Kimi ga Nozomu Eien Next Season

Kimi ha Nozomu Eien Next Season is the follow up to the TV series, which is also known as Rumbling Hearts an America. This four-episode OAV set came out between 2007 and 2008 and completes the story of four friends who are torn apart by tragedy.

    Following all of the events from the TV series, Haruka is finally released from the hospital after being deemed stable enough by her doctor. Takayuki decides once and for all that he will pick up his relationship with Haruka and push Mitsuki aside. Mitsuki is torn between her feelings for Takayuki and her guilt for dating her best friends man while she was in a coma. Shinji’s relationship with all of them has soured and he drops from the scene all together. Takayuki pushes ahead full bore in trying to make up for lost time with Haruka while planning for their future. Haruka, still not wholly connected with reality has to do her best to return to normalcy. She is still delicate and the threat of her reverting to a comatose state looms over everyone’s head causing all to treat her with kid’s gloves. She has to decide for herself if she wants to pursue a life with Takayuki or go her own path. Mitsuki, scorned and left out in the cold, has to find her own purpose in life and tries to start over far away from her hometown and old friends. In the end will everyone be able to find their happiness or has the past three years of grief and hardship reversed their friendships and dreams?

    This four OAV set wraps up the original 14 episode TV series nicely. It puts finalization on the story and the characters. That being said, it follows the TV series in every way, art style, writing, music, feel, etc. There is much heartbreak and agony in the episodes, keeping with the standards the TV series had set. It is very dry, very serious and very moody. The only break to the tension is with Takayuki’s coworkers again, however they don’t show up very much in the OAV, which I don’t see as a bad thing. The biggest problem I have with it is how flat and uneventful it ended. The series got me so used to being shocked and having everything thrown to the wind that the ending and entire last OAV was actually quite boring and disappointing. I was hoping, futilely, for something like a bus crash in the end…but alas history does not repeat it’s self. In the end the story wraps up and you can move on to other stories. If you enjoyed the TV series, continue watching this, just to see some more stories with the characters and for some final resolution. Aside form that, it is highly suggested you view the TV series before viewing the OAV. To decide whether or not you want to view the TV series read my review on that and go from there. So go step in cat shit.

Hoshi no Koe

Hoshi no Koi or Voices of a Distant Star is a short OAV from Makoto Shinkai of Places Promised in our Early Days and 5cm Per Second fame that was released in 2002 in Japan and 2003 in America.

   This half hour story is about the strains long distance relationships suffer. Set in a distant time Mikako Nagamine finds herself enlisted in the UN Space Army as a mech pilot to fight in the war against an alien enemy. The only way to remain in contact with her boyfriend, Noboru Terao, while away from Earth is via email on her cell phone. Once she is done with her training she is deployed to the front lines, far from earth. As she travels to her location she continued to email Noboru. Due to the increasing distance between them the emails take longer and longer to reach their intended targets. From Mikako’s perspective the duration between her emails are short, to Noboru the time between them begins to expand rapidly, first taking days, then weeks, then months and finally years in between each message. While she is in the far reaches of space battling the enemy and opening her heart, detailing her experiences to her boy friend, he is growing older and more distant from her physically and emotionally, until he begins to move on with his life.

    This is a haunting and beautiful mix of hard sci-fi and heart wrenching romance. This OAV was my first introduction to Shinkai, who has become one of my favorite directors in the world of anime. The animation is beautiful and well detailed, steeped highly in real life. The mech designs and combat scenes would fit in any of the best mech stories. It is a combination that is done frequently but never quite succeeds. Where Gundam and other such shonen mech titles try and incorporate romances into the story of interstellar war and mech fanservice, Hoshi no Koi delivers a beautiful and depressing romance with excellent mech action. What is even more incredible about the movie is that is was done entirely by Shinkai himself. The only outside assistance he had was with the sound engineering. This was the first official release by this talented man and it won him a number of awards and helped propel him into the industry as a force to be reckoned with. If you want to see a well done story about the inevitableness of tragedy check this short out. The American DVD includes Shinkai’s original animation short, A Woman and Her Cat which is also haunting. I think someone needs to sit this man down with a therapist.

Maison Ikkoku - anime

Maison Ikkoku (めぞん一刻) is based on the romantic comedy manga of the same name by Takahashi Rumiko.  The series originally aired for 8 cour between 1986 and 1988.

     Yusaku Godai is a ronin, a high school graduate who is working on passing his college entrance exam. He lives in a run down rental property in Tokyo with a number of colorful neighbors. His neighbors; mysterious Yotsuya, flirtatious Akemi and drunken housewife Ichinose, entertain themselves on a daily basis by berating him. During one night-long session of partying and entertainment at Godai’s expense he is driven to his limits and prepares to leave the complex for good. They cheer him on for finally accepting that he is a failure and walk him to the entrance of the building when a beautiful woman arrives to announce that she is the new apartment manager. Godai, instantly smitten with the young woman, welcomes her to the building and turns around to return to his room, determined to stay in his apartment as long as she is there. Kyoko Otonashi is the daughter in law of the man who owns the apartment and has allowed her to take over as its manager as a sign of his concern for her well being. Kyoko, nearly the same age as Godai, is a widow. Her husband, the son of the apartment’s owner, was significantly older than her and died suddenly after their wedding. The grief stricken widow has decided to continue on as a member of her deceased husbands’ family and to aid them in any way possible, determined to remain a widow forever.

    Aside from the heart ache she has endured, Kyoko is a kind, patient and caring person. The residents of the apartment complex quickly welcome her. Godai quickly falls for the woman, not knowing her history at first, and uses his dream of dating her as his motivation to succeed. He convinces himself that he can only ask her to date him once he has graduated college and gotten a solid career, so he can support her and be the strong husband she requires. Along the way he runs into many problems; he has a difficult time getting into school, he has a difficult time once he gets in, he can’t contain his feelings for Kyoko, a rival shows up threatening to steal her away, she cannot move beyond the shadow of her husband, he’s unreliable, etc etc. All through out his journey toward his goal the other residents continue to harass him and threaten to expose his feelings to Kyoko prematurely. Can he make it into her heart or will he slink back to his small town home and live out his days a miserable failure.

    This old romantic comedy is dated. The animation is low quality but sticks to Takahashi’s style. The music and the characters clothing is cheesy. Every thing about it says the 80’s. Regardless of that, this is my favorite romance anime. One of the things I like about this series above all the other romances I have watched is that it is mature. It is one of the few romances not about adolescent love. It is about two adults, in adult situations trying to relate to each other as adults do. The story is well written, with the characters unfolding through out the entire series. The characters are based in reality as are the situations. Godai suffers from the same problems that most male leads in romances do though; shyness, lack of confidence and over active thinking. While Kyoko is quiet, reserved, sometimes melancholy and chooses not to see the truth in front of her. This series tugs at the hart strings every chance it can get and brought me close to tears more times than I can remember. The worst part was saying goodbye to the characters I had watched grow and develop over some 90ish episodes.

    The series is old, but the story and the characters are timeless. If you are a fan of romances and romantic comedies this is one of the best (best in my opinion) stories out there. It is available outside of Japan in both anime and manga version and was released by Viz originally in the mid 90’s in America. Aside from the TV series there were a few one-shot OAV that served various purposes, some recapping the series, one telling a short prequel to the story as well as a movie which features the only resident of the apartment complex not shown in the TV show. The OAV and movie are not worth much time, nor is the live action movie from the late 80’s. In 2008 there was a live action two movie special that over-viewed the majority of the story. Aside from the length this live action adaptation was even better then the anime in many ways. There is no word on the recent live action movies being brought to America.

Black Lagoon & Black Lagoon: Second Barrage

Black Lagoon (ブラック・ラグーン) and Black Lagoon: Second Barrage are 12 episode action anime titles based on the manga Black Lagoon. They aired on TV in Japan in 2006 and 2007 respectively.

    Tokyo salaryman Rokuro Okajima finds himself in south East Asia delivering a disc for his employers to a business partner. Unknown to him the disk contains secret information that can get his employer in a serious amount of international trouble. Known to various groups of pirates in the South Seas is his whereabouts and the contents of the disk. An interested party hires a small band of pirates known for their expertise to kidnap the Japanese businessman and his package. Rokuro’s ship is attacked by the bandits and he is captured by the Lagoon, a 3 person crew operating out of Thailand. Rokuro’s company agrees to meet the demands for the package but when they don’t plan to do anything for his release he decides to join the pirates instead of returning to Japan. The captain of the ship, Dutch, agrees to bring the green horn into his crew, much to the dismay of Revy, the muscle. The final member, techno wizard Benny doesn’t object and the dress shirt clad Rock (as he is dubbed) is a member of the crew. He must now live outside of anything he has ever experienced before and remove any moralistic boundaries he once possessed to survive the harsh Asian underworld, pursuing the life of a pirate.

    The Lagoon Company is based out of the fictional town of Roanapur in Thailand, a place that caters only to criminals. Rock, who is use to restrained civilization must adapt quickly to the Wild West atmosphere of Roanapur. Their jobs include kidnappings, package delivery, package retrieval, escorting clients and more. Rock must determine if this is the life he wants to live and if he has what it takes to do the job while also maintaining a balance that keeps him from becoming an uncivilized animal like those around him. At the same time the entire Lagoon Company must continue to skate a fine line between working for the various faction in Roanapur, such as the Russian and Chinese mafias.

    This is a well done action series that is filled with guns, explosions and carnage. The animation is high quality and the fast paced action leave’s no time for boredom. While the show is a mindless action vehicle the writing is well done and the main characters are developed to the point they need to be. The opening and ending theme songs are entertaining and the music in the series as a whole is worth while. If you are a fan of violence and death this is a great series to watch, if you are squeamish stay away. The many side characters are unique and memorable, such as the nuns of the Church of Violence, a Catholic church in the town that deals in gun running. The biggest problem I had with the first season/series was the second to final story arc. The main protagonist in the arc at times takes on Terminator qualities as she survives a high speed car crash and massive explosions, always to remain right on the Lagoon Companies tail. The arc was good but too far fetched for the series in my opinion.

    The second season/series, Second Strike, turns up the dial on mayhem and twisted characters. Parts of Roanapur’s underworlds specialties come to the surface to show that it is more grisly than you thought. One particularly disturbing arc deals with young twins; products of a cruel war torn country, who have been hired by someone to take out the Russian mafia. These sociopath murderers leave a bloodbath in their wake as they attempt to take out one of the toughest women in town. The most disturbing is their past, the events that made them psychopathic killers in the first place. The series ends with Rock and Revy going to Japan to broker a deal between two Yakuza clans. Rock, faced with the chance to return to his past life, must decide once and for all if he wants to continue down the road of damnation or if he can salvage his soul and return to the mundane world.

    The second season is actually more enjoyable then the first season. We already know most of the players so we don’t have to waste time being introduced to them. The stories take on a more serious tone then before and the action gets ratcheted up significantly. I give the producers credit for trying, but in the scenes when Revy is speaking English it can be both embarrassing and confusing given the voice actors poor skill in the language. This happens frequently during the Japanese arc to show that she isn’t speaking Japanese when dealing with the natives. When she and Rock are speaking to each other it is in Japanese, voice actor wise, even though story wise they are speaking English to each other. It adds some realism to the story and some of her interactions in the arc reminded me of Ghost Dog when the main character and the French man talked to each other without understanding each others words. Plus it makes for some great Engrish one liners. They only thing I can say on a down side with the entire series is that it just ends. I have not read all of the manga so I don’t know how much more there is story wise, but from what I have read it covers the manga pretty faithfully. 

    There was a 3rd continuation of the series as a 5 part OAV subtitled Roberta's Blood Trail, which once again introduces the character I had the biggest problem with. All of Black Lagoon has been readily available in a variety of formats in North America, so enjoy if you have not seen this excellent action vehicle!

Gyagu Manga Biyori

Gyagu Manga Biyori is a short anime based off of the 4-panel manga by the same name. 

    The series has no coherent plot, no main characters or overall theme aside from scatterbrained comedy and satire. The mini plot lines range from a story about a marketing firm being chewed out by their boss in regards to the quality of the sticker campaign to promote an anime through bread, a morning talk show dealing with the end of the world and a girl who convinces death to give her a chance to die after saying a great one-liner. The animation is juvenile and unpolished. The audio editing is also unpolished and the music is plain bizarre. Each episode is under 5 minutes with a short opening theme a shorter closing theme. The humor is low brow and relies on puns absurdities and pratfalls.

    For all its worth Gag Manga is incredibly entertaining, if you understand the obscure and culturally based jokes. The cheap production for the series adds to its flavor and comedy. The show is best compared to a collection of fast paces Saturday Night Live sketches that are many times funnier then that show has been able to pull off in many years. This show is for a very select audience outside of Japan though. 4-panel comedic manga are prolific and well received in Japan, but the form is rare and vastly unknown outside of the country. Gag Manga is made for the Japanese and the Japanese only. They make no qualms to try and reach a wider audience and almost everything in the series requires the viewer to be accustomed to Japanese pop culture. If you have a penchant for the bizarre, are a fan of 4-panel manga and/or have a good grasp in the way the entertainment industry works in Japan Gyagu Manga Biyori might just be a series for you to enjoy. While some of the sketches can be grating, they pass by quickly. In just over an hour of total running time for the first season and a similar run time for the second season you will not waste a lot of time viewing this series. However, this is a very hard title to come across. It is in no way licensed outside of Japan, nor is the manga readily available outside of Japan as well. I would be incredibly shocked if this series was every brought to foreign audiences in a commercial manner.

UPDATE: As expected, the series has never seen the light of day outside of Japan.

Suzuka

Suzuka is a 26 episode slice of school life, sports romance based on the manga by the same name that aired on TV in Japan in 2006.

    The story follows first year high school student Yamato Akitsuki as he embarks on his new life in Tokyo. In order to try and change his dismal life he convinces his parents to allow him to move to Tokyo to live in his aunts’ boarding house and attend school there. They agree and he successfully gets into a prestigious school known for its athletics programs. When first arriving in Tokyo he passes by his new school. He spots a girl practicing high jumps and instantly falls in love with her. He arrives at his aunt’s boarding house, which is only reserved for female students, to find out that the girl he saw at the school is his next door neighbor. Suzuka Asahina is also a first year student who has moved from home to go to school in Tokyo. She was accepted at the same high school because of her abilities in the high jump. Unfortunately for Yamato his aunt has made him the slave of the apartment complex. On his first night of cleaning out the girls’ bath he is assaulted by one of the college aged residents. Suzuka walks into the bath to see what looks like Yamato taking advantage of the naked woman. She misunderstands the situation and immediately pegs him for a pervert. Yamato attempts to clear up the misunderstanding and eventually succeeds and develops a friendship with her.

 

     He cannot get Suzuka out of his head and yearns for a deeper relationship with her though. After being rejected by her he chooses to accept the advances by a classmate and dates her instead. When she realizes that Yamato’s heart can never fully be hers the relationship is called off, but not before more misunderstanding between all three of them and Yamato’s friendship with Suzuka being on the rocks. Now, with no girlfriend and the woman of his dreams apparently hating his existence, Yamato must chose to give up or continue on, bull headed, to the goal he dreams about. At the same time he joins the track team, as a way to be close to Suzuka, and attempts to make a name for himself as a sprinter.

    While many American critics have slagged this series repeatedly it is one of my favorite romances. The art is nothing special, in fact the design of some of the characters clothing is actually quite annoying, most particularly their school uniforms. The characters, with all their faults and hang ups are pretty well developed through out the series. I found myself very attached to them by the end. Yet, as the critics repeat again and again, it is mind numbingly self abusive to watch the entire series for one specific reason; Suzuka and Yamato are painfully pig headed and retarded about themselves. They never do anything logical and their hang ups are so painfully stupid you want to strangle the both of them and get it over with. The side characters don’t help with this problem at all. Between the drunken college students who befriend Yamato and his long time friends’ help, his actions when trying to court or even repair any damage done with Suzuka goes even worse. Suzuka is stuck up, can’t let go of the past and is afraid of getting hurt. Yet she also doesn’t give Yamato, who is arguably unreliable, the chance to explain his actions. Yamato also has an incredibly annoying tendency to read way too much into a situation, then brood on that, making it even worse.

    Maybe I see a younger me in Yamato and can relate to that kind of stupidity, maybe that’s why I’m not bothered by that as much as most people are. Maybe that’s why I like this series, because in some way it reminds me of myself at that age. Regardless of the reasons I have watched this series 3 times and have read the manga as well. I wish there was more, I keep hoping for a second season. I was incredibly sad at the end of the anime and again at the end of the manga to say goodbye to the characters. Don’t be put off by the sports aspect of the series, it is minimal, at least in the manga. If you are a fan of romances pick this up. Its one season and the characters will stick with you, if you don’t end up hating them. The entire series is available in America and the manga has been coming out for a while. Watch the anime first and then read the manga. The anime only covers the first half of the manga and the second half is even better.

Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei

Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei is a 12 episode romp of insanity and sarcasm that aired on TV in Japan in 2007. The series follows Nozomu Itoshiki in his adventures as a homeroom teacher for a class of bright and promising high school students. Our first introduction to Itoshiki sensei is when one of his classmates, Kafuka Fura, finds him on a beautiful spring day hanging by his neck from a cherry tree. In a valiant effort to preserve the serenity of the day she struggles to remove him from the tree…by yanking down on him. Itoshiki scolds her for trying to kill him and the pair begins to debate reality. Itoshiki is the most pessimistic person in existence, the weight of society and the world around him presses heavily on his shoulders, leaving him in a constant state of despair which also leads him to attempt suicide to end his psychological suffering over the worlds’ blindness and moronic optimism. Kafuka on the other hand is the shinning example of that blind moronic optimism. She tells him he could not have possibly been trying to kill himself on such a beautiful day and instead says he must have been trying to make himself taller, much like her parents do frequently, such as her father does after losing a job.

    The rest of the class is just as colorful. Some of the students include a quiet, mousey girl who is always texting. When her texts become public you find out that she is a ruthless, hate filled demon. Another is the oft missed class rep, with premature balding and a complex about being invisible. Another character is forever wrapped in bandages, she gets hurt while attempting to play with the wild animals in the zoo she works at. One character is a hikikomori, another stalks Itoshiki-sensei and even tries to join him in death. My personal favorite is an illegal immigrant girl who purchased her citizenship papers from a boy who use to be in the class. She has an odd habit of collecting junk.

Every active member of the class retains some type of personality disorder and as the series progresses the characters are showcased one by one. There is no discernible plot for the series, let alone for each episode. While there is sometimes a vague direction an episode will go in it might not always stay the course. The main point of the series is comedy through satire and social commentary. The series, following in the foot steps of Pani Poni Dash is overflowing with commentary, obscure references and inane inside jokes. While watching this series I had to pause the show more than with Pani Poni Dash to read all of the handy liner notes provided by the more versed fansubbers. Opposed to Pani Poni pausing the show so much did not cause much confusion in the general direction of the show…as there usually is no general direction.

    This is another series to lump into the growing field of insane satirical comedies. Each new series appears to attempt to top the previous one by being more sarcastic, more biting, more obscure and more poignant. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Zetsubo Sensei is fresh and intelligent. It is the darkest of the sub category I have seen, with some things even shocking my hardened senses. My favorite shock was when Kafuka and another student follow the immigrant girl to her house. She talks about all the wonderful things Japan has over her homeland, how the Japanese through out perfectly good things. As she digs through a pile of garbage one of the items she pulls out is a live new born baby. In the same segment she continues to espouse the virtue of her new homeland, saying, among other things, that they treat children well. As she is saying this we see a scene of a creepy wide eyed otaku drooling over a little school girl. The series leaves nothing sacred and no truth hidden when it comes to modern Japan and the problems it faces, but it does all of it in an incredibly funny and psychotic manor.

    The animation is non-traditional and employ’s some interesting techniques that can be jarring at first but grow on you, such as the coloring of sensei’s kimonos. Again, this is a very intelligent series that is quick witted and deeply critical. If you don’t have a penchant for such shows, this is not for you. The show also has no coherent story line to it, which will turn many casual fans away. This is for hardcore fans, people who understand references to current and past events in Japan as well as bizarre anime. If you enjoyed Pani Poni Dash or Welcome to the NHK you can enjoy this series. If you enjoy black humor and can laugh at anything, this series can be for you to enjoy till your hearts content. The biggest problem I have with it is that there is not more of it, but that soon changed After the original series a second TV show was aired, Zoku Sayonara Sensei and a 2 part OAV set Goku Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei is currently (Jan. 2009) being released in addition. The anime has not yet been picked up by any companies outside of Japan, but the manga is being released in America by Del Ray.

UPDATE: The series has been licensed in North America by media Blasters and is available on DVD.  In addition to Zoku Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei, there was also a 3rd series titled Zan Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei and a second OAV.  Nothing beyond the original series has been licensed outside of Japan though.  Perhaps this series proved to bizarre for most audiences and didn't provide enough return on investment.

Genshiken

Genshiken ( げんしけん) is a 13 episode slice of life series based on the manga of the same name by Kio Shimoku.  The series aired in Japan in 2004.

 

    The series starts with Sasahara Kanji beginning his collegiate career at Chuo University in Tokyo. He ends up joining the Club for the Study of Modern Visual Culture, shortened to Genshiken, but is hesitant about the club. He has recently awakened to the world of the otaku and is not completely comfortable with the term. Upon entering the club room he finds that it is mostly a gathering of assorted otaku, unified under the love of all things manga and video game related. Sasahara and fellow freshman, Kousaka Makoto, are eagerly accepted into the small club and all attempts are made by its members to fully bring them into the fold. Kousaka, the least otaku acting/looking member of the club brings along the first unofficial female member, Kasukabe Saki, his girl friend. Kasukabe is not an otaku and is quite hateful towards them. The only reason she ever comes to the club room is to spend time with her boyfriend, who is a video game otaku. Sasahara is an all around otaku, enjoying everything related to the club. The other members of the club generally fall into different sub categories, such as Madarame who is most obsessed with manga, particularly dojinshi. Tanaka is the fun loving cosplay specialist whose biggest hobby is designing costumes. Kugayama is the typical over weight, socially inept otaku who loves manga. Further in the series the club gains its first official female member with Ohno who is another cosplay fetishist, causing her and Kugayama to become friends and then some.

    The series follows the characters through about a year or so of their college lives, with them going to cons and trying to defend the existence of their small band. Their biggest threat comes from the manga club, which continuously attempts to take its members. The head of the student club council also has it out for the members of Genshiken and gets into a heated rivalry with Kasukabe, as she is lumped in with the real otaku. The members have to maintain their existence and plan for the clubs continuation once the current alumni have graduated.

    This is a very mellow slice of life comedy. The animation is well detailed and the character designs are interesting to say the least. One episode is all about Madarame being stuck in the club room for an extended period of time with Kasukabe as he tries to strike up a conversation with the hateful woman and cut the tension between them. At times the episodes drag, but the series as a whole is enjoyable and easy to get through. It is best for a view into the life of the Japanese otaku at their best/worst. Within the series the characters favorite anime is Kujibiki Unbalanced which at the time was a fictional series created by the original author. Since then this show was made into an actual anime and manga.

    In 2006 and 2007 3 OAV’s came out for the series as well that continued the story line. The OAV didn’t do much more than introduce a new member to the club, Chika Ogiue, the next official member of the club. After fleeing from the manga club, due to her hatred of otaku, she ends up at Genshiken. At first she is aggressive and defensive but still participates in the club. It is eventually discovered that she creates her own yaoi dojinshi which causes Kasukabe to name her fujoshi (dirty girl).  A final TV series, Genshiken Second Season was released in 2013.

    If you enjoy mild slice of life comedies and shows about otaku this is probably the best thing since Otaku no Video, it would be easy to put this as the best otaku anime out there. The characters are quirky and realistic, the story lines are realistic and the series is enjoyable. While it does lag at spots it is still very enjoyable and easy to watch. The original TV series and the OAV’s are available in America as well as the manga. If you like such anime as Otaku no Video or Comic Party you will really enjoy this one.

Genshiken 2

After the 3 OAV’s were released the second 13 episode TV series of Genshiken was released in Japan. The story continues the mundane adventures of the members of The Club for the Study of Modern Visual Culture as they indulge in their otaku ways and look to the future as members of the workforce.

    The series starts out, picking up where the final OAV left off, with the club working on getting booth space at the next con. With the spot secured they must now come up with a dojinshi of their own. Once the con is behind them three of the members have to deal with graduation and Sasahara and Ohno have to break out of their uncomfortable ways if they want to get into a relationship.

    With the senior members gone the president-ship of the club passes on to Ohno who must lead the groups’ participation at the next con. Ogiue refuses to participate and is caught red handed at the con in disguise. As the next year progresses the graduated members struggle to find employment and the current members struggle to keep the club alive.

    The second TV series offers more of the same. It continues the story from the manga but does not end it, hopefully allowing for more OAV in the least. The second season also falls into the same problems the original had, lagging at some moments. The non existent love story between Sasahara and Ohno take a more center role in the series as both are too stupid and nervous to pursue their feelings. The best part of the entire series though comes in one episode devoted to Ogiue having yaoi fantasies involving the other members of the club. I laughed through the entire bizarre episode as she continued to have well detailed fantasies involving love triangles and deceit between all of the characters, even the female ones. It is well worth watching that episode if nothing less. Then again if you are watching the second season it means you have at least watched the first and that means you enjoy the show. It is good though, as good as the original. It is nice to see a series show realistic progress with its characters. So again, if you are a fan of slice of life comedies centered on otaku and their bizarre lives this is perfect for you. This series really is the bench mark for this kind of comedy, so take it in and enjoy, even with its faults. The second season is available in America.

Final Approach

Final Approach is a 13 episode romantic comedy based on the visual novel by Ibe Yukiko.  The series aired its half length episodes on TV in Japan in 2004.

    The story revolves around high school student Ryo Mizuhara and the hell he resides in once his government appointed fiancé Shizuka Masuda moves into his apartment. Due to the declining birth rate in Japan a program titled R.T.P. was instituted to save the nation. The project uses a super computer to pair all available single people in Japan together with the aim of procreating as much as possible. Ryo and Shizuka’s selection is part of the pilot project, to test how well it works before it is officially implemented. Along with an army of silent G-men Shizuka forces herself into Ryo’s life. Ryo relents and gives her a limited amount of time before he will kick her out, bending to her iron will and allowing her to attempt to change his mind.

    Ryo’s friends and classmates, Emiho and Miki, attempt to console him. Emiho tells them that she too is in an arranged marriage. Ryo, outraged, works to convince her that she should not just casually accept the marriage and starts to casually date her to convince her that she has a choice. Loving and understanding Shizuka allows her betrothed to date another woman, saying that she would rather have him be unfaithful before they are wed. While Ryo continues to despise Shizuka, she works hard at trying to convince him that they will be perfect as a couple. In the end will she be able to change his heart to love her?

    Ok, high school slice of life romantic comedy forced marriage concept, nothing new there, it’s been done plenty of times before and plenty since. The interesting thing about this show is the concept behind the arranged marriage, the government program to increase the countries population. Now, while this is funny and probably needed in real life in Japan, it actually is a cover for the real reason the annoying and subservient Shizuka has latched onto the resistant Ryo. As the series nears is completion you find out the truth behind the matter. This is a mediocre series at best. The biggest positive about it is its length. Other then that it is just rehashing every old gag and scenario in the genre as possible. The animation is substandard, even for 2004. It looks like it came from the mid 90’s. Some of the humor is entertaining, at last at first. The whole G-man thing was funny for the first 2 episodes, but after a while it became overplayed. Aside from that there isn’t anything of worth to the series. Ryo is the typical hard-head and Shizuka is the mindless servant. She will go to any lengths to please her man, even though he wants nothing to do for her. Let’s just say this series isn’t going to help the women’s lib movement very well. In the beginning I thought Ryo had a thing for his younger sister Akane, given everyone wanting to make sure that the engagement wouldn’t hurt her. The siblings are also orphans, which mean they live in their apartment alone. They do have a guardian in the owner of a local café, but he does little to maintain their existence aside from employing them and offering advice.

    This isn’t a series really worth watching aside from the fact that it will take you about two to two and a half hours to complete. Aside from that you can skip it. I don’t think it was ever released in America nor do I see any possibility of that any time soon, if ever. So, don’t fret over not being able to find this series, its better off that way. That is unless you enjoy romantic comedies that retread worn ground and offer little to no entertainment or originality.

  As of August 2016 this series has never seen the light of day In North America.  It is available in Spain though.

Boys Be...

Boys Be… is a romantic comedy from 2000 that is more from the boys point of view than normally found in the genre. The 13 episode series is based on the manga of the same name.

    The story revolves around a small group of high school students over the course of a year or so. We follow the students as they grow and explore the world of dating, through the good times and the bad. The central relationship is that between Kyoichi Kanzaki and Chiharu Nitta. As childhood friends they end up going out. Due to being inexperienced high school students lacking the ability to properly communicate, their relationship goes through trials and errors. When Chiharu finds another man over summer vacation things take a turn for the worse between the two long time friends.

    Kyoichi’s friends, Makoto Kurumizawa and Yoshihiko Kenjo, have similar relationship luck. Makoto is the typical girl obsessed pervert, keeping statistics on all of the girls in school. When he ends up in the hospital with a broken leg he falls in love with a mild mannered nurse. Yoshihiko is the stalwart jock, who shows little to no interest in anything past baseball. A number of women he runs into through out the series change his mind but they all lead to disappointment and lack of fulfillment. In addition to these main male leads are a number of female cast members, some of whom have relationships with auxiliary characters and some of whom revolve between the three male leads through out the series.

    The story can be described as a harem anime, what with some of the male leads revolving through love interests so frequently. Yet to call it a harem title wouldn’t be wholly accurate. It is not like all of the female characters are all chasing the same person at the same time, trying to get his attention above all else. Many of the relationships begin when others have ended, characters taking advantage of the open opportunities to experience something they have yearned for quietly on the sidelines. That’s not to say that the series isn’t filled with its moments. It is one of the better romances I have watched, but nothing overly special. We see the same scenarios played over in other such titles and the same personality hang ups. Then again these things are universal with adolescent love anyways. Don’t expect anything new with this series, just more of the usual fair. As with most series this length and depth its best used as a quick fix between the really great romances. Although, this one is pretty good on its own, I was moved a few times and wouldn’t be adverse to watching it again or reading the manga.

UPDATE: This series was licensed in North America by The Right Stuf International, is available on DVD and apparently even legitimately on YouTube.

Kamisama Kazoku

Kamisama Kazuko or The Kamisama Family is a 12 episode slice of life, romantic comedy that follows two high school students, Samataro and Tenko. Samataro is God’s son and Tenko is his guardian angle. Samataro is living as a normal human so that he can better understand them for when he takes over the role of God. Tenko lives with Samataro and their relationship in school is that of long time friends, with her being raised by his family. Samataro also has two sisters and his mother. His mother was once a normal human, but God fell head over heels for her, married her, made her a goddess and they popped out three kids. Misa, the older sister, is evil, cunning and sadistic. Meme, the younger sister is stoic, calm and mature…almost goth like in some ways. The entire family, besides Tenko, does everything in their power to screw with Samataro due to his gullible nature. Over the years Tenko has developed a strong love for her ward but he is unaware of her feelings and treats her as his sister.

 

    As with all romantic titles a challenger must show up to put pressure on the delicate relationship between the two main characters. That is done with the arrival of a mysterious transfer student named Kumiko. Samataro instantly falls for her, causing Tenko great jealousy and pain. She shortly transfers away, due to Meme and Misa’s meddling, but the damage is already done and Tenko doubts her chances of receiving Samataro’s love. Tenko must struggle not only with her feelings for Samataro but her usefulness in his life. Samataro, regardless of his interest in Tenko on a lover basis, must work to not lose, what he sees, as his closest friend.

 

    What can I say but this is a slice of school life romance. The art is typical, the story lines are typical, at one point it even relies on an 'It’s a Wonderful Life' arc. The animation is typical anime style and quality for the past few years. The music is typical and forgettable. The characters fall nicely into traditional stereotypical roles in romantic comedies of late and the comedy is even canned to some extent. All things considered it is not a bad series, I have watched worse. Due to its short length it is even tolerable. As with so many other short series it is best used as a quick fix for your romance story requirements between longer and better written stories. It is just another show of mediocre quality and value that can be added to the pile with other such shows as Tona-Gura and Boys Be…

UPDATE: Not surprisingly, this series does not appear to have been licensed anywhere outside of Japan...and probably never will be.

 

All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku - RePost

Bannou Bunka Nekomusume or All Purpose Cultural Cat Girl Nuku Nuku has been a favorite series of mine since the mid 90's when I first watched the original 6 episode OAV set. Then on my first trip to Tokyo I found that there was a TV series so I picked up the first 2 VHS's. The original 12 episode TV series was aired in Japan in 1998, I bought the first two tapes in 1998, and ADV released the first DVD in 2004…and people wonder why fansubbing is such a huge success? Regardless, I never got around to having anyone sub my copies, or looking for subs myself, so 8 years later I can finally understand all what's going on. Given the simplicity of the language used in this goofy series, I wasn't too far off. For those who don't know, which might be a good amount because Nuku Nuku is an obscure series, I will do a little synopsis behind the franchise. I say franchise because there are a few Nuku Nuku series'.

    Father and son, Kyusaku and Ryunosuke, get into an accident while trying to escape Atsuko, mother/ex-wife. Ryunosuke's cat dies in the accident, his father, a brilliant scientist, 'resurrects' the cat by putting its brain in a cyborg body. Thus, Nuku Nuku is born, the goofy, innocent cat girl android…trust me it's actually cool. With the help of Nuku Nuku, Ryunosuke and his father fight off all of Atsuko's attempts at kidnapping both of them. She wants her ex-husband to continue to work, developing weapons for her company and she wants Ryunosuke to force him to love her. She employs 2 brainless black op's agents, Akiko and Arisa to help carry out her plots. The series is chocked full of comedy and some cool, goofy, action sequences. The characters are over the top and Nuku Nuku meows a lot, plus she's really a cat so she acts like a cat, a lot. Atsuko and her lackeys are at the receiving end of all the screw ball comedy, usually at Nuku Nuku's own hands.

    The first TV series takes all the characters and changes them up only slightly. In fact the biggest thing is that Atsuko no longer runs Mishima (the weapons manufacturer) but is a VP of sorts. The company's president creates a super-villain like group of workers to try and take over the world. Nuku Nuku is now going to school, which presents its own problems while she's trying to act like a human high school kid as opposed to an android-cat. There are of course more characters, due to there being more story lines to plow through but all the originals are there. The comedy is more over the top in the TV series, as parts of the OAV's were serious. There is also another series that follows the original TV called Nuku Nuku Dash! which is a completely alternate retelling of the story.

    All in all Nuku Nuku has been a favorite of mine for along time due to the nature of the comedy, there is a lot of self-degradation among the characters, like Kyusaku and Ryunosuke constantly being reminded of their welfare status. Definitely a series I would suggest for people who enjoy comedies. The OAV's are a bit old, but are available on DVD. They might be hard to find but the TV series should be easier to acquire, although I recommend the OAV over either of the TV series.

The Third - RePost

The Third aired on TV in Japan from April until October of 2006. This 24 episode series is sci-fi/mecha/post-apocalyptic/fantasy. It takes place on Earth far into the future, an Earth that has suffered a devastating war which wiped out most life. The planet still has not recovered after countless years since the global catastrophe. The majority of the world is covered in sand, with the surviving humans huddled together in towns that serve as oases. The desert is full of danger and mysteries, only the bravest people venture into it on a regular basis. It is filled with large intelligent predators which attack people. The remaining people on the planet are governed by a group of mutated humans known as The Third, named so for the third eye on their foreheads (like Pai from 3x3 Eyes). The Third live apart from normal humans, controlling the flow of technology in order to prevent another holocaust. Scattered over the world are remnants of the Great War, weapons of great destruction, they feel that humanity has proven its inability to not destroy it's self. The Space Eye, the eye in their foreheads, allows The Third to control machines and use them to strictly enforce their laws. They limit the amount and types of technology normal humans have access to, severely punishing those who break the law, Techno Taboo.

    The story centers around one girl, Honoka, who wanders the wastes with her AI partner, Bogie. They are jacks-of-all-trades, doing whatever jobs they can for money. They wander from town to town transporting people, exterminating giant insect swarms, delivering packages, etc. Honoka is known as the Sword Dancer and is respected among mercenaries far and wide for her combat abilities. One night, while traveling through the desert, they come across a young man in the middle of a sand dune. Honoka runs out to save him before he is attacked by a group of nearby predators. She pulls him inside of her vehicle, a large tank controlled by Bogie, and takes him back to town. The strange man, named Iks, offers them a job after he finds out what they do. The job is simply this, he wants them to show him around, meaning, he will stay with them for an extended amount of time observing the jobs they do and the places they go to. Honoka, being smitten by his looks, agrees to the job. One of the first jobs she gets, with Iks tagging along, requires her to contact her longtime trusted mechanic, Zankan. She meets with him and his daughter, Millie, at a predetermined destination in the desert. He has a valuable, highly illegal, power suit for Honoka.

    Having possession of the suit, known as the PSP, breaks the Techno Taboo. There is a powerful member of The Third, named Joganki, who is interested in Honoka and harasses her continuously. When she gets her PSP he sends the newest AI soldier to punish Honoka for having such an illegal item. The automatic mecha is called the Blue Breaker and is the most powerful AI Honoka has ever fought. In the end, Honoka does not destroy the Blue Breaker and her friend Zankan is dead. Iks, who has mysterious powers, tries his best to sooth Millie's shattered mind after the death of her father. They take her back to the nearest town to live with her aunt. Again Honoka embarks on a job, this time for the central government it's self. She is unknowingly being sent to the site of one of the most powerful weapons form the war known only as Gravestone. At the same time The Third is planning to use another super weapon, an orbital cannon, to destroy Gravestone. Along with Iks and a new partner, Paifu they unknowingly set out towards Gravestone, directly in the line of fire.

    Ok, I know the summery is a bit confusing and unclear. The series follows actually a couple of small story arc's that all tie together in the end. They develop the characters and give reference points to the final arc, which is only 2 episodes. The series is filled with a healthy amount of action, mostly Honoka destroying AI controlled mech's and giant carnivorous insects. Honoka is a moralistic life preserving character, who cannot comprehend the idea of killing or harming another human being. Paifu's character is the exact contrast. Even though she lives a life as a teacher and nurse, she is a hardened killer, with a trail of dead bodies behind her. Iks is quiet, thoughtful and mysterious. His purpose is never truly clear until the end, of which his entire journey with Honoka ultimately decides the outcome of his purpose. There are many scenarios in which Honoka and people involved with her are affected in adverse ways by the elitist Third. Joganki has somewhat of a love for Honoka and will let her get away with breaking certain rules, like owning the PSP, but everyone around her is not so lucky. One of the main plot devices in the series is with The Thirds own positions, their attitudes towards the rest of mankind.  Are they really right controlling the world as they do, will they make the same mistakes as were made in the past? They create weapons of their own and greatly control humanities growth. They attempt to control the most horrific remnants of the Great War but sometimes question the intelligence behind letting such destructive forces survive.

    The series has strong messages dealing with humanities fragile existence and tendency to self destruct. There is also an ecological preservation theme as well, questioning whether human beings are truly capable of not destroying Earth. The artwork is nothing special, but it is above average. The opening and ending themes are unmemorable J-Pop tunes but the soundtrack is varying and instrumental for the most part. One of the things I liked the most about this series was the use of a narrator…it added a nice flair to it and helped tell the story more naturally. The main characters are well developed throughout the series and the plot is easy to understand. All in all the series was a pleasant surprise; I was hesitant after the first episode but really started to get into it after a few more. It is for the most part a standard shonen adventure series lead by a cute young girl with some kick ass combat abilities. Yet the series actually has soul and emotions. It's a good series, that doesn't drag as much as would be expected, although at points the episodes feel much longer than 22 or so minutes. This is due to the flow of the episodes, they move at a slower pace, but this didn't have an adverse effect. Check it out if you are a fan of such titles as Appleseed, 3x3 Eyes or Battle Angel Alita. The series is based off of a manga of the same name that was published in the first part of the century.

UPDATE: This series was licensed in North America for Kadokawa Pictures USA and is available on DVD.

 

Ranma 1/2 - RePost

Ranma ½ follows the arranged marriage woes of high school student/martial art dojo heirs Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo. Ranma and Akane's fathers agreed when they were very young to marry their families together in order to continue their martial arts form, the Anything Goes School of kenpo. Soun Tendo, Akane's father, settled down in suburban Tokyo to raise a family while running a dojo. Genma Saotome, Ranma's father, decided to hit the road and raise his son as a traveling martial artist.

    After most of his life on the road Ranma and his father return to Japan to live with the Tendo's and finalize the engagement. Having just returned from China they arrive at the residence in order to choose which of the three Tendo daughters Ranma will marry. There is just one problem, while in China practicing at a training ground, Ranma and his father became cursed when they each fall into ponds on the training grounds. Now Ranma turns into a girl after being doused with cold water and his father turns into a panda. The only way they can return to normal is with warm water. The day they arrive it is pouring cats and dogs and thus a spunky red headed girl with a giant panda stumble into the Tendo abode causing alarm and confusion. After their secret if revealed it is chosen that Ranma and Akane are to be wed, much to their disapproval.  Now, Ranma and his father live in the Tendo house, Ranma and Akane, who utterly despise each other, are to be wed against their will to carry on the dojo. Ranma and his father try to keep their curses secret while searching for a cure. On top of all of that a cast of martial art misfits continue to cause relationship and dojo woes for the Anything Goes Martial artists, including ones who also became cursed in the Chinese training grounds. Can Akane and Ranma ever accept their betrothal and defend the dojo; will Ranma and everyone else who is cursed be cured?

     Ok, Ranma ½ is an old and dated looking series, much like everything else that came out at that time. Yet it is one of the classics of anime, especially in America, that is near and dear to everyone's hearts. The entire series is seven seasons, totaling around 160 or so episodes. Although, like most of Rumiko Takahashi's works, the TV series does not stick to the manga series, especially with it’s ending. If for some reason you have never seen the series but have read the manga, do not be disappointed when the entire China story arc isn't even in the anime. Yet both versions of the title do end in essentially the same way, but to tell you how would ruin it for anyone who doesn't know. The biggest thing about the series is that it does truly begin to drag around the fifth season; the sixth season was incredibly tedious and aptly named by Viz. Martial Mayhem, sixth season title, was a lesson in futility as they producers showed just how many 'insert name here' martial art contests they could cram into its 26 episodes or so span. I mean, come on, if you thought the martial art delivery girl contest from season two was a bit much, wait until you see martial art tea ceremony and the goof ball family that does it. To make it even worst, these people keep showing up in season seven.

    So all in all, Ranma ½ is a fun series, even if it drags from time to time and through a season or so. It was my introduction to romantic comedies, although not to Takahashi, my first Takahashi creation was the classic Super Gal. The series has become a romantic comedy benchmark, at least in America.