And you thought there is never a girl online?

And you thought there is never a girl online? (ネトゲの嫁は女の子じゃないと思った?) is a 12 episode slice of life romance based on the light novel series of the same name written by Kineko Shibai and illustrated by Hisasi.  The series aired in Japan on TV over the Spring of 2016.

    Nishimura Hideki plays a popular fantasy MMORPG called Legendary Age.  The healer in his current party falls in love in-game but Nishimura was burned before when he confessed his love to an older party member to find out she was a he.  The healer relents until he gives in, still not totally convinced she is really a she.  The leader of the party suggest a meeting off line to confirm everyone's gender.  Much to Nishimura's shock the other three members are females and go to his school.

    The healer, who has fallen in love with his online persona has a hard time distinguishing between the game and reality.  Her affectionate attitude spills over into the real world, causing problems for Nishimura and the other party members in school.  Fearing the worst they embark on a mission to prove to her that there is a clear difference between them, in order to arrest any misapprehensions and potential issues.

    There is a lot of 'plot' in this series, a whole bunch of it.  The artwork is sub-par, but fitting.  The character designs are bad. but fitting.  In general this series is rather dull and mid grade fan-service MMORPG garbage.  There are moments when it has a touching side but those moments are fleeting and quickly get washed away in all of the 'plot'.

    The writing is typical of LN's aimed at the current crop of 2d over 3d otaku guys.  What school romance would be with out a trip to the beach, bathing scenes or the school festival?  The idea and implementation of the characters efforts to help their party member break out of her dangerous illusions with the game are decent.  Unfortunately they are mostly dropped half way through and the show instead focuses more on being about them playing the MMORPG above anything else.

    It was streamed via Crunchyroll, I'm sure there will be a video release at some point, given the large fanbase its aimed at.  It is rather sub-par over all though.

Quick Look at the 2016 Summer Season

In just a few days a whole new crop of anime titles will hit the airwaves.  Based on prior knowledge or little to no concrete information, here are the one's that have appeared on my radar.

91Days: Japan's attempt at telling a story set in the gritty bullet soaked world of Prohibition Era' mafia wars.

Berserk: The television return of legendarily brutal fantasy series about destruction and murder.  A lot of old school otaku are going to be pissed this is 3d CG.

Fudanshi Koko Seikatsu: A slice of life romp about a normal guy who loves BL manga and his like minded friends.
 

Handa-kun: The prequel to Barakamon, detailing the younger Handa as he begins his journey into the world of professional calligrapher.

Hatsukoi Monster: This season's reverse harem. 
 

Heroic Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance: The continuation of the epic family feud set in a fictional representation of iron age west Asia.

Hitori no Shita the Outcast: Fighting zombies, some kid gaining an unlikely power....oooh, edgy.

Honobono Log: Easy going slice of life series about ordinary life.

Mob Psycho 100: Another series of weirdness by the creator of One Punch Man.

 

New Game: Video game version of Shirobako but probably as boring as Seiyu Life.

Orange: Romance drama about friends trying to change the past to save a friend from suicide.

ReLife: Out of work/luck slacker returns to school in an experiment to see if he can make something of himself.

Saiki Kusuo no Psi Nan: One kid learns that gaining psychic powers isn't as cool as it seems.

Sweetness and Lightening:  Widower high school teacher bonds with his young daughter through learning to cook. 

Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear

Kuma Miko: Girl Meets Bear (くまみこ Girl meets Bear) is a 12 episode slice of life comedy based on the manga of the same name by Yoshimoto Masume.  The series initially aired on TV in Japan during the Spring of 2016.

    Machi lives in a small northern Japanese village called Kumade.  She lives at the local shrine with the talking bear Natsu and serves as the villages shrine maiden.  Ancient legend tells of a village miko mating with a bear, causing a line of bears who can use human speech, thus why Natsu can speak.  Machi comes to Natsu one day and proclaims that she wants to attend high school in a near by city, fearing that she will miss out on important life events remaining in the tiny village.  Natsu, being a bit more worldly than the girl tries to convince her that it won't work.

    Natsu challenges Machi with a series of trials to test her readiness to cope with big city life.  Machi is self conscious of her status as a 'country bumpkin' and has never left the village.  Her cousin who works for the village council see's her attempts to enrich herself as a perfect opportunity to use her to grow the villages profile.  He begins to work on making her an idol as a way to bring tourism and trade to their struggling hamlet.  Can Machi overcome her crippling fear of the unknown in order to reach her dream of experiencing a more enriching life?

    The artwork is excellent for this series and the character designs fit the ton perfectly.  Character reactions are well done and there are quite a lot of funny moments.  The village is full of stereotypical hick characters who are all caring and a bit off beat.  They enjoy their simple life and don't care much for changing their ways.  Machi on the other hand has this burning desire to change her ways, even if she is one of the least knowledgeable people in the village, not even capable of operating a cell phone very well.

    In many ways this was a fun and heartwarming comedy.  In other ways this is a stark look at mental heath issues.  Machi suffers from severe self confidence issues, crippling social anxiety and seems to be to some degree cognitively disabled as well.  While there is a lot of tongue-in-cheek comedy about how unprepared she is for larger social interaction.  Time and again she is forced into situations she is unable to handle and mentally shuts down, stricken with terror and a destruction of her self esteem.  Repeatedly she is reduced to a catatonic, gibbering condition.  So really, this is a dark comedy about people who supposedly love this troubled girl and continue to thrust her into overwhelmingly stressful situations in order to teach her a 'lesson'.

    The series was simulcast by FUNimation and is likely to have a video release in the near future.  The manga is being released in English by Kadokawa Shoten.

   

Flying Witch

Flying Witch (ふらいんぐうぃっち) is a 12 episode super natural slice of life series based on the manga of the same name by Ishizuka Chihiro.  The series ran on TV in Japan over the Spring of 2016.

    Kowata Makoto is a witch in training, following in her older sisters foot steps.  All witches of a certain age must move out of their parents care to continue their training.  Makoto moves hours away from home to live with relatives in a small country town in Aomori (northern Honshu).  There, with her non-witch relatives, she goes to school and practices her trade.

    The quiet town is perfect for Makoto's personality and witch craft.  She explains her customs and training to her cousins and their parents, not entirely hiding what she is from them.  Her training is aided by her sister, a world renowned witch, who frequents the house to offer advice and sample potions.  As she settles in to her new home, Makoto makes contact with other witches in the area as well as the local spirits and other magical personalities.

    Unlike pretty much every other show dealing with witches this one is quite easy going with the world of magic.  There are no epic battle against forces of evil, no complicated ceremonies, no ancient mystics.  For the most part the series is a very calming slice of life tale that just happens to have a few characters with super natural knowledge.  The witches are more of the traditional role; herbalists, naturalists, mystics.  As opposed to spell throwing, chanting super beings.  The most blatant use of their abilities is when they are flying around on their brooms, but they do so discretely, not wishing to make waves with people who are unaware of their abilities.  They live in the background helping any way they can.

    This was an enjoyable series, even if not much was accomplished in it's story telling.  The characters are well developed, even if they live in a blissful world, free from worry.  The artwork is well done and matches the feel and themes of the show rather well.  There is a penchant for well detailed female butts in the show, which seemed a bit odd given the innocent tone and feel of the series over all.  Or maybe it was something that I noticed that wasn't on purpose and is really a reflection of my own ideals.  Either way, the show was pretty good all around and honestly I could do with more of it.

   Flying Witch was simulcast on Crunchyroll.  I'm sure a video release is pending, but as with many things these days, I am more interested in the manga coming over.  Vertical has picked up the license but I am unaware of any release dates,

2006: The Biggest Year for TV anime ever

2006 saw the greatest number of anime shows being aired on TV in Japan.  It also had some of the best shows that have been made.  Little did any of the fan-base perceive the crash that was around the corner.  Here is a look at the titles that made 2006 particularly special for the Otaku Network.  For an in depth review click on the title of the anime.

Rec, Winter 2006.  Romance, slice of life, comedy.  9 episodes. 
    A short and sweet story of adult romance and a second chance at love.

Ergo Proxy, Winter-Summer 2006.  Sci-fi, action, cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic.  23 episodes.
    A stylish cyberpunk story that questions the truth of the shattered world the characters live in.


Jyu Oh Sei, Spring 2006.  Sci-fi, fantasy.  11 episodes.
    This fast paced survival story follows a pampered rich kid as he survives the horrors of a prison world to find out who killed his parents and banished him.

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Spring 2006.  Slice of life, comedy, super natural.  12 episodes.
    A unique slice of life comedy that dabbles in the super natural and made Light Novel adaptations a gold standard in anime.

Higurshi When They Cry, Spring-Summer 2006.  Horror, slice of life, super natural, moe.  26 episodes.
    This adaption of a popular home-brew horror computer game proved that loli's love to bathe in blood.

Zegapain, Spring-Summer 2006.  Mecha, sci-fi, post-apocalyptic, school life.  26 episodes.
    Mech video game tie-in series about the struggle of humanity to fend off alien invaders.  The unique part is that humanity only exists as data on servers.

Ouran High School Host Club, Spring-Summer 2006.  Romance, comedy, slice of life, school life.  26 episodes.
    Reverse harem romantic comedy about a girl who unintentionally looks like a boy.


School Rumble 2nd Semester, Spring-Summer 2006.  Romance, comedy, slice of life, school life.  26 episodes.
    Continuing the odd ball activities of high school kids who don't have a clue when it comes to romance.

Black Lagoon, Spring & Fall 2006.  Action.  24 episodes.
    The adventures of a straight laced Japanese businessman who is offered up to violent pirates in south Asia.

Kiba, Spring 2006-Winter 2007.  Super natural, shonen, action.  51 episodes.
    If you have to see one shonen battle anime, see this one that lacks pointless filler and has characters that understand the need to kill.

Nana, Spring 2006-Winter 2007.  Romance, slice of life, music.  47 episodes.
    Mature romance from the woman's perspective, where the characters learn how hard being an adult can be.

Gintama, Spring 2006-Spring 2010.  Comedy, samurai, sci-fi, action.  210 episodes.
    The super popular Shonen Jump title that makes fun of everything in Shonen Jump.

Gyagu Manga Biyori Season 2, Summer 2006.  Comedy, 4koma, absurd.  12 episodes.
    More odd ball gag manga, one of the best examples of this under valued genre.

Welcome to the NHK, Summer-Fall 2006.  Slice of life, comedy, psychosis, hikikomori.  26 episodes.
    The series that introduced the idea of hikkikomori to the west as it detailed a shut in's efforts to become a useful member of society.

Living for the Day After Tomorrow, Fall 2006.  Slice of life, drama, romance, super natural.  12 episodes.
    Two people wish to be different and have to deal with the consequences when their wishes are granted.

The Wallflower, Fall 2006-Spring 2007.  Romance, comedy, slice of life, school life.  26 episodes.
    Reverse harem comedy about pretty boys who try to tame an unruly gothic shut in.

Code Geass, Fall 2006-Summer 2007.  Mecha, super natural, military.  26 episodes.
    CLAMP takes the kings gambit to the most extreme level in this story of a forgotten prince fixated on taking down the entire royal family that rules the world.

Ghost Hunt, Fall 2006-Summer 2007.  Horror, super natural, school life.  25 episodes.
    Surprisingly creepy series about a group of teenage ghost hunters/skeptics.

Death Note, Fall 2006-Summer 2007.  Super natural, mystery, police drama.  237 episodes.
    The almost page for page telling of one of the most popular manga ever which deals with a high school kid given the power to kill with impunity and the efforts to stop him.

D.Gray Man, Fall 2006-Summer 2008.  Super natural, shonen, action.  51 episodes.
    Victorian era shonen battle series about a secret agency fighting super natural enemies trying to end humanity.

    Some amazing shows came out in this year and it's amazing to think of how many did.  This was an iconic period in the medium and it seems everyone has been grasping to reclaim it.  1995/1996 was also a pivotal period for the medium so perhaps the industry is due for another recharge any time now.

Lost Man

Lost Man (ロストマン) is a one-shot comic by Kuji Shinnosuke.  It was a manga contest entry by the author published in 2013.

    The story follows a suspicious bandaged man who is taking a young girl to an amusement park for a day of excitement and spectacle.  Whatever the girl desires he happily manifests.  Rides, treats, etc.  Yet the man is currently being hunted by the authorities and park officials are alarmed by his presence, even if it appears the girl is enjoying her self and unharmed.

    This is a different side of Kuji than I am used to with his space one-shots, Astro and Moon Rabbit.  This is a promising artist and author who needs to get a bigger audience and a longer series.  But who knows, perhaps he doesn't desire that.  Either way, his artwork and story telling is fantastic.  In a few dozen pages he is able to weave complex characters and multiple emotions.  This is a quick and enjoyable story about regret and ambition.

    This will never be available outside of Japan I assume.  Unfortunately.

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless

Tanaka-kun is Always Listless (田中くんはいつもけだるげ) is a 12 episode slice of life comedy based on the manga of the same name by Uda Nozomi.  The series originally aired in Japan during the spring of 2016.

    High school student Tanaka embodies the ultimate level of slack, doing as much as possible to do absolutely nothing.  With the help of his friend Ohta he is able to survive at a minimal level, frequently being carried by Ohta around town and school.  Ohta also does well to shield Tanaka from external stress.  High school life provides some new challenges as Tanaka is exposed to more people who aren't used to his way of living.  Through a series of new encounters Tanaka's group of friends grows, sometimes much to his annoyance as they impede on his slack.  As he adjusts to the interruptions and the new people in his life accept his uber laziness life begins to fit into new levels of satisfaction

    On the surface there isn't much to this anime.  Its a slow moving and low key slice of life comedy about a kid taking teenage ennui to its pinnacle.  Yet its rather enjoyable and funny when it gets wacky.  It doesn't bring anything really new to the over crowded world of slice of life high school comedies.  What it does bring is enjoyable and smile inducing.  One Week Friends should have had the same feel as this series based on the atmosphere of the manga, which was more comedic in delivery.  The characters in Tanaka-kun are some of the more enjoyable that I have seen in quite a while, even if they fall neatly into the stereotypes typical of the genre.  What I came away form the series is that I would have really enjoyed friends like those when I was in school.

    The artwork fits well with the tone and delivery of the series, simple line artwork that sometimes goes into the weird world anime/manga comedy fans are familiar with.  At times the artwork is washed out like a water color, enhancing the feeling of it being a dream world.  Overall it's an enjoyable series even if it doesn't really bring anything new to the genre.  Plot wise there is only a moderate amount of progression and in the end there is no real arc of character development or story progression.  It wasn't hard to say goodbye to the series though as 12 episodes seemed long enough.

    The series was simulcast on Crunchyroll and will probably see some form of video release.  I would be more interested in access to the manga though.

Reset & Duds Hunt

Reset (リセット) is a seinen techno thriller by Tsutsui Tetsuya.  This one-shot series was originally published in 2005.

    Residents of an apartment complex are committing suicide at an alarming rate.  A detective for the municipal police suspects it has something to do with the complex wide LAN survival game.  She employs a hacker to secure evidence proving that someone is manipulating the other residents through the LAN game to kill themselves.  Following the sudden death of her husband a young housewife joins forces with the hacker to discover the identity of the insidious resident.  She learns firsthand how dangerous the hyper real world of the game is and how it can have devastating psychological effects on those addicted to it.

     These days full immersion video game's are a common plot device in anime and manga.  Reset takes a quick look at the darker side of that and merges it with a traditional police mystery.  Well done artwork and an interesting story filled with a few characters that are fleshed out well enough to understand their motivations.  This story reminded me a little of the classic manga by Otomo Hatsuhiro, Domu.

Duds Hunt: The Survival Network Game (ダズハント) is a seinen techno thriller by Tsutsui Tetsuya.  It is his first published manga and was released in 2002.

    Nakanashi is a reformed juvenile delinquent who is trying to fit in with the straight world selling life insurance.  The difficulty of his job is exacerbated by his abusive and belittling supervisor.  While complaining about his situation online someone suggests to him that he should join the network game Duds Hunt as a way to supplement his income.  After the rigorous application process he receives a cell phone and a PDA, he is now a part of the Duds Hunt.

    At random times in the day his cell phone will go off and he will receive a message that the game is beginning, what area of town it will take place in and how long it will last.  The goal; survive till the end and you get 100,000 yen ($1000).  If you can take the cell of the other players you gain 100,000 yen additional, per each cell.  Nakanashi understands that the most effective way to gather more cell's is through brute force.  He quickly reverts to his delinquent ways and aggressively hunts the other players.  When he complains how boredom in the game to the online friend who introduced him to it, he is told of a higher level version of the game with greater rewards and more dangerous contestants.  Eager for the thrill and money he joins the game full of savages.  Who operates the game and for what purpose does it exist?

    This was an ambitious manga for a first time and showcases his sense of story telling.  Weaving the stories of the reformed delinquent reveling in his old ways and a young girl struggling with the loss of her father.  The artwork isn't up to the quality of his later stories but its still well done.  At times the action become confusing and difficult to tell whats going on.  It would seem once he became an official pro author the editors reigned in some of his line usage issues.  Either way, this is a really well done story and would make a really good movie.  There is a bonus side story in the tankoubon that tells the story of a girl abused by her step father and a moment of uncontrolled reaction.

    I've been a fan of Tsutsui's manga for years now, since I read Manhole.  Unfortunately none of his pieces are readily available in North America.  This is a shame as his stories comprise of mostly single tankoubon one-shots with high quality artwork and interesting ideas.  The stories are generally too short for well developed characters but he handles them well and details enough of their background and motives to make their roles in the stories to make sense.  His real strength is his artwork, of which has a modern cyberpunk feel to it.  Maybe some company will start to pick up his stuff...

    If your Japanese is up to snuff you can check out his most recent manga, Yugai Toshi (Poison City).

The Heroic Legend of Arslan - TV Series

The Heroic Legend of Arslan ( アルスラーン戦記) is a 25 episode fantasy epic based on the novel of the same name by Tanaka Yoshiki.  The series is inspired by the medieval Persian epic Amir Arsalan and aired on TV in Japan in 2015.

    Set in a fictional land the crown prince Arslan of the kingdom of Pars find's himself fleeing for his life.  His father, King Andragoras is defeated through treachery in battle with the a neighboring nation Lusitania.  With a large portion of the forces destroyed in the battle, the capital of Pars is over taken by the zealous Lusitanians.  With the help of one faithful warrior Arslan survives the battle and flees into the wilderness, seeking help from anyone he can trust.  Eventually Arslan gathers a handful of faithful and set's out to challenge the invaders for the right to the thrown of his mother nation.  Gathering those forces still loyal to him.

    In the mid 90's I had watched the first few episodes of the incomplete OAV series of this story but remembered very little of it.  I have never been a big fan of fantasy based anime but something about the Arslan series is a little different.  This is based on and in the spirit of classic hero epics, the types of stories that became the basis for literature.  The epic it is based on is set with the Islamic states defending themselves from invading European Christian armies.  The series mirrors that in Arslan and the Pars people resisting the invasion from the religiously zealous invaders, who themselves in the anime mimic the dress of Crusaders.

    While the Lusitanian's kill everyone that does not agree with their faith, Pars has it's own moral issues.  Issues that Arslan confronts, learns from and resolves to correct in his quest for the throne.  He goes through a growth pattern very familiar to students of mythology.  The hero's that surround him, on both sides, take on legendary attributes, even while Arslan himself is unremarkable in physical traits.

    Art wise Arslan is average in quality, at times the CG used in larger battles is clunky, but over all the battle scenes and character designs are good.  As the series neared its conclusion the art quality began to diminish noticeably.  The story telling on the other hand remained excellent, if not improved in the second half.  The way the series ended it was also little secret that a second series would be coming.  That series is The Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance and will begin airing in July of 2016.

    The series was simulcast by FUNimation and will be releasing it on video at some point.  The manga is currently available on Crunchyroll manga and in print by Kodansha.  The original OAV's from the early 90's are out of print.

   

Big Order

Big Order (ビッグオーダー) is a 10 episode fantasy action series based on the manga of the same name by Esuno Sakae.  It originally aired in Japan during Spring of 2016.

    Hoshimiya Eiji caused the near destruction of the world through a power he gained after having a wish granted by the mysterious girl Daisy.  Since the world was almost ruined a number of people have gained powers called Orders.  Eiji lives alone with his step sister Sena after their parents died in the destruction 10 years ago.  Sena is dying of a terminal disease and Eiji does everything to prevent her from knowing he is the one that lead the world to misery.

    Eiji's efforts come to a halt when a crazed woman named Kurenai Rin attempts to kill him.  She exposes Eiji's past sin to Sena, forcing Eiji to use his Order to control her.  The people who made Rin target him used the opportunity to test his abilities.  Liking what they see they have now cornered Eiji, though his sister, to help them take over control of Japan for their own use.  With the promise to cure Rin's illness he takes the task they set before him and they work to rule the nation.  Their mission is difficult though as other Orders are trying tot prevent it from happening.  As Eiji pushes towards the goal the secrets of the great destruction, the Orders and his own abilities reveal them selves.

    I'm going to say right now this series was pretty horrible.  It was a huge jumbled mesh of plot devices spanning a dozen different anime genres.  Covering the range of shonen battle, super powered harem, soft core hentai, incest porn, metaphysical non-sense, post-apacolyptic nonsense...the list goes on.  The artwork was uneven and some of the character designs were entirely unoriginal.  The plot made so many twists and turns half of the resolutions were pulled out of thin air.  Part of the problem could be from its condensed size.  The manga spans 9 tankoubon so they crammed a ton of information into 200 minutes worth of anime.

    Even with the haphazard story telling the series couldn't make up it's mind whether it wanted to be serious of a joke and half of that it ended up being opposite of what it set out to be.  I'm sure a lot of people are chomping at the bit for the weirdly placed bath lesbian scene to be uncensored on the disc release.  If I could explain this series in one sentence it would be.  Super powers are only needed to fuck your sister.

    I don't care when or if this series comes out in America beyond its simulcast stream on Crunchyroll...I feel dirty for watching all of it.

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conqueror of Shamballa (劇場版 鋼の錬金術師 シャンバラを征く者) is the 2005 theatrical release that concludes the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist TV series.  The movie is an original story that is derived from the TV series and is not based on anything in the manga.

    Warning: Spoilers of the original TV series ahead.

    Picking up where the TV series left off, we find Ed trapped in our world and Al back in their world, fully restored but 4 years younger and missing all of his memories from that time period.  Ed has found Al's counterpart and both are living in Munich.  It is the early 1920's and Germany is suffering under the conditions of the end of the first World War.  Ed is trying to use scientific technology in place of alchemy to find a way to return home with real world Al, working in the emerging field of rocketry.  At a country fair Ed saves a gypsy girl named Noah, who looks an awful lot like Rose.  Doing so brings unwanted attention from a group of dangerous nationalists...what will soon become the Nazi party.

    Ed stumbles upon this worlds version of King Bradly only to learn he is a kind film director, Fritz Lang, who explains to him about a secret organization the Thule Society.  Ed accompanies Fritz on a goose chase to find a legendary white serpent, only to discover it is Envy, who also survived going through the gate.  The Thule Society arrives and captures Envy, to use in a magical experiment to bring weapons of unparalleled power in the coming war they want to wage.  A war to regain Germany's glory.  Ed discovers they are using a version of alchemy and are attempting to open up The Gate and invade his own world.

    At the same time Al has been traveling the world, researching a way to bring Ed back, believing he is still alive.  In Liore he meets Rose and Armstrong just as an army of automaton armored suits burst from the ground and begin to attack the city.  By transmuting part of his soul, Al is able to control them.  He learns they came through The Gate and by sending them back through he ends up making contact with Ed for a brief period of time.  With the brothers confirming each others existence both work on their own to reconnect.  Ed works to stop the Thule Societies mad goals and to try and get back through the gate to his own world.

    At the end of the original series you are left with a feeling of loss and regret.  The brothers attained their goals but have been separated as a result.  The movie picks up with that plight and shows the story of them working to reunite.  As always their personal goals run parallel with them fighting against a grave threat to peace and stability.  Since it is a movie the artwork is higher quality than the limited animation of the TV show.  The art is good but suffers when they try to use rudimentary cell shading CG.  The best thing aside from continuing the brothers adventures is seeing what everyone who survived the TV series has been up to since.  It's also fun to see a few of the side characters alternate personalities in the real world.

    The story wraps up rather nicely by the end of the series and concludes the non-cannon version.  It does a really god job of using real events that happened as the backdrop as well.  If you watch the original TV series it is crucial that the movie is watched as well.  Unlike so many of it's peers, the movie is a continuation of the story instead of some side story that can be forgotten.  As well, the movie's license has expires and will soon be difficult to source, so pick it up while its still affordable and enjoy an entertaining historical story with your favorite characters.

Fullmetal Alchemist

Fullmetal Alchemist ( 鋼の錬金術師) is a 51 episode shonen action series based on the manga of the same name by Arakawa Hiromu.  The original TV anime series aired between 2003 and 2004.

    Edward and Alphonse are desperate orphans.  Using the knowledge they gained from the library of their absentee father, Hohenheim, they use alchemy to try and resurrect their recently deceased mother.  Things go horribly wrong and they realize why using alchemy to bring back the dead is forbidden.  The 'science' is guided by laws of equivalent exchange, something given for something gotten.  The price they paid for trying to revive their mother was Al's body and Ed's leg.  In an act of desperation Ed sacrifices his arm in order to bind Al's soul to a suit of armor.

    Their goal, realizing the error in their ways, is to do whatever they can to restore their bodies.  The pair is driven by the idea of a power source that will allow them to amplify their alchemy, the Philosophers Stone.  Ed chooses the path of joining the military as a State Alchemist in order to access greater knowledge and research possibilities.  In their studies and subsequent travels they begin to unravel a dark history of war and sacrifice.  The brothers realize they may not be able to atone for their sins without loosing their humanity.

    I'm not sure why I never did a review of this series.  More than likely it is because I watched it before I began my blog over 10 years ago.  So after watching it with my kids I figured I could review it properly.  As I get into it there will be some spoilers, but the series is old enough and popular enough it shouldn't matter too much.  It was nice to return to this series which I enjoyed quite a bit.  The artwork seems to of held up over the years and the story was engaging like I remember it from 12 years ago.  But in the end I remembered the one thing that was nagging on me, it loses a bit of steam.  The series had this world that it had been building up, the first half sticking well enough with the manga.  Due to the series coming out prematurely, the second half trails off course from the manga's progression.  It starts to get a bit weird in the second half and the origins of the homunculi differ from the manga.  In the end the series ties into the real world through The Gate and at one point Ed finds himself in London during an air raid.

    In the end of the series you are left on a down note.  It doesn't end nice and tidy, the good guys aren't necessarily victorious.  This is one thing that sets it apart from its shonen action brethren.  Other things that make this series stand out is it's message of humanity and lose.  Ed and Al struggle the entire time though overtly selfish desires but their compassion see's them doing everything they can to help those that are helpless.  Even one of their main enemies, Scar, earns their respect and understanding at one point.  Some people complain they don't grow and mature in the series.  That their personalities don't change enough from beginning to end.  But honestly, that's how people really are, set in their ways.  The biggest struggle they face is how much of their humanity they want to sacrifice to gain what they want.

    In the end Fullmetal Alchemist is a fantastic series, but even with 51 episodes it could have done with about 3 or 4 of them and still told the story well.  The story wrapped up really well with the feature length movie, Conqueror of Shamballa.  The license to distribute it in North America expired March of 2016, so snag up the disc releases while you can at a good price.  They won't last long and there is no word on when it will be renewed.  For the time being it is also available on FUNimations website and Hulu.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt (機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト) is a 4 part ONA series set in the UC timeline of Gundam.  The series was released between December 2015 and May 2016 and is based on the manga of the same name by Otagaki Yasuo.

    Taking place during the One year War, Thunderbolt follows a force of Zeon soldiers battling a force of Federation soldiers in the ruins of space colonies.  The sides are locked in a bloody stalemate as they engage in small skirmishes, slowly dwindling their forces.  A feud between Federation pilot, Io Flemming and Zeon sniper Darly Lorenz is the focus of the short anime.  Each pilot is highly skilled and use every technical advantage they can to over come the other, all while their respective sides are being wiped out around them.

    This is a dark and mature entry in the Gundam universe.  Death and destruction are everywhere.  Those that survive the longest have embraced the darkness of battle.  The only thing they see to their actions is the victories of the battlefield and have no dreams of an end to the conflict.  Willing to sacrifice life and limb to quench their thirst for the fight it's self.

    With a running time of around an hour the series does a really good job at setting up the struggle between a handful of characters, showing enough of their background and personality to make everything fall into place.  This is a great example of brevity in story telling.  It is effective and well done.  The artwork is really nice too, with character designs that reminded me of Aeon Flux.  The line work is stark and bold.  The combat is pretty good, typical Gundam fare.  Whats best about this story is the lack of teenage wunderkind main characters.  These are hardened soldiers doing their job with brutal efficiency, there is no time of second guessing or moral quandaries.  Truly a mature story, something the franchise could do a little more often.

    The series is as of yet not available in North America, but there is word that the theatrical version of it may see a stateside release in the near future.  Sadly the manga is not available in North America either currently.

Boom Boom Satellites

Boom Boom Satellites is a popular electronic/rock due who has seen substantial success in their home country and some success globally for almost 20 years.  On the bands official Facebook page a post was made on May 31st 2016 stating that with the completion of their latest EP, Lay Your Hands On Me, the band would be calling it quits.  The reason for this is due to singer/guitarist Kawashima Michiyuki's deteriorating health from his forth time battling brain cancer.  Over the years BBS has been one of my core favorite bands and I am sad to see them retire.  But what does that have to do with anime?  If you are unaware, as some are, they have provided a number of songs to various anime soundtracks.

    The band hit international music recognition in 1998 when they released their first singles under the Belgian techno label R&S Records.  I was introduced to them in 1999 with their first full length album Out Loud and instantly became a fan.  This album merged jazz elements with rock and electronic dance music.  In my personal opinion the best song is the combination of Intruder and An Owl.  They toured the US that Fall supporting Moby.  I still regret I used the excuse of being too poor to pass up the show when a number of my friends went.  I also didn't really want to see Moby.  Due to pass up this appearance in my town I have never been able to see them perform.

   
Their next album, Umbra, released in 2001, continuing the style from Out Loud.  It featured a guest appearance from Public Enemy's Chuck D on the song Your Reality Is Fantasy but Your Fantasy is Killing Me.  The next album, Photon, came out in 2002 and saw a massive shift to a more rock orientated style that would come to define their style for the rest of their career.  The bands next album, Full of Elevating Pleasures saw their emergence in the world of anime soundtracks.  Prior to its release two songs, Dive for You and Anthem were showcased on the 2004 movie Appleseed.  This exposure pushed them to more pronounced popularity in the west.  My favorite track off of this album is the epic show opener, Rise and Fall.

    Not wanting to sit idle, 2006 saw their next album, On, which is probably my least favorite.  The track Girl was used in the live action Death Note: the Last Name movie.  They more than made up for it, in my mind with 2007's Exposed.  One of the best tracks on it, Shut Up and Explode, was used as the intro theme for the PSN released anime series Xam'd.  Two tracks, Easy Action and Friends were part of the soundtrack to the movie Vexile 2077.  The band cooled down for a bit and returned with a new album in 2010 called To the Loveless.  This was the first album with their new drummer, the amazingly talented Fukuda Yoko.  That same year a song titled Broken Mirror, was used in the OAV series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.  The song would eventually appear on their 2013 release, Embrace.

    Shine Like a Billlion Suns came out in 2013 as the band discussed Kawashima's long battle with cancer.  The album it's self felt like a soliloquy.  The song Back in Black was used as the opening theme for 2015s ONA series Ninja Slayer.  Not long after the announcement of the bands retirement their final EP will be released which includes the song Lay Your Hands on Me, which is used as the theme for the 2016 anime Kiznaiver.  The band has a solid catalog of work, but with any artists that you deeply admire it's never enough.  They have done well to straddle the worlds of rock and electronic music while carving out a unique place in the industry for them selves.  Talented, innovative and special.  The will be deeply missed.