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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