Archive for the English Anime Category


Bodacious Space Pirates 2 Anime, Disk 2 (English)

April 23rd, 2013

BDSP2BDHere we are, at the final Disk of Bodacious Space Pirates (available on Blu-Ray and DVD) and the only emotion I feel is…total excitement for a fantasic ending with spaceships battling, Marika and her crew kicking ass in a dozen ways – and still being likable the whole time, really predictable plot complications and a hot mess of an ending that made no sense but I didn’t care one bit. ^_^

THIS WAS A FANTASTIC ANIME.

Random things I liked – I love the patchwork look of all the pirate ships. I also loved the creakiness of the Bentenmaru sailing in cosmic storms. It’s a detail that made me happy every time they used it.

I loved the smartness of the plot. The battle plan was clever in a real way, rather than in a “look how clever we are” way.

Above all, what I loved best were the characters. There wasn’t one of the Bentenmaru or Hakuoh crowd I didn’t like and with a cast that big, it’s not that easy to do. Bad guys were bad, but not absurdly bizarre or tiresome.

In the middle of the hot mess of the ending, for no reason at all, except to make us happy, we get a moment of Jenny and Lynn. It was ridiculous, meaningless, had no relationship to the story and I don’t care. And Chiaki gets a Yuri powerup, presumably because fans wanted it.

Ratings:

Art – 7, the CGI looks much better on this disk. Have I gotten used to it? Maybe, I don’t know.
Character – 10
Story – 10
Yuri – 7
Service- 8 Up significantly for the final arc. We had such a nice run there, though

Overall – 10

I’m left wanting to read the rest of the books very badly. And that, above all things, is the sign of a very good anime.





Penguindrum Anime Collection 2, Disk 3 (English)

April 10th, 2013

pd2As Mawaru Penguindrum, draws to a close, the nagging sensation that every person in the story is somehow living in a completely different timeline is confirmed. Like a retinal afterimage, each of them appear to exist in the others’ realties – and at least two exist in most of them. Himari and Momoka do not appear to have existed in the same reality at all. Something Sanetoshi thinks he understands, but ultimately doesn’t understand even a little bit.

So, the end comes and we learn two things – the handwave of shifting realities was the plot, and we all have a Penguindrum we need to find. (Mine, like that of so many of the characters’ in the show, is buried in Ikebukuro.)

At times, brutal, unpleasant, harsh – overall, absolutely beautiful. Just like life.

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 9
Characters -9
Yuri – 0
Service – 2

Overall – 9

I am a total sucker for non-linear anime that ends, but has intentional gigantic holes in the story.

Many thanks once again to Okazu Superhero Eric P. for sponsoring today’s review!





Bodacious Space Pirates 2 Anime, Disk 1 (English)

April 2nd, 2013

BDSP2BDAs the first disk of the second Bodacious Space Pirates collection opens (available on Blu-Ray and DVD), Marika and the girls of the Hakuoh Academy Yacht Club are thrust into a complex and dangerous situation! Oh no!

With the crew of the Bentenmaru quarantined, Marika recruits the Yacht Club members to do some piracy, so the Bentenmaru can maintain its Letter of Marque. Of course the girls are more than up for it and, after a typical piracy gig, they take on an ad hoc project – one that is genuinely dangerous. Jenny Dolittle, former club president, is facing an unwanted marriage as a part of her uncle’s business strategy. Lynn asks Marika if they can ‘kidnap’ her – or, really, prevent her from being kidnapped by her uncle.

This arc rocks in a number of ways and sucks in only one.

Let’s revisit my interpretation of the phrase a “strong female” character. I believe that a “strong” character is a character who takes control of their circumstances, a character that leads, not follows. In this arc Marika, Jenny and Lynn show themselves to be “strong” by my definition. Rather than allowing circumstances to  overwhelm them, they fight back with their brains, their power and their network of allies. A perfect example, IMHO, of female leaders leading.  As a bonus, we are given  a perfect Yuri couple, with *my* kind of service. Jenny makes a lovely princess to Lynn’s prince. ^_^

The only real negative in this arc is the animation. It completely falls to shit just when we might have wanted it to be at its most glorious. To be fair, the CGI is going to go through the roof in upcoming arcs, but darnit, it would have been nice of them to do some touch-up when Jenny and Lynn reunite. :-(

In the following arc, we again see something unusual – a minor character given a chance to shine. Once more we get a female character who is not overwhelmed by her circumstances. Ai shows us that she works hard and is able to retain control through good decision-making skills. A totally worthy conclusion to what is otherwise a silly arc.

There is some fanservice during the Nebula cup arc that may or may not annoy you. To give the creators credit, they”serve” up beefcake as well as more typical moe tropes.

As far as I’m concerned, this disk wins the universe. It has everything I’ve ever wanted in a series all at once. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 7, but drops to like 3 just when I want it to be a 9. Sigh
Character – 9
Story – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 6

Overall – 9

Multiple named female characters that speak with each other about lots of things other than a man. Female characters with agency, with society, with smarts and friends and awesome personalities, allowed to shine. Bechdel Test and Friedman Addendum (as proposed here)  passed with flying colors. This series *still* makes my Top List this year.





Penguindrum Anime Collection 2, Disk 2 (English)

March 31st, 2013

pd2Realities converge, merge and resplit on the second disk of the second Penguindrum collection. Now that we know (symbolically, at least) what Yuri and Tabuki had in common and what their goal was, the arc climaxes in an actual climax and we think…what else is there? Well….

We’ve assumed one single truth from the beginning of the series. When everything around that truth is fracturing, shattering like glass, we have assumed that Himari, Shoma and Kanba are, at the very least siblings who love each other very much.

Here in the depths of the second half of the series we have been given a whole new set of symbols, a whole new mythology and our one basic truth is called into question. What does the Child Broiler mean, why are all the children in this series broken, abandoned? What does “family” even mean? And what if that one truth we had to hold on to…isn’t true at all?

We think we know what the Penguindrum is and what it does. Or do we? The mystery is electrifying.

Speaking of Sanetoshi-sensei’s verbal tic, I thought it might be fun to discuss the word “Sa.” ^_^”Sa” is not a word, it’s an expression, like “hmm” or “um”. It has no meaning itself, but is use to express ambiguity. “How you doin’ today?” “Sa….”  Sentai  is mostly translating it as “beats me” – which is not bad at all when the teen characters us it, especially Shoma and Kanba. When Sanetoshi, the embodiment of ambiguous, impenetrable adult, says “Sa…” it makes me laugh when they have him say “beats me.” Not that I think it’s wrong, I just think it’s funny. ^_^

As we make our way through this second half, we’re getting closer to the truth. Or, are we?

Ratings:

Art – 8
Story – 8
Characters -8
Yuri – 0
Service – 2

Overall – 8

Again, my thanks to Okazu Superhero Eric P. for sponsoring today’s review!





Psycho-Pass Anime (English) End of Series Review

March 28th, 2013

I’ll be honest. When I originally reviewed Psycho-Pass, (streaming for free legally, with region restrictions on Funimation’s site) I never expected to ever mention it again here. And yet, here we are. Huh, how about that?

I was hesitant to start this series, but once I did, it was a compelling – if difficult – watch. There were bits in the middle that were genuinely horrific and at least one scene that haunted me for days. It was actually worse for the clinical way in which the audience reaction was made part of the scene, and was discussed…as we were made to watch it  repeatedly.

So, yes, this is a really violent, and in many, cases stressful, story. But it was, nonetheless, an extremely well-written genre piece. The genre is “suspense horror” so there are tropes that aren’t pleasant. If you know this going in to the thing, there’s a better chance that your won’t be too badly traumatized. It’s probably important to point out that folks with abuse or rape triggers might be better served to avoid this story.

When the end came, it was a solid genre ending. Our apparently naive protagonist had grown. But…you know, I don’t think she ever was naive or immature. The character design was camouflage – it was our belief that Akane *must* be naive, because she is small, female and young. If you pay attention to the story as it played out, she was actually fairly confident and cool – not emotionless, just able to make decisions regardless of whatever the circumstances were- throughout.  We might not always agree with the decisions, but that was part of her strength, too. I consider Akane to be one of the overall best lead female roles I’ve seen in anime.

The DVD/BD license for Psycho-Pass has been officially announced by Funimation. It is slated for spring 2014, and will include a dub.

Oh, wait, I forgot to tell you why I’m reviewing this at all! You know how, in most series, the lesbian couple sleeps together and one always dies almost immediately? Well that didn’t happen here. After everything plays out, Yayoi and Shion both survive – and get to be together. I told you to be happy Fukami was involved! He loves the lesbians and we love him right back. ^_^

Ratings:

Art – 8
Character – 9
Story – 9
Yuri – 9
Service – 9 High and mostly extremely nasty with a little light – happy – lesbian service on the side

Overall – 9

It was not a series I’d suggest lightly, but it is something I thought was well-crafted. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to watch it again.