Reverse Thieves » Dragon Eye

Ongoing Investigations: Case #066

reversethieves — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:53:36 +0000

I received a copy of the first book of The Lizard Prince from CMX last week. It seems to follow in the footsteps of many of their shojo fare of late, not bad but not great and a bit forgettable. In this short (just two books) story we follow the misadventures of Sienna a Prince who was turned into a lizard only to have the spell (semi)broken by true love. And we and his new love Canary find out quickly he can still transform into reptilian mode though getting back to human is a bit dodgy. This is a running gag and makes up for a good portion of the incidents in the book. Woven into these frantic moments are some cute trials and growing affection between these two young members of royalty. Though they keep trying to make Canary into this tomboy princess it rarely comes through. Sienna’s kind of a weenie but very trying and sweet though he a lot more amusing in lizard form. The humor, like the love story, is kind of just middling without really making you laugh out loud nor moving you to cheer. There is also a one shot about a girl who is always burning hot and a boy with nice, cool hands. This story I liked a bit better than the main but that might owed to it being just a one off. As a whole The Lizard Prince is cute but nothing that seems all that special.

With the gentle urging of a fellow Hitohira fan I finally decided to go and watch the anime. I prefer the manga but the anime is a wonderful adaptation. Hitohira is the story of a painfully shy girl who after being roped into joining one of the two competing drama clubs learns to be more confident and peruse her dreams. The anime captures all the powerful moments of the manga with the added force of voice acting for any of the scenes where they play is taking place. I enjoyed the manga a little more because I feel it was a tighter story. Everything happens pretty much the same they just take more time to do it in the anime. Also Mugi Asai seems less hopeless when we spend less time with her running away from her problems. I was glad to see a bit of resolution to things that were only coming to a peak in volume three of the manga, which is the last volume of the manga that has been released in English. The anime has a good stopping point but I know that the manga continues the story. I wish that we could finish the manga in the US but I am not holding my breath until that happens.

I have been happily watching the new Saint Seiya OVA, Lost Canvas. Though our main characters Tenma (don’t mistake him for Seiya, as this story takes place 250 prior to the original series) and Alone are new, many others are familiar faces but now that I really think about it, they could just look familiar as Tenma does. I know that Gold Saint Aries Shion is the same, but it’s all a little fuzzy. In any case, there is little introduction which makes this OVA rather inaccessible for anyone looking for a point to get into the series. Being that I am already a fan, this phases me not and rather I am enjoying seeing who pops up when. The story is really a sad one of how best friends find themselves on very opposite sides as Tenma is destined to be a Saint and Alone is to be the vessel for the revival of Hades. The episodes revolve around this revival and Hades’ army trying to destroy anything that comes in their path. Through episode 4 the focus was on Tenma and his training, realization, and then we are left on a cliffhanger as he along with Yato and Yuzuriha are in Hell searching. Episodes 5 and 6 we completely switch over to the Sanctuary and a long battle showcasing Pisces Albafica which seemed a bit out of the blue. However, it looks like the coming episodes are back to the main story at hand.

I have been meaning to watch the Dirty Pair TV for a while now. I have always been a fan of the show from what I have seen of it. I know over the years I have watched random episodes in a wide variety of places. The Dirty Pair TV is just as fun as the OAVs. The formula is as always very simple. Kei and Yuri are troubleshooters for an intergalactic trouble shooting organization. They can solve any case but always with a tremendous amount of collateral damage. If you are looking for deep philosophy and personal growth in the Dirty Pair then you are watching the wrong show. The show is just fun and excitement with a tasteful dollop of sexy on top. Kei and Yuri have a nice banter between them like any good buddy cop series. They might always be fighting but you also always see a strong bond between them. Episodes are fun to either marathon or just watch one at a time. Next up for me are the Dirty Pair movies.

The more volumes of Dragon Eye I complete the more my heart sinks knowing that more than likely it will never actually be completed in Japan. Volume 8 is mostly fighting in the tournament that is still ongoing. There are two really intense and wonderfully choreographed battles involving Hibiki in which he shows his many strengths and also a cold determination to make it through. Of course all of these things just add up to him being a really great and quite unreadable character at times. Also a reluctant Issa performs another amazing feat battling against a spell caster. He boasts at the beginning “5 minutes” but it is certainly a good 5 minutes. As seen before, Issa cares little about authority and much more about his squad but is put in his place much to his chargin during this tournament. Though some of the cliff-hangers from the last volume are wrapped up, the actual plot only comes to ahead right at the last moment.

A Certain Scientific Railgun is a fun little action show but my goodness does it have that totally blatantly silly yuri fanservice that anime have been in love with lately. They took one of the most popular charaters from Toaru Majutsu no Index, Mikoto Misaka, and spun her off into her own series. I being a big weirdo actually liked Touma and Index but I can’t say I have any objection to watching a show about Mikoto. It is set in Academy City, that is a city mostly made of schools with students with psychic powers. It seems to be introducing to Mikoto and her friends. We have Kuroko aggressive lesbian roommate, Kuroko’s “police partner” Ruiko, and their mutual friend Ruiko who has no powers. We are shown how the girls meet in flashbacks alongside the cases that they get involved with as two of them are part of the organization Judgment, that polices people with powers. So far the show has had a mostly light and breezy air of fun but the end of episode 6 after the credits shows that might not be the case for long. Kuroko straddles the line between being funny and disturbing but other than that it is a fun little show. I wonder if there is going to be a larger overall story having to do with the frequently mentioned database of students. Are we slowly building up to this story or are they just going to use it to cap off the show?

There are so many great Saints to choose from, but Shion is special this week:

Posted in Anime, Manga, Ongoing Investigations Tagged: A Certain Scientific Railgun, Dirty Pair, Dragon Eye, Hitohira, Saint Seiya, The Lizard Prince

Ongoing Investigations: Case #051

reversethieves — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:28:02 +0000

In preparation for seeing Frederik Schodt at Otakon, Narutaki and I decided to read The Astro Boy Essays. The title might say The Astro Boy Essays but this book is just as much a detailed look at Osamu Tezuka as it is a look at Astro Boy. The essays cover the production of Astro Boy as both an anime and manga, its effects on Japanese anime and manga, as well as on Japanese culture in general. The book also covers how Astro Boy was localized in the United States. Throughout Frederik Schodt gives us a look at the man himself, Tezuka. I now realize that many of the smart people who I consider well-versed on Osamu Tezuka are merely stating what they know from this book. My only criticism is that at times this is obviously a collection of essays written over the years. This means that some parts will be redundant as he has a tendency to repeat certain aspects in one essay to the next because all the essays were originally stand alone pieces. Still it is one of the definitive pieces on Osamu Tezuka and one of his most beloved and well-known creations. It is a must read for anyone interested in anime and manga’s history and one of its greatest contributors.

YAY! I got my copy of The Astro Boy Essays signed! After recently reading Dreamland Japan also by Schodt, which showcased a bit of Schodt’s friendship with Tezuka through his interpreting for him in the United States, I needed to pick up this collection of essays as well. Astro Boy and Tezuka are highlighted in his previous books, and some of the tidbits are the same, but the thinking of Tezuka and his own interactions with his creation are fully fleshed out in The Astro Boy Essays. It is written in a conversational manner and not bogged down with so many dates, facts, and figures as to come off dry. This is apparent in all of Schodt’s works and is the reason it is so accessible and a joy to read. The Astro Boy Essays also helped me appreciate that so much of the Tezuka library is finally being published in English. While I have not read much of the original Astro Boy manga, I soon will be. This was an all around quick but informative read that is necessary for anyone who appreciates the history of anime and manga.

Since I watched the anime I figured I would mention my feelings on the 4 episodes of the Umineko no Naku Koro ni games before they started the solution arcs. I’m am trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible because I feel the sometimes colony drop level plot twists are some of the biggest elements of fun. Every time you think you know where the plot is going they organically twist what you know several degrees. At first you don’t get a great feel for some of the characters but they have built up everyone’s story pretty well by chapter 4. The most important thing for me is no matter how much craziness is going on with Beatrice and the island, I want all the murders to have a rational scientific explanation. If it turns out any of the murders can only be done with magic then I think the game is going to slide down a few notches in my eyes. I will say the insanity of the people playing this game and then making theories can be truly outrageous. Case in point the character Juza Amakusa. He is a minor but fascinating bodyguard for a character introduced later. It has gotten to the point where I think that the only theory I have not heard is that he is secretly a cross-dressing Shion Sonozaki from Higurashi or the fact that HE IS JUST A GUY WITHOUT SOME CRAZY PAST! Still it’s fun playing a game like this as it comes out because you can participate in the mass wild guessing of what is going to happen next.

For many moons people have suggested I watch Eureka Seven and while I haven’t been opposed to it be any means, I haven’t done it. But that all changed when I heard the movie was coming to U.S. theaters in September, I love seeing films on the big screen! So far I have watched the first half of the series at a rate of about 2 episodes a night. The series has some great hooks with its characters, style, and robots right from the get go. One thing I found striking was how Renton’s love for Eureka is immediate and connects with the audience even if she is unsure of what is happening. It is presented as a focal point not a game of will-they-won’t-they which is refreshing. Holland was the driving force for my excitement of the show in the beginning and while he remains my favorite to watch, I have a great appreciation for everyone on the screen and look forward to their interactions especially between the crew of the Gekkostate. When I like all the characters it really adds to a show. Starting around episode 13 or so we begin learning a lot more about characters’ back stories and also the overall plot though it is still quite fuzzy. Around episodes 19 and 20 is where I decide I really loved the show, there were some really well done character moments as well as realizations in these episodes. So far Eureka Seven is all I’ve heard it is, I am looking forward to the last half.

After reading Guardian of the Spirit I was curious if Scholastic was going to continue to license and translate books in the series. I was pleasantly surprised when they released Guardian of the Darkness. After Balsa successfully protected Chagum she goes back to her homeland to finally make amends with the family of Jiguro the man who raised her and had to kill his former friends to protect her. After she saves two children in the caves she eventually learns that Jiguro has become a national villain because of the twisting of said events to make it seem that her mentor was a thief, a traitor, and a murderer. She then also realizes that who ever has revised history also wants the only living witness to what truly happened to disappear. Balsa must save a homeland she barely remembers and help people she hardly knows in order to survive and clear his name. Balsa is still a strong and dynamic character and the addition of new faces keeps things interesting. This book continues in the first’s footsteps by providing a good mixture of action, drama, and politics that does not talk down to the reader. I hope this book does well on it’s own without a direct anime tie in. I would really like to read the rest of the series.

In Dragon Eye 7 we see the beginnings of the tournament plus the introduction of many high level officials in the world government. There was a lot of tension in this book from the new characters who immediately create suspicion and from the battles leading up to the final round against Kazuma. I was glad to learn about some of the old members of Squad Zero and also to see a magic user worth his salt. There are some major conspiracies going on and really I have no clue who all is involved, the players keep spreading. As usual I am looking forward to the next installment!

I may occasionally talk about Jessica but without a doubt Kyrie is the sexiest woman in Umineko no Naku Koro ni so this is the pic of the week:

Posted in Anime, Manga, Novels/Light Novels, Ongoing Investigations, Video Games Tagged: detective, Dragon Eye, Eureka Seven, Guardian of the Spirit, robots, The Astro Boy Essays, Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Ongoing Investigations: Case #033

reversethieves — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 11:43:15 +0000

At NYCC, Yen Press was giving away all the books they had brought to display on Sunday. It was mostly picked clean when I got there. I had to take what was interesting but not owned by Kohaku, Narutaki, or me. I picked up Black God book three based on the first episode of Black God anime which had potential to either be very good or very bad. I heard there were significant differences between the anime and the manga. It is a bit odd reviewing the third book in a series but here I go. The main character is out of school and works as a computer programmer in the manga. The pace of things is different because the girl killed at the end of the first episode does not die until the end of the second book. We start off with a guy having sex with a loli (so right there Narutaki is not going to be a fan). We soon learn after a fight and some exposition that Steiner (the previously mentioned loli-toucher) and Excel (the previously mentioned fake loli) are allies if morally flexible allies. The fights are generally enjoyable and one of the strongest reasons to keep reading. I don’t know why by my favorite character in the series is Akane but Kuro and Keita have yet to really sell me. If I had not watched the first episode of the anime I think I could have generally figured out what was going on although seeing it definitely helped. I can’t say that the book made me rush out to buy the rest of the series but if I saw it on sale I would pick it up. It’s not exactly original but it seems interesting. I am curious how Keita’s mother plays into the evil organization and if they have the cojones to kill of Akane despite me liking her.

My friend lent me the graphic novel Skim after we were admiring Jillian Tamaki’s artwork in a another project. Her style is certainly Japanese print inspired and she had the ability to draw characters who aren’t beautiful looking but rather charismatic anyway. Skim takes place during a period of change in a young girl’s life. It follows “Skim” as she falls in love for the first time, loses and gains a friendship, and as she discovers change is okay. Skim has a sense of humor about herself and her thoughts on the world around her are a breath of fresh air. Mariko Tamaki is able to capture a teenager’s thought patterns without coming off as trite or overly angsty.

I picked up Translucent number one from a Dark Horse RighStuf sale after hearing people talk about it on the The Anime Roundtable. It a cute little love story about a girl who has a strange medical condition that is makes her partly transparent and the boy who loves her. I think is a series destined to be loved by critics and manga otaku and ignored by the masses. It has cute characters and a lovely little story that is only five books long. Mamoru is a nice goofy guy and Shizuka is a sympathetic girl much like Mugi from Hitohira. The side characters like Okouchi are quite charming. For some reason, the atypical art style and fact that the two are in a relationship reminds me a lot of Love Roma. I do admit while the unusual art style in Love Roma was a stylistic decision, here it is more of odd because it looks so amateur. I have noted that seinen series are more willing to artists who tell good stories but less artistic skill. While I enjoy that fact, I feel it further ghettoizes seinen manga in the U.S. I look forward to reading the rest of the series and we might do an article when it wraps up.

I love VIZ’s release of 20th Century Boys. Check out the abundant spot gloss all over the place! Not to mention the cover design is really nice! I had actually read a few chapters of this series a mighty long time ago. I am glad to be reading it again. In this first book we really get to know Kenji, I wonder if he will remain at the forefront or if we will get to see more of the group as well. I am certainly intrigued by the strange goings on as well as “Friend.” I do feel that an entire group of friends completely forgetting an incident is rather far fetched, but I have accepted this as part of the story. And I hope it will be explained as the story goes on.

I started reading Hero Tales in Yen Plus recently. Coming from Hiromu Arakawa of Fullmetal Alchemist I am sure this series already has plenty of buzz. Though I have not heard anything about it other than its existence before I started reading it in Yen Plus. I did not even realize that there was a 26-episode anime. Is there some reason no one talks about this series despite it coming from such a high profile artist or am I just not talking to the right people? It’s an enjoyable martial arts adventure so far. You have an oppressive empire and a young hero with a mysterious power tied into his destiny. I like Taitou and Laila’s brother/sister relationship. The general plot structure reminds me of the Suikoden series due to Taitou being one of the stars of the Big Dipper. He therefore has to find the other stars to accomplish his task. The main character has a much more powerful berserker form which could lead to lameness. Looks fun and worth following in either Yen Plus or graphic novels.

My love for Dragon Eye seems to be shared by few, but nevertheless (or perhaps because of that fact) I grabbed up volume six as quickly as I could. For whatever reason, this volume really drove it home for me that Issa is more of an in-between shonen and seinen hero, as opposed to his looks and attitude that imply he is the typical shonen protagonist. The beginning of this volume somewhat clears up a mystery (with a very good fight) and then pushes us fully into a new one involving the upcoming tournament. We are also introduced to some of squad one and specifically Akira, who seems to have a major problem with Hibiki. Incidentally, Hibiki remains one of my favorite characters and continues to be a mysterious guy. Aoi’s, his squad captain, interest in him is intriguing. It doesn’t seem romantic so I suspect they are related in someway. Looks like the tournament will be starting in the next book, can’t wait!

If you were curious about the three main characters Hero Tales, this is the pic of the week:

Posted in Manga, Ongoing Investigations Tagged: 20th Century Boys, Black God, detective, Dragon Eye, Hero Tales, Skim, Translucent

Ongoing Investigations: Case #003

reversethieves — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:40:39 +0000

Gurren Lagaan is a tongue-in-cheek love letter to manly giant robot shows. It’s always about being a MAN! The whole world and its evil, beast-men robots may be against you but you fight on with manly pride and manly courage! You shout your attacks at the top of your lungs and fight for what you need to protect with guts and grit! Kamina is your standard balls to the wall, fiery robot pilot. He is mostly there to be cool, gain a huge fan following, and motivate the spineless but spark of potential Simon. Simon is easily compared to Shinji especially since they are both from Gainax shows, but I think it is way too easy to ignore Simon as his own character that way. Simon has potential to grow whereas Shinji was always meant to break down. Yoko is pretty kick-ass or at least as kick-ass as your going to get being a woman in a manly giant robot show. So far they have not given her a useless Aphrodite A style robot. Episode 4 definitely earned it’s infamous reputation. If this is the cleaned up version I would hate/love to see the original episode.

On a side note: Bravo Bandai. I really approve of Bandai’s plan of releasing nine episode sets sub only with minimum extras and then releasing deluxe sets with dub and additional extras later on. I love getting nine episodes for 20 dollars at Best Buy. If you release Hayate or Gundam 00 like this Bandai you have my money. I will slap you with the twenty like I was Mask the Money.

Gurren Lagaan is one of those shows that I knew would probably be good, but just never got around to seeing. Now I have and now I know what the fuss is all about, finished the first five episodes. This show is so good and hilarious! GAINAX you shock me! It has been much too long since I enjoyed one of their new shows. Everything about it is over the top, from the way the robots look to Kamina’s hilarious names for the different attacks (Combustion of Manly Souls Cannonball Attack!). And Kamina’s dealings with Yoko are a laugh a minute! But on a more serious note I really enjoy the sibling closeness and protectiveness between Simon and Kamina, it feels right. Looking forward to watching more!

I normally don’t like slice of life, but I am always looking for the next Azumanga Daioh. So I tried out Hidamari Sketch. I thought the premise had potential, it is about four girls who are going to art school. Upon viewing, can’t say I found anything special about this show. It was rather boring, not very funny, and the animation is really weird. These types of shows live and die on whether or not you connect with one or more of the characters because there is no plot to speak of. I didn’t and so I found nothing to warrant continuing on.

Liar Game just pissed me off. Nao finally has the chance to grow as a character and do something without Kazuo and she utterly fails as life so Kazuo has to come bail her out. I thought since the revival round was all losers from other rounds she would finally have opponents that were weak enough that she could handle them on her own. She could finally stand on her own two feet and win a round without her guardian angel. But as far as I can tell her purpose is to be useless and a liability. I know sometimes it is asking too much Japan but could we turn the misogyny down to a manageable 6 or 7 as opposed to the 11 where you normally have it.

Picked up Dragon Eye volume 5 as soon as I could. This book is mostly transitional, we just came off an intense battle and a lot of plot from the last couple of books. We are moving toward a tournament, but the end of the book boasts an awesome confrontation in the coming chapters. My only qualm about it is Issa is currently injured so I’m not sure how the fight will play out or if even if it will get a good momentum before it is over. In any case, I am certainly looking forward to it.

Banana Fish is like baby’s first BL. It has all the homosexual tension of your favorite BL work but none of the graphic nature of anything but the tamest works. I can definitely see why this did so well in Japan. It has a good mixture of action, political intrigue, and melodrama. It’s BL romance mixed with a seinen thriller. I do have two criticisms though. The first is that the author certainly researched New York City but never lived here. I am sure the average Japanese person did not notice anything but I know people like to complain about it here in the States. It was amusing but nothing that made me not want to read anymore. Also Ash Lynx is a huge Mary Sue at times. He is super beautiful, genius IQ smart, and good at EVERYTHING that counts. Ash got a score of 171 when I put him into the Universal Mary Sue Litmus test.

Continuing to play Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced 2 and atleast a real plot has now appeared. We moved on from the “The book wants you to fill it up and then you can go home” plot. Still not bonded with my main character though. But I’m willing to still keep going besides more characters will be appearing as well. The game play continues to be awesome and I can’t stop playing! I get very obsessive about mastering new abilities and getting new jobs! I do have to complain that it is endlessly annoying to have people want to join your clan but they have not learned any abilities or skills. They are level 27 but know nothing? Interesting.

That’s it for this week’s investigations! Look for a new case file every Friday!

Anime and Manga of the Month: June

reversethieves — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 11:29:35 +0000

Manga of the Month
Dragon Eye by Kairi Fujiyama

Leila is a brand new recruit to VIUS, a large organization of people combating the mysterious D-Virus. Both the organization and the virus itself, which turns the infected into blood thirsty, destructive “Dracules,” we know little about. Through a series of events, some quite amusing, she ends up in the hands of Issa, Captain of Squad Zero. Issa is seemingly lackadaisical, which is probably why the squad only includes himself and now Leila. But he is probably brilliant and you soon learn that his past is filled with holes. The glimpses of his former life bring a lot of much needed tension to the story. This becomes of serious importance as the Dracules begin to move as an organized group rather than a bunch of unthinking monsters. His relationships with some characters are strained while others truly believe in him, as it becomes more clear that some know a bit more about him than others. The cast changes somewhat from story to story as Squad Zero is always borrowing help, this peppers the story with some fun team-ups. The art is well done and the weaponry and equipment is cool which adds to the well done fights. Dragon Eye is a shonen adventure series, but it uses its formula well and creates characters you wish to see through to the end.

Anime of the Month
Black Lagoon by Madhouse Studios

Normally we showcase less known series in the Anime and Manga of the Month but I decided to throw up a better know. title that is in an odd predicament. Geneon went under and so far no one has saved the license. The dub for both seasons is done because they played them both on Canadian Tech TV. I really want someone to pick up the second season there in the states. I think it’s a guaranteed seller with legs.

Black Lagoon is about being awesome and having Revy, the duel pistol wielding awesome goddess incarnate. Black Lagoon is essentially an animated action movie. The story revolves around Rokuro Okajima who gets kidnapped by the pirates of the Lagoon Company but ends up as part of the crew. The Lagoon Company crew is as follows. Rock whose role is to be the fish out of water who has some invaluable negation skill from his days as a salary man. Revy is the muscle. Dutch being the muscular African-American seems like he would be the tough of the group but he is the companies leader and tactician. Benny rounds out the group as the hacker.

The intensity of the series is always turned up to 11. Even in the quieter moments the show have an underlying ferocity. There is also a tendency to throw out realism in favor of style. Revy duel wields pistols not because it’s practical but because it looks awesome. PT boats take on helicopters with mini-guns. People fight with chainsaws, flamethrowers, or throwing knives on chains because it looks freaking awesome. Also the characters are almost always a mixture of fascinating and frightening. Roanapur is an amoral city in which only the crafty and strong make it through the day. Black Lagoon is a fun, gritty, action anime. Viz is going to start publishing the manga soon and I really hope someone will step up to the plate and re-license this series.