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School functions invariably bring out the most awkward of situations for any parent. Now imagine your mother is the Queen…

What They Say:
Lotte’s school announces they are going to hold a parent-teacher party. Asuha hands the invitation to Naoya happily telling him to come no matter what, but Lotte has a depressed look on her face. Her father has passed away, and her mother, Mercelída the Queen, doesn’t seem as if she’ll be able to make it to the party, as she’s really busy with her work. Asuha tells Lotte to deliver the invitation in person, and Lotte broods over the idea, but eventually works up the courage to go Mercelída castle the next day, but…

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With Asuha having established herself in this realm pretty nicely and making several friends at school, she’s also been able to bridge things a bit for Lotte in that she’s able to actually have something close to friends now. Asuha was exactly what was needed to help draw her out, but also to pull her in to the social circles that have been hard for her to deal with. Of course, in the background to all of this is the revelation by Naoya that Asuha is his daughter, and while we’re expecting a catch to it all, it’s a moment that you definitely felt thrown by as much as Judit was when it came up. The show hasn’t exactly been creepy, though it’s played the fanservice a fair bit, but with the designs of the characters it’s hard to remember the actual ages of some of those involved.

With this episode, the school material is gain the focus as the kids are given notices to take home about a parent-teacher party in which the parents come to the school for a party to meet the teachers with the kids. It’s all very formal and fun and some of them really get into it, especially Asuha since it gives her a chance to enjoy something very different. For Lotte though, it’s a difficult time because of her family situation, though Asuha does manage to push her into returning home to see the Queen and to at least make the attempt in person to try and get her to come. Of course, there are sorts of matters that she has to attend to, and a school function isn’t exactly high on it, so you know Lotte is going into it without all that much hope. The small kernel of it deep inside her really wants it though since she needs all the ways she can to connect with her mother, something that is definitely very difficult to do considering their relative positions.

The difficulties of the situation come through because of the usual misunderstandings that come up, but I rather appreciated that it has a rather restrained approach to it as Lotte doesn’t get all over the top with her reactions. And she avoids the problem of storming places about it and instead just quietly leaves, which when he mother discovers the truth, looks a bit sad herself about all of it. Though there are moments where exaggerated expressions come into effect, it’s played in a tame fashion that works well. And speaking of fashion, the show does a nice job of playing up the formal side of the event as it gets underway and we see some cute costumes but nothing that feels inappropriate, something that far too many shows try to do with at least one or two characters in order to stand out and up the fanservice. Here, it does feel like a proper formal event with all the right attire. And while the show does try to tie things up well, you definitely have to appreciate that it wasn’t able to make everything better at the optimum time, but rather worked in a different direction to let Lotte experience some pain and heartache over what happens.

In Summary:
Astarotte’s Toy spends an episode doing lots of good material involving a formal event for the kids that brings Lotte’s mother into play in a more direct manner. Throughout the episode, I kept admiring how it avoided going over the top and that it let Lotte herself experience some pain over the events. She really comes across well and even the Queen does some things that fits into how events really do play out at times where you can’t do everything you want for your children and just hope that the best you do is enough. Up until the last minute, the show was a good deal of fun and really kept me engaged. That last minute, which goes into huge spoiler territory, is simply priceless though as it’s going to upend things for people when the truths all get revealed, ones that I’m looking forward to seeing the fallout come from. As much as this show looked like it deserved to be mocked heavily and avoided from the start, it’s turning out to be one of the more enjoyable seasons of the show that continues to make me smile throughout.

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.

With the first film at the $260 million mark worldwide after three weeks of release and a few big territories still left to open in, the future for the Divergent franchise looks good. With Lionsgate having previously stated that they were going to do a trilogy to adapt the books, things have changed a bit as the third book, Allegiant, will now be broken into two parts. This is a bit of a trend in the last couple of years, particularly since Young Adult authors have been doing very thick final books for their trilogies to try and wrap things up, something that a lot of them aren’t too experienced with which leads to some bloat. The first installment of Allegiant was already plotted for a March 18th, 2016 date and now the fourth installment will land on March 24th, 2017.

Though the film did not hit Hunger Games levels here for audiences, it did do well enough to spark the sequels and it’s also gaining a lot of fans in another important area – the books. With the three novels done and out, bbox sets and ebook bundles have jumped by 55% in the last week according to Deadline and there aer almost 20 million copies sold worldwide.

“Veronica Roth brings her captivating story to a masterful conclusion in Allegiant, a rich, action-packed book with material that is ideally suited to two strong and fulfilling movies,” said Friedman and Wachsberger. “The storytelling arc and world of the characters lend themselves perfectly to two films, a storytelling strategy that has worked very well for us on the two Twilight Breaking Dawn films and about which we’re tremendously enthusiastic for the two upcoming Mockingjay films of The Hunger Games franchise.” Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher of Red Wagon Entertainment are producing the series.

The opening sequence still starts off making me think of crappy American 80′s cartoons. That doesn’t help set the mood.

What They Say:
After his defeat to Kon, Erec has been left lopsided. Meanwhile, Kon wants to find a way home but the Princess has other plans. less

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the first episode being a bit awkward and kind of wonky at times, Ixion Saga DT got things rolling by bringing Kon into the game world where he’s got some skills, made some friends and made an enemy of Erec after defeating him in battle. It’s no surprise that someone thrust into a game world like this would end up having problems and causing problems and someone like Erec definitely isn’t one you want on your bad side, even if he is a basic comical villain. Kon gives it little thought in the end though as he just wants to get him even though he’s stuck with the others in his party getting the young princess off to the capital for the time being.

On the weird side, we see that the battle Eric was in has literally left him lopsided, an odd visual gag to bring into it that just feels plain weird. But it does kind of go with the way the show has this kind of light and fancy free flutter about it in that it’ll do silly things just to be silly. Erec does at least have serious reason to deal with Kon and his group since there is that mysterious superior that has him concerned that he must get this done before the higher up superiors find out what’s gone on. Playing this out at the same time that we see Kon kind of going through the motions and hanging out with the others at least gives some sense of purpose and story. Kon is just spending his time doing nothing, at least until he’s told he should try and do a little sword training.

The first half has most of this fluff before it descends into battle as Erec gets his troops together and a tank to go after Kon and the others. Kon’s not exactly all on top of this kind of thing but after seeing Sainglain go at it with gusto, he gets himself directly involved as well. But it just turns comical, first with Kon’s weapon turning into a weird hammer of sorts with his sword and then with Erec getting out there on foot and unable to really do much of anything because of his balance issue. It’s comical, but bad comcial. You aren’t supposed to take them seriously and that’s maid plain here as it gets further into the battle with the expressions and kind of attacks that are in play. It’s just unfortunate that the humor all feels forced and very out of place with the character designs used.

In Summary:
To say I don’t have a good feeling about this would be an understatement. While an opening episode gets some leeway to establish itself, you get a better feel for things with the second episode as it starts to move forward a bit. Ixion Saga DT essentially says it wants to be a silly action comedy with a screwball kind of feeling to it that’s reminiscent of my memories of old Saturday morning cartoons. From the opening theme up through the end, I find myself more or less cringing or just feeling nothing at all about the show. I suspect I’ll kick it around for another couple of episodes at least, but so far it’s just archetypes and nothing else going on here with a few trappings of silliness that should appeal nicely to children at the least.

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.

Faith Erin Hicks has been a park of the manga and comics side of the industry for a long time, going back to her original webcomic back in 1999, and now the folks at Viz Media have done up a new interview with the writer/artist that delves into her passion for manga. Hicks has grown steadily as both a writer and artist and had a huge moment last year when she won the Eisner for Best Publication for Kids award for The Adventures of Superhero Girl. You can read our review of that release here .

“Back in October 2014 we met with Faith Erin Hicks, the creator of comic hits such as The Adventures of Superhero Girl and Friends With Boys, to talk about her relationship with the comic arts that she works with every day. Watch this wonderful interview as we go through Faith’s beginnings with comics and passion for manga.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI7rj45ct2k]

The short-form summer 2015 anime series Bikini Warriors is underway and now the home video release information for it has been revealed. Coming from Kazuya Direct, the twelve episode series will be released on a single DVD and Blu-ray on December 16th, 2015. The show runs four minutes an episode so there’s more than enough space for it. The DVD is priced at 5,980 yen while the Blu-ray is priced at 6,980 yen.

On disc extras include a promo and commercial collection as well as the clean ending sequence. Packaging bonuses include a postcard as well as a booklet.

The series stars Yōko Hikasa as Fighter, Kana Ueda as Paladin, Ai Kakuma as Mage and Chiaki Takahashi as Dark Elf.

Plot concept: Set in an RPG world with swords and magic, warriors must form a party to defeat the demon lord. But, these warriors are all wearing Bikini armor!! (Source: Official site)

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGer2FxObbk&w=560&h=315]

[Source: Bikini Warriors ]

While Kotetsu deals with some family issues, Barnaby has found a lead on his parents killer.

What They Say:
Barnaby has finally tracked down the whereabouts of his parents’ killer. Meanwhile, Kotetsu decides to take some time off to visit his daughter Kaede, but on the way he encounters the bombing of a bridge.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the episode title of “The Calm Before The Storm,” you know you’re going to get an episode that focuses more on the characters themselves rather than the action and the larger plot line at hand with Lunatic and what Barnaby is after. And that’s not a bad thing as these characters in their normal forms without the costumes are a good deal of fun and they all have interesting stories that can be told. The time spent with Blue Rose previously was definitely enjoyable and letting us see a bit more about Kid Dragon recently helped to make him something more than just a cardboard cutout character. While we do get a glossing over of several characters here in a few scenes, the main focus is of course on our two leads with Kotetsu and Barnaby.

It is interesting to have a character like Kotetsu as a lead character since he’s the superhero with a sense that justice is the right thing to do more so than ratings, but also because he’s a father character and has experienced life. So many shows give us characters that have no real life experience, which has its place, but that keeps them from dealing with certain situations in interesting and logical ways. They’re more mired in emotion but they’re also often able to try new things that may not have been done before by someone set in their ways. With Kotetsu, he’s just trying to do right by his daughter but finds himself continually rebuffed because of what he believes. A simple idea of getting her a stuffed animal to replace one she lost and to visit her has him getting the wrong thing and then having to skip out on seeing her altogether when an accident happens on the Brox Bridge and he happens to be there.

Barnaby for his part claims to have found the guy who killed his parents and he’s at least in a nearby prison, so that gives him something to deal with. But that gets put to the side, and shows a good part of his character as he does so in order to help out Kotetsu and the others with the small army that seems to have arrived on the bridge to cause a disturbance. There’s an odd feeling to this fight, but it lets Kotetsu shine for awhile until his power runs out, a real damper on his abilities. The action does work well since it brings in a number of characters, especially as we haven’t seen Blue Rose for a bit now. One of the strengths of the show for me is the way they blend the action through on the scene reporting styles and what the others see, so we get some good dramatic moments captured on film but also the harsher look that comes from being actually involved in the fights. And it even finds some amusing humor to work with at times that can certainly make you grin as the cameras are rolling.

In Summary:
Tiger & Bunny has a good interlude episode here as it deals with some minor character bits and a piece that helps to potentially put Barnaby on the right path. While a good part of it is focused on the action, belying the actual episod e title, it does have some good calm moments early on that lets Kotetsu shine a bit and to show some of what he has to struggle with. When it moves forward with the fight, we get some very good action sequences and a big twist just at the end that makes it worthwhile as it sets the stage for what’s to come. Tiger & Bunny continues to be one of the more enjoyable series of the spring season which has largely left me underwhelmed. This episode, even though a relatively minor one overall, has a lot going for it and left me smiling and eager to see what’s to come next week. Fun stuff on a variety of levels all wrapped up in more great animation.

Grade: B

Simulcast By: Viz Media

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.

Kimura and Aoki try to fire up the crowd, but find that more difficult than expected.

What they Say:
“Episode 17 – Eleki’s Shocker and Papaya’s Coconut”

The Review
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers).
The press conference prior to Takamura’s big fight becomes tense when the Japanese champion refuses to shake hands with his American competitor. Already in fighting mode, Takamura has little time to play nicely and David Eagle can already sense the man’s will to fight. But it’s Aoki and Kimura who have more to worry about, since losses on their end might spell doom for their perceived cool demeanor. In their dressing room the two wait nervously for their fights to come.

When Kimura’s turn arrives, he finds himself overwhelmed by the size of the crowd – there are fifteen thousand people filling the huge arena, and he suddenly feels gripped by nervousness and performance anxiety. It doesn’t help that Eleki, his opponent, is a particularly mean-looking guy who, at the sound of the gong, barely gives Kimura time to breathe before letting loose with a barrage of killer punches. Kimura feels entirely outclassed and resigns himself to a loss until he lands a chance body blow and discovers Eleki’s weakness – his torso is very vulnerable. Since it’s so far into the fight, though, Kimura barely manages to eke out a draw.

Having gotten a new burst of confidence when his underlings bring Tomiko in to see him, Aoki enters the ring feeling pretty good about his chances. This changes quickly once he realizes that Papaya is just as much of a trickster as he is, even going so far as to simultaneously try to use the “look-away.” Added to that is the fact that Papaya’s coconut punch is just as ridiculously deadly as a coconut to the noggin, sending Aoki flying across the ring and onto his face. It isn’t until the fourth round that Aoki is hit with a wave of inspiration; the sweat pouring off of Papaya’s body seems to indicate that he suffers from a severe lack of stamina. The two battle it out well into the final round, and the match also ends in an unsatisfying draw.

With the crowd bored and irritable, the only person remaining to get them fired up again before Takamura’s main event is Miyata. But can he pull it off?

I’m positive the most pressing question on everyone’s mind right now is whether or not a draw saves Kimura and Aoki from having to cut their hair like their competitors, but unfortunately it looks like we’ll have to wait a while to find out. As I kind of feared, their matches are mostly there for comic relief and don’t really seem to matter in the grand scheme of things other than to establish an uncertain atmosphere around the next couple of big fights. In this sense, it’s good that that their matches both fit into one episode; this leaves little room to pretend that there might be some opportunity for character growth hidden deep within the silly fights. At the same time, though, I started to feel a little bit impatient about the whole ordeal.

There are different philosophies that surround when and how to watch anime series. There are people who prefer to keep up on several simulcasts and have the patience to wait from week-to-week to see what will happen next in more plot-based shows. Then there are those who prefer to eschew the weekly discussion and wait until a series is available in full before watching it all at once. I tend to think that the best “method” depends largely on the show and how prone it is to featuring cliffhanger storylines. In this series’ case the overall storylines have always been very fun to watch, but episode-by-episode there seem to be problems with how and when characters are featured and how weighty the fights are, and so I’d almost recommend to people who hadn’t started yet to wait until each story arc could be consumed in full. In my case, I’ll just be spending a week being mildly frustrating before getting to see what I came to see.

Speaking of that, I’m really looking forward to seeing how Miyata’s been doing. I was a little bit surprised to see him show up again this season (though it makes sense – he needs to at least remain in viewers’ consciousnesses since he’s an important character in how he relates to Ippo’s story), and now I’m excited to see his boxing again and how his fight will play out.

On the other hand, I’m starting to have more ambivalent feelings towards David Eagle. He serves as a good counterpoint to Bryan Hawk, and I might just have to go re-watch Takamura’s story arc from the previous season to see the ways in which the two encounters compare and contrast to one-another. All the same though, as a character he’s also very cartoonish, albeit in a different way from characters like Hawk and Sawamura. His “all-American” good looks (because I guess to Japanese people all Westerners are blond, blue-eyed and handsome) and his thus-far infallible sense of honor, duty, and fairness are just as unrealistic as Hawk’s overblown sexuality and blood lust. Despite this, I’d rather watch a nice guy who’s not prone to cheating than a douchey guy who does nothing but cheat and act like a jerk, so it’s somewhat of an improvement in any case.

In Summary:
No anime series is perfect, and this one has always suffered from episodes that take away from the weight of more interesting boxing matches that actually matter to the plot. My harping on the juvenile nature of the humor has probably gotten annoying at this point so I’ll just leave it at that. But as a plot-based sports anime it does a good job building up anticipation in its own way, and bringing Miyata back into the spotlight and giving Takamura a different sort of opponent to face (essentially rotating key characters in and out and giving them some different things to do) helps keep things fresh even a hundred-something episodes in. I have the feeling that the upcoming episodes will really be memorable.

Episode Grade: C

Streamed By: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment: Acer P235H 1080p LCD Monitor connected via DVI input, Logitech S220 2.1 Speakers, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560

Project-H Books has announced a new license acquisition for a standalone title that brings together four smaller volumes from Japan with Nyotai-ka! The comedy hentai title aimed at the older set doesn’t have a release date at this point but it will be getting both a print and digital edition when it does hit, presumably in late 2013 or beyond.

English Title: NYOTAI-KA! VOL 1 – 4 (Complete)

Roman-ji: nyotai-ka
Japanese Title: にょたいか　１～４
Creator: Ru-en Rouga 龍炎狼牙
Licensor: Media Factory
Format: Softcover, B&W, A5
Pages: Approx. 200 pages each vol.
SRP: USD $17.95 (CAD$ 19.99)
Availability: Print & Digital
Est. Release date: (TBA)
Genre/Category: Seinen, Hentai, Comedy

We learned a few weeks ago that Kunihiko Ikuhara is getting ready to dabble in anime with the upcoming series Yuri Kuma Arashi, aka Yuri Bear Storm. The new series has set him to direct it 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. The official site has now updated with some new information as the series will now premiere in January on MBS and other stations. The show still hasn’t released any images proper of it but the image below gives us a few clues from the manga adaptation of the stiry.

Plot concept: The “intellectual fantasy” follows Kureha, a “transparent” high school girl who is plain and is barely noticed by others. Seemingly every night, she has a “dream about a bear and transparent storm.” In this dream, her mysterious classmate Ginko Yurishiro appears in the form of a bear.

[Source: ANN ]

A chip off the old stalk!

What they Say:
Today’s theme is “stalkers.” What stalkers desire is a form of mental nourishment known as “strokes.” But what are strokes? The doctor will explain it in simple terms.

The Review:
Content:
Bless Cthulu this episode has a plot! The episode starts with someone stalking Pervert Nurse. She screams and a few frames later she is talking to Ryou and Asuna about it. After an underwhelming chase scene they catch the stalker and discover he is a shota. As a running gag, the shota and Pervert Nurse keep proposing to each other throughout the remainder of the episode. The shota reveals that he has deeply seated stalking issues.

After Ryou’s usual bout of exposition, he comes to the conclusion that the best solution is to call the police. Pervert Nurse, however, has different plans as she has fallen head over heals for the shota. As the show does not want an ongoing narrative, Asuna’s grandfather conveniently appears and reveals the shota is in fact an old man who has had extensive plastic surgery.  Pervert Nurse responds to this by calling the police who take away both the pretend shota and Asuna’s grandfather.

In Summary:
Unlike last week’s episode which had the show set on autopilot, this episode actually features a plot. It’s worth noting that this is a plot the show has recycled already multiple times. A person with serious issues causes them pain and after some hemming-and-hawing they decide to call the police. That being said it was nice the show had some actual tension, however briefly. I would say that while the immediately previous episode could easily be skipped this one is certainly worth trying.

Grade: C

Streamed by: Crunchyroll

A sequel whose story lives up to the series name.

What They Say:
The intrigue and danger continues in Darker Than Black: Gemini of the Meteor. Hei – aka the masked killer, BK-201 – encounters Suo, a young Russian girl whose life changed the night a meteor fell to Earth. With Contractors attacking from all sides and the mysterious organization Section 3 closing in, Hei must fight to keep Suo alive.

The Review:
Audio:
The feature is presented with two audio tracks- a 5.1 English track and a Stereo Japanese mix. For the purpose of this review the Japanese track was used and it is a mostly solid one. The audio track is free from dropouts or other distortions and it gets its point across as dialogue is delivered clear while also doing a very good job of mixing in the background music. It also does a good job handling the various and sudden changes in sound level that can occur in a series that makes good use of dialogue to carry a story as well as complimenting it with a good deal of action to back it up.

Video:
The Television series portion of this release originally aired late in the 2009 Japanese TV season and it is presented here in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, complete with an anamorphic encode. True to its name there is a good deal of black found within the series and the encode does a good job with presenting the color well in all its various faces, from the lighter black of Hei’s ragged coat to the much more solid black that the night can bring, all portions this spectrum comes across fairly well. Color on the other hand doesn’t quite fair as well as they can be bright when appropriate but some shifting, blocking and banding can be present and really strong reds see some bleed. Other than that there is some ghosting and noise that are present but by and large the action comes across rather fluid and well.

Arriving after the TV series, the OVAs are a bit of a step up in terms of production value as one would expect from the format though they are also plagued with the some of the same color, noise and ghosting issues as the television episodes.

Packaging:
This review is of the DVDs only but the packaging was covered in Chris Beveridge’s review of the Blu Ray portion of the releases’ review.

As for the DVDs themselves, FUNimation chose to split the 12 episode television series across two discs at 6 episodes a piece and then put the 4 OVA follow up/prologue onto its own separate disc. The first disc features an image of the story protagonist Suo sitting on the floor and holding her anti-tank riffle up as she leans against a full length mirror which offers the illusion that there are two of her on half the disc while the other half is black with the series name and disc number in white. The second disc uses the same split in image/black label balance with the color portion showing a naked Yin with her eyes open and her hands clasped around a flower in front of her as she is inside a device which is seen with in the show. The OVA disc continues the same image setup motif with its image having a young Suo and Shion holding hands against a backdrop that has a ruined wall and a large orange moon hanging in the dark sky.

Menu:
The menus themselves use a basic pattern of being around 2/3 black screen while an image fits in the last 1/3. On Disc One the Main Menu features an image of Suo from early in the series holding her camera while the Episode screen uses an image of the three investigators from Section 3, the Audio uses the image of Yin in the machine from the label of the second disc and the Extras menu uses a close up of Suo and Shion from the third disc. Disc Two uses an image of a crouching Yin in a white summer dress as she looks off to the right for the main menu image while the other sub menus use the same images on the same screens as Disc One. The final disc contains the OVA episodes and it uses the same set up as the other discs with the Main menu having an image of a bedraggled and haggard Hei against a red background while the other screens use the same images as before.

For all the menus the options are presented in a white colored font that changes slightly blue when highlighted which isn’t the best use of an indicator I have ever seen but it is serviceable enough. The menus are largely very responsive to changes in selection and do so quickly as well as implement selections when chosen with minimal delay.

Extras:
The extras depth depends a bit on how one classifies the OVA. For the purpose of this review it was added to the content portion of the grade but if one considers it an extra it greatly expands on the ones present. Regardless to one’s take on the OVA as extra or not, FUNimation includes a few clear extras in the form of Episode 04 Commentary, OVA Part 1 Commentary and Textless Songs which is somewhat standard for them but still above the more industry standard of just textless songs.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t7BZ2TvvtY&w=619&h=345]

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor came on to the scene in an odd way in that the actual difference in years between the original series 2007 air date and the sequel’s 2009 date kind of reflect in the time that has passed in that world. And that time hasn’t been kind to Hei in the least. When the viewers last saw him, he and Yin had become fugitives from the mysterious Syndicate and had begun a life on the run as Hei has decided to side with Yin over his former masters.

Now however his world has gone to hell- which is saying something considering the nightmare like situation in which all the character live when at any given time they may suddenly find themselves gaining spectacular powers at the cost of having to complete an odd form of reparation for its use while also losing much of what makes them human in the first place.

The series itself begins in Russia as many of the world’s intelligence agencies have been researching a scientist named Dr Mikhail Pavlichenko and his son Shion and have decided it is time to move in to capture them. Shion also has a twin sister, Suo, who tries to help out her somewhat dysfunctional family as her father is always preoccupied with his research while her brother has become a contractor who is trapped in a wheelchair as his reparation for some use of his power.

The series is largely told with Suo as its protagonist as she has to cope with the sudden upheaval in her life of first her best friend becoming a contractor and then her family house being raided as she hears her father killed by a man with a voice the fans of the franchise will recognize and by use of a similarly recognizable power. When Suo later runs into Hei she is forced to ally herself with him despite the large resentment she holds for him- resentment she doesn’t even bother to try to hide. As they travel the two will pick up some familiar faces (or at least voices) to those who have watched the previous series as they make their way to Japan where both Suo’s mother lives and where her brother has told her he is going.

On this trip Hei will take on a new role in trying to train Suo in the maximum use of her new power when she gains the contractor ability to manifest and use a large anti-tank gun. At the same time Suo displays some rather odd behavior for a contractor though as she retains more emotions than most seem to, including her strong dislike for Hei which seems to waiver toward something else at times. Even if it weren’t for her believing Hei killed her father the pit Hei has fallen into emotionally- and the way he reacts to his pain- are major turn offs both to her and likely to those who remember the Hei they last saw at the end of the previous series.

The Hei the viewer meets here is a far darker one then they last saw. This Hei seems to have traded in his large consumption of food for an equally large consumption of alcohol and his affect has become far more flat and contractor like. To add to this his once neat appearance has changed as well as his trademark mask has picked up some scars and his one stylish coat is now frayed and tattered in places. Adding to this he tends to treat Suo rather roughly and without much regard, but perhaps most astounding of all is his stated mission that he must kill Yin.

Now this ragtag group will try to make their way from Russia to Tokyo with many of the world’s intelligence agencies on their heels as they struggle to try to figure out what their role is in this world while trying to avoid being put into a specific role by some agency. What they may find in their travels though may shatter everything that they believe in when more secrets of the change in Yin are revealed and when Suo is forced to face a truth that is simply to horrifying to believe yet impossible to escape.

Just for the icing on the cake, Hei is going to have to be trying to face off with some powerful figures after his powers have been sealed which forces him to rely more on his physical skill than even before if he is going to complete the mission that has him transporting Suo to Tokyo while also teaching her to survive as a contractor. With seemingly the world against them are these few figures going to be able to prevent a new tragedy or is the path they follow one where fate has already laid out the tracks they will be unable to jump from?

Also included in the set is a four OVA series that was created after the second series that helps explain how it was that Hei had fallen to the level that he did since his break with the Syndicate. As the story unfolds the danger that Yin starts to pose to the world is revealed even though Hei is reluctant to believe it as he has come to be more than just fond of the doll. These OVAs are a pretty important piece in establishing how Hei and Yin have reached the point that they have and why Hei has been tasked with ending Yin’s life- and why he accepted.

When the second season of Darker Than Black aired I was one of those who was an early adopter and taken completely back by the sizable changes that had occurred in the characters, though for some reason I never finished watching the series at the time. With the release of the series by FUNimation I decided to give the OVAs a watch first and I found that they took a good deal of the “punch” out of the changes as the surprise element was a major factor in my initial enjoyment of the series.

That isn’t to say that the OVAs don’t serve a purpose but in retrospect I find that they work better for my enjoyment as a piece that exists to be watched after the TV series simply because of the change in tenor they provides. The series itself works on a remarkable level in some respects as the writers seem to have gone out of their way to try to wring as much emotion as they can out of the viewer with the early introduction of a changed Hei as well as the struggles Suo encounters when her friend becomes a contractor but the OVA mitigates some of the off balance nature the second series arrives with.

While the original series felt more like an action series spiked with some heavy emotions to me this series feels like just the opposite- one where the action exists almost to give form to some of the despair at times, though at other times it feels like it exists to give the viewer a break from the weight the emotions bring as well.

The series doesn’t forget its roots though as it brings some characters fans remember back from the first season in a way that helps the plot to work from two ends toward the center where the heart of the conspiracy behind events lie. Even in the first series, Hei largely was an action character who left most of the detail work to others and it really hasn’t changed here. What has changed is that the series aimed for a large and (mostly) singular arc which the original series pretty much avoided. This change allows for more time to be spent with Suo and July than they would have seen in the first and it allows for the writers to be far more clever in their approach and the twists they can throw in. Not that those always work though as at times some of the elements seem to be fighting each other for screen time on occasion which can weigh down the work somewhat. Still in the final measure this sequel series delivers far more than it fails and it does add an interesting, though rather dark, twist into this fantastical world.

In Summary:
The follow up series to the original Darker Than Black delivers on many of the ideas that made the original a success while also throwing many of the characters down an even darker course than the first series dared. In many ways this emotional rollercoaster stands at an odd angle as it presents what will be an incredible shock to franchise fans from the outset but it actually saves its biggest blows for later after lulling the audience in to a carefully weaved trap. The approach of using a single story is a divergence from the original series’ structure and its (amazingly considering how the original played out) darker turn playing on the psychology of its characters leaves a rather impactful, though a bit flawed at times, journey in its wake.

Features:
Japanese 2.0 Language, English 5.1 Language, English Subtitles, Episode 04 Commentary, OVA Part 1 Commentary, Textless Songs

Content Grade: B (includes OVAs)
Audio Grade: B
Video Grade: B-
Packaging Grade: N/A
Menu Grade: B-
Extras Grade: B

Released By: FUNimation
Release Date: November 8th, 2011
MSRP: $59.98
Running Time: 400 Minutes
Video Encoding: 480i/p MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen

Review Equipment:
Samsung 50″ Plasma HDTV, Denon AVR-790 Receiver with 5.1 Sony Surround Sound Speakers, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080.

“This op would be more covert if we didn’t arrive in the S.S. Hindenbug” – Buffy

What They Say:
Andrew doesn’t always make the best choices (see Season 6). And now Buffy finds herself and the very course of her life profoundly affected by one of Andrew’s over-the-top, idiotic . . .hair-brained . . . schemes. Together with Andrew and Spike, the worried Slayer will have to confront herself and her comrades, as well as a long-standing annoyance, the number-one Buffy hater of all Buffy haters: Simone, the gun-toting Slayer.

The Review:
This issue was everything I love about Buffy. Honestly, I’m feeling a bit like my review will be one long gushing love letter to the creators and characters. Reading this month’s story made me grin, chuckle, and sigh. Yes, I also missed the television show.

The pacing was dead on this month. There was a lot happening, as we switched viewpoints between Buffy bot with Spike and Andrew, the real yet mind wiped Buffy under attack by Simone, and Xander and Faith assisting Detective Dowling as he pursued his former partner. With all of the plot lines moving forward, it could easily have gotten confusing. Instead, the scene switches were handled well, and I was always eager to move onto the next part of the story, and eager to return to them again.

The character interactions were also wonderful. I would have a hard time deciding which my favorite was this month. Spike and Andrew’s arguments were entertaining and revealed how both of them feel while watching out for Buffy. We got a peek into Andrew’s sweet side through his explanations to Buffy about the alternate life he created for her. Dawn and Xander’s small arguments as they pursue the zompires with Detective Dowling were realistic and helped me understand their relationship better. I may have to vote for the interactions between Xander and the detective as my favorite, though. Xander’s role as the heart of the Scoobies continues, and hits just the right note as he helps Dowling deal with the loss of his partner.

As I’ve always expected, and loved, from the Buffy series, this month’s story blended humor in just the right measure. Yes, Buffy is faced with the prospect of what her life might have been if she hadn’t been the slayer. Yes, Detective Dowling seeks out the help of the Scoobies in handling the chaos his zompire partner created. Yet, with all the stress and strain between the characters, we see each of them find a way to whistle in the dark with their humor. Andrew is a particularly fabulous source of chuckles and grins, as he monologues his way through his rescue mission.

In Summary:
I found it difficult to write this review, because I found it hard to put into words how much I loved it. Honestly, this is exactly the kind of issue that I adore. It had just the right mixture of everything. It had plenty of action, perfect character development, and a healthy dose of many of my favorite characters. The hallmark Buffy universe humor was blended with heart felt revelations for more than just Buffy. Best of all, the cliff hanger had just the right “bang” and made me grin with anticipation for the next installment.

Grade: A+

Wakana is feverish after that storm, but a new school term begins. Perhaps she can also begin again, coming to terms with her mother’s death after all these years.

What They Say:
“Laughing and Remembering”

Wakana and her father finally have an open talk about what happened to her mother, and what she left behind for her.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
So, we’re going to continue with the sad Sakai story. Wakana’s father rushes home to find her on the floor. She seems to have caught a cold after being out in the storm last episode. His concern is clear, and it’s understandable. After losing his wife, you can imagine he could not stand to lose his daughter.

And it’s school again, with summer break over. Thus, the second term begins, though Wakana is out. Konatsu decides to go and pay a visit to her. Of course, being the bumbling girl she is, she manages to fall into a pool near the seaside. While visiting, Konatsu talks about the promise her grandfather made to take her to a Condor Queens concert, a promise he never kept. Broken promises are weighing heavily on Wakana’s mind as well, but Konatsu tells Wakana she’s happy the promise was never kept, since it means that it is still out there, and thus she continues to remember her grandfather.

Later, Wakana comes by Sawa’s place, to get the photo of her mother from Shiho. Sawa, seeing Wakana being down, decides to give her a horse ride on her horse Sabure. Wakana appears to enjoy the ride, and it may just have been the thing she needed. She goes to school the next morning, hoping to listen to a tape that Shiho gave her, though instead she finds Tanaka and Wien having a super secret special practice session. It’s so ridiculous, she can’t help but laugh, but she does give them some advice on how to improve their singing, something she learned from her mother. After school, she stops by Ms. Takahashi’s place to see the new baby (the pregnant home room teacher gave birth, obviously).

We get to the climax. That night, Wakana’s father prepares a feast. Wakana realizes why: it’s her parents’ wedding anniversary. Talk naturally turns to her mother, who apparently was the one to propose to her father. They share some memories, and Wakana asks why her mother did not want her to know about the illness. The reply hits her hard, and she realizes the great mistake she made in throwing away the piano and all of the other things her mother gave her. It does all appear to be gone. But her father had been holding onto a little piece of the past: the notes her mother made before her death for the song she had intended to write with Wakana. And, of course, he did not throw away the piano (he claims Mahiru used it to propose to him) as well as the small fish trinket that Wakana always used to carry around. Cue the tears.

The next day at school, Wakana listens to the tape, and it’s the choir of her mother’s day singing that same song that Konatsu used at the recital. The other members of the club now appear and they all sing together. Cue special ending set to the song.

That was a touching ending to Wakana’s sad story. She is finally able to have some closure concerning her mother’s death and the guilt she has felt for treating her mother so badly during her last days. We also see her beginning to open up to Sawa and Konatsu, so we now have our completed group. In the regular ending animation to the show, we’ve always seen Wakana sitting apart. I suspect we’ll see a new version of the ending animation next episode.

In Summary:
We get the emotional climax to Wakana’s story as she learns the truth about why her mother Mahiru decided to keep her in the dark about the seriousness of her illness. This helps Wakana to move on, finally. It also appears that Wakana’s aversion to music, tied to her unresolved feelings about her mother’s death and her behavior during those last days, is also going away. With the group now fully formed, I expect more music next time, and perhaps a return to the lighter tone of the Bumbling Konatsu Show.

Grade: B

Streamed by: Crunchyroll

Review Equipment: Apple iMac with 4GB RAM, Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard

As the DC Comics blog continues to work through standard Q&A pieces with a variety of writers and artists about their post-Flashpoint works, we get some interesting answers and definitely a lot of obvious and expected enthusiasm. One of the more curious reworkings is that of O.M.A.C., which has gone through a lot of changes itself over the years since its first inception. The latest returned form comes from series writer Dan DiDio who has provided the shortest amount of answers overall and the least amount of information to really get you enthused about it, which is unfortuante since it’s going to offer some solid Keith Giffen artwork.

THE SOURCE: What about DC’s new 52 titles excites you the most?

DAN DIDIO: It’s the wild array of characters and types of stories. It’s everything that makes comics great.

How and why are you shaking up the series’ status quo?

From Kirby’s creation to the OMAC Project, there have been so many great ideas and concepts introduced in this series that is was fun to work with and add to this character.

What new characters will debut in the series?

There are a lot of familiar concepts being introduced like Cadmus and Checkmate. Some not so familiar, like Amazing Man and Dr, Skuba, and some things new like the Bio-gators.

Will we see new character designs?

This is a Keith Giffen extravaganza! Of course there will be new characters designs.

What’s the first line of dialogue in the first issue?

Welcome to Cadmus Industries…..

What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had working on this character/book?

Not the biggest surprise, but what I am most excited about is just how incredibly amazing Keith’s art is!

What secret has been the hardest to keep?

All of them because everyone knows I can’t keep a secret.

What’s the unofficial tagline for this series, in your own words?

One man’s battle for control of his life and destiny.

What were your thoughts about the day-and-date digital announcement?

I support any way to get our books in as many fans’ hands as possible.

It maybe good to be the king but it sure isn’t easy.

Please Note: This review is of only the DVD included in the new DVD/BD combo release.

What They Say:
The intrigue goes international in The King of Eden, a feature-length conspiracy thriller that continues the action of Eden of the East. The deadly game that began in Japan now intensifies on the streets of New York City. The rules are the same: do whatever it takes to win. Die if you lose.

Takizawa prevented Japan’s destruction – and then he vanished. Six months later, clues lead Saki to the Big Apple in search of her missing friend. Meanwhile, the remaining Selecao are plotting their final move. Some of them would prefer Takizawa dead and out of the way. Some might even be willing to help him achieve his goals. Unfortunately, some are prepared to destroy everything if it means claiming checkmate in Mr. Outside’s puzzling game.

The Review:
Audio:
The audio for King of Eden comes in the form of English and Japanese 5.1 tracks. For the purpose of this review the Japanese track was used. For the most part the dialogue is center speaker focused with the other speakers being used to help set the environment and occasionally used for a bit of directionality with different effects. The track is free from dropouts or distortions during playback and comes across as a good, though not elite 5.1 track.

Note: The Air Communication feature on the second disc is Japanese 2.0 only and is also free from dropouts or distortions and it is a better than average 2.0 presentation.

Video:
Originally showing in Japanese theaters in late 2009 the King of Eden Feature is presented in its 16:9 format for this release. It is a fairly strong presentation with some minor issues-noise, dot crawl, ghosting and touch of aliasing-but almost all instances are minor and the issues fail to take away from the gorgeous images while colors are largely strong and come across well. The creative team took their designs and added details and complexity to what were already great visuals in the TV series. They do so in a way that adds to the feature rather than distracts one from wondering why they were not present in the TV series.

While it played in theaters in Japan the Air Communication feature uses the TV’s material and is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1. This feature has a few more problems than the King of Eden movie as it contains some noise, dot crawl, blocking in strong red, and ghosting but the beauty of the TV series visuals still come across very well.

Packaging:
The discs used for this release were the DVD set from the Blu-ray/DVD combo. For full package details please see Chris Beveridge’s review of the Blu-Ray disc.

The DVD’s themselves use a silhouette of Akira Takizawa with his finger out pointing like at the end of the TV series in an image that is used frequently throughout the film. Disc one uses a yellow background with Akira in gray and disc two reverses this to have a yellow Akira set against a gray background.

Menu:
Disc 1 uses a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge from the feature with Akira’s cell phone display on the right hand portion of the screen with the selectable options being present on the display while a white bar on the bottom portion of the screen contains the Eden of the East King of Eden logo in the center. The different options are displayed in a yellow color with a white bar that goes across the display to show what option is being highlighted. Disc two uses an image of a theme park entrance from the Air Communication feature with Akira’s cell phone display again on the right hand portion of the screen and the selectable options being present on the display the same as the first disc but with a blue-greenish color to them. The menus are quick to respond to prompts to change what is highlighted and to engage selections when chosen.

Extras:
The release features a second disc of extras including movie newsflash, movie preview and TV spots for the film (note, Japanese with subtitles only) but the biggest extra on this set is the Air Communication compilation. This feature is a condensed telling of the events of the TV series leading up to the King of Eden movie. The two hour feature is initially related by some of the characters who come to be central characters in the series. Most of it will be bridged in narration by Saki Morimi as she tells how her life changed when she takes a detour by herself to Washington D.C. while she was on a post graduation trip with friends touring New York City. She arrives by taxi at the barricade for viewing the White House as she intended to throw a coin in the fountain to pray for Japan. She finds herself in trouble though as the police nearby come to question her for throwing an item at the White House but she is saved by the appearance of a naked young man who gets the police to chase him though he eludes them quickly and returns to the gate. Saki is stunned when he drops a gun on the lawn but in gratitude for him distracting the police she gives him her coat only to realize she left her passport in it and she has to then chase him down.

The young man (Akira Takizawa) is clearly more than he seems as he first he had no problem walking around naked, then he dropped a gun through the gate on the lawn and while traveling back to his abode and he acquires some clothing from complete strangers along the way. He gets to his apartment and it is clear that he has amnesia as he doesn’t know who he is and it is also clear that he is an incredibly dangerous person as he has a wardrobe full of weapons, a number of false IDs as well as an unusual phone. When Saki tracks him down after following him he chooses the ID that lists him as Japanese and her goes with her to Japan. As they fly in part of the current state of Japan world is revealed as a coastal city suddenly comes under missile attack. This information is new to Akira so Saki explains that this is actually the second time that this has happened. The first time no one was injured and it has come to be called “Careless Monday” but events play out differently this time and there are casualties.

It turns out that the phone connects Akira to a bizarre game where there are twelve people who each have a phone similar to his and they are referred to as Seleção. These members have been chosen to be part of a group tasked with saving Japan and given 10 billion yen but they will be killed if they either run out of money or another member wins the game and saves Japan first. This will set up a high stakes cat and mouse game that will show some of the events that have lead up to Japan as they are experiencing it and also a number of mysteries that have been taking place in the background.

Saki finds herself unable to forget Akira and by trying to be close to him draws both herself and her friends (who will also narrate parts in the feature) that have created a new cell phone application/social network program into a giant soup where they may find themselves in terrible danger or realizing their dreams-possibly even both- while their program may be a key in saving Japan as different Seleção’s plots stir around them and one young man with no memory maybe all that is capable of saving Japan.

I came into Eden of the East having never seen the TV series and found that this compilation movie does a fairly good job of making sure important characters and events are covered in the limited time frame it posses. It isn’t perfect for those who haven’t seen the series as the condensed time means that events often get covered at the expense of character development scenes but I found the feature provided a good though not great base so that the movie made sense as without this movie I would have had no clue as to what the circumstances were. I like the feature overall but it mainly whet my appetite to go and explore the full series so I can get the entire panoramic view of the events.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZZXXAfXHcg?rel=0&hd=1&w=560&h=349]

Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The King of Eden picks up six months after the end of the TV series as Saki has traveled to New York City to try to find Akira. He disappeared shortly after the missiles were shot down leaving Saki his phone and a message on it to find him where they traveled together. Saki’s adventures in New York start bad as a miscommunication with her English speaking driver has him thinking she wants to get out at Grand Central Station rather than just commenting on the station itself (this is changed in the English version and though the miscommunication doesn’t come off as well it still seems plausible). As the driver is taking her suitcase out of the trunk it springs open revealing a small arms cache and causing Saki to be thrown out of the cab-though in parallel with the TV series her purse with her passport and Akira’s phone are still inside. The cab driver forces a gun into her hand before he barrels off and as Saki continues to hold it while being stunned the surrounding pedestrians start freaking out. A miraculous accident prevents the police whose attention she has grabbed from following up on her odd behavior and she escapes their attention as the opening credits roll.

Saki then narrates a flashback scene that bridges the gap between the TV series and the movie and fill in the details of what went on both for her personally and for Japan as a whole. On her personal front Saki had spent three days being questioned by the police before being released and meeting up with her friends from Eden of the East. While Saki is trying to lay low Eden of the East has exploded in popularity as almost all the images from the second missile attack came from their site. As a result a large amount of attention came on their application and in the intervening months it has gone from a small college friends group to an almost indispensible social app. Due to the pictures Akira’s image as he pointed at the missiles that were to be shot down has become almost iconic and his likeness has been popping up on merchandise everywhere and he is known as “Air King.” Saki discovers that her friends took EotE public to try to help Akira but that the game is still going on as Akira’s name had been changed on government records when he vanished-and now the Japanese Prime Minister who has the same last name has collapsed. A message crosses the phone that leads them to believe Akira is in NYC and other members of the game are after him there.

Saki discovers that the guns in her luggage had been placed there by one of the participants of the game and at the same time yet another member has been leaking that Akira might be the Prime Minister’s illegitimate son and starting a campaign to have the Japanese government and media track him down. As the plots start to swirl around them Saki has to try to figure out where the place she and Akira traveled together at in a city they were never together in was. But will meeting up with Akira bring an answer to what is going on or will his lack of memory prevent him from being as effective as he was before? And what happens when different members of the game decide to play by new rules-ones that may include removing Akira from the game one way or another?

The King of Eden is kind of an odd duck of a feature as it essentially goes back and covers some of the same ground as the TV series (Akira having lost his memory, Saki losing her passport) while upping the stakes with some of the other Seleção. It also introduces a bizarre tangent of a character that doesn’t seem to be serving much of any purpose other than to bring a Michael Bay like desire to bring some explosions and a bit more danger but really adds nothing of note to the feature. While the production values are raised (on a series that already had gorgeous visuals) it feels like this feature is almost a filler bridge between the TV series and the final feature. It isn’t bad as such it just feels like so much of the feature is going over similar ground when the TV series had raised the bar on expectations. Thankfully most of the characters from (the now corporation) East of the Eden get a bit of screen time and aren’t neglected but the film felt kind of hollow beautiful after watching as it lacked many of the innovative and fresh sparks of the TV series (at least that the compilation movie covered).

In Summary:
It is fitting that the main menu features a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge as this film feels like a metaphorical version of a bridge. There are some stunning sights at times but all in all the purpose of a bridge is to go from one side of it to the other and the trip itself is a bit secondary. It is still a decent feature but a good deal of the time in it feels like it is an attempt to relive feelings from the TV series which was produced the year previous to King of Eden. It doesn’t have an easy time building up the nostalgia feelings after so short a period of time and this effort seems to take away screen time from continuing the story from the end of the TV series and Akira’s goal. It is kind of an odd duck in that it feels like it was both shortened from more material and lengthened to become its own feature. It is a decent piece that will likely have fans waiting in anticipation for the concluding chapter in the saga but it may not impress those more ambivalent to the story.

Features:
Japanese 5.1 Language, English 5.1 Language, English Subtitles, Air Communication Prequel Movie (TV Series Summary), Movie 1 News Flash, Movie 1 Preview, TV Spots, Trailers.

Content Grade: B
Audio Grade: A-
Video Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: N/A
Menu Grade: B+
Extras Grade: A

Released By: FUNimation
Release Date: April 26th, 2011
Running Time: 85 Minutes
Video Encoding: 480p MPEG-2
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen

Review Equipment:
Samsung 50″ Plasma HDTV, Denon AVR-790 Receiver with 5.1 Sony Surround Sound Speakers, Sony PlayStation3 Blu-ray player via HDMI set to 1080.

NIS America has sent out new information about what to expect from the company as they’ve introduced a bunch of new standard edition versions of their releases that are due out this month. It’s short notice to be sure, but the pricing is definitely right and the series as a whole is available for each of them so you can grab everything quickly. These standard edition releases follow the premium edition releases they put out last year, many of which are very much out of print and hard to find since they weren’t huge runs and made to order. So if you were holding out and wanting to get the sets for a significant price difference since you didn’t want the oversized box and the hardcover books, now’s your chance.

• Our Home’s Fox Deity: Volume 1 Standard Edition – 310 minutes – $39.99 – 1/24/12
• Our Home’s Fox Deity: Volume 2 Standard Edition – 310 minutes – $39.99 – 1/24/12
• Pandora Hearts: Volume 1 Standard Edition – 330 minutes – $44.99 – 1/24/12
• Pandora Hearts: Volume 2 Standard Edition – 310 minutes – $44.99 – 1/24/12
• Persona -Trinity Soul-: Volume 1 Standard Edition – 310 minutes – $39.99 – 1/24/12
• Persona -Trinity Soul-: Volume 2 Standard Edition – 307 minutes – $39.99 – 1/24/12

FUNimation has let loose with their first theatrical trailer for the Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie release. The feature is scheduled for a November 10th, 11th and 16th run in select theaters with ticket now available through their locator here .

The film originally premiered in theaters in June of this year. The Japanese home video release is now for an October 28th, 2015 release with a limited edition Blu-ray priced at 9,800 yen while the regular edition DVD is priced at 7,800 yen. Both releases will come with English language subtitles on it as well as Traditional Chinese subtitles. The Blu-ray release comes with a full scenario book and a luxury booklet while it also includes bonus footage with the original teasers and trailers as well as an audio commentary. A bonus disc will include the director’s cut edition, the recaps that were streamed previously with the special programs, a cast night analysis and a stage greeting that was done.

Plot concept: March 2029, the largest incident occurred after the war that the Prime Minister assassination. Former boss of the element Kusanagi Among the victims, also had 501 institutions Kurtz. Kusanagi to start the investigation and Batou and Togusa who justified gathered members. “You’re my part. Guy that can not exhibit the performance to purge” in and give out Kusanagi, repel “Do us the parts?” Members. There was behind the incident, political deal over the technical failure [dead end] affects the fate of post-war prosthetic body development. Also glimpses the presence of a further cyber virus [fire starter] to perform at a time “intrusion and formation of pseudo memory to brainwashing Ghost” the. And, clues that grabbed in to investigate the incident, it was had also led to the upbringing that has been hidden in Kusanagi …. Behind the scenes to the mystery of the cyborg. Truth of the Prime Minister assassination. The presence of a “third world”. Trap to be on the watch to the destination. Kusanagi toward his own “battlefield” in just one person, tell the last “instruction” to members to leave after. “I follow in his ghost (soul).” When six people left to follow in his own ghost, rogue’s patchwork group will be changed to the team with the best performance. “Ghost in the Shell” at the moment of birth, the world will be shocked -.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2QfzF6FrrU]

With their new weapon in hand, absolutely nobody is safe.

What They Say:
In the near future, a meteorite carrying a foreign virus crashes in Japan, leading to a devastating nation-wide infection and total anarchy. Several years later, Shu—a teen with a special ability awakened by the Apocalypse Virus—meets a strange girl who incites him to join the struggle against a government organization’s robotic forces and a secret society whose goal remains shrouded in mystery.

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The series went big at the end of the last episode and the attack on Gai was pretty pronounced in its scale. The superiority of the new weapon is certainly there in the voices of those talking about, but it at least lacks smugness about it as they’re ostensibly doing everything in order to protect the population. Yet Gai has survived the experience, though others did not nor did the supplies, and now it’s the time to act. The surprise of Shu and Inori is visible since it’s hard to imagine anyone could survive that attack, and call the damage taken as little more than a scratch, but Gai is one to understand the importance of projecting strength and stability in a situation like this.

While Gai wants to go big because the new system will allow the military to essentially do what it wants wherever it wants by being able to kill and destroy with ease, Shu is finding himself uncertain about what to do and the nature of the attack that he wants to plan before the next satellite goes into place. There’s a lot riding on what must happen and only several hours before things come together, but for young Shu, the idea that his mistakes will cause the deaths of those around him in the mission is painful for him to contemplate. It’s a bit more thoughtful in a way than you usually get with young male leads like this, but it’s a welcome struggle to see him go through with Gai as the two slowly talk it out.

While it is a key part, it’s also important that the action plays out well. It has a lot of good elements to here as the diversion gets underway while the core group gets in to try and deal with everything. There’s a lot of detail to it and the atmosphere is spot on with both tracks that are running here. But as big events are often likely to do, things go strangely wrong with one of the satellites and the danger level goes in an unexpected direction, which forces some odd bedfellows. Bringing Segai into the mix in person is a welcome twist since he’s been intrigued by what’s been going on with Shu, so getting to see him and Gai together and having some potential to fix what’s happening shows a lot about all the characters involved, though it leaves it less clear what the future will be like.

In Summary:
Amusingly, in years gone by, this is where the series would have ended rather than being around the halfway mark. This episode hits a solid mid-series stride though by going big, working the characters just right and having some really engaging animation and level of detail that makes me want this in high definition from the source. There’s a lot going on in this episode and it doesn’t hold back with the scale of events at hand and just how dire the circumstances are, both initially and then even more so when things spiral out of control. Guilty Crown continues to delight because of these things and has me really curious to see where it will go next and if we can start to get more quality time with the characters themselves.

Grade: B+

Readers Rating: [ratings]

Streamed By: FUNimation

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.

Events continue to move forward as the Reigai push their plans in new directions.

What They Say:
Kon goes out to search for Nozomi and finds her wandering aimlessly. Meanwhile, the Soul Society has assembled a special team, including the Reigai of Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Hisagi, to apprehend Ichigo. The Reigai arrive in the World of the Living where they encounter their originals, and a battle ensues!

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Distrust is one of the themes of the day as those who have worked with Ichigo in the past in the Soul Society are finding it hard to believe that he’s responsible for the events that are now being attributed to him. It’s actually a welcome moment to see that everyone isn’t just blindly following orders by the unknown fakes that are out there taking over various positions of power and are instead actually using their own heads in order to determine what’s going on. Of course, they’re playing a careful game, but it’s one that’s at least visible to the viewer so we know they’re not all just going after him simply because they’re told to. Some of it was difficult at first when this arc started, but since we learned that some of them were fakes at the time, it helps to ease that overall problem.

Events in the World of the Living are kind of all over the map to some degree, as Ichigo has discovered that Kon got tied up as Nozomi has run off after all that’s happened. The gang is coming together in a good way with the Earth based characters having a bond that stands well after all this time, even when they’re off screen for dozens of episodes at a time. In addition to that, several of the Soul Reapers that have come down to help have found themselves dealing with their imposters that have turned up, and amusingly enough, some of them are making a few changes to how they look, such as the new Yumichika who has thinned out a bit and doesn’t quite have the same facial structure. It’s an amusing piece since it frustrates some of them, amuses others, but makes for a fun action sequence since all of those emotions run rampant through it.

There are a few background moments that are slipped into the episode that takes place in the Soul Society where some jailed character is seemingly going to become important, though I don’t know if they’re new or not but they’re not familiar to me. The larger story that’s developing here is still kept fairly undefined overall, but right now we’re getting a fair bit of action and some setup pieces strewn about here and there to try and slowly draw it all together. Thankfully, the action here is fun as it brings in some of the second tier characters as well as giving me more time with Ikkaku, a character that I really do find to be very enjoyable overall and he has a really good bit here when he sees the Yumichika imposter. Though they’re not heavily used Soul Reapers, the fun is there from what we do know of them and it’s the perfect light moment before it gets serious.

In Summary:
While the action here is fun and there are some good character moments, this episode overall has the feeling of just a bit of filler/buffer material to spread things out a bit. There’s nothing of real significance here to take to the bank, but it has some small yet important setup moments that helps to push things forward a bit more. The heavier focus on the action isn’t a surprise, and it has a certain charm and fun to it because of how they mess with Yumichika, but it’s largely just a pointless fight in the end. With the core characters out of the picture for most of this, it’s something where you’re glad to see the second stringers get some time, but you wish they had a more important role to play in here rather than just stretching the story out a bit more. It’s not bad, but it’s not great, it’s just kind of there.

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.

It’s penalty time for Gon and the others as that have fifty hours to kill.

What They Say:
The five group members take different approaches to their fifty hour penalty. Once they’re allowed to return to the test, they must overcome many more obstacles. Eventually, they arrive before two doors with one hour left. One door leads to a long and difficult path that allows five people to pass. The other door leads to a short and easy path that only allows three people to pass. How will the five members vote on this decision…?

The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Ah, the fun of the penalty box. With fifty hours sacrificed where they basically have to kill time, we get to see other applicants making their way down in short order after Hisoka and a couple of others, adding some interesting characters to the mix that have survived the hurdles. While Gon and his group idle out, the rest idle down there since they can’t exit the Trick Tower until it’s all done. The place is a pretty good part of the test for getting rid of a lot of applicants that are still holding on at this point and the penalty will definitely make things much more difficult for them. Of course, spending all that time with Tonpa could be a real issue as well since he’s so precisely critical about how events went down so far that someone, like Leorio, will likely beat the snot out of him given the ridge nudge.

Spending all that time together is definitely a challenge, but we get to see some good, solid personality ideas about who they are. Leorio has a hard time staying idle and gets frustrated easily. Kurapika spends a lot of his time relaxing and reading and Tonps just kills time as best as he can while sowing seeds of dissent along the way of Leorio. The cuteness come sin watching how Gon and Killua handle everything since they’re the youngest there and basically just play a whole lot while also training in small ways and having fun with things. There’s even some good teaching moments when it comes to the two as Gon gives him a few pointers on fishing and the like. The more time those two spend together, the more easily you see the very accessible and solid bond the two have shared since first meeting, cuteness and all.

When everyone does get underway, the situation turns pretty complex when they’re offered a choice of paths where one will take too long but the other will get them there in just a few minutes. The problem is that they have to sacrifice a few members in order to do it. With the seeding of guilt and anger that Tonpa put in over the penalty time, it’s one that plays out with a lot of tension as everyone stakes out their positions clearly. Getting through this particular challenge is definitely unlike the others and it’s one that actually plays out in short order, which feels off of spending so much time in the penalty room. It’s like it’s rushed, but it’s not really as it just pushes through the final challenge.

In Summary:
Hunter x Hunter has a lot of fun with all the down time that occurs here and normally these kinds of sequences can be pretty rough to get through as shows don’t like writing quiet time like this into events. Giving us a chance to see the characters in another light here while idling is definitely welcome as it adds just a bit more to them to make them interesting and fun to watch. The core of the story is of course on Gon and his crew, but we also get the resolution of the Trick Tower which looks like it has some very interesting results when you look at who actually survived it to this stage. As with past episodes, it really comes down to whether you like this crew or not. I continue to find all the members of it, Tonpa excepted, to be a lot of fun and enjoy watching the way they interact with each other. This episode is no exception and is just a lot of fun.

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 upcoming series Legends of Tomorrow is something that we’re definitely very keen on as it starts to realize more of the comic book potential on TV with a diverse cast of characters and some really fun concepts to it. While we’ve had the core cast for a bit now, things are starting to grow a bit more as it’s been revealed that Falk Hentschel has joined the production in the role of Carter Hall, aka Hawkman. Considering we have Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl in the series, it’s not too much of a surprise but it’s one that we’re glad to see. Like Kendra, Carter can access the powers of the Hawk God, Horus, transforming him into the winged warrior known as Hawkman.

It’s also been revealed that he’ll  first appear as Hawkman in next season’s crossover episodes of Arrow and The Flash before continuing the role on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. Hentschel recently appeared in Agents of SHIELD playing the role of Marcus Scarlotti, also known as Whiplash.

Set for the winter 2016 season, it’s been confirmed for a thirteen episode run – which is perfect for this kind of project and one that I hope we see utilized well going forward.

The series stars Victor Garber, Brandon Routh, Arthur Darvill, Caity Lotz, Ciarra Renee, Franz Drameh, Falk Hentschel with Dominic Purcell and Wentworth Miller,

Plot concept: When heroes alone are not enough… the world needs legends. Having seen the future, one he will desperately try to prevent from happening, time-traveling rogue Rip Hunter is tasked with assembling a disparate group of both heroes and villains to confront an unstoppable threat – one in which not only is the planet at stake, but all of time itself. Can this ragtag team defeat an immortal threat unlike anything they have ever known?

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MubNoWQiSc?showinfo=0]

For those looking for something a little more for your summer nights this year, Critical Mass Video is serving up some older hentai anime releases that will help show you just what kind of funky things used to happen in that realm in years gone by. While some of it may be a bit tamer than it once was, it’s hard to say that about certain elements of Cool Devices. Check out the individual releases below, in which you can get the box set or the individual volumes for that, as well as MeiKing, to see what you need to be adding to your collection. Also skim further down for a look at all the cover artwork.

Cool Devices Box Set

Cool Devices, the series that redefined adult anime in North America and became one of the best-selling hentai titles ever, is now available in one complete package featuring all 11 episodes with English and Japanese audio options.

About COOL DEVICES

Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Enter a world of forbidden pleasure, tightly bound together inside 11 erotic tales of lust and desire: Where the darkest yearnings and deepest hatreds intertwine to create the most exquisite ecstasy imaginable. Where sex and depravity shatter the illusion of innocence and replace it with the unquenchable flames of desire! Contains episodes 1-11.

COOL DEVICES Complete DVD Collection
Format: DVD
Pre-Book: 6/5/2012
Street Date: 7/10/2012
Runtime: 297 minutes
Genre: Erotic Fantasy
Suggested Rating: 18+

Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English subtitles and English on-screen translations
Video: Color
Catalog #: CMDVD1229
UPC: 7-42617-1229-2-7
SRP: $49.99

Cool Devices Singles

Cool Devices, the series that redefined adult anime in North America and became one of the best-selling hentai titles ever, is now available in individual volumes, so consumers can pick and choose their favorites among the anthology’s stories.

About COOL DEVICES

Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Enter a world of forbidden pleasure, tightly bound together inside 11 erotic tales of lust and desire: Where the darkest yearnings and deepest hatreds intertwine to create the most exquisite ecstasy imaginable. Where sex and depravity shatter the illusion of innocence and replace it with the unquenchable flames of desire!

COOL DEVICES: TEMPTATION
Format: DVD
Pre-Book: 6/5/2012
Street Date: 7/10/2012
Runtime: 77 minutes
Genre: Erotic Fantasy
Suggested Rating: 18+

Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English subtitles and English on-screen translations
Video: Color
Catalog #: CMDVD1221
UPC: 7-42617-1221-2-5
SRP: $9.99

Disc: 1
Case Quantity: 30

Description:

A world of forbidden pleasure tightly bound together inside five erotic tales of lust and desire. An innocent young woman gives into her darkest desires as she is seduced into the world of bondage and S&M… A voyeuristic young man longs for the sweet caress of his beautiful sister who masturbates before his hidden cameras… A very naughty kitty and one very slutty bunny are about to be punished for their forbidden passions… Slicing up a new swimsuit leads to a steamy time at the local pool… Over-studying leads to a serious need for some sexual relief in the school’s bathroom…

Features:
Extensive art gallery, teaser trailer, and Critical Mass Video trailers.

COOL DEVICES: DESIRE
Format: DVD
Pre-Book: 6/5/2012
Street Date: 7/10/2012
Runtime: 70 minutes
Genre: Erotic Fantasy
Suggested Rating: 18+

Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English subtitles and English on-screen translations
Video: Color
Catalog #: CMDVD1223
UPC: 7-42617-1223-2-3
SRP: $9.99

Disc: 1
Case Quantity: 30

Description:

Don’t say we didn’t warn you! Enter a world where darkest desires and deepest hatreds are intertwined to create the most exquisite pleasure imaginable.

Kirei : On a sleepy little island best friends Kirei and Rui are enjoying the sunshine, but their outrageous curves and scantily clad bodies have attracted the attention of a vicious gang of rapists. Now, captive to the gang’s every lustful desire, the two friends are about to discover just how hot the tropics can be…

Seek I & II: S&M Queen Saki loves nothing better than breaking in innocent women for her bondage master’s pleasure. Saki’s latest target? A quiet and sexually inexperienced young lady named Marino Ohkura. Saki and her master will drag the unwilling Marino into the world of S&M through intensive training in obedience and erotic techniques. Meanwhile, Saki secretly pines for the exquisite torture she endured at her old master’s hands. Will anyone ever be able to satisfy her as he did?

Features:
Extensive art gallery, teaser trailer, and Critical Mass Video trailers.

COOL DEVICES: LUST
Format: DVD
Pre-Book: 6/5/2012
Street Date: 7/10/2012
Runtime: 75 minutes
Genre: Erotic Fantasy
Suggested Rating: 18+

Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English subtitles and English on-screen translations
Video: Color
Catalog #: CMDVD1225
UPC: 7-42617-1225-2-1
SRP: $9.99

Disc: 1
Case Quantity: 30

Description:

Sex and depravity shatter the illusion of innocence and replace it with the unquenchable flames of desire…

Yellow Star: The notorious episode returns! The beautiful Ayana just isn’t ready for sex. She keeps begging her boyfriend to wait just a bit longer. But when her mom marries Mr. Fujisawa, Ayana isn’t going to have much of a choice anymore. A famous (but also very corrupt) detective, Mr. Fujisawa has recently acquired a potent new date-rape drug known as Yellow Star – a drug he plans to use over and over on his beautiful new step-daughter…

Slave Warrior Maya Parts 1 & 2: Maya was a normal girl, until the day she was sucked into another world and sold as a sex slave! Tortured and degraded, Maya’s only wish is to be able to return home. But destiny has more in store for her – she might be the only one who can destroy the evil Zotos!

Features:
Extensive art gallery, teaser trailer, and Critical Mass Video trailers.

COOL DEVICES: PASSION
Format: DVD
Pre-Book: 6/5/2012
Street Date: 7/10/2012
Runtime: 75 minutes
Genre: Erotic Fantasy
Suggested Rating: 18+

Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English subtitles and English on-screen translations
Video: Color
Catalog #: CMDVD1227
UPC: 7-42617-1227-2-9
SRP: $9.99

Disc: 1
Case Quantity: 30

Description:

A splendidly sinful climax… All good things must come to an end eventually, but for an anthology that bathes in debauchery and rides the razor’s edge between pain and pleasure… what could be its curtain call?

Binding: Masaki is just an average journalist hoping to find a story. But the only thing he finds is himself, robbed by a thief! Stranded, without his train ticket, things are starting to look bleak, that is… until he runs into Miyuki, the girl of his dreams… literally! Miyuki puts him up for the night at a gorgeous mansion filled with nothing but sexy women! A luscious red-headed maid, a playful blonde school-girl, and a saucy dominatrix… just a sample of the sensuous story that awaits him…

Fallen Angel Rina: Idol-singer Rina’s career is starting to look very promising, but when she hears her father owes a large amount of money to the mob, she agrees to sign her record contract over to them to pay off the debt. Little does Rina know that she’ll be signing her life and body over to them as well! At the complete mercy of her new owners, she begins to undergo a drastic change in image… from being an untouchable idol to a sleazy sex toy…

Features:
Extensive art gallery, teaser trailer, and Critical Mass Video trailers.

MeiKing

MeiKing is an original video animation based on an original game by Nikukyuu and produced by Digital Works (Love Doll, Bondage 101).

About MEIKING

Cain Asbell was an unremarkable guy until one of his stray sheep led him into a cave with a trapped fairy named Elise. In a blink of an eye, Cain goes from pauper to Lord when Elise helps him rescue the Princess Charlotte. There’s just one hitch. Cain has to make his land the most prosperous in the country within 5 years. Should he fail, he’ll lose everything and return to being another lowly shepherd. But if he manages to succeed, Cain will gain the Princess Charlotte’s hand in marriage!

Sound easy? Not if everyone in your kingdom is out to take advantage of your young age! Between slavers and bandits, it’s amazing Cain is still alive. But being a Lord isn’t all bad. He has the right to choose any woman he wants to go to bed with him: Tsubaki, who doesn’t fully appreciate that her body has a will of its own; Tia, who will do anything for the man that saved her; and Chiffon, whose cold heart has yet to feel real passion!

MEIKING
Format: DVD
Pre-Book: 6/5/2012
Street Date: 7/10/2012
Runtime: 120 minutes
Genre: Erotic Fantasy
Suggested Rating: 18+

Audio: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), Japanese (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
Subtitles: English subtitles
Video: Color
Catalog #: CMDVD1231
UPC: 7-42617-1231-2-2
SRP: $14.99

Features:
Image gallery.