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March 27, 2006
The latest Studio Ghibli wave and the Death Note manga
AnimeTalk a bi-weekly column by Don Houston, John Sinnott, and Todd Douglass This week Anime Talk has a look at the three Studio Ghibli films that Disney released earlier this month, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, and Whisper of the Heart, three wonderful films that belong in every anime collection. We also profile a series that mecha fans will want to check out, Armored Trooper VOTOMS, and a great new series from The Right Stuf, Boys Be... Holly's back with some anime bargains, and we have a table of upcoming anime discs too. The column finishes off with a new feature: Anime Talk looks at Manga. This week we look at Death Note, a dark tale about a young genius who finds a special notebook that will let him kill anyone. All he has to do is write down a name, and that person dies. A great manga series that is intellgent and thought provoking while also being very entertaining.
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The continuing adventures of the dark Count of Monte Cristo provide even more entertainment in Gankutsuo: V3 as the secrets of the wealthy (and resentful) nobles start unveiling themselves in this tale of revenge and destiny. The midway point of any series is often a great place to look when trying to determine how a series holds up, or falls apart, and such was the case here too. The beauty of the animation style employed to tell the story is worthy of a separate column itself but the highlight for most fans will be the intricate story woven with lots of detail and layers to explore; giving it great replay value. Albert is in deeper than ever as he weighs his loyalties to friends, family and his principles this time, something you don't see all the time in an anime series designed for an older crowd. While the first half of the series tied up most of the plot threads nicely, Princess Tutu 4 allowed the main one to continue as the Prince continued to get pieces of his heart returned to him and the Raven to set him up in an even more nefarious scheme. This causes Prince Tutu to have to continue to intervene on his behalf but is she winning the battles only to lose the war? While centered on ballet and romance, the darker nature of the material is better than the show sounds when reading the box cover so check this one out as a recommended title too, though get them in order to fully appreciate the quality of the episodes and the extras included. Godannar keeps proving itself as a fun series with a lot of fanservice, super powerful robots, and tons of explosions. If you have been following the show thus far then you've witnessed the resurrection of Mira, the death of a couple main characters, and the splitting up of Goh and Anna. There have been a lot of questions raised and unfortunately there have been like no answers to any of them. This time around Anna and Goh get back together and Shizuru comes back from the dead, though that wasn't really surprising. More Mimetic Beasts attack and another mystery about the monsters is unearthed. The whole questions unanswered game is starting to grow a little long in tooth, so I hope that the next volume moves things along.
The fourth volume of Speed Racer is out, and it doesn't bring the series to a close like many fans were hoping. Unfortunately they only included eight episodes this time around, the least of any release so far, leaving eight more shows to go. Even with this being a light volume, the disc is a lot of fun. Speed and the gang get in and out of more than their share of trouble and drive in some pretty exciting races. Speed enters Pineapple Grand Prix where each driver has to carry a pineapple with him through the entire race, and the Mystic Grand Prix where he discovers that a group of ruthless assails are trying to take over the country that it's being held in. No fan of the show will want to pass these up! As we mentioned last week, the fine folks at Viz are releasing the popular anime series Naruto starting, naturally, with the first volume. Based on the wildly popular manga by Masashi Kishimoto, this action adventure series about a boy who wants to become a master ninja has a lot of laughs and some endearing characters. Unfortunately, this disc only has the edited version of the show that was telecast on American cable, not the original version, something that will make a lot of fans stay away from this version. Missing a few volumes in the series so far hasn't helped us develop a sense of continuity with shows like Ultra Maniac 6: Magical Love but if you like light, airy, romance series that toss in some magic, there may be enough for you to rent if you've seen the story so far. The story of Ayu and Nina learning about love and schoolwork has been done, and done better, many times before; giving the show a retread appeal but little else worth your time. It isn't a bad show but it seems designed almost exclusively to a small niche audience as each gal tries to obtain her goal in life from dating the cute boy to finding magical objects and winning a contest to insure the fate of another.
The second installment in the Starship Operators series has been released and we get to see more of the Galactic Network broadcast. The crew of the Amaterasu finds their way to the planet of Shu for a little bit of reloading and some respite. Naturally the Kingdom finds out their location and calls out war against Shu because of their new ally. A coup d'état erupts with our heroes stuck in the middle. This leads to some nice bits of action and more character development than the first volume had. The second volume here is a nice change of pace compared to the first, but the show still feels like it's lacking something. With more super-powered Greeks than you can shake a loincloth at, Saint Seiya is a peculiar series that is very similar to Dragon Ball. The show focuses on a young Japanese boy named Seiya who was sent to Greece in order to train as a warrior. There he learns about the power of the cosmos within and wins the Saint Cloth in a contest. From there he enters a tournament so he can find his sister and win a more powerful cloth. Along the way things change as new villains emerge and Seiya makes friends with his fellow combatants. The show has a lot of fighting and a lot of screaming, so fans of the fighting genre may be interested, but everyone else can get by just fine without seeing it. Be sure to take a look at recommendations by DVDTalk’s twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, and Top Ten Anime discs of 2005 articles.
Scheduled for release on April 4, 2006
Scheduled for release on April 11, 2006
by John Sinnott Death Note
What would you do if you could kill anyone in the world? Not just one person, but as many people as you want just by writing their name down in a book while picturing what they look like in your mind. You can chose the time, place, and manner of their demise if you want, or not. It's up to you. Nice, clean and virtually untraceable murder. That's the situation that Light Yagami finds himself a bored shinigami (Japanese demon of death) purposefully leaves the notebook that he uses to kill humans laying on the ground. Light happens to be incredibly smart, he earned the highest score in the whole country on the college entrance exams, and he quickly realizes that the notebook he found isn't a gag. With instructions for it's use written on the inside front cover, Light hatches a plan: he'll make the world a perfect place by killing everyone who commits a crime. Starting with criminals in jail and those that the law can't touch, he wipes out hundreds of people all around the world. It's not long before the police start taking notice and call in "L" a person who is just as smart as Light, but no one knows his name, not even the head of the police investigation, who just happens to be Light's father. This manga by Ooba Tsugumi (story) and Obata Takeshi (art) was originally serialized in Japan's Shonen Jump magazine and has sold over 2.8 million copies of the collected editions in that country. It is currently being released in the US by Viz so that American fans can join in the chorus of people singing the series praises. A dark and morally ambiguous tale, this manga asks some hard questions. Is it right to kill a criminal if that death will help bring about a utopia? What about killing an innocent person who would stop you from realizing your dream of a perfect society? Is Light a hero or a Hitler? The answers to those questions are left up to the reader. One of the best manga series that Viz has released so far, this comic is the perfect start for someone who wants to try a manga series but wants something more sophisticated than Dragon Ball or Yu Gi Oh. The first four volumes have been released so far.
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March 13, 2006
Naruto and Desert Punk
AnimeTalk a bi-weekly column by Don Houston, John Sinnott, and Todd Douglass
This week's Anime Talk has an early look at a new anime release: Naruto. This story of a young boy training to be a ninja is extremely popular in Japan, and the manga on which it's based has sold millions of copies. Viz is releasing the first volume later this month, and it looks like a promising series. Also this week we have capsule reviews of FUNimation's latest series, the twisted Desert Punk which has just the right amount of humor, violence, and sexual innuendo. Other recent releases of note include Fighting Spirit, Jubie Chan 2, and the final volume of Burst Angel. Be sure to check out all of our anime reviews as well as Holly's Anime Bargains and our indispensable table of upcoming releases.
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As pointed out in the last edition of Anime Talk, UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie is one weird ride of futuristic cat fights, fan service, and hairy situations. The lead male character is Kazuto Tokino, a guy who pays tribute to his ancestors by continuing to run a bathhouse long after his parents abandoned it to explore the galaxy. Thankfully, his loyal customers, including plenty of space aliens, seem to enjoy a hot soak in public so he makes ends meet up until a spaceship crashes into the business. After nearly killing Kazuto, the royal princess Valkyrie gives up part of her life force to save him, reverting her into the body of a little girl who adores the young man, leading to all sorts of problems with the local population. If you can appreciate the sly winks and over the top humor; you'll like this one too. While not technically an anime show, Lupin the 3rd : Strange Psychokinetic Strategy is very much of interest to anime fans as the best live action version of the anime legend known as Lupin. Of course it's the only live action version of the character, but this movie has been remastered and cleaned up to give true Lupin fans a glimpse into the past that his character seems so stuck in. Follow the adventures of Lupin, Jigen, and Fujiko as they try to stay one step ahead of Inspector Zenigata and some mobsters hell bent on taking Lupin out of the picture in this 1974 release from Japan.
Another fun show has been Galactic Railways. The fifth volume of this series picks up the pace and ramps up the action a couple of notches. After starting out with a pair of stand alone episodes, the series sets things up for the concluding volume with an invasion from another galaxy, a terrific space battle, and a heart wrenching cliffhanger. Question: What do you get when Cartoon Network teams up with the Japanese animation house Production I. G.? Answer: A mess. This latest East-West collaboration is IGPX. Immortal Grand Prix, or IGPX for short, is the hottest sport in the year 2049. This roller derby with mechas race is fast and furious. A pair on three man teams race over a 60-mile course at speed reaching 400 MPH. Sounds like it could be a great series. Unfortunately, like DICE before it, this program doesn't have the charm of either country's work and seems to have been written by a committee rather than someone trying to tell an interesting story. Alternately tedious and confusing, this show aimed at young viewers will have a hard time holding their attention.
Sports anime and manga are very popular in Japan, though only a few series have made it across to Pacific to the US. The latest show in this genre to be released in America is Dan Doh! a show based on golf. Aimed at young boys, this show aims to teach fair play and the value of friendship. Not nearly as interesting as other sports anime, Dan Doh doesn't have much charm or the engaging characters that the genre is noted for. The story is a little stupid, and if you think about it there's a lot that doesn't make sense. If you're willing to turn your brain off though, it can be fun to watch, especially for younger viewers. The volume is a great deal too. With 10 episodes for only $29.95 MSRP, it cost about 1/3 of the price of many series. This would make a good rental. The peaceful ceremony at the Holy City is well underway in the third volume of Shadow Skill; though if Elle has anything to say about it, don't expect it to be too peaceful. In the whopping five episodes on this installment the show takes on a more serious tone instead of the happy go lucky one that it has featured. A war erupts between Solfan and Karuda and our band of heroes finds themselves stuck in the thick of it all. Diaz Ragu makes a return to the screen as the Solfan battalion surrounds him, though if Gau puts himself in between the two.
Yugo: The Negotiator has been an interesting series with an off-beat nature and deliberate pacing. There are no ninja girls, cyborgs, or cute fuzzy characters to be found in the show and everything has a certain real-world edge to it. The thirteen episode anime was broken down into two separate negotiations: Pakistan and Russian. The fourth volume here is not only the end of the Russian tale, but also the finale for the series. Unfortunately there really is not an appropriate ending for the show itself and things are left kind of hanging. Everything here is also very anti-climactic too, but I suppose that's just the nature of Yugo. This has been a fascinating series because it does what it wants to and doesn't try to live up to the standards that other anime created. It does it's own thing and it's comfortable doing it.
After releasing the fourth and fifth seasons of the Case Closed (or Detective Conan as it's known in most of the world), FUNimaiton has gone back to the beginning of the story. The newest release is a two disc set that includes the first nine episodes of the series and shows how teenage detective Shin'ichi (Jimmy in the English language version) Kudo became trapped in the body of a small child, and why he can't let anyone know who he really is. These episodes actually play a lot better than the later ones that were released earlier. Mysteries fans will be sure to eat up this series. More teen angst, more pointless battles, a few surprising (and not so surprising) revelations and a plot that is rolling forward ever so slowly. That what's in store for viewers of the fifth volume of Gilgamesh. While the series started off with a lot of promise, it has gotten bogged down with long exposition and plot lines that seem to go nowhere. That's too bad since the show started off with a lot of potential. Another series that didn't live up to it's potential is E's Otherwise. The sixth volume brings the series to a close, thankfully. Though the main plots are resolved and a lot of the mysteries are answered, it's a case of too little too late. The series was too aimless and disjointed to really get involved with, and the characters weren't very interesting. Be sure to take a look at recommendations by DVDTalk’s twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003, Best Of Anime 2004, and Top Ten Anime discs of 2005 articles.
Scheduled for release on March 21, 2006
Scheduled for release on March 28, 2006
by John Sinnott
Naruto
Later this month Viz is scheduled to release the first volume of Naruto. Based on the wildly popular manga by Masashi Kishimoto, this action adventure series tells the tale of young Naruto, a boy living in a village populated by ninja. Naruto isn't the best student around, he's failed the test to become a ninja twice as the series opens and it's not looking good for the third time either, but what he lacks in discipline he more than makes up for in moxie: He loudly proclaims to anyone who will listen that he's going to be the best ninja ever! The fact that everyone in the village shuns him and treats him badly just makes him even more determined. There's more to the story than Naruto knows though. Twelve yeas ago, a giant nine-tailed fox attacked the land. The village all turned out to face the monster, and many ninja were killed, but the creature couldn't be stopped. Then the village elder sacrificed his life in order to trap the fox inside a human body: a baby boy named Naruto. This show is one to keep an eye on. The manga, which has been serialized in the states in Shonen Jump, has gained quite a following and the anime is sure to do the same. Naruto is the perennial underdog that we all love to cheer for, but with a twist, he's containing a vast and powerful evil. Will he be able to tap this power for his own use, or will it start to control him? Only time, and future volumes, will tell.
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Disney
continues its release of the Studio Ghibli catalog this month with 
Fans
of futuristic war and conflict stories in anime probably already know about
the classic 
Fans
of teenage romance anime have something to rejoice about thanks to 
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Out Your Local Best Buy for:
One
of this edition's highlights is the twisted first volume of 
It's
hard to believe that 
Intrepid
reviewer Todd is really gushing over Jubei-Chan 2 after seeing the fourth
volume. This sequel series to Akitaro Daichi’s original puts it all in
perspective and is a showcase for what anime should strive to be. Everything
about 
Though
it had its share of not so great episodes, the final volume of
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Out Your Local Best Buy for:
