I thought it appropriate to make Detective Conan: Quarter of Silence (movie 15) my first anime of 2012 and it set the year off right! In this case Conan takes on a bomber looking to destroy a dam but there is a lot more to this mystery in the small snowy town Kitanosawa whose residents have many secrets. The film starts off with a flashback many years in the past of a young boy being chased and falling down the mountain side. We then move to present day where Conan must first stop a threat to the Governor of Tokyo and a train bomb that leads them to Niigata Prefecture. We learn that the town of Kitanosawa was relocated five years prior when the dam building took place and it was not popular with many of the residents. The setting plays a major role in the film as it is small and fairly isolated and we have the added attraction of snow and all the dangers that come with it. We meet a group of childhood friends with a lot of complications between them and that boy on the mountain top, don’t count him out yet. Since there are multiple mysteries going on it keeps you guessing in good form. There isn’t too much romance in this film which is a nice break and I really enjoyed the friendship that The Detective Boys kindred with the injured boy from the mountain. This movie loves to push the limits of Conan’s skateboard from having him go upside down in a tunnel to its transformation into a snowboard which he uses to create an avalanche in the final tense climax. This in a very enjoyable addition to the franchise making me feel as if they are on a roll with the Conan movies!

I finally got to reading Twin Spica six through ten when I borrowed them from Narutaki. As I stated when I made this the manga of the month the story mixes the best of science fictions hopeful dreams of progress with the draw of excellent human drama. And it has not dropped off in the least. Although it is a story about space the main focus is the characters, their interactions, and their growth. We learn that everyone has at least one major secret that they are keeping from everyone. Some are huge, some are bizarre, some are very personal, and one is all three. But no matter how wacky anyone’s secret is Kou Yaginuma makes sure that it has an appropriate emotional gravitas. And so powerful moments are still effective. Marika Ukita’s angry loneliness,  Shu Suzuki’s carefree facade, Kei Oumi’s blitzkrieging energy, and even Asumi Kamogawa’s melancholy earnestness will always carefully play with your heart and mind without ever feeling manipulative. There is at least one story in each book that will make your earnestly well up with emotion while still having a light mood that prevents you from feeling emotionally blogged down. I am glad to see everyone is still growing. Marika Ukita clearly has had the most obvious arc of growth but everyone is moving forward at their own pace. I will say that chapter 10 ended rather unexpectedly for me. I thought something like that might happen but not at that point in the story. With only two books left to go this is a great time to start the series if you have not picked it up.

Seems that since they didn’t throw Heiji into the 15th movie, they decided to have him play prominently in Detective Conan Magic File 5. Sadly this short is rather dull. It concerns a mix-up of souvenirs that Sonoko and the kids brought back from their trip. It pretty much consists of Heiji sitting on the couch and speculating on how it occurred. The end is at least rather amusing as Heiji plays a prank on Conan.

As always I keep reading Zettai Karen Children for while is partially a reprehensible manga it makes up for it by being amazingly entertaining. The latest arc has brought a previously only periphery villain to the forefront and has the death of a major character. While I don’t they are fully dead it explains why they never appear in any flash forwards. Zettai Karen Children has always been moving along but this really feels like a major plot point has occurred even more than the time skip oddly enough. But the worst part is I think I have become a horrible, evil, and somewhat detestable Zettai Karen Children shipper. I have unknowingly begun to ship Shiho Sannomiya and Shuji Sakaki. There is something slightly wrong with the age gap involved but I don’t care. They just work so well together and play off each other in a most entertaining manner. They will probably just end up throwing Shiho together with Tim Toy but I have my dreams as they stand now. (Goodness I feel dirty.)

I happily finished up Uta no Prince-sama Maji Love 1000% (eps. 8-13) and truly the second half is spectacular. Since Haruka essential turns the guys into a boy band with her as the song writer things just get more crazy. The headmaster had a few more challenges in store, but don’t worry they literally rock his world with their songs. Haruka has an identity crisis, she works it out in the end, but not before the guys show up on the hillside near her grandmother’s to sing to her. A few things stood out to me after finishing the show. First, there is very little physical intimacy in the series, seriously it ends with everyone giving high-fives to Haruka. On a similar note, despite being filled with pretty boys there isn’t much fan-service/shirts off/etc. even when they going to an island. Finally, it may be one of the only times I’ve seen a cold, stoic guy actually apologize for his behavior and change. This series need a sequel ASAP!

The problem with being caught up with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is I now have to wait a month for the next chapter of JojoLion. That is far too long. I love Hirohiko Araki’s work. His story and characters are amazing but that man cannot draw a cute girl to save his life. I know that Daiya Higashikata is supposed to be a cutie. Her bear hoodie is very cute. She is a progressive rock fan (specifically Yes) so you know she is super cool. She is blind so she even has moe points but seems very capable to be a bit anti-moe. But when you look at her character design all you can think is, “I know you are trying so hard but just like Yasuho Hirose you just can’t make your heroines physically attractive can you?” Oh well. Shine on your crazy manga-ka. By the way I wrote this while listening to Heart of the Sunrise as was appropriate.

Detective Conan movie 9: Strategy Above the Depths takes place on a luxury cruise line, but thanks to today’s technology they aren’t totally cut off from the outside world as the usual police are flown in to investigate. I found this aspect to be slightly disappointing actually, but they want to get in all those favorite faces. There is a lot going on on this ship including conspiracy, murder, and bombs. Since these movies are known for spectacle, these bombs go off creating havoc just as the killer is confronted. While this time around the audience knows the culprit from the beginning, there are still some twists as Conan tries to uncover the clues and motive. Knowing the answer beforehand allows you to follow Conan’s logic, but it takes some of the fun out of trying to deduce the perpetrator. And when most of the people are safely off the ship, an intense show down begins as Conan and Kogoro look for Ran on the fast sinking vessel. This Conan movie lands in the middle for me, not super great fun but certainly not a lame film either.

I got Hayate the Combat Butler volume 15 for my birthday but I never did talk about it. It is nice to go back to a long string of silly stories considering all the drama with Ruka Suirenji and doujin and how serious it has been recently in the manga. We get two really great Nagi chapters with her wandering around the mansion at night and her building RC cars. They are great little stories and the RC storyline has one of my favorite lines of all time, “An Otaku who lacks love and care is just a nerd.” Good Nagi and Hayate moments throughout. This volume also has two Fumi Hibino chapters. I usually think her chapters are funny but she is easily my least favorite Hayate character. It also ends with the beginning of a Hinagiku story which I am sure will make many people happy. But speaking of making people happy there is a Maria story and a little Maria fan service as well. Great volume all in all.

In Kekkaishi vols. 25-26, not only does the conspiracy of the Shadow Organization start to become more clear, it seems to be setting up the final arc of the series. It is obvious now that not only is someone in the group destroying deities, that someone looks to be the head. Of course, with so many people involved as well as recent disappearances and murders, one can’t really take anything at face value. But possibly the most interesting development of all is Yoshimori bonding with Karasumori, as if he can feel and speak to it. Things are just getting more complicated by the volume what with so many conflicting people and information, plus we are seeing more of the elusive Masamori and his plans.

I recently finished the first 6 books of Jojo’s Part 6: Stone Ocean. Hirohiko Araki decides to in yet another unexpected direction by setting part 6 inside a women’s prison. Jolyne Kujo is the first female protagonist of the series and the neglected daughter of part 3′s Jotaro Kujo. She is a punk girl set up for murder in a prison filled with stand users who are being controlled by someone with dastardly plans for the Joestar family. She is an entertaining heroine and a good female character in the Jojo’s tradition. This part is set in Florida so I am surprised the AWO crew has not gotten around to discussing it so can remark on how obviously 100% accurate everything in the series is. I must say that Foo Fighters is one of the strangest characters in a series renowned for strange characters. I won’t ruin it. You just have to meet Foo Fighters for yourself. I am curious to see where this goes as the main antagonist has finally been revealed. A great addition to the series.  If you are not sold then I have a simple pitch: The opening scene of this arc is a discussion of female masturbation. Please at least read the rest of the article before you going search for Stone Ocean.

I finally read Spider-Man: One More Day and, possibly because of all the buzz and craziness it generated when it first came out, I didn’t really find myself on either side of the fence. The dire circumstances of Aunt May slowly dying really unhinges Peter. And in classic fashion, making a deal with the devil has more fine print than anyone imagines. The ending is sad, but kind of fairytale like, at least to me who believes no matter what Mary Jane and Peter will come together again, someday. I don’t really care for Joe Quesada as an artist, he tends to use a lot of line work on people’s faces which makes everyone look very old (even children).

I finished Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with episodes 8-26. I was glad to see the strong start lead into a great middle and a satisfying conclusion. By hook and by crook Captain America, the Black Panther, and Hawkeye join the Avengers. I find it interesting that Iron Man is the leader when Captain America really seems the commander type. But as they said Cap knows how to be a good solider as much as a good leader. Thankfully all the new Avengers add their own little spin to the crew which I enjoy. The best part of the series is that all the individual story lines flow in and out of each other. While every arc is very distinct there are minor pieces that are setting themselves up or winding down from other arcs in the series.  The last arc does well to tie everything together that has come before as we see that everything has been building up to this. My only real complaint is that the Wasp is so clearly the token woman and the weakest member of the team. She has her moments to shine but she still suffers from weak girl syndrome. A shame really but a clear sign of the attitude towards women that is still in American super hero comics. But that is a minor complaint that will not stop me from watching season 2 in October. Despite all the weirdness going on with American comics recently a show like this shows you there is still an amazing core for stories at the heart of the genre.

The BEST series of the year is shaping up to be Mawaru Penguindrum. So far in the first 6 episodes Kunihiko Ikuhara has proven that Utena was not a fluke. The show has stayed as consistently excellent as the first episode and I look forward to a new episode every week. The animation, imagery, and direction remain high quality and imaginative every week. The Rose of Versailles style fantasy imaginary in episode 4 is just scrumptious. Also the laser guided slingshot is both goofy and bass ass at the same time. The plot remains mysterious but we are always getting enough information that we never feel that the show is spinning its wheels. I get the feeling that Ikuhara is more of an “I got this all planned out” sort of guy so it is more a matter of seeing the tale unfold then see him make it up as he goes along.  Kanba and Shoma’s antics in trying to find the Penguindrum are always amusing but retain a creepy vibe without either feeling hurting the other. That said I need to know what is going on with Kanba’s ultra shady deals. Ringo has that same mixture of very funny and very disturbing. I am curious how popular she is among the American and Japanese fans. Narutaki seems to think she would be insanely popular. I cannot disagree. And I know there is more to Himari than meets the eye. She is too innocent for a Ikuhara anime. There has to be more going to with her than you see on the surface. If you don’t have a moral objection to watching fan-subs then you need to watch Mawaru Penguindrum. Otherwise you should get this the second it gets licensed. Because it will get licensed. Fabulous Max!

The most anticipated arc in recent Detective Conan anime TV series was the London case, the 11th OVA happens concurrently featuring Ai and the detective boys back in Japan. It starts as just a cute mystery involving peanutbutter and jelly, a mistaken starlet, and kick the can. But the kids discover kidnappers in an abandoned building and things turn more dangerous when they themselves become trapped. The real treat for this OVA is seeing Ai’s smarts at the forefront since Conan is a world away. Her use of the cellphones as well as the detective boys badges is nicely done. It combines the kid antics at the beginning and a more tense situation later well. The ending has a couple of surprises in store, though nothing too earth shaking. A fun and nice OVA if not remarkable.

There are certain shows that I find fun but are hardly high entertainment that I am always surprised get such a negative reaction. They are also usually the shows people watch every week to complain about them but don’t stop watching. The show with this cycle of abuse this is season is Sacred Seven. I myself have been reasonably entertained every week. There is usually some well done fight scenes every episode and a fairly entertaining if somewhat cliché plot. I think that Alma and Ruri are cute but I also don’t think that anything with school drama is poison so maybe I just grade on very lenient curve as compared to other people in the Twitter community. If nothing else Alma did something more characters in anime should do in episode eight. He simply said, “I’m not a mind reader. Tell me what is wrong and we can talk it out.” And then they do so. Brilliant! The little conspiracy in the organization is heating up I am looking forward to end of this short but sweet series. It is something I kick back with and enjoy on my lunch break on Fridays. I wonder if that is part of the reason I enjoy it more than other people watching it every week. Oni!

Finally had a chance to read Terry Moore’s run on Runaways (collected in Runaways: Dead Wrong and Rock Zombies), unfortunately I didn’t find this to be a striking piece of the narrative for our teen heroes. Though some of that may have to do with A) art by Humberto Ramos in the first story and B) zombies in the second plot. The emotional resonances seems off thanks to the gaping maws of the art but there are some poignant moments of friendship during the alien pursuit of Karolina for her parents crimes. The ending is striking, but I’m not sure how I feel about it in the long run of the series especially in how it changes the relationships.

After The Greatest Movie Ever podcast talked up The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes I had to go check it out. Right out of the gate they wisely do the one thing everyone has asked for with all the recent super hero movies. They don’t spend any time on origin stories  They know that 90% of the audience is already knows this by heart, can look it up, or just does not care. They give you a little intro to each of the Avenger’s general shtick while having them right in the middle of some action.This all comes together in a massive simultaneous prison break that leads to the creation of the Avengers. The Spiderman movie reboot could have learned from this. The writing is pretty solid being accessible to kids but never forgetting that being mature does not have to exclude younger viewers if you do it correctly. So far I am most interested in Hawkeye’s story. From the second he appears on the screen is seems that it were not for bad luck he would not have any luck at all. The character designs look a little strange to me but they are all functional and after a few minutes I adjusted to them and had a fun time. Everyone is in their classic suits as opposed to their modern looking movie costumes. I think it gives the show a fun feeling as opposed to feeling like just a rote movie tie in. With the main plot just started I am looking forward to see where they go after these first 7 episodes. Avengers Assemble!

I have been continuing with Suite Precure. It has been an up and down ride with some really well done episodes, recently notable were the birth of a new Precure in episodes 20 and 21. There was a lot of tension and a great payoff. Things since have been lackluster thought episode 27 not just because it is after a major event, but because any thought about our characters personalities seems to be have been forgotten. Everyone is friends too easily, Siren has completely fallen off the map in terms of recognizably.

Hisui’s picks:

• The Opening to Dengeki Stryker
  After catching up on Mike Dent’s Friday Ace podcast I became aware that MangaGamer picked up Dengeki Stryker. While it is a pornographic game it seems to be filled with hot-blooded Tokusatsu action. I mean Masaaki Endoh of Jam Project does the opening.
• Tomopop Reviews Super Robot Chogokin Weissritte
  My birthday is the 21st so the readers can feel free to buy that for me. Or just dress up as Excellen Browning.
• Mawaru Penguindrum Round Up
  A collection of reviews of the first episode of  Mawaru Penguindrum, which just so happens to be my favorite show of the news season via Skull Candies. Kunihiko Ikuhara has created a show layered enough that different reviews will notice different things going on.
• Excel Saga Manga wraps up after 15 years
  From the news desk of things only I care about.

Narutaki’s picks:

• Hitch animated short
  About an Alfred Hitchcock-themed cookbook! At a mere 3-minutes this animated short has a lot of impact and style not to mention nice tongue-in-cheek humor.
• Kaito Kid hijacks Conan’s TV slot! . . .
  . . . for four weeks starting in August. Kid has a huge fan following, myself included, so this bit of fun is much anticipated.
• Frank Miller’s portrayal of Batman as an idea
  This mirrors some of my own thoughts about how Batman affects the average citizen and how Miller shows that. Also some good musings on Batgirl.

Let us introduce the main characters from Mawaru Penguindrum:

Hisui’s picks:

• Return of the Veef
  After a long hiatus Andrew, otherwise known as VF5SS, is back with a new episode of the Veef show. He talks about Fang of the Sun Dougram, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, and the failure of Gundam in the US. Glad to see him podcasting again.
• MAHQ’s Chaos Theater looks at Batman: The Animated Series
  Who does not love Batman: The Animated Series? Dale Rausch from MAHQ is a guest as well.
• The Greatest Movie EVER! Podcast & AWO talk about My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
  I have seen people talking about Bronies on everything from NPR to Fox News. It takes the combined power of Greatest Movie EVER! and Anime World Order to get to the bottom of this mess.
• Otaku Generation talks about AnimeNEXT
  An alternative look at AnimeNEXT 2011. There is also Part 3 of their look at version terminology related to anime and manga. They mention me so my vanity insists I link to the podcast.

Narutaki’s picks:

• David’s Akira posts on 4thletter
  He tackles the visuals and characters in this series of posts which feature scans from the full-color version of the manga.
• Ho-Ling’s thoughts on Detective Conan
  In this series he is looking at themes and connections 10 volumes at a time.
• Defective Detective
  A hilarious short from Cartoon Brew’s Student Animation Festival.
• Trailer for Gackt in Bunraku
  His English debut!
• Burn Notice: A New Day
  A new webcomic that ties into the series bridging S4 and S5. I haven’t read it yet since I’m only on S2 but still thought it was cool and worth noting.
• 10-page excerpt from Laddertop
  This upcoming comic from Orson Scott Card and daughter looks terribly underwhelming. Also I am lame because it annoys the heck out of me that they are calling it a “manga.”

We decided to move the picture of the week here. This week we prove the power of imagination. Someone can make women from Jojo’s look cute:

Taking another item from our Seven Seas review pile I am so glad to be able to recommend one of their books without the qualifier “as long as you into this rather bizarre fetish.”  A Certain Scientific Railgun is a fun spin-off from the main A Certain Magical Index universe. Unsurprisingly Mikoto Misaka turned out to be one of the most popular characters from A Certain Magical Index but what was a little shocking is she got spun off into her own series. The Railgun series revolves around her involvement with the student run police organization called Judgement in the city-wide psychic school known as Academy City. Although she is not officially a member of Judgement Mikoto often gets involved with cases due to her roommate Shirai Kuroko. The first major story arc involves a mad bomber who is targeting members of Judgement but that soon leads to a much bigger mystery of a strange item called the Level Upper. Supposedly the Level Upper can exponentially increase your psychic power but it may have sinister side effects as well.  For better or for worse the Railgun series focuses entirely on the science side of the Index universe. Considering how certain people tend to dislike parts of the magical side this might be a strong selling point for the series. The stories are light and fun with Mikoto infusing any story she is in with her energetic and strong-willed self that made her popular enough to get a spin-off in the first place. Saten Ruiko and Kazari Uiharu are good supporting cast who are colorful enough to be distinct without being too loud even if they occasionally come off as the most interesting refuges from all girls slice of life manga. Shirai Kuroko’s over the top crush on Mikoto Misaka is silly enough to either make you chuckle or groan whenever she is on the page depending on if you enjoy her shtick or not. The series wears is yuri undertones on its sleeve. They are strong enough that they are mistakable but not enough to turn anyone away from the story. If you have watched the anime the stories are pretty similar but the manga is all killer and no filler. We there are some breathers most of the time we jump from plot point to plot point pretty quickly. You can tell that the anime threw in quite a good deal of filler material or extra complications to the story. You still get to know the girls of Railgun but they remove most of the slice of life manga feeling that the anime added. So if you liked the anime but wish they just got on with it then this is the version for you. The art is pleasant and captures the characters and action well. Overall it is a welcome addition to Index universe. It just makes me wish that someone would license the light novels but considering the light novel market in the US I realize that is tantamount to asking a company to go out of business. Such misfortune.

Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society was the obvious next title to watch once I finished 2nd Gig. I didn’t realize it would take place two years after the ending of the second season with the Major (mostly) MIA from Section 9. A conspiracy involving missing children, dying elderly, refugee suicides, and a hacker called The Puppeteer combine with the Major right in the thick of things to once again take us on an intense ride to an unexpected end. Both Battou and Togusa are stepped up a little in this movie, which is only a good thing. The scenes in the hospital with Togusa’s daughter are great. And I gave a big thumbs up to the last moments of the film with Battou and the Major looking out the window together. After finishing this I more than ever want a Stand Alone Complex 3rd Gig.

I took out the first two books in the Code Geass: Knight and Queen series from the library. They are an anthology series of mostly comedic doujinshi that are ostensibly divided into stories for boys in the Queen series and stories for girls in Knight series. I found that while there was a bit of a basis in towards their intended gender there was hints of BL in both series as well as some male friendly service on both sides as well. As I have stated in the past I always enjoy seeing different artists interpretations of the same characters so this series was no different. With any anthology the stories are a mixed bag with some really good stories, some real head scratchers and most everything else falling in between. One story stood on in my head as the most aggressive Lelouch and Euphemia shipping I have ever seen. Most of the jokes revolve around either exaggerated personifications of the characters or popular memes about the charterers. That should let you judge pretty quickly if you are going to like these books. They are fun little books even if they are mostly just illustrated forum topics done in a semiprofessional format.

Brave Police J-Decker continues to entertain on many levels. I’m finding myself enjoying the silly one-offs just as much as the more serious ones as I near the end with just 5 episodes let to go. Episode 22 is so amazingly ridiculous that it is a must see. Yuuta and Dumpson travel to the Dominican Republic undercover to infiltrate a robot fighting ring. Things that factor in include evil lucadors, a man dressed as a dog, boobs, and masked robots. Other great episodes include Deckerd’s dream sequence, ghostly school girls, and cloning technology!

For a little change of pace I decided to talk about a Fate/Stay Night doujinshi I read. Don’t worry it is a clean Fate/Stay Night doujinshi. Magic Gunner Rin is alternate take on the Fate Universe where Rin is a magical gunslinging bounty hunter that has been hired by Archer to protect his step sister Illyasviel from a mafia enforcers lead by Shirou. Most of the cast members of the doujinshi are people from the game appear in new roles like Lancer, Assassin, Berserker, and Souichirou as mob goons whereas Kane and Kaede are Rin’s assistants. The plot is generally generic and Rin is a bit of your standard badarse gun girl who secretly has a heart of gold but the real appeal is to see the author reinterpretations of the characters. It is fun to see evil Shiro menace the cast looking to gain the power of the Illyasviel and the Holy Grail. The art is occasionally inconsistent with some panels looking far better than others but overall the art is acceptable. But so is the case with a lot of doujinshi. There were only 3 of the 4 books translated but it is worth a look just for its unique take on the original and the fact you could read the whole story in one sitting.

I watched the 1st ONA of Detective Conan VS Wooo which uses Conan and crew to advertise this new series of TVs. The episodes are 6-minutes long and feature Conan’s stunning intellect about Wooo TVs which he uses to solve the mystery. In this installment, Kogoro keeps guessing the culprit in a drama they all watch together but Conan knows his secret to success! Fun and cute and at least an entertaining piece of propaganda. Random fact: I got this series added to My Anime List!

The best of the best in Academy City.

Let me be up front and tell you that while Level Up does touch on the topic of video games it is not nearly as much about the games as you might first suspect. Video games come up and they are used as a metaphor but they are one of several metaphors used in the book. It is really the story of how a boy grows up with the expectations of his parents while tying to balance it against his own desires to be happy. We see Dennis Ouyang go through his life oscillating between hiding himself in video games which he loves and beings quest to becoming a gastroenterologist despite the fact that he has no interest in the job. After his farther dies and he gets kicked out of college he is visited by four little angels that act as nagging guilty consciences that demand that he fulfill his destiny of becoming a doctor. So he whips himself back into shape and is slowly but surely is on his way to satiating the angels. He makes friends and even finds love but he is constantly plagued by the fact that he is going into a career he hates. Despite the addition of the angels it is an extremely relatable story. We have all expectations place on us by the people who raised us and know how they can conflict with our attempts live our own lives. The more the exceptions placed on you the more the book will speak to you. Dennis and his friends sell the story by being delightful characters that draw you in. The art simple and has a very independent comic vibe but it is expressive while maintaining a warm feeling. Level Up is a nice one book story with a fairly important lesson for anyone who is lacking direction their life or remembers what that feeling is like.

The first chapter where we see Dennis’s failed attempt to get a Nintendo for Christmas might be the most relatable scene of the book, you wanted him to get it but knew he wouldn’t. And it is just as easy to struggle with Dennis as he weighs his father’s desires against his own changing perspective. It said it all to me when Dennis’s mother told him “Love is for people. Not work.” Each generation in each culture deals with this difference in thinking, but the Asian American experience depicted here should be very familiar, I know it mirrors my friend’s stories. But I think what was refreshing about this story is the balance it strikes in the end proving you don’t have to cast off your family completely to be who you are. Though I have to say that parents might need this lesson more than kids. Gene Luen Yang brings these lessons in with video games, humor, and great pacing. Sparse words are needed as Thien Pham perfectly conveys everything you need to know visually. A perfect collaboration.

I started watching Maria Holic Alive as I enjoyed the first season reasonably well and it is streaming on the Anime Network. Overall I feel the new season does not really drop the ball in any major respect so far. The humor is still sharp if a bit mean-spirited sheen to it but it is never malicious enough to turn me off but that just might be my love of schadenfreude speaking. The direction still has that dynamic Akiyuki Shinbo and Shaft style that people have come to expect (and Narutaki tends to avoid). The giant robot style opening to the show was an unusual but delightful choice. This new season is not going to win over anyone who already hated the series but fans of the series will be happy to come back to a new season.

 Detective Conan movie 11 Jolly Roger in the Deep Azure involved, as you might imagine, pirates or to be more specific ancient pirate booty! In this adventure Conan and crew travel to a remote island where many treasure hunts have gathered. While the finding of the treasure is actually really fun, the murder mystery and everything else that is going is fairly straightforward. And while the climactic ending is spectacular, it might be even more far-fetched than usual. Not my favorite of the movies.

I sat down and watched the last two episodes of Mazinkaiser SKL when my Internet was being wonky recently. Mazinkaiser SKL is clearly the result of turning a heavy metal album cover into an anime. The last two episodes prove that the plot is mostly unimportant and anyone who though differently was sorely mistaken. All you have to know is that Ken and Ryo have to blow things up with extreme prejudice in order to save the world. In episode 2 they actually have to break a sweat during their battles and actually begin to lose for a few seconds. But in episode 3 the Mazinkaiser SKL goes back to being completely invincible and just trounce everything thrown at it. Tsubasa Yuki actually starts being useful by applying her technical skills and even killing some minor bad guys making her character a bit more in the Jun Hono mold than the Sayaka Yumi style character she first appears to be. All that said you come to Mazinkaiser SKL to see totally awesome robot fights. If you are looking for much else you will be sorely disappointed but the show never promises such things. It delivers in spades on its promise of manly metal Go Nagai action and that is all you can ask of the show.

 Batman Year One was a real treat. Watching two men, Batman and Jim Gordon, take their first steps in trying to clean up Gotham is gripping. It was certainly a gritty look at the city which is no surprise coming from Frank Miller, but it retained its humanity probably because it the beginning so there is hope. And David Mazzucchelli’s art is so graphic and bold making it feel old and new at the same time. This makes me doubly excited to see the animated feature coming out soon.

In the spirit of solidarity between maids (and becuase it is easy to find tasteful pictures of her):

Gunslinger Girl is such a big seller for Seven Seas that they are releasing omnibus editions, we got a look at the first one which contains vols. 1-3. I was very interested in this title just because it seems to garner some contradictory ideas and people. This series takes cute, little girls and turns them into cyborg assassins for a secret government organization. Despite their training and conditioning, they are still able to form connections though inevitably most are either disturbing or end poorly. The first two volumes, give or take, are somewhat vignette-like as we learn a little of the tragic story of each girl. It really stops being shocking however after the second or third time you’ve seen it. So once the series starts on a more robust story in volume three things get better. Though admittedly I’m more interested in the Section 2, the terrorist plot, “Pinocchio,” and various other story elements that are not these children. Once again it is a series that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, but seems to be designed that way . . . maybe. I do have to wonder why there are no little boy assassins or why these girls are so cute, cute all the time even when they are just hanging out in their rooms or why every female in the series seems to be blushing nine times out of ten. I’m not quite sure what it is saying, if anything at all. There is plenty of action and political plots, though sometimes a bit talkie. One thing I noted from beginning to end was how much the art changes, it becomes much softer and uses a thinner line as it goes (below left side is the chapter 1, right side is chapter 17).

Gunslinger Girl has always been a series that has given me mixed feelings. On one hand I know people sing the praises of the story and its twisted but illuminating nature. On the other hand it seems to have a strong loli vibe even if there is no obvious fan service. I assumed the only way to see if which half of its legacy Gunslinger Girl lives up to is to read the manga myself. In the end I am not sure if I have any clearer feeling on the series now that I have read three books of the series. There is a story of politics and wet works as the government uses and abuses these little girls like objects to eliminate criminals and enemies of the state. All the stories have a heavy air of melancholy and tragedy that seems inescapable. On the other hand all the girls are portrayed as uber cute little sister characters whenever they are not killing people. Also all the girls and the obsessive big brother devotions that can be seen as catering to a bracket obsessed with little sisters. There are going to be three camps most fans fall into in the series. The first is those who see the girls as a tool for storytelling. By making them these ultra innocent little girls it heightens the darkness of their lives and how they are used as disposable weapons. The second group is going to see the book as a critique of otaku culture. You have a contrast of the insanely devoted moe little girls with their exploitation by those who supposedly are their noble guardians. You could also just see it as standard little girl fetishism with a coating of dark political thriller to make it more palatable. That said the service in never blatant but it is always present. The story with the kaleidoscope or Elsa de Sica clearly have romantic to sexual overtones. Since there are not constant panty shots and long bath scenes the interpretation of the stories will mainly come down to your predisposition. The reader will focus on the part of the story they gravitate to and trivialize what they don’t care for. The stories themselves are usually very slow going as far as to having some slice of life chapters but are broken up with pages of violence and personal horror. The omnibus is a good introduction to the series and a more than 400 pages it gives you a good sense of where on the spectrum your opinion of the series will be.

I watched the 12th Detective Conan movie, Full Score of Fear. This mystery features classic music, a famous pianist and singer, an incredible music hall, and a mad bomber. The movie beings with exploding a couple of music students then switches to Conan and gang getting a sneak preview of an upcoming performance by a famous pianist turned organist plus some violin students and a rare perfect-pitch singer. It becomes immediately clear there is tension among the performers and everyone is a bit suspicious. The film’s climax has more than 20 bombs slowly going off around the music hall as the audience sits inside unaware they are coming closer to death. And the actual ending is very intense as well as the way the bombs were planted. But I would say the highlight includes Conan and the perfect-pitch singer calling 911 not by dialing the number, because they can’t reach the phone, but by using her voice to simulate the tones. Another good film that I’ve come to expect from the franchise. The bonus OVA is not very exciting but it does tie into the film in a cool way at the end.

While at the library I also picked up the first two volumes of Deadman Wonderland which much like Toriko has the same hyper-violent old school shonen feel. Deadman Wonderland finds Ganta Igarashi in a fun house styled jail for a crime he didn’t commit fighting for his life in gladiatorial combat. It has many of the staples of you standard shonen fighting manga. It has a young protagonist with strange powers  who has to fight other more experienced fighters. The protagonist is super powerful but has to learn to use his abilities. There is a tournament system that can either further the plot or keep in it in standby as the pacing necessitates. A mysterious love interest who is both innocent and eccentric. But it has a decided gruesome body count every episode. People are ground into paste, ripped apart, burned, or maimed with a disturbing frequency. All the characters seem to be very sinister. The first person Ganta befriends is in cahoots with the warden and is trying to set him up while also trying to kill Shiro. And he is your otherwise standard sidekick character. It has a cynical and bloody worldview more in line with a seinen manga. Like Toriko is a good series for those who miss the old bloody and morally ambiguous days of shonen manga. I am curious to see where they go with this premise with the upcoming anime.

Picked up vol. 1 of The Stellar Six once I realized it was released in English (I found out purely by accident). I had been eying this in Japanese for a while now, but what I thought was about a family is actually about a circle of friends. This group, and their families and neighbors, all work and live in this big marketplace. Each chapter is a small adventure, usually involving the people of the market be it customers or workers, that enhances what we know about their relationships in a somewhat slice-of-life manner. However, there is clearly a love is in the midst for our two main characters. It is a cute series but not particularly well-written or paced which never made me feel or believe the pages unfortunately. On one hand it is about the twisted dirty deeds of girls who a drugged up, given cybernetic bodies, and conditioned into being assassins for a clandestine branch of the Italian government. Their lifespans are shortened, their memories are constantly perverted, and they are forced into protective relationships with their handlers due to a combination of drugs and brainwashing.

After seeing Erin’s unusual manga genres panel and her food manga panels I decided I should try at least one book of Oishinbo since it is another one of those ultra long running series. Since Oshibo is over 100 volumes and still going Viz released a 7 volumes from a completion collection of the series. Each volume is based around stories from the series with a similar theme. The book I found was about Izakaya: Pub Food. The story is chronological so you will see the main character Shiro go from single shlub, to active flirt, to married man, to proud father over the course of the series. It has a very basic healing manga format just in this instance the stories are based around food this time. In one story they will be teaching a pretty boy actor how to properly drink saki for a role by going to an old school Izakaya and another time they will try a create an innovative menu for a high-class Izakaya franchise. The stories were entertaining but I felt like not being a foodie I was missing out on a distinct level of enjoyment.

A bit past the date, but who cares!

I watched some of the various Detective Conan OVAs 1-9 stretched across many years. OVA 10 I haven’t gotten my hands on yet, and the Magic File OVAs I’ll leave for a separate post as they relate to the movies. It’s worth noting that they didn’t start making Conan OVAs until the 2000′s and they continue to make them despite the deadness of the OVA market but hey it’s a huge franchise. For the most part they are silly romps, some not even containing a real case, but not very memorable either way. The better ones are two containing Kaito Kid, perhaps I am just totally bias, OVA 1 which is actually very funny and OVA 4 where Conan and Kid end up on the same train with a precious jewel; OVA 3 guest stars Heiji who teams with Conan to find a missing kid; and finally OVA 9, which was probably my favorite despite not having a case, where Conan sees what the future might hold should he never find an antidote. These OVAs are really just supplemental material that aren’t required viewing so they are easy to just grab a few or skip all together.

As a long time fan of the Phoenix Wright games I had to check out Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective to see how the spiritual successor stacked up to the original. While it is very clearly a Shu Takumi game it is a very different in terms of mechanics and flow. In Ghost Trick you start the game after just been killed. You are a ghost who cannot remember who you are, how you died, or who killed you plus on top of that have only until sunrise to figure it all out. You do have a few remarkable ghost powers to help you interact with the land of the living. You can jump from various inanimate objects and manipulate them in a Rube Goldberg fashion. So if wanted to alert someone before they were shot you could say jump into a fan, have it turn on, then jump into a piece of memo paper kicked up by the fan, ride it to a bicycle, and then have the bicycle ring its bell. But if that warning was not enough you can jump into the body of the recently dead and rewind time to 4 minuets before they died. So most of the game is you jumping around trying to save people in hopes that one of them will lead you discover who killed you and why. Ghost Trick has the same snappy writing of the Phoenix Wright games while being a solid departure from the courtroom drama. The twists in the game were clever and shocking but were not out of nowhere especially if you were paying attention. Ghost Trick could easy rank as one of Narutaki’s top 10 games of the year just because you team up with a lovable Pomeranian named Missile during the course of the game. The puzzles were decently changeling without every being unfairly difficult. There are some when you just have to try everything until you see a change. Also sometimes you just have to go through a section, see where you utterly mess up, rewind time, and then avoid the trap they set you up for. The only thing that is completely and utterly unchanged from Phoenix Wright is the music which while great could very easily just be mistaken for the soundtrack for Phoenix Wright 5. It is a really fun game that could be a franchise that equals its older brother.

I was very excited about another season of Kimi ni Todoke. And the operative word here is “was.” Now that it is upon me and I’ve floated through three episodes, I feel it is a case of be careful what you wish for. Introduced is a new character, a laid back blonde guy who takes an interest in Sawako, we don’t know much about him yet but he is clearly a rival for Kazehaya. At the same time a rift (for no apparent reason) starts to occur between Sawako and Kazehaya. This is basic form for shojo series that get popular, but I was impressed with S1 and how it flipped my expectations. I don’t feel that happening so far in S2, the misunderstandings are dragging out far too long. In short, the series has taken giant steps backwards in terms of Sawako and Kazehaya’s progress leaving me very unhappy. And I have a feeling this entire season will work to fix the ridiculous gaps that occur between these first installments, thus ending the season at about the exact same point of relationship progress they had in the first.

I noticed that Funimation started streaming Spice and Wolf II so I had to continue the journey of moe economics. Kraft and Holo continue their journey North to find the village that Holo once called home. In the first major storyline of the season Holo catches the eye of a young merchant named Amati who tries challenges Kraft for Holo’s hand in marriage. The seemingly lovable and meek Amati quickly shows that he is a ruthless merchant to the bone during their battle. The whole contest brings the palatable sexual tension between Kraft and Holo to the surface. I don’t think it is a huge spoiler to say that Kraft wins but I must point out that Kraft and Holo beat Amati in about the most vicious way possible. I am sure that Amati will appear again if for nothing else I would want revenge if anyone did that to me. The second storyline involves a shady deal, the church, and some dirty politics. Much like the first series this was a fun little series with a very unusual slant of the medieval fantasy adventure. The show is always smart with its economics and Kraft and Holo’s banter is even sharper. There is usually a good deal of tension at the end of each storyline but the buildup before that will put some people to sleep. Also I can see some people shouting, “HAVE SEX ALREADY! YOU OBVIOUSLY BOTH NEED IT!”  at the screen by the fact what while Kraft and Holo keep getting closer but the author refuses to have them cross that obvious threshold. I am still entertained by the series immensely and hope they can get around to making a third season one day especially since the novel series is wrapping up soon.

I watched the independent OVA Kowarekake no Orgel. It is the familiar story of a guy finding an abandoned robot girl in the junk heap but in this case no romantic intentions ensue. Keiichiro is quiet and lives along and seems to have pulled away from society a bit. He fixes the robot and names her Flower who begins to be a sort of housekeeper. We learn about Keiichiro’s past as Flower helps him open himself up to the world again. It’s a quiet tale on purpose but it also didn’t seem to have any life in it either.

And speaking of the novels since I have been going to the library lately I noticed the first Spice and Wolf Novel on the shelf. I was curious to see how different it was (if at all) from the anime. The first book about Kraft and Holo meeting and then getting involved in the currency speculation affair like in the anime. The story plays out the same in the overall structure but I did notice that the anime added some additional material. Chloe’s involvement with the currency speculation and her whole romantic subplot with Kraft is totally an anime addition.  In the novel Chloe’s part is played but Yarei who more of a minor character. While they added some complexity of plot in the anime we get more of Kraft’s inner workings in the novel. As is the general strength of most novels the larger amount of room lets you have details the anime does not allow. While I can’t see the novels winning over anyone who disliked the anime it was an enjoyable read despite the fact that I already knew the story.  I hope if nothing else Yen Press can finish the novels so I get some resolution to the story.

Please Kimi ni Todoke, make me happy again.

Just about as soon as possible we sat down for the 14th Detective Conan movie, The Lost Ship in the Sky featuring a myriad of familiar faces and also the charming Kaito Kid. Things are pretty complicated this time around as bioterrorism rears its ugly head, a secret crime group reappears, a plot to catch Kaito Kid is hatched, and an airship is hijacked. As often occurs, Conan and Kaito team up for a good portion of the film to take out the real baddies. The airship is pretty impressive, and there are some thrilling scenes throughout, but the final confrontation seemed less flashy than usual. The mystery had a lot going on, and figuring out the motive was near impossible, in fact I’m still not quite clear on it, so it came off as more thriller than mystery as Conan worked to find the bombs and disarm the hijackers before it was too late. Of course the cast was stupendous, pretty much throwing in a cameo of everyone including most of the police officers we’ve seen, though truly this is a Conan and Kaito show. After all was said and done, the last scene of the film tricked me into thinking something extremely plot relevant had occurred but the extra after the credits clears it up and things go back to normal. While not the best of the films, still a good ride and it has Kaito Kid!

I like to call this Detective Conan Movie 14: Die Hard on a Blimp. Conan and Kaito cross paths with their usual delightful mixture of rivalry and comradery. We also get some cute interplay between Kaito and Ran as well. I agree with Narutaki that while there was a good deal of action overall there was not that same huge action sequence at the end of the movie that pushes the budget to the limit. It was a bit odd that Heiji was toting around a self insertion kid for this movie when they already have the Detective Boys for that purpose. Also they did not do much of an introduction to the story, characters, and gadgets as they have done with past movies. This was especially noticeable since we watched this movie with someone who had never watched Conan before. They followed along fine but I wonder if they cut the normal extended intro for time reasons or because they no longer feel they are as necessary. It was a fun movie that was a bit of a change of pace from the normal murder mystery while still having a Conan feel. Although with no murder I am sure that S. S. Van Dine and Narutaki were both slightly disappointed. It is worth checking out and hopefully FUNimation will get around to putting it out in the US. On a side note, I think I have leveled up again as an anime fan by the fact that I noticed that they changed voice actors on Kogoro.

I got around to reading the one of the seminal Batman stories, The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. I was struck immediately by its stark style and it certainly paints itself as different from others from the get go. Batman now pretty much an old man decides to come out of retirement when it seems that Two-Face has taken to crime again. The world of Gotham is much darker, with no trust for superheroes in a long time, and Batman’s methods are of course heatedly debated. This story has so many perfect moments that display many of the great themes of Batman, maybe even superheroes in general. Most notable for me was the way Miller depicted civilians taking slow steps to help each other again, without thinking about what’s in it for them, because Batman has come back; Batman says don’t be afraid. Batman is also on the more violent end in this story so it really brings that grayness into his character quite readily. And there is plenty of social commentary, despite being written in the 80s that can easily apply to today. I was really wowed by the comic, even in its crazier moments nearing the end.

During my little vacation I decided to finally sit down and watch Gunbuster as I have been meaning to do since I bought the Honneamise release. Gunbuster is a classic of the mecha genre and as we mentioned in our Gainax podcast it is considered one of the best of studio’s productions. On one hand I do believe that the series deserves its reputation. The story is well executed mecha epic in a mere 6 episodes. Everything moves a brisk pace letting you see a fully realized  story in 1 sitting. The animation is amazing and at times shows the real power of the 80s OVA. Capping it all off was an amazingly powerful and unforgettable ending. But I think its die-hard fans tend to gloss over the series flaws and oddities. The series starts as a goofy parody of both mecha and sports series and radially shifts to a life or death struggle for the fate of humanity by the end.  Also all the characters are pretty much archetypes. While they are effectively used to make memorable characters they are clearly and unashamedly archetypes. Also there is a reason that Gainax Bounce came into the American lexicon from Gunbuster. The fan service is pretty constant with some scenes being dedicated to the female anatomy.  Also while I found her very attractive Jung Freud could have been removed from the story with absolutely no detriment to the plot. Also I have to agree with OGT’s assessment that Noriko is an early example of a moe character and can easily get on some people nerves in her growing pains. While she grows though the series her influence on moe is unmistakable. But even with all that said Gunbuster is a classic and worth watching by anyone who has an interest in the mecha genre.

I picked up a few animated films during a Black Friday Sale including Kung Fu Panda. I had always heard this was one of the high points in the Dreamworks catalog and I wasn’t disappointed in it. Noodle chef and fanboy of Kung Fu, Poe, is unexpectedly chosen as the next Kung Fu master to inherit the scroll of the Golden Dragon. Despite being a panda, having no training, and being rather awkward Poe jumps at his new life though everyone around him isn’t so happy about it. But most importantly, Poe is a goodhearted soul who finds courage and confidence in order to save the valley. I think what I liked best was the acknowledgment that individuals learn in different ways and one need not change but rather embrace your strengths. I was surprised by Poe’s fanboy status and also came to feel for him early on. The animation quality is quite nice, I especially enjoyed the opening dream sequence style, and the fights throughout are exciting. While it does have some of the signature humor of Dreamworks it actually gets more dramatic than I expected. I was impressed by this film and am curious about the planned sequels.

After watching Gunbuster I spent the next day watching Diebuster. I was interested to see how I felt about Diebuster because it seems like a show that tells what type of fan you are. I remember when the show first came out reactions were extremely divided on the show. Old school fans who loved Gunbuster tended to hate the show while new fans tended to love the show. In my opinion they are very similar shows that were made with the current zeitgeist being a key to the feeling of the show. They are both mecha shows about clumsy underdog girls who must grow up in order save humanity. Both protagonists have more experienced cool female partners who they share a love/hate relationship with. They both start of silly and progressively become more serious with a huge emotional climax. Even most of the flaws are the same. The fan service is equally omnipresent, the characters are lovable archetypes but archetypes none the less, Tycho was still the somewhat superfluous Jung Freud, and Nono can be grating in the same ways Noriko was. I think the major problem Gunbuster fans wanted Gunbuster 2004 but they got Diebuster. If you understand that this is the modern companion piece to the original series you can enjoy this for the excellent series it is.  It ties in nicely with the original series and has a good heart. Just remember that nostalgia is fine as long as you look back with eyes wide open.

More Conan? Sure, no problem!

This post has been brewing for a while, and is by no means a complete listing. But before it got totally out of hand, we had to think of which characters could really use their own stories beyond the fact that we just like them a hell of a lot. This is mere sampling of some of the great side characters that we’re pretty sure could hold their own in a series. Eventhough the title of this post mentions L, he already has a spin-off albeit a bad one, so we’ve come up with a list of other great spin-off options! Oh, yeah, 1/3 of our picks are still detectives though!

Amelia Wil Tesla Saillune and Zelgadis Greywords
Slayers

The Slayers anime could have been named Lina Inverse starring in Lina Inverse’s Magic Kommandos considering how much the supporting cast spent in the background (quite a contrast to the original novels) especially during the final battles. However, that doesn’t mean you could forget any of them! The two with the strongest dynamic among themselves were easily Amelia and Zelgadis. After seeing them in the latest Slayers anime this was only more confirmed. They contrast either other with near polar-opposite personalities but can come together for a cause with a bit of romantic tension on the side. Zelgadis needs to find a cure for his condition and Amelia’s love of justice creates an easy way to hook them to whatever plot line you whip up. Also while being powerful fighters and magicians they are not the invincible powerhouses that Lina is therefore you can give them adventures of a smaller scope rather than the fate of all existence and not feel like they are overpowered for the task.

Heiji Hattori
Detective Conan

If anything it might seem like Heiji Hattori is almost cheating. He is the Great Detective of the West while Shinichi Kudo is the Great Detective of the East. But they aren’t total mirror images of each other, similar romantic situations notwithstanding. Heiji has a more upbeat, fun-loving attitude giving his mystery-solving a different flavor. While Heiji does not currently have an overarching meta plot like Shinichi has with the Black Organization, he could easily be given some greater mystery to piece together. For example, since he is quite famous as a genius teenage detective his fame could easily attract him a Professor Moriarty like arch-villain to so spice things up. And since we already know the abilities of Gosho Aoyama to tell a good mystery, it seems like a safe bet.

Ozma Lee
Macross Frontier

No matter where your allegiance was in the Ranka/Sheryl War there was one character everyone could get behind, at least we hope, and that was Ozma Lee. He is a new Roy Focker without being pineapple-saladed. Ozma is the prime character for a more adult like Macross Plus-style spin-off that deals with a more mature storyline. Heck, many a fan like Macross Plus best of all despite it being a bit off the beaten path of the original. It would also let them develop the relationship between him and Cathy Glass which was one of the best parts of the TV series. Plus him being a Fire Bomber fan could easily lead some Macross 7 cross-over. So really what we are saying is that we want an aging-rocker Basara and Ozma team-up.

Cotton
Oblivion Island

So Oblivion Island, not sure a great flick, but one character stood out for both cuteness and resourcefulness, the plucky stuffed-lamb Cotton who kinda looks like a rabbit with his hat on. The design is on the more creepy side, especially those button eyes, but Cotton proves to be the best companion one could ask for. And he pretty much saves the day. The world create in Oblivion Island could make for a ton of adventures and no one would be better suited to explore it than Cotton.

Wataru Tachibana and Saki Kijima
Hayate the Combat Butler

Kenjiro Hata has stated that if he ever did a spin-off from Hayate it would be centered around Wataru and Saki so we just want to voice what a wonderful idea we think that is. This is a parody and comedy series but has enough appreciation for the things it is poking fun at. First of all Wataru’s shameful otaku nature is both a comedy goldmine and is sure to be relevant to modern fandom. Plus he has all the trappings of Nagi like school life and weird relationships to deal with. Saki on the other hand provides a bit of otaku pandering while staying on the pleasant side of entertaining. The video store is a great place to start plot lines and bring characters together like a nerdy Cheers. Plus you can always work in Hayate character cameos then add regulars at the store for a backbone to a new cast.

Aru Akise
Future Diary

Aru Akise could, and should, easily be the star of his own detective manga. Who can not get behind a man whose dream it is to be the world’s greatest detective? And since he isn’t yet the greatest you can build tons of growth. He has displayed an amazing amount of intelligence and was able to go toe to toe with enemies using his wits alone. He is sort of like L, but with social skills, having a Sherlockian ability to draw conclusion from the smallest details and a connect the dots. Aru could play off an assistant or not, either would entertain the audience while solving cases. Also having a positive and strong homosexual character in the protagonist position that isn’t a yaoi manga would be a nice change of pace.

Hisui’s Bonus picks:

Allenby Beardsley
Mobile Suit G Gundam

Don’t you hate it when of the coolest characters is introduced late in the series so they never get as much screen time as they deserve? Sadly Allenby was not introduced until halfway through the series. But her charming spunky tomboy personality won me over. Plus you can be hard pressed to remember too many capable female and powerful Gundam pilots who don’t die horribly. Her adventures in the Future Century world could be fun with a great combination of comedy, action, drama, and romance. She is powerful to stand on her own as a heroine but likable enough to draw other characters to her for momentous tasks. Plus I always just want more Allenby.

Touko Aozaki
Garden of Sinners

Despite being at least mentioned in Mahou Tsukai no Yoru, Tsukihime, Fate/Stay Night, and being a supporting character in Kara no Kyoukai it seems that Touko Aozaki has never gotten her own time in the spot light. The woman runs a supernatural detective agency so she is automatically cool. Since Touko is not an overpowered god like Shiki it would require her to do more investigate work and use bit more finesse like a Japanese version of the The Dresden Files. Maybe we can finally see what caused the falling out between her and her sister.

*these episode #’s are based on the Funimation U.S. release

Episodes #001-003, #005-007 (Roller Coaster Murder Case, Company President’s Daughter Kidnapping Case, An Idol’s Locked Room Murder Case and The Shinkansen’s Bomb Case, Valentine Murder Case, Once-A-Month Present Threat Case)
Plot, Character Introductions, Black Organization
It is pretty obvious why you should watch the beginning of the show. Despite the fact that all subsequent episodes recap the incident that turns 17-year-old Shinichi into little Conan, it is worth seeing for yourself and familiarizing yourself with the nefarious Gin and others of the Black Organization. Throughout these episodes you also meet a good portion of the recurring cast, see the beginning of Conan’s gadget collection, and lets you in on the tone of the setting.You will also get an excellent idea of the relationship between Shinichi and Ran which is of course a major dramatic point throughout the entire show.

Episode #009 (Tenkaichi Night Festival Murder Case)
Character Introduction
This case is backwards, at least for the audience, as we see the killer and how the murder was committed at the get-go Columbo-style. This case also introduces more of the police force in the form of Sango Yokomizo.

Episodes #011-012 (Moonlight Sonata Murder Case)
If you only watch one (okay technically two) Conan episode it should probably be this one. This episode doesn’t factor into the plot of the series or introduce anything, but it is just a fantastic, haunting mystery; certainly the best by far of the first season. We even listed this on our beginner’s guide as a great place to start and see what Conan can do.

Episode #013 (Ayumi-chan Kidnapping Case)
This case means little in the grand scheme of things, but the macabre humor inherent in this episode makes it worth checking out in case you were wondering why Conan was considered less of a kid’s show by U.S. standards. This and the first episode give you a good sense of the upper limits of violence and gore level in the show and if you feel secure in having any children you know watch the series.

Episode #019 (A June Bride Murder Case)
Character Introduction
The introduction of Kiyonaga Matsumoto the chief of the Tokyo police who appears from time to time in later episodes. A good example of a tear-jerker story that Conan likes to use on occasion.

Episode #022 (On Location, TV Drama Murder Case)
Character Introduction
This is pretty good case and the second appearance of idol Yoko Okino. We are introduced to Wataru Takagi who will go on to be another recurring police officer.

Episode #028-029 (Kogoro’s Class Reunion Murder Case)
Backstory
These two episodes close out the season on a good note. This case gives Mori some time to shine showing that he was an effective police officer back in the day and finally shedding some light on why people believe Mori can solve all the cases despite having fallen so far.

I decided to check out Real Drive mostly because I was intrigued that I knew almost nothing about the show despite its pedigree. A cyber future anime from Production I.G and Masamune Shirow seems like the type of show everyone should be talking about. I think the main problem people have with this show is two fold. First is chubby girls. All the female characters are full figured to the point that most of them look sort of chunky. I did not have a problem with it but I know that it is like 80% of the reputation of this show. The second is my nickname for the show: Slice-of-Life in the Shell. While there are cases of killer cyborg assassins, man’s relationship with technology, and political intrigue the fact that Minamo Aoi the 15-year-old girl is the main character is a turn off if people wanted the standard Shirow protagonist. One of the stories is even about a ghost at Aoi’s school but what people are mostly going to remember is Aoi and her friends being goofy ghost hunters. Overall the slice-of-life aspects are really high at times so if you can’t stand them there is no reason to even try to plow through to get to the good fight scenes and deeper plot. I had a good time but it’s hardly a show that you must see especially considering how light the story can be at times. I do have to give the show props for making the other protagonist a 81-year-old hacker in a wheel chair. Now that isn’t an overused archetypal anime character.

I got Kekkaishi 21 in the mail earlier this week, I’m glad I had this on pre-order. The last few books have been setting up the many facets of sacred sites being destroyed and then hanging the blame on the Yoshimori’s clan which is causing turmoil in many different sects. Everything is still very shrouded in mystery, few ties of trusts, which is only multiplied by Okuni’s group getting involved. Things really heat up in this volume when Karasamori itself is targeted and as Tokine makes a difficult decision in the battle. We finally get more hints about who and what is destroying the sites and Yoshi among others starts doing some detective work. Yoshi continues to grow in this volume, but there is a little too much of people spelling everything out. And given my dislike for Sen, it doesn’t help that he is digging further and further into his know-it-all attitude even though I can read betrayal all over him. However, Yoshi is able to recognize himself as a person who has to listen to others with the realization that using their knowledge to further his learning is okay. I also can’t help but feel Yoshi is such a misunderstood guy, but he is moving forward. Kekkaishi is also starting to feel a bit more like shonen adventure and even less like shonen fighting than it already does. The battles are good and hard won but they aren’t dominating the plot. I really wish this came out quicker! 

I finished Victory Gundam with episodes 31-52. I guess I will just throw out my overall feelings since the other person on the blog has not seen this yet. Observant Tomino fans will notice that there are 2 types of “Kill ‘Em All Tomino” shows. In the first type you will have one or two major deaths but almost everyone who is important dies at the very end. Then there is the constant murder throughout the series in Victory Gundam. I do have to note that some of the deaths were especially horrific even for Tomino. The big climactic fight centered around the Zanscare super weapon was suitably dramatic and tense. Tomino made a super weapon in a fashion he had never done before. He also seemed to be stalling for time at points with Shakti being passed back and forth between Uso and the Zanscare Empire. Overall I thought it was a solid Gundam series but not an exceptional one. It’s worth watching if you like Tomino but not anything you have to rush out to see. You just have to be braced for a series with a deep melancholy that permeates the show.

Conan Magic File 4 is a companion short to the latest film, The Lost Ship in the Sky. These shorts are always little insignificant romps which can be mildly amusing depending. This one is about Conan and Heiji’s attempt to get to a wonderful okonomiyaki restaurant before Conan has to depart for home and the many obstacles that get in their way. This mostly highlights both of the guy’s good Samaritan qualities but the likes of which often spill over into jumping to suspecting crime at every turn. Considering how many crimes happen around these two, it’s hard to blame them! And while they don’t solve any crimes they do clear up a misunderstanding between a couple. Fun but once again nothing too special.

On May 13th I participated on the live chat session of Monster episode 1 on manga.com. They played the first dubbed episode of Monster while letting viewers chat with each other or ask the producers at VIZ questions about the series. It was an interesting way to promote a show so I decided to check it out. They went out of their way to make the experience very interactive. You could also answer trivia question in a side bar quiz if you liked. The staff answered the questions in a quick and friendly manner which was very nice. Amazingly everyone was well-behaved from what I saw which for any open invitation online event is pleasing. For the life of me I could not get the advertisement bar to go away during the chat so it was hard to read the Q&A. But they answered a few of my questions including how free they felt they were in the adaption of the anime. They responded that they worked extremely closely with the translator of the manga to make sure they were perfectly in sync with each other. I think the showing with live Q&A session was clever and hope to see them do it again.

I have watched Heroman 2-6 and I can’t help but feel each subsequent episode seems less fulfilling than the previous. The pacing in this show is keeping me interested however since it is so wildly jarring as things you might suspect to happen over a couple of episodes instead occur almost instantly after you think of it. And the things that happen in Heroman you do literally think of because it is that familiar. I just keep suspecting there is going to be waaaay more to everything without any real proof of that. Though considering this show will probably be 50+ episodes it can take those first 10 to really get the ball rolling. Speaking of rolling balls, they are currently my favorite characters in the series, and as such I have taken to calling the show Marble Madness until they are disposed of.

They tried to stand up to the victory:

Detective Conan is one of the premiere detective series in Japan with a long legacy of entertaining kids and adults. It is a wonderful combination of mystery, humor, suspense, action, and even a little sweet romance. After so many years it has a robust and colorful cast of characters who rarely wear out their welcome. But Conan isn’t changing the face of anime, it isn’t deep, and it won’t make you contemplate the meaning of life however it will entertaining you. I find it easy to fall in love with if you let yourself.

With any long running series it can be extremely intimidating to try to decide how to jump into the franchise. With over 60 manga volumes, 500 anime episodes, 14 movies, OVAs, specials, and a live action spin-off as of when this article is being posted it might seem impossible to casually start watching the adventures of Japan’s favorite animated detective. Do you just start from the beginning when the series might be rough? Do you pick a movie and hope it is self-contained and representative of the work as a whole? Do you watch the latest offering and hope you are not totally lost? Don’t panic. We are going to offer you the basics to let anyone with even a casual interest jump into the franchise.

What to know: Conan is so long running that remembering all the little details can be a challenge so we’re going to give you the most basic pieces that will allow you to start anywhere in the Conan library.

• 17-year-old Shinichi, already well-known as one of the best sleuths in Japan, one day runs afoul the Black Organization and is given an experimental poison that regresses him to elementary school age. He is forced to take the alias Conan Edogawa as he tries to find a cure for his condition.

• Conan moves in with with former childhood friend Ran and her father P.I. Kogoro. Since Kogoro is rather incompetent Conan is almost always forced solves the cases and make it seem like Kogoro solved them instead. Conan has gadgets to knock out Korogo and impersonate his voice in his collection. Ran’s best friend Sonoko often gets involved in cases and Conan will sometimes knock her out if Korogo is not around.

• The “Detective Boys” (even though two are girls) are Conan’s friends in elementary school and consist of the lumbering Genta, timid Mitsuhiko, and cute Ayumi. Later, stoic Ai, a former member of the Black Organization who took the same drug as Conan to escape them, joins the group. These kids are often in toe with Conan and get into plenty of mischief.

• Dr. Agase provides all of the gadgets Conan uses throughout the series and is looking for a cure for Conan’s condition, he is good-natured, a bit daffy, and helps the kids in their adventures. He takes Ai in after she escapes the Black Organization.

• Conan normally works with is Inspector Megure. He is almost always seen with his trademark hat and trench coat. There are other regular police officers who appear on and off in both the Tokyo police department and other law enforcement agencies but they usually serendipitously mention who they are to remind viewers.

• Heiji is the son of a police chief and also a teenage detective often considered on par with Shinichi. At first he is a rival but the two become friends.

• Kaito Kid is a charming phantom thief who is one of Conan’s few criminal rivals. He is a jewel thief who doesn’t kill.

• Major people who know Conan’s identity: Dr. Agase, Ai, Conan’s parents, and Heiji.

• The Black Organization is part of the central plot, viewers still only know minimal details about them. They are usually involved in some monstrous illegal activity that is tangentially related to a case Conan is involved with. All the high ranking members of the organization have code names based on alcohol. Conan is always on the lookout for the nefarious long-haired Gin who is responsible for Conan’s condition.

What to expect: If you know Conan only by its name, there are few things to know about the show in order to really enjoy it and accept it for what it is.

• Detective Conan is a children’s show or more accurately a family show. Therefore it has a little bit for everyone, there are funny and child-wish-fulfillment moments for the kids and tense mystery and logic for the adults.

• In earlier seasons and films they recap the basic plot and characters of Conan at the beginning so you can jump in fairly easily. Also they often throw up name plates for characters both new and old. This has unfortunately stopped with newer additions to the series probably because they assume everyone knows Conan nowadays.

• Conan himself uses his sharp mind and attention to detail to solve the cases. He is a genius on the level of Sherlock Holmes so don’t expect to figure out everything in each mystery. In fact, it is a lot easier to determine who the culprit is (though still difficult) than their motive many times.

• Not every case is going to be epic. Some play out more mundanely than others and some can be downright goofy at times. But there are plenty of great head-scratchers.

• Conan uses super science, he has a ton of gadgets that help him through each episode, kind of like Batman. However, super science doesn’t solve the cases; the gadgets exist purely to buoy his being trapped in a 7-year-old’s body. All cases make a good effort to follow Knox’s Rules; while things outside the case can be affected by super science the actual facts of the case are not, nor is super science used to commit the crime.

• There is a variable level of violence in the series, each episode is different so you never know what you’ll get, how graphic it will be, or how macabre it will go. The series is fond of gruesome and grisly murders including decapitation.

• The overarching plot of Detective Conan comes in few and far between spurts. For example, the Black Organization appears in the first two episodes and not again for the rest of the first season.

• Our advice is don’t marathon this show or at least keep it under 10 episodes at a time. Some of the fun is removed from long viewings and you start to pick up on the formula of the episodes.

Where to start (and not start): Most things you start at the beginning, and while you can certainly do so with Conan it isn’t necessary. In fact if you want to experience Conan the best we have a few things you may want to try first.

• It is totally okay to just watch the Conan movies. They are the biggest blockbusters for obvious reasons and they tell you what you need to know at the beginning of each movie.

• Do start with Last Wizard of the Century (movie #3) which has a wonderful blend of suspense, history, and intrigue that keeps you guessing. It also boasts a huge portion of the cast in its story including Kaito Kid.

• Don’t start with The Timebombed Skyscraper (movie #1) because it just doesn’t quite have its footing making it easy to see that it is the first one. Unfortunately, this means you shouldn’t watch Countdown to Heaven (movie #5) because it ties into the first.

• Do start with episode 11 (11 and 12 in the Funimation release) which is a one-hour special that is equal parts mysterious, haunting, and baffling.

• Don’t start with any random episode. As we mentioned they are variable and can swing from silly kid stuff to deadly and everything in between which means you never know what that week’s tale is going to offer.

• Do start with The Raven Chaser (movie #13) it is one of the latest so it has slightly updated character designs and more slick animation. It also involves the Black Organization which guarantees a flashy, dangerous, and climactic ending.

This list is more about helping you decide if you want to watch Detective Conan for real. The starts we mentioned really give you a taste of what Conan can be and will let you know if you should continue on with the series. The main thing to remember when watching Detective Conan is to have fun with it!

In the future we will have individual guides to the movies and each season of Detective Conan. These subsequent guides will tell you what episodes are essential to the main plot, which episodes things are introduced such as characters and gadgets, and which are the best episodes to watch because they showcase how good Detective Conan can be.

Detective Conan: Countdown to Heaven (movie 5) is the first to involve the Black Organization. I always enjoy their appearances and they add a level of danger so it’s a nice addition to this very tense film. This is also the first film that actually requires you to see some previous amount of Conan to fully grasp it, it ties into the first film. And actually if you haven’t seen the first movie I think it takes away some of speculation on who is the culprit. This time around a new hi-rise and hotel is about to open, but before it does one of the contributors is murdered in the new hotel section. Subsequent people involved with the new building lose their lives as well and it all culminates at the opening party where chaos ensues as the power goes out which is only the beginning. How the Black Organization fits in Conan is determined to figure out. I really liked this movie, but I almost always find when the Black Organization is involved things are more complicated and the outcome is more unknown. The killer was hard to determine plus the little details to the case were well put together. As always the ending sequence is pretty much amazing, though even more tense because of the kids’ involvement. I would rank this one high for the movies!

Having gone back and done things in the proper order we were finally able to watch the fifth Detective Conan movie. While this seems to be a “normal” Detective Conan murder mystery going on, the shadowy Black Organization also seems to have a hand in the proceedings. In a way this is like two separate Conan stories in one movie. There is the very standard but solid murder mystery like you expect and then a high tension Black Organization episode as well. Conan and the viewers know that the plots are somehow connected but how they are connected is just as much a mystery as everything else. But everything comes together in the end quite nicely with both stories being good and crisscrossing without tripping over each other. As with most Conan movies the action sequences at the end are nicely done and benefit from the theatrical budget. Since the movies have been mostly filler it’s easy to make them disposable but I feel this movie gave you the impression of having some weight to it while not disturbing the main storyline. You could watch Countdown to Heaven without seeing The Timebombed Skyscraper but you have to watch this one after the first movie because it gives away the solution to the first film.

Love Position: Legend of the Halley is a OVA with a weird title, I honestly have no idea why Love Position is at the beginning of it. Beyond that, the story starts when a meteor falls to earth and out comes a huge dude who begins killing anyone he comes in contact with, we eventually learn he is there to destroy humanity for some reason. A young guy who is researching something or another that sends him to the a secluded part of Vietnam meets Lamina who his father met during the Vietnam War. She is also an alien who knows a thing or two about who has come to kill everyone. There are mountains of melodrama between the terrible flashbacks of the father’s time in the war, the young man’s girlfriend who is constantly being dragged away by a creepy bodyguard, and a slue of pretty nonsense decisions. There are a lot of holes in the story, not much is explained beyond this aliens race wants you humans dead. Actually there is nothing really spectacular about this 80′s OVA, not even noteworthy animation, though it wasn’t a complete disaster it just never really engages you.

I have been interested in the Sakura Wars franchise for quite some time so I was thrilled to see Sakura Wars 5 released in the U.S. by NIS America as Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love. I was very pleased with limited edition release for the PS2 so I could get the original Japanese dub as well as the English dub. I approved of the packaging and bonus materials and while I think they played a little fast and loose with the translation I can’t say that I saw any of the spirit lost from the original. The most important thing is that the game is as delightfully over the top as I would hope a game about steam and magic powered mecha in 1920 America fighting the demonic forces of Oda Nobunaga would be. The game was a bit more dating sim heavy than SRPG than I initially expected but I love both genres so I had no real problems. Also since there is an interactive portion to all the dialog options it always engages you with the story and keeps you feeling like you are playing a game and not just reading a colorful novel. I loved the game but I maybe be a bit biased. This does cater to my affection for cheerful, busty, freckled, red-headed, samurai cowgirls who tell bad puns and fight in mecha.

I watched the special Shoka made by Production I.G. It is a short story set in feudal era Japan where a of clan of calligraphers has the power to bring their drawings to life. When some demons start to terrorize the area, three of their best warriors must step in to save it. It is short but you get an quick glimpse at the personality of each warrior from laid back and a bit of a showoff to the standard quiet guy and semi-uppity girl. In fact, the characters are probably easy to pick up on because it is familiar. The stylization is more sketchy and loose than what I’ve come to expect from I.G but that is exactly what brings this story to life so well. The monster designs are nice as well. All in all it would be nice to see this made into some larger project but it was a satisfying little stint.

Since I was not going to watch Betterman any time soon I decided to finally finish up The King of Braves GaoGaiGar series with GaoGaiGar Final. As epic and powerful as anything with the word final in its title should be, it might be a little odd for anyone who has never done research on GaoGaiGar to jump into Final because it has characters like Papillon Noir and Renais Kerdif-Shishioh who originally come from supplemental material we will never get here. But you quickly get a sense who these people are before you move onto the awesomeness. The OVA starts off with the evil organization called BioNet trying to steal one of these mysterious objects known as the Q-Parts. Soon a seemingly rouge Mamoru comes to steal the Q-Parts as well. This leads the GaoGaiGar team to having to fight the 11 Sol Masters and their plot to destroy the earth. We get some amazing fights to rival the ones in the original GaoGaiGar including the GaoGaiGar vs the GaoFighGar. It is well done and a great successor to the spirit and fun of the original. It ended on a melancholy note which I assume they were going to correct in the sequel but sadly that never happened. But it still gave you everything you could have ever wanted and more.

Ai factors in prominently in the 5th movie so I thought “why not?”

In the Reverse Thieves time-honored tradition we watched Detective Conan Movie 1: The Time-Bombed Skyscraper out of order. Actually we were going to watch the 5th movie but then about 10 minuets into it realized that it was making reference to the first movie. In a somewhat Encyclopedia Brown-style moment the movie begins with Conan solving a case unrelated to the main story. After this intro we soon discover that a good deal of explosives were stolen recently and several acts of arson have been committed. The person behind both crimes tries to contact Shinichi to challenge him to find the bombs he has placed around the city. This felt like a standard episode that was forced to be a movie’s length. The whole affair with the criminal giving Conan clues to where the bombs are mostly seemed there just to stretch the length of the premise. It was an entertaining movie but so far the weakest of the movies we have seen.

The first Detective Conan movie feels like the first. You can tell they don’t quite know what to spend the hour and a half on, the pacing is a bit off, there aren’t enough suspects, and the climatic action happens after the culprit is caught. I find this only a little odd because they had produced very good one hour specials prior to this feature. Though I did find the ending scenes in the skyscraper with Ran and Shinichi (Conan behind a wall using his bowtie voice changer) properly tense and sweet. Since we accidentally knew the identity of the bomber thanks to starting the 5th movie, it is hard to assess whether this mystery was properly difficult to solve. But I think it is one of the few that you can really grasp who it is as well as their motive long before Conan cracks it. There are still a few twists like how the bomber knows Shinichi and what he learns about him and uses in his scheme. This movie isn’t bad by any means but it isn’t especially memorable.

This week we finish our spring review later than most with the first episode of Tatami Galaxy. The series is based on a novel by Morimi Tomihiko and directed by Masaaki Yuasa of Kaiba fame which should be obvious when you see the first episode. The other thing that should be obvious is characters talk VERY quickly like most of the characters are being voiced by John Moschitta, Jr. The main character spends his day with his Count Orlok looking companion Ozu going around and breaking up couples as their hobby in college. He keeps running into the attractive Akashi who he has a crush on but seems unable to connect with beyond a promise to show her a mysterious nocturnal ramen cart. The anime is quirky in every way a show can be, the animation, characters, character design, dialog, and even over all plot structure is unconventional. This is definitely a good anime for someone who wants a very art house series with a dark comedic twist.

Tatami Galaxy adds to the myriad of styles in this very eclectic spring season. The story pace is very erratic and unconventional, as is the dialogue and cast of characters. I saw it as very much a weird play. The characters actions are almost what I would call hyper-human, like everyone is on overdrive letting you know exactly how weird they are in their head but it isn’t just in their head. We obviously get this the most from the main character who is more than a little neurotic but then again his friend looks like an ogre and he did run into a god of match-making at a ramen stand. The speed at which things are said and appear on screen are such that you must pick what you pay attention to. I found it all as surreal as it means to be. I think Tatami Galaxy is a great addition to the library of experimental anime works out there, but it isn’t something I find myself really drawn to.

Since the weather was wonderful I spent the day of May 1st walking around Manhattan for Free Comic Book Day. All the comic books stores were packed for the event. I picked up a bunch of free singles and a nifty white and gold Flash ring. Since Jim Hanley’s Universe had everything in the store 25% off I grabbed Mobile Suit Gundam École du Ciel 9 and Maria Holic 3. While I heard some amazing conversations while waiting in line the best was still one guy in back of me trying to impress his friend with how clever he was. He shared the fact that all American comics are actually science-fiction comics and all manga are girls’ comics. Most importantly he said it in a completely serious tone. I was amazed how someone could be so utterly ignorant of both American and Japanese comics, yet be a fan.

Had a chance to see the Magic Kaito special (not be be confused with the one-hour special Detective Conan: The Birth of Kaito Kid, which I have yet to see) which was made because the next Detective Conan movie involves everyone’s favorite phantom thief Kaito Kid. This particular special animates the beginning of manga-ka Aoyama’s story that came before Conan, and you can see how it is a prototype to the tiny detective. Kaito longs to become a great magician like his late father. One night he accidentally discovers a secret room in his house which reveals that his father was actually famous thief Kaito Kid and has left his legacy to his son. There is a Kaito Kid already running around so Kaito dons his father’s old outfit and heads out to see just exactly who it is. This story has comedy from Kaito’s not always successful tricks and a little romance provided from a girl very, very much like Ran. As he catches up with Kaito Kid a major mystery that would set the tone of the series if there was more is revealed. Kaito is really striking as the phantom thief and levees the right amount of play and mystery. A fun romp indeed but leaves me wishing this was a full-blown series.

This picture is magically able to work for both Detective Conan and Magic Kaito:

Okay, so by now I don’t really need to say why we were watching Detective Conan movies, right? It is just a part of life! Why are we watching them out or order? Because we can! So began the watching of Detective Conan Movie 2: The The Fourteenth Target. It seemed to be perfect timing as Hisui started to ask me questions about Ran’s parents past and before I could add my two cents the movie starts to reveal a bit of their back story. This is the first of the earlier movies that we’ve watched with any such actual plot for the series rather than being a fun jaunt. This also has the amazing ability to make Kogoro seem cool in his day. As the pattern for the deaths is revealed things just keep escalating until a beautiful and watery finale. I have to say, the reason behind the killings is neigh impossible to figure out, but that is not to say it is an unbelievable reason, just hard to deduce.

I was recommended to watch Detective Conan Movie 2: The The Fourteenth Target as these movies can be watched in any order we decided to go back and take a look at this one. This being the fourth Conan movie I have watched, I know how to “properly” watch Detective Conan. You would almost never be able to guess the motive of the killer; they never give you enough information to figure that out in any movie I have seen so far. In this movie I was able to deduce who the killer was and I think that is what you should be aiming for if you attempt to solve the mystery like I do. The movie itself starts with various people that Kogoro Mouri having attempts made on their lives. At the scene of the crime there is a clue left that ties into a playing card motif. But of course like any good card trick there is more to all of it than meets the eye. Overall it was a solid Conan movie. The last action sequence at the end was fairly epic as a Detective Conan movie ending should be.

I had the chance to play through a good amount of Mega Man 10 as Proto Man on Easy Mode. The game is unsurprisingly a lot of fun, especially thanks to the less-frustrating-but-still-not-always-easy Easy Mode. However, the real enjoyment comes from the quirky stages and bosses of which my favorites include Strike Man with a baseball motif and Sheep Man with static electricity power! Though unfortunately Sheep Man’s power that you gain kind of sucks because of its terrible accuracy and execution. But for the most part all the others work well and have that element of innovation present. There is a lot of fun attached to this game and it lends itself to people (me!) who may not be good at Mega Man games.

I made a guest appearance on the Otaku in Review Podcast entitled Sleeping with Hisui. The podcast starts with me talking about how the blog gets its name just in case you have never heard the story. We then move into talking about what they are watching. I talked about Future Police Urashiman; Jon Ingoglia mentions Tears to Tiara; and Scott Spaziani rounds it out with Sora no Woto and his mixed feelings about the show. As some point I go into a little rant about Gundam Unicorn not having a DVD release. I thought I brought up some good points but Scott had some poignant counter arguments. Jon talks about various anime related iPhone apps after. We then wrapped up the podcast with my worst panel experiences and general panel philosophy. We covered an eclectic but interesting number of subjects and I don’t think I rambled on as much as I usually do.

I finally got around to read Pluto volumes 2-7 and so I say if you haven’t read it, why not? It is gripping and I’m practically chomping at the bit to read the final volume! Perhaps then I will have collected all my thoughts on the subject. For right now, I want to emphasize this chilling effect the series has which I feel stems from how ordinary everyone looks. There is also a lot of political commentary in the series that I wasn’t expecting, but this isn’t to its detriment as I feel Tezuka often liked to have Atom make people consider present circumstances by using the future. Pluto is a fascinating work and I am looking forward to see how it all wraps up.

Since you can watch it on Hulu I decided to check out Spice and Wolf. It is nowhere near as boring as people who dislike it made it out to be but nowhere near as divine as its biggest supporters would have you believe. I found it an enjoyable and unique show that was well worth my time. Kraft and Holo have a pleasant chemistry and banter well off each other. I did immediately notice how Holo’s odd sort of haughty but playful nature could turn people off to the show instantly. The most interesting thing to me was the plots related to their trading missions. I found it to be lively and their negotiating tactics were often quite clever. But it was not all just haggling, there were fights, politics, and espionage; lots to keep you pumped up inbetween the character interaction and the economics. Most of all it is just not a premise you see all the time which is always refreshing and that earns it points in my book.

It was a natural combination that was an inevitability like the teaming up of Jackie Chan and Jet Li we have the combination of Detective Conan and Sherlock Holmes. Thankfully Detective Conan Movie 6: The Phantom of Baker Street turn out better than The Forbidden Kingdom. When Conan and his detective gang are invited to the world premier of a high tech virtual reality game the festivities quickly turn to a race to solve murders in real life and the virtual world. The draw of the movie is going to be Conan substituting for the world greatest detective as he tries to solve the Jack the Ripper murders in a virtual London. The fact that if they lose the game everyone playing dies also ramps up the tension. The action in the virtual world and the real world work well in tandem but eventually tie together in an unexpected manner. There was always some bit of action or excitement going on which helped keep the movie lively. It was great to see Professor Moriarty and Sebastian Moran in the game as well although there is less Holmes than I expected. The Junior Detective League also seems like they were deliberately part of the script as opposed to crammed in like the other movies. Overall it was a good time and a fine addition to the franchise.

I can’t tell you how trilled I was when I got my hands on this movie, I insisted that it be next on this list. My goodness, what a combination: Conan (love!), Sherlock Holmes (love!), 19th century London (love!), and a Jack the Ripper mystery (love!). I really enjoyed that the creators finally cooked up away to bring all those elements together even if it takes place in a virtual world. And the virtual reality aspect of this film tells you exactly when it was made, the mid-90′s when everyone was convinced that was going to be the next big thing! But it’s not like Detective Conan isn’t already set around some pretty crazy technology so this doesn’t seem out of place. Everyone contributes a lot to this movie and we even get an appearance from Conan’s parents. There are of course many twists and turns, and this one does have some very suspenseful moments. I found the final confrontation scene especially thrilling and once again tip my hat to Ran, in fact the franchise is very good at the final scenes overall. Detective Conan Movie 6: The Phantom of Baker Street is a great romp in the collection!

I finished Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ and I have to say it came together pretty well in the end. I was happy to see that Roux and Elle were useful through the series as I was a little worried they would fade away. Emary Ounce was sort of useless as a captain but it is not like Beecha is much better. It was also odd to see what were pretty much comic relief villains being dangerous cyber-newtype killers but it gave some weight to the last fights. The ending had some notable character deaths on all sides but was not the Battle of Gettysburg that the end of Zeta was. Glemy and Puru Two could have gotten a little more fleshing out as villains but served their purposes. Overall Gundam ZZ is hardly a necessity as a part of the Universal Century story. You can skip it if you don’t have the time but you would be missing out on some good characters, stories, and fights near the end. Also a bit of resolution to Kamille, Fa, and Haman Khan’s stories from Zeta and more story to the tale of Bright Noa. It is also a major point in Mineva Lao Zabi‘s story which can almost be seen as the story that ties together all the main Gundam series. If you do watch the series you just might want to skip to episode 12 and just read an episode guide to catch up. Also Tomino why do we get the most fan-service from Puru Two when wonderfully attractive Roux and Elle were cast members? I am also amused it has several instances of shirtless Judau and cross-dressing which proves once again that Gundam always catered to women despite what fans may say. I almost forgot to mention that one very important person shows up for a few scenes and that makes it all worth it.

I found the Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Parallel Works, which is a collection of music videos, to be as a whole rather disappointing. For many of the shorts, the music and image were not in sync and by that I don’t just mean the beat (though that happened often), but also by theme and by mood. The ones that were even able to accomplish one of those tasks (Boing vs Boing, Omae no xxx de Ten wo Tsuke!!, and Gattai Nante Kusokurae!!) were still just okay. The only real stand out piece, and truly the only one worth seeking out, is the last one about Lordgenome’s past. There is a great combination of style, design, scale, music, and weight all of which is able to convey such an ominous and spic mood. Omaera Zenin Moete Shimae!!! exemplifies what the collection should have been and therefore blows everything that came before it out of the water.

I was both very pleased and a little disappointed after watching Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann: Lagan-hen. The disappointment came because all the reviews I read really made it seem like there was a significant new direction in the second Gurren Lagann movie. But I was pleased as the movie succeeds in what it set out to do. And that is tell the rest of the story of Gurren Lagann in two hours. It does so very well and reminded me what I really liked about the TV series. It starts off with Simon fighting Lord Genome and ends with a little more of what Simon is doing with himself after the climax. It told the story in a compressed manner without any of the awkwardness of the first movie. With the new material I did notice there were differences but they did not change the narrative that much. Sure some characters lived who died in the TV series but no one cared about them anyway. We got a little more mecha porn and some nudity from Yoko and Nina which gives the audience what it wants on both fronts. The second movie really sells you on what made Gurren Lagann such a great show. It works well for new fans who just want to watch two movies to get the feel of the series and old fans who want to see what they love again with a slight twist.

I watched Toradora episodes 2-7 just a week or so before the license announcement, so while I’m waiting for the DVDs to finish it off I thought I’d share my feelings since I think it’s worth buying. I’m glad to have watched these installments in quick succession because I don’t think the 2nd and 3rd episodes are nearly as good as the first. ToraDora always seems to be teetering on the edge between being a standard shonen romance and really living up to the potential of the stand-out moments that occur in every episode (when Ryuji and Taiga take out their frustrations on the light pole, it was a perfect scene no doubt). You could sense though that the staff knew they took the relationship between Taiga and Ryuji too far, too quick and had to back pedal. However, from episode 4 onward the series starts to even itself out, and the gradual build happening for our tiger (tora) and dragon (dora) is solid. I do worry that we won’t see as much of Ryuji’s perspective and struggles, as they have already been relegated to the side, but Taiga is a good character whose story and transition I am eager to explore.

I continued my journey with Detective Conan in watching the 4th Movie, Captured in Her Eyes. This one clearly makes Ran the focus of the movie but by giving her amnesia after she witnesses a police woman being shot in front of her as part of a series of attacks against police officers. So most of the movie is Conan trying to get her to get her memories back so she can remember the shooting while trying to simultaneously to solve the case.  I got a better insight into every one’s relationships as they tried to explain to Ran who they were. The story is weaker the the last movie but I still found it enjoyable. The story starts off strong with some action and murder and sort of coasts in the middle. The end gets exciting again and has some great chase sequences with a solid finale. Everyone role in this movie was more organic integrated than the last movie which was nice to see. Not the first Detective Conan movie you should see but definitely not one you should skip over either.

Captured in Her Eyes is strangely able to show Ran at her weakest and show her kicking ass in a properly dramatic scene. At first you may think, Ran sees murders all the time as does anyone involved with Conan! However, this time around she was close to death and what’s more, she has seen the killer’s face. There is a much more personal element in this movie, even in the mystery itself as one of the officers targeted is a recurring character. This movie also showcases a little of Ran and Kudo’s connection, not that it isn’t obvious, but it’s not always central and in this case there is a desperation on Conan’s part. For better or for worse, those are the best parts of movie. The mystery itself is enticing for sure but the figuring of it out isn’t as intriguing. Though this is all saved by some really incredible animation sequences including one of Conan skateboarding down this giant ice slide thing and then almost immediately after a nice boat chase scene! Enjoyable of course, but Capture in Her Eyes is more memorable for the animation than anything else.

Ever since Leina got kidnapped by Neo Zeon it seems that Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ has taken a turn toward the more serious like a regular Gundam series. As I understand it ends with the same grim demeanor of Zeta but as of now it is a solid war story with action, drama, and humor but has not become utterly dark. The section with the Moon Moon colony and it’s Amish ninjas was not nearly as horrific as I thought it would be but that might have been due in part to the fact that I had lowered my expectations enough. I do find it amusing that other than Judau it seems Elle and Roux are the most competent pilots and very competent people. So far neither of them have being utterly undermined as well. Has Tomino finally realized women are people too or will he be back to his own tricks soon? Then again he also has Elpeo Puru is a loli character before it was “cool” to have loli characters. By the way I don’t see why there is the fan following for Haman Karn that there is. She is a creepy and dangerous even when sexy but she is supposed to have a vibe like that.  So people in the fan community worshiping “Haman-sama” is just odd to me. Maybe if I read Char’s Deleted Affair I would grow to care for her like everyone else but until then she just gives me the heebie jeebies.

Got a copy of Rampage 1 from CMX a week or so ago. The first thing anyone will notice about this title if they see it is that it’s a larger trim size and it has a explicit content sticker on the front. This applies to the graphic violence and nudity held inside though I am clearly so desensitized that this particular manga seemed like child’s play. Rampage takes place in ancient China where war is in full swing. We meet wanderer Zhang Fei who for no real reason decides to join a volunteer army that he runs across. This army is headed by well-known general and tactician Lui Bei and seconded by the fierce Guan Yu. Zhang’s not particularly skilled or courageous but he has an attitude for sure and after an incident ends up with an immortal, but possessed, body which makes him a kick-ass warrior. That all sounds well and good, but the most attractive part of this manga is the violence and the promise of more violence as each new person who appears is the “strongest warrior, etc.” But there were a lot of names getting thrown around in this first volume making it hard to really connect with anyone right off.

After reading Rampage, Narutaki asked me to read it as well and give my opinion. The first thing I noticed that he was unaware that it’s set during the Romance of the Three Kingdoms which I think explains quite a bit. Being a classic of Eastern literature and a staple of anime, manga, and video games the author clearly assumes that you know all the important characters because it is just something “everyone” knows. Unfortunately, this means that it is easy to be lost in this series unless you have read the original novel (or have a brother who owns every Dynasty Warriors game). The main problem is the author leans on the text when throwing out historical characters and does little to develop them outside of this fact. And the original takes on the classic characters are just not that interesting. Yunosuke Yoshinaga clearly wants Zhang Fei to be inherently good and noble guy with a realistic amount of cowardliness and selfishness but his characterization comes off as more slapdash than nuanced. He will be noble and brave in one part and then turn on a dime to be selfish and cowardly in the next section to move the story along. I was also amused that Lui Bei is apparently the Baroness with her ability to hide quite an ample rack around hundreds of soldiers. The art is solid and the action is fluid but the story that ties it together is just bland and unremarkable. It’s not a bad manga it ‘s just nothing that makes me want to read more.

I watched the first Seitokaichou ni Chuukoku OVA, I’m not exactly sure how many are in the works. This is a BL story about rough but shy Chiga ends up as vice president to Kokusai who is equally shy but also a rather oblivious guy. Chiga is a tall blond with glasses while Kokusai is a brunette with a more feminine frame. The story in this first episode mostly consists of Kokusai getting molested by creeps and Chiga getting him out of trouble and comforting him. Which results in an interesting almost-rape/dream sequence. The one nice thing about this OVA, thus far anyway, is that Chiga is as uncertain about his feelings as Kokusai is oblivious, so there isn’t an air of over dominance between them. Overall not really too exciting and of course the animation is only serviceable.

For this movie the only appropriate picture is one of Ran and Conan.

Detective Conan Movie 3: The Last Wizard of the Century was quite memorable thanks to a mystery that swirls into a full-blown historical conspiracy. And the appearance of that charming phantom thief Kaito Kid! When the Kid delivers his latest riddle about where he will strike of course everyone is in a uproar but Conan senses something different about this heist as Kid signs the message “The Last Wizard of the Century.” Once they decipher the target as the a recently discovered Fabergé egg belonging to Nicholas II of Russia, Conan is even more perplexed as the piece upon examination contains no jewels (Kid’s item of choice). And that is just the tip of the iceberg as Kid leads them on a chase into a mountain of clues and mysteries that come one after the other. And of course there is a murder afoot as well. Plus Heiji is also in tow as the game begins. Ah, they crammed everyone in this movie but it just makes it more fun and spectacular. The way it keeps leading you to the next mysterious piece of the puzzle is engrossing. This was a great ride!

I have always been distinctly aware of the Detective Conan franchise but never really watched any episodes before this movie. This was a good test of how accessible the movies are to someone who did not watch the TV series. I found that with my general knowledge of Conan and the little intro I was able to follow the story. I might not have understood all the nuances but I was never left scratching my head about anything. What starts as a simple case of stopping the legendary thief Kaito Kid becomes a series of murders surrounding the late Russian royal family. That of course means that Grigori Rasputin is also involved because you just can’t have a story about the fall of the Russian royalty without him. By law. I have to say that if nothing else the movie peeked my interest in watching the rest of the franchise as it seemed very enjoyable and fun. I did not realize what a utter putz Kogoro Mouri is. Also the detective kids seemed sort of tacked on because that is how movies based on TV series work. I will say as I have in the past if you want to see some lovely high budget animation got to the family friendly shows. They get the wide audience that lets them spend money as they will and it shows when they put on a theatrical piece. It was a fun romp with all the murder, action, and mystery you expect from the Conan series.

Since I don’t like NISIOISN I was a bit worried about watching Katanagatari, but something compelled me to do so anyway and I’m very glad I did. When the episode hit the ending credits, I turned to Hisui and said “I LOVED IT!” This is mostly owed to the fact that the characters really grew on me and didn’t drive me nuts and weren’t utter jerkfaces which is pretty much why I stay away from this writer. I really enjoy the simple-nature of Shichika that is dual to Togame’s attempts to be devious and “strategic.” And all the humor that goes along with them is charming. The styling of the show and its storytelling is this really lovely mixture of modern and flat but evokes a very fairytale or storybook feeling. I saw this especially in their use of music, such as the moment when Shichika and Togame meet for the first time. And I was happy to see that the fight was pretty cool despite the obvious animation saving tricks used in the beginning. The only real flaw with this episode was a load of story exposition that was dumped, but it lays everything out for you, and since the episode is 50 minutes long it didn’t come off as unbalanced as it could have otherwise. Katanagatari is like a familiar story that you can’t wait to watch even though you’ve heard it before.

I was wary going into Katanagatari. I both like and dislike NISIOISN as an author. The problem is that he has a good sense of how to make interesting stories but a penchant for making characters that get right on my nerves. The story is the standard fetch quest by way of beating highly skilled opponents with gimmick weapons.  This hardly dooms a show. It just means that how well the show does is reliant of two factors: how good the characters are and how cool the gimmick weapons are. So far I have greatly enjoyed Katanagatari because we have yet to encounter a “NISIOISN” style annoying jerk character especially as the one of the main characters. Togame and Shichika Yasuri seem very likable and have an easy comical chemistry between them. I’m sure they could add a new character I will want to strangle but so far this has not been the case. I am intrigued by the way the series is being released. It is being released on episode a month and each episode will tentatively be an hour long and based on one of the books in the series. So far great animation with a cool style, amusing characters with nice comedic timing, and the promise of some cool fights is keeping me watching.

I have had a copy of Swallowing the Earth for quite a while now, but just got around to reading it this week. We learn of a woman who is so beautiful that all men go mad with passion for her, Zephyrus is her name, and in her wake she leaves all men wanting even as she uses them up and throws them away. She is out for revenge on all mankind with their greed and vanity but we won’t know the full story till much later. The story loosely centers around Gohonmatsu who cares nothing about material possessions or women, the only thing cares about is alcohol (this is apparently very refreshing). He is of course the only man that isn’t seduced by Zephyrus so it’s up to him to save the world. Kind of, I think, the story is told in a wonky fashion sometimes going for chapters with out the main characters. The story doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously and certainly comes to be more satirical as it goes along. At times I often thought it might even be a satire of the Gekiga movement itself with all it’s darkness, greed, and sex but done so seemingly sarcastically. But even with that in mind it really never comes together, Gohonmatsu isn’t particularly root worthy and the story isn’t particularly intriguing. There is a nice foreword written by Fredrick Schodt which really enhances the read, in fact, it might be the only thing really saving this story because it gives it context. The real reason to read this, if you are so inclined, is to see Tezuka’s first shaky steps into more adult manga.

Since they were on sale from Right Stuf I picked up the DVDs of Genshiken 2. I never watched in fan-subs because it was so obviously going to get picked up. I do have to say I knew that it was a bit different than the first series and the manga but was shocked how much. I was both interested and dismayed by the changes. None of the changes are deal makers or breakers in my opinion but they are worth noting. The unavoidable truth is that the fan-service has been cranked up to 11 in Genshiken 2. Things that happen off camera distinctly happen on screen in sometimes a rather graphic manner. The porn kiss between Ohno and Tanaka was a little too much for me. On the other hand they did fill in events with more details like Sasahara’s job search which was nice. The series still does reach the conclusion that the manga did which is a shame but maybe we will get a third season to cap it all off.  It’s not a bad adaptation as the spirit of Genshiken is always there but it certainly is different.

I went to the Boom Boom Satellites show at the Santos Party House. It was a free show and I was interested in them after they did two different openings for Xam’d. There were two bands before them. The first was ultimately forgettable except for the fact that the bassist had the most inappropriate Tom Selleck mustache. The second guy seemed to be trying to accidentally invent hip hop except for the fact that will all know that Councilman 8 already did that. The show itself was about 4 songs with an encore which was a good sized set for a multi-band show. They did not play any of their anime songs as far as I could tell but it was not that sort of show. They have a heavy aggressive beat with heavy drums and Masayuki Nakano was playing with electron devices for music almost as much as he was playing the base. Their lyrics can be sort of repetitive but overall there songs were high energy, catchy, and enjoyable. Apparently my roommate and several other people were at the show but I never ran into anyone else.

Finally got around to watching the Detective Conan VS. Lupin III special which was (as I had heard) more of a team-up than an actually head-to-head. This certainly makes it not nearly as exciting. The story is told in dual forming flipping back and forth between the two groups of characters till they meet. A princess (who looks almost exactly like Ran) losses both her brother and mother in a hunting “accident” placing her squarely in line for a throne she doesn’t want. The coronation crown of said princess is the latest prize Lupin and gang have their sights set on. So everything gets all crossed up as Conan tries to figure out just what happened in the hunting party, Lupin and crew are moving in a roundabout way to get the crown, and the princess has just up and left leaving Ran in her place! The show seemed too long and felt like it didn’t connect quickly enough. While a certain amount of spirit from each show is kept in tact, what sounds like a great combo comes off as pretty forgettable.

I finished off Higurashi no Naku Koro ni by watching the Rei series of OAVs. They are made up of two comedy episodes and one minor arc set after the main series that were originally on a bonus disk for the original game. The meat of the OAVs are in the three middle episodes called the Dice Killing Chapter. After Rika possibly dies in a car accident she is transported to a world where nothing bad has ever happened to any of the cast from Higurashi. Everyone’s favorite invisible friend tells Rika she can get back to her old world she just has to commit a horrible unforgivable slight in a seemingly sinless world. We mostly learn that Rika can be stone cold when she needs to be. How much this ties into the existence of the witch known as Bernkastel in Umineko has yet to be seen. The last episode is based on the Higurashi fighting game Daybreak and is just as silly as the game it is based on. I liked the first episode which I reviewed a while back a little more but overall it was amusing. The mahjong match was sort of the highlight of the episode. Overall, much like the fan-disk it was based on, Rei is a great treat for anyone who wanted a little more Higurashi without breaking the flow of the original series which wrapped up pretty tightly.

I have been playing Donkey Kong Country (originally for SNES) on the Wii Virtual Console. I must say that nostalgia in this case was not wrong, the game is still damn fun. The concept is simple, a platformer but with Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong collecting bananas, jumping through barrels, and  tackling it all through various weather conditions and environments. It is just as I remembered it, in fact, I was surprised just how many secrets and tricks I was able to recall as the game went on. The crux of the game is about jumping so it’s all good fun, and frustration from time to time, as the game isn’t especially hard but not quite easy either. Also playing with a GameCube controller is not ideal as you have to hold Y to run which is rather uncomfortable. I will surely beat it in the next week and then probably download the second. Virutal Console is both a blessing and a curse!

We were both recently guests on the Ani-Gamers podcast in an episode were we talked about shojo anime that men can enjoy as much as women. It was a pretty fun episode. Narutaki talked about playing Professor Layton, I talked about Kimi ni Todoke, and Evan talked about Baccano! before the main part of the show started. We had a huge list of shows but Evan had us cut the list down so we did not turn his podcast into a two hour plus epic much like any given episode of Anime World Order. I love podcasts like that but I also don’t have to edit them. The show notes for the podcast come with some supplemental viewing from our extended list. If you have not already done so I hope you check out the show if for nothing else to hear Narutaki and I ramble on about Utena. Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku.

Pichu is speading some holiday cheer!

The latest Detective Conan Movie, the 13th one to be exact, titled The Raven Chaser was a really enjoyable addition to the Conan library. This one involves a rather clever serial killer who leaves Mahjong tiles at the scenes of his victims and that is only the beginning of the string of clues our boy detective must unravel! This movie did plenty of things right while keeping it just grounded enough. You can follow Conan’s logic even if you can’t figure things out a head of time, which is a plus. Also this story throws in a lot of favorite characters including Heiji and Kazuha, plus the addition of the Black Organization makes the movie a well plotted trip. The final confrontation is a high adrenaline sequence involving Tokyo Tower that isn’t to be missed. Also no surprise but the movie looks great. Highly recommended!

Liar Game: The Roots of A is a collection of short stories from the creator of Liar Game that headlines with a bit of back story on Shinichi Akiyama. Only the first story is a Lair Game story. The others are a collection of short works by Shinobu Kaitani one that seems like a rejected series proposal. The first shows Akiyama as a student in college in a profiling class when the professor gives them an assignment to write up a profile of the writer of a message attached to a balloon that he found. We get to see Akiyama’s thought processes as he works on the assignment and uses some unique methodology as compared to the rest of the class. It does not provide any stunning revelations but it is a chance to see Akiyama in a less stressful situation where he still has to apply his unique mental and social skills. The next story is two chapters about a fortune-teller who goes around helping people trying to find someone with a strong enough destiny to overturn his own grizzly death that he predicted. This is obviously a pitch for a longer series that never got made. The last two stories are about the author and his dog and a one shot love story. Overall hardly an essential addition to the Liar Game Story but entertaining.

I have been faithfully watching Yumeiro Pastiere (through episode 7 now) and it does indeed involve fairies. However, so far while they do appear they are rarely more than little mascots for their pastry chef-in-training counterparts. Vanilla, Ichigo’s fairy, does on occasion give her words of encouragement and also randomly makes some of the successful desserts into cards which the queen of the fairies collects (can we say marketing ploy?).  Each of the three boys in Ichigo’s group has their own little fairies all of which reflect their personalities taken to the next level. The series remains cute and optimistic often the challenges of the episode involve a better understanding of people and how sweets can help others. While the series isn’t riveting, I did still find myself excited to see what would happen after the cliffhanger in episode 6. Yumeiro is a blessing these days with how few young shojo series get adapted into anime.

I found a copy of a translation of Angel Notes. It is a fascinating oddity as one of the first works of Kinoko Nasu in an anthology about angels. In fact the company name Type-Moon comes from this short story. It is a sad love story about a sniper and an angel who fall in love on a dying Earth. It has all the classic signs of what we would go on to know as Nasu’s writing. It has almost as many background notes on the world as it does pages of story. I enjoyed the story but I am not sure how much I would have wanted to read a full length series is such a depressing world. Still it’s a good read for anyone who wants to see the progressive writing style of Type-Moon or was curious where some of the more obscure characters from the Character Materials book came from.

Someone started fan-subbing Kaidan Restaurant a show which I wanted to check out for the fall preview. So now I finally had a chance to sit down with the first episode. The format is 3 little scary stories all mashed up together involving some of the middle school students. There is also a ghost narrator who starts off as well as closes out the episode. We start in very typical fashion as Ako stares out the school room window wishing something interesting would happen and in walks a new transfer student Sho. They then proceed to explore the strange seemingly abandoned restaurant on the hill where the bizarre happens. Ghosts, possession, and soul taking occur among other supernatural elements in this show. However, remember this a children’s series so don’t expect to be scared out of your wits, but it may supply a little laughter at the expense of the main characters.

Mikuru Beam!