Sunday, August 28, 2011

More From the Pile: Black Butler, Blue Exorcist, Nura and Bakuman

I finally made a dent in my “to read” pile. Things are looking a lot more reasonable now.  I ran into a computer glitch last week, and while it appears to be resolved for now, somehow I think the inevitable will happen soon and I’ll have to replace my computer. So while things are running this is what I plucked from the pile this week:

Black Butler, Vol. 6Black Butler Vol. 6: Thankfully it’s at the start of a new story arc and I was glad to have the story back on track. In this volume Ciel is sent to investigate the disappearance of several children. None of the children have come up dead so the focus turns to a circus that happens to be in town. Naturally Ciel and  his butler, Sebastian, must join the circus to investigate. They soon find out that they are not the only ones searching for answers as they meet up with the Grim Reaper. Readers find out a little more about the Reaper’s role as well a few hints of Sebastian’s devilish intentions.
Black Butler Vol. 6 by Yana Toboso is published by Yen Press, and the next volume is set to be released late October.

Blue Exorcist, Volume 3Blue Exorcist 3: The first part of this volume is the story about Father Fujimoto’s familiar demon cat named Kuro. Learning of Fujimoto’s death leads Kuro to turn wild. Rin and Yukio, armed with a special weapon left to Yukio by the Father, arrive to diffuse the situation. For the first time we see that Rin has the ability to hear and communicate with demons.
In the rest of this volume we learn a little more about Amaimon , the King of Earth, when he tests Rin’s abilities by stealing the Koma sword. There is some kind of plan between Amaimon and Mephisto Pheles but we don’t know if it is for good or evil. 
A new character, Shura Kirigakur, is introduced. She is a Knight and a senior exorcist first class who seems to be against wearing clothes. Shura had been working undercover at the school, keeping her eye on Rin, but revealed her presence after Amaimon’s attack on Rin.  She had been asked by Father Fugimoto to teach Rin how to use his Koma Sword in order to control his powers.
This series is still a lot of fun to follow although I’m not too fond of the new character. There is still enough intrigue to keep me interested.
Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato is published by Viz Media, and Volume 4 will be available early October.


Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan, Volume 4Nura Rise of the Yokai Clan 4: The Nura lands are being invaded by yokai from Shikoku. Rikuo’s grandfather, the current Nura Overlord, has disappeared. In an effort maintain order within the clan and to deal with the invaders, Rikuo is forced to assume command. The trouble is that during the daytime Rikuo must assume human form and is therefore vulnerable. The Nura clan rally around him to keep him safe. Rikou’s school is been infiltrated by a powerful yokai, Inugami. Fearing for the safety of the other students at the school, Rikuo must find a way to defeat him even though he is still in his human form.
I’ve probably mentioned this before, but my favorite thing about this series is the artwork. The inking is done by brush, which gives a fluid look that I find refreshing.
Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan by Hiroshi Shiibashi  is published by Vis Medai.  Volume 5 is to be released in October.

Bakuman, Volume 6Bakuman₀ Volume 6:   Well, Mashiro and Takagi are finally where they want to be. They are serialized in Shonen Jump with “Detective Trap” and have just scored the opportunity to  have color pages run for Chapter 19, along with the release of the fist graphic novel. Just when they  are ready to enjoy their success, disaster strikes. Exhausted from overwork and poor eating, Mashiro’s bad habits catch up with him and he ends up in hospital suffering from malnourishment and a liver condition that requires surgery. Alarmed by this turn of events, the magazine’s editor in chief, Sasaki, wants to put Detective Trap on hiatus until the boys graduate High School. Unhappy with the editor’s decision, Mashiro and Takagi do everything in their power to convince him otherwise. 
I found this volume a little difficult to accept because of the decision to keep working despite illness. The urgency with which to boys continue seems a bit over the top. Where are the boy’s parents? I find it difficult to think that they would let the boys, who are only 15-16 years old, make decisions that lead to them working themselves to death.
Credibility aside, there is still and infectious quality to this story. The way all the mangaka band together to convince the editor to let the series continue is energizing. I enjoyed the part where Mashiro insists on coloring in the hospital with a pile of Copic markers, which are my current obsession.
Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba andTakeshi Obata is published by Viz Media . Volume 7 comes out in October.
There is still more on my pile, and I am happily working my way through it. How big is your too read pile? What titles do have waiting to be read?

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Soul Eater by Atsushi Ohkubo


Soul Eater Volumes 1-5
Soul Eater, Vol. 3 (Soul Eater, #3)I admit I may have misjudged this series.  A while back when I picked up volume 1 of Soul Eater, I was unimpressed and in fact it angered me. It seemed that it was all just an attempt at gaining an audience through the use of gratuitous ‘fan service’ that was totally unnecessary, and masked what could have been an interesting storyline. So I left the series alone. After some time passed and new volumes kept coming out, and there was a lot of merchandise themed on the series in the stores, I figured I must of missed something. I decided to give it another shot.
I was glad to discover that the next volumes had really toned down the panty shots and concentrated on interesting story lines.
Quick Summary:  The two main characters are Soul and Maka, students at the Death Weapon Academy (DWMA), where students work, mostly in pairs. One of the pair trains to be a Meister, who wields the weapon in battle, and the other becomes the weapon (through some sort of shapeshifting). The duos are tasked with taking the soul of those on a list, who are usually evil. The more souls the duos consume, the stronger the meisters become and the higher in rank they are. 
Soul Eater, Vol. 5 (Soul Eater, #5)
What makes this series work is that it’s full of interesting and amusing characters that are based on fairly routine supernatural beings such as zombies, Frankenstein, medusa, witches, and cats and so on, but characters are given interesting flaws and quirks that keeps it interesting. For instance, one of my favorite characters is Death the Kid, who is the son of the Shinigami (death reaper) in charge of the academy. Kid has an obsession symmetry which leads to all kinds of difficulty for him: even his weapons had to be symmetrical. In a cruel irony, Kid’s hair has a white streak on one side that makes him asymmetrical.  
The most unique aspect of this series is the artwork. It is very different form the manga I have come across so far. The characters have a distinct look but what stands out the most is the environment. The Academy is a castle of skulls, and the sky has either a sun or a moon that laughs mockingly.
Skipping volume 1, I would recommend this series for older teens; it is entertaining and full of humour.
Soul Eater is by Atsushi Ohkubo and is published by Yen Press. Volume 7 is to be released in October. The anime series is also available through Funimation.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Naruto Shippuden Uncut Set 8

Naruto Shippuden
Naruto Shippuden Uncut Set 8
Format: DVD
Release Date: October 11, 2011

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Samurai Girls Complete Collection

Samurai Girls
Samurai Girls Complete Collection
Format: DVD
4.0 out of 5 stars(1)
Release Date: August 23, 2011

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Maid Sama Collection 1

Maid Sama
Maid Sama Collection 1
Format: DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars(5)
Release Date: June 7, 2011

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Studio: Section23 Films Release Date: 06/07/2011 Run time: 325 minutes Read more


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Sgt. Frog: Season Three, Part Two

Sgt. Frog
Sgt. Frog: Season Three, Part Two
Jamie Marchi (Actor), Leah Clark (Actor), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Director) | Format: DVD
Release Date: August 23, 2011

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Keroro is Sergeant Frog – the leader of a platoon of warriors sent to conquer planet Earth. But when the amphibious invaders discovered how much humans enjoy dissecting their comrades, the troops were scattered, the mission was aborted, and Keroro was abandoned. Now, this once proud soldier spends more time wielding a vacuum than he does the weapons of war. It’s a far cry from the glory of battle, but hey, at least he’s got his own room. And though the invasion may have slowed to a hop, Sergeant Frog still occasionally yearns to overcome his karaoke addiction and reassemble his troops. Watch out world, the frogs are taking over. Read more


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Night Raid 1931 Complete Collection

Night Raid
Night Raid 1931 Complete Collection
Format: DVD
Release Date: August 16, 2011

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Studio: Section23 Films Release Date: 08/16/2011 Run time: 400 minutes Read more


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Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Redline.

If you’ve been follow Twitter for the past week or so, you might have noticed that a film called Redline has been getting quite a bit of buzz. 7 years in production, its director Takeshi Koike working day and night for years drawing frame after frame—if you’ve heard about the movie, then you’ve heard about its production history. It got released over in Japan and it sold just a little over 4000 copies across its various DVD and Blu-ray releases. Disappointing stat to see from a movie that had so much heart and soul poured into it, but it’s not unexpected given the tastes of otaku over in Japan. Then again, this movie was clearly aimed at Western audiences to begin with, so hopefully it will gain a cult following over here.

That said, I couldn’t wait for the US release and I decided to buy Japanese collector’s edition Blu-ray (with subs on the movie and the extras) and I don’t regret it at all. In fact, I’m still trying to recover from the thrilling experience. The movie is the most intensive visual experience I’ve had since Masaaki Yuasa’s Mind Game. But while its amazing visuals have touted left and right, the humor and personality that help carry the film is pretty underrated. Yoshiki Sakurai and Yoji Enokido were brought on to tighten Katsuhito Ishii’s script so as make the story flow and for it not to be bogged down in too many explicit details story wise. The visuals and body language of the characters make up for the final, more streamlined version and they create an interesting world with lots of depth. The design work in the sets, the machines, the characters themselves, and the music are overflowing with tons of personality, It makes the movie not drag its feet when it’s not going all out on the race track and make the entire movie a joy to watch. Ishii was the one who wanted an overload of information on screen and Koike was the man for the job. Honestly, the movie is nothing short of stunning.

There were 100,000 drawings made for this film and there were a core of 15 animators working on it, with other key animators being brought in to fill in holes here and there. Shinya Ohira is one of the latter animators whose work stood out the most. This was the first work we’ve seen from Ohira since his work on Genius Party and it’s breathtaking. *SPOILERS**SPOILERS* Katsuya Yamada corrected one cut, cleaned up another, and Hokuto Sakiyama probably cleaned up the rest of Ohira's work since all his work was 1st Key Animation (in other words, rough key animation). His scene starts the climax of the film (the awakening of the bioweapon). It’s great to finally see Ohira at work again, but I wonder when we might see him next, if ever. Sushio animated Machine Head and the Super Boins' introduction, Hiroyuki Imaishi did Johhny Boy and Lynchman’s intro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri did about 20 to 30 cuts of Colonel Bolton in the third act of the movie. Kanako Maru did the intro of the MCs of the Redline race and Takeshi Koike handles the end of the climax film with JP heading towards the finish line and the very last scene. Sushio, Maru, and Koike did other stuff, but I’ve yet to decipher all the info on the Sakuga@Wiki entry (taken from the key animation book).

All in all, and I don’t say this often, you owe it to yourself to at least experience this movie once.



EDIT: To see the comments, go on the main page and click on "X comments" for this entry.



EDIT 2: Sushio also did Machine Head's intro. Yutaka Minowa did the cuts where Bosbos is putting on her earrings and the racers getting into their rides before the Redline race starts.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Revolutionary Girl Utena: Student Council Saga Limited Edition Set

Revolutionary Girl Utena
Revolutionary Girl Utena: Student Council Saga Limited Edition Set
Tomoko Kawakami (Actor), Yuriko Fuchizaki (Actor), Kunihiko Ikuhara (Director) | Format: DVD
4.3 out of 5 stars(6)
Release Date: June 14, 2011

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Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Student Council Saga: ''Never lose that strength or nobility, even when you grow up.'' When Utena was just a child and in the depths of sorrow, she found salvation in those words. They were the words of a prince, who wrapped her in his rose-scented embrace and bestowed upon her both a ring and the promise that it would lead her to him again. She never forgot the encounter. In fact, she was so impressed that she aspired to be like the prince and also help those in need. Now a spirited teenager, Utena attends the prestigious Ohtori Academy. However, her strong sense of chivalry soon places her at odds with the school's student council and thrusts her into a series of mysterious and dangerous duels against its members.

Contains episodes 1-12 (the events of the Student Council Saga). This first of three, limited-edition DVD box sets features remastered video and a newly created Dolby Digital 5.1 Japanese audio track from the recent Japanese DVD release, as well as Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo for English and Japanese audio, plus English-language subtitles and on-screen translations. On-disc extras will include the clean opening and closing, both a live-action video and TV spot for the opening single, and TV commercials for the Japanese release. Additionally, the set is housed in a collectors' art box and also include a book with content from the limited-edition Japanese release with episode commentary, discussions about the series' updated audio, video, and opening and closing sequences, and the first installment of production notes from the Japanese laser disc release. Only a limited quantity of this premium set will be produced. Revolutionary Girl Utena has been both critically acclaimed and a fan favorite since its 1997 broadcast debut on TV Tokyo and features direction by Kunihiko Ikuhara (Sailor Moon S and SuperS), series composition by Yoji Enokido (Ouran High Host Club, FLCL, Sailor Moon SuperS) and animation by J.C. Staff (Honey and Clover, Slayers, Toradora!). Utena has been described as one of the top five ''best anime of all time'' (Anime Insider magazine, among others), and the project also inspired animated film, manga and stageplay adaptations. Both shoujo (girls') manga, written and illustrated by Chiho Saito, were published in North America by VIZ Media. Read more


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Saturday, August 13, 2011

Bleach Uncut Box Set 10

Bleach Uncut
Bleach Uncut Box Set 10
Format: DVD
Release Date: September 6, 2011

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Friday, August 12, 2011

Fruits Basket

Fruits Basket
Fruits Basket
Laura Bailey (Actor), Jerry Jewell (Actor), Justin Cook (Director) | Format: DVD
4.4 out of 5 stars(7)
Release Date: June 14, 2011

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The Sohmas are a family cursed, a curse which has led to their isolation for generations. When any single member of the family is embraced by a person of the opposite gender, they transform into an animal from the Chinese Zodiac! The Sohma’s have managed to keep this embarrassing little secret hidden for many, many years… That is, until young Tohru Honda stumbles into their life. Inspiring some and infuriating others, Tohru manages to turn life in this most unusual household upside down as Zodiac rivals clash. But above all, she must promise to keep their secret as one of her own… Or face the consequences!

• Collector’s Edition features a remastered footage, a series guide booklet and over 3 hours of extras including some never before seen content! Read more


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Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hetalia - Paint it, White - The Movie - LE

Hetalia
Hetalia - Paint it, White - The Movie - LE
Todd Haberkorn (Actor), Christopher Bevins (Actor), Scott Sager (Director) | Format: DVD
5.0 out of 5 stars(2)
Release Date: November 22, 2011

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It's totally the end of the world in Hetalia Axis Powers: Paint it, White! This full-length flick brings all your fave boys together in modern times with one goal: Drop the bro-hammer on some alien invaders!
The Pictorians have arrived from deep in space. They also have dangly glow-balls on their heads, which is kinda cool, but still. The freaky aliens are using use their crazy rainbow-beam-thingy to paint everything on Earth the same color: white! See, now the title of the movie makes more sense, right? Anyway, if the Pictorians are to be stopped, the Allied guys and the Axis boys plus some new characters, too must set aside their differences, unite against their common foe, and hopefully get together for a sweaty work-out to make sure they re super-ready to save the world! Read more


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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Summer Wars

Summer Wars
Summer Wars
Michael Sinterniklaas (Actor), Pam Doughtery (Actor), Mamoru Hosoda (Director) | Format: DVD
4.7 out of 5 stars(79)

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From the visionary directory of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2007 Japanese Academy Award winner, Best Animated Feature) comes the story of an ordinary family going to extraordinary lengths to avert the impending cyber apocalypse!
Kenji is your typical teenage misfit. He's good at math, bad with girls, and spends most of his time hanging out in the all-powerful, online community known as OZ. His second life is the only life he has until the girl of his dreams, Natsuki, hijacks him for a starring role as a fake fiance at her family reunion. Things only get stranger from there. A late-night email containing a cryptic mathematic riddle leads to the unleashing of a rogue AI intent on using the virtual word of OZ to destroy the real world, literarily. As Armageddon looms on the horizon, Kenji and his new family set aside their differences and band together to save the worlds they inhabit in this near-perfect blend of social satire and science fiction . (AnimeNewsNetwork.com) First Press includes collectible art cards.Kenji, the teenage hero of Summer Wars, is an alternate for the Japanese Math Olympics team, but math is the only thing he's good at. He works part-time doing maintenance for the global computer network Oz, so he jumps at the opportunity when his pretty classmate Natsuki offers him a job--until he discovers she wants him to pose as her fiancé at her grandmother's 90th birthday celebration. Kenji has his hands full coping with Natsuki's large, eccentric family, who constantly refer to their samurai ancestors as they squabble with each other. But when a malicious AI program known as The Love Machine attacks Oz, Kenji has to solve a series of complex mathematical puzzles to prevent the cyberterrorist from causing a disaster. Mamoru Hosoda captures the oppressive heat of the Japanese summer in the sequences involving Kenji and Natsuki; Oz is rendered in a brightly colored, hallucinatory style. Hosoda worked with Takashi Murakami on the "Superflat" project, and the avatars that populate Oz reflect its depraved cuteness. Summer Wars was a critical and box-office hit in Japan, and deserves a wide audience in America. Hosoda, who also made The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), is clearly one of the most interesting directors working in Japan. (Suitable for ages 12 and older: brief nudity, cartoon violence) --Charles Solomon Read more


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