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While The Hobbit continues its work in New Zealand, the casting does continue as there’s a lot to be done for the two features that are being produced and characters that aren’t key at the stages at which they’re filming at the moment. Which is why there’s new casting news today as we learn that Stephen Fry will play the Master of Laketown. Ryan Gage is signing on as Alfrid and Conan Stevens will be playing an Orc named Azog.

In addition to this, Peter Jackson has put out a new production update via his Facebook page :

“Some more HOBBIT casting news today. As we near the end of our first shooting block (we have a break in less than three weeks to get some editing and visual effects work done, plus prepare for very big scenes coming up), we are looking at characters featuring in sequences that take place a little later in the story.

We are thrilled to confirm that Stephen Fry will be playing The Master of Laketown. I’ve known Stephen for several years, and we’re developing a DAMBUSTERS movie together. In addition to his writing skills, he’s a terrific actor and will create a very memorable Master for us.

The Master’s conniving civil servant, Alfrid will be played by Ryan Gage. Ryan is a great young actor who we originally cast in a small role, but we liked him so much, we promoted him to the much larger Alfrid part.

Last, and certainly not least, is Conan Stevens, who will be playing an Orc called Azog (Orcs are never called Roger or Dennis for some strange reason).  And yes that’s his name—Conan! Isn’t that cool? Azog is played by Conan! Here’s a photo of Conan and I together… I’m pretty tall, probably at least 6′5″ or 6′6″ I would guess, so that gives you some clue how tall Conan is! You can learn all about him at www.conanstevens.com .

Got a busy day’s shooting ahead, so I’m about to jump in the car—but look out for the beginning of the 20 questions answers very soon. Thanks for the questions, many are very insightful. I’ve been through all of them and have a list ready to go.

Cheers,

Peter J”

With the second cour for Ushio & Tora currently underway, the folks at Tokuma Japan has added the new ending sequence to their YouTube channel for streaming. We still don’t get a lot of opening and closing sequences streamed out of Japan so this is pretty welcome. The song for this sequence is Makeruna Chiisaki Mono yo, which translates as Don’t Lose the Small Things. It comes from Wakadanna/

The show will run for thirty-nine episodes. The plan for the show is to do the first twenty-six episodes starting in July and run it until the end of December 2015. Then the final thirteen-episode arc will come back in April 2016, where it’ll finish off by dealing with events from the final battle in the manga.

The anime adaptation is directed by Satoshi Nishimura with animation done by MAPPA and studio Voln. They’ll be working off of scripts by Toshiki Inoue and character designs by Tomoko Mori. The group Kinniku Shojo Tai will be handling the opening theme song for the series while Sonar Pocket is handling the ending theme

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRoA6O_Q5Uo]

The series has an expansive cast that includes Tasuku Hatanaka as Ushio, Rikiya Koyama as Tora, Mikako Komatsu as Asako, Kiyono Yasuno as Mayuko, Keiji Fujiwara as Shigure Aotsuki, Yui Makino as Reiko Hanyu, Daisukie Namikawa as Hyo, Yuichi Nakamura as Kenichi Masaki, Aki Toyosaki as Yu Hiayama, Masaki Terasoma as Kyoji Atsuzawa, Miki Shinichiro as Raishin, Yuuki Kaji as Juro, Risa Shimizuo as Kagari, Yuuka Nanri as Saya Takatori, Ai Kayano as Omamori-sama, Maaya Sakamoto as Sumako, Fumiko Orikasa as Mikado, Nana Mizuki as Hinoawa Sekimori, Yoshimasa Hosoya as Nagara Akiba, Ryota Ohsaka as Satoru Moritsuna, Ayahi Takagaki as Jun Moritsuna, Megumi Han as Kirio Inasa, Mamoru Miyano as Giryo, Kana Hanazawa as Jie MeI and Nao Nagasawa as Izuna.

Ushio & Tora comes from the manga by Kazuhiro Fujita, which had an anime OVA adaptation was done back in the early 90′s that ADV Films licensed and released years ago on VHS and DVD. The manga originally ran for 33 volumes between 1990 and 1996 and Fujita has done a couple of little things with it since there, largely for charity.

Plot concept: Ushio thinks that his father’s talk of an ancient ancestor impaling a demon on a temple altar stone with the legendary Beast Spear is nuts, but when he finds the monster in his own basement, Ushio has to take another look at the family legend! To save his friends and family from the invading spirits, Ushio is forced to release Tora from his captivity. But will the creature prove to be worse than the curse?

Nozomi may have the power, but she hasn’t truly awoken yet to it.

What They Say:
Nozomi wishes to join the battle against the Reigai, believing her Zanpakuto may stand a chance against Kageroza’s Zanpakuto. But the Soul Reapers are unable to completely trust Nozomi due to her power not being fully awakened yet. Ichigo and his friends decide to help Nozomi by training her to reach Shikai.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While Nozomi has gotten to be a bit more accepted by everyone, and the very small group in particular with Ichigo and his other human friends, Nozomi is still on the outside a bit when it comes to the other members of the Soul Society. With the way she’s acted up until now, it’s not a surprise that they’re less than trusting, though they’re giving her space to prove herself. She’s definitely showing her age in this as she goes on about wanting to help and that her Zakpakuto may be the key to actually dealing with Kagezora and what he has in his possession. Ichigo is definitely believing in her, providing some contrast from the others, but he’s also gotten a bit more sensible over the time the series has run, so he wants to get her in proper shape first for what may come with a battle. And that means… training!

They do leap into the training pretty quickly, and it feels rather amateurish in how it’s done, though there’s something to be said for that considering Nozomi’s level. But since they may need her to go up against Kagezora, it’s hard to really hold back on her since it doesn’t really help her. And she’s wanting to push herself, which is good and bad in itself. There’s a resigned sort of energy to her that’s different than what we normally get, but the training really goes on for only so long. And that’s because Kagezora isn’t going to keep waiting around and he’s breaking through Urahara’s trap to come to the World of the Living to get Nozomi. With maybe a few minutes worth of real training, Nozomi has the whole world coming after her at this stage. They take a curious approach to it though in how Ichigo wants to handle it.

With everyone helping to buy time, and to just get involved in some ass kicking against the Reigai that are sent down after them, they’re going to hold everyone else off so that Ichigo can continue to train Nozomi. The whole idea isn’t to actually make her skilled at swordsmanship, an impossible task with what’s at hand, but rather to help her awaken her powers so she can be a pure force against him. But the amusing problem is that it’s impossible to properly awaken her with what Ichigo is doing because there is no real threat in his attacks. He’s going at her, but without the intent to kill or really do damage, she subconsciously knows that it won’t really get to her, which keeps her from doing it. That has everyone else stepping up their game to try and get her, but there’s always that background fear, both on their parts and on Nozomi’s part.

In Summary:
Bleach starts to move to the next stage of the game, but it’s such a quick shift when it comes to getting Nozomi into a training mode that it comes across as quite rushed, especially after she spent most of the last episode just sitting around. There are things to like here, some very good action, and plenty of Reigai fights to be had that have some intensity with some fan favorite characters, but the whole Nozomi arc in this storyline is what manages to once again be the weak point. Even when it goes big with her at the end, it’s just not right, too trite and too easily done in a way. The training itself has its good moments as well, but as a whole it just moves in far too predictable a way unfortunately, even though it’s hitting all the right marks.

Grade: B-

Simulcast By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

Hachiken can’t solve all the problems, but maybe he can help out with one.

What They Say:
“The Last Milk”

Content: (please note that the content portion of a review may contain spoilers)
Hachiken, sick of friends telling him to let things go and not worry about problems that don’t concern him, finally lets it all out as he tells Aki to “drag me into things.” Despite protestations, he explains that he knows he will be hurt, and that he can’t fix it, but he wants to understand. It’s a big moment for Hachiken, finally demanding this from her, but Aki makes her own revelation about her tightlipped, closed-off personality: she couldn’t stand to see Hachiken hurt himself over this, and she tried to keep him at a distance. But now she knows she can’t do that anymore, and she vows to let him in on her problems.

This, of course, causes Hachiken to stress, as he begins to realize how lucky he was with money, even if his parents didn’t get him, while Komaba has to get a job and the Mikage family would have to sell some of their livestock for Aki to even go to college. Though he admitted to not being able to fix anything, Hachiken still fishes around for some quick-money schemes (working with the mafia to sell crab is one suggestion from a teacher) but this only further proves how impossible the situation is.

The next big thing that Aki, and thus Hachiken, have to deal with  comes up when Komaba alerts her that the family decided to sell off all their cattle. They both go to see them off and give their support to Komaba and his family. The color pallet of a gray and foggy morning further drives home the point of hopelessness — there’s nothing else Hachiken or anyone else can do to keep the cows from going to other farms or being slaughtered because they’re too old, leaving behind an empty cattle shed that’s far too cold.

After an awkwardly placed ending song (there are still several minutes of episode left afterward) Hachiken makes a point that Komaba must be much more despondent than he’s letting on to his friends, “Because he’s lost his dreams and he’s all empty inside.” Aki feels for him, too, but watching Komaba stop working towards a big dream gets her thinking about her own dream that she never even tried for. This is where Hachiken’s relationship towards Aki really shows itself as something special: he wants Aki to do whatever it is she wants to do, and if that means working with horses and not taking on the family business, then he wants to stand behind her and support her as she finally admits her feelings to her family.

In Summary
This was a really bittersweet episode, as the miraculous solutions you hope Hachiken or the others will come up with never come to pass. While this is disappointing, and frustrating, it follows the anime’s usual pattern, where despite the humor the story and characters remain honest about farm life, both the good, and the bad, which has been what makes the show so good from the beginning. Careful not to end the episode on such a low note, there is some improvement on Aki’s attitude towards her dreams, and what she wants out of life, though we’ll have to wait until the next episode to see if she gains anything from that.

Grade: A-

Streamed by: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment: 13″ Apple Macbook set to 720p

What an asshat!

What They Say:
The story follows the everyday life of Somera Nonomoto who can use the strongest kenpo, Nonomoto Mahou-ken, which is inherited from her mother with her younger sister Kukuru.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Shows about sisters can be pretty hit or miss a lot of the time, but when done in short-form style it eliminates a lot of the problem areas and just goes for the wacky comedy. Having two teenage girls myself and seeing their humor and weirdness in action regularly, I totally get things like this on some level. The show here takes the Nonomoto sisters off to fish this time around, though it goes in weird directions from the start with Ai consuming copious amounts of fish in order to deposit them on the raft. The show really wants to spend its time talking about the legend of the lake, which has me thinking of Ranma of course, but it instead goes with a kind of kids-oriented Loch Ness approach with a tragic side to the place in general. It deals with a dark secret under the water that needs to be dealt with, but it’s more about just weird layers upon layers that result in the girls stepping up to do something about it.

In Summary:
Silly is as silly does and Magical Somera-chan is simply silly. When you deal with reprogramming your villain by tickling him first and then messing with his mind through electronics, you’re not looking for anything deep. The show does have its moments but it continues to work that approach of being wacky-weird and running with whatever comes into mind. Which can certainly work, but it does leave me feeling a bit less enthused in general after the initial grin or two over certain elements.

Grade: C

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

Nagisa’s going through some changes…

What They Say:
Nanase Haruka loved to be in the water – loved swimming. In elementary school, Nanase Haruka, Tachibana Makoto, Matsuoka Rin, and Hazuki Nagisa attended the same swimming class together. Time passed, and as Haruka was living an uneventful high school life, he suddenly encountered Rin again. Rin challenged Haruka to a race and showed him how much stronger he had become. Soon enough, Makoto and Nagisa also rejoined the group, and along with a new classmate, Ryugazaki Rei, they established the Iwatobi High School Swimming Club.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The series has definitely had some fun so far as it works its way through the first half and I’ve been kind of impressed that it’s spent as much time as it has on Rin and his group and less with Haruka and our main swimming boys. We’ve certainly had them in the show and some good encounters, but time with them has felt less so this season than before, partially because the stakes are different and we’ve seen how Rin has been shaping up his team. A good opponent helps to raise the main cast though and spending quality time doing that rather than through a montage sequence later or through a couple of small nods amid other less important material is definitely the way to do it.

With this episode, the focus shifts more to the boys once again and on Nagisa in particular. He’s a bit out of sorts for the early part of this and ends up visiting Haruka in the evening to just hang out for a bit. As it goes on and you can sense that something is going on, he admits that he’s run away but doesn’t want to talk about it. He just wants a place to crash for a bit to deal with it. The guys end up telling him to go home and deal with it, which is a little uncaring in the short term, but they do let him stay at Haruka’s place for a bit until they can figure things out. While they do have each others backs here, it just feels weird with the way they react in just telling him to go home and deal with it and pestering him to reveal to them what’s going on as a condition to staying at Haruka’s for a bit.

What it does come down to in the end is that his parents are disapproving of his swim club activities because his grades are suffering. When his friends see his grades, they realize he is in pretty dire straits and it’s a surprise since he came from a private middle school and had decent grades last year. There’s more to his issue since he has little interest in studying and little interest in the plans his parents have set for him, so it’s a kind of rebellion that in the end harms himself more than anyone else. There’s a lot of good time spent between all of them as they try to figure out what it is that Nagisa wants and to come up with a plan for him to deal with it with his parents, which leads to some good if comical moments towards the end. It’s a good piece for Nagisa overall and helps to get him back on the right path while also ensuring his continued participation. Which was essentially expected.

In Summary:
The focus on the main cast here is a big plus, as much as I like Rin and what his storyline is bringing to the table, and focusing more on Nagisa helps even more. The show does some predictable things here, deviates in odd ways a couple of times, but in the end pulls everything together so that it’s mostly the same at the end as it was at the start. Nagisa is a little changed, but more that he’s just put back on the right path to do what he needs to do. There’s little in the way of beautiful swimming animation here, but we get some decent character material for the cute boy of the group.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

With details to be announced in the coming weeks wit the dates, locations and casting announcements, FUNimation has revealed that there will be a limited theatrical event for Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods this August. The plan at this stage is a limited event on August 5th, 6th, 7th and 9th in conjunction with SCreenvision to bring the feature to over 350 screens in the US and Canada.

“We’re very excited to be bringing Battle of Gods to movie theaters across the country this summer,” said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and President of FUNimation Entertainment. “Dragon Ball Z has always been a huge part of everything we do at FUNimation and, speaking as a fan myself, I can’t wait to watch it on the big screen.” FUNimation Entertainment will be partnering with Screenvision, a leader in cinema advertising and alternative content, to bring Dragon Ball Z : Battle of Gods to over 350 screens across the US & Canada.

Plot concept: Following the events from the Dragon Ball Z television series, after the defeat of Majin Buu, a new power awakens and threatens humanity. Beerus, an ancient and powerful God of Destruction, searches for Goku after hearing rumors of the Saiyan warrior who defeated Frieza. Realizing the threat Beerus poses to their home planet, the Z-fighters must find a way to stop him before it’s too late. Only Goku, humanity’s last hope, can ascend to the level of a legendary Super Saiyan God and stop Beerus from destroying Earth, and possibly the entire universe! Fans of the series will be delighted to know that Battle of Gods is an original work from Dragon Ball creator, himself, Akira Toriyama.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUJHZekAz3Q&w=560&h=315]

Sometimes you can learn more about a person by their family than anything else.

What They Say:
So exactly what’s going to happen when Hachiman Hikigaya, an isolated high school student with no friends, no interest in making any and a belief that everyone else’s supposedly great high school experiences are either delusions or outright lies, is coerced by a well meaning faculty member into joining the one member “Services Club” run by Yukino Yukinoshita, who’s smart, attractive and generally considers everyone in her school to be her complete inferior?

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With a bit of fun with sports in the previous episode that had Yukino getting more involved with both Yui and Hikigaya, the group is starting to come together a bit more and with a little more understanding. But there’s always more and deeper wells to go down in order to understand someone and with Hikigaya we get a good bit of detail from the start, seeing his home life with his sister and how free she is in certain ways. But we also get a brief flashback that shows why he’s had so much trouble fitting in from the get go, though some of it is likely self imposed, because of the accident that laid him up in the hospital for awhile. It’s cliche but there’s truth to it in that when you get that kind of later start, it’s hard to sync up with others unless someone really outgoing and friendly takes you in. And you have to be amenable to it yourself and to try, something that Hikigaya never really seems like he’d be capable of doing.

The first half of the show works some of this fun into things and we see more of how isolationist Hikigaya can be. When the shadow your parent thing comes up for seeing them at the work place, he’s making a big play to shadow his at home father in his report as to why he wants to do it and it’s just a big plea in the end to stay home and do nothing for a day. But while that infuriates his teacher and we see how he’s trying to keep distance, there are those that are trying to draw him out. In a rather innocent way, we see how Yui does her best to ask him for his number so she can keep in touch with him and Yukino gives him back plenty of grief along the way about a variety of things. Yukino continues to be the cold and distant character, which can work for only so long, but she’s so easily dismissive of Hikigaya that you do have to grin about it since he prefers to be dismissed and not thought of.

The show does delve into some storyline material here where the trio is approached to help solve a bit of a mystery involving a few guys in one of the classes where they have to figure out who the bad guy is with what happened. Which is pretty much high school stuff and easily dismissed. The fun part comes in seeing the way that Yukino gets into the situation in her restrained way and starts to investigate the three persons of interest in the class to see who is most likely. The small story here has the advantage of filling us in on a bit more of the colorful personalities in the class, mostly guys but a few of the girls as well, and we get to see it largely through Hikigaya’s dead stare, which is just hilarious to watch as he deadpans his internal dialogue while observing all of them.

In Summary:
As I’ve come to see with this show over the first few episodes, the main story and ideas in each one isn’t what’s drawing me to it. What’s keeping me interested and being rather fascinated at times with it is the way it works Hikigaya to provide a lead character that’s aware of his situation and has some good clarity, in his own mind at least, to put it all together. His distance seems natural after what’s happened to him and the struggles he’s faced, but also just the way that he wants to get through it all and move on with his life. Of course, if he makes the right changes here, his life will likely go better and easier to handle once he gets more of the needed framework for dealing with others. The expansion on his past, his family and seeing him in observation mode of others in this episode is what wins the day as most of the rest just left me feeling somewhat middling at best about it.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

One of the nagging questions at fans for quite some time when it comes to the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, should the pilot go to series, is just when does it take place. While we know Clark Gregg is signed on to the show as the lead of an ensemble cast, there’s still murky questions about when it could take place and how it would interact with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Part of that has finally been answered as ABC President Paul Lee commented on it during some conference material recently, stating:

“There is no question that it is part of the Marvel Universe. In fact, the story takes place after the battle for New York.”

He also went on to talk about how the show has to jive with what’s going on in the larger universe but craft its own stories and connections while not radically altering something that could cause confusion if you watch the mainline features as well.

“This is S.H.I.E.L.D. They’re following their own particular stories. There are characters in it, Coulson, who clearly come from Avengers. So it’s part of the world, but we’re going to be very, very careful that we don’t tread on the toes of the features and build a whole new world. And that’s what Joss Whedon does better than anybody else. He’s built a world for us.”

All of this still leaves us with the Coulson question though, and hopefully that will get answered sooner rather than later so we can all just get on with enjoying what we see coming out of the pilot.

The psychological toll continues to beat down the survivors as they deal with what’s thrown at them.

What They Say:
Rick and the others try to restore order after a terrible discovery. Hershel takes up an old habit and disappears.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The second season of The Walking Dead has certainly been a challenge or a disappointment for a lot of people depending on their expectations based on the first season, buzz in general and comparisons to the first season. While I can certainly understand it, I rather liked the approach the first half of the second season took in letting us get to know the cast more, to have a bit more down time amidst the chaos and intensity of the first season and then to pull the rug out from under people with how it ended before the mid season break came along. It threw enough things into the mix that it kept people like me that adore the comic guessing and wondering where it will go next. It’s definitely its own vision and it’s held my attention well just on the character building alone. I like the zombie action, but I’ll admit that it’s not the main or exclusive draw.

The fallout from the brutal and powerful moments of the previous episode is pretty well done here as it’s finally severed things between the two groups and has made an even bigger strain between Rick and Shane, rightly so. It’s also putting an unusual but not unexpected strain between Carl and his mother as he’s turning pretty serious and says plainly that his dad did the right thing and he’d do the same. This and other little interactions after the death of Sophia shows how they’re handling it and the way it’s dividing them in different ways. And of course, Rick’s self doubt is paramount over all else, which is definitely believable with the way he takes so much on himself, much to the frustration of many viewers. But it’s the kind of man he is and it while it may make him too human to others and wearing it on his sleeve to much, it makes for compelling moments.

The group isn’t exactly splintering, but with Hershel having told them all to leave after what happened and the way he viewed the dead as still being able to be saved, there are definite problems to be had. Maggie doesn’t what Glen to leave for obvious reasons, but he can’t even feel like it’s a discussion to be having. Even more interesting is that Hershel has been so affected by it that he’s gone off the reservation so to speak and is taking up drinking again to cope with the new reality he had denied for so long. Rick’s going off to get him is definitely in character but you can also understand easily why Shane and Lori can’t quite wrap their head around it, Shane especially, but it’s exactly what makes Rick who he is.

One of the things promised a few interviews about this part of the season is that things will start ramping up more since the first half was relatively quiet when you get down to it. There’s not a lot of dead action here to be had, but there’s a couple of key moments that helps to start shifting things a bit as everyone starts to get their footing about how to go on now that their reality has been shattered. While there’s some potentially interesting changes in store for Lori based on what happens to her, it’s Rick, Glen and Hershel that offer the most as the trio run into a pair of men who appear to be traveling themselves and they offer up a bit of information, true or not, and shows the kinds of tension that comes in the new world when different groups meet. The distrust is simple, real and understandable. It definitely pushes the show to an old world style where men have certain understandings of each other, but trust isn’t easily won or even ever won.

In Summary:
While there’s still the sense in some ways that the show has turned a bit soft since it focuses so much on the character drama, it does make it clear here that these are hard men and women living as best as they can in a world beyond difficult. The final minutes alone reinforces it and again puts Rick in the position where he has to do what needs to be done no matter how it affects him. But he’s not the only one as we see they all deal with it in different ways and it’s not easy for anyone. There’s a lot of good material here but it may not be the knock out of the park that some were hopign for to get the second half of the series firing on all cylinders. But it is giving me what I wanted out of it for the most part and hasn’t lost me in the slightest.

Grade: B+

Readers Rating: [ratings]

How far will the Puppeteer’s manipulations go?

What They Say:
Kindaichi reveals the identity of the second murdering Sparrow! But how did the Puppeteer from Hell convince two law-abiding people to commit serial murder? And what fate lies in store for all three criminals?

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With Kindaichi having revealed that the Puppeteer from Hell has managed to basically manipulate everyone into the murders that have happened, he’s now starting to reveal more of what’s going on with how it was all happening. The show has to start examining the clues with everyone in tow, which helps since he’s got Akechi there to take it all in an ask some of the right questions as well, but also to understand that there are some kinds of leaps of faith you have to take with Kindaichi. While he does get to the end result across the story here, it’s the kind of drawn out piece that you have to accept in its explanation as we see the small movements that build to the larger piece, such as how one of the students writing 117 was actually a line short from writing Hama in Japanese, which fingers Akkiko as the second Sparrow.

In a lot of ways, it’s all reminiscent of some of the older 70′s and 80′s Hollywood TV murder mystery shows as we see Kindaichi leading everyone around to the various places and putting all the clues together to get everyone to understand, also while getting a few things answered himself, such as the lighting on one of the mansions signs to look like the other in order to really take the trick to a whole other level. The lighting trick is certainly interesting and clever, but it’s one of those elements that makes it feel too clever for itself and in some ways too obvious to being caught at some other time. This puts the guilt in some specific places, but it also starts to lead to a greater look at the pain some of those here have suffered, giving us a deeper look at Akkiko’s recent past and her hardships that have pushed her into this position.

With Aino, who meant so much to her, having come to Gokumon to get help and fix things in his own life, seeing him being bullied and terrorized certainly pushed her to a bad place, especially since they really badmouth him to her in a way that she can’t help but to believe and that in turn has her participating in what ends up doing him in. That kind of guilt has driven her to a dark place that has lead to all that’s happened, which certainly makes sense but again just feels so overly complicated. Of course it goes even further as the larger culprit is revealed as well, which leads to a pretty tense moment as the mask is revealed, but as the gloves come off we once again see how the Puppeteer from Hell is able to continually escape. It’s a frantic last couple of minutes with what goes on and it really comes across different from the other arcs in the season as there’s a darker and more ominous feeling to a lot of this.

In Summary:
While I do enjoy the final reveal episodes of an arc because they go through so many details and pull things together in ways that most people would never see, there’s also a kind of surreal disbelief over aspects of it that’s hard to reconcile as well. This episode goes bigger because it’s dealing with the Puppeteer and what he’s up to and that adds a kind of dramatic flair to it that’s rather fun to watch, even if it does lead to some unsettling and unfortunate material. But it balances it with a kind of reveal for the instructor that’s really nicely done as it pulls together things that weren’t clear and could easily be disbelieved based on what we knew of him. For an arc involving Kindaichi trying to improve his grades, it ends in a whole lot of death.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

In a case of a film that’s going to be a real hard sell, the newest full length trailer for Men in Black III has surfaced and the general commentary seems to be on the money in that even though it’s a film that’s largely set in the 60′s, it feels very much like a 90′s movie with plenty of recycled gags and humor. Of course, it makes sense to make some of these callbacks here considering how long it’s been since the first and second films and this trailer is aimed more at those fans rather than trying to entice a lot of new people. Check it out below.

Plot concept: In Men in Black™ 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

After getting a look at the first volume for Yurikuma Arashi for its Japanese release recently, Media Factory has now expanded that view with a full look at the third volume with its cover artwork and overall set of packaging for it. The second volume is scheduled to land next week and will come with a sixty page booklet as the pack-in while on disc extras include an audio commentary for both episodes.

The show will began its DVD and Blu-ray releases on March 25th, 2015 with new volumes coming out monthly. The DVDs are priced at 6,000 yen each while the Blu-ray’s are priced at 7,000 yen each. Each release will come with first press limited edition materials. This release comes with two discs where the main disc is the show itself while the second is a character CD. Details for the first volume, which should largely be replicated across the run, include episode commentaries by the cast and staff for each episode and promotional videos.

The new series is being directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara with Tomohiro Furukawa as the assistant director at Silver Link while Etsuko Sumimoto is handling the character design adaptation from the original manga by Akiko Morishima that was kicked off this past February. Set to debut in January 2015, the series will star Miho Arakawa as Ginko Yurishiro, Yoshiko Ikuta as Ruru Yurigazaki, Nozomi Yamane as Kureha Tsubaki, Yui Ogura as Sumika Izumino, Aoi yuki as Mitsuko Yurizono, Konomi Yurikawa, Kikuko Inoue as Yuri-Ka Hakonaka, Aya Endo as Reia Tsubaki and Yōko Hikasa as Kaoru Harishima. It also has a few men in the cast with Junichi Suwabe as Life Sexy, Mitsuki Saiga as Life Cool and Kazutomi Yamamoto as Life Beauty.

Plot concept: At some point, somewhere in outer space, the small planet Kumalia exploded. As the particles of what used to be Kumalia showered upon Earth as a meteor shower, for some reason all the bears (kuma) on earth stood up to attack humanity!

“Humans vs Bears”

Bears ate people, people shot bears, creating an endless battle and a chain of hatred. In due time, a great “Wall of Extinction” was built between humans and bears, and they could no longer show aggression towards one another…

The human world.

One morning, Kureha Tsubasa and Sumika Izumino, students at Arashigaoka Academy, were alone watching “lily flowers” blooming in the flower bed. The two were ‘friends’ as well as lovers. The flower bed was a place very special for them. They stare at each other. Just then, a Bear Warning pierces loudly through the air! A Bear had encroached into the human world, and a human has been assaulted!

What in the world is this bear..? Mystery brings on more mysteries, a series of one raging blow after another! Yurikuma Arashi elegantly begins its opening act now!

[Source: Yurikuma Arashi ]

How many asskickings can Scott take?

Creative Staff:
Story: Frank Barbiere / Randy Stradley
Pencils: Colin Lorimer / Doug Wheatley

What They Say:
The dimension-jumping Blackout suit is a powerful weapon—except when it doesn’t work! And if you’re Scott Travers and don’t know how the suit functions and are facing off against enemies wearing ultrapowerful combat armor, the Blackout suit is just extra weight—dead weight!

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The final installment of the Blackout series brings certain aspects of what the miniseries has been about to a close, but it feels more like it serves as a prologue to what’s to come. Which isn’t a bad thing. The title has given us a fairly typical reluctant hero in Scott as we’ve seen him act with a bit of self interest while looking for Bob but also doing the right thing along the way. He’s been thrown into a lot of crazy situations since getting his hands on the Blackout suit before the start of the series, which threw the new reader right into things in a big way, but it’s been fun watching him going through the back and forth of figuring it out and figuring out what’s going on at Mechatronics. The downside is that we really don’t know Scott.

With this issue, Scott is naturally getting his ass handed to him by the bad guys in the big shiny metal suits. They’re definitely playing the role that they’re written for in a classic kind of simple evil, but that’s how they’ve been presented from the start and there’s no real expansion on that here. Their goal is to simply get the suit back, eliminate Scott and get on with their bigger mission. Emotions are starting to cloud things though as the suits are failing them at times and one of the guys leaps out of his and chases Scott into the portal and its utter cold and darkness. There’s some awkward moments to it that Scott goes on about, but mostly we’re just getting the reaffirmation that these are the bad guys and that there’s no real depth or even gradients to them beyond just being the bad guys. Which is fine, but it doesn’t make them compelling.

Though our bad guy loses that fight, he understands how Scott’s suit works in that it steals power to operate and that gets him on the right page on how to deal with Scott. That’s a problem in itself considering that turning off the power to the building is dangerous and Cassius is warning against it, but we get to shift gears during that as Scott goes in search of Alexis in order to get the data drive that she has which could provide his larger answers. There’s a little back story that feels like it’s coming into play, which I believe was covered in another book outside of this series, but it makes Alexis a little more interesting and puts a spin on Scott that against makes him human by adding an unlikable trait. Scott’s certainly a flawed character and that’s been made clear throughout the book. Unfortunately, as things wind down even with another fight, there’s not much meat here and instead it’s all a bit anti-climactic.

The same can be said for the five or so pages of King Tiger that we get here as we see him doing battle with the creature from the other realm while Milo watches on. It’s kind of standard fare here as well, but it gives us a look at this other plane, the Vortex as King Tiger later calls it, and we do generally get a resolution to Milo’s story in this regard. What it serves more as though is a kind of introduction to King Tiger and an origin story for Milo, who is now being drawn into King Tiger’s world by his quick thinking, which earns him a place as an assistant in training. It’s all quick and by the numbers, which you expect for a short form series like this, but it looks like it’s leading into its own series which means we at least get a little bit of a foundation laid down here. I’d still have rather seen this either as its own standalone issue or a first issue with smoother structure and a little more exposition put into play.

In Summary:
The final installment of Blackout and the King Tiger backup story brings both of them to a close, though both feel more like setups for what’s to come. There’s that sense that they’re trial runs for something more, to see if there’s interesting. The idea behind Blackout works for me, but it’s execution didn’t click as well as I had hoped for. It started off mid stride, which can work fine, but it didn’t fill in enough of the blanks along the way for a new reader like myself. I also feel a bit miffed at the end here that there is no end here, but rather just a larger dangling plotline. That’s fine in and of itself, but it doesn’t really feel like the miniseries itself accomplished anything. I like the idea of a series of miniseries that deal with smaller stories while connecting larger ones because they can and do work. But here, it didn’t connect as well as it could have. The King Tiger storyline just suffers from its shortness and breaking things up in a way to accommodate its page count in each issue. If it had gotten its own standard length issue in one go, I suspect it would work better. In the end, I’d definitely like to see more of each character, but both require a lot more work in order to present something really engaging with the story.

Grade: B-

Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 4th, 2014
MSRP: $2.99

When Ren’s time in the school is threatened, will Haruka be enough to get him on track?f

What They Say:
Provoked by the behavior of his roommate and childhood friend Masato, Ren makes a pass at Haruka. However, Ren is a habitual offender when it comes to sabotaging his own homework assignments. When Haruka learns that Ren has been given final warning and is on the verge of expulsion, she implores him to turn in his assignment by the due date. But…

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As the series progresses, the fun with the performances and music can ramp up a bit and when you have a cast that’s supposed to vamp it up a bit because it’s required, it can be comically fun. Such is the truth of the opening minute or two of this episode which has a couple of the guys doing their dance routine to some seriously upbeat music, voguing and posting left and right, making the female students swoon in delight. It’s definitely a cute moment, especially when it goes further when one of them gives Haruka a rose. Ren is a true tease in every sense of the word, but he has the looks and charisma to pull it off easily.

While this kicks things off and puts a bit of tension in the air between Ren and Haruka, it turns to something different when she learns that his laid back personality infects his schoolwork as well, as he’s always either late or never turns them in. And it’s gotten so bad that Hyuga has threatened to expel him at this point of things don’t start turning around with the current assignment that they have. Haruka does get the background from the others, and it’s not surprising to see her become interested in wanting to help him out because of her own personality. With how Haruka is, it’s also little surprise that through the way she presents herself, that she can warm her way into his heart to try and help him with things and that he would accept.

The episode provides some basic back story for Ren that helps to show just a little of why he is like he is, but it also spends time going back for Masato as well with relation to his twin brother. Both are done pretty appropriately for this kind of episode where it’s all about mood and atmosphere, as we see it filled with beautifully warm colors that really draws you into it. That said, neither of the young men really draw you into their story because of it as the focus is more on the atmosphere and mood. Haruka does her part in trying to help Ren with everything and it’s another simple but good stating of how she is as a person and nudges others to realize that she is the dependable kind that will make the effort for everyone. Of course, it all leads up to the obvious moment for Ren, but that was a given from the start when the situation was laid out.

In Summary:
Uta No Prince Sama pretty much plays to the predictable here with what it does as we have Haruka help out and lightly inspire Ren to get his ass back in gear. It has some fun little musical aspects to it throughout, from the upbeat and outgoing pieces at the beginning and end, but also some somber and wistful ones in the middle as it focuses on Ren and Masato’s past. Haruka plays her role here as the concerned almost-friend that gets involved to try and smooth things out and make sure everyone is happy, but it lacks any real emotional depth or connection. It really just feels more manufactured in a way than other shows tend to do and part of it is inherent in the concept as well. I continue to love the animation here more than anything else, which is all that’s really carrying it at this point for me.

Grade: C+

Simulcast By: Nico Nico

Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

Suzuka’s racing for Souta’s life!

What They Say:
In every decade or hundreds of years, the dragon moves its body as if it tosses about unconsciously. The movement becomes the distortion and causes impurity. This “impurity” lavishes an evil on people.　And now, there is a huge indication of a distortion. Gods foresaw the greatest harm would happen to Japan, divide own power and give it off as a messenger of God (“Shinshi”) in Japan to gather mediums, or “Magica” who can expel the “impurity”. With the magical weapon the power of Gods, “Magica” will fight to stop evils in Japan.”

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Suzuka’s arc has been decent overall so far, though it’s again falling into the weak category for me just from a design perspective and then being all about the motorcycle racing, which doesn’t appeal much to me in either story or visual. Here, we see Suzuka chasing Souta, not realizing the agreement he’s made, and going through quite a few spins and obstacle sbefore she can get to him. Souta’s reasoning certainly works enough for what he wants to do since he doesn’t want to stop racing, but the cost is beyond his understanding. Suzuka has enough reason to do what she can to save him as the sibling relationship is obviously important, and she goes about it well enough, even if it feels cut short and ends with a comical note in that regard.

In Summary:
There’s a sort of accepting nature to things here as we see how Souta has to shift back to real life after Suzuka’s rescue and while it has its positive side to it, it also feels like a point where going to the mundane is promoted more than finding a way to keep chasing your dream. Both points have their place to be sure, but this arc and this ending leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth over what it may be trying to say versus what I think it’s saying.

Grade: B-

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

The fights continue to build in intensity.

What They Say:
Obito has gained complete control over his power as the Ten Tails Jinchuriki. His powerful, cold-blooded attacks force Naruto and his friends into a corner.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Naruto: Shippuden got things back on track after more history lesson material recently and that’s been a plus. Getting Obito powered up even more, dealing with his fight against Kakashi and the history that goes there and throwing Madara up against Hashirama again has been a lot of fun to see. There are basically grudges that go back a long way here that are being worked over in the present and it’s definitely having quite an impact. With the way Obito is powered up now, we see how he’s using his abilities to cause massive destruction with ease to eliminate threats, though the Hokage of the past have their methods that they use to try and make sure that nobody is hurt this early in the fight. That keeps things moving while advancing the overall level of power at play here.

Not surprising is the level of power at play between Madara and Hashirama as they’re set off in the distance a bit and everyone can see just how impressive it is. Which also has a lot of them really being humbled by it and realizing that they’re completely out of their league. Thankfully, Shikamaru uses Ino to get the point across that small power is just as important in the big picture and that they all need to keep their eyes open. It’s a good acknowledgement of everyone that isn’t directly involved at the moment, which is a hell of a lot of people, and it also cements Shikamaru as a solid leader in this kind of situation as he keeps everyone ready to move at a moment’s notice should they be needed. Simply paying attention to this aspect, even for just a couple of minutes, is hugely useful and it also shows how things will turn in the future as shows like this lay out how it’ll go in this way.

While there is a good bit of action here among the key players as it goes on, we also get a healthy dose of standing around and talking. The way Obito has grown in power has the reanimated Hokage talking about the way they need to be wary of him because his jutsu could simply nullify them at this point. The longstanding grudges are obviously a big part of this, but we’re also starting to see the worm turn in a way as Naruto and Sasuke start talking about how it’s almost their turn to step up to the plate and do what’s needed. All of that is just part of what’s going on though because we also have to get more flashback aspects to help solidify events with those that re involved and their connections to Obito. It also turns towards what had been done with Naruto in binding the nine-tails in him, which is an easy go to point. But in the end, it’s working well with what we have because it adds more of this tone of sadness to events.

In Summary:
It’s no surprise that we don’t really have any dramatic changes here, but we get the continual build up and creep of what’s going on as the power levels escalate and the reanimated Hokage start to get a feel for the scale of power that’s being utilized and how they can be threatened. There’s some decent conversational material at times between some of the characters, and it’s fun just seeing Naruto and Sasuke standing side by side without coming to blows, but the big part for me was just in seeing Shikamaru really handling his role well here and setting things up to properly support the big players on the field at a critical time. Good stuff, but we’ve still got a ways to go.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

While surveys are nothing new from distributors, networks and all sorts of commercial entities, we haven’t seen one come down from The Anime Network before. But they’ve done just that this week as they have a new survey out that asks some pretty basic questions. It’s generally designed to gauge their actual audience and since it doesn’t ask anything about what kind of streaming you do, whether you use them or competing services, it’s kind of surprising that it’s focused mostly on physical media mor ethan anything else with only one digital distribution question at the end.

Anime Network

How many Anime DVD/Blu-rays do you purchase per year?

• 0
• 1-3
• 3-6
• 6-10
• 10-15
• 15 or more

When you decide to buy an Anime DVD/Blu-ray, when do typically you buy it?

• I Pre-order
• Buy on release date/week
• Wait for a sale
• Wait for the box set to be released
• I don’t buy anime on DVD or Blu-ray
• Other

Where do you buy your Anime DVD/Blu-rays? (you can select more than one)

• Right Stuf
• Amazon.com
• In-store retail (Walmart, etc.)
• Online website for retail outlet (Walmart.com, etc.)
• Other

Why do you buy Anime DVD/Blu-rays? (you can select more than one)

• Collectibility
• Extras / Additional content
• Subtitle quality
• Video quality
• Other

Of the reasons listed below, what is the ONE reason you are most likely to buy an Anime DVD/Blu-ray?

• Collectibility
• Extras / Additional content
• Subtitle quality
• Video quality
• Other

Have you purchased an anime series episode or a full Anime series season on services like iTunes, Xbox, PlayStation or Amazon Instant Video Store?

• Yes
• No

Eiichiro’s almost in the zone…

What They Say:
Baby Steps centers on an honor student named Eiichiro Maruo who becomes frustrated with his life and decides to join the tennis club. Despite lacking experience and physical strength, he utilizes his studious nature to develop a strategic approach to playing tennis. Taking notes of his opponents’ habits and tendencies, he is able to predict their next move before they even react. He also meets Natsu Takasaki, a beautiful girl with a passion for tennis. With her help, he aims to become a professional tennis player.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Baby Steps is getting frighteningly close to the end of the second season, leaving me hopeful that with the manga sales doing well because of it that we’ll get a third season. We’ve had some very fun material as of late with some of Eiichiro’s opponents and now that we’re getting towards the end of this part of the tournament, the new challenge is one that’s definitely exciting since it’s the semifinals. Having him going up against Nabae here, who has been given just enough of a taste of a backstory to work with after the last few episode and previous opponent, it sets the stage well. Particularly since Eiichiro has learned and grown a lot in the tournament so far with those that he’s been facing off against as there’s a sense that a lot has changed for him in terms of his ability. He’s close to truly being in the zone.

Nabae’s realization of this is certainly interesting as he understands quickly that Eiichiro is playing at his most optimal at the moment and going with shots that he hasn’t before. That has Eiichiro doing his best to not overdo it and become overconfident, but he’s completely feeling it at this point and the inner dialogue we get from both plays as they go against each other is really engaging to watch. Eiichiro has grown immeasurably since beginning not that long ago overall and Nabae’s understanding of just how impressive he’s become says a whole lot. The push goes on so strong that you get others really surprised by it as it progresses and even as Eiichiro takes a loss he’s still very much feeling in the zone and confident about himself and his ability. But like any strong play that goes on, there are cracks in it and we begin to see how Eiichiro’s all up in his own head too much and things begin to fall apart for him along the way.

The back and forth of the match is one that’s certainly spread out overall and not something that happens over and over. With Eiichiro breaking first and then Nabae doing that with his counterattack over the course of the games that are played, it becomes more and more intense as it progresses. We’ve seen Eiichiro challenged before and there is plenty familiar with that here, but with his confidence having grown at the start here, what we get instead is more frustration in that things are not going as they should be for him, causing him to play more intensely, take more risks with shots that he never would before, and to put a lot more of himself into it than ever before. There are some scarily close moments as it goes on and it really raises the tension with the animation and choreography of the shots and their reactions to them through their expressions. It’s no surprise that things don’t conclude here as the games tighten with Nabae’s continued pressure on him, but what we get is really intense in a way that’s different than previous intense games, which has been a strength of the show for a while.

In Summary:
Baby Steps makes some really good progress here with tis installment of the match between Eiichiro and Nabae. It can’t be stretched out too far since we’re almost at the end of the season so we end up getting several games played within the space of this one episode, which shows some really great intensity between the two of them. The final minute alone is just hugely engaging to watch with what it does here in shaking up Eiichiro after he feels like he’s at his best ever. And he is, which is what makes it so much fun since he’s now being pushed even harder without getting time in his comfort zone that he’s just discovering. This series continues to delight and what it presents really makes me excited for the remainder of this season and strong hopes for a third outing.

Grade: B+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

The interior of the ghost ship is explored and its true past is revealed.

What They Say:
The crew of the Bentenmaru and the soldiers of the Serenity Fleet are racing toward the treasure on the ghost ship. But the closer they get to their goal; it becomes obvious the treasure is bigger than imagined.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the ghost ship pretty much at hand and the scale of things really going up a few notches, Moretsu Pirates manages to do the thing that has been its best strength since the start and that’s to be personal. While the big events are getting together here, it still gives us time with just the crew and with Marika and Gruier in particular where we get to see plainly that these are indeed good people. Of course, as the tension starts to rise when it comes to getting inside the ghost ship and finding out what this mysterious treasure may be before the Serenity Fleet does, it may push them a little bit. But what’s welcome is that the Bentenmaru crew truly is a crew of professionals with years of experience, so they’re confident but not cocky as they do their jobs.

Within the ship, it starts off feeling like it could go in an Alien style direction easily enough with the mystery, darkness and danger of what’s there, but then it has a somewhat Rendezvous With Rama feel as they come across a large, ruined city that’s also reminiscent of the colonies in the Gundam franchise. It gives it a much larger feel, a strong piece of history that has surfaced into the present, and adds to the overall mystery rather well since there are some very ornate moments, some pieces where things are in ruins and others where it’s just curiously strange since it does come from a very different time. The commentary along the way isn’t bad, but some of it feels a little out of place because of the younger characters and the lightness to it instead of a sense of reverence.

The further exploration of the ship is pretty well done, especially as it does continue to give it a growing sense of mystery and doesn’t really rush it, which can be a little frustrating to be sure. When it comes down to a match between the two sides as the Serenity team with Gruier’s sister leading them arrives, it hits a bit of tension but never really feels dangerous. As it gets a bit further into things though and more of the truth of it comes out with its connections to Serenity, it takes a curious turn when it comes to the royal family and with Gruier in particular since there are larger events at play. The politics of it is interesting and there’s a facet of Serenity history at stake that Gruier and her sister are taking opposing vies of, but it’s something that Marika is able to massage in a way that smooths things out in a manner that the young sisters may not have thought of.

In Summary:
Much of this arc has played out well, if appropriately slow, but as events move along here it feels underwhelming. That hasn’t been something I’ve found with the show overall, but once Gruier came in and then as she aligned herself with Marika for a bit, it didn’t quite connect in the same way. With this episode, there’s a lot to like with the exploration of the ship and how that unfolds, but the results of it left me feeling out of sorts, not entirely finding it working well or the manner in which the supporting cast acts. Marika’s methods are certainly her own and makes sense in context to what needed to be done for Gruier and for Serenity, but the pacing of it and the way it actually does unfold left me cool for the most part.

Grade: B-

Readers Rating: [ratings]

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

The journey takes a minor side quest of some importance.

What They Say:
Kirito and Leafa have made it to the meeting and Kirito’s bluff as an ambassador has been called out. If he can survive in a fight against the Salamanders General Eugene, his plan to prevent a war might work.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With Kirito and Leafa working together so well, they’ve had a few good adventures up to this point but it’s now reached an awkward stage. Things need to be done and Kirito is running out of time in general in order to save Asuna. But with his sense of justice, he can’t leave Leafa to her fate with the others that are pushing back against the Salamanders, who themselves have set up quite the little show of force. With both sides about to turn to full on war, Kirito manages to insert himself in the way that a young man does with a situation like this. Right in the middle of it. Taking into consideration his mindset from the Sword Art Online days, where he knows he can logout but still treats it all as very series, he takes a stand for Leafa’s group as an ambassador while faking out an alliance of some sort.

What he does manage to do is to take a full on battle and minimize it to just him and the Salamanders leader, General Eugene. He’s a powerful man to be sure and he intends to win, full out, to the point of killing Kirito. The battle is pretty good overall and it has a lot of force and impact behind it, which makes for some really engaging moments. And as a lot of things go when it comes to Kirito, it does go in certain predictable ways, but there’s a real meeting of the men at the end of it here that sets the balance between the two of them in a very good way. You have to admire the skill at which Kirito is able to play these games and to interact with others, especially since he was a lone wolf beta tester type player for so long in Sword Art Online.

The show spends the first half dealing with all of that in good fashion and that lets the second half work more of a dialogue based game, showing how Kirito has done a lot of helpful things for the people there. Similar to the previous game, we see how he makes allies and comrades in a simple but effective way, ways that will invariably help him down the line, because he does things simply and honestly and often without the intent to gain anything by it. His sole focus continues to be to reach the tree and even at that state he does things that help the others. So little of the game means anything to him but his actions speak volumes to others that it’s conflicting for them. I like the way he’s just so philanthropic about it and how he’s really not doing it for any particular gain to him personally. And it has the desired effect on Leafa as well as it draws her closer to Kirito.

In Summary:
If there’s a downside to the Alfheim arc so far, it’s that Asuna gets so little time. She gets a minute or so at the end here that’s helpful, but it’s not something that really provides much for her to work with. The focus on Kirito and Leafa is definitely worthwhile though, especially with who she is in the real world and the way she views Kirito through both lenses with him unawares. This episode hits up some very good action in the first half and then shifts to dialogue, intrigue and philanthropy in the second half, reversing what most shows tend to do. It works well, especially since the fight with the Salamanders is so well done and left me quite pleased by it. The show as a whole is still in a quiet phase as it moves him closer to the tree but I’m enjoying the growing relationship between the two leads, especially with Yui sneaking in a few choice words here and there.

Grade: B

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

It’s time to see the Queen…

What They Say:
Annelotte has made up her mind. She will visit with Queen Claudette to find out what she really desires. If it will cause more harm to the people she will take the Queen down, easier said than done.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
While there’s been some background stuff going on at times about how the Queen’s rule has been causing problems in the lands, it hasn’t been too direct overall. We’ve had a lot of smaller stories about people doing things that are problematic, but the main problem we’ve seen is what Ymir has been doing, which has given the impression that she’s the one that’s really running the show. There’s a chaotic evil kind of feel about her and what she does, which makes her an unusual but not unsurprising choice for Queen Claudette to have in her employ. But with the way events have gone, we now have Annelotte firmly deciding to question the Queen outright about things and to see what her true intentions are. It’s always just so easy to question power, isn’t it?

While Annelotte is figuring out how to approach the Queen, events with the Queen and Ymir are getting a bit more interesting as one of the angels has arrived to find out what’s going on in the kingdom. What’s being revealed is that the Swamp Witch’s power is expanding quite a bit, which is one of the things that the Queen is supposed to prevent. With that not being done, it pushes the idea that a new Queen’s Blade must be put into effect in order to set the situation right. But Ymir, ever crafty, has worked quite the scenario up to ensure that the Queen stays where she is, as befitting the Iron Strategist. Ymir has her own reasons for a lot of things here and using the Swamp Witch is likely one of them.

While the angel searches for the Wandering Warrior in order to firm up what must be done to deal with the Queen, Annelotte and her group are working their way to figuring out how to get into the castle. It really doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of brainpower here, which is kind of mean to say, but it also feels pretty true. Of course, Ymir is always ready for them and there’s a fun trap setup that splits them up and sets them against some powerful opponents, with Annelotte going up against the newly powered up Aldara. The match-ups provided here does give the show a bit of action, which was light for a lot of it, and a sense of importance about it as it feels like there’s something at stake with it all. It does slide some humor into it as well, especially with the things that Aldara has to work with.

In Summary:
While the first half of the episode is more about putting the right pieces into place for what’s to come going into the next part, the second half gives us the big action with some fun fanservice to sell it all just right. The show gives us a few different characters to work with here, including an angel finally getting involved and reacting to what’s been going on since Ymir has caused a lot of trouble. We also get to see Annelotte and her group make some forward progress and we even see Annelotte herself go through an intriguing change that at long last actually makes me interested in the character. The show definitely has some good things going for it, but it still feels like it’s structure and pacing has been awkward and not smooth enough to draw you into it well, largely due to the size of the cast that has to be attended to. Here it slims down a bit by having several of them in a group, but you know more are still ready to swing into action.

Grade: C+

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.

Things to do in Denver when you’re dead

What They Say:
It’s the start of a new series spotlighting some of the DC Universe’s most exciting super heroes! First up is Deadman in a five-issue epic where the body-hopping hero meets his match in a new foe who wants to make sure the souls that Deadman helps out got straight to Hell!

The Review:
DC Universe Presents is an interesting series that I hope sticks around for quite a while. This is an anthology series, not a series about a particular hero or group of heroes. The good thing is, if you don’t like a particular hero or the story being told…just wait a couple of issues until the next story/hero starts. The launch series for DCU Presents is Deadman which is scheduled to run for 5 issues. This first issue is all exposition. We learn who Boston Brand was and what he has become. We are shown why he has been given his powers and what he ultimate mission is to be. This information comes at a good pace where we aren’t overwhelmed but we don’t linger too long. The storytelling is very well written as I found myself immediately caring about the situation that is core to this book. Sure Boston is the world’s biggest jerk when he was alive, but once he has become Deadman and has been on the mission for quite a while, his character growth is rapid and creates a lot of sympathy and interest.

I think this is actually a really good first issue. It sets up a very tragic hero that has a lot of emotional weight thrown on him by the missions he must complete, “leaping” into other peoples lives to serve some purpose Sam Beckett style. The approach to the story telling and even the style of the artwork aides this emotional core by giving us a somber book. One that doesn’t try to impress by being flashy but rather focuses of telling a good story that has the ability to impact the reader. The only thing not good about this book is the first page. Sure it makes sense later but the wording of the text is very confusing and doesn’t have a good flow to them. The awkwardness is intentional but the real story starts on the second page and continues from there without a hiccup.

In Summary:
This Deadman comic is a great place to start with the legacy of Deadman. It has great accessibility and tells a poignant story that I really liked. That is probably because I’m a huge Quantum Leap fan but hey…I’m not complaining. I knew a little bit about Deadman from the end of the old DCU and this series seems to ignore those events altogether and focuses on telling this particular story. I only wish this book had come out before Hawk & Dove so that readers of that comic knew who the heck Deadman was! I also really like the concept of an anthology series. Hopefully this Deadman series plays out extremely well so that I get excited for the next story that will be unleashed!

Grade: A-

After several delays, the first new English adaptation of ero-guro master Suehiro Maruo’s work in over fifteen years finally arrives. Was it worth the wait?

Creative Staff
Original story by: Edogawa Rampo
Adapted and drawn by: Suehiro Maruo
Translation: Ryan Sands, Kyoko Nitta

What They Say
Set in 1920s Japan, The Strange Tale of Panorama Island follows the twisted path of failed novelist Hitomi, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the son of a rich industrialist. Learning of the rich man’s sudden passing, Hitomi undertakes a desperate plan to fake his own death and impersonate the industrialist. He successfully takes over all aspects of the dead man’s life, including his company, his fortune, and eventually his wife. Hitomi redirects the family’s wealth to his own perverse aims, and builds for himself an island playground of hedonistic excess – replete with waterfalls, grand palaces and gardens, and decadent feasts, orgies, and dark secrets. Stunning artwork by master manga artist Suehiro Maruo deftly illustrates this Japanese pulp classic in lush detail. Maruo adapted this manga from a novella by Edogawa Rampo, the Godfather of Japanese detective fiction.

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Few artists can get away with the things Suehiro Maruo gets away with. Firmly in the ero-guro (erotic grotesque nonsense) camp, Maruo manages to put one foot into the high art world, earning himself a respectability one would think unfitting for his subject matter. Scholars have likened Maruo’s delicate line work and grotesque imagery to the muzan-e or “atrocity woodblock prints” of the Edo era. His characters, costumes, and scenery, on the other hand, come from the late Taisho era, when Japan’s experimentation with democracy ended and its long descent into militarism began. The boys’ military uniforms in Usamaru Furuya’s Lychee Light Club also come from this era, and it’s no mere coincidence: the manga was based on a play by Tokyo Grand Guignol, of which Suehiro Maruo was a member, as well as chief designer of their promotional materials. Maruo manages to tap into a vein of Japanese art culture that his ero-guro peers don’t, won’t, or can’t, which is why you are now able to buy a gorgeous hardcover edition of Strange Tale of Panorama Island instead of having to torrent it from the seedier corners of the internet.

Last Gasp took a few years to finally release the book, but it appears to have been worth the wait. The book has a full-color hardcover with gold foil lettering, two glossy colored pages, and nicely textured paper. It’s also surprisingly light. The majority of the manga is, of course, in black and white, but Maruo’s ultra-detailed art is gorgeous, illustrating all of his usual obsessions in service of evoking a specific time and place, as well as the characters’ relationships to the natural world. The art is especially important in this work, as Panorama Island is a place of spectacular sights and illusions, and Maruo doesn’t disappoint in the slightest in creating a spectacular world that *just* might exist.

The story itself is based on a short work by Edogawa Rampo, who is called the father of Japanese detective fiction for his creation of Japan’s first great detective, Akechi Kogoro. His name is meant to be an homage to Edgar Allan Poe (Edogawar an po), widely recognized as the father of detective fiction, and master of the macabre short story. Like his namesake, Rampo delivers a short but effective tale of crime and horror, not unlike “The Tell-Tale Heart” or “The Cask of Amontillado”. Because of this, I am hesitant to describe too much of what happens, as to give away too much detail is to give away the entire experience of discovery that makes these works immortal. However, the premise is fairly simple, and gives plenty of leeway for mischief and murder: Panorama Island features a failing novelist named Hitomi, who dreams of wonders as the fickle tastes of fiction move toward more realistic stories. Creatively stifled, he dreams of creating a paradise on earth, lacking only the means to do so. He soon learns a friend from university, a wealthy heir has died. The two were very close, with not only intimate knowledge of each other, but looking virtually identical as well. Hitomi knows his friend was very sickly, but also neurotic, and supposes he might have been buried in a shallow grave out of fears of being buried alive. When his prediction turns out to be correct, he decides to exhume his old classmate, dispose of the body, and take his place. Hitomi fakes his own suicide, and shows up at the family estate, starved, parched, and filthy, and manages to fool everyone into believing he is indeed his old friend. Now with limitless money and a construction empire behind him, the realization of his dreams can finally begin.

It’s hard to know whether Suehiro Maruo found a Rampo tale that contained all of his favorite themes, or if Maruo has made the tale his own, but fans of both artists will doubtlessly be pleased by this synthesis. The story, while simple, works as a Poe-like tale of horror, a framework for visual spectacle, and as commentary on world events. The construction of the island cannot escape the shadow of the coming war, and we know all of Hitomi’s efforts are likely in vain, as in only a decade or so, wide swaths of Japan will be bombed into rubble. The decadence of Hitomi’s, and Maruo’s, work is heightened by the historical period in which it is placed.

It should be noted, in closing, that while Panorama Island is 18 and up, for a Maruo work is it fairly tame. You may not want to show it to your mother (though mine quite liked it), but it doesn’t require a particularly strong stomach to endure. Other Maruo fans, however, might be disappointed by the restraint observed here.

In Summary
A standout manga in terms of production, artistry, and storytelling, Strange Tale of Panorama Island is not to be missed for fans of adult, seinen, or horror manga. I’ve long been an admirer of Maruo’s work, so I’m very pleased we’re able to see a new series from him. Fans of Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show, or Ultra Gash Inferno might find the storytelling to be a bit tame for their tastes, but this is a great introduction to Maruo’s body of work for newcomers or fans of Edogawa Rampo. The fantastic sights of Panorama Island are not likely to be forgotten. Very highly recommended.

Content Grade: A+
Art Grade: A+
Packaging Grade: A+
Text/Translation Grade: A

Age Rating: Ages 18+
Released By: Last Gasp
Release Date: July 1, 2013
MSRP: US $24.95

The upcoming anime series Himouto! Umaru-chan upped the stakes this time last week when the first promotional video arrived for it and now a little more clarification has come in. Casting in general was recently revealed and now one of the characters that wasn’t announced with a voice actor has one as Kenji Nojima has boarded the series in the role of Taihei Doma, the brother of the lead character.

The main cast is set to include:

• Aimi Tanaka as Umaru Doma
• Yurina Furukawa as Sylphynford Tachibana
• Haruka Shiraishi as Kirie Motoba
• Akari Kageyama as Nana Ebina
• Kenji Nojima as Taihei Doma

The anime adaptation of SankakuHead’s manga series is set for summer 2015 series. The show will be directed by Masahiko Ohta based on the scripts by Takashi Aoshima along with character designs by Aya Takano and that it’ll be done at Dogakoba. Ohta, Aoshima and sound director Yasunori Ebina all worked together on Yuruyuri and a few of them on Kotoura-san.

The news comes as the fifth volume of the series arrived recently in Japan. That property has been running since 2013 in Weekly Young Jump. More production details are expected to arrive in upcoming issues of the magazine.

Plot concept: The sibling gag comedy manga centers around Umaru, Taihei’s little sister who boasts beautiful looks as well as prowess in both school and sports; however, “Himouto” (beautiful little sister) has a certain secret.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J92h4Fr3WiM]

[Source: ]

Jeff Smith scored a big hit early on with Bone and he appears to be getting a good following with his most recent work that kicked off a couple of years ago with RASL. While many fans continue to hold out hope for a Bone adaptation into some other media, it appears that RASL will see an adaptation first as Lionel Wigram, an executive producer on the Harry Potter series of films, has acquired the rights. In a positive sign, it appears that according to Variety , Jeff Smith will serve as a producer on it as well.

Comic summary: RASL – a stark, sci-fi series about a dimension-jumping art thief, a man unplugged from the world who races through space and time searching for his next big score – and trying to escape his past. In this first of three graphic novels, Rasl faces an assassin’s bullet and stumbles across a mystery that not only threatens to expose his own illicit activities, but could also uncover one of the world’s most dangerous and sought after secrets!

While the clips have been out recently, it’s interesting to see that the official DC Movie YouTube page has included them now, giving them a bit more prominence for people to check out. The clips show pretty well why this show was doomed to fail and how a whole lot of people agreed to stuff that was just plain bad. Granted, context certainly could help it a bit more, and the action in the first clip is pretty good (and unfinished, so no complaining about the effects), but the third clip is the one to watch just for the sheer comedy value. Sadly, that could end up being the most quotable thing about it and make it harder to do something else with the property down the line.

You can view the clips here: [ Clip 1 ] [ Clip 2 ] [ Clip 3 ]

Anime shorts have been doing well on the web overall and with some limited broadcast success too, but now we’ve got them moving up to a different venue with Yuyake Dandan. The 3DCG shorts are now being screened in front of films in the 109 Cinema’s chain throughout Japan and the first trailer for the shorts has arrived, which clocks in at just under two minutes. The shorts will definitely have appeal for anime fans in general simply to see some new designs from Range Murata, whose works include Last Exile and Blue Submarine No. 6 among others.

The shorts are directed by Hideki Nimura based off of scripts by Bunou Fujisawa and animated by Dynamo Production. Flying Dog is handling the music production and the promo comes from them.

Plot concept: The story is set in a stairway called “Yuyake Dandan” near the JR Nippori station in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo. On one sunset time, a high school girl Nanami (Akane Shiba) meets a mysterious cat named Kotobuki (Koichi Yamadera) who can speak with her. The short stories tell their heartwarming, but sometime sharp-tongued relationship. 19-year-old Shiba was chosen in the open audition held last December.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLy9_7iJ7Ts?rel=0&showinfo=0]

[Source: Crunchyroll ]

Ah, the fun of things not going to plan online. While we’re all expecting the ‘big news’ reveal that My Hero Academia will be getting an anime adaptation, as the domain is registered, the spin-off manga is in the works and we’re getting all the signs of the impending announcement, things didn’t go so well officially. Ever so briefly, the official Twitter account for the property as a whole let loose with an image of the new Jump Supporter Book due out next week that reveals that the popular manga is getting a TV adaptation. Suffice to say, said tweet disappeared pretty damn quickly.

So, we continue to dance the dance and await the expected reality.

Originally starting back in the summer of 2014, after creator Kouhei Horikoshi Barrage series ended, My Hero Academia is one of the more well-received books in the English edition of Weekly Shonen Jump.

Horikoshi received a Tezuka Award Honorable Mention in 2006 after publishing several short stories in Akamaru Jump. His first serialized work was Oumagadoki Doubutsuen back in 2010.

Plot concept: What would the world be like if 80 percent of the population manifested superpowers called “Quirks”? Heroes and villains would be battling it out everywhere! Being a hero would mean learning to use your power, but where would you go to study? The Hero Academy of course! But what would you do if you were one of the 20 percent who were born Quirkless? Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…