Month: September 2013

In the Project X Zone

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hisui_icon_4040 I remember looking at screen shots of Namco × Capcom and thinking that we would never get the game here in the United States. I really wanted it but games with so many properties involved are notoriously hard to license. It turns out that was not a bad assumption as we still don’t have an official English release of Namco × Capcom. (Side note: I never remember that Reiji Arisu and Xiaomu are from Namco × Capcom. They always seem like Endless Frontier characters to me.)

Then in 2008 something shifted slightly. It was Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. A fairly well-regarded fighting game for the Wii with a lineup of Tatsunoko and Capcom characters from all over the map. And it has a legitimate US release. It did not open the flood gate for every crazy cross over game from Japan but it did signal that maybe with a bit of luck some titles that were previously just in the realms dreams and fan translations were possible.

And so when I saw the Project X Zone movie I was super excited in general but not very optimistic about it chances. But then people kept telling me that there were rumors that it was coming out in English. And soon enough those rumblings were a reality. Apparently it was a bit of a pain in the ass to get all the necessary licenses. But it was here. The game I asked for.

So I had to put my money were my mouth was. I pre-ordered the game and got a 3DS for my birthday. So was it worth all the times I mentioned in the APB?

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Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya #009: Mother & Daughter Skinship

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I still love you Shiro! hisui_icon_4040  It is time for the return of the Queen. (Which once again makes me think of Kaoru Akashi. Making this the second time she has come up in a Fate/kaleid review post. You think I would be making more Nanoha Takamachi references.) If anyone is going to get this show back on track it is none other than Irisviel von Einzbern. Now that she is not dying of magical anime disease (Holy Grail version) she can finally flex those full motherly muscles like she was always meant to. But at the same time Miyu gets to show off some solo fighting ability. So there is more to this episode than bath time fun. I know some people are saddened with that news. Hopefully they do not read this blog and instead just stick to Sankaku Complex or something equally vile.
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Dear Brother, I’m writing to you to in hopes of funding this DVD release.

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narutaki_icon_4040 Everyone was speculating about how AnimeSols would do and what would happen when funding came down to the wire. We’ve now seen people rally and make titles like Creamy Mami the Magical Angel and Black Jack happen while others were stopped short.

Consider this post an encouragement to fund the recent addition to the AnimeSols line-up, Dear Brother. This is the type of show I believe AnimeSols should be courting, it fits perfectly. Dear Brother is a classic, it is fairly well-known, and the original manga is from Riyoko Ikeda creator of The Rose of Versailles. The anime was adapted by Tezuka Productions and directed by the indomitable Osamu Dezaki.

Dear Brother, influencer of so much that came after it, is a seminal shojo anime that might actually blow your mind.

hisui_icon_4040 The Rose of Versailles has always been the big name title that everyone in the US knows Riyoko Ikeda for. The Rose of Versailles was the series that was mega popular in France. It was the anime that made Utena what it was. For the longest time it was the holy grail of anime and manga. The manga had a bilingual release that only had 2 volumes ever released and what little that did come out eventually became a collector’s item. The anime always had a strong vocal fanbase but never could seem to be licensed. Riyoko Ikeda has done other work but really how many people do you know demanding the The Window of Orpheus or Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica?

But in between the rock star popularity of The Rose of Versailles and the almost total obscurity Claudine…! was another title by Ikeda. It was popular enough in Japan to get an anime. It had a lesser known but equally powerful influence on Utena. It had a distinct following of fans due to its yuri themes. A renown director and production company caught a few eyes as well. So Oniisama e… has a distinct but far smaller audience. I think most of the time the Oniisama e… fans decided to pull for The Rose of Versailles with the hopes that if that could get licensed and do well then Dear Brother could hopefully ride in the slipstream of its more popular sister.

But now the The Rose of Versailles anime was licensed by Nozomi Entertainment. Dear Brother is even streaming in Viki. The only has one last hurdle to cross in English. That is the physical release of the anime. So Anime Sols is trying just that with a Kickstarter styled attempt to get the release crowd funded. As fans of the series we figured we would try to sell you on the show in hopes that it can make its goal.

The series is awesome so this should be very easy.

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