Followers of our site may recall that we mentioned the ending of “K-ON!” was planned to happen in September. Well, now we have confirmation by way of the inner workings of 2chan’s rumor mill. Fans of the show or the Manga would do well in knowing that spoilers are ahead and should simply skip this article (or avoid looking at the thumbnail) if they wish to be surprised by the time of its official release.

Is This Really News?

We admit that posting spoilers of an upcoming manga may not classify as news by many a reader’s definition but in any case, we are here to bring you the scoop and give “K-ON!” fans a look at the amazingly predictable ending. The image in question is hosted in our forums within the thread corresponding to this article as to not have it compressed into a thumbnail that reduces it to a few pixels of squinty-eyed shock.

The ending of the manga comes before that of the show, which will follow in its footsteps soon enough by way of the traditional graduation ceremony that every high school anime is forced by law to include in its plot at some point. Those that follow the show know that Azunyan was the younger of the group and thus the one doomed to be left behind by one year after the graduation of the rest of the cast.

If it’s true that this ending could be seen from space, it’s still not known whether they’ll use it as a mechanic for a spin-off or follow up with a one shot manga that continues the tale of the girls.

Nothing is official at this point as the sources are far from reliable and we may very well be contributing to spreading a rumor. In which case….whoops! But if not, hey, we told you so.

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Although there are a couple of news worthy of being reported, we have diced to give our readers some food for thought. We are not only an anime news site but also a source of knowledge on the matter. Today we tackle a problem that faces a lot of anime, that of consistency and how it can make or break a good solid show.

What’s The Big Deal?

Sometimes we find ourselves watching a show and following the story closely, learning the character names and making a mental map of their roles in the show as we grow used to them. Then, out of the blue, something happens that either destroys all of it or forces the fans to remake their mental footnotes.
We are talking about those moments when a show either takes a huge turn in tone, direction, or with the plot and runs into a wall. We are not saying that change is a bad thing, only that it has the awful potential to destroy everything the show has ever done up to that point.

Consistency is good. It allows the fans to relate to a story better and follow it in a way that they grow accustomed to it. At this point, the show can either turn stale and repetitive or follow up with a twist that will catch its fans by surprise. The big problem with a twist is that it can restructure the entire show in a negative way and alienate the original viewership. This sort of situation is most present in the shonen genre, where it’s not common to have a show go well over a hundred episodes through which it’ll fumble and trip over itself more than once.

Spreading Too Thin

Some of the greatest animes are also the shortest (at least by comparison to others) since a small set of episodes allows for a better and more consistent development of the cast and the story. Here’s a hypothetical situation: imagine if halfway through the show (say episode eight) your favorite character dies. You expect the next few episodes to deal with the cast and the lost of a friend and how they deal with it, eventually dedicating half the season to overcoming grief and using death as a platform for character development.

Once the characters have gone through this, you’ll expect them to at least remember their dead friend near the end, referencing him from time to time in order to remind the audience of the importance of that character’s death and giving value to the idea that even the stars of the show are mortals with fears that they need to overcome.

If the show lasts from 14 to 26 episodes, you’ll be sure that the dead characters will be remembered well, even honored or used as means to convey a message, thus justifying the momentary change in tone of the show. But say the show in question goes well over a hundred episodes. That’s where things go bad for the fans.

The same character who died was a fan favorite, so of course they spend some time honoring its death and following through the usual process, but since this show is massively long they’ll either skip into some comedy relief filler (as the character’s death marked the end of an arc or significant portion of the story), stripping the character’s death of meaning as the show moves on far far away from it.

In a way, the biggest issue with consistency tends to be length. A long show will find itself killing off some characters and then dropping them off a cliff after a short arc or bringing their name back in an awkward manner, making what was once a main character or at least a very important one nothing but a faint memory in the fans’ memory.

Over Extending Plots

Now, a long show can be consistent and maintain a set of rules that slowly allow it to grow, but a constant problem with anime is that the main cast will always have an ultimate form of evil to destroy. New characters come out of nowhere as a stronger, more powerful foe or as a conspiracy that no one paid attention to because the details were scarce and spread over so many episodes that it seemed irrelevant. If the entire show is about getting a given artifact, you can be sure they’ll get it after a hundred or so episodes, only to either have it shatter, disappear, be a decoy or have the bad guy steal it at the end, etc.

Plot devices like that are the ones that keep a show going. Having a new character that we had never seen reveal great secrets, include a new villain right after the story’s done with the last one and of course, the ever changing power of the main cast. The biggest offender in this sense is the shonen genre.

Almost every show will progress in this fashion; The heroes face off against a villain they defeat with ease, thus ringing the attention of a stronger one who will send off one of his minions to do his bidding only to have said minion join the cast (this can be switched with: confused vigilante who mistakes hero for a villain, vengeful son of a villain the hero defeated), then they will travel assembling a tag team of heroes that will be as useless as you can get, normally being there to get beaten into a pulp to show how strong the villain is or to motivate the hero.
This gets annoying after the formula gets repeated indefinitely by all the shows, more so if a single show does an endless rinse and repeat cycle.

In A Nutshell

A show that overextends beyond what it seemingly has to tell will find itself either repeating the same basic storylines, dragging behind it so many unresolved plots as to turn the main story into a patchwork of confusing twist. This article was not meant as a criticism of the shonen genre in general, (hell, I loooove me some fun, mind-less entertainment) but as a discretionary advise that sometimes expectations should go out of the window once you find yourself watching the 300th episode of any given show, it’s very likely that it repeats itself well beyond the point of being enjoyable.

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Gundam and Mecha fans in generals can now look forward to the New York Anime Festival even more, for it’ll bring the premiere of the film “Mobile Suit Gundam 00 The Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer” on October 10th. The film will be in Japanese with English subtitles and will serve as a sequel to the Television Anime of the same name (save everything after “The Movie” in the title, but that’s obvious.)

Mecha Fans Can’t Miss Out

The film in question will premiere sooner in Japan, in about 17 days to be more precise but that’s no reason why those fans living in New York or its immediate area, that are planning to visit the Anime Festival, should spoil it by watching it online when you very well can wait for little less than a month to watch it in its full glory and show just how much of a fan you are by being there.

The project will be animated by Studio Sunrise and helmed by director Seiji Mizushima, the man behind the TV anime the movie will take after as well as the director of titles such as Full Metal Alchemist (including the very successful movie), Slayers Next, Shaman King and episode nine of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

So those of you who haven’t seen the show but are still paying the festival a visit should still check out this film since its packing some quality behind its name.

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We would like to take a break from the regular article schedule and bring a very simple matter to your attention: we have a forum people! Although it’s likely that you come to the site only to skim over articles or are already a forumite, we would like to remind our readers that AnimeMB is a community.

Wait, Hasn’t It Always Been There?

For our regulars (and even the newcomers) it’s quite obvious that there’s a forum linked from the site, but we are still promoting it as to get better feedback from the community as well as to allow the site to grow through the aid of our loyal forumites.

The forum is a very fun and easy going place; it’s as casual as it gets for those that don’t feel like diving in too deep into a community, but it’s a lot of good old fun for the lot of people that wish to burrow deep into a high post count. We offer a family friendly environment where fans can discuss anything from their daily lives to the more obvious anime related topics. If you are looking for a place to crash then look no more, this forum offers a lot of fun and we would be more than thrilled to see readers jump into it and back to the site, helping us to strengthen the AnimeMB community.

What’s In It For Me?

Regulars to the site and forums may scratch their heads now, but we got a surprise for you all! Starting next month we will announce a series of monthly contests for our members and give out prizes to the winners, ranging from a simple title or badge on the forums to real hard cash baby! The contest will be judged by the Administrators of the forum and everyone will have a chance, the theme of the competitions will switch as well of the prizes to be had through them, so rest assured that there’s something in it to gain your interest.

We want AnimeMB to grow, both as a site and as forum community. So those of you who decide to lend a hand in its progress now have a chance to earn some palpable rewards. This is all subject to change but believe us when we say that we’ll keep it going for as long as you guys are willing to take part in it.

What are you waiting for? Join now and earn yourself a place in the forums before the contests start rolling in next month!

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The anime world has been hit hard by the reaper who saw fit to remove three legendary gentlemen from this world in a matter of a few days. Some say the great ones go in pairs but that may not be true this time around.

Trilogy Of Death

Classic anime fans as well as fans of the industry’s golden age have been hit hard this week. Three legends have passed away in an almost sequential manner leaving behind a legacy that we can only hope serves to inspire the younger generations. Kihachiro Kawamoto died at the age of 85 from pneumonia this past Monday, August 23. His death was confirmed today by way of Sakichi Sato, who announced on his twitter that Kihachiro Kawamoto was the other legendary director that had passed away.

This man’s original work is probably something many haven’t heard of since he was a puppet master, admittedly a career that not many western anime fans are familiar with. But his was still a name that carried great renown. He entered the industry in 1946 by joining the TOHO animation department to later journey to Czechoslovakia as a free-lancer to perfect his trade, bringing back home his unique set of skills that helped him propel the domestic puppet-theatre.

He was in charge of bringing to life adaptations of classic tales such as Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1982-1984) and Heike Monogatari (1993-1995), but he gave the anime world a great contribution by way of his work in Japanese Media Arts Festival Grand Prize winner, Winter Days and Shijin no Shougai. He also occupied the position of chairman for the Japan Animation Association, a lasting sign of his love of the arts.

Confirmation of his death marks a sad week for the anime world, bringing to end the lives of three great men that helped the medium grow and gain renown through their own means and work.

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So far, this week seems like a bad one for the anime world with the passing of Satoshi Kon and now the confirmation of Shojuro Yamauchi’s passing. The information comes to us by way of Akitaro Daichi’s twitter account, where he mentioned that a legendary animator had passed on alongside Satoshi Kon.

Another One Bites The Dust

Shojuro Yamauchi was a key animator for many big projects, such as Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away and Grave of the Fireflies as well as in Conan, The Boy in Future, Dagger of Kamui, Lupin III: The legend of the Gold of Babylon, Lupin III: The Secret of Mamo, and Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro. He had quite a spectacular run and a nice resume on his hands, cementing a legend that would be marked by the tragedy of his passing alongside other big name such as Satoshi Kon.

Fans of the films mentioned above have much to thank the late Shojuro Yamauchi for. Being the key animator, he was the one in charge of creating the main frames on which the animation teams would base their own work. So in a way, he was amongst the first to give life to the characters in those films.
It’s a shame to see two of the big names of the industry leave so suddenly and so close to one another, but we can only hope that their work serves to inspire future directors and animators that will honor their memories by producing quality anime.

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Award winning director Satoshi Kon has been reported dead by way of a statement released via Otakorp’s Board of Directors and confirmed by Masao Maruyama, co-founder of Madhouse, who had written on his twitter about the death of one the studio’s Directors without clarifying as to which. He later confirmed that the sudden departure was that of none other than Satoshi Kon.

In Homage

Satoshi Kon’s a name that probably doesn’t ring much a bell to many a young otaku, but it’s nonetheless a big name when it comes to anime Directors. He first jumped into the spot-light with his feature film “Perfect Blue”, a rich psychological thriller, that in all honesty was rough around the edges and had a couple of flaws but still managed to tell a story and engage the viewer in such a way that it drew international attention towards this man.

He later on went to work on critically acclaimed films such as Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers (a personal favorite), Paranoia Agent, Paprika and he had begun to work on Yume-Miru Kikai shortly before his death. Satoshi Kon’s films were amazing. They delivered a strong message by the time the titles rolled and he clearly reached the pinnacle of his excellent career in 2003 with Tokyo Godfathers, which is not to say that his previous hadn’t been great in their own regard.

We would like to extend a message to any otakus out there with a knack for the classic and unique, go ahead and do yourselves a favor by watching any of this man’s great works and you’ll find yourself fully satisfied and understanding just how much of an impact his death really is.

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There seems to be a recent surge in manga coming back from the grave. Ken Akamatsu’s Love Hina will not be one to miss out on the newest trend and so it will be back, although briefly, it will be a one-shot special in full color to celebrate the 300th of Akamatsu’s other work (Negima!) The special volume will be released within the pages of the 40th Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine.

September Seems Promising

The one shot special will be published on the first week of September (the very first of the month to be more specific) The chapter will come out in full color and feature the main characters of the story, Keitaro and Naru. The chapter is not going to be a very long one for it will only stretch out as far as six fully colored pages. The magazine will also feature Negima!’s latest chapter and offer a limited edition T-shirt in honor of its 300th chapter.

Love Hina is probably the most well known harem-manga. It has been adapted from OVA’s to an anime and ran for three years (1998-2001) In Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine it deals with the story of a guy by the name of Keitaro Urashima who moves in to take care of an all-girls boarding house. Over the story all the girls fall in love with him for no apparent reason and this leads to massive shenanigans and a tormented love story between him and Naru Narusegawa.

The manga is a comedy with romantic undertones, but it manages to go crazy and put together a set of stories going as far as discovering ancient ruins and lost civilizations, so it should include many an interesting chapter for those willing to muscle through all 14 volumes released by Tokyopop.

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Blockbuster Director James Cameron spoke to the movie website “Coming Soon” in an interview, where he revealed his interest in pursuing a live action adaptation of the popular classic “Battle Angel Alita”, whether or not this is good news is subjective to most, but stay after the jump for more.

He’s A Good Director

James Cameron is a well known director with a long trajectory of good to excellent movies, but for most, the news of yet another Anime/Manga adaptation made in the west may not sit too well. Mr. Cameron spoke to Coming Soon about how he loved the story of Battle Angel Alita, to the point of having written the script before production began on Avatar. The main concern he has with the project is not one of interest (budget shouldn’t be an issue either, he’s James Cameron) but of time. He needs to evaluate where the project would fit and perhaps someday we would get some confirmation on it.

James Cameron first mentioned the project’s existence back in 2003, up to this day the status on it has switched from a mere schedule change to reports on production time. It seems the film depends completely on Cameron’s own scheduling whims, since the film has been moved back and forth in-between others, perhaps it could be on its way to theaters within the next five years or stay in development hell, you can never tell with these things.

What’s An Alita?

Those of you too young or out of touch to know about Battle Angel Alita should take a second to read this. Also…Shame on you! Anyways, Battle Angel Alita (known as Gunnm in Japan) began as a Manga by Yukito Kishiro. The story takes us to the town of Scrapyard, where Daisuke Ido comes across a badly damaged female cyborg who he then decided to repair, he later names her Alita once fully repaired due to the fact that she lost all her memories, save for an instinctual knowledge of combat.

The manga depicts a dystopian society based around scavengers that have built a home for themselves from scrap. The themes go from oppression and freedom to humanity’s darkest aspects, showing a brutal and gritty world where dog eats dog and where cyborgs have become the norm.

The manga itself has been serialized in the west over the years and the most recent edition, Battle Alita: Last Order, has been sitting on a hiatus born from differences between the mangaka and the publisher (Shueisha’s Ultra Jump) based on a ridiculous change in some words the mangazine seeks to impose as censorship.

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The virtual Idol and Vocaloid superstar Hatsune Miku will now be gracing the pages of Weekly Young Jump. Her most recent incursion into manga-land will take up four panels a week to bring her fans a bit of joy with each edition of the magazine. Starting on September 2, Kentarō Hayashi will begin his work on this particular release.

A Brief Bit Of History

Hatsune Miku is well known to all otaku whether it’s because of her musical talent or because of the many fan renditions of her. But who is she anyways? She’s a Vocaloid, a character created to serve as a mascot to represent Crypton Future Media’s music synthesizing software, which has the remarkable ability of bringing words to life in the form of songs interpreted by the ”voice” of the Vocaloid that accompanies each release, thus giving all of them a different personality and beat.

Hatsune Miku went so far as to become an idol, one that’s more immediately recognizable than many of her flesh and blood counterparts. She has voiced hundreds if not thousands of songs, has been the star of many a videogame and manga and it’s even poised to have one of her alter-egos come to life in a OAV, Blackrock Shooter, that’s right Miku’s so big that she even has more than one persona. Perhaps more remarkable of all is how she and her fellow Vocaloids starred on their massively successful concert (they were shown as holograms).

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It’s been a year since word first got out on the street of this anime adaptation, but it has been nothing but awkward silence ever since, at least until now. An announcement has been made as of yesterday, reporting next year as the title’s tentative release date, so read on for the details.

2011: New Anime But Still No Flying Cars

Deadman Wonderland is a manga that has been sitting on its hands waiting for an adaptation to come its way and this may come to be next year. The original story comes from Jinsei Kataoka and while the art is Kazuma Kondou’s handy work, some of you may recognize Kondou’s name as he’s the one responsible for writing and illustrating the Eureka Seven manga. The anime will apparently involve these two into its planning, so fans of the original may rest at ease over its fidelity. The animation itself will come by way of Manglobe.

Those who are not familiar with the manga and are expecting some sort of zombie retelling of Alice in Wonderland should read on because you may be disappointed in a good way. The story takes us 10 years after a great earthquake shatters Tokyo, leaving Japan in disarray and leading the authorities to allow the construction of “Deadman Wonderland”, a prison ran like a twisted amusement park meant to attract tourists and revitalize the local economy. But, there’s a catch, as it often happens with these things.

Enter Ganta Igarashi, a 14 year old high school student who finds himself wrongly accused of the gruesome murder of his entire class and is sentenced to death inside of Deadman Wonderland. His death sentence is to wear a heavy collar that slowly injects poison into his veins and the only way for him to survive is to eat a candy-like antidote. But in order to get it, he must fight for the entertainment of a shady crowd in an underground section of the prison, where he and the other death row inmates must make use of an odd ability acquired during their stay in the prison. The winner receives the antidote and lives another day, while the loser, if he survives, will go through a cruel game of chance where they’ll have a part of their body removed.

The announcement for this anime comes by way of the manga, so those fans of the dark side of anime now have something new to add to their lists.

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The past two days have brought forth interesting (if not somewhat disappointing) revelations. Fans of the Macross saga can now look forward to a somewhat definitive release date for the new film, as well as some goodies to tag along with it.

Better Late Than Never

This past Sunday, August 15th, Bandai Namco gave followers of its official Twitter account the slip on the new release date for “Sayonara no Tsubasa”. The company followed through with the new release date the next day during the Macross F Girasama Carnival, confirming February 26th as the official release date in Japan.

The film will follow after “Itsuwari no Utahime”, which was released last November. Fans of the Macross universe may also look forward to a new release of musical themes; the compilation is to take the shape of both Blu-ray and DVD sets. Those that are fans of the show but not necessarily of its music can look forward to “Merry Christmas Macross”, an event taking place this December 22th in Tokyo and the 24th in Kobe. Hopefully the event will bring forth several new developments regarding Macross as well as a complete confirmation on the date for the next film.

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Those of you with nothing better to do this summer should go now in search for a newspaper because Ghibli’s Earthsea hit theatres this Friday, and so far it’s going strong. Read on for a list of theatres in case you feel like catching it yourself, and a short review for those who feel like getting the DVD and checking it out.

C’mon, It’s Ghibli!

Studio Ghibli is pretty much like the Pixar of anime (more like Pixar being the Ghibli of CGI) they never screw up and all of their films are memorable blockbusters. They somehow manage to integrate everything that makes an animated film great, art, good story-telling, direction, a strong plot and an amazing cast, all without ever coming short with one of these elements. The final product of studio Ghibli’s films is always great and you don’t even have to be into anime to appreciate it, just as Earthsea has proven with its opening weekend.

Earthsea opened Friday the 13th (yeah, we know) on a very limited release of five theatres located in New York, Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu and San Francisco. The film managed to draw in around $20,500 on its opening weekend, which may seem a little disappointing considering that the rest of studio Ghibli’s films have raked in truck-full’s of cash even with a limited release. Truth be told, this one may seem like the financial black-sheep. But it’s not bad, oh boy, it’s completely far from that.

The film’s relatively weak (by Ghibli’s standards) opening weekend can be easily attributed to several factors such as having been released deep in the digital era and being available on the internet (not a matter of piracy folks, some very “official” sites have it up) as well as having a widely released DVD. Earthsea comes to us by the hands Goro Miyazaki, the son of Hayao Myizaki, the man responsible for many of studio Ghibli’s greatest films. The question here is, does the apple fall far from the tree? The answer is a simple: no, it doesn’t.

Tales of Earthsea, or Gedo Senki as it’s known in Japanese, is an adaptation of a series of fantasy novels by Ursula K. Le Guin. So you can be sure that the film is in line with the likes of Princess Mononoke, having huge mythological creatures and some violence here and there for good measure (the film is the first animated film distributed by Disney to receive a PG-13 rating.)

Those of you living in the cities mentioned above should check the following theaters:

New York (Angelika/Manhattan)

Honolulu (Victoria Ward)

San Francisco (The Kabuki)

Seattle (Harvard Exit)

Los Angeles (The Landmark)

The rest of you should think of going to the DVD store to pick it up and here’s the reason why you should spend your money; Earthsea is from studio Ghibli, so you know it at least deserves a rental but it can be taken as a good movie in its own right as it presents to you an unique yet familiar story. The parallels with Princess Mononoke are plentiful, the styling and feel of Earthsea makes it seem like it would be at home in the same world where the events of Princess Mononoke take place. The visuals are warm and colorful, even when showing off such sights as a stormy sky or a slave market.

The film takes us to a land where pestilence and disease are wreaking havoc amongst the populace, and where bad crops are forcing farmers away from their homes and slavers are running rampant, but there’s more to it than that. The balance of life in the land seems to be breaking as a consequence of direct human interference, so we join Ged, an Archmage traveling the land to find the reason behind it and Arren, a young prince who fled his homeland and wanders alongside Ged to escape from his past, as well as a dark presence that lurks within him.

The plot itself is very basic but it still manages to draw the viewer in, save for a couple of moments where everything comes to a halt and we are taken into some plot exposition. There’s a peculiar point where the main characters become awkward and seem to get out of place with what was previously established about their personalities. But this gets integrated later on in a way that makes sense. In a way, this movie is one of those were you can’t stop watching it halfway through or it’ll seem bland and boring, but once you watch the whole thing and the little bits and pieces come together you can be sure to say “Wow” just as the credits roll.

The English dub manages to be far from cringe-worthy. I would even dare say it’s good, since there are times when it seems like Earthsea was made in English instead of simply dubbed. The voice actors really put some work into it this time around and if you look at the back and see the voice cast you’ll understand why.

Earthsea is good. It may not be the greatest from Ghibli (not that you can judge a film in such a view, since all preferences are subjective) but it sure stands out on its own two legs. The movie has some unresolved plot points that kind of sit there picking at the back of your head, some simply linger too long through the film to be treated quickly and taken out of the story in an awkward fashion, but others just remain sitting there. But at the end of the day this is a decent movie, not exactly action-packed but not too slow, perfect for a date or a calm, lazy day.

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Here we present a review that no true anime site can be without: Rurouni Kenshin, also known as Samurai X, was one of the greatest shows of its time and went to become a timeless classic. Yet there’s a dark side to all of this, a dark side many didn’t get to know…

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Those of you who read the “Manga and Anime A Broken Link” articles saw a reference to this title on the second part of the series. This review will be different because we will forsake the historical background and go straight to the root of the show. If you want some background info then you should check out the article where it was referenced because here you’ll find nothing but the truth about this show.

Samurai X was big. So big, in fact, that it made its way to Cartoon Network and many other channels down in Latin America. The show had a decent Spanish dubbing and the episodes aired with consistency day after day. And if you were between the ages of 12-25 in Latin America during the show’s run and never cared to take a look at it, then you sucked and everyone hated you.

The anime did so many things right that it just came as a surprise to all of its fans to see it fall on its ass and catch on fire. You see, the problem with the anime is that unlike the North American version of Cartoon Network and many other channels, the local ones decided to air its full run and so we saw it crumble and end without much of a real ending.

The Beginning Of Something Great

Samurai X told the tale of Himura Kenshin, a samurai that became a vagabond and a wanderer after the Bakumatsu during which he built up fame as “Hitokiri Battōsai” (referenced all through the anime as “Battōsai the man slayer”) becoming a ruthless killer who murdered hundreds who now haunt his memories. He began traveling the roads of rural Japan during the early Meiji era and served as a metaphor on how the old ways were dying and the way of the samurai came to an end.

Along his journey, he comes in touch with Kamiya Kaoru, a woman and owner of a dojo, who helps Kenshin leave his life as a wanderer behind and serves as an unifying character for the rest of the cast. He also finds Sagara Sanosuke, a brawler and former rebel with a burning hatred of the government, Myōjin Yahiko, a brat who wants to prove himself as a swordsman in Kenshin’s eyes and Takani Megumi, a female doctor rescued from the mafia and brought into the fold of the main characters. There were several more but just naming them would take an entire article in itself.

That was the greatness of Samurai X, it went on to include amazing characters, both heroes and villains that shone with originality and were presented in such a way as to allow all characters to be unique, even most villains had a sympathetic side to them as their personas stood firmly on morally ambiguous grounds, performing acts of pure evil that could easily be justified.

The show followed Kenshin as the ghost from his past came to haunt him, never letting him have a regular life as he fought on with optimism to prove that he could still be redeemed for his sins. This served to open the story to new villains, they would either come to kill Kenshin due to his fame as the manslayer or because he was the only one skilled enough to face them.

The anime was action packed, but it paced things nicely with episodes focusing on characters other that the main cast and it always built up to something epic. It sure had its fair share of crappy filler but it wasn’t enough to kill the show. Then comes the best part: Makoto Shishio, a man who became Kenshin’s replacement as a killer after he ceased fighting. He was the perfect villain in a gallery of villains that included the great Oniwabanshu, he was simply superb.

The entire season where they dealt with Shishio was epic. The battles were massive, thrilling, and brutal. Secrets were revealed and the season concluded in such a high note that to this day whenever you mention Samurai X (at least down here) you’ll get someone to say “Oh dude, remember Shishio!?” and as great as that is it’s soon followed by “Remember all the Christian crap that ruined it?”.

It Hits The Fan

Shishio’s arc was so epic that the people behind the show got ahead of the manga and were forced to meet their production schedule with filler, tons and tons of filler. It got so bad that the stories felt completely forgetful and characters were reintroduced then taken off the show so fast it was as if they were trying to ruin it with weak storylines and crappy humor.

We all thought it couldn’t get worse, until Shogo comes along; a freaking super Christian Samurai and a never before mentioned disciple of Kenshin’s master, a man who completely demolished the entire cast coming out of nowhere with a crappy background and character development tagging all his superb abilities on being a super Christian of sorts.

He came out of nowhere in a response to the show’s decline in good villains and ruined it. They made him so badass that it made Kenshin look like a complete tool but of course he ends up getting his ass whooped and gets taken out of the show. So much for that. Fans were so let down at this point that talking to my friends, with whom I grew up watching every episode, and bringing up the name “Shogo” resulted in a collective flashback of awful, as if we all witnessed a murder and the memories traumatized us.

Enter the Black Knights, a group of villains that seemed to come out of a G.I Joe rejects list, with crappy costumes and even crappier backgrounds…God it was just terrible, like watching a train wreck catch on fire and then have the survivors attacked by bears, which are also on fire.

It may be odd to read a review from a personal stand point, but I went through all of this show just like every other teenager in Latin America and we can all agree on this, avoid the third season like the plague but watch the movies. Seriously…the third season will have you gouging your eyes out in anger.

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This one comes out straight from the rumor mill; both the manga and anime are to reach a conclusion soon. The announcement came out of the blue and little more than the words printed on it are known to us. What it’s clear is that this can’t remain in mystery for long.

The Music Ends

Fans of the show will undoubtedly be shocked to hear this news but it comes to the otaku world through the latest Manga Time Kirara, home to the original manga and so a reliable source of information on this matter. The fact is that nothing can be said for sure just yet, though the announcement points out to September being the last month for the series. Many other shows have come to such an end only to be brought back from the grave.

Today sure seems like an odd day. First Full Metal Alchemist coming back and now K-ON leaving, surely causing a bout of bipolarity in those of you who are fans of both. If FMA serves as a cautionary tale, then we might as well expect to hear back from the girls of K-ON sometime soon. We’ll know for sure once September 9th comes around (two days before FMA comes back, how’s that for odd?) and brings news of the girls’ fate.

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Those of you following the manga to its conclusion have a new reason to be cautiously excited; a new side story coming to us from Shonen Gangan is set to bring some new life into the title. The side story will be helmed by Hiromu Arakawa, the man behind the original. Read on for the known details.

Back For More

Full Metal Alchemist is one of those franchises that doesn’t seem to get enough, going from a popular manga to two successful anime adaptations, the second of which follows the manga more closely, and it also gave way to an excellent movie adaptation. Fans have seen every single side of the characters so far but there is still more to look forward to.

Why is that? Simply put, the manga and the animes may have come to an end this year, but we could very well be looking not at the beginning of the end, but the end of the beginning.

The September edition of Square Enix’s Shonen Gangan will introduce readers to a new side-story of the FMA license. Whether said side story will be a one shot or a completely new spin-off is yet to be seen but what’s known for sure is that Japanese manga fans that missed out on the last chapter (since it sold out all across Japan pretty darn fast) will get to read the exciting conclusion as it will be sharing the pages of the magazine with its newest incarnation.

Western fans can either hope for Viz Media to keep on releasing the manga, or go ahead and dwell into the shady corners of the internet for a sneak peek.

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FUNImation entertainment is set to release this new anime on Tuesday, August 10th. The anime is described by its tag-line as “Where T&A meets KO” so fans of martial arts, ecchi and well endowed ladies, have plenty to look forward to from this new anime and by default plenty to look at.

Get Ready For Some Violent Girl On Girl Action

“Zettai Shougeki Platonic Heart” known in English as Master of Martial Hearts (not that it sounds more coherent) is brought to us by FUNimation. The original debut of the show took the form of five OVA’s released back in October of 2008, so those of you with an interest in the genre probably checked it out already. But if you liked it, then you may as well get excited because the official English release featuring the original Japanese voice acting with subtitles, as well as the dubbed voice over in English, is set to hit the market in less than a week. The DVD is set to include some nice extras such as a commentary track but what is there to look forward to?

Those of you without a wooden peg-leg, an eye patch and a parrot firmly perched on your shoulder are probably wondering what this is all about. The show can be summarized as this; well proportioned ladies beating the ever loving crap out of each other in order to get their hands on a mysterious gem known as “Platonic Heart” which is said to have the power to make the winner’s wishes come true.

It’s basically your standard girl-fighting anime so full of fan service that it may seem like too much at times, with clothes that break down to the atomic level with a gentle breeze, and girls fighting for one of the many Magical Mcguffins used as a plot device. The anime has a certain personality which goes well with the tone of the humor it sets.

So if you are a fan of the genre, or of fan service in general, this may very well be worth a look. Those of you still on the fence could look forward to an in-depth review of the title later on.

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It wasn’t too long ago that a new anime take on the title was announced and now it seems that the manga is to be brought back in the form of a new edition. The title is to be considered a spin-off, whether or not this will bring mayor changes to the plot is unknown. Read on for the known facts.

Back With A Vengeance (and hopefully a conclusion!)

The spin-off will be illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki and written by Saki Hasemi, fans of the original will notice that these two are the ones who originally brought it to the world, as well as the ones whose differences are accredited by many a rumor-mongering fan as the reason it was canned. Whatever the cause for the original’s abrupt, inconclusive, lackluster and crushingly disappointing ending (you can tell it was that bad) fans may now begin to build up cautious expectations, for the manga will begin serialization this October on “Jump Square”, alongside Kentaro Yabuki’s other manga Mayoi Neko Overrun.

Just like with the anime, it’s unknown what this manga’s direction will be. The fact that it’s referred to as a “spin-off” serves as a warning to those awaiting a sequel, if it’s true that nothing is clear at this point, the general consensus with “spin-offs” is to reboot the franchise and move towards a new untapped segment of the story.

So keep those fingers crossed!

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As much as this anime has yet to grace the western shores of the world in an official manner, it would be a pretty big oversight on our part not to report of this new project by SHAFT. It’s safe to assume that our readers also follow Bakemonogatari…this being the era of the internet and all. So stay tuned for news on a different side of the story.

Prepare To Get Shafted

Bakemonogatari is an anime that has gained a significant following in Japan to the point where the novels that served as a prequel to the main story are now on their way to become an anime themselves. Those waiting for a legal and cleanly subtitled or dubbed version of the anime will have a long wait ahead of them, because if the first one didn’t get to us yet, then how could we expect its prequel?

The anime will follow the story of Oshino Shinobu before the events of the main show, and so far it seems to be as though the popular crab-lady (that sounds wrong now that I think about it) Hitagi Senjougahara will not make much of an appearance, as the novels focus heavily on the little lady of the night (she’s a vampire, but then again it does sound wrong.)

Those of you wondering what the hell is this Bakemonogatari thing, and why it’s news worthy, should look forward to a review of this title in the near future if we decide to go against the general norm of “watch it live or wait for a dvd” in case we do then it’ll be entirely for journalistic purposes.

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Let’s keep it in line with the classics with Neon Genesis Evangelion. We already reviewed this case of hate it or love it, so we can leave the background aside and focus on the problem. The manga for Evangelion came a whole year before the show, but oddly enough the show is not an adaptation. Why? Because the manga was made in order to bring interest towards the show which was in production at the point of the manga’s release.

The big issue here is that since both came at relatively the same time the story line of one didn’t quite influence the other, so at first you got some minor differences and then a whole world of “What the hell?” The original anime ended its run in a miserable fashion, but the manga still runs as of 2010; although it’s less of “runs” and more of “it moves at the speed of a glacier made of frozen molasses”

The manga became a story of its own, presenting characters in such a different light and with personalities that varied so heavily from the anime that it felt like a whole new universe. One didn’t quite grasp the other, but that isn’t such a problem until a part of your head starts putting the pieces together and the thought of “They simply re-adapted the manga once the anime was over in order to satisfy the fans and make up for the flaws and crappy ending” sits with you.

The manga goes well beyond the quick and dirty anime by adding dialogues and sequences, changing the tone of the characters and altering some key moments from the anime that some viewers hated. It’s more of a correction than a parallel story or an adaptation. It also doesn’t matter much that it’s updated as slowly as to allow the “End of Evangelion” to be thrown into the manga’s plot way after the animated feature made its debut, pointing out that in a way you were just reading the story you wish you had watched.

It Isn’t Always The Anime’s Fault

Another show with a similar fate was School Days, the manga was meant as an adaptation of its own but its debut close to the anime turned sour once you could clearly compare the two. The original visual novel is, of course, miles away from its derived work. But the anime and manga that should have shared some common ground went on to be so different that the manga became equal parts crazy and disappointing.

It starts off as a romance, and it stays that way pretty much all the way to the last page where it seems to have remembered it was supposed to be dark. It ends in such an off throwing and odd way it simply seems like it was the product of a cash-in. The plot was decent up to when it tries to follow with the bad scenarios and twists that made the visual novel famous.

The anime managed to capture the development of the characters and the story up to a crescendo of death and despair in its short time, whereas the manga spent its time toying around with it until finally giving up and turning in an ending that feels completely out of the norm for what it had established up to that point.

Final Thoughts

Some adaptations suffer because the story doesn’t adapt well to its medium. Others due to the fact that the publishers and producers behind them don’t give much of a crap for the original work and seem to be keen on adding elements that will draw forth a given demographic. Manga tends to develop dialogues and plot lines and when it comes to action they tune it up with frantic sequences interjected with monologues lasting a few pages, whereas anime focuses on the action and then creates poorly executed breaks in the flow of things via a seemingly endless monologue “Why isn’t that guy punching the crap out of him instead of standing there listening?”

Adapting a story means to take the main elements from it, cutting the ones that would become unnecessary or get in the way and then polishing it up to better fit the particular medium in which it’s meant to be adapted into. In most cases, we get hit either by one of these big two issues; from manga to anime they tend to speedily adapt everything, skimming over dialogues and plot points and using filler to allow the manga to catch up.

Then once the anime is over we get the manga moving in an entirely new direction beyond what was showed in the anime and then the anime’s fans might end up feeling shorthanded. So why don’t they wait till the manga is over? It’s all about the Benjamin’s here. The anime usually hits during the peak of the manga’s popularity and as such it will come halfway through it and leave in the same fashion.

Anime to manga begins in the same line of the anime, and then goes along to add several layers of character development, dialogues and exposition to fill the pages of a bound volume. You’ll end up getting a long drawn out series of chapters to tell what happened in a single episode. Sometimes this does work but other times it just bores the anime’s fans. Not to mention that this sort of adaptation usually brings with it a brutal switch in art style depending on who they commission for the manga.

Now, don’t get me wrong here. Although the general feel of the article points towards manga/anime adaptations usually ending in disaster, they are not all that bad. It’s just very tricky to execute them well and in a way that they don’t feel as a mere cash-in. At the end of the day, the better ones can be thought of as a simple retelling or side-story meant to expand on the original. And if you don’t end up liking it, there’s always “The original was better”

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Manga and anime are, to most people, apples to oranges…but that’s not quite true. Anime and manga are merely different mediums; one being animated and the other a series of drawings, but they are both strung together by dialogues and a general plot. They share similar art styles and one usually derives from the other.

Not admitting they are similar just because of the way they are showcased is flawed, especially in the case of an adaptation from one medium to the other. It’ll be the same story with some tweaks and changes with the main difference being that it’s now either colorful and moving or stuck on paper.

Adaptations from anime to manga usually allow the original story to be fleshed out and expand, whereas manga to anime adaptations end up heavily changed and condensed…which doesn’t mean it won’t work! It just means that it can fall short of what could be expected by the original work’s fans. The big problem here is that sometimes the switch from one medium to the other will possibly be nothing short of disastrous whether it’s because characters and plots were changed or cut off entirely, or simply because the planning and execution of said adaptations didn’t match up to the needs of a given genre.

Just to clarify, manga and anime are both great when it comes to their own particular strengths and even weaknesses. It’s only when they come together through a particular story that we begin seeing that one version usually stands a top of the other. Any otaku will at any given time be heard saying “The manga/anime version was superior, because…” either that or hear another one saying it.

Here we’ll present three clear examples as to why, using shows that have been reviewed on the site and a well known classic:

Cue The Banjo Music

Let’s begin with a classic: Rurouni Kenshin, also known as Samurai X, this story saw the light of day as a manga that went to become a roaring success for its treatment of Japanese history and customs during the early stages of the Meiji era, presenting the way that western influences, industrialization and technology began to change and form ancient Japan into what’s it today. These elements were the backdrop to an amazing story of courage, romance and redemption presented to us through the character Himura Kenshin, once an expert and ruthless assassin that made a name for himself during the last half of the Bakumatsu (the last years of the Edo period.)

The manga took its time to develop the story and establish the characters and settings; the anime became heavy in the action department and sometimes rushed forward with the plot leading to many filler episodes until the manga could catch up. The latter half of the anime didn’t see the light during its original run on Cartoon Network in the US, but it did get dubbed and aired in Latin America all the way through where it went to become a hit, and guess where I grew up?

Here’s the thing: Samurai X (as we knew it in this part of the world) was excellent. But it dropped the ball so freaking hard that it caused many of us to choke on bile. The show was somewhat grounded on reality. There were no real enemies with impractical costumes and honest to God super powers, they all had some sort of explanation that made the most preposterous of them seem slightly plausible.

Then along comes a group of super Christians, who are then followed by a bunch of tools wielding swords of gold and with a cast of cronies dressed as a freaking purple cobra a brown bat and a skeleton. This went out of the window so hard that the show was canceled in Japan and the stations airing it simply reran it up to the episodes before the super pals of Christ. But why did this happen?

Simply put, the anime production crew moved too fast and too far with the manga’s story, taking it to places where it was never meant to go and thus once the manga reached a hiatus the anime was forced to go into filler and it ended shooting itself in the foot and bleeding to death.

This went to become a cautionary tale on adaptations, both from one medium to other and from markets, but the anime itself is still deserves a review and we’ll do so later, promise.

This article is so big it needs to be taken in two parts (that’s what she said), so check out part two for the exciting conclusion as well as the next two examples, which are surely on your top favorites list!

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Many Otakus without the means, or the possibility to get their hands on paperback manga found their way to One Manga. Many others sought out the freely and speedily updated volumes, or the comfort of reading it in more than a single format. But this has all, sadly, come to an end. So, we bring to you the bad news in case you hadn’t planned on paying your respects yet.

Abandon Ship!

As much as one cannot advocate for piracy without getting into either a heaping amount of legal trouble, or sounding like an avid thief to conservatives, One Manga provided a free service to many but some may be saying that it doesn’t matter, for many other sites stand on its wake.

Those also many grow thinner by the minute, increasing legal pressure by manga publisher are forcing these sites off the net. So those of you who depend on scanlated manga, whether it’s because of your financial circumstances or your country’s lack of a given volume (In which case, hey welcome to my world) chances are that your favored site will soon face a similar fate.

Actions such as these don’t stop with one site. Mangafox was recently censored and deprived of its “Adult” manga (although they are quietly being updated and re-added) and MangaToshokan was given similar treatment, prompting them to switch over to Korean and Chinese manga.

Taken from the popup when visiting the main site:

“There is an end to everything, to good things as well.”

It pains me to announce that this is the last week of manga reading on One Manga (!!). Manga publishers have recently changed their stance on manga scanlations and made it clear that they no longer approve of it. We have decided to abide by their wishes, and remove all manga content (regardless of licensing status) from the site. The removal of content will happen gradually (so you can at least finish some of the outstanding reading you have), but we expect all content to be gone by early next week (RIP OM July 2010).

We are not here to give a stance on freedom of expression and copyright laws in the light of internet piracy. No, what we are here for is to report on a familiar and well known site that provided a somewhat necessary service. So go check out their library, read the rest of their notice and do your thing. We will be here to bring you the relevant news.

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On account of this week being somewhat slow anime news wise, we present to you yet another mecha related extravaganza! Evangelion is not to be outdone when it comes to mecha. So prepare to behold a purple behemoth and stare deep into the eyes of the beast.

Heads Up

Starting July 23, also known as two days from now, the Neon Genesis Evangelion attraction located inside the confinements of Fuji-Q Highland will open to the public. The press has already taken a good look at it as well as many avid publicists. The attraction is quite literally a big deal! Why? It houses a 1 : 1 replica of Unit 01’s head (so yeah, it’s a bust.) As much as this may not seem like a big deal for many, it’s as good as it gets for now.

The exhibition is meant to recreate the scene when Shinji comes face to face with the Eva in its cage and seeing how the Evas are gigantic; this is one big mean mug staring you down. The Evangelion Race Car will accompany the bust, as well as the busts of the cosplaying models they more than sure will have tagging along (Hiyooo!)

It seems that Japan is picking up their legendary love for mecha and taking it to new heights. So, here’s to seeing a scale model of the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (it’s only a matter of time before someone is insane enough to try that!)

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Not doing a retrospective of this classic would be a bad mistake! Even if these days it seems pointless due to the show’s most recent “reboot” in the form of the films. Neon Genesis Evangelion is as influential as it is popular and some would even go and call it over rated; others would call it a masterwork….there’s no middle ground here, folks. Hate it or love it.

The Second Impact:

Neon Genesis Evangelion (otherwise known as Evangelion) came during a time when many saw anime as an obscure form of entertainment clawing its way out of clichés and bad dubbing. It was the year 1995 when a giant purple monstrosity took the anime viewing world by storm. A year when the SNES wasn’t retro, and the internet was not the never ending fountain of fan dubbing it is now a days.

Evangelion was regarded as ground breaking and imaginative due to its presentation of philosophy and how it managed to give us scenes of bloody carnage that could be analyzed as food for thought as they were presented in the same frame of interpersonal conflict and emotional issues that the main cast was.

The concept of the anime can be discussed long enough to dedicate several websites to it, but keeping it simple was an idea born from its creator, Hideaki Anno’s, struggle to deal with depression that turned into solid gold at the hands of Gainax (a studio many anime fans probably wouldn’t know much about if it wasn’t for Evangelion.)

Evangelion was different and wild, mixing in Judeo-Christian imagery along with action and a cast plagued by a series of mental diseases and issues. It was simply unexpected to see something like this at the time; it catered to teenagers that liked action, young adults who loved either drama or deep thoughtful analysis, but most of all it had the key elements to become memorable.

Welcome To The World Of Tomorrow! (As Seen From The 90′s)

The back setting for the story takes us to a post apocalyptic earth in the future and the ‘far away’ year 2000 (that’s right kids, there was once a time when you could call that the future, now get off my lawn) where the appearance of beings identified as “Angels” triggered a cataclysmic event known as the “Second Impact” which caused the northern polar ice cap to be obliterated. That led to major flooding as well as changing the global climate and nearly causing the extinction of the human race.

The world has changed and so has Japan (being a part of the world and all) which is now a land that is almost completely underwater and home to the location where the bulk of the show takes place; Tokyo 3, a fortress city built as a defense against the Angels and NERVs headquarters, but what good is a defense without the ability to strike back? That is where the EVAS jump in the mechas of the show that were created to stop the Angels that (as per an ancient prophesy) will come individually with the objective of starting off the third impact and finally whipping out humanity…or so it seems.

More Than Meets The Eye

Evangelion is a hate it or love it show for various reasons. Chiefly amongst them is the fact that the dysfunctional cast seems to be strongly developed and filled with colorful characters and yet we get stuck with a whiny uncomfortable and somewhat weak lead, Shinji Ikari, who in retrospect serves as a nice contrast to the strong willed Azuka Langley Soryu (we are well aware of the name change, but this wasn’t the case in the show) and the deadpan Rei Ayanami.

The one problem with Shinji is that when compared to many a male lead or even the rest of the cast he seems to get in the way too much. Perhaps it’s as simple as saying that he was designed to be hated (a point he is sure you get by the end of the show) but in spite of this, the rest of the characters, EVAS, and Angels included are nothing less than excellent.

Evangelion can get confusing sometimes, as the episodes went from being a simple mecha show to move deeper into the philosophical issues that linger in the back of the main character’s mind. This is not necessarily bad, seeing how there was never a straight mecha show to begin with; the EVAS are an element of the plot that fall into the “gets increasingly confusing” bunch, but they are detailed and they were exceptionally great for their time. Bio-mechanical mechas that…well, let’s not spoil it too much for those three people that haven’t seen it yet, shall we?

Evangelion is a good show. Some may say the anime is over rated but in reality it is just because it hit the mainstream culture really hard and jumped into the spotlight and allowed us clear view of its flaws. Yes, flaws. The show was flawed because of many budget cuts and production hiccups and these flaws become increasingly painfully clear as the show reaches its ending. This may seem a bit nit-picky nowadays because of how there’s a “true” ending, about three different editions of the show and even a reboot, but back when Evangelion was brand-spanking new there were no such thing, and so this was really infuriating to some viewers.

Evangelion is an anime that may have gone a bit over its head. The many editions and the reboot show how it’s creator could never convey the story he saw in his head properly. But nothing that has been said so far points out to it being “bad”…it’s just that once you take off your nostalgia glasses you can really appreciate its flaws. The anime may seem overly elaborate and sometimes drawn out, but the story hits some key notes and many of its characters have gone to become anime legends. Simply put, Neon Genesis Evangelion is an anime that you will either hate or love with a passion.

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Those of you that keep up with the site will remember the announcement made to report on To Love-Ru’s new anime incarnation. You will also remember that the announcement was sketchy enough as to not clarify what form the animation would take. Read on for that.

“A Second Seasons Coming”

It has been confirmed that the newest take on To Love-Ru will be in the form of a TV anime. The animation will take the name of “Motto To Love-Ru” airing during this year’s fall season. So expect to hear news about its development and reception around October (if the release date doesn’t get pushed back).

It’s still largely unknown whether or not the anime will take things from where it left off during its first season, thus animating the many chapters not shown during its original run nor the OVA’s, or if it will go beyond the manga’s open-ended conclusion.

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Here’s some good news coming from the anime world’s rumor mill: prepare yourselves for some flashy big robot action in the nearby future! Super Robot Wars is getting another anime adaptation, read on to get in on the scoop.

Satoshi Kubo, the man behind shows such as Fullmetal Alchemist and Eureka Seven, has let his tongue slip on Mixi (a Japanese social networking site) about his decision not to join the staff behind a new anime rendition of the Super Robot Wars franchise. The reason why? The participation of a certain staff member. Kubo later clarified that he was indeed referring to a new anime adaptation, due to the fact that the comment section on his Mixi profile was filled with inquires regarding this matter.

Here is a little background information for those unfamiliar with Super Robot Wars (shame on you!) Super Robot Wars consists of a 19 year old franchise that began as a tactical RPG. The games were brought to us by Banpresto, a division of Namco Bandai, and it’s worth noting that the franchise’s rise to fame is due to the fact that it brings together various Mechs from popular anime and manga (such as Gundam and Evangelion). The games became as popular as to spawn various anime adaptations over the years including (in a way) the 90’s anime Cybuster.

Fans of Mechs now have something good to look forward to in the nearby future if the show ever gets released in the west!

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Remember how we nodded towards our mechanical friend in the paper craft article? Well, he can now nod at you! He’s back in top shape (movable head and all) and casting a shadow in the city of Shizuoka.
It’s A Gundam!

The city of Shizuoka has been graced by the fully functional 1:1 Gundam RX-78-2 statue, which now has a mighty Beam Saber by its side. The saber glows in the dark (as do many of the Gundam’s components) and it’s up to scale like the statue. The display is set to last from now until the end of March 2011, so we expect to see many weddings or major events being held under its watchful gaze as it happened when the Gundam made its debut in Tokyo.

The statue looks as impressive as ever; it’s located north of the Shizuoka Station and so it’s standing tall right next to enough buildings to give a true sense of its scale and carry the vibe of the anime.

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Are you bored with what conventional anime has to offer? Perhaps it is time to die…or at least to check out the offerings of the gloomy Ai Enma in “Hell Girl” otherwise known as “Jigoku Shōjo: Girl from Hell”. Prepare to see what death is like.

A One Way Ride

Hell Girl is a somewhat unconventional anime for modern times. Its first season was released during the late half of 2005 and ran until early 2006 in Japan. Produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen and licensed by “FUNimation”, this anime proved itself to be enough of a hit on its homeland to bring forth a manga and a short live action adaptation.

Hell Girl follows an episodic formula, in which every episode is a self contained story that links with the overall plot through the actions of the show’s main cast of recurring characters. The eponymous Hell Girl, Ai Enma, is a gloomy and dark girl with a tragic past that now serves as harbinger of vengeance with the aid of her servants; Wanyudo, an old man with a near permanent smile, Hone Onna, a sultry woman with a cynical outlook and a knack for style and Ren Ichimoku, a young looking man who dresses in modern clothing unlike the rest of the gang who dress in classic Japanese garbs (save for when they go “undercover” on the human world, but more on that later). Hell Girl could be said to follow the story of an anti-hero; until we get to know the Shibatas, the single parent and journalist Hajime and his bright young daughter Tsugumi who become the recurring human characters in the show.

Hell Girl consists of three seasons: the first of which has been already released in the west whereas the second is halfway through and should be done by the end of July, while the third season won’t see a DVD release until well later this year.

As I said, the show follows an episodic formula with only the cast to push it forward, but sadly (to some) the human part of the cast is not a constant. You could say that it’s the biggest change in the formula up to the third season where things got a little…different. But, it’s not an unwelcomed change of pace, that’s for sure.

Death Is Unfair

Each episode of Hell Girl starts by introducing us to a character that is in trouble or consumed by a deep grudge. Then, after getting a little look into that character’s life and knowing the story behind the current circumstances we get to see Ai Enma’s modus operandi, a mysterious website that can only be accessed at midnight. There, Ai’s “customers” will write the name of the person they seek her to deliver vengeance upon and she will soon appear in their room and offer them a straw doll, which for those that pay attention to detail will seem oddly familiar.

Once the contract’s conditions have been stated all the person has to do is pull a red string around the doll’s neck, prompting Ai to leave her hellish home and with the aid of her servants, punish the victim and send them off to hell. Of course, this comes with a price, namely that of the other party’s soul but only once they die. Until then, they will bear a dark mark on their chest as part of their contract.

Some people complain that the anime takes the means through which Ai delivers souls onto hell a little lightly, with the motif behind some contracts being petty. But as an episode of the first season showed us, people can be psychotic and having an easy way out will sometimes be their only choice, no matter the cost.

What You Can Expect

The general plot is based around Ai’s past and how she came to be in her position, you could arguably say that the first season is dedicated to the Shibatas and how Hajime’s investigation came to awaken parts of Ai’s past. While the second season deals with how humanity adopts the easiest way out of their problems and how this amounts to nothing…all the while showing us the past of Ai’s servants.

The third season is a bit…different, but not bad by any means. Hell Girl is a very solid work with a nice overarching plot that will cater to those that like to put the pieces together rather than have everything explained to them upfront. The truth is, that most of the time the situations in a given episode will seem unfair, but that’s part of the point. Life can be a b-…ehm, mean lady, and death is the great equalizer. Ai is simply the bridge in between using humanity’s tools to reap from their own hatred (it’s shown how she has worked in the past through such methods as an old mailbox).

The only real complaint about the show is that watching episode after episode gets a bit tiring, seeing how the same formula applies to all of them. There are, however, enough fresh moments that deal with the story and heart of the show to cover this up. So it’s a really good watch if you like your mystery and horror to be blended in with a bit of tragedy and drama.

Hell Girl is, simply put, one hell of a show (Hiyooo!)

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If you were awestruck by the sight of the life-like Gundam towering over Tokyo last summer and regret missing out on it, do not fret! Artist Taras Lesko has proven that you too can get a piece of Gundam action on your living room….unless of course you have pets, children or clumsy roommates.

Mind The Paper Cuts

If you think the model doesn’t look that impressive, take another look and try to register the details. This baby is made of nothing but paper, glue and large helpings of both skill and patience, proving that if you work hard enough (It took Mr Lesko a good two months to make) you too could witness the glory of a handmade Freedom Gundam.

There’s a video up on the relevant thread in the forums, so follow the link below the article to behold a time lapse video of this wonder taking place as people come and go from a couch and clothes magically appear on the artist (he’s a wizard!).

Also, here’s a bit of good news for those dearly missing the sight of the 1:1 scale Gundam; the statue will see the light of day again in the city of Shizuoka on July 24th as a commemoration of Gundam’s 30th birthday. The statue will be packing heat in the form of a Beam Saber. Stay tuned for more news on that when the time comes!

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Do schoolgirls and heaping amounts of fan service cater to your tastes? Then you might very well one of those who enjoyed watching Rito’s misadventures as he was introduced to the busty princess from outer space, Lala. Were you also amongst those left unsatisfied by the manga’s conclusion and still want more animated goodness to make up for it? Then read on.

There May Be Some Hope For You

An announcement from Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine shines light on a new animated take on the late “To Love-Ru” manga. It appears that XEBEC will be the studio to take on the task of bringing life to the characters, which will be designed by Yuichi Ouka, the man behind the character design of the other seasons and the various OVAs that followed it. The director’s seat will be taken by none other than Atsushi Ootsuki (of Kanokon and Ladies versus Butlers! Fame), a man you can count to be the bee’s knees when it comes to fan service and pervy anime.

Any amount of good news comes with a catch, however. The form the animation will take on is a mystery to everybody! Why? The announcement left out the information on whether it would be an OVA or a new television anime. Let the hype begin!

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It’s a trap! It really is! School Days is an anime that at first seems to be family friendly and light hearted only to grow darker and come to a conclusion that will bring many fans that were misguided into thinking it was “cute” to tears. In fact, School Days may indeed feel at home on a shelf next to Elfen Lied.

The “Cute” Side of Things

I’ll mention right off the bat that School Days is based off of an erotic light novel by the same name, but if any of you feel this is the sole selling point behind it don’t bother pick it up because there’s no real use of gratuitous nudity and most of the scenes are handled with great taste and restraint. It still deals with mild sexual content but you never get to see a full view of it as it’s mostly suggestive.

School Days comes from an eponymous “eroge” made by 0verflow. The game contained a variety of scenarios and routes that could lead to a potential 21 endings (which were expanded to 25 for the PS2 port) some of them being great, some completely disastrous. Again, those that aren’t fans of the most perverted parts of anime won’t have to look away in disgust (well eventually they might have, but for another reason) since most of the hot and heavy scenes take place behind fade to blacks or awkward camera angles.

The show starts off us with Makoto Ito, an average guy who has a crush on Kotonoha Katsura who is a cute girl he sees on the train on his way to school. Sadly for him, he’s a spineless coward and lacks the nerve to really do something about it until his childhood friend Sekai Saionji edges him forward to man up and take a stand, all while harboring a secret crush on him (you see where this is going). After a while Sekai manages to get the two lovebirds together. They share awkward yet relaxed afternoons of idle chatter and promises of love until the very force that drew them together gets in between.

Sekai starts abusing her position as a “counselor” and exploits Makoto’s backed up lust by enthralling him with “practice exercises” meant to help him with Kotonoha. Naturally, this serves to confuse his feelings towards the girls even further and all hell breaks loose as he realizes his popularity with the girls and becomes a raging…well, somewhat unreasonable and crazed horn dog.

School Days has a somewhat simple romantic plot which introduces us to the first half of the show where the characters are so overtly adorable and friendly that you would expect rainbows to shoot out if they got cut (you’ll be saying “WHY COULDN’T IT BE RAINBOWS!?” later on) but this is only a charade. A build up towards the crude reality of the show and what lead many to see it in a light of infamy and add it up as one of the most disturbing and dark animes they have ever seen.

Spoilers are ahead so beware.

School’s Out Forever!

Once you pick up the show and get used to the amazingly ironic intro, the quirky comedy relief and cute characters, you’ll be more than ready to get surprised. As it turns out, a girl who has been a socially awkward shut in, a guy who has just discovered he can get a cute girl to treat him nicely and another one to treat him nicer, and a girl with conflicted feelings and a disposition to do anything for the guy she loves, are all a bad mix.

Makoto turns into a mayor playboy, realizing that Kotonoha isn’t the only girl and that he can have all he wanted. He turns cold and cynical, abandoning the love struck Kotonoha who has to cope with the rest of the school bullying her for no longer having a boyfriend and losing what little happiness she had found. Sekai, on the other hand, doesn’t do too well, becoming an slave of Makoto’s body and wishes but not his heart; she slowly starts to break down. In a way, the whole cast slowly degenerates into a twisted version of their former selves, showing how fragile or horrible their real personality was.

Sekai goes from a strong willed and happy girl to become a sad wretch that attempts to win Makoto’s affection with lust but ends up as another notch on his bed post. Kotonoha is left completely alone, betrayed by who she thought her best friend and abandoned by her “one true love” and so she turns to denial in a way that turns her from a shy awkward girl into what could be best described as a doll.

School Days is infamous for its ending sequence. I won’t spoil it and those who read this far more than likely now feel the urge to go take a look at the ending shouldn’t do that either. The ending of School Days serves as a climax to a play full of emotion and despair that delivers is shock not from the visuals but from the actions that take place. The anime, however, deserves praise for its visuals as well. Those that like to call themselves observant will notice that the colors and the lighting used in the show will grow darker as the plot reaches its end. The design of the cast is nothing out of the ordinary but they manage to become individuals that would feel at home inside a newspaper story.

School Days takes the simple formula of the romance anime and adds an element of such psychological and emotional horror that it could be best achieved by throwing Elfen Lied and Clannad in a blender.

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Here is the first part of our new cycle of dark anime reviews, a title which many would call a “Master Piece” without getting weird looks. Elfen Lied is built on a great set of characters and has enough action to keep things interesting, especially for those fans who love the bloody bits and pieces of anime.

Not for The Faint of Heart

Elfen Lied doesn’t beat around the bush when it says it’s loaded with adult themes. There is some nudity in the opening sequence and the first episode starts off with a violent gore-fest carried out by a naked woman, so many people with gentler sensitivities will be turned off by the first few minutes of the show even if the nudity is amazingly tasteful by many an anime’s standards. However, those who were looking for pure gore by the end of this first episode will also be let down. The thing with Elfen Lied is that it doesn’t try to be edgy or controversial; the general feel of the use of gore and nudity comes through as almost a way for its creator to make an artistic statement while keeping things interesting.

At the end of the day, Elfen Lied deals with something as basic as human nature and how much of a horrible thing it can be. The themes in the anime do not dawdle too deeply into philosophy and evolution as they did in the original manga and yet they manage to convey a series of ideas about humanity as a species. In a way, you could say that Elfen Lied appeals to the primal nature of its viewers; using violence, death and in a lesser form sex to guide them through the story. The anime is classified as mature not just because of the strong visual content, but the way it is engineered to draw on emotion and thoughts from the viewer’s mind.

Twisted Beauty

The show is based off of a manga by the same name created by Lynn Okamotto in 2002 and was later adapted into the 13 episode show in 2004. Even though they are related, by the end of the anime you’ll find that the two greatly differ. The anime came around half-way through the manga’s plot, so it was left to an ambiguous end that, to this day, leaves fans demanding for closure.

On the bright side, though, the manga’s artwork is vastly improved in the anime which gives the characters and visuals a more polished look that flows nicely. The animation work is provided by AMRS, a somewhat obscure studio that has produced shows on the pervier side of the scale, which some fans would take as indication that they paid close attention to the female character’s form. Hiyoo!!

The first episode of Elfen Lied serves as great way to sum up the general tone of the show. The anime starts off with an amazingly gory and somewhat cruel sequence that once it is put into perspective will lead to a better understanding of one of the main characters’ personal traits. The sequence itself leads on to a calmer half where the innocent aspect of the show takes form.

In a nutshell, the first episode serves as contrast between the female lead’s character. She is a “Diclonious”, a mutant human born from an unnatural step in evolution whose sole role seems to be the extermination of the human race as the dominant species, that loses her memory due to the events that took place during her bloody escape from a facility where she was being held. As a product of this memory loss, a second half is created. What many would go on to call her “human” half features a child like personality that resembles a new born baby that the main human characters decide to take in and name after a sound she constantly makes: “Nyu”.

The first episode of Elfen Lied is what hooks many fans to the show as it begins to unravel the plot piece by piece by presenting a series of foreboding events and the introduction of the main cast, including both sides of the show’s “cover girl” Lucy, the seemingly evil and sadistic girl with a mysterious past.

All in all, Elfen Lied is an absolutely terrific show that doesn’t hold back until the end which is sadly a huge let down. Not because of what happens after the credits roll but because a certain scene involving a wig that will leave those who didn’t read the manga scratching their heads. The anime and manga differ greatly around this point, but both are strong enough in their own regards to be taken as examples of how adult themes can be used to convey a wonderful story without being senselessly violent or overly sexual.

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