Gurren Lagann Episodes 1-27 review

Gurren Lagann Episodes 1-27 Directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi, Produced by GAINAX Review

                Raised in an underground village, Simon soon finds himself on the surface. As his group of pals continues to grow, challenges await our young hero on his quest to reclaim the surface. Will Simon and his friends succeed or fail and what mysteries lie in wait?

                Gurren Lagann is a very distinctive series both visually and in tone. The show itself is absolutely bonkers yet the easily likeable characters are what make this series simple to invest in. The show has a very youthful spirit too it and is loads of fun to watch.

               

The animation is enjoyable; Imaishi seems to have a very particular style. The music in the show is gloriously over the top as is the animation. Kamina, Simon’s best friend and a pivotal character in the series, is always a delight to watch. The only complaint I have is the rather offensive gay stereotype in the show tonally it fits tone wise but it does detract a tad from enjoyment of the series. In conclusion, Gurren Lagann is a largely enjoyable series that is sure to be remembered well after it ends.

Rating: 9/10

Gurren Lagann is streaming on Crunchyroll and is available on home video from Aniplex of America

Wild Life review

Wild Life Directed by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, Produced by the National Film Board of Canada Review

Our nameless protagonist arrives in Alberta, Canada from the United Kingdom in the early twentieth century. The path ahead of him is long and the environment difficult at the best of times. Will the protagonist be able to flourish in this new land?

Wild Life is a pleasant yet flawed work. It has very little time to allow us to familiarize ourselves with its protagonist.  From what we see of him he is a difficult to sympathize with character. That being said the short film has a distinct animation style and is lovingly animated.  It also does an excellent job of capturing the Canadian prairie landscape and the isolation associated with it.

The lead is an intriguing character despite the viewer’s general apathy towards him. He is fleshed out for what the run time allows. Wild life as a whole is a pleasant viewing experience though it is certainly is not required viewing.

Rating: 8/10

Wild Life is streaming at the NFB’s website. 

The Clockmakers Review

The Clockmakers Directed Renau Helee, Produced by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) Review

There’s really no plot to summarize to this short film. It really is a simple little experimental work. That having been said there is nothing wrong with The Clockmakers. It is a visually eye-catching, surreal experience.  And clocking in at only 4 minutes it is not a huge time investment.

This is the perfect film for if one has a spare moment to fill. It has plenty to keep the viewer entertained boasting fantastic imagery. This animated short mainly consists of people falling and really has no singular protagonist so to speak. If one is searching for something with plot I recommend searching elsewhere.

Rating: 7/10

The Clockmakers is streaming at nfb.ca

VIZ MEDIA RELEASES A DELUXE, HARDCOVER OMNIBUS EDITION OF JUNJI ITO’S CELEBRATED HORROR MANGA UZUMAKI

VIZ MEDIA RELEASES A DELUXE, HARDCOVER OMNIBUS EDITION OF JUNJI ITO’S CELEBRATED

HORROR MANGA UZUMAKI

An Isolated Seaside Town Spirals Into Madness As A Mysterious Infestation Grows

San Francisco, CA, October 17, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, has announced the release of the UZUMAKI Deluxe Edition. The new 3-in-1 hardcover version of creator Junji Ito’s inventive horror manga (graphic novel) about the gradual decent into madness of a seaside town overrun with spirals features a new cover design as well as 12 pages of new full-color interior artwork.

The UZUMAKI Deluxe Edition, now available is published under the VIZ Signature imprint, is rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens, and carries an MSRP of $27.99 U.S. / $32.00 CAN.

Kurouzu-cho, a small fogbound town on the coast of Japan, is cursed. According to Shuichi Saito, the withdrawn boyfriend of teenager Kirie Goshima, their town is haunted not by a person or being but by a pattern: uzumaki, the spiral, the hypnotic secret shape of the world. It manifests itself in everything from seashells and whirlpools in water to the spiral marks on people's bodies, the insane obsessions of Shuichi's father and the voice from the cochlea in our inner ear. As the madness spreads, the inhabitants of Kurozu-cho are pulled ever deeper into a whirlpool from which there is no return!

“Junji Ito takes one of the most ubiquitous designs found in nature, the spiral, and uses it as the foundation for a truly terrifying story,” says Masumi Washington, Senior Editorial Director. “This beautiful new hardcover UZUMAKI Deluxe Edition is a wonderful showcase for Ito’s unique, eye-catching art style and also makes a fun and frightening addition to this year’s Halloween season. Readers will never look at the world around them in the same way ever again after reading this masterpiece from one of the most acclaimed creators of horror manga!”

Junji Ito debuted as a horror manga artist in 1987 with the first story in his successful Tomie series. UZUMAKI, drawn from 1998 to 1999, was adapted into a live-action movie, which was also released in America by VIZ Films and Tidepoint Pictures. Junji Ito’s influences include the classic manga artists Kazuo Umezu and Hideshi Hino, as well as authors Yasutaka Tsutsui and H.P. Lovecraft. Ito is also the creator of the celebrated horror manga story, GYO, which is published in North America by VIZ Media.

For more information on UZUMAKI, or other manga titles available from VIZ Media, please visit: www.VIZ.com.

About VIZ Media, LLC

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan.  Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular digital manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages.  VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products.  Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

Golden Time episodes 1 & 2 Review

Golden Time episodes 1 & 2 Review Directed by Chiaki Kon, Produced by J.C. Staff

Having just arrived in Tokyo, Banri finds himself lost finding the law campus. Along his way he meets a variety of quirky characters including a stocker named Koko who he falls head over heels for. However, she has eyes for someone else.

Based on a novel from the creator of Toradora! Golden Time fails mainly because of its female lead Koko who we soon find we are meant to find endearing as opposed to the deeply disturbed person she clearly is. Beyond her, there is very little of note in this show.

The animation is subpar at, best featuring generic character designs. The lead is a fairly typical character in the harem genre and Koko aside there’s really little to hold the viewer’s attention in this show. On all accounts this series should fail and that is exactly what it does.

Rating: 3/10

Golden Time is currently streaming on Crunchyroll with a home video release from Sentai Filmworks to appear later. 

Space Brothers Episode 1-75

Space Brothers Episode 1-75 Directed by Ayumu Watanabe, Produced by A-1 Pictures

As a child, Mutta had a dream of becoming an astronaut; as time passed, however, his dream faded.  Not for this brother Hibito though who is training to go to space. Now much older, and fired from his job for head-butting his boss, Mutta bets everything on his childhood dream.

               

Based on a comic currently being serialized in Morning magazine (a men’s comic anthology in Japan), Space Brothers follows the haplessly endearing Mutta. It is rare enough at present seeing a series featuring grown-ups this series also delivers a more mature air about it. The writing is spectacular and the series goes to great pains to make each character not only sympathetic but believable.

               

That having been said, the series has an incredibly slow pace which may not be  to everyone’s liking. However, it more than compensates for this with its ability to make such endearing characters. As time progresses one learns and grows as the protagonist does. This is easily one of the most widely accessible anime in recent memory.  

Rating: 9/10

Space Brothers is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

GLOBAL YAOI MANGA PUBLISHER SuBLime RELEASES EST EM’S PASSIONATE ART ROMANCE

TABLEAU NUMÉRO 20

A Mysterious Drawing Ignites A Provocative Love Affair In This Collection Of Manga Short Stories From One Of The Most Critically Esteemed Creators Of The Yaoi Genre.

San Francisco, CA, October 8, 2013 – SuBLime, the global yaoi manga (graphic novel) publishing initiative between VIZ Media and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate), unites passion and art for its latest North American release – TABLEAU NUMÉRO 20. The new single-volume edition from creator est em is available today, is rated ‘M’ for Mature Readers, and carries a print MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $14.99 CAN. A digital version is also available at an MSRP of USD $5.99 and offers fans two methods of digital access to the volume on www.SuBLimeManga.com – a DRM-free downloadable PDF that is viewable on any enabled eReader device and computer, and via the online manga viewer found on the web site.

Ten years ago, while still a student, Maurice stumbled across an illustration in an artist's sketchbook that instantly captivated him – a drawing of a beautiful youth with sad, gentle eyes, an expression that spoke of love and forgiveness. Now settled into a successful career as an art restoration expert, Maurice is shocked by the sudden appearance of a young man who looks exactly like the one in the drawing. Who, in fact, insists that he is the one in the drawing... A collection of short stories by the incomparable est em.

“est em is a luminary in the world of yaoi manga, and her work is lauded internationally for its distinctive art, intriguing storytelling, and use of exotic foreign locales,” says Jennifer LeBlanc, Editor, SuBLime. “TABLEAU NUMÉRO 20 is a wonderful introduction to the work of est em, and readers will savor her classically trained art style and multi-textured characters that often display tremendous maturity and depth. We look forward to North American yaoi fans discovering this provocative new release from SuBLime!”

est em is the creator of over a dozen manga, several of which have been published internationally. Her previous English-language releases include Age Called Blue, Red Blinds the Foolish, and Seduce Me After the Show. Born in Tokyo on April 2nd, she is an Aries with an A blood type. Readers can find out more about est em at her website, http://est-em.blogspot.com/, or follow her on Twitter, @est_em. 

For up-to-date news and release information, please visit the SuBLime website at www.SuBLimeManga.com, or follow SuBLime on Twitter at @SuBLimeManga and Facebook at facebook.com/SuBLimeManga.

About SuBLime

SuBLime is a global yaoi/boys’ love manga publisher, and is a partnership between VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, and Japan’s Animate, Ltd. (Animate). This bold, global publishing initiative will present English-speaking fans everywhere with a broad selection of high quality titles. SuBLime will offer titles digitally worldwide available at www.SuBLimeManga.com, with many available in Download-to-Own format, and selections in print also available in English-language editions worldwide.