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Story

Three young men travel back in time in an attempt to stop a war that nearly annihilates the human race. Easier said than done. They didn’t arrive in the time they expected to. Now they only have 3 months to save the human race. All the while being hunted down by the genetically engineered monsters that started the war they’re trying to prevent.

My Opinion

Generator Gawl is a pretty solid anime from the late 90s. Sure there are a few things I can gripe about, and I will, but overall it’s a decent anime.

The art is a bit dated, but it’s not too bad. I don’t think the art detracts enough from the show to distract me from the story. The same can’t really be said about the English dub though. It’s not even a matter of bad voice acting, though a couple of ‘em did bug me. Nope, this is more of a sound quality issue. The voices don’t sound like they’re in the same environment that is shown on the screen. The best that can be said about it is that it makes me realize how much the English audio has improved. That makes me happy.

What the Generator Gawl anime does have going for it is action. The monsters look like classic examples of kaiju. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a movie made from this anime, rubber suits and all.

There’s also a bit of comic relief. Gawl doesn’t get along with the landlady’s daughter. Of course there was the whole perverted stalker misunderstanding, so it’s kinda understandable. Pretty standard stuff.

Is it worth it?

If you only like new anime, keep lookin’, you won’t be interested in this one. Generator Gawl shows it’s age, but if you can look past that it could be a nice reminder to the older anime fans about how far anime has come. Too bad you can’t change the past.

With some decent, though short, monster battles and a bit of humor Generator Gawl comes in as a rental.

Anime, Reviews, Action, Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction, Time Travel, Monsters, DVD, Generator Gawl, Generator Gawl Volume 1, ADV

Here it is folks. This is the first casting call post. If you missed the explanation of what’s going on here, then check out the previous post.

Everyone have fun with this one. I look forward to seeing your choices.

The anime to cast is…

Bleach

You can cast the role of any extra characters you want, but the characters I’m looking for are…

• Ichigo Kurosaki
• Rukia Kuchiki
• Orihime Inoue
• Sado “Chad” Yasutora
• Uryu Ishida

and because my g/f and I like him…

• Kenpachi Zaraki

These are the characters that you have to use if you want a shot at some free manga. If you don’t care about that, then ignore the list and cast your favorite characters.

Type of Casting

Serious: The actor that you think is best for the part.

Leave a comment with your dream cast for a big budget live action version of Bleach.

Anime, Opinions, Fun Stuff, Contests, Manga, Free Stuff, Free Manga, Free, Live Action Anime, Casting, Bleach, Ichigo Kurosaki, Rukia Kuchiki, Orihime Inoue, Sado “Chad” Yasutora, Uryu Ishida, Kenpachi Zaraki

Quite a few anime are being turned into live action movies, or have been recently. I thought it was about time I got your thoughts on the matter. I could do an opinion poll, but that discourages original answers. I could just ask you what you think, but you could do that on any post. I wanted to do something fun.

Time for a game.

How it works

I’ll select an anime. It may or may not have been made as a live action movie already.

Then I’ll ask you to cast the actors for the live action movie. Not the whole cast, just a few of the main characters. Though you can cast more characters from that anime if you’d like.

There are a couple of casting categories. Serious, Humorous, Hollywood and Anti-Casta

• Serious: The actor that you think is best for the part.
• Humorous: Joke casting, so go for the laughs.
• Hollywood: Who you think Hollywood would cast. This isn’t applicable if there has already been a Hollywood version, like Speed Racer.
• Anti-Casta: The actor that you think would be the worst possible choice.

I’ll let you know which casting category I’m looking for. You can do any of ‘em, but if you play along there might be something in it for you.

Why play along?

Free stuff.

I’ve got way too much manga sitting around that I’ll never read again. Stuff that I bought to review or just didn’t like. I’m not going to be reading it anymore, but you can.

I’ll pick a few of the comments I like best and they get free stuff. The free manga will be randomly selected. That means I just grab something. So don’t bother with “Can I have (random manga name) ?”, because it won’t work. Those clever or insightful enough to receive something will get whatever is on top of the pile.

What do you think?

I think this could be fun. Is there anything missing though? Should I make any changes before I post the first anime to cast?

Anime, Opinions, Fun Stuff, Contests, Manga, Free Stuff, Free Manga, Free, Live Action Anime, Speed Racer, Casting

D.Gray-Man is a good example of why I don’t like to give up on manga or anime. I’d tried to read it before but just couldn’t get into it. I don’t know what it was, but something put me off the first time. Since then I’ve read a couple of other manga that I’ve enjoyed. When I went back to D.Gray-Man this time it reminded me of some of those. Once I got into it, I didn’t want to stop reading.

Story

Innocence is rare, but in the world of D.Gray-Man it’s even more precious. In that world innocence is the name of a holy substance that allows exorcists to combat the evil akuma. Akuma are weapons created by the Millennium Earl to destroy humanity and the world.

Allen Walker is an exorcist. Allen is a human with the ability to use innocence as a weapon to fight the Millennium Earl and his army of akuma.

Can Allen and his friends survive long enough to defeat the Millennium Earl?

My Opinion

D.Gray-Man is a cool little horror comic with just a hint of steampunk. Some genuinely creepy moments are interspersed through a great action adventure story set in an alternate past. There are bits of humor here and there as well. There kinda has to be though, because the story would be a bit too sad otherwise.

The art does a good job telling the story. I really enjoyed the way it’s used to set the mood. The mood can change pretty quickly. If the art wasn’t used very carefully to convey those emotional cues, then the story would suffer. Katsura Hoshino has done a great job getting everything just right.

Is it worth it?

D.Gray-Man is worth picking up. Cool characters, action and a carefully constructed world make for a great story. I’d recommend giving this one a chance.

Manga, Reviews, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Supernatural, Viz Media, Shonen Jump, Katsura Hoshino, D.Gray-Man, D Gray Man, Allen Walker, Innocence, Exorcists, Akuma, Millennium Earl

I have tried several times to watch the Ikki Tousen anime. The last time was a DVD I thought I’d removed from my rental list. The second Ikki Tousen DVD showed up in my mail and I figured I’d give it another chance. Maybe even write up a review. Bad idea. It’s just as bad as I remembered.

Story

Very loosely based on the Japanese translation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Ikki Tousen tells the story of 7 high schools vying for power. The schools war against each other using fighters designated by the stones that they wear. Some of the students seem to be linked to the fates of the ancient warriors.

My Opinion

Sounds great, right? It’s not, at least not in my opinion. There is just a bit too much fan service. Instead of ancient battles being fought again and again throughout history, it’s a framework for panty shots and ripped clothing. It’s like being told the story of Ben-Hur, but when you watch the movie it’s the toga party scene from Animal House.

It’s pretty disappointing when you want more history and fewer boobs.

I want to like Ikki Tousen, I really do. I just can’t get past the nearly hentai nature of this anime. So far the only thing I really liked about Ikki Tousen are the toys. There is some very cool Ikki Tousen merchandise. Maybe the manga is better. I don’t know. I’ll pick up a copy of the manga and see if there are any redeeming qualities in there.

Is it worth it?

I’d say no, but if you like jiggle more than story in your anime you might feel differently. If you want a beat ‘em up anime with tons of fan service then rent Ikki Tousen and save your money for the toys.

Anime, Reviews, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Ecchi, Fan Service, Historical, Martial Arts, School, War, Ikki Tousen, Dragon Destiny, Romance of the Three Kingdoms

I’d caught an episode or two of Tactics on the SciFi Channel’s Ani-Monday programming block. It looked pretty good so I added the first DVD to my rental list. I might be changing my opinion of Ani-Monday. After checking out the DVD I had a few small gripes, read on to find out what they were.

Story

Kantaro is an author and an expert in folklore. Kantaro also has spiritual abilities that let him fight demons and monsters. He uses his knowledge and abilities to investigate demonic and monstrous activities. Kantaro isn’t alone. He has the help of Yoko, a fox demon, and Haruka the legendary “Demon Eating Goblin”.

My Opinion

I liked Tactics when I saw it on Ani-Monday, but I don’t think it was near the beginning of the story. I caught episodes where the viewers were expected to know the characters, and I didn’t. Even with that disadvantage I still enjoyed the anime.

I like the show even better now that I’ve seen the characters introduced and gotten to know them a little bit. I have a few complaints, but nothing major. Once again most of my complaints are directed at the DVD and not the anime.

The only thing I don’t like about the show has to do with voice acting. Even that is just a small casting preference. I think Vic Mignogna would have been better as Kantaro and Blake Shepard would have fit better as Sugino. No big deal.

My complaints about the DVD are, once again, the extras. Just from looking at the extra features menu you might think it was loaded. The only problem is, a lot of ‘em are pretty crappy. The worst of the bunch are probably the “Japanese Merchandise” ads and “Merchandise Information” extras. They’re just screens of text. Kinda like a magazine ad, but for stuff you can’t even buy. Take a look.

Is it worth it?

I’d recommend it. Tactics is a good anime, but don’t expect anything special from the special features on the DVD. Check it out on Ani-Mondays if you have the SciFi Channel.

Anime, Reviews, DVD, Manga Entertainment, Action, Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Supernatural, Tactics, Volume 1, Vic Mignogna, Blake Shepard

Just want to mention that I’ve seen the main character’s name spelled a few different ways. Since I don’t know which one is right, I’m going with Yusuke.

Story

When Kanenone Academy, an all boys school, decides to merge with a girls school things get interesting. A group of high school girls are bussed into the remote mountain location of Kanenone Academy for a test semester before the merger is official.

The first one off the bus is Midori. She can’t wait to find her true love Yusuke. The only problem is Yusuke has never seen her and doesn’t know who she is. Can their love survive this small problem?

My Opinion

I was expecting some sexual humor in Green Green , but not nearly this much. This is an anime that relies almost entirely on sexual humor. Green Green is pretty much made up of boob jokes, nudity and weird fetishes. There are a couple of storylines that aren’t about breast size, but they’re completely outnumbered.

If you’re ok with that amount of trashy humor, then Green Green can be entertaining. There were a few laugh out loud moments for me when I watched the 4 episodes on the DVD. There were also several moments where I was creeped out by some of the guys in this show too. I don’t know what the heck was up with Tenjin, and I probably don’t want to know.

The DVD extras are pretty sparse.

• Textless Opening.
• 2 Music Videos, like AMVs.
• TV Spots.
• An extra, 7 minute long, episode. (w/ nudity)

Is it worth it?

Green Green is a rental. If you like boob jokes a lot, then Green Green might be for you. If you’re not comfortable with sexual humor, then you should avoid Green Green.

Anime, Reviews, Comedy, Romance, Slice Of Life, Mature, DVD, Green Green , Volume 1, Boobs, Boob Jokes, More Boobs

Story

As a Highlander fan, it hurts to write about this story. Check out what Anime News Network says it’s about.

My Opinion

I’m of two minds about this movie. On one hand it’s a pretty good fantasy-action anime. On the other hand it’s a half-assed Highlander story.

The easiest review for Highlander fans is this… It’s like an animated version of Highlander 2.

Here’s a more detailed version.

Good Points

• The art is perfectly suited to Highlander.
• Great action sequences.
• Good use of flashbacks. You can almost feel the weight of all the years gone by while Colin was hunting Marcus.
• A couple of great, albeit short, appearances by Jim Byrnes.

Bad Points

• Some fairly bad voice acting. This is made even worse because this is English audio only.
• Colin isn’t a MacLeod, I’m not even sure he’s a highlander at all. Colin might even predate the clan MacLeod for all I know. He’s old. Not Methos old, but definitely Darius old.
• No characters that we know. No characters from the TV show or the movies make an appearance or are even mentioned.
• No music by Queen. None. Not so much as a remix of “Princes of the Universe“.
• Very little to do with the Highlander universe. Other than decapitation and a couple of references to holy ground, this could be about any fantasy “Immortals”.

Is it worth it?

I hate to say it, but this is a rental at best. It’s a decent action anime, but it’s Highlander connection is problematic. It lacks background explanation for viewers unfamiliar with Highlander and it doesn’t contain enough Highlander-y goodness for the fans.

Anime, Reviews, Action, Fantasy, DVD, Highlander, Highlander: The Search For Vengeance, Jim Byrnes

After I got a comment on the previous post I realized something. I talked about Highlander, but left out the TV show. I even posted a trailer for the first movie. So here’s the opening from the Highlander TV show to even things up. Plus I’ll take any excuse to post “Princes of the Universe” by Queen.

Highlander TV Opening

I suppose I should use the one with Joe Dawson, played by Jim Byrnes, doing the opening narration, but I like this one better.

Why should I use the other opening? Two reasons.

1. I know Amber is a huge Methos fan. (Seriously, it’s almost frightening.)

2. Jim Byrnes does some voice acting in the English dub of the Highlander anime.

He does a great job too. I wish he’d do more anime voice work.

I was going to watch the Highlander anime I rented and write up a review earlier today. I watched the movie, but I’m gonna have to give this one a bit more thought. I’ll probably wind up watching the movie again before I get that review written up.

Why is this anime so deserving of extra attention? It’s Highlander, that’s why. I’ve been a fan of the Highlander series since I saw the first movie back in the 80s. I can’t just treat it like any other anime. Highlander is special to me.

Highlander Trailer

That doesn’t mean it’s getting a good review though. I don’t automatically love everything that has the word Highlander slapped on it. The same goes for anime, I don’t love anime just because it’s anime.

I take this stuff seriously, maybe a bit too seriously.

Nah.

Story

Check out Anime News Network’s description of the story. They do a far better job than I can.

My Opinion

I’m sorry I didn’t watch this anime earlier. This is one of the better sci-fi anime I’ve seen. At least it is so far. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it doesn’t turn crappy later on.

When I was watching it I found myself comparing Ergo Proxy to other things I enjoyed. Most of the time the comparison was favorable. The Matrix, Paranoia Agent, Ghost in the Shell and even Brave New World by Aldous Huxley were all on the list.

I can only think of one explanation for all the comparisons my mind kept trying to make. I think I was looking for proof that this anime was as good as I think. Every time I saw a similarity to something else I like I’d start to weigh them against one another. Whatever test my subconscious was putting Ergo Proxy through, I’m pretty sure it passed. What I saw was some great anime.

Now for the bad news…

Ergo Proxy is a Geneon title. It seems like every time I find an anime I love these days it turns out to be from Geneon. That wouldn’t be such a big deal if they hadn’t gone out of business in the states. I guess I’ll just have to rent the ones I can and if there are some that didn’t get released… Well, I guess I’m outta luck.

Is it worth it?

Ergo Proxy is an anime that you have to check out. If you like science fiction at all then you can’t afford to miss this one.

Anime, Reviews, Geneon, Adventure, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Science Fiction, Supernatural, The Matrix, Paranoia Agent, Ghost in the Shell, Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Story

Nobunaga Oda, yes the Nobunaga Oda, was a vampire. He was brought down by a great exorcist samurai, but he wasn’t killed. Knowing that the monster would return, the exorcist made sure that those who would face him in the future would be prepared.

When Nobunaga Oda does return, the world’s only hope is Ghost Sweeper Mikami.

My Opinion

This is a movie intended for fans of the TV show. Not having seen that anime before the movie was kind of irritating. It assumed that I was familiar with all of the characters and their little quirks. I wasn’t. It made me feel left out. Some cool looking characters on screen and we never learn anything about them. There also seemed to be a lot of inside jokes, but I can’t really be sure of that since I’m not on the inside.

Once again I’m reviewing an older anime. Ghost Sweeper Mikami was made sometime around 1993 or 1994 I believe. That’s not a huge deal, the art looks pretty good for this type of monster hunting anime. The only thing that really bugged me about the art was Mikami’s eyes. Take a look at that picture at the top of the post. The best that can be said is that she looks like a villain herself.

I think I would have enjoyed the movie a bit more if I was familiar with the characters. It wasn’t a bad story. It even had some very entertaining moments. I loved the news report about the zombies. That is how a professional news anchor should act.

Is it worth it?

If you’re a fan of the Ghost Sweeper Mikami anime show, then it probably is. I wouldn’t really recommend this DVD to anyone unfamiliar with the show.

Anime, Reviews, Action, Horror, Comedy, DVD, Ghost Sweeper Mikami

I was just catching up on reading my Shonen Jump subscription and that started me thinking. I was taking in the art of this month’s installment of Bleach and I noticed how much better it looked. Why did it look so much better?

Size Matters

Because of the page size. I hadn’t noticed it before, though I really should have, but the larger pages just look better. You can see more detail and the artwork is better able to tell the story. The Shonen Jump sized pages are the way most if these manga were intended to be published, or at least a lot closer.

I don’t have anything against the trade paperback sized manga. I read ‘em all the time. They provide a great way to follow the stories I love. I have to wonder though, why aren’t more magazine sized manga published?

Is it more expensive to publish a monthly magazine like Shonen Jump or Shojo Beat than it is to stock the shelves at Barnes & Noble with paperback volumes? If so, then why does the monthly Shonen Jump cost $5 when a paperback manga volume costs $10?

Selling Point

Is Viz losing money on monthly Shonen Jump in an effort to promote their manga paperback volumes? If so, does it work? Why wouldn’t the other companies do the same thing? I’d love to see a monthly magazine from the other publishers.

TokyoPop has been doing a lot to build their online community. They even offer free online versions of their manga. Why couldn’t they bundle a few stories in a nice thick magazine every month? They’d be promoting their TPB manga and maybe making a couple of bucks in the process.

Manga, Opinion, Magazine, Paperback, TPB, Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat, Viz, Viz Media, Bleach, TokyoPop

Gin Tama is a bit odd. It does so many things at once that it’s sometimes hard to keep track. Alternate history, science fiction, comedy and even action get smashed together inside the cover of this book. The result is something that could only be done in comics.

Story

Gin Tama gives an alternate version of the Edo Period. In this version aliens settle in Edo, what we now call Tokyo. The aliens change everything. They bring tremendous progress in knowledge and science. They also outlaw swords, in effect outlawing samurai.

Gin Tama follows a former samurai as he tries to get by in this strange new world. Sakata Gintoki works as a freelancer and takes whatever jobs he can get.

My Opinion

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating. Gin Tama is an odd little manga. It combines humor, action and science fiction to a look at a very interesting period in Japanese history from a different angle. The alternate history presented by Gin Tama, the arrival of extra terrestrial aliens, might not be that much different from the real history.

The art didn’t impress me that much. The visuals get the job done, but I don’t think they live up to the story. The art isn’t bad though. The action sequences, of which there are plenty, have a good sense of movement. The exaggerated reaction shots are also very well done. I guess my problem with the art is just that it’s inconsistent. After some great action panels, the more static panels just look bad.

Is it worth it?

I’d recommend checking out the first volume of Gin Tama and making up your own mind about this series. There’s so much going on that there is bound to be something you like. More than likely there is going to be something you don’t like as well.

For what it’s worth, I liked it.

Manga, Reviews, Comedy, Action, Adventure, History, Science Fiction, Sci Fi, Gin Tama, Hideaki Sorachi, Samurai, Japanese History, Edo Period

Ever wonder what One Piece would be like if the crew were wizards instead of pirates? Now you don’t have to, you can just read Fairy Tail.

Story

Lucy is a young mage that dreams of joining Fairy Tail, the legendary mage guild. A mage guild is a support structure for a mage. It helps them find work as well as letting them associate with other mages. Lucy gets lucky, sort of, and runs into a member of Fairy Tail that agrees to help her join.

Fairy Tail isn’t quite the way Lucy had imagined it. It’s full of dangerous mages doing dangerous work, and often for very little pay. Does she have what it takes to be a member of the most notorious guild there is?

My Opinion

I haven’t read Hiro Mashima’s previous works, such as Rave Master, so I can’t really compare Fairy Tail to his other work. The only thing Fairy Tail really reminds me of is One Piece. The problem there is that I’ve only seen the anime. I haven’t read any of the One Piece manga.

Well, now that we’ve covered what Fairy Tail isn’t, let’s talk about what it is. Fairy Tail is a very good adventure manga. It has great humor, likeable characters and good art, even if some of the character designs look familiar. The action is well done with some truly impressive fight scenes.

Is it worth it?

I think Fairy Tail is well worth picking up. It has a lot of strong points, even without the pirates.

Manga, Reviews, Action, Comedy, Adventure, Magic, Fantasy, Fairy Tail, Volume 1, Hiro Mashima, Rave Master, One Piece