Baccano! Review (English Dub)

Baccano!

What happens when you take gangsters, robbers, supernatural, a train called “Flying Pussyfoot”, and mix it with the 1930’s? Well you get the fun ride known as Baccano!

Baccano! is a sixteen episode Action/Comedy anime based on the light novel by Ryohgo Narita and published by Media Works. The anime is from Brain’s Base Studio and was dubbed by Funmation. It originally aired from July to November of 2007.

Each of the stories in the series involves several unrelated plots intersecting and crossing each other as events spiral farther and farther out of control. Immortal alchemists, mafia operated speakeasies, and many other elements of pulp fiction mashed together for a world straight out of the movies (Anime News Network).

The style and animation is simply amazing! A lot of times when you have an Eastern culture try to depict American history, it comes out completely wrong. With Baccano!, the artists really did their homework and were able to create exactly what we would come to imagine from the 1930s. The art is perfect, the music is appropriate, and even the characters are amazing. The animation isn’t 100% top notch, but, honestly, I didn’t really care because I was just so interested in the story itself.

Speaking of which, Baccano! takes a very unique way of telling the story. The series involves three years, but not in sequential order. The entire series mixes the years all together, making you completely lost in trying to make sense of it; however, it keeps you on your toes and you’ll have figured it all out by the end of the 12th episode. The three years and events that Baccano! centers around are:

1930: Mafia and the Elixir of Life

1931: Flying Pussyfoot incident

1932: Search for Dallas Genoard

After the 12th episode, it kinda loses interest a little. Most of it take place after the Flying Pussyfoot incident, and mostly revolving around Chane and her sudden romance with Claire Stainfield; which, by the way, comes out of no where. Does it work, sure. But does it make it interesting, not really. Also, fair warning, there is a good amount of blood and gore in the series; from torture to cut fingers. Thankfully, it’s not used excessively, unlike some anime's use of fan service *cough* High School of the Dead. Now, I should mention a couple parts involving the main characters of this series. In the first episode, they take about twelve minutes to introduce the characters you have to keep an eye out for. This is done by a couple members from the Daily Days, information brokers who will come up several times in the series. The second way you know about the main characters in the show is the opening theme. It’s not only catchy, but it tells you the characters the story revolves around, and also points out certain moments that will be relevant in the upcoming episode; so you can’t skip it. In order of the opening there’s Isaac, Miria, Firo, Maiza, Keith, Berga, Luck, Sziland, Ennis, Lua, Ladd, Chane, Nice, Jacuzi, Eve, Dallas, and Czeslaw.

And on that note, the characters are just amazing! Wether they’re gangsters, French, or just goofy robbers, all the main characters are fun to watch. I can’t really say if there’s any development, but it’s mostly cause of how the story is told. There are some parts that aren’t really talked about, like the romance between Firo and Ennis, but it doesn’t effect the show in a really bad way. Again, Baccano!’s real purpose is the complex story it gives. As for favorite characters, it’s a toss up between Ladd Russo and the duo of Isaac and Miria. Ladd for his insane killing obsession, coupled with the pure joy he gets out of it; and Isaac and Miria for their bumbling, light hearted comic relief.

While watching the English dub of Baccano!, I came to a very big conclusion. This is the best anime dub I have ever heard! The casting choices from FUNimation are the best I’ve ever seen them do. And, when you really think about it, they’re not just voicing regular people, but immigrants, gangsters, and crazy people. Some of the accents are a bit forced, but it doesn’t hurt the series too much. There’s also a good mix of veterans and new voice actors. Veterans such as Caitlin Glass (Black Cat), Colleen Clinkenbeard (Full Metal Alchemist), Jason Liebrecht (Eden of the East), Monica Rial (High School of the Dead), Todd Haberkorn (xxxHolic), and Carrie Savage (Paranoia Agent). As for the newbies, you have Bryan Massey as Ladd Russo, Joel McDonald as Jacuzzi Splot, and Maxey Whitehead as Czeslaw Meyer. I’m hoping to hear more from these newbies in the future!

All in all, Baccano! is an exciting ride during the 30’s with a few added twists to keep the plot interesting. The characters are fun to watch, even bad guys like Ladd Russo, and the time period is portrayed perfectly. Once you get past the jumbled up story line and the gore, it’s a fun anime to watch and I highly recommend it.

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Eden of the East: Paradise Lost (English)

With June quickly coming to a close, it’s time to finish off the rest of the Eden of the East series with the second and final film: Paradise Lost.

Eden of the East: Paradise Lost is a 92 minute film blah blah blah. It’s from Production I.G. blah blah blah. Was released on March 13, 2010 blah blah blah. It’s currently licensed by FUNimation blah blah blah. Ok, moving on.

The story of political and subversive intrigue in the series finally reaches endgame. Even as the law enforcement net tightens around Saki and her fellow Eden of the East associates over alleged terrorist activities, the complex web surrounding the mysterious Mr. Outside is finally untangled as the remaining Selecao attempt to outmaneuver one another. Takizawa's memories and identity are also finally revealed including his association with a former Prime Minister and his request to be the King of Eden.

Alright, I’m going to save you the trouble of repeating myself for a third time in regards to animation, so..... It’s solid. Moving on.

The story certainly makes the series come to a complete end, leaving almost no loose ends. I say almost cause there is one loose end that kinda makes me a little mad. I don’t want to spoil anything, but how did Takizawa not lose his memory this time? Seriously? Oh! And why did you have to put a “Johnny” bit into the first five minutes of this movie?

The characters don’t change all that much. But you do meet some new ones along the way like the former Prime Minster’s wife and a few others. Aside from that.... Not much else really.

Dub is solid. Same voice actors for all the major roles we have been seeing. And some good ones for some new characters. Colleen Clikenbeard, Shelly Calene-Black, and Grant James join the cast for Paradise Lost as Asako Morimi, Mrs. Inima and Mr. Outside respectively. The dub is still solid, not much problems with it.

Alright... I know that this review has become really really short so far, but here’s where it all comes to an end. As an entire series (TV and Movies), Eden of the East is a very solid series with it’s flaws, but only few and far between. It takes a unique and basic idea and turns it into a realistic kind of setting with everything on the line (plus awesome looking phones). It combines mystery with bits of psychological and some action well enough to find a balance between all aspects. Granted, not everything can be mixed in well (like the running “Johnny” gag played in the TV Series), but the majority of is solid. Overall, Eden of the East is amazing! Not perfect, but amazing.

In the end, Eden of the East: Paradise Lost makes the series come to a, mostly, well thought out conclusion. It has it’s moments where explanation is missing and comedy that isn’t really needed, but it doesn’t leave you with a lot of open ended questions (I only had one). The series itself is not one to pass up. Check it out if you have time and if this might interest you. I swear, once you get past the “Johnny” gags it’s a good show.

Sorry for the kinda lazy review. Figured, since I said most of the information in the last review, I save you and I the trouble of repeating. I promise the next one will be a complete manservice buffet. So, until then, otaku on my friends.

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Eden of the East: The King of Eden (English)

So, Eden of the East the TV series didn’t end. It just spawned a couple movies to try and complete the series. Well, seeing as how I reviewed Eden of the East last year, I figured it was time to complete the series by watching the two movies. This month, we’re going to be looking at the rest of the Eden of the East series with, what I’d like to call, Eden of the East Movie Month.

Eden of the East: The King of Eden is a 82 minute Psychological/Romance/Mystery movie based on the TV series: Eden of the East. It was directed by Kenji Kamiyama and Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell SAC, IGPX) and was released in Japan on November 28, 2009. Since then, FUNimation has picked up licensing for the film and released it last year.

The story continues where it left off from the Eden of the East TV series, and brings Morimi Saki back to the USA in order to find Takizawa Akira. The other Selecao however are actively moving to take part in the game, and a few in particular are making dangerous moves in order to eliminate Takizawa or move towards their picture of a better Japan.

The animation for this movie is very solid. I’m not sure if they had a budget to do the the entire series and the two movies, or if more money came in for the movies themselves. The animation is the same as the TV series, just a bit cleaner and smoother. The music is, pretty much, the same as the TV series so nothing new there. But, again, it’s solid overall.

The story for The King of Eden starts us off with what happened after the second missile attacks in Japan. Saki decides to go back to America to find Takizawa, and bring him back. However, Takizawa’s request to be the “king of the country” at the end of the TV series has began to take effect. Juiz is slowly turning Takizawa into the illegitimate son of the Prime Minster. With that and being known as the man who stopped the missile attacks, Takizawa is suddenly the eye witness and is being searched for about the incident. Along the way, Saki and Takizawa meet a few other Selecaos as they try to make their way back to Japan. Meanwhile, the other Selecaos start to take action and try to win the game. Now that I basically just summed up the plot for you, again, what did I think of the story. It doesn’t leave any holes and does tie up it’s loose ends from the TV series (ie, what happened after the missile attack). It kept the story going and we get more time to learn about Takizawa and even some of his past. And it does leave off on a good note. Overall, solid story.

The characters are fun to watch as well, good or bad. And we get more information about some characters like Takizawa and other Selecaos, even being introduced to, at least, one new Selecao. The major development, overall, is, again, with Takizawa. He lost his memories, and is trying to get some of them back despite everything going on around him becoming just a wee bit nuts. It’s great to see all of the major characters from the TV series come back and I hope they all will still come back in the next movie.

Now, when I watched the TV series, I talked just about the Japanese version. I decided, to be fair and, to review the movies with the English Dub. I got to say, I may be wrong about what I said last year in my review for the series. The dub is a lot more solid then you think, and shouldn’t be judged too harshly. Jason Liebrecht (Black Cat, Get Backers) and Leah Clark (Baka and Test, School Rumble) as our leads Takizawa and Saki are wonderful choices and each bring their character to life in their own way. The members of the Eden program are a well balanced mix of characters and just blend so well. Voices like Michael Sinterniklaas, J. Michael Tatum, Stephanie Sheh, Newton Pittman, John Burgmeier, and Lydia Mackay. As for our Selecaos, again, a well balanced mix of characters and interactions. With voices like John Gremillion, Todd Haberkorn, Josh Grelle, Jerry Jewell, Christine Auten, and Stephanie Young as good old Juiz. A very well put together cast, and a well put together team.

At the end of it all, The King of Eden is the precursor for the real story to come in Paradise Lost. It ties up some loose ends for us, as well as introduce us to the new conflict at hand with Takizawa’s last request to Juiz. Nothing new on the animation or character fronts, but gives off a solid dub that makes me want to watch the series again, but, this time, in english. It’s not a bad movie, but it isn’t outstanding. I just can’t wait to see what’s to come.....

Until next time, otaku on my friends....

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Deadman Wonderland Review

Hey everybody! There’s this new amusement park in Tokyo, Japan! It’s so cool, cause the main attractions are prison inmates!! It’s so freaking awesome!! Who wants to go to Deadman Wonderland with me?!?

Deadman Wonderland is an Action/Horror anime based on the manga by Jinsei Kataoka and published by Kadokawa Shoten. Tokyopop licensed the series in America, but the series hasn’t been relicensed since the company closed its doors back in 2011. Director Koichiro Hatsumi and Studio Manglobe (Samurai Champloo, The World Only God Knows) are responsible for the anime, with 12 episodes total and originally running in the spring of 2011. FUNimation has picked up the license for the series and is to be released some time this year, along with [C]. An additional OVA episode, set two years after the Red Hole incident, was released last October.

One day, fourteen year old, Ganta Igarashi was sitting in class when a mysterious man in red begins floating outside their third story window. He destroys the classroom, killing everyone inside, leaving only Ganta as the sole survivor. After implanting some sort of power into him, Ganta soon finds himself under arrest for the murder of his fellow classmates. Unable to prove his innocence, he is sentenced to death and sent on his way to Deadman Wonderland; a privately owned and operated prison, where the inmates are the main attraction in the amusement park built there (Deadman Wonderland is both a prison and fun park!) After meeting a young girl, named Shiro, Ganta is now determined to prove his innocence as well as find the man in red and take him down for good.

For an animation company that doesn’t have a whole lot of titles under their belt, they sure had fun with this one. Manglobe took a lot of time and effort into this series, even while they were continuing the second season of The World God Only Knows. The entire series, from beginning to end, is really dark, (despite the contrast with the fun park themes throughout) with sharp character design and very fluid and amazing fights scenes. The music used is also dark, even using more hard rock for the opening theme (don’t skip opening theme EVER!), which is one of the few times I’ve ever seen harder rock, plus competent English lyrics, for an opening theme.

This story.... Makes me mad. So very VERY mad... Why does it make me mad? Because it rushes through three different plots and they try their best to mash them into 12 episodes, and it doesn’t do a very good job! Normally, I don’t get irritated about this because most 12-13 episode animes don’t have three plots or they make better transitions into the next plot line. Deadman Wonderland just fails. It jumps into the new plot headfirst and hopes you will catch on and follow it. I understand this series is supposed to be rather fast paced, but you DO NOT jump plot lines constantly, without explanation, or closure of the previous one. That is not how good storytelling works! If this were going to last more than 12 episodes, you would be given more time to explore each plot a bit better. But, hey, there’s not much word about a second season either. By the way, speaking of season two, there better be one; cause there are A LOT of questions left unanswered here.

How the story treats the characters... Makes me mad. So very VERY mad... Why is this? The focal point of supporting cast is extremely lacking. You have Ganta and Shiro as your leads, while Tamaki as your main villain. That is made clear from the start. As for the rest of a supporting cast, it’s completely jumbled. Just like the story, the supporting cast switches whenever there is a new plot line coming through. For the first plot line there’s only Yoh, Makina, and Rei. For the second plot line, the previous three are still there, but then you’re introduced to Senji and Minatsuki and are suddenly more focused on them. As for plot line number three, you suddenly have a slue of supporting cast members, and you have no idea what to do with them! Not only that, but by this time, the previous supporting cast members have disappeared, only to return for a very short time in the final three episodes. If it were up to me, the focal point for a supporting cast would be Yoh, Senji, Minatsuki, and Makina. That’s it. It’s fine to add more characters, but please give me more of these guys, cause they make things so much more interesting!

sigh All right, the dub; one of the other few redeeming qualities of this series. Wait.... There is none. Forgot about that.... Oh well, the Japanese is fantastic. Just like the clear detail and slightly over the top story, the voice acting matches this to a T. Romi Park (Kaiba, Full Metal Alchemist) is a FANTASTIC Ganta. I loved every second of his performance! Kana Hanazawa as Shiro was so much fun! Junichi Suwabe as Tamaki was slimy and twisted as I pictured him to be. Masayuki Katou as Senji radiates pure badass! Iori Nomizu as Minatsuki radiates absolute crazy lady. I had so much fun with the Japanese cast that it made me think about who would make a great English dub cast. As a matter of fact, I made one up, and here’s what I came up with:

Ganta                   ????                                   ????

Shiro                    Laura Bailey                        Maka Albarn (Soul Eater)

Senji                    Marc Diraison                      Guts (Berserk)

Minatsuki             Kari Whalgren                      Fuu (Samurai Champloo)

Yoh                     Todd Haberkorn                   Watanuki (xxxHolic)

Tamaki                Yuri Lowenthal                     Sasuke (Naruto)

Makina                Mary Elizabeth Mcglynn       Major (Ghost in the Shell: SAC)

Rei Takashima     Luci Christain                      Medusa (Soul Eater)

Toto                    Joshua Seth                        Dio (Last Exile)

Nagi                    Crispin Freeman                  Alex Row (Last Exile)

Karako                Michelle Ruff                       Rukia (Bleach)

Rokuro                Brad Swaile                         Light Yagami (DeathNote)

Genkaku             Liam O’Brain                        Tenma (Monster)

Hibana Daida       Monica Rial                         Misuzu (Air)

Keep in mind, these aren’t all the characters, but I just picked the real fun ones I would love to see. Who knew finding a good voice actor to play a 14 year old boy would be so damn hard? Leave suggestions in the comment section below for me?

There really isn’t much more to say about this series. The only real big word I have to describe it is disappointing (*Hasteaguy pops up* Hey! That was my word!). It had so much going for it, but the problems I have with this series makes me very upset. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very fun series to watch and it’s one of the few dark anime from the 2011 season, but the plot holes and lack of a definitive conclusion (which even Highschool of the Dead had the good decency to do) really bring the entire value of the series down. Unless it’s given a second season, and they tie up all their loose ends, this series is only as good as its story, and its story is a mess. If you just want something fun to watch, go right ahead. If you want a story that ends well, skip it.... Unless there comes a second season and everything is solved. If you want something more solid but badass, then High School of the Dead is where you show look. It's fan serviced like nuts, but it's story is compelling enough to keep interest.

Until next time, otaku on my friends.

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House of Five Leaves Review

House of Five Leaves Review

House of Five Leaves Review. House of Five Leaves is an Action/Drama anime based on the manga by Natsume Ono. The seven volume manga is from Shogakukan and licensed by Viz Media. The 12 episode series from director Tomomi Mochizuki is from Manglobe (Samurai Champloo, Deadman Wonderland) and is currently licensed by FUNimation, though with no English dub. It ran in Japan in April 2010.

Masterless samurai Akitsu Masanosuke is a skilled and loyal swordsman, but his naive, diffident nature has more than once caused him to be let go by the lords who employ him. Hungry and desperate, he agrees to become a bodyguard for Yaichi, the charismatic leader of a group calling itself “Five Leaves.” Although disturbed by the gang’s sinister activities, Masa begins to suspect that Yaichi’s motivations are not what they seem. And despite his misgivings, the deeper he’s drawn into the world of the Five Leaves, the more he finds himself fascinated by these devious, mysterious outlaws.

Oh, where do I begin with this... this... animation? The art style of each character reminds me of L from DeathNote... but on crack… through a circus mirror… in a cave. This is because L didn’t have natural looking eyes and seemed kind of empty or make him look like he’s blind. House of Five Leaves has ALL of their characters with eyes lacking, or having huge, pupils, making it really weird. However, it makes it even more interesting as a whole because it’s only a small, yet extremely noticeable, part of the art style Ono used. If I could only use one word to describe it, historical is what comes to mind here. Every little thing about this anime is very detailed in it’s historical aspect. Character design, setting, color; even the music is historically accurate (even though for some reason, I swear, I heard some accordion in there). Every bit of it just works really well, making the series as a whole, technically anyway; really unique and interesting to watch, despite the Pinocchio style noses you also see constantly.

Earlier I stated that House of Five Leaves is an Action anime. Do not let the genre deceive you, because the story is in no way full of action in the least. Did you see the sub genre: Drama? THAT’S what the actually genre should be for this story. All the story is about is Masa diving in to the Five Leaves and learning all about Yaichi and the other members. Not much else to it. The story is very slow moving and a bit time consuming to even get into it, if you watching it for some action. If you’re looking for a good drama story, however, the slow pacing adds a bit more to the series itself. Yes, the Five Leaves are a band of outlaws, but even their crimes aren’t thrilling or exciting because you never really see it happen on screen. They just end up happening off screen, and then all of a sudden... INTRIGUE! Literally, there are a total of two action scenes; and even those have minimal action to begin with. Bottom line: Drama series, not action. Don’t come for a Samurai-James Bond crime thriller.

The characters are... Well... I guess, as a whole, underdeveloped. Out of the five members of the Five Leaves, only Yaichi seems to have the most development. You would think this is really really bad, however, if you look into what the show is about it makes sense. The biggest plot line of the series is Masa trying to figure out Yaichi and his intentions. And, even though it doesn’t seem like it, they actually explore Yaichi’s past throughout the series through flashbacks of a little boy. Making a useless moment into a light bulb one later on in the series. As for Masa and the rest of the Five Leaves, development is there, however, its just information given to you through other characters. The one person with the least amount of development is Otake. All we know is she was the one who came up with the name Five Leaves. I guess if you’re going with a historically accurate depiction of this time period, you gotta focus on the men rather then the women… but if you wanna make a good cast, you need to spend some attention to the rest of the cast too.

Of course, there’s no English dub so, we’re gonna be talking Japanese voice acting today. This cast is simply well done and well put together, making the story’s flow even better. Daisuke Namikawa (Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle) as Masanosuke was a perfect fit to the character because of the personality this samurai has. Yuya Uchida (Ghost in the Shell: SAC) as Matsukichi was a good choice as well. As for Umezou and Otake, Masaya Takatsuka (Level E) and Fuyuka Ooura (Umineko no Naku Koro ni) are ideal fits. Probably the most memorable role in the series is Takahiro Sakurai (Princess Tutu) as Yaichi. Certainly the veteran of the cast, Sakurai is the most ideal person for the role and was very enjoyable to watch!

House of Five Leaves Review

Where it fails in the cast depth department, House of Five Leaves has a very big thing going for it in the drama department: use of tension. In any good drama, tension helps to not only make things more compelling, but also help move the story along as well and hook your audience. In this series, the tension is there and even grows as the series progresses, taking it to the highest level of intensity by the story’s final episode. Once that point is reached, it doesn’t completely flop and die when things are resolved. What House of Five Leaves does is merely turn the stove down to simmer, helping the story end on a sad but rather satisfying note. I kid you not; I could taste the tension in my mouth at the story’s climax. That’s how good the series had me! It’s one of the few anime that I’ve seen, so far, that make good use of tension. The only other series, I think, use tension really well are DeathNote and Monster. Both are more Horror/Psychological series, however, so Horror/Psychological is the name of the tension game..... I guess.

At the end of it all, House of Five Leaves is an interesting looking series with a very decent story line for different kind of drama series then what we’re used to nowadays. The characters are mostly there in development, and it gives off one man who, in the end, just can’t let go of his past. House of Five Leaves is a very good product from Ono and Manglobe; and is a series that can be considered one of those underdog anime. If you want a better samurai story with tons more action, then Samurai Champloo is the way to go. It's in no way historically accurate, but it's filled with action and has tons of laughs.

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Welcome to the NHK Review (English)

“I see... It’s so obvious! Why didn’t I realize this before? When you think about anime, you automatically think of Otaku. And Otaku tend to be antisocial, and antisocial people tend to become reclusive. It all makes sense now. By airing addictive anime, they’re mass producing Otaku. And by mass producing Otaku, they’re contributing to the massive emergence of NEET. So that means, the NHK’s TRUE identity is....

Nihon
Hikikomori
Kyokai"

Welcome to the NHK is a Comedy/Slice of Life anime, originally based on the novel by Tatsuhiko Takimoto. A manga adaptation, written by the same author, was published by Kadokawa Shoten and was licensed by Tokyopop; with no news of it being relicensed after Tokyopop closed it’s doors in 2011. The 24 episode anime was produced by Gonzo (Last Exile, Romeo X Juliet) and is currently licensed by FUNimation after airing in Japan in 2006.

Tatsuhiro Satō, a university dropout, leads a reclusive life as a hikikomori, ultimately coming to the conclusion that this happened due to some sort of conspiracy. One day just when his life seems entirely unchanging, he meets Misaki Nakahara, a mysterious girl who claims to be able to cure Satō of his hikikomori ways. She presents him with a contract basically outlining that once a day they would meet in the evening in a local park where Misaki would lecture to Satō in an effort to rid him of his lifestyle. During these outings, many subjects are discussed, though they almost always pertain in some way to psychology or psychoanalysis. Both Satō and Misaki, however, have a tendency of over-doing things, such as hiding the truth, especially from each other and themselves.

Gonzo......... What. Have. You. DONE?!?!?!? I had YET to run into a badly animated Gonzo series. Romeo X Juliet was great! Last Exile, amazing! Gankutusou, fantastic!! NHK? *bashes head on wall* WHY?!?!?!?!?! It’s so good one minute and then it’s so terrible the next! Did Gonzo just not give two shits about this series? Cause it really shows.... Let’s see what else Gonzo was up to in 2006. *looks at notes* Glass Fleet, Witchblade, Red Garden, and Pumpkin Scissors..... Well I know where the money really went. But seriously, the animation is on and off again. One moment, it’s really awesome and looks stunning. The next ten minutes then turn it into a contorted mess! Some people can argue the laziness is cause of the theme of the show, but I don’t think that’s any excuse for this kind of poor animation. Overall, however, if you can manage to get past the animation, then you’ll love the story.

NHK’s story is not an action story, not a drama, not a romance (kind of), and not a mystery. NHK is a Slice of Life series with very black comedy and mature content such as Hentai games mentioned. The idea of exploring the lives of hikikomori and even otaku, and poke fun, is one of those rare series that you wouldn’t expect to hit home with it’s viewers. As an otaku myself, NHK is a series that talks more about those days when you just don’t want to do anything and just stay at home to hide from the world. It’s one of those rare gems of an anime, story wise, that you can’t help but watch over and over again. And the physiological bits involving Sato's thoughts are some of the funniest things I have seen in a long time.

With the characters of NHK, there are, at max, five the series is focused on. You have Sato, Misaki, Yamazaki, Hitomi, and Kobayashi. The series has more focus on Sato, Misaki, and Yamazaki with some Hitomi and not much Kobayashi in the mix. But, boy, do all of these characters have problems! Sato is a NEET and a hikikomori; Misaki was abused by her stepfather as a young girl and carries scars from that; Yamzaki is a major otaku and plays gal games a lot; Hitomi who’s a druggie, thinks everything is a conspiracy, and even tries to kill herself at one point; and Kobayashi is caught in a pyramid scheme and has to make money in order to support her hikikomori brother. The funny part is..... it all works, soooooooo well! It’s a lot of fun watching these characters interact with each other and just live normal lives as hikikomori or something else. The best interactions in the series are from Sato and Yamzaki! Funniest. Stuff. EVAR!!

Now, I only had time to watch the english dub so I’m gonna talk about that. With our five main characters, four of them are veterans and one is more lesser known. The lesser known voice actress being Stephanie Wittels (Air, Red Garden) and her role as Misaki. She isn’t my favorite choice for the role, but isn’t completely terrible and makes me want to kill things with fire. As for our veteran voice actors you have Monica Rial (Gunslinger Girl, Noir) as Kobayashi who makes the role very snobby yet very commanding. Next you have Luci Christian (Princess Tutu, Trigun: Badlands Rumble) as Hitomi; making her very mellow yet somehow keep an almost constant smile on her face. Kinda weird... Speaking of weird, next you have Greg Ayres (Ouran High School Host Club, Black Cat) as Yamasazi. There’s a lot of win here, just saying... And then you have Chris Patton (Full Metal Alchemist, Soul Eater) as Sato...... Never mind what I just about Ayres.......... CHRIS PATTON WINS FOREVER!!!! Seriously, I never knew a shut in would sound so crazy and hilarious and just be completely awesome! One of his best roles I have ever seen him in!

At the end of it all, Welcome to the NHK is a kinda poorly animated achievement for Gonzo, but has a very interesting story and characters. It belongs in it’s own category when you think about the Slice of Life genre in anime, and will hit home for many an otaku. It gives some of the best performances from Chris Patton and Greg Ayres that I have EVER seen them do, and gives us the chance to meet Miss Stephanie Wittels as well. A new favorite of mine, and, I hope, a soon-to-be favorite of many others. Welcome to the NHK is a must see for the real anime otakus.

If you want something funny with less adult humor, Ouran High School Host Club or Fruits Basket would be my first choice. But for those guys out there, Cowboy Bebop or Trigun for you (even though those series have their serious moments).

BEWARE OF THE NHK!!

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Romeo X Juliet Anime Review

Romeo X Juliet Anime Review 

The Houses, Montague and Capulet, alike in dignity hence roses hate.
An Iris not remains but Juliet who escaped her family’s sanguinary fate.
The tyrant’s heir, a lad named Romeo.
The lady Capulet, whose vengeance sworn, they meet where cheap and wiser not to go.
And thus their star-crossed love was bred and born.
But fate, whose heart beat fast for tragic stern, would suffer not their love to sail to port.
The last, doth learn, that love is not enough.
Twixt siller and crouptious they cavort.
How find you then your bliss, with celestial foe?
This solitaire does not predict, no.

Romeo X Juliet is a Fantasy/Romance anime based on the play by William Shakespeare back during Elizabethan England. The 24 episode anime comes to us from Studio Gonzo (Last Exile, The Count of Monte Cristo) and was directed by Fumitoshi Oizaki. It originally aired from April to September 2007, with FUNimation as the current American Licensor. A manga adaptation written by the same writer as the series, Reiko Yoshida, was released in 2007 and finished in 2009. Yen Press holds licensing rights.

Fourteen years ago in the floating island of Neo Verona, Leontes Montague and his men led a bloody coup and murdered all of the members of House Capulet, the rulers of Neo Verona. However one survivor, Juliet, was able to escape thanks to a group of Capulet loyalists. Fourteen years later, Leontes, the new Prince of Neo Verona, rules the land with an iron fist and crushes anyone who opposes him. Juliet, now a sixteen year old girl, fights against House Montague's oppression by becoming a masked vigilante known as "The Red Whirlwind". While attending a ball with a friend, Juliet meets Romeo, Prince Montague's son and both of them fall in love at first sight. Unlike his father, Romeo is a kind and humble man who is opposed to his father's cruelty and shares many ideals with Juliet. Unfortunately for them, Capulet loyalists are planning a rebellion to overthrow House Montague while Leontes is obsessed with destroying the threat of House Capulet permanently. As these star-crossed lovers face many challenges and adventures together which will strengthen their love, an ancient secret hidden within Neo Verona is slowly revealed.

Alright, animation, time to rip you a new one. I mean, it’s Gonzo, there’s gonna be a good amount of screw ups........ Oh wow....... *looks at the sky and whispers* Thank you! Alright, jokes aside, Gonzo really REALLY made this series look amazing! With Gonzo, there are series that have minimal flaws in it’s animation (Yay Last Exile and Gankutsuou!), and then there are those series that are just plain sloppy (Thanks NHK.....). Romeo X Juliet is the exception to both these kinds of series because it is completely flawless! Animation, character design, and even the music is perfect for the series! The character design, especially, kind of reminds me of your typical Disney movie (if you can actually believe that one). Shakespeare would be rolling over his grave if he saw all this!

Romeo X Juliet Anime Review 

Speaking of rolling over in his grave, let’s talk story. There are only two things that are kept from the original play in this series, when it comes to story. The first being the obvious and iconic romance between Romeo and Juliet. Not much to explain there except there is even conflict between the two of them. It’s not just their families tearing them apart, but other circumstances during the series bring hard times for even young lovers. This makes the story even more real then the original play intended it to be. The other is the war between the Montagues and Capulets. But this time, there’s a little bit of a different angle to it. How the story starts is Lord Montague kills off the entire Capulet family, the current rulers of Neo Verona, and takes over. The only survivor of this incident is Juliet, and, years later, the remaining loyalists to House Capulet try to take back Neo Verona. This makes the story even more complex and give more reason as to why there is a war between the two families instead of “because we hate each other”. Everything else in the story, plot wise, is vastly different. The one part that I have issues with in this series is the tree deep in Neo Verona known as Escalus. It’s mentioned throughout the series, but it would be more helpful to give more explanation to this tree then just the last few episodes. In all honesty, the end is rather rushed with writers probably going “we solved that problem, now let’s kill them off!” If you’ve read the play, then you shouldn’t be surprised when I say that. It’s not really a spoiler...

Now with a story like Romeo and Juliet, you expect the same kind of characters as in the play. Not the case here..... SO not the case...... Because of the situation in the story itself, the characters respond in the way they should in that situation. The biggest 180 when it comes to character development is Juliet. In the original play, she was fair and reserved. What the anime decided to go and do was make her into a complete badass character! She is one of the few strong lead female characters in any recent anime, from what I can think of. Not only does she have to deal with the truth and duty of her real identity, but she also is the people’s hero known as The Red Whirlwind. Takes a very strong female character in order to achieve this feet, and she is my favorite of this series. As for Romeo, he’s also a 180 character, but in a more gentle, naive kind of way. However, he does become stronger throughout the series. He not only defies what his birth right is suppose to deem him, but even completely turns on his father and assists Juliet in taking him down. In other words, there’s a complete role reversal between Romeo and Juliet in this version. The rest of the characters have minimal development, but it’s justifiable. The story is about our two young lovers, that’s it. The rest of the characters are there for support. However, I will say, the supporting cast is a lot more interesting then the original. Characters go crazy, are evil tyrants, and are always seeking revenge (What is it with anime and vengeance?). Downside to this is there are WAY too many supporting characters in this series, taking it away from the main leads.

The English Dub FUNimation put together is fantastic! Brina Palencia (Spice and Wolf, Nabari no Ou) and Chris Burnett (Nabari no Ou, Hell Girl) as our two leading lovers are a perfect casting choice! Palencia especially because she not only has to play a female, but she had to create another voice for Juliet’s aliases Odin and The Red Whirlwind. Together, they make their love innocent like in the play, but not as naive as the play portrays them to be. As for our villain, Lord Montague, Sean Hennigan (One Piece, Baccano!) makes the cruel tyrant come alive with every word he says. The rest of the cast is so well done that it would take a long time for me to get through everyone, so I’m gonna make this short. A few people I’m glad to see resurface in this series are Maxey Whitehead (Baccano!) as Antonio, Joel McDonald (Nabari no Ou) as Vittorio, and Carrie Savage (Gankutsuou) as Hermione. Mainly because Whitehead and McDonald were awesome in Baccano! and I was excited to see them in more things. And if you’re wondering about William de Farnase (AKA Shakespeare the anime version), J. Michael Tatum (Spice and Wolf) took on this task and brought to life the famous playwright (And there goes Shakespeare in his grave again....). Other voice actors for the series include: Colleen Clinkenbeard, R. Bruce Elliott, Eric Vale, Robert McCollum, Mike McFarland, Larissa Wolcott, Sean Michael Teague, and Christopher Bevins.

Now, there’s a reason why I only decide to review the English Dub and not even bother with the Japanese version. What FUNimation decided to do, unlike Gonzo, was take the extra time and effort and use the same dialect as the original play. The literary device the series decides to use is called Iambic Pentameter, which is defined as a common meter in poetry consisting of an unrhymed line with five feet or accents, each foot containing an unaccented syllable and an accented syllable. This gives more of a feel of a Shakespeare play rather than just coming up with completely new dialogue. Granted, it does drop the ball (a lot) and add some newer phrases, but the series doesn’t need to be punished for that. It takes lines directly from the play and are used in the dub. I think it clearly makes up for it.

By the end of the production, Romeo X Juliet is a remake of a classic story with many twists. From the new story, to the setting, and even the characters the series takes Shakespeare’s classic ideas of star crossed love and puts it on steroids! If you’re a theatre student, like myself, and have read any Shakespeare, this is a must see. If you’ve never read any Shakespeare (hard to find someone who doesn’t know what the hell Romeo and Juliet is now a days) and watch this, don’t read the play after that cause you’ll be mad it’s not as epic. Either way, go and watch it! And if you are looking for something else to bide your time with then look no further than another Gonzo/novel adaptation Gankutusuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. Very stylized and very faithful to it's original story, it's a must see!

Strife, hatred, sorrow, pain.
What is that brings these things to final end?
Tis ultimately, love, that wins the day.
For love, indeed, doth old wounds warmly tend.
And so, dear friends, with that we close our play.

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Princess Tutu Review (English)

Princess Tutu Review (English)

Princess Tutu Review (English). Princess Tutu is a Fantasy/Comedy anime based on the manga by Mizuo Shinonome and published by Akita Shoten. ADV Manga is the English publisher. The 26 episode anime comes from Hal Film Maker and is currently licensed by ADV Films. Japan originally ran the series from August 2002 to May 2003.

13-year-old ballet student, Duck, is clumsy, but good-hearted and sweet... and has a big secret. The mysterious Drosselmayer morphed a young duck into a girl to give her a mission: help a Prince to get the parts of his heart back. With that in mind, she transforms into the beautiful Princess Tutu, whose magical dances ease pain and purifies the bad feelings. However, the evil Raven and his minions soon seek to foil Duck’s plans. The Prince’s friend, Fakir, who refuses to allow the heart shards to return, for reasons unknown, also opposes the Princess.

The art and animation of Tutu is simple, yet fantastic when it really wants to be. The entire show is presented as if it’s one big ballet using animation, lighting, and music to its fullest extent. One thing to keep in mind about this series is it’s a magical girl anime. Meaning, yes, there will be a long transformation sequence in about every episode. However, unlike a lot of other magical girl shows, Duck’s transformation into Princess Tutu is only about fifteen seconds; when most others take a full minute or more. Another important thing to point out is the show’s music. A lot of popular musical compositions from ballets are played throughout the story. From the Nutcracker to Swan Lake, these pieces work really well and add just a special touch to the entire picture.

Princess Tutu’s story is simple. A duck wants to become a girl so she can try and make the prince smile. A mysterious man gives her the opportunity to do so, and she becomes so much more. The story is also so simple; yet so emotionally investing that it becomes, like Duck, so much more. In the beginning of each episode, there is even a slight narration of a story that will have something to do with the current episode. For example, the passage in the beginning of this review is the narration from the first episode. Other narrations the series gives way to are A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. The story really does reach out and pull your heartstrings, and, for probably a good amount of people, will leave you in tears by the series end. wipes eyes what?

Oh the characters, what to say about them. In a word: growth. These characters grow so much, coming into their own and accepting who they were really suppose to be, and defying Drosselmeyer’s plans of how the story is to go. Two characters that had the most amount of growth were certainly Rue, Duck’s rival, and Fakir. Both start out very similar to each other because of their wish to protect Mytho, and later on they each become more important and even more relevant to the story almost as much as Duck or Mytho. Each of the four main characters can be relatable in some way and the viewers will even be able to see themselves in, at least, one character. For me, it would have to be Rue. I won’t go into too much detail why, but Rue’s desire for love really hits home for me and even makes me cry a little bit.

Tutu’s English dub is outstanding! For a magical girl anime, the cast was taken into careful consideration when the dub was made. Luci Christian (Soul Eater) as Duck was perfect! I seriously had to look online to find out it really was her, and it is certainly one of her best roles to date. Jay Hickman’s (Elfen Lied) Mytho was a little hard to get used to, however, like Mytho, Hickman starts out as unemotional and empty and starts to learn how to feel again once the shards of his heart begin to return. Then you have Chris Patton (Welcome to the NHK) as Fakir. Absolutely splendid! Not only does Patton play our supposed villain really well, but also his panic and pain as to his true purpose in the story become apparent later on. Jessica Boone (Canaan) as Rue was also a lovely choice. Equal parts snobby, cunning, and sweet, Boone displays this very well. One of the more fun roles of this series has got to be Marty Fleck (Project Blue Earth SOS) as Drosselmeyer. Outstanding from start to finish! Other actors include: Christine Auten (SDF Macross) as Edel/Uzura, Cynthia Martinez (Kino’s Journey) as Pike, Sasha Paysinger (Best Student Council) as Lille (really funny girl FYI), and TJP (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok) as Mr. Cat (Be careful or you might be stuck marrying him). Plus there are two Narrators for the story: Jennie Welch (Mezzo) and Marcy Bannor (Red Garden).

Alright, I’ve stated many times already that Princess Tutu is a magical girl anime. However, there is a different side to this series; a much darker side. For about half of the series, you get the same thing each episode: Duck being clumsy, a heart shard is found, Duck becomes Tutu, and returns the shard to Mytho; Lather, Rinse, Repeat. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you know of the story of Swan Lake, then you already can guess what kind of happens next; and then some. From this point on, the story become really really dark. And some people might begin to ask if this really is a kid’s show. It is, but that’s the appeal of Princess Tutu. It not only tailors to kids, but to some adults as well, including men. I’ve heard from several of my friends, and other critics that “real men watch Princess Tutu”, and I think that’s a real fact. I know of a few guys who have either seen it and loved it or have yet to see it and it is on their list of anime to watch. I’m even willing to bet that a few anime haters will fall in love with the story as well.

When the curtain falls, Princess Tutu is a heartfelt story that captivates both children and adults alike. It’s visuals give off the sense of a real ballet and its characters are both entertaining and relatable. This is one of the very few anime I can highly recommend to both guys and girls, and is certainly a top favorite of mine.

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Zombie Loan Review (Japanese)

As the month of June comes to a close, it’s time for the second and final review of Zombie Month! This one is way different then High School of the Dead, and, luckily, doesn’t have fan service every five seconds (My niceness is gone for that series now)! The anime? Zombie Loan.

This Action/Comedy series is based off the manga by Peach-Pit, published by Square Enix. The English version is available from Yen Press. The thirteen episode anime is from Xebec M2 Studio and has yet to be licensed in America. It originally ran in the summer of 2007.

Michiru Kita is a special girl who possesses Shinigami Eyes, a power which allows her to see the span of a person's life, indicated by a ring (invisible to normal people), around the person's neck. When a person is marked to die, a gray ring appears, which darkens over time. Once the ring turns completely black, the person dies. Chika Akatsuki and Shito Tachibana, two boys in her class, both have black rings around their necks, and to her surprise, are not yet dead. It is revealed that after a tragic accident that was supposed to kill them both, the two boys made a deal with a secret loan office called the Zombie-Loan. In return for keeping them alive, the two have to hunt zombies for the loan office. When Michiru gets involved with them, she finds that her life has just become more complicated.

The look of the series isn’t a big stand out, but it’s not terrible either. I would say it’s more of your average anime rather then a flop. It has it’s unique moments with the drawing and the colors, but it’s still nothing too spectacular. The animation isn’t lazy either. Zombie Loan just seems like your average, put together anime.

The story is pretty interesting. It certainly takes the idea of zombies with human wills and desires and makes it stand out among different zombie stories. It plays out very nicely with some of the characters in the series, especially Chika Akatsuki. He’s the big character who wants to be truly alive again, so he’s doing whatever he can to get himself out of debt with Zombie Loan. You don’t seen as much aspiration in Shito Tachibana, but it’s because of completely different reasons. The one big problem with the plot is how the anime ended. By episode 11 you have a resolution to the current troubles they get in, but then for two more episodes it looks like the beginning of a new season. However, there are only supposed to be 13 episodes total in the series. According to online sources, only the first 11 episodes aired in Japan; the last two that make the 13 are only available on DVD. My guess is Zombie Loan wasn’t received well in Japan and eventually got the ax by the end of the first season. The last two episodes that never aired made it to DVD as an extra and a preview of what could have been; because the start of the second season looked like the story would really pick up. I’m just sad it never took off.

The characters, as I said before, are mostly zombies with human will. The only ones who are not zombies would have to be Mr. Bekko and Koyomi (although, they both have tricks of their own). Michiru Kita, in the beginning of the series, isn’t a zombie, but she dies, then Chika and Shito decide to save her because of her Shinigami Eyes. The three main characters each go through their own piece of development, and, in fact, they go one at a time through the series. First is Michiru, then Chika, and last is Shito. Is it a bad thing they they focus on one person at a time? Not if it works in the series, and for Zombie Loan it actually does. Sticking with one character for a few episodes while they develop works pretty well for this anime. At points, it does have it’s problems, but you don’t have to worry about trying to follow multiple characters developing at once. On the other hand, the way they did character development also kind of dumbs the series down a little.

So, the animation is average, the story is okay, and the characters aren’t half bad...... There really isn’t much to talk about. Besides a few very memorable pieces here and there, there isn’t anything exciting to make me say “Wow! This is awesome!” Sure the idea of zombies with human will is an interesting idea, but I’m pretty sure something like that has been done before somewhere. It was exciting to watch, but after you finish you don’t really remember or care for the show. The show is just a big hit or miss depending on the viewer. Sadly, for me, it is a bit of a miss. I’m not saying it’s not bad, cause it’s not, I’m just saying I’ve seen it done better. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but compared to High School of the Dead, Zombie Loan is like dirt while High School of the Dead is like a raging fire destroying everything in it’s path, deliberately engaging you as opposed to just existing.

At the end of the day, Zombie Loan takes a different approach with the word “Zombie” to create a fairly unique concept. Otherwise then that, it’s your average anime. I think I understand now why Zombie Loan was cut short. I still recommend this show for it’s concept and it’s characters, but, again, it’s a hit or miss depending on the person.

Well, that’s it for Zombie Month! Hope you enjoyed looking at reviews for two zombie anime. Both High School of the Dead and Zombie Loan are pretty good watches, whether you prefer fan service and survival to different kind of zombies and interesting characters. The next couple of reviews for July and August are:

Le Chevalier D’Eon

Baccano!

Memorable Anime Villains (With assistance from Hasteaguy)

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo

If you have any suggestions for future reviews, send my a shout! Leave a comment on this review, leave a post on the Facebook page. I’m still currently looking for anime to review in the future, and, so far, have a fairly good size list. The more anime suggested, the more reviews I’ll have in store for all of you!

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High School of the Dead Review (Japanese/English)

Well, it's June! And you know what that means! It's ZOMBIE MONTH!!! And what better what to start this two review fun with one of the most current popular anime out there. The one that has more fan service and zombies then you can shack a stick at! HIGH SCHOOL OF THE DEAD!!!

High School of the Dead is a Horror/Drama anime based on the manga by Daisuke Sato and published by Kadokawa Shoten, and is available in America by Yen Press. Studio Madhouse picked up the anime version, and made it's run in late summer of 2010 with 12 episodes. Anime Network currently holds licensing for the series.

Takashi Komuro is a normal high school boy, until an infection breaks out that turns people into zombie-like creatures. Along with his friends & the school nurse, they fight their way out and continue their journey to find out what exactly has happened to the world. (Anime News Network)

The look and the animation is amazing! There was really nothing lazy, or bad about the animation quality. Color and style are used well for this anime, and the animation doesn’t seem to have any problems. The one thing I have to be nit-picky about, is the zombies sometimes looking like clay animation rather than drawn. Does it look cool? Sure. Does it work for the series? Not really.

The story is pretty basic: Survive. And it does tell us how the characters attempt surviving the hoard of zombies that are around every corner. The one major thing that is never explained, but does leave the viewer to wonder, how did the infection start? Was is a virus, supernatural curse, or the careless actions of a corporation trying to cure cancer? We don’t know, but we also don’t need to. The story is about surviving the slavering monsters around us, and that’s it. Even with all the fan service in the series, that you would think would be a distraction, the story is immensely involving and actually keeps you on the edge of your seat. With all the chaos and death happening around them, and the realistic way the characters react, in highly traumatic ways, the story manages to pull almost every heart string you possess. You can relate to these characters in their struggle, even the most annoying ones manage to be sympathetic, and keep us involved with the story, right up to the very end.

Each of the characters have little bits of development here and there throughout the story. More development comes from Kohta Hirano, Saeko Busujima, and, maybe, Takashi Komuro. Everyone else doesn’t seem to have a whole lot to go through in the series. As for the characters in general, they aren’t bad. Some are more annoying then others, but for the most part it shows what individuals go through in a crisis like this.

The voice acting in the Japanese is good, with the characters sounding like how you would expect them to. The english dub, however, is a bit of a different story. I gave Jessica Boone props for her role in Canaan in a previous review, but as Rei Miyamoto it seems like she dropped the ball a little. Some of the lines spoken by her character seem a little too forced to be believable. Maggie Flecknoe (Red Garden) as Saya Takagi is rather annoying, but, then again, she’s the know it all genius, so it kinda fits. Mark Laskowski (Super Dimension Fortress Macross) as Kohta was certainly a bad choice to make. The only time the voice fits is when he goes all military on the group. Leraldo Anzaldua (Canaan) picks up the main male lead in Takashi, and doesn’t do too bad with it. But the two people from the group for favorites voice acting would be Taylor Hannah (Le Chevalier D’Eon, Red Garden) as Saeko and Monica Rial (Soul Eater, Baccano!) as Nurse Shizuka Marikawa. They are certainly the better fits for their characters. Oh! And here’s a surprise for you. Remember Brittney Karbowski? The woman who voice Black Star in the Soul Eater dub? Well, she’s back..... as a little girl. Little Alice Maresato.

Now, this can’t be a review about High School of the Dead without talking about the one thing people remember this show the most for: the fanservice. So how does it really stand up to the series? Well, I can say it is a pain watching the show with it occurring every minute (I would say five seconds but I feel generous right now). As the first anime I have ever seen with this much boobs and pantie shots, I have the feeling this anime was solely created for (Lonely) men. I guess when the original creator discovered he had no clue how to make it seem less like a porno, he threw in a zombie apocalypse just to make it more badass. If you didn’t have the distracting fan service, this would certainly be an awesome series. However, since we do, it kind of takes away the show’s quality. I will say, if you’re a guy who loves boobs and zombies, or girls with huge boobs KILLING zombies (seriously, every female lead in the group has tits that should be impossible. Especially the nurse, that poor, broke backed impossible creature) then here’s an anime for you.

At the end of the day, High School of the Dead is an exciting story with amazing animation and imaging, but way too much boobs and panties. If you took out the fan service, the story would probably be more effective rather then the way it is now. A few of the characters are likable, but not all are. If you must see this series, since EVERYONE always talks about this, watch the Japanese version; it has better voice acting. All I have to say now is, viewer discretion advised....... BOOBIES!!

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Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate Reviews (English Dub)

Today, we're going to play a little game. It's called how long does it take before Stephanie decides to not watch Hellsing anymore. Any guesses?

Hellsing is an Action/Supernatural anime based on the manga written by Kouta Hirano and published by Shonen Gahosha. In the U.S., the publisher is Dark Horse Comics. Studio Gonzo took up the anime, and was aired in late 2001. It is currently licensed by Funimation. There are thirteen episodes in all, originally airing from October 2001 to January 2002.

Hellsing is named after and centered around the Holy Order of Protestant Knights, originally led by Abraham Van Helsing. The mission of Hellsing is to protect Queen and Country from the undead and other supernatural forces of evil. This organization is currently led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who inherited the leadership of Hellsing as a child after the death of her father. She is protected by the faithful Hellsing family butler and former Hellsing "trashman," Walter C. Dornez, and Alucard, the original and most powerful vampire that swore loyalty to the Hellsing family after being defeated by Van Helsing one hundred years before the story takes place. These formidable guardians are joined early on in the story line by former ploice officer Seras Victoria, whom Alucard turned into a vampire. As the scale and frequency of incidents involving the undead escalate in England and all around the world, Sir Integra discovers that the remnants of a Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving the Third Reich by creating a battalion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIII Iscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war in London, and Millennium reveals its true objective: to destroy the vampire Alucard, ending a feud begun during World War II.

The look of the series is full of darker colors, with red being used in a lot of cases; mostly when it comes to Alucard. Then again, since the series is dealing with vampires, there's going to be a lot of dark color. There are a lot of soft lines, and some things seem to be a bit faded. The animation isn't lazy either, it's actually pretty well done. The overall quality could be better, but it's not a complete flop.

The story of Hellsing.... Uhm.... Well.... does not follow the original manga (Actual plot in description above), at all. Only in the beginning it's relatively similar to the manga series, but the main plot is completely missing. There's one part in the second episode where you see two teenage vampires killing families and drinking their blood, and then the female vampire decides to go lower on the male and decides to....... Yeah...... To answer the question from the beginning of this post, one episode and about thirteen minutes of the second episode.... Yeah. Sadly, however, I had to keep going. Luckily they die shortly after so I don't have to see any more oral sex or hear their terrible voice acting ever again.

The dialogue is, at times, very poor. With lines such as "I am so fucking hard right now", it begs the question as to who wrote the scripts for the series. It also doesn't help having swears every five to ten minutes or so. On the flip side of things, Hellsing is supposed to be a mature show with mature, adult content; so some of the pieces in this anime are understandable. However, this heavily handed, and just plain appalling delivery takes any charm that watching a mature show presents. Plus, it doesn't help the production company of Hellsing when the manga they're basing it off of has pretty bad dialogue as well. Still, in any case, I almost feel like bashing my head against the wall.

The voice acting, however, is well done. Looking for English (As in England) voice actors to fit the roles of Integra, Seras, and Walter is a major task, and Victoria Harwood, K.T. Gray, and Ralph Lister are perfect matches. Especially Integra; she is the best English actor of the series. Most of the voice acting was done by lesser known actors, but the one name that you might know is Crispin Freeman, who plays Alucard (Blood+, Eureka Seven, Wolf's Rain). Freeman gives off the right amount of dark and sinister along with slightly sociopathic.

So, the only real redeeming thing about Hellsing is the choices in major voice casting and a bit of the animation and overall look of the series. Well, makes me wonder how much worse the OVA really is...... Ugh. Alright, time to find out.

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*The heavens open and angels sing*

Holy cow! I never thought an anime would improve so much the second time around!

Satelight and Geneon Entertainment started production of Hellsing Ultimate back in 2006. Episodes are actually longer then the original run time, clocking in at about an hour rather then thirty minutes. The episodes are being released yearly, with the eighth episode out of ten to be released this June. Funimation also licenses Hellsing Ultimate.

So, where on earth do I even begin? The look and animation I suppose. There are several images taken directly from the manga volumes, with a lot of dark colors and sharper imaging. The downside this time around is the animation isn't 100%. With the amount of sharp lines and images, it manages to take its toll on the animation. It will be visually amazing at times and it has better quality then the original, but the animation takes a bit of a beating because of this.

The story is 100% better then the original! It sticks to the manga through and through, with each hour long episode, pretty much, following one manga volume at a time. You get better explanation, better villains that stick around for longer then three episodes (stupid Incognito), and even some actually funny bits in between. Plus, you get more of a look into Alucard's past, which the original didn't even take a second glance at.

The dialogue is a little bit better, but still not the greatest thing in the world. The lines don't seem as out of place at times, and the context of when it is said is better as well. Again, Hellsing is a mature anime with adult content; so the swears are still there at every five minutes or so. But I can at least grit my teeth and bare with the worse bits of dialogue this time, as opposed to bashing my head against a wall for every line of the TV series.

With a new version of an anime, sometimes you think the voice cast would change, not with Helling Ultimate it didn't! It kept the same voice actors for Alucard, Seras, Integra, and Walter. Every one else is voiced by completely different people, except for at least one other person. Steven Brand who voices Alexander Anderson returns for his role as well, and is one priest you certainly do not want to come across in a dark ally. There is one voice actor that deserves credit this time around, and that is the Major. Gildart Jackson must have loved war as much as his character, cause the Major is all about war and fighting, seemingly for it's own sake; and genuinely enjoys working to achieve it.

As I watched Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate, I realized similarities with these two anime and two other popular anime. The Hellsing/Hellsing OVA pattren is the same as the Full Metal Alchemist/Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood anime. Both original series followed the manga very little and turned it into their own story, and when they both came back around the second time they followed the manga more closely. Both Hellsing and FMA were able to keep their main voice actors and make it seem like nothing changed but the story. The major difference between these two franchises is, Hellsing changed it's animation in the OVA while FMA kept the animation intact for Brotherhood. The other big difference between the two is the original FMA held up on it's own with it's completely different story, while the original Hellsing.... doesn't.

But for the major comparison, I broke it down to what I have been talking about during this review. Here's the more dominant breakdown.

Style and Animation:
Hellsing
For better animation and not so hard on the eyes artwork.

Story/Plot:
Hellsing Ultimate
For sticking to the original manga more, plus some actual humor.

Characters:
Hellsing Ultimate
For better development, and villains. (Hooray!)

Dialogue:
Hellsing Ultimate
For less bashing my head against the wall....

Voice Acting:
Hellsing Ultimate
For keeping its voice actors from the original, plus the acting of the Major kicks butt!

Based on my analysis, the overall winner in my opinion and without a doubt, is Hellsing Ultimate. The yearly release of episodes plus the longer run time for each episode proves, this time, they are taking their time with this anime and following it to a T. It still has it's flaws, like every other anime in the world, but it makes up for it with every other detail to make it even better then the original. I'm not saying the original Hellsing is the worse anime in existence, but it's not one I would be excited about recommending to my friends. Hellsing Ultimate, however, would be one I can tell everyone to watch.

Think the original is better then the OVA? Take the poll at the top left, or leave a comment below, and tell us which one is better and why. Poll closes, July 1st. Until next time, This is Stephanie for Lilac Anime Reviews. See you later!

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