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23 Feb
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Posted by Musashi
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This week we welcome a special guest-host, Theory From the Closet host Clyde Rhoer! While Clyde is primarily known as an RPG podcaster, he’s also something of a Japanophile and offered to help us pick apart Noboru Iguchi’s 2009 gonzo flick RoboGeisha.
We also discuss the latest news about the FUNimation 1337 lawsuit, FUNimation’s current financial state, and even chat a bit about Joss Whedon’s Firefly.
(Note: No, we didn’t forget about Epsiode 14 – it’s done and ready to release. We simply felt that, given the time-sensitive nature of some of the material in this episode, it would be best to release it quickly. Episode 14 will follow shortly.)
Show Notes
- Theory From the Closet
- News: All But 1 Defendant Dropped From Funimation’s One Piece Lawsuit
- Random Note: Funimation Sales Down 75% Since 2004
- Help Nathan (That’d be ‘Fillion’, not AnaKhouri’s hubby) Buy Firefly!
- Robin Williams film: The Final Cut at IMDB
- Momus Patronage Album Expands
- RoboGeisha at Wikipedia
- RoboGeisha at IMDB
- The Chrysanthemum and the Sword (Amazon)
- The Love Machine (Article about Japanese underwear-vending machines) – Snopes
- Ganguro subculture (Wikipedia)
- Clyde’s new podcast Sammich Zen
Bonus video:
| Category: Podcast | Tag: Anime, business, firefly, funimation, piracy, Podcast, robogeisha, yellow menace podcast |
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17 Dec
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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When the main character of Speed Grapher discovers he has a weird new superpower, he laments, “This is SO fucked up!” That sentiment pretty much describes the entire show, but in a good way.
Tatsumi Saiga is an acclaimed war photographer, stuck at home in Tokyo since he was badly wounded during his last assignment. He ekes out a living freelancing for the tabloids, with the help of his sort-of girlfriend, a violent police captain who gives him tips on the juiciest crime scenes. She also shows up occasionally to rape him (and I am not using that word flippantly; he says no, she has a gun). Other than that, his only human contact is his surly boss and his overly-affectionate gay neighbor, Bob. Years of shooting the horrors of war have left him obsessed with capturing the precise moment of death on film, but he hasn’t managed it just yet.
Speed Grapher’s Tokyo is (mostly) a different animal from the one we know and love. A major economic bubble has burst, leaving the poor to get poorer and the rich to get richer. The bored rich look for something exotic to occupy their time, so Tokyo has become one giant red-light district offering every freaky thing anyone could want.
One of the richest of the rich is the chairwoman of the powerful Tennozu Group. She has a lover (the fur-clad fashion plate Suitengu) and a teenage daughter, Kagura, whom she abuses and starves daily. But Suitengu is obviously using Lady Tennozu for his own nefarious purposes, and poor Kagura has it even worse than she knows: every night she is drugged and dragged off to an elite club owned by her mother and run by Suitengu. Kagura has the power to give others extraordinary abilities with a kiss, and every rich scumbag in Japan wants a piece of that.
A couple tips from his boss send Saiga undercover into the club, to get the scoop of the century. An accidental slip locks Kagura’s lips onto his, and his subconscious dictates that his superpower is the ability to blow shit up when he takes its picture with his camera- including people’s heads. With a crowd of rich perverts wanting him dead, he grabs the girl and runs.
When Saiga realizes what Kagura’s been through, he becomes determined to save her from her mother and her mom’s sinister boyfriend. The Tennozu Group will do anything to get the girl back, so they send superpowered freak after superpowered freak to retrieve her, including a guy made of rubber and a sadistic dentist. While Saiga fights off the sideshow, Suitengu’s plans are revealed, and they are more complex and more insidious than anyone could have guessed. The series culminates in a showdown that could bring down the Japanese government, and leave Kagura dead.
Speed Grapher is populated by characters burdened with various levels of fucked-up-ness. Greed, lust, psychopathy, cannibalism, murder, s&m, rage…even the good guys are seriously screwed up. The only one whose completely innocent is Kagura; her purity manages to not annoy because she’s surrounded by far more interesting people (and really, it’s easy to feel sorry for a girl whose mom is such a total bitch). Saiga’s confused relationship with her is the beating heart of the series: a 30-something guy on the lam with a 15-year-old girl- what is he supposed to be? Boyfriend, white knight, big brother, daddy? Watching him figure it out is interesting and even touching. The villain Suitengu is smooth as silk and great fun to hate, but in the end his motives are predictable and clichéd; not what you’d expect from a show that is otherwise pretty damn original. There are stereotypes galore: avaricious politicians, hedonistic rich people, incredibly flamboyant gay dudes with hearts of gold, but they fit in the world of the series, where everything is just that much over the top.
Speed Grapher is definitely not a show for the kids. Nudity, drug use, rape, murder, epic swearing, and my favorite: an endless series of blowjobs. Anytime someone walks into a club, there is at least one woman with her head in an ugly guy’s lap. Kagura, of course, has the skimpiest school uniform ever, and survives various molestation attempts with her virtue intact, which is only to be expected.
Speed Grapher is nicely animated, with pretty typical characters designs. The Tennozu super-elite club is probably the most atmospheric part of the show, with its impossibly high ceilings and giant sculpture of some kind of goat-god right in the center.
I watched this on the Netflix Instant Stream through the Wii (funny story: we use the Instant Stream so much that when Gohan found a DVD case at a friend’s house, he wanted me to read it to him; he thought it was a book) so it was only available dubbed. Funimation does top-notch dubs; everyone sounds just as you’d expect (Saiga growly, Kagura constantly breathless) except for one of Suitengu’s henchmen. The voice actor for this guy does a dead-on impersonation of Cobra Commander from the old G.J. Joe cartoon. Priceless.
The end of Speed Grapher has a couple overly-convenient plot twists and a couple unlikely turns (although, as Shapiro Keats pointed out, the show is about a dude who makes people’s heads explode with his camera, so ‘unlikely’ is a relative term in Speed Grapher world), but overall this series is a fun, wild, original, adult ride. I enjoyed it, and you probably will too, if you are over 18 and slightly sick in the head.
| Category: DVD Reviews, Reviews | Tag: Anime, funimation, japan, speed grapher |
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7 Jan
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Yeah, this is short. Give me a break; the baby’s crying.
At first, Baccano! seems like it’s going to be…madcap. Like a heist comedy, or one of those movies from the 1960’s with a huge ensemble cast where everyone is competing in a cross-country airplane race to win a prize. But only halfway through the first episode, you have to admit there is something deeply unsettling about the show. There is a large ensemble cast, and comic relief is provided by a couple crazy thieves. But Baccano! is really a shockingly violent series, awash in an ocean of blood.
The place is New York City in the 1930’s. The Great Depression is in full swing. Prohibition is on and gangs fight to control the city. A cross-country luxury passenger train, the Flying Pussyfoot, is all the rage for those who can afford a ticket.
But something very weird is going on. Some of the gangsters caught up in the mob war get killed, only to climb to their feet and come back for more. A notorious cult leader is sitting in jail, much to the dismay of his followers, who believe he’s immortal. And a creepy old geezer named Szilard Quates is literally sucking the life out of his enemies.
Most of the action takes place aboard the Flying Pussyfoot as it makes a cross-country journey. Besides the usual passengers, this trip hosts a number of different factions, none of whom are involved with each other- at first. A group of the cultists has hitched a ride, intent on taking hostages to secure their leader’s release. Two thieves with a penchant for flamboyant costumes are also on board. There is a band of bootleggers led by a young man with the unlikely name of Jacuzzi Splot, who is out to rob the rich passengers. Ladd Russo, the utterly psychopathic heir to the Russo crime family, is also riding with his posse, with no purpose but to murder as many people as possible, just for the Hell of it. Then there’s the cute little urchin who looks about ten, but who is far older. And finally comes the fresh-faced young conductor, who may just be the most dangerous character of all. Put them together on a train hurtling across the country, and very soon the story explodes into an orgy of violence. Necks are crushed, brains are splattered across the upholstery, limbs are removed, and the Flying Pussyfoot leaves a trail of mangled bodies along the track.
And back in New York, the mobsters fight it out, drop dead, and get up to do it all over again, while Szilard Quates searches for the secret to his own eternal life.
Baccano! doesn’t rely on linear storytelling techniques; the story jumps from 1930 to 1931 to 1932 and back again. Flashbacks drop us into the 18th century, when a group of alchemists on a ship bound for America makes a deal with the devil, for real. Later, the story reaches back into the 1920’s and (inexplicably) shoots forward for a brief foray into 2001. Despite the helpful dates that flash onscreen, it can be confusing, so you have to pay close attention. The characters also weave and out of the story, meeting each other and parting and meeting again, both before and after the Flying Pussyfoot incident.
The only real problem with Baccano!’s mode of storytelling is that they should never have gotten off the train. What happens on the Flying Pussyfoot is riveting. Afterwards, when everyone returns to their lives (or goes to jail), the story loses steam and gradually sinks into the Swamp of Boring.
Everything else about Baccano! is pretty standard, from the character designs to the animation to the voice acting (it was rather nice to hear Takehito Koyasu again, though; I hadn’t heard his sexy voice in a while). The characters themselves are interesting, though there’s a few too many of them to give any one enough screen time to develop a personality.
The opening is a lot of fun; very jazzy and energetic. The ending…well, it’s standard.
I wish I could recommend Baccano!, I really do. But I can’t in good conscience recommend a series that is so excellent up until the last few episodes; the disappointment is more crushing than if it had been boring from the beginning (it’s like Robin Hobb’s Assassin Trilogy, if you’ve read that). Anyway, watch at your own risk.
| Category: Anime, DVD Reviews | Tag: Anime, baccano!, dvd, funimation, japan |
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4 Sep
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Posted by Musashi
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By now you’ve all heard that ADV, once the largest distributor of anime in North America, has gone the way of the dodo. Honestly, I can’t feign surprise – although it’s pretty amazing to consider that less than 5 years ago ADV were at the top of the heap. Seriously, the fall of ADV has been like watching the sinking of the Titanic – slow, inexorable doom.
How did this happen, and what does this mean for the U.S. anime market? Right now FUNimation seems to be sitting pretty as the lone anime superpower in North America, and more power to them; their online initiatives have been highly successful at rallying the fanbase and keeping interest alive, while their home video releases are both well-packaged and reasonably priced. This is exactly where the business needs to be if it wants to survive.
As for ADV itself, the company has now been broken down into several units and sold to different entities. One of these – SIXON 23, LLC (aka Section 23), continues to market Asian film under the Sentai Filmworks label. But the ADV we once knew and loved is gone.
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9 Aug
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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I’m afraid this review will be a bit truncated thanks to Gohan, who is having some colic issues…but really, there’s not too much to say about this show anyway.
Rozen Maiden: Traumend is the second season of Rozen Maiden, one of the series Funimation rescued from Geneon when they distributor went under. But after seeing their complete box set of Traumend, I have to wonder why Funimation bothered to rescue it at all.
I haven’t seen the first season, but it wasn’t difficult to puzzle out. The Rozen Maidens are seven bisque dolls created by a master dollmaker and imbued with a Rosa Mystica- something like a soul. They are sentient and animate. They are all Maidens, and refer to each other as Sister- even the one who looks like a boy, sounds like a boy, and wears pants (exceptionally frilly pants, but pants nonetheless). But it seems the Maidens’ creator was a sadistic fuck who decreed that his dolls should participate in the Alice Game, in which the dolls battle it out with various ridiculous magic items like watering cans and violins, while wearing a variety of corsets, ribbons, frills, and Victorian button-up boots. The last one standing gets to literally meet her maker, Rozen, whom they call ‘Father’.
So, basically it’s Highlander minus the cool swords and plus a bunch of pint-sized Gothic Lolitas.
Apparently in the first season the Alice Game never actually got going. As Traumend opens, moody teenager Jun and his sister Nori (unsurprisingly, they have no parents) are playing host to two Maidens, Shinku and Hina-Ichigo, an insufferably cute little thing. Shinku is the most mature of the Maidens, and has created a pact with Jun in which she can use his power to battle the others, if the Game ever gets started. They are frequently visited by two other Maidens, the twin sisters (except one appears to be male) Souseiseki and Suiseiseki.
But there are three other Maidens out there who aren’t so cozy with the rest. Kannaria, a disgustingly adorable and arrogant Maiden who is out to win the game- until she meets the others- and Suiginto (apparently defeated by Shinku in season one) and Bara-Suisho, the seventh and heretofore unseen Rozen Maiden. The last two are out for blood.
But not for a while. First the three newcomers have to show up. Suiginto has to make a pact with a dying girl. The Maidens have to learn to make cookies, write and mail letters, watch their favorite TV show, etc. Jun has to flirt with his classmate Tomoe and do homework and visit a mysterious doll shop. Everyone has to flounce around in insane amounts of lace. They also fly about in suitcases, argue, and eat lots of sugar and drink massive amounts of tea (how a doll’s digestive system works is not something I recommend pondering too long).
Finally, eight episodes into the twelve-episode series, the Alice Game starts up. There are four frantic episodes of not-really-Highlander action, then the end, which I admit is nicely bittersweet. But it’s like one of those long fantasy novel series that runs for ten volumes, gets really slow in the couple books, then wraps everything up in the last two hundred pages, as if the author got tired of it right at the end and tried to finish it up too quickly.
The problem with Rozen Maiden is that it’s trying to be two shows at once: a fighting series, and a cutesy EGL not-quite-harem show. The two concepts don’t really mesh. Not to mention to creepy almost-romance between Jun and Shinku, who is about as high as his knees. The show extols the sort of virtues common to both genres of anime: the power of friendship, loyalty, protecting those you love etc, etc. Nothing new here.
The animation looks great, and if you’re into the Gothic Lolita culture, the character designs and especially the costumes will be right up your alley. The voice acting isn’t bad at all, in Japanese or English.
Rozen Maiden might be a treat for EGL fans or for ambitious cosplayers, but everyone else will just be confused and bored.
| Category: Anime, DVD Reviews | Tag: Anime, funimation, geneon, japan, review, rozen maiden: traumend |
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25 Jun
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Posted by Musashi
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Yay! More VOD from FUNimation as their video portal returns today with episodes 10 and 11 of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, as well as the recently broadcast episode 12. The site has reportedly also been streamlined and improved, and FUNimation is soliciting feedback on what they can do to further improve the service.
| Category: Cool Links | Tag: fullmetal alchemist, funimation, video on demand |
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21 May
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Our friends at Funimation want to know what new anime you desire, on DVD, in an English dub! Here is the website where you can vote:
I thought about voting but I am seriously so far behind in my viewing that I don’t know what any of those series even are. I’m still watching stuff from like, 2006.
>shame<
| Category: Anime | Tag: Anime, funimation, poll |
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20 May
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Posted by Musashi
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For those of you attending Anime Boston (lucky bastards!), here’s a rundown of what FUNimation will be doing at the Con…
FUNimation Highlights and Events at this weekend’s Anime Boston — Booth #511
FUNimation Sneak Peak Panel: Friday 2:00pm – 3:00pm, Constitution room
Come by and check out some of the newest anime titles from FUNimation. Different clips from the newest shows will be shown as well as one full episode of one of the titles.FUNimation Industry Panel: Saturday 5:00pm – 6:00pm, Constitution room
Adam Sheehan’s on hand to talk about all the newest information and updates on everything we are working on as well as answer questions.—– ADAM WILL BE ANNOUNCING THE LINE PRODUCER OF THE ENGLISH DUB OF EVANGELION: 1.0 YOU ARE (NOT) ALONE, CAST ANNOUNCEMENT TO FOLLOW —–
Premiere event: Romeo X Juliet, Saturday 4:00pm – 6:00pm Room 312
| Category: Events | Tag: Anime, anime boston, conventions, evangelion, funimation |
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16 Apr
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Posted by Musashi
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Anime Leader to Stream Episodes of Highly Anticipated Series Within Days of Japanese Television Debut
Flower Mound, TX – April 3, 2009 — FUNimation® Entertainment has acquired digital, broadcast, DVD and merchandising rights to the megahit anime series “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood” from Aniplex and debuting on Japan’s MBS and TBS nationally at 5:00 pm on April 5th.
Starting Thursday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m., FUNimation will deliver high-quality, free, original Japanese dialogue accompanied by English subtitles, streaming episodes of studio Bones’ new Fullmetal Alchemist via www.funimation.com as well as key video-sharing partners.
“We are proud to be able to simulcast the most anticipated series of 2009,” said Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation Entertainment. “I hope our fans will appreciate the video and subtitle quality we have achieved as we are working toward the simulcast of more series this year.”
The blockbuster anime series (2003-2004) by the Japanese studio Bones, and subsequent franchise, is based on the manga by Hiromu Arakawa. The followup film “Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa” (2005) ended the series but many fans wished to see the story continue. Click to continue »
| Category: News | Tag: animation, Anime, fullmetal alchemist, funimation, japan |
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3 Apr
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Posted by Musashi
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Drool…
FUNimation Entertainment Announces New Digital Partnership with Toei Animation
Alliance Begins With Digital Distribution of Catalog Series
Flower Mound, Texas – April 3, 2008 – FUNimation® Entertainment and Japanese powerhouse producer Toei Animation Co., Ltd. have entered into a digital content partnership in which the U.S. anime leader will distribute seven series from Toei’s catalog starting Friday, April 3rd.
English-subtitled episodes from “Air Master”, “Captain Harlock”, ”Digimon Adventure 02”, “Fist of the North Star”, “Galaxy Express”, “Pretty Cure” and “Slam Dunk” will be offered in the U.S. by streaming via FUNimation’s online video portal, www.funimation.com/video.
Totaling more than 500 episodes, these seven series launch with “Fist of the North Star”. One complete series will be added each week for seven weeks.
Fist of the North Star – Set in a time when war has turned the world into a nuclear wasteland. The oceans have dried up, the land is scorched and the surviving humans have formed a violent society. In this world of mayhem, a drifter in possession of a lethal fighting style known as the Divine Fist of the North Star wanders the arid desert seeking to rescue his lover, Yuria.
Slam Dunk – A high-school drama about a young loser who goes out for the basketball team in hopes of winning the affection of a cute girl. In his quest for love, he sparks a rivalry with the team’s star as they set out to win the championship.
Digimon Adventure 02 – New enemy Digimon Kaiser, appears in the Digital World and is out use his considerable powers to control all Digimon. The crisis gives rise to a new generation of hero, the Veemon, which is able to combine with DigiMental to create a new type of Digimon.
Captain Harlock – Set in the year 2977, mankind has become complacent and stagnant, devoting its time to entertainment while machines do all the work. When a mysterious invader from the stars catches Earth unaware, only the legendary space pirate Captain Harlock and the crew of the Arcadia have the will to stand up against it.
Galaxy Express 999 – In the distant future a boy names Tetsuro wants his body replaced with a robotic one. For this to happen, he must reach the Immortal Planet by space train Galaxy Express 999. He is joined on the journey by Maetel, a beautiful and mysterious woman.
Pretty Cure – This series revolves around Nagisa and Honoka, eighth graders at the Verone Junior High School for girls, who encounter two mysterious creatures that came down from the sky one night. Named Mepple and Mipple, the creatures fled their homeland, known as the Field of Light, in order to escape an attack by the evil forces of Dotsuku Zone. They grant Nagisa and Honoka the power to transform into superheroes dubbed “Cure Black” and “Cure White,” who may be our planet’s only hope in battling the evil Dotsuku Zone.
Air Master – Maki Aikawa, a 16 year old schoolgirl turned street fighter. She fights opponent after opponent gracefully, demonstrating the gymnastic skills that in turn earn her the name, “Airmaster”.
About Toei Animation Co., Ltd.
With headquarters in Tokyo and sales offices in Los Angeles, Hong Kong,
Shanghai and Paris, Toei Animation (Jasdaq: 4816) ranks amongst the world’s
most prolific animation production studios. Toei Animation’s operations
include animation development and production, and worldwide marketing and
program licensing. Since its founding in 1956, Toei Animation has produced
more than 9,000 episodes of TV series (189 titles) and 172 long feature films.About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation, is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.
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11 Feb
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Posted by Musashi
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Funimation recently announced details regarding the English voice cast and production team for Romeo X Juliet…
Line Producer: Christopher Bevins
ADR Directors: J. Michael Tatum and R Bruce Elliott (in his FUNI directing debut)
Script Adaptations: Taliesin Jaffe (and team)
Romeo: Chris Burnett
Juliet: Brina Palencia
Antonio: Maxey Whitehead
Cordelia: Colleen Clinkenbeard
Benvolio: Sean Michael Teague
Conrad: R Bruce Elliott
Francisco: Eric Vale
Curio: Robert McCollum
Mercutio: Christopher Bevins
Amelia: Larissa Wolcott
William: J. Michael Tatum
Hermione: Carrie Savage
Tybalt: Mike McFarland
Lord Montague: Sean Hennigan
| Category: News | Tag: animation, Anime, announcement, funimation, japan |
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5 Feb
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Here’s the thing: I don’t like kids. Or teenagers, really. I’m staring thirty in the face and I can’t relate to them anymore. Of course, in a few months I’m going to have to learn to relate to them, but even then my house won’t be filled with Dora the Explorer Mermaid Princess dolls or any of that crap- our kid will be raised on a steady diet of Dragonball Z and old Ralph Bakshi movies).
Unfortunately, the cast of Funimation’s Negima?! (methinks the interrobang could come in handy here) is composed almost entirely of teenage girls and one ten-year-old boy. So from the first I wasn’t well-disposed toward the series.
Negi Springfield is a child wizard prodigy. After he graduates early from his European wizard school, he has to complete a sort of residency in Japan. For some reason, this residency involves teaching at an exclusive, non-magical, all-girls’ middle school. Poor Negi not only has to deal with teaching thirty-one girls who are older than him, but he also has to live up to the reputation of his dead father, a legendary wizard known as the Thousand Master. Years ago the Thousand Master saved the world by sealing away a powerful vampire called Evangeline, so his shoes are pretty big.
Negi arrives in Japan with his sidekick, a talking ermine, and is ready to teach (what subject is never specified). He also has to hide his wizardly powers, under threat of getting in trouble with the Wizards’ Council and being turned into an animal. Too bad he screws up on day one when his student Asuna (lazy, dumb, perpetually late, heart of gold etc.) sees him commit a minor act of magic. She’s stunned enough to keep her mouth shut, but when she finds out Negi needs a magic partner so he can use his powers to their fullest potential, she’s all for volunteering, even if the partner contract involves kissing.
In the meantime, Negi also finds out that Evangeline was sealed by his father into this very boarding school, and she’s one of his students! Accompanied by her faithful robot servant (?), Evangeline is trapped in the body of a prepubescent girl, unable to leave the campus, and pissed off. Sucking Negi’s blood will break the seal, so when the full moon rises- the only time she has access to her former power- she sets out to suck him dry.
But Evangeline is a minor concern when someone steals the Star Crystal from the Wizards’ Academy where Negi graduated. The Star Crystal amplifies magical powers to an infinite degree, and was heavily guarded but still disappeared. It’s particularly dangerous in the hands of evildoers.
As weird things associated with the theft begin to happen, Negi finds himself needing more and more magical partners and systematically begins working his way through all thirty-one of his students. Evengeline begins to show herself to be a useful ally. But even as Negi scrambles to save the world, he takes time out to help his students with their teen-girl problems, including one girl who is a ghost.
Negima?! Season 2 is actually a revamp of the original anime, and not really a second season. This time around the writers decided to jettison the original’s vast amounts of fanservice in favor of concentrating on the magical aspects of the story. But here’s what happens when you take a show that is mostly fanservice and excise the fanservice: there’s nothing left. Oh, Negima?! tries for wacky comedy: robots, ghosts, a Chupacabra Research Society, Negi’s pal the dirty-minded ermine…the series attempts to be crazy and funny and offbeat. But in the end none of these elements can succeed in making the anime interesting. It’s obvious that none of these random things has any meaning. They’re simply there to take up space. Surprisingly little time is devoted to the main story. Much of each episode is taken up by robots, ghosts, fake chupacabras, girls squealing about something or other, Negi’s ermine talking trash, and the students giggling about how hot their ten-year-old teacher is (ew).
Negi’s students have a variety of personalities and quirks, but unfortunately there are just too many of them for the viewer to really get to know or care for any of the girls. Evangeline pouts and whines like a spoiled kid rather than a caged vampire. Negi, of course, is adorable and kind and courageous etc.
For some reason Funimation decided to replace the opening and ending themes with English versions. The English opening sounds better than the Japanese (though the lyrics are awkward) but the ending themes are identical except for language. Commissioning new theme songs seems an unnecessary expense, particularly since they didn’t bother to translate the credits.
The sub and dub casts both have their problems. In Japanese, some of the girls are unbearably shrill. But in English, Negi is annoyingly feminine. At least in the dub attention is paid to accents; characters who are British have corresponding British accents. The anime looks quite impressive, with a brilliant and varied palette.
I’m not what the intended demographic for Negima?! is. While it’s rated M, I didn’t see anything in this first collection that merited that sort of caution. The childish behavior of the characters and lack of fanservice will probably turn off adult viewers and older teens, but the rating ensures younger teens and kids won’t get to see it. This, like the show itself, is just lame and confusing.
| Category: Anime, DVD Reviews | Tag: Anime, dvd, funimation, japan, negima?! season 2 |
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25 Jan
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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My review for the first set of season one of Ghost Hunt can be found here.
The second half of Ghost Hunt follows the lead of the first half; though the cases become more complex and darker in tone, the series remains entertaining and engaging, especially for viewers who already have an interest in the paranormal and/or Japanese mythology.
The first story arc on the DVD features yet another haunted high school. The solution is similar to a story arc from the beginning of the show, but this time getting rid of the angry spirits poses a truly disconcerting moral dilemma that only Naru and Lin can handle.
The second arc, The Blood-Stained Labyrinth, is a gruesome hodge-podge that references everything from the Winchester House to Elizabeth Bathory. The SPR team investigates a bizarre mansion where multiple young people have gone missing- a matter of some concern since all of SPR’s members (with the possible exception of Lin) are under the age of thirty. They’re in a race to solve the case with a couple other paranormal research teams; then, as the situation deteriorates, in a race to save one of their own members from a bloodthirsty ghost. This tale is pretty disturbing and has some chilling moments.
The final arc, The Cursed House, is about an entire family under the spiritual gun. Every time the Yoshimi family loses a patriarch, other family members die. With the latest head of the family just a few days in the ground, they’re desperate to prevent another mass die-off. When a rampaging spirit puts Naru in a coma for most of the story, Monk takes over temporary SPR leadership duties. But the spirits in the Yoshimi home are numerous and pissed off. Soon the deaths that the SPR had hoped to prevent begin to occur, and the team realizes they are up against a powerful curse, one laid not by a human or a ghost, but a god.
All the characters from the first half of the series are back, plus one- Yasuhara, a student from the aforementioned haunted high school whom Naru decides to employ as a sort of research assistant. It’s an unnecessary addition to an already rounded ensemble cast, but luckily Yasuhara doesn’t get in the way too much and even has his uses in The Blood-Stained Labyrinth. None of the characters changes drastically over the course of the anime, though some subtle development takes place: Mai’s confidence has grown since her first case, though she still tries to dent her own psychic abilities. Her rivalry with Masako for Naru’s affections has intensified to outright nastiness. Monk takes center stage for most of the final story arc. John doesn’t have much to do other than meander around and mutter badly translated Bible verses. Ayako, however, finally has something to do in The Cursed House, and we learn the reason why she hasn’t exhibited any real power before this. Naru’s asshole-ishness eases noticeably in the second half of the series, and Lin even provides something approximating an explanation as to why he’s such a jerk (Lin’s explanation for his own surly attitude falls pretty flat, though). As much explanation as we get, however, there’s a lot more that never comes, particularly regarding Naru’s past and his relationship to Masako.
While no second season has been announced, it would be welcome. Not only could it expound upon Naru’s secrets (for now, interested viewers will have to turn to the manga for more information), but ghost stories are always welcome in my house.
Ghost Hunt hangs onto the same instrumental opening and ending themes throughout the season, but in this second DVD set the opening animation changes to become creepier, perhaps to match the darker atmosphere of the new storylines.
Other than that there isn’t much to say that wasn’t said in my first review; the animation looks great, the sub and dub casts are both excellent (though I have a minor beef with their translation of the word onmyouji as ‘yin-yang master’. While this is as accurate a description as you’re likely to find in English, onmyouji are popular characters in anime and manga and most fans are probably well aware of what the word means. Funimation could easily have left the word untranslated as they did the honorifics, especially since the other characters give Mai a detailed explanation of the concept of onmyodo).
The extras on the set are identical to the first set’s extras: manga pages, trailers, interviews. It’s not a wide variety but since I’m not a big fan of extras it didn’t really bother me.
The packaging for the second set is attractive. Funimation has made a smart move by releasing these season sets; not only are they cheaper than releasing each DVD individually, but they also take up less shelf space.
The conclusion of the first season of Ghost Hunt doesn’t disappoint; it’s still one of the better shows I’ve seen lately. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for a second season.
| Category: DVD Reviews | Tag: Anime, funimation, ghost hunt, japan |
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16 Jan
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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Funimation has been promoting Darker Than Black as the anime that shares an animation studio and some crew members with the legendary Cowboy Bebop. Darker Than Black is missing most of the elements that made Cowboy Bebop so popular, but the first volume at least is still entertaining and intriguing.
The setting of Darker Than Black is an unnamed city that, a decade ago, suffered a strange transformation: a large wall called the Hell Gate suddenly appeared, isolating a section of the city. Almost no one who entered the space beyond the Hell Gate ever returned, and its presence (as well as what happened to the people caught inside) remains unexplained. Coinciding with the appearance of the Hell Gate was the sudden manifestation of super powers in a small segment of the population, who came to be called Contrators. The powers are limited and carry a price; every time a Contractor uses their power, they must perform a bizarre task such as smoking a cigarette, eating huge quantities of food, or – gah!- breaking their own fingers. Most Contractors are true to their name- they sell their services to the highest bidder, whether the assignment is espionage or murder.
The city’s government has reacted accordingly by creating a law enforcement department to track and deal with Contractors. Darker Than Black’s resident cops focuses on foreign Contractors who have entered the city (making it clear the Contractor phenomenon is a global one). The department’s main obsession is BK201, an elusive and unusually deadly Contractor about whom almost nothing is known but who is responsible for untold numbers of deaths.
| Category: Anime, DVD Reviews | Tag: Anime, darker than black, funimation, japan, review |
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27 Dec
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Posted by AnaKhouri
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[rating:2]
xxxholic is one of many, many series from the manga collective CLAMP. Like the majority of their works, it’s ongoing, with no indication of when or if it will end (Bitter over them dropping X/1999? Me? Never!). xxxholic seems to have a small but devoted fanbase, so when I received volumes six and seven of the anime series I was interested to find out what the attraction is.
xxxholic (the title is pronounced, simply, holic- yes, CLAMP employs not one but three silent x’s) is about a mysterious shop where wishes are granted, for a price, and not always a financial one. The proprietor of the shop is Yuko, a sexy woman who dresses like a skank and has lots of experience with the supernatural. She lives with a trio of spirit creatures: Maro and Moro, who take the forms of cute little girls, and Mokona, a cat/rabbit/Muppet thing (variations on Mokona also appear in the CLAMP works Magic Knights Rayearth and Tsubasa). None of Yuko’s housemates seems to have a purpose other than looking cute and tormenting Watanuki.
Watanuki calls himself Yuko’s part-time employee, but his job seems more like domestic servitude. He cooks, cleans, answers the phone, and does the shopping. He’s also a high school student, but he’s hardly ordinary; for some reason Watanuki can see spirits and tell if they are good or evil just by looking at them. His best friends, Himewari and Doumeki, are aware of his power and of Yuko’s spiritual connections. Doumeki seems to have a considerable store of occult knowledge himself. Himewari, however, remains cheerfully oblivious to the fact that Watanuki has a crush on her.
| Category: DVD Reviews | Tag: Anime, CLAMP, funimation, japan, manga, xxxholic |
