Hana to Akuma Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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A new rating needs to be created for material like this, both unforgettable and alienating, heartwarming and horrific. It isn't foul or explicit by nature, in fact it is consistently delicate, clever, and beautiful, but it seems to have greater power to offend than the most shameless, tacky ecchi or gorefests on the market. This is a series about the slow dehumanization of little girls who are rescued from abusive environments by the government only to be brainwashed as assassins with a slavish devotion to a superior who may or may not choose to show them love in return. This is a situation made all the more unsettling by the constant reminders in each episode that the girls are aware of the cruel hand they've been dealt and fear the day they will “die empty and alone,” (a direct quote.) The content here is fairly tame, particularly for a political thriller, but it's the spirit of the premise itself that makes viewers squirm in discomfort. In Hellsing, hailing bullets, hordes of zombies feasting on entrails and demonic blood rituals are a thrill met with laughter and applause. In Gunslinger Girl, the sight of a nine year old girl with a blank expression cracking off perfect headshots by the second on firing range targets is all it takes to send some viewers turning their heads in disgust. What this show really needs is a bright yellow sticker across the front labeled “NOT FOR EVERYONE.”

Obviously that would be a terrible idea in terms of marketing, but it's not meant to be an insult. In most cases the moniker “not for everyone” denotes high quality that only certain people will appreciate, and Gunslinger Girl fits this description perfectly.

2nd season Kuragehime Chapter 30 31 29.5

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Italy's economic and political instabilities have led to an increase in terrorism, and the authorization of a new government agency to quell the threats. Known as the Social Welfare Agency, they maintain a cover as a charity institution to hide a much darker reality. The Special Ops division at the heart of this institution has been creating some very unique weapons of counter-terrorism that must never be made public: cyborgs. It's not the cybernetic transformations and conditioning of the subjects that the government is so desperate to hide, but the nature of the subjects themselves. The cyborg soldiers are little girls, found to be the only vessels capable of adapting to the strain of the implants and taking the psychological conditioning in stride. Even so, their lives are short. Girls like Henrietta, Rico, Triela, Claes and Angelica are assigned to adult agents known as handlers who treat the girls however they see fit, some with the compassion of an older brother and some as ruthless snipers adopting a gun only to abandon it when it rusts or jams. Regardless of how the girls see their fate or how long they live, they adore their handlers and will do anything, from take life to sacrifice their own, to make their fratello proud of them.

II uncen Seikon no Qwaser Chapter 29

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For a series with such a complex storyline, one might expect an ocean of text to wade through, but these chapters continue to maintain a careful balance between wordiness and brevity. True, there are some scenes that are loaded with talk—one chapter is nothing but a sequence of interviews—but on the other end, there are moments where an entire page goes by with only a couple of words being said. Best of all, the writing and translation are wonderfully direct: no fancy phrasing, no overwrought paragraphs (and this is why Death Note will always be inferior), just the words that need to be said so that the characters and the reader know where the story is headed next. Even sound effects are used carefully; it's possible to go several pages before ever seeing onomatopoeic Japanese characters on the page. Thankfully, Viz's Signature line does not edit out the sound effects—readers looking for translations can look up the glossary in the back.

Once again, words, images and story come together to make Monster a one-of-a-kind thriller. A couple of strong story arcs occupy these two volumes—the search for Nina's childhood memories, and Eva's secret mission—but built around that are a few stringy loose threads, like the puppeteer in Prague, the fate of Dr. Tenma as he continues to run from the law, the lawyers and officers still looking into the mystery of Johan, and oh yeah, what has Johan been up to lately? So maybe the master storyteller and artist isn't always masterful, but wherever Naoki Urasawa takes us next, it'll be a terrific ride.

Anime Shingetsutan Tsukihime Chapter 72 73

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The last couple of chapters in Vol. 14 and the first half of Vol. 15 take a more conventional tack, shifting away from the realm of memories and toward a conspiracy-action arc involving Eva Heinemann. For someone most often seen as an emotionally unstable drunk, it is perhaps Eva's finest hour, culminating in a bittersweet sequence where she reunites with Tenma. (Remember that stuff about love and hope?) Even Eva's temporary bodyguard—yet another briefly-introduced minor character—wins audience empathy with his "heroic slacker" role. The back half of Vol. 15 isn't quite as focused, though, and these chapters seem to wander back and forth, trying to keep up with all the various plotlines—Nina continues to dig up memories, other people reveal fragmented clues about the Red Rose Mansion, and Tenma continues to run as he plots his next move. Oh well, leaving you hanging is one of the key points of the suspense genre, right?

If it were enough just to arrange story events in a particular order, then Urasawa would be a decent novelist—but it is his mastery of art and comic paneling that make him one of the all-time greats. The use of flashbacks and fragments to show Nina's memory is just one of many techniques; the wide range of events in these two volumes offer a full showcase of his skills. Whether it's everyday life (the puppeteer on the streets of Prague), or building up suspense (Nina tracking down the Red Rose Mansion), or intense action (gunplay and chase scenes), or even just dialogue, the story is told with perfect spacing and timing of panels. In fact, a silent image or series of images can say all that needs to be said. And while Urasawa's style can seem rectangular and plain at first glance, there is a wealth of creativity within the rectangles: the variety of character designs, the strong facial expressions, the details in the backgrounds, and the viewing angles that make each scene unique. To maintain all these skills without getting too flashy or confusing is perhaps the greatest artistic talent.

Anime Darker Than Black: Shikkoku no Hana Chapter 33 32 31 30 29

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As Monster draws ever closer to a dramatic finish, one pressing question remains: does Naoki Urasawa have the talent to keep track of all the crisscrossing plot lines? What may have once been a tense cat-and-mouse game has evolved into something much greater, involving one mouse, seven different cats, two dogs, a fox, and a chicken—or at least it looks that way. Volumes 14 and 15 pass through several of these storylines, and it can seem at times that new story threads and new characters pop up whenever ideas start running out for the existing ones. Yet each chapter delves deep into its characters and draws out powerful emotions, so wherever the story is headed next, thrills and suspense are guaranteed.

Of course, those thrills don't necessarily mean action and gunplay: some of Monster's finest moments are the ones that occur in the characters' minds, and Vol. 14 proves it by digging into Nina's childhood. With fragmented images, flashbacks, and storybook excerpts, these chapters capture perfectly the fleeting nature of human memory—and it can take just one horrific recollection to leave Nina, as well as the reader, in shock. Yet there is also a glimmer of hope; the puppeteer that Nina meets is a comforting presence, and proof that even the most minor character has a purpose. (On the other hand, some may find it annoying that Urasawa has thrown in yet another character with ties to the central mystery. Enough already!) But that is perhaps one of the most overlooked qualities of Monster: that amidst all the mystery and horror, there are moments of love and hope and all the good things about humanity.

Amagami - Precious Diary Chapter 17 16.5 16

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The race continues to stop Johan, the "monster" whose traumatic childhood has turned him into a manipulative, remorseless serial killer. Dr. Kenzo Tenma, who years ago saved Johan's life, is still determined to end it—although being an escaped fugitive is putting a bit of a damper on Tenma's plans. Meanwhile, Tenma's ex-fiancee Eva has some key knowledge that could lead others to Johan, but her erratic behavior might end up putting her life (or someone else's) in grave danger. And finally, Johan's twin sister Nina is on the verge of uncovering all their unpleasant childhood memories, as she pays a visit to the ominous "Red Rose Mansion" where they grew up. However, Nina might not be mentally prepared to handle all those memories just yet—and it seems that Johan has his own plans for the mansion as well.

movie Saint Seiya - The Lost Canvas Chapter 223

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Familiarity with the Boogiepop franchise is actually not required to appreciate this novel. Since it describes the origins of key characters and situations, a newcomer could pick this one up and follow it well enough to understand what's going on. Certainly part of the appeal is all of the attention on, and references to, characters and situations that have been alluded to in other works, but even without that this makes for a solid read for those who like an absorbing, suitably chilling, and easy-to-read teen-appropriate diversion.

Monster Hunter Orage Chapter 10.5 10 9 8 7 6

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An English teacher or literary analyst might (fairly) criticize Kadono's writing style for its simplistic paragraph structure, comparatively lax variance in sentence length, and overuse of passive voice, but the direct, efficient style makes up for its technical deficiencies. Kadono displays a gift for effective creation of unsettling monstrosities, of the proverbial wolves in sheep's skins but also of characters that are, in some way, extraordinary and how such characters might view the world differently because of their extraordinary nature. On the rare occasions where he actually uses action scenes they never lack for punch, although on the whole the content gives off much more of a heavy drama/light horror vibe. He also clearly understands character psychology and how to use it to his advantage without getting into overly elaborate schemes or overly weighty psychological analysis.

Seven Seas' 293-page production includes three pages of Afterword comments by Kadono and three pages of translation notes. As with previous novels, it opens with several color pages featuring cast members with relevant quotes, although unlike with previous novels these quotes are reflective additional thoughts about characters and situations (apparently from Nagi's perspective) rather than actually being lifted from the text. Each chapter begins with a pencil sketch, with one additional two-page spread towards the end. The novel closes with some amusing variations on bio blurbs.

OVA Vinland Saga Chapter 73

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After the initial premise kicks things off, Here is Greenwood falls into a well-worn formula with isolated chapters that cover specific moments in the Japanese school year, carrying only a trace of continuity and no genuine, overarching plotline. Readers who feel overburdened by ongoing soap opera plots can finally give their brains a rest, but without a driving force behind the story, it could be easy to lose interest in Greenwood if the first few chapters aren't instantly appealing. Although the first volume does end on a cliffhanger, a general storyline--something involving Kazuya's troubles back home, perhaps--would add some dramatic weight to balance out this lighthearted manga.

The mid-80's style of artwork in Here is Greenwood will remind most readers of Maison Ikkoku or Kimagure Orange Road, albeit with a cleaner look. Nasu's linework appears as if it ought to be accented with dreamy bubbles and flower petals (the manga itself was originally serialized in the Hana to Yume shoujo anthology), but instead she keeps the backgrounds free of clutter and focuses on straightforward visuals. Because of this, even the densely packed panels don't interfere with the enjoyment of the story. However, that lack of clutter goes too far at times, reducing backgrounds to a point where the reader loses any sense of location. This sparse approach almost ruins one of the best jokes in the entire manga: when Kazuya walks into a bathroom on page 25, the fact that he's in the bathroom is pivotal to that scene, but it may take several re-reads before noticing the urinals that are shoehorned into a corner of one panel. In the chapter where Greenwood gets hit by a blackout, it's hard to tell whether Mitsuru and Shinobu are inside or outside the rooms as they patrol the halls. Despite shortcomings like that, Here is Greenwood has a visual style that will appeal to old-school fans and those looking for an antidote to the overly slick, sharp designs of the present day.

Shitsurakuen Chapter 22 Anime

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What kind of manga can be a high school comedy and yet have hardly any scenes in the classroom? Ask Yukie Nasu, because that's exactly what she accomplishes with Here is Greenwood. Throwing a new spin on the Japanese school experience by focusing on dorm life, Here is Greenwood walks the line between cute and bizarre with mixed results. Be prepared to laugh... but be prepared for some flat, confusing moments too.

Like many successful comedies, Here is Greenwood relies on its quirky characters for humor. Perennial loser Kazuya, with his "why me?" attitude, may in fact be the most normal person in this story. His brother Kazuhiro is a male nurse at the same school, which is a source of never-ending embarrassment for Kazuya, while his sister-in-law Sumire is hilariously clueless about his crush on her and keeps inviting him back home. The core of Greenwood's offbeat sense of humor, though, comes from the head of residents, Mitsuru. All too aware of his bishounen features, Mitsuru happily takes the role of the dominant male and selfishly uses his influence to play pranks on Kazuya and take little presents from each of his residents' care packages. Things only get funnier when the equally good-looking class president, Shinobu, teams up with Mitsuru to cause even more trouble. (Sorry girls, the two of them don't get busy or anything--but Shinobu does throw in a subtle hint!)

Anime Unbalance x Unbalance Chapter 76

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Kazuya Hasukawa has the worst luck in the world. The woman he likes has just married his older brother, and since he can't bring himself to be in the same house as her, he decides that Ryokuto High School, an all-male boarding school, is the only way out. Unfortunately, he gets into a car accident on his first day and has to miss a whole month. When Kazuya finally arrives, he moves into a residence hall called Greenwood, and ends up rooming with... a girl named Shun? That's just one of the many oddities there, and now Kazuya has to endure an entire school year at Greenwood if he wants to avoid the awkwardness back home. With all the crazy residents living there, it's a nonstop parade of weirdness at Greenwood--a blackout on the last day of summer vacation, hanging out with an idol on New Year's, and fending off middle school girls on Valentine's Day.

Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 OVA

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Clumsy airheaded schoolgirl Hideyoshino goes to pray at a shrine so she doesn't have to study and gets sucked into a magic portal that transports her to a fantasy version of Japan's Sengoku period, where everyone is built like a porn star, traipsing around in skimpy battle armor, wielding magic and swords and magic swords. There's a redhead calling herself Oda Nobunaga and she recruits Hideyoshino to help her fetch the complete set of Crimson Armor, which legend tells will help her unite Japan.

That's pretty much it. The gimmick in Battle Girls - Time Paradox most resembles a made-for-dudes version of Sengoku Basara (note that the Japanese title is Sengoku Otome) but without any of the crazy winking over-the-top hilarity that made that show fun. This show is written like nobody's ever created a series with this exact basic premise a hundred billion times before; we spend the entire first episode following around the series’ frustratingly idiotic and endlessly self-narrating Hideyoshino - who never ever shuts up - and accomplishes in these 21 minutes what any other self-aware show recycling this premise would've accomplished in the prologue. Normally if you're leaning on an idea that's beaten into the ground as much as this one has, you would at least attempt to get the boring rehashed story idea out of the way quickly and then sell us on some kind of twist or turn that would help the show stand out among the myriad other ‘hapless student transported to fantasy kingdom' shows. Hell, the prologue here is the 2-minute stretch from the middle of the episode where Hideyoshino meets Oda Nobunaga, which happens barely 10 minutes in, which I think might be the land speed record breaker for a series tipping us off to just how many corners they're going to cut.

World Embryo Chapter 63 anime

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All that aside, SKET Dance succeeds in a few key areas. While it is undoubtedly a show with a very basic message for kids, the three principle characters are at least somewhat interesting and mostly well-written. The story we're given here is kind of a red herring – Sugihara is presented as the episode's protagonist up front, but it's really Bossun, Himeko and Switch who are the focus of the show. It's easy to see how this whole thing could fall into a generic “let's save the latest dork from the bully of the week” format, but there's enough playful energy among the main cast to hold your attention for 20 minutes and maybe wonder about their personal relationships and how they formed this club. The scenario between Sugihara and his nemesis is pretty well-handled, too; it isn't completely black-and-white and the writing suggests the show is interested in telling stories that aren't entirely simplistic morality plays.

The Ruler of the Land Chapter 31 anime

The Ruler of the Land http://www.mangareader.net/851/the-ruler-of-the-land.html



Here's the premise: the SKET-Dan is a team of teenage specialists who preside over the campus of Kaimei, helping troubled students in their time of need. Their club name is an anagram: Support, Kindness, Encouragement, Troubleshoot. Bossun is the leader; he rallies the team and keeps a close eye on the student body. Himeko is the muscle, and Switch, who speaks only through his laptop's text-to-voice, is the brains of the outfit. In this first episode, they take in Sugihara, an insecure new transfer student who makes fast friends with the trio and is also being terrorized by a bully from his past, one who is has noticed his newfound friendship with the SKET crew.

If someone had pitched this show to me before I knew it was an anime series, I would've assumed it was a made-up premise for a non-existent, hilariously didactic 1980s syndicated American cartoon, or maybe a retro After-School Special I'd never seen. It is, after all, a team of likable but spunky outcast kids who Totally Show Those Bullies What's What and teach us all a lesson about being who you are and standing up for yourself. All that's missing is the GoGurt commercial. Maybe a Lunchables sponsorship.

Tekken Chinmi Legends Chapter 43 anime

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It's predictable and rote to a strange extreme, but as a pleasant, fluffy BL romantic dramedy, Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi works pretty well. The key here is the writing – the characters are all particularly well-written, and we spend most of the episode inside Onadera's head, with his cynical and jaded inner monologue. It's sort of a refreshingly realistic personality, and the storyline just breezes right along. Even though you can see every plot turn coming from a few thousand miles away, the show is very well-executed and entertaining, so it rises above the standard-issue BL storyline. Production values aren't stellar but for a show rendered in pastels with minimalist character design, it's perfectly functional. Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi won't blow you away with its originality, but it's easy breezy fun for BL folk (and open-minded others). Still, I'm imagining the what the pitch session for this show was like.

"Well, it's about a shojo manga magazine run entirely by hot dudes and there's this..."

Deki no Ii Kiss Warui Kiss Chapter 9 10

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Ritsu Onodera is a jaded 25-year old literature editor who gets transferred by the company from his prestigious job editing “real” books over to the shojo manga department, which is apparently staffed entirely by handsome dudes. Ritsu carries around a lot of baggage – his first romantic encounter was with an enigmatic sempai in school, whose face and name he can't remember.

comic Aoizaka High School Baseball Club Chapter 37

Arusu, Sheila, and Eva strike out for the land of the warlocks, guided by an untrustworthy warlock lad, but upon arriving are separated from each other. Alone in a land ruled by unfamiliar science, Arusu falls in with a band of outcast warlocks who insist on using magic despite its fall from favor. In the meantime Eva is captured by the terrifying leader of the warlocks, and Sheila accompanies their warlock guide to discover the truth behind the warlocks' push to capture fairies. What she discovers is more terrifying than anything the other two face. The magical world is on the brink of complete destruction, and the warlocks are gathering fairies in a desperate bid to create a sanctuary using black magic. Sheila, determined to save her friends, tricks Arusu into boarding a ship for the human world, and takes on a morally compromising mission for the Grand Master in hopes that it will lift the curse of Eternal Youth from Eva, even as tensions between witches and warlocks reach boiling point. As the world of magic grows ever darker, Arusu and her faith in the miraculous power of magic may be all that stand between her adopted homeland and the path to war.


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comic The One Chapter 76

That unfortunately proves to be a problem for the English cast, who, hampered by the need for rewrites and fidelity to the orignal, can't get the timing of the scene down quite as precisely as their Japanese counterparts, reducing its intensity. With so much of the emotional content hinging on her, Stephanie Wittels proves serviceable as Misaki, but can't quite match the occasionally unpleasant veracity of Chris Patton's turn as Sato. The suicidees all sound suitably depressed, and Luci Christian gets Hitomi's mix of longing and outright insanity exactly right. Greg Ayres continues to excel as nerd-with-a-nasty-streak Yamazaki, with special kudos going to the relish with which he handles the final scenes in episode sixteen. Aside from the occasional f-bomb and inserted joke, the re-write is as faithful as one could desire. The dub doesn't add enough to convert the sub-preferring crowd, so preferences for it will split along the usual dub/sub battle lines, but it remains exemplary work nonetheless.

This volume is a Jekyll and Hyde beast, one half hilarious cultural commentary and one half hard-hitting personal drama. Watching Sato devolve into a slave of yet another aspect of nerd-dom is all good fun, but let's hope that the series at large, like the first two episodes on this disc, remembers that its true strength lies not in subculture explorations, but in its ability to make supremely sympathetic the kinds of deeply scarred individuals who in less adept hand might have been simply unpleasant.


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comic Kururikuru! Chapter 10

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Complementing the increasing power of the series is director Yusuke Yamamoto's increasingly skilled use of the series' solid character designs and superior background artistry. He evokes moods more successfully than before, especially now that the kinks in the use of the Pearl Brothers' largely guitar-based score have been ironed out, and is able to turn a scene surreal with little more than a shift in the hallucinogenic sound design. He keeps the action sedate enough to prevent the cracks in the series' limited animation from getting (too) apparent, and gets the timing during the big cliff-top suicide scene damned near perfect.

comic Ichinensei ni Nacchattara Chapter 40

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The first of these four episodes is so blisteringly good that it inspires a very real fear that the series has already peaked, and with nearly half of it yet to come. Sato's sojourn on the island of death begins as the same brand of discomfiting humor that has marked the series so far, but builds to a milestone in Misaki and Sato's relationship that is simultaneously soul-withering emotional development and blackest comedy. The delightfully unhealthy relationship between the two has long been the series' emotional core, and it takes a turn here that confirms every sneaking suspicion about Misaki's mental health, proving that her feelings for Sato are far more complicated and staggeringly dysfunctional than anyone suspected. The effect that her confession has on her and Sato is devastating, the palpable, hopeless anguish of the episode's conclusion ranking among the best moments yet this year.

It's so potent in fact that it takes an entire episode to wind down. While the episode proves revealing and deals sensitively and realistically with the fallout of the “off” party—hinting at the all-too-realistic reasons for Misaki's twisted psychology and demonstrating that while still pathologically self-involved, Sato is learning to make allowances for the feelings of others—it also serves to return the series to the status quo. Which is to say that afterwards it returns to black humor so pointed that even non-otaku can end up as collateral damage. The accuracy with which it nails how role-playing games prey on the dissatisfactions born of unfulfilling everyday lives is as painful as it is funny, and Sato's descent into the delusional embrace of manufactured fantasy ends with a denouement every bit as awful as the one that ended his descent into porno addiction. As enjoyable as that is, it's still disheartening to see the series retreat back into its deconstruction of otaku obsessions after so successfully venturing into the world of very real emotions.

comic Erementar Gerad Chapter 86

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Sato's dream vacation with high-school flame Hitomi goes south when he learns the reason why everyone on the cruise seems so...dead. Sato may be screwed up, but he really doesn't feel like dying; unfortunately his social ineptitude proves his undoing as he allows himself to get swept up in events until he is literally teetering on the brink of death. In the meantime Hitomi's fiancé has roped Misaki and Yamazaki into mounting a desperate rescue mission, prompting Misaki—driven to despair by her role in his apparent suicidal depression—to make a desperate appeal to Sato that proves to be infinitely more damaging than his association with Hitomi's suicidal buddies. Shaken by his brush with reality, Sato then retreats into fantasy—fantasy videogames to be exact. Hoping to trade game-world items for real-world money in order to bolster his recently reduced allowance, Sato takes up online role-playing. Never a man to take half-measures, he soon immerses himself so totally in virtual reality that it threatens to sever the last threads of his already tenuous grasp on the real world. Misaki tries to save him before it's too late, but the cure may end up being more deadly than the disease.

Comic The Bride of the Water God Chapter 97

But why this sudden big deal about Galaxy Express 999? Because now anyone can pull up a web browser and check it out (the next Naruto: Shippuuden is still a few days away, what else are you going to do in the meantime?). Much has been made of how streaming TV has erased the time lag for international anime fans, who can watch the latest shows as soon as they air. But another channel has also opened up: one that travels back in time to the shows of yesteryear, dredging up titles that might have gotten lost in out-of-print limbo or stuck in the memories of aging fans who complain that today's generation has no appreciation for the classics. Well, guess what—today's generation now has a very convenient way in which to appreciate the classics. And where better to start than with an iconic sci-fi series that has inspired so many others?


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comic Cage Of Eden Chapter 81

While the chronicles of Tetsuro and Maetel's journey have a timeless quality to them, the production values of this late-70's creation are a different proposition entirely. Modern eyes may have to adjust to the sometimes shaky animation, where linework might blur or jitter, and colors are limited to whatever paint jars were at the animation studio, and technical details like perspective and lettering are subject to human error. But when the visuals come together fully, there is a warmth that can never be matched by the digital era—the deeply surreal landscapes of extrasolar worlds, the fluidity of motion that would probably be sanitized and auto-corrected to death if done on a computer, the mechanical details rendered on each train, and the sinuous style that is Matsumoto's trademark. Go ahead, fault him for only having three character designs—heroic warriors, leggy ladies and squat little comic-relief types—but these archetypes have stood the test of time, and surely are more memorable than many of today's cookie-cutter protagonists.

Also stuck in firmly the 70's is the series' soundtrack, which relies on a genuine orchestra mostly because synthesizers weren't that good yet. While some of the harmonies and instrumentation drip with mid-20th-century cheese, it's clear that the no-electronics restriction is actually a boon in some cases: nothing can match the richness of a full string section or the plaintive quality of solo winds when it comes to expressing the emotional spectrum. Less impressive, however, are the theme songs, which rely on a more traditional, almost archaic style of songwriting.



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Comic Shinyaku Ookami ga Kuru Chapter 19

Even characters who seem like outright adversaries to Tetsuro end up earning the audience's sympathy: stories like "The Red Winds of Mars" and "The Fossilized Warrior" involve raygun-wielding young men who want to build a new life by getting aboard the 999, but with only one train pass to go around ... well, it's hard to know who to root for when these guys deserve as much of a chance as Tetsuro. And it's those kinds of moral dilemmas that make the series stand out from other bang-bang space adventures: often times the bad guys aren't bad, they're just in a bad situation—and there isn't much Tetsuro can do to help them find justice in this universe. Yes, even in a fantastical world where trains go barreling through space, the harsh truths of reality ring true.

However, not every episode is so profound, and every so often comes a lightweight offering. Episodes like "Nuruba, the Planet Without Form" and "The Comet Library"—where Tetsuro and Maetel have to fend off wacky alien hazards rather than contemplate the fate of the downtrodden—are clearly more like light fillers, designed to take the edge off the darker and more serious tales.


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Boarding House in Wonderland Chapter 14 cartoon kids

Without a doubt, however, the high point of the anime is its distinctive aesthetic. Though the quality of the animation per se is about average for a TV series, MADHOUSE (Ninja Scroll; X) does the gothic fantasy/horror look better than pretty much anybody, and they were the perfect studio to bring Death Note to life. Character designs are invariably pitch-perfect, and the palette is gloomy yet decadently saturated. The anime's two opening sequences, both of which appear on this DVD, are deliciously disturbing—and well worth watching just by themselves on the basis of artistic merit.

Both the Japanese and English language voice casts are convincing, albeit in their own unique ways. Most viewers will probably find that they prefer one over the other. The latter does not seem to have been chosen specifically to copy the former's execution, and interestingly, with the notable exception of the brilliant Kappei Yamaguchi as L, the English voice actors average significantly longer resumes. The two most important the extras on the DVD, a behind the scenes documentary and a commentary track for episode seventeen, spotlight them…though having Death Note interpreted by people who are not especially close to the anime in its original Japanese production context seems of dubious value. (Other DVD bonuses include production art and trailers.) The dark, angry sound of the soundtrack is likewise appropriate, though the head-banging, punk sound of the opening and ending themes will undoubtedly sound like undifferentiated noise to many.

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Full House Chapter 71 japan cartoon kid

Up until this volume, Light's descent into the Abyss was a well-paced, finely-crafted piece of narration. But now, Light has given up the Death Note and forgotten his Kira “calling,” and the plot as it should have been has screeched to an awkward halt. Of course, the point of the Yotsuba&! Group subplot is to forestall the aforementioned inevitable for as long as possible (the conclusion of a moneymaking series), and the obvious foot-dragging quickly wears on one's patience. And sure enough, two of the episodes here focus primarily upon the development of supporting characters Aizawa and Matsuda, which, though interesting, is not strictly necessary. It would not have been missed had it not been included in the first place. The Yotsuba&! executives likewise exist primarily as filler material, and their personalities are hardly developed at all. Character-wise, the most enjoyable moments involve the interaction between Light and L, and watching the two rivals beat each other up while handcuffed provides some vaguely amusing comic relief (not to mention a healthy helping of rich fodder for yaoi fangirls).


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The problem with adaptations is that they tend to reproduce the flaws of their source material, and the Death Note anime is no exception. Like many popular series, the manga continued for far too long, and what could have been one of the greatest plots in Weekly Shounen Jump's venerable history became a flawed, inelegant cultural product (mis)shaped by commercial imperatives. Viz Media's fifth Death Note DVD, which includes episodes 17-20, unfortunately corresponds to the weakest of the manga's subplots.

At its base, the series is a straightforward tale of good versus evil. L is the good guy; Light is the bad guy. If this were an ordinary, cookie-cutter iteration of that sort of plot, the story would be told from L's perspective. But what makes Death Note so interesting is that it is told from the villain's—Light's—perspective instead, and it is his character that is thoroughly developed, nuanced, and fleshed-out. L, by comparison, is pretty one-dimensional. It's kind of like the original Star Wars trilogy told from the Emperor's perspective, or the Harry Potter series told from Voldemort's. Even so, any astute viewer knows that good always triumphs over evil in the end (the Japanese taste for shades of moral gray aside), which naturally means that Light is doomed.


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L and the police have kept Light and Misa in confinement for fifty days, but Kira has not stopped killing, and they have not confessed. They pass a test devised by L that requires Light's father to put his own life on the line and are released. Even so, L does not trust them and places them under twenty-four hour surveillance. Light, he keeps handcuffed to him at all times. Though they have lost the support of law enforcement, the investigative team led by L is soon able to link Kira to the Yotsuba Group. Matsuda, driven by a bout of foolish initiative, sneaks into Yotsuba's Headquarters and discovers a secret cabal of businessmen who appear to be controlling the Kira murders. Light then gets in contact with one of their number in order to convince him to turn Kira in.

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The English dub is a highlight on this disc, and it's worth checking out. The acting is all very earthy and natural, especially when the actors aren't forced to match lip flaps (which happens with surprising frequency). The dub isn't very faithful to the original Japanese track; the subtitles rarely match what the characters are saying in English. Unless you're a purist, though, this shouldn't really matter much. The basic meaning is the same, and the new English dialogue flows much better. I suppose the Japanese track is a more ‘authentic’ experience, since the show takes place in Hokkaido, but it's hard to deny that the dub track adds a lot to an already enjoyable little show.

There isn't really anything remarkable or spectacular about Diamond Daydreams and it's hard to imagine a show like this becoming a fan favorite or a blockbuster title, but the fact that this show manages to be completely inoffensive and mostly entertaining and also be based on a dating sim is encouraging. Heck, I can imagine female fans getting as much entertainment out of the soapy proceedings here as any male fan, which again is a feat considering the source material. In short, it might be a bit of an acquired taste, but anyone who's sick of milquetoast losers surrounded by buxom sex kittens aching to marry them might find relief in the quiet, dignified drama of Diamond Daydreams.

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It's really refreshing to watch a show based on a dating sim that doesn't make you wish you could reach through the screen and slap the characters around a little bit. The interactions and the flow of the melodrama in Diamond Daydreams is just natural enough to be believable. The females aren't one-dimensional violent bitches or cooing lolicom bait. They're mostly introspective and a little quiet and, most importantly, relatable, to a certain degree. The fanservice level is practically nonexistent and there isn't a lot of pandering to be found. If there's a complaint to be made about this show, it's that the stories are fairly banal. Anyone uninterested in basic human drama might find themselves bored.

The production values aren't bad, either; the animation tends to be a little static, but the backgrounds – particularly in the Akutso episodes – are well-rendered. The character designs are a little odd; everyone has large eyes and a bulbous forehead, with stick-like limbs. Otherwise, it's all pretty typical of the genre. The only thing that really stands out like a sore thumb is the opening theme, which is a really cheerful pop tune that doesn't match the serious tone of the show whatsoever. It's somewhat odd to see these girls jumping around and laughing in the intro and then once the show starts they're all wide-eyed and tearful, spinning long monologues about how their lives could be so much better.

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Let's face it; games based on dating sims aren't widely known for their incredibly deep storylines, well-developed characters or unique, original situations. In fact, most of them barely rise above their source material; by and large, they're just simple harem dramas, populated by cardboard characters. Diamond Daydreams (formerly known as Kita-he ~Diamond Dust Drops~, not that “Diamond Daydreams” is any less a nonsense phrase than the original title but at least it ditches those vomitous tildes) fortunately eschews the majority of the clichés associated with the genre and is, instead, a series of entertaining and sometimes surprisingly involving little vignettes.

This first disc involves the stories of two different girls, Akutso and Karin. Akutso is a coming-of-age, independently-minded teenager who's trapped in an arranged marriage with a man she never loved; naturally, she starts falling for the 40-year old hipster doofus who keeps coming to the fish shop she works at, much to her disapproving mother's dismay. Karin's a sick girl, stuck in a hospital with a serious condition; her new physician is brash and cold to her. Her only outlet? An online blog that connects her with someone who could be the man she's been waiting her whole life to meet. The running theme is pretty easy to pick out; these girls are stuck in crappy situations and thanks to their own tenacity or tough choices they manage to liberate themselves. It might sound a bit like an afterschool special or a particularly dry soap opera, but thanks to thoughtful and well-paced execution, the show is pretty entertaining.


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Atsuko is stuck in a serious rut. Arranged to be married to a pompous windbag for financial gain, she spends her days delivering fish in Hokkaido. It isn't until an enigmatic and somewhat haunted stranger shows up and shares his love of Jazz music with her until she starts seeing a path out of the rut she's in. But is this stranger really the man she's looking for?
Elsewhere in Hokkaido, a very sick girl named Karin waits for dangerous surgery in a hospital bed, escaping into worlds of fantasy through her laptop computer. The new resident doctor is, on the surface, sneering and unsympathetic to Karin's woes. When emails from a mysterious fan of her writing show up, Karin starts dreaming of a prince that will take her away from the sterile world of the hospital… and that prince is the last person she'd suspect.

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Most of the original Tenchi Muyo! English dub cast has returned, most importantly Kate T. Vogt as Washu and Jennifer Darling as Ayeka; they don't have the biggest parts but would be the hardest English VAs to replace since both so clearly-defined their roles. They've lost none of their quality over time, and the original did have one of the better mid-'90s dubs. Some issues could be raised with the script, which in typical FUNimation style is occasionally way off what's being said but does flow smoothly. Less acceptable are a couple of blatant errors, such as referring to Jupiter in the English dub when the subtitles and picture on the screen both obviously refer to Saturn, but it's still a solid effort overall.

The on-disc Extras all seem to have been taken from the original Japanese release, as they include Japanese TV trailers, a “behind the scenes” Japanese music video for the closing song, and a pair of 12-minute-long “Real Tenchi Tour” featurettes. The latter take the viewer to real-world locations that were used as the inspirations for on-Earth settings in the various Tenchi series. Also included is a reversible cover, English tracks in both 2.0 and 5.1, and FUNimation's standard practice of showing Japanese credits when the Japanese dub is on and English credits when the English dub is on, with the ability to switch between them using the Angle button.


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Though the writing might slack here, the artistry maintains the same standards as always for Tenchi OVAs: good but not great foreground and background art, reasonably good animation, and constant character designs. Misao's design looks so disturbingly like Mihoshi that it can be unnerving watching him and hearing a male voice instead (but that's also the point), while other newer arrivals are typical Tenchi style. One thing Tenchi series have always done well are their unique spaceship designs, and that hasn't changed.

The background music is another let-down, as it doesn't do a particularly good job of supporting and enhancing the moods of the given scenes. The instrumental opening sounds somewhat like a remix of earlier Tenchi themes, while the upbeat closer is a nice but unexciting number reminiscent of early Oh My Goddess! theme songs.



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But it's not just the main characters or a cast so broad it's forcing the story to stretch out too much. The attempts at comedy rarely click, the whole thing lacks energy, and the series does a much better job of setting up potential action scenes than executing them. In fact, the only battle that actually is shown in any significant detail in the first two episodes is Sasami's duel with Mashisu, where she proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that even cute, young, and seemingly completely inoffensive Jurain princesses are still people to be reckoned with. For long-term Tenchi fans that is arguably the single biggest highlight between episodes 4 and 5.

And then there's episode 6, which offers its own set of problems. The three Goddesses of the Tenchi Universe have been suggested before, but for the first time they appear together and get actively and directly involved. Exactly what all is going on here is confusing (where did this Counteractor come from, and what's the deal with the girl Tenchi saves?), and it doesn't help matters that the episodes starts in the middle and continues from there, giving the viewer the feeling that at least half an episode is missing. What it does do is finally explain some long-standing mysteries about what the Goddesses have been up to and how Tenchi, and his ability to generate Light Hawk blades, fits into the picture. While satisfying in a way, the writing and plotting in all three of these episodes is sorely lacking.


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Kaya thought she had found the perfect job when she became the private secretary of Kyouhei Touma--the director of a tableware company of the same name. Kyouhei is a capable director, but his arrogance and sluttish behavior are almost legendary. Kaya is doing her best to prove that she is capable in her work, but one night, by accident, she discovers his secret...of him being a vampire!


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Ever since the goddess trio Belldandy, Urd and Skuld entered Keiichi Morisato's life, things have been anything but enchanted. To make matters worse, the fourth goddess Peorth—now in teeny-tiny child size—has just shown up at Keiichi's doorstep. Peorth was one of the casualties from the goddesses' battle with the demon Velsper, and to return her to normal size would require undoing a spell that combines both godly and demonic magic. Urd and Skuld try their best, but they can't break the sorcery. Velsper could do it, but he's since been turned into a powerless cat. That only leaves the CEO of the demon world, Hild, but Urd doesn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea.