Anime Fans Online

Story

Lucky Star follows high school friends Konata Izumi, Miyuki Takara, and twin sisters Kagami and Tsukasa Hiiragi. The friends do what ordinary young girls do. They go to school, try to pass their tests and try to have some fun in between.

My Opinion

I’ve been waiting to see what the English version of Lucky star would be like. I was especially interested in hearing the voices for the characters. I knew that at best it would take a while to get used to them and at worst… Well, I was hoping no one would be stupid enough to do that to Lucky Star.

It will take some getting used to. Like the Japanese version, Konata is played by the same person that played Haruhi Suzumiya. I hope that was done because she was the best person for the job, and not so that the jokes and tie ins to The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya can be imported more easily.

After watching the first DVD I’m not so sure. Konata just doesn’t seem right in English, the jokes fall a bit flat. It’s not just Wendee Lee’s portrayal of Konata. If it were I’d just say she wasn’t right for the part.

There is another English version character that stands out, this time from the Lucky Channel segment. Akira Kogami seems to be too restrained. When she’s White Akira she doesn’t have that over the top cuteness. She seems to be trying, but she’s not quite making it. As Black Akira she doesn’t have enough bitterness. She seems mildly cynical, but that’s about it. The performance stayed in the middle of the road and as a result never quite lived up to the character.

I’ll have to give it a few more episodes, at least 2 more DVDs, before I make up my mind. If the English cast doesn’t grow on me by then I’ll just have to switch over to subtitles. Yay DVDS!

DVD Extras

There are a couple of good extras on this disc. The key scenes galleries offer a little more insight into the show. Pretty cool. My favorite special feature would have to be “The Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi #1“. In the Japanese version Minoru Shiraishi plays himself, or a characterization of himself.

Is it worth it?

Lucky Star DVD Volume 1 is worth the money. Even if the English cast makes your skin crawl, you can always switch over to the Japanese audio and read subtitles.

Buy Lucky Star, I’m going to.

Anime, Reviews, DVD, Lucky Star, Lucky Star Volume 1, Dub, Sub, English, Japanese, Konata Izumi, Miyuki Takara, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi, Akira Kogami, White Akira, Black Akira, Minoru Shiraishi, Wendee Lee

Online anime rental seems like the perfect option, at least for the fans that don’t want to download illegal fansubs. I’ve already reviewed Blockbuster’s anime offering, now it’s time to take a look at a more specialized outlet.

RentAnime

RentAnime is run by the folks at AnimeNation, an anime retail site that’s been around since 1995. If you’ve been a fan of anime for a while you’ve probably heard of AnimeNation. Whatever opinions you may have formed about them can probably be safely transferred to RentAnime. I’ve never had any problems with them, neither the retail or rental branch.

Pros

• Much Better Anime Selection -

I have yet to think of an anime that I couldn’t find on there. Because they specialize in anime, and probably because they sell anime, they have a much better inventory.

• New Anime Added Constantly -

This is probably because they’re run by AnimeNation. AnimeNation has to keep on top of new releases so they can sell ‘em, so it makes sense that they’d also order some to use in their rental program.

Cons

• Horrible Website -

This is probably the biggest problem that RentAnime has. The website needs a complete overhaul. The only way to find an anime is to know what anime you’re looking for. The “Rental Categories” are not categories at all, they’re alphabetical listings of the anime that they offer. That is mind bogglingly bad.

• Useless Search -

Because of the lack of categories, I have to include the site search here too. This is what I got when I searched for “shojo”.



I find it incredibly hard to believe that RentAnime has absolutely no shojo anime. They need to fix that A.S.A.P..

• Slow Turnaround -

The amount of time between sending back a DVD and getting the next one in the mail is unacceptable. I sent back DVDs to RentAnime and Blockbuster on the same day. I had new Blockbuster DVDs a couple of days before I even got the e-mail from RentAnime telling me they got the DVDs. That could probably be fixed with some regional shipping centers.

Bottom Line

RentAnime has a great selection of anime. They’ve also got enough of it that it’s not often you have to wait very long for a particular title. The problem is waiting to get any titles thanks to their slow turnaround.

Once again I have to say that the website needs to be re-worked. Finding something to watch can be a huge headache unless you know the exact anime you’re looking for.

The selection is amazing, but if they can’t fix at least one of their problems I might have to look for another specialty anime rental site.

Anime, Rental, RentAnime, Rent Anime, Online, AnimeNation, Anime Nation, Review

I did a post that talked about places to rent anime online. Since then I’ve used 2 of those services. Here is a short review of one service based on my experience with them.

Blockbuster

Blockbuster is known across the country as a family friendly video rental outlet. With a large chain of stores and the good sense to use those stores as a factor in it’s online rent by mail business, it has a few advantages going for it.

Pros

• Selection -

You can rent more than just anime from Blockbuster. You can get pretty much any mainstream movie delivered to your home.

• Real Stores -

Blockbuster uses it’s many locations to it’s advantage. You receive coupons every month for free in store rentals. You can also return your Blockbuster Online rentals to a store and exchange them for another movie.

Cons

• Weak Anime Selection -

Blockbuster has some mainstream anime. The more popular it is, the more likely they are to have it.

• Extremely Long Wait -

The wait times for anime can be extremely long. I’m pretty sure that they didn’t even have some of the anime I wound up removing from my list, they just haven’t bothered to update the listings. It seems that way anyway.

This doesn’t seem to be the case with newer movie releases, just older releases or specialty topics like anime.

• Family Friendly Means No Hentai -

I’m not even talking about porn. Everyone that might be interested in porn knows you can’t get it at Blockbuster. I’m talking about things like Kite or Mezzo Forte. You won’t be able to see the uncut versions of those movies because they contain a scene or two that are hard core.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for an overall video rental account, Blockbuster is pretty darn good. Quick service and some coupons to use at your local store make it worth checking out.

If you want a rental account for specialty topics, such as anime, then you might be better off going with a rental company that specializes in what you’re looking for.

Story

Black Blood Brothers is the story of Jirou and Kotaru Mochizuki, brothers and vampires. Relations between the vampires, a.k.a. black bloods, and humans, a.k.a. red bloods, are tense. The tension is only made worse by the reappearance of a vampire bloodline that even other vampires are threatened by, the Kowloon Children.

The Kowloon Children are different from other vampires, they’re far more infectious. While other black bloods have to give their blood to humans to infect them and make them a vampire, the Kowloon Children only need to bite them. Everybody one of the Kowloon Children feeds on becomes one of the Kowloon Children. This makes them very dangerous, but even more dangerous is their ability to turn other vampires.

My Opinion

Black Blood Brothers takes an interesting view of vampires. By taking bits of folklore, movie magic and even making up brand new pieces to fill in the gaps a very cool vampire mythology is presented. I especially liked the ability of the Kowloon Children bloodline to turn with a bite while other bloodlines have to do things the old fashioned way. It gives the heroes of the story something to fight against, something better than the infighting between vampire bloodlines that you normally see.

This is a great anime for vampire fans, but you don’t need to be one to enjoy it. Black Blood Brothers is more of an action anime than a horror anime. It’s more like Blade than Near Dark (best vampire movie ever).

Extras

FUNimation gives us the basics. Clean opening and closing, trailers and TV promo spots. We also get commentary for each episode. That’s something you don’t see very often for anime, at least I don’t, so that’s kind of cool.

Is it worth it?

Black Blood Brothers is worth checking out. Vampire fans will love getting to know the different bloodlines and everyone else will enjoy the fights and comedy.

I’d recommend checking out Black Blood Brothers. This one might even be worth buying for the collection.

Anime, Reviews, DVD, FUNimation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Supernatural, Vampires, Bloodlines, Kowloon Children, Blade, Near Dark

Story

Mahoro is a combat model android built to fight off the alien invasion of Earth that no one even knows happened. Her preset life span is set to expire, but living a civilian life will lengthen the time she has left. Due to her service against the alien aggressors she’s given a choice. Continue fighting and expire in about a month or retire to a civilian life and live for another year.

Mahoro chooses to retire and become a maid, but that doesn’t mean the action is over. On her way to a job interview she stops a bus highjacking, then she almost kills her new employer.

Looks like the life of a maid has challenges of it’s own.

My Opinion

Mahoromatic - Automatic Maiden is your basic “battle android/maid comedy action fanservice ecchi drama“. What, you haven’t heard of that category of anime? ok, so maybe it’s not a fully fledged category of anime. I can really only think of a couple more anime like Mahoromatic. If you’ve enjoyed one of those then you’ll probably enjoy this one too.

I was a bit surprised by the amount of nudity and sexual humor. It wasn’t anything extremely offensive, but it might not be one you want to watch with the kids. Older teens? That’s probably ok, but as a parent (and or guardian) it’s your call.

Extras on the disc are pretty sparse. Clean opening, some art and trailers are all you get.

Is it worth it?

If you’re a fan of ecchi comedies with a little bit of action and a lot of boobs, then Mahoromatic - Automatic Maiden might be just right for you.

I recommend it.

Anime, Reviews, DVD, Action, Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction, Ecchi, Fanservice, Fan Service, Nudity, Sexual Humor, Maid, Boobs

Story

Kai was raised by the Ashrum organization, one of the 12 companies that control the world. After his mother dies he joins Ashurum’s special psychic unit. As one of the highly trained psychics called E’s, pronounced Ess (?), he’s able to support his sister who is undergoing medical treatment provided by Ashurum.

While on a dangerous assignment Kai goes missing in action and discovers that the world may be different than he once believed.

My Opinion

While E’s Otherwise seems to be made up of bits and pieces of anime I’ve seen before, it fits together well. If you like the shady organization that gets, presumably, overthrown by a once naive hero it has betrayed type of anime then E’s Otherwise would be perfect for your collection. It may be well done, but what it’s doing isn’t that original. The plot and characters are all things we’ve seen before.

The extras on the DVD follow the anime’s lead. Just what you’d expect and nothing really special. Clean opening and closing, promo spots and trailers for other anime by ADV. Remember when DVDs had cool stuff on ‘em?

Oh about the “E’s” thing. I think it stands for “Esper”, a psychic. I don’t know for sure, it wasn’t explained in the episodes I watched. That’s just my theory. If you know I’m wrong then let me know. I’d be interested to find out what it does mean.

Is it worth it?

E’s Otherwise may be covering old ground, but it does it well. There’s a reason those stories get told over and over, because they work.

I’d say this is a rental. There’s nothing on the DVD worth buying.

Anime, Reviews, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Science Fiction, Supernatural, DVD, ADV, E’s Otherwise

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

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

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

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