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Ginban Kaleidoscope
Anime Review by Karen Gellender
As a show about figure skating, the typical rule of sports anime applies to Ginban Kaleidoscope: if you like the sport, add +10 to your interest level in the anime. However, unlike a lot of sports-based anime, the details of the sport aren't that terribly important- we couldn't tell if the animators were really making a triple lutz look different from a triple flip, and it didn't seem to matter. What does matter is that it's one of the most romantic anime around.
Our vantage point is frosty Japanese figure skater Tazusa, an unusually unsympathetic protagonist (although the show makes it work.) Tazusa is arrogant, aware that she's both beautiful and skilled, and is pretty much hated by the media in Japan for her attitude despite her obvious talent. Read More...
Angel Beats
Anime Review by John Martone
The afterlife is a subject of great debate by philosophers, scholars, and... animators? Okay, well, pretty much every medium has espoused stories of the afterlife, but Angel Beats at least gets points for putting it in a different setting, school.
Set in a school-like afterlife, where main protagonist Otonashi has woken up with no memories of his life prior to death. Not only does he learn that he is dead, but that there are rules he must abide by in order to keep existing. Actually, the major guideline to merely oppose the natural way of things. Read More...
Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts
Anime Review by Karen Gellender
We think we can all agree that being able to summon monsters during class would make school more fun. In Baka and Test: Summon the Beasts (otherwise known as BakaTest), the students can do just that, but there's a catch; it's still school. If your grades aren't up to snuff, well, your monster isn't going to be very intimidating, now is it? This premise- where the strength of students' 'beings' (actually super-deformed, and quite adorable, versions of themselves) is directly proportionate to their grades- pulls off the neat trick of combining the character interaction of school-based anime with the charm and sheer fun-factor of Japanese strategy RPGs like Final Fantasy Tactics and Disgaea. And it's pretty ingenious; the only problem with it, and the main problem with BakaTest in general, is that the show doesn't use it enough. Read More...
Sayonara Jupiter
Anime Review by Brian Cirulnick
If you've ever wondered how the Japanese would rip-off, remake, regurgitate, or otherwise recycle Stanley Kubrick's iconic 2001: A Space Odyessy, here it is in all it's wacked-out glory. First, a warning: when you go to play this DVD, make sure you set it up for English subtitles. It's not set automatically, and you won't know until more than 15 minutes into the film, as all the American Actors speak English, while the Japanese Actors speak Japanese, which makes the whole film even *more* confusing.
The plot surrounds a black hole headed for Earth (sound familiar Yamato fans?), but the solution here is to try and blow up the planet Jupiter to deflect the trajectory (where's Bruce Willis when you need him?).
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Editor's note: Discotek Media who distributes Sayonara Jupiter is starting to release quite a few retro anime titles on DVD — please give them your support (they just added Project A-ko and the Galaxy Express 999 film).
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Hisaishi Meets Miyazaki Films
Anime Music Review
Personally, I don't think we celebrate Joe Hisaishi enough around here, his music can bring a warm ray of sunshine to even the cloudiest day. This album is a collection of downloadable MP3's you can run straight to your iPod or digital music player, buy the tracks individually or the album as a whole. This is a good selection of tracks if you don't already have the full soundtracks to these films, and a good collection for someone not familiar with his works -- someone who needs to learn why this man is revered as he his. All the tracks are from familiar Studio Ghibili films, so, unless you've been living under a rock in outer Mongolia, you've likely heard these while watching Miyazaki's masterpieces.
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Black Butler
Manga Review
by Linda Yau
In the setting of Regency England with the romanticism of high class tea; the cut of a floral arrangement; having certain mannerism, what is considered high class atmosphere? Now if you happen to have the wealth or prestige, how about employing a butler to provide the atmosphere and service? Under the employment of Ciel Phantomhive, with his demon butler Sebastian, things are running perfectly. Read More...
Mermaid Saga
Manga Review
by Linda Yau
Her career began in the late 1970's, and Rumiko Takahashi has became a beloved mangaka that has had nearly every series she has ever authored, get the anime treatment. Anime and manga fans should know who she is, and for many American viewers, being introduced to Takahashi title like Inu Yasha or Ranma 1/2 may have been their entry point into the world of anime/manga. Read More...
Crease + Fold
Japanese Culture Book Review by Linda Yau
With the invention of paper, Origami or paper folding is a craft that had begun centuries ago. Thought there is a discrepancy where origami began, the word ëorigami' is of Japanese origin and that is to fold paper. It has become a popular pastime for people of all ages, and continues to be a craft that doesn't require special material or skill. Read More...
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