Category: Science Fiction

CONTEST + The Dirty Pair TV Pt. 1: Do Lovely Angels Prefer Chest Hair?

23 Comments

If you were a fan before the late-90’s, there is no need to introduce these ladies; it was pretty hard not to see at least one of the Dirty Pair titles that were released in the U.S during those days. Kei and Yuri were (and still are for some of us) the quintessential girls with guns. Or more to the point, they fit right in with what people wanted out of anime between explosions, space adventure, and fan-service there wasn’t much missing. And if you haven’t experienced it, you can win the first set right here!

The are some shows that define a genre. They are not necessarily the first show or even the best show in the category but for one reason or another they capture the imagination of the public and become intimately linked with the genre. Whenever you mention girls with guns anime most fans who have been in the hobby for a few years will undoubtedly bring up the Dirty Pair before any other title. Along with Gunsmith Cats it personifies the idea of a show where two beautiful ladies run around defeating nasty bad guys with cool weapons with a side order of humor and cheesecake. As a fan of the series I was always asking ADV when they were going to go back and license this iconic gem for its US fans. But in an unexpected twist of fate it turns out that the champion of the underdog titles Nozomi Entertainment picked it up instead much to my delight. The premiere babes with blasters show finally has made its way to the US and I could not be happier.

Continue reading →

January’s Manga of the Month: Afterschool Charisma

2 Comments

I will admit I have little understanding of what is actually popular on this site other than Narutaki talking about graphic design and Narutaki talking about sex. This explains the fact that when we retired the Manga of the Month last year we discovered it was apparently extremely popular. It just so happened no one ever mentioned it. Ever. So as Natalie Merchant once said we give em what they want. In 2011 Manga of the Month rises from the ashes like Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix. The Final Denouement is being retired as we try to put out more solo articles on Tuesday through Thursday. Since many of them would have been final denouements in their own right the Final Denouement has become somewhat redundant. Also like a phoenix the tears shed by Manga of the Month have immense healing powers. Hopefully these articles will get everyone to pick up some manga they might have easily overlooked considering how much there is to choose from.

Afterschool Charisma (放課後のカリスマ) by Kumiko Suekane

IKKI has always been VIZ’s attempt to try to broaden the manga market by letting people sample some more offbeat seinen series that would otherwise go over looked. With a few exceptions  what sells in the U.S. is shonen fighting and shojo romance. So while adults might read manga so far most adult manga has not caught on here. Afterschool Charisma is a quirky manga that has some appeal of the popular genres that sell books in the US while still distinctly being off the beaten track to hopefully broaden some reader’s horizons.

St. Kleio is a most unusual experiential school. All the student are the clones of famous historical figures who have been gathered together in hopes that with proper care they can surpass the accomplishments of their originals. Along side these luminary and sometimes infamous copies is Shiro Kamiya, the only student who is not a clone. When the clone of John F. Kennedy is assassinated Shiro learns that everything at the school is not exactly what  it seems. There are crazy cults, Byzantine conspiracies, and deadly experiments lurking in the shadows. Maybe even Shiro himself is part of some greater sinister machinations.

I usually see this manga compared to the old Clone High cartoon on MTV. They are both set at government controlled high schools that have characters who act silly in humorous contrast to their original  historical personas. But at the same time despite all the wacky hi-jinks in Afterschool Charisma we see from the first chapter there is a disturbing  undercurrent to the events at the school. This manga seems like a bizarre and goofy Hetalia at school but quickly turns into a taut thriller. It is definitely worth a look if you want something different that is able to mix humor and intrigue in equal measure.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes Part 4: Conspiracy

7 Comments


Warning: We assume that you have watched the first three seasons of Legend of the Galactic Heroes (The first 86 episodes) before reading this. We will not spoil anything major in the fourth season but everything and anything in first three seasons is fair game.

hisuiconThe first half may have had scenes that threw you off balance but nothing beats the leg sweep that was season 3. With a mixture of sadness and curiosity we eagerly dove into the last section of  Legend of the Galactic Heroes. The questions that everyone was asking was how and where would they end this epic story? Would the ending live up to the first three sections? Who would live and who would die? Thankfully all the questions are answered in a fashion equal to the first three parts.

narutaki You’d think after more than 80 episodes you’d be ready for the end, but no, it goes by in a flash and you desperately want to see the continuing story of this galaxy. Legend of the Galactic gives its all 100% all the way through the end. The turn of events, the people who live and die, the final conclusions, and the unanswered ponderings make for a satisfying ending.

Continue reading →