to offer. If you have some experience playing MMO games, you will understand some of the jokes and gags, but the vast majority require an understanding of the .hack universe and its characters. I consider myself a fan of the .hack franchise. I played most of the PS2 games, watched .hack//SIGN, and read some of the manga. Even with that background, many of the jokes were either over my head or just not funny. In one sitting, reading 52 straight pages of 4koma formatted comics becomes tiresome. The switch to the traditional manga format of Peaco's Story was a welcome break.

Many of the gags require knowledge of Japanese culture to understand them. The translators, Ryan Peterson and Peter Ahlstrom, do a good job of explaining these types of gags. One example is a comic where Kite raises his middle finger "accidently." The gag was that he was supposed to raise his pinky finger, which in Japan signifies a romantic relationship. The middle finger means the same thing there as it does in the U.S. While they explain most of these cultural nuances, many of the sound effects in the stories are not translated. I'm not sure if an English adaptation of these effects would have made much of a difference to the comics. Most of the effects are, presumably, easy to figure out based on the context, but if you don't understand Japanese you'll never know for sure.

Overall, the 4koma strips that make up the first half and a few other sections of the book are best taken in small doses. The compilation does not have much of an overarching plot. Even the writer, Koichi Sumimaru, admits that at least the first twenty 4koma comics were a challenge to create. It feels strained at times, but a few of the gags were humorous and seeing the interactions between Kite and Haseo, even in a comedic, non-canon setting, was fun. Peaco's Story is the true standout in this book. It's interesting and amusing to see Atoli take on a new persona to try and get Haseo to like her. The Gaspard's Go, Go To The World shorts were hit-and-miss, but aided by Inumaru's unique art style. The rest of the comics in .hack//4koma were a disappointment and not at all funny.

If you have not played all of the .hack videogames, there's no reason for you to read this book and even then, there's nothing here that is hilarious, must-see material. This collection of gag comics is aimed solely at hardcore, completionist .hack fans.

If you couldn't tell from my review of the first volume; or the review for the anime series for that matter, I freaking love Spice & Wolf. For some reason there's just something about it that grabs me. The characters, the setting, the dialogue, the story; everything just clicks. The second volume of the manga has hit my mail box and I read through it immediately. Was it worth the wait? Hells yeah!

I won't recap the series for you if you haven't read the book. Instead I'll just point you to my review of the first volume of the manga, and of the series.

For this installment of Spice & Wolf the book starts out in the midst of Lawrence figuring out what's transpiring with the plot involving money and literally short-changing people. He and Holo go to the Milone company to fill them in on what they discovered, and soon enough things go south.

The corrupt forces track down Lawrence and Holo to put an end to their nosiness, but thanks to Holo's brilliantly beautiful ears she's able to hear them coming from a mile away. They escape into the night and discover there's quite a large amount of people that is after them. In order to trick them they go their separate ways. Holo calls their attention to divert them away from Lawrence, and he barely makes it to the Milone Company before being caught.

I don't want to divulge much else about this book because it would spoil some of its better moments. The story here is every bit as intriguing as it was in the first installment, and to be perfectly honest I think it's even better here. The relationship between Holo and Lawrence continues to grow and we see some major strides in that regard throughout this second volume. I particularly enjoyed some of the pieces towards the end of the book and felt they showed some real feelings between the characters that should be explored in the next volume.

If you haven't read Spice & Wolf, then damn it all, go buy this now. The series is simply a charmer in every way. Sure it's probably not for everyone with its lack of action and talk of finance and economics, but something about it strikes a cord within me. I think the characters win me over more than anything else, but the work as a whole is something to be cherished. Highly recommended!

What do you think about the column?  Like what you see?  Don't like it?  Have a comment or suggestion?  Drop us an e-mail and let us know!
 
 

AnimeTalk

July 2010 Edition

by Todd Douglass, John Sinnott, Bobby Cooper, and Wen-Tsai

Welcome to the July edition of Anime Talk! Though we're attempting to stay as cool as possible on these hot summer days, we still find time to suck up the electricity to watch and review anime. This time around John, Bobby, and I have a few titles, and we also have some manga, a figure, and an art book to feature. Once again WTK also supplies some of the best anime bargains around!

Vandread: The Ultimate Collection is a surprisingly good, action-packed, sci-fi/comedy series. The all-male planet of Tarak is at war with the all-female planet of Mejale. Three guys aboard a Tarak vessel are taken prisoner by some Mejale space pirates and are eventually integrated with the crew. They also discover that the Tarak space fighter ships, Vanguards, can combine with the Mejale fighters, Dreads, to form a Vandread. This uber powerful fighter is the only thing capable of defeating the mysterious enemy ships that constantly attack them. What begins as a formulaic, monster-of-the-week, sci-fi series takes a few unanticipated turns and becomes a show you can't stop watching. The early uneven art style and mismatched CGI come together by the second half of the series. While the 26 episode series is worthwhile, the two OVA's are merely clips shows and difficult to follow. With an intriguing storyline and great character development, Vandread will appeal to anime fans that typically do not like mecha.

Slayers Evolution-R picks up right where Slayers Revolution left off in the fourth season of the slapstick, comedy/fantasy series. In the first 13 episodes, most of the loose ends were tied up except one: Lina and the gang had to find and destroy a jar containing the spirit of Red Priest Rezo. Two members of her gang, Pokota and Zelgadiss, have their own motivations for getting their hands on the jar. Unfortunately, there are a lot of filler episodes that plague the beginning of this set--even by Slayers' standards. However, if you can make it through the first block of filler, then the rest of the series is the same zany, but always good storyline that Slayers fans expect.

If you have not yet seen Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, you are missing what may be one of the best anime releases to come out in years. Brotherhood is a complete reset of the original Fullmetal Alchemist series and more closely follows the manga. The story follows two young, prodigal alchemists, Edward and Alphonse Elric, and their quest to find the Philosopher's Stone. For those unfamiliar with the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise, the first episode is off-putting and not at all representative of what this series is like. Just stick it out, the rest of the series is incredible featuring a perfect mix of plot, action, and comedy. These first 13 episodes merely scratch the surface of what promises to be an awesome journey.

Nearly two years ago Guyver: The BioBoosted Armor hit DVD and came our way for review. Now that FUNimation's support of Blu-ray is in full swing we had the opportunity to check the series out in an up-converted, high definition transfer. What's the difference? Much better picture quality and somewhat improved audio. Oh, and the show still kicks lots of ass! If you missed it the first time around you'll definitely want to check this one out, and if you own the DVD set it's worth noting that this collection is a solid upgrade.

Love Full Metal Panic? Well, you're not alone. This longstanding fan favorite entry into the mecha genre hasn't lost any amount of its popularity. Every re-release is gobbled up willingly by newcomers and those looking for upgrades so it should be no surprise that FUNimation has released The Second Raid in a new remastered boxed set. The content on the discs is mostly the same though the presentation of the series has been cleaned up a bit. The end result is a show that succeeds in offering Full Metal Panic fans a sequel, but also steps up its game in the A/V department.

The third Dragon Box presents an impressive 42 episodes of one of the most influential anime shows of all time, Dragon Ball Z. This time around we finish up the Freiza Saga and dive straight into the next big story arc, the Android Saga. This is probably my favorite Dragon Box so far. It has some great action and a couple of my all time favorite anime episodes.

Monkey D. Luffy and his band of eclectic pirates continue to sail the waters of the Grand Line in FUNimation's release of One Piece Season Three Voyage One. This time the Straw Hat pirates run into a problem when their navigation device says that the nearest island is straight up. It's never wrong, so there must be an island in the sky! Once the idea of sailing through the sky gets into Luffy's mind, there's no turning back. He and his crew start searching for a way and if there is one, you know the rubber boy will find it.

FUNimation wraps up the latest Initial D TV series with Initial D - Fourth Stage Part Two. These final 12 episodes don't quite wrap up the story but brings a nice close to the TV series. (There's also a compilation special and a one-shot that aired on PPV in Japan that haven't been released in the US.) This time around Project D battles two other schools, one with some of the best non-pro drivers in the country and another that isn't nearly as skilled. The latter team makes up for lack of driving acumen with an impressive arsenal of dirty tricks and out and out cheating. Unfortunately the show still has the same video problems that the last set had, making it a marginal buy.

Publisher BNN released 100 Masters of Bishojo Painting earlier this year. In terms of art books, this one is a collection of four or five works of the best known bishoujo artists in Japan. From anime to manga, light novels, doujinshi, and designs for other medium, the artists included here could be considered the most recognizable and the best of the best. If you're a fan of art books, or the female form in general, you'll definitely want to pick this one up!

Clocking in at 215 pages, 100 Masters of Bishojo Painting comes presented with Japanese and English text, so nothing is really lost in translation. The book reads from left to right, instead of right to left, and in that sense this edition breaks from tradition. It begins with a preface that introduces readers to the world of digital illustration and really sets up what the book is all about. From there it goes on to present an index of artists and some translation notes.

Each artist is given two pages, and of those two pages there are anywhere from four to five works of their art. The pages are broken down with one page offering contact information and often a little blurb from the artist, accompanied by a selection of smaller sketches, and on the opposite page there is a much larger piece of work that takes up the full page. This presentation is kept in line for each artist and each of the distinctive works really stands out thanks to the quality printing (as you can see in some of these images).

Who can you expect to find here? Quite honestly I don't want to get into listing all 100, as many of these artists are recognized more from their artwork than their names, but instantly identifiable artists abound. Range Murata, Yasu, Eiji Usatsuka, Noizi Ito, and Iyuu Ayakura are prominently featured here, just to name a few. The content ranges from innocently cute to ecchi, and each artist definitely brings their unique sense of style to this book. Sure several of the artworks featured here can be found in other publications or searches on the web, but BNN really outdid themselves with the quality printing in 100 Masters of Bishojo Painting.

The book is bound with a soft glossy cover and the size of the book is large so that each print offers eye-popping detail in most cases. The variety of the artists doesn't really allow the book to carry a tone or theme, but rather it's a nice compendium for collectors and art lovers alike. If you're looking for a new art book to add to your shelf or coffee table, this is definitely the one to get. Variety, a comprehensive translation, and an impeccable list of artists make this book feel like something special. 100 masters of Bishojo Painting can be purchased from Amazon.com.

Kotobukiya has released yet another figure in their popular Shining Wind lineup. This time around it's Princess/Priestess Clalaclan Philias. As you might have already guessed from the thumbnail she's certainly not shy, and not entirely noble-like either. Dressed up as a made, this version of Clalaclan comes from the Shining Wind Fan Festa - St. Luminous Gakuen Koufuusai Soudouk. Not familiar with what that is? Don't worry about it. All you need to know is that if you appreciate awesome anime figures and enjoy maid outfits, Clalaclan will be right up your alley.

As you can tell by my photographs, Clalaclan is wearing an innocent expression that is very regal. She seems happy to serve and the body language of this pose is very feminine and submissive. I really like the wide-eyed look she has and there's just something serene about the overall look of the character.

With regards to the design of the figure, I must say that some awkward positioning of the hands leaves the curtsy not looking quite right from some angles. Since she's not actually holding on to the apron her hands kind of hover above the skirt. From the front it's not as blatant, but from the sides and closeup it's quite obvious. The view from her back is rather bland as well, and it's clear the attention to detail was all on the front (which more than makes up for these nitpicks).

Measuring 1/8 in scale this PVC of Clalaclan the Noir version is available at KotoUS for $70. Any fans of Shining Wind figures should definitely add her to their collection. Even if you're not a Shining Wind fanatic, as long as you appreciate detailed anime figures and like maids Clalaclan will find a happy home on your shelf.

The Darker than Black has been around for a while now. There was a sequel animated series as well, and to be quite honest that speaks to the quality, and popularity, of the franchise. The anime series was so successful that a manga was published and here in the States Yen Press has just released a large edition of the whole shebang.

In many ways Darker than Black the nearly 400 page manga has several similarities to anime, but there are some differences. Before I get into what's been altered for the printed adaptation of the franchise, what's it all about?

Darker than Black takes place in a future where something known as Hell's Gate covers Japan. Along with Hell's Gate came Contractors, who are basically people devoid of human emotion that have been bestowed with superpowers. In addition to Contractors there are Dolls, who are essentially empty shells with abilities, though they do not have the individualism or personality of the latter. Various governing agencies and groups have been using Contractors for their own devices, and in order to hide Hell's Gate from the world it has been covered up with a fake sky. To say the concept is a little convoluted would be an understatement, and if you haven't seen the anime you'll probably be lost a little. There're inadequate explanations of everything here, and one never quite gets a good sense of what's going on, but I digress.

The story in this manga sees Hei, a Contractor and the main star of the show, attempting to find information about his sister, Pai. He's joined by Mao the cat, and is working for an syndicate whose goals are kept mysterious here. Caught in the middle of events in the manga is a young girl named Kana, whose father turns out to be a Contractor and cold-blooded murderer. Soon enough there's a plot about another mysterious organization of Contractors that surfaces and Kana becomes their ticket to get to Hei.

In all fairness, the plot isn't exactly this book's strongest element. The characters stand out the most, and the action comes in a close second. Darker than Black really develops the characters more than anything else, and with Kana taking the center stage her relationship with her father and with Hei really take control of events. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, mind you, but it does leave things feeling a little lopsided in the end. The story kind of just fits in around their interactions and the different action scenes presented here. I wasn't compelled in that sense to keep reading, though ultimately it's the mystery of the concept and strength of the character designs that really draw you into this book.

In addition to the main storyline that spans across nine chapters, or "nights", there are also random 4koma scattered throughout the book. It's advised that you finish reading the main story before checking these out, but since they are spread out it's kind of difficult to avoid. A larger section of these funny bits is included at the end of the book along with a glossary of terms and final thoughts on the manga.

As far as the artwork is concerned, this book features some fantastic style and a great sense of action. The characters really stand out and the world is full of wonderful detail. There isn't a bad panel in the bunch and quite honestly this is one of the most attractive manga I've read in a while. I loved some of the designs for the superpowers of the Contractors. One of the greatest examples of this is Hei's electric powers against the water manipulator. There's just so much detail there that it's daunting to take it all in. The translation and editing for this book is solid as well and it's a very easy read.

Ultimately Darker than Black is a book that appeal will to anyone looking for a solid action piece that doesn't require much investment. With that being said I'd caution that the experience is far better for those that have seen the animated series. This is a solid companion piece and serves as a nice side story to the episodes from the show. Sure the plot isn't the most engaging, but it's the characters and action that really stand out. In the end I'd consider this release strongly recommended.

In 2007 Romeo x Juliet the anime was released in Japan. The 24 episode series sought to twist the classic Shakespearian tale with a Japanese spin, fantasy setting, and other changes to characters and the like. The end result was an effort that was totally worth checking out (seriously, you should watch it) and ultimately the series was enjoyable. After the show was aired a manga was put into print as well, and for the most part it mirrors the anime to the letter. Yen Press has recently translated the book and released the entire collection as an omnibus. Is it worth checking out?

As stated, the plot in the manga follows the anime quite closely, however, if you haven't seen the show then you probably don't know what's going on. Basically in this take on Shakespeare's original tale there are flying horses, a magic tree, and the Capulet bloodline was killed off 14 years prior to the start of the series. The liberties taken here are great for sure, but at its core Romeo x Juliet is an engaging tale of forbidden love with interesting characters and an even more fascinating world.

Taking place in the kingdom of Neo Verona, Romeo x Juliet begins with bloodshed. The attack comes from the Montague family line as they overthrow and eliminate just about every person with Capulet blood, not to mention their supporters as well. This event sets the stage for everything in the show and thrusts Leontes Montague into the role of Prince of Neo Verona. With this position of power he sees fit to rule the land unchallenged, and with the rival Capulet family toast there's little that stands in his way. After this set up the manga fast-forwards 14 years so introduce us to some familiar characters.

This Neo Verona is somewhat different than it was under Capulet rule. The citizens aren't quite as free and every day they are oppressed by law enforcement and tax burdens established by Montague. Times are tough, but making things even more difficult is the fact that after 14 years of spreading lies about Prince Capulet being a butcher, the people have begun to believe. Rumor of a surviving Capulet child has been surfacing and we see the military trolling the streets looking for her. Innocent people are suffering in this day and age, but thankfully that's where the Red Whirlwind steps in.

The Red Whirlwind is basically the Robin Hood of Neo Verona. With a flourish of the blade the Whirlwind does whatever possible to free the citizens from oppression. Naturally this character becomes a thorn in the side for Montague and there are some nice bits that play off from this. Come to find out his secret identity of the Red Whirlwind is a boy named Odin, though that's not entirely true. Odin is actually an alias for Juliet Fiamatta Asto Capulet, who has been in hiding for the past 14 years. It's understandable since Montague is tracking girls with her description down, but up to this point Juliet knows nothing about her heritage. All this information has been kept from her by her retainers, though now that she's 16 the cat's out of the bag.

It's not long until Juliet meets Romeo Candolebonte Montague, and the two fall in love. From this point the manga really goes through the motions of pushing them closer together. Drama involving Juliet's alter-ego arises, rumors of her existence persist, and there's plenty of fighting as Montague's forces close in on the remaining Capulet. Towards the end of the book the story gets a little silly with the magical tree bit. It doesn't feel any better here than it did in the anime, but as they say it's the journey, not the destination, that holds the most value. In that sense this book is rich thanks to wonderful character development and the feeling of real emotion.

The book looks identical to the anime and there're plenty of similarities in terms of design of characters, creatures, and locations. The art here is clean, detailed, and attractive. Similar quality comes with the translation, which is smooth and easy to read. I'm pleased that Yen Press didn't opt for FUNimation's English dub style, and use an abundance of Shakespearian language. To be quite honest I didn't think it flowed well in the anime, and it would have been a disaster here.

Whether or not you watched the anime Romeo x Juliet is a solid shoujo manga that's worth picking up. The story is fascinating, the twist on Shakespeare's classic is captivating, and all around the characters are well developed. The book weighs in at nearly 400 pages too, so it should last longer than most, and the balance between story and action is handled nicely to keep the pacing in check. This book is highly recommended.

When Bandai released The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya in the States, the franchise hit the anime community like a tsunami. Haruhi-mania quickly spread across the country and soon enough you couldn't go to an anime convention without coming across a gaggle of dancers, cosplayers, or members of the SOS Brigade. On the printed side of things Yen Press has been handling the release of the manga in America, and it's everything a fan of the anime could have wanted (even though it did come first). The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya has been out for some time now, but today I'm looking at the second volume.

What's this series all about? Frankly, it's rather complex to summarize quickly, so all I'll say is it's about a girl named Haruhi who wants to believe in something fantastical. She wants to meet aliens, espers, and time travelers, but she's stuck in a rut in high school. That is, at least, until she meets Kyon and forms the SOS Brigade. Soon enough members are kidnapped and forced into joining the Brigade. The series follows their exploits as they appease Haruhi's whims, but there's more to this peculiar beauty than meets the eye.

In this installment we get to see more of what poor Kyon has to deal with. Shortly in the aftermath of the bunny outfit debacle, Haruhi gets it into her head that she'll find a supernatural or interesting thing if its photographed. The group is tasked with taking an interesting picture, and Kyon finds himself in a rather twisted situation. He's ushered off to a closed off section of the world similar to another dimension. Here giant blue beings are destroying buildings and the world is complete devoid of life. It's soon revealed that this is essentially what happens when Haruhi gets bored, and it's surmised that the world is really only three years old. Think of it like a dream, and Haruhi is the dreamer.

This only scratches the surface of what happens in this volume, however. Asahina reveals herself to Kyon as a time traveler, Yuki is introduced to a library, and Kyon inexplicably reveals some of his feelings towards Haruhi. There's even a little tender moment towards the end that leaves the door open for more content down the road.

If you've seen the anime then you already know what to expect; and that's pure awesomeness. I love Haruhi and this manga form is every bit as entertaining, whacky, and engaging. The story in this series is just so strange and wonderful that it's really hard to describe. The characters are strong, the plot is stronger, and all around the sense of humor and tone endears itself to the reader. To put it bluntly, this series is a hit and if you haven't picked it up yet then you're missing out.

The artwork in this book is simply stunning as well. From top to bottom the characters are attractive, each panel is brimming with detail, and the series just maintains a marvelous sense of personality. The translation and writing is top notch as well and there's nary a spot in this volume that leaves that to question.

If you've already read the first volume of the series, then picking this second installment up would be a no-brainer. I don't want to give too many details away, but let's just say that it's awesome from start to finish. The manga is engaging, fascinating, and endearing. Consider it highly recommended and a must buy.

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