Free! Episodes 1-7 review

Free! Episodes 1-7 Directed by Kiroko Utsumi, Produced by Kyoto Animation

Haruka loves to swim and one day when his childhood friend turned rival, Rin, returns to town the wheels of fate start rolling. With the help of his friends Haruka starts a swim team at his school. As the team prepares for the coming swimming competition, will they succeed or fail in the challenge to come?

Free! is a lot of fun to watch. The animation in this show is gorgeous as expected of Kyoto Animation. And, despite the large amounts of fan service, the show has a decent plot. The rivalry between Haruka and Rin is the heart of the show.

The cast of characters are surprisingly well fleshed out though the show never takes itself too seriously for long. The fan service itself is truly well done. In conclusion Free! is a fun, well-crafted show worth checking out.

Rating: 7/10

Free! is streaming on Crunchyroll. 

The Twin Knights Review

The Twin Knights Story and Art by Osamu Tezuka

Separated from her twin brother Daisy at birth, Violetta must masquerade as her brother lest the royal secret be exposed. As time goes one, however, Violetta must undergo a perilous journey in search of her brother. Will she find him? What dangers await her on her quest?

Serialized in the shojo (girl) comic anthology Nakayoshi over half a century ago, The Twin Knights is the sequel to Princess Knight though features a largely new cast of characters and can be read without having read Princess Knight. This book does away with the “heart of a boy” and “heart of a girl” thing which made the original a little uncomfortable to read. The manga itself is almost Disney-esque in its art style which is often seen in Tezuka’s works.

The Twin Knights is a fun, tightly written read with an almost fairy tale like atmosphere. The story itself is simple as the intended audience was younger but the work should definitely be read for those interested in Tezuka’s large catalogue of titles. All-in-all this book is one which will be remembered for some time to come as easily one of this reviewer’s favorite Tezuka works.

Rating: 9/10

The Twin Knights is published in North America in print by Vertical.

Dire Hearts chapter 1 review

Dire Hearts chapter 1 Story and Art by Christy Lijewski

As Rose carries out her daily life at Vector Magical Academy she recollects memories that have certain blank spots. After conversing with her teacher and partner she still just is not quite certain what it means to be herself. Will Rose solve all the mysteries or will she not?

Serialized in the monthly mixed media Sparkler Monthly, Dire Hearts is not without flaw. The art is awkward at times and the story thus far does not have much of a hook. That having been said the title is a fun read and is a light one too. The first chapter does a decent job of establishing the world and characters.

The art also deserves credit for being distinct and at times nice to look at. The heroine is not the most compelling character thus far. In conclusion the first chapter of Dire Hearts is somewhat lackluster but shows promise. I look forward to subsequent installments!

Rating: 6/10

Dire Hearts is published by Chromatic Press. 

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES MULTIPLE SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL MANGA TITLES ON THE U.K. NOOK STORE™

VIZ MEDIA LAUNCHES MULTIPLE SHONEN JUMP DIGITAL MANGA TITLES ON THE U.K. NOOK STORE™

8 Most-Loved Shonen Jump Manga Series Including BLUE EXORCIST, BLEACH, NARUTO, NISEKOI, ONE PIECE And More Debut Today In The U.K. On Barnes & Noble’s NOOK® HD and NOOK® HD+ Tablets!

San Francisco, CA, August 12, 2013 – VIZ Media continues to expand its digital publishing presence in the U.K. with the launch of several of its bestselling manga (graphic novel) titles in the Barnes & Noble U.K. NOOK Store. VIZ Media will debut all currently available volumes for eight popular series from its Shonen Jump imprint, which will be available starting today to U.K. NOOK customers with the award-winning NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ tablets, as well through the Free NOOK Reading Apps™ for iOS and Android.  Pricing for these digital volumes will be £4.99 each.

The following manga titles are available today:

BLEACH Vols. 1-57  Rated ‘T’ for Teens

BLUE EXORICIST Vols. 1-10  Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens

DRAGON BALL Vols. 1-16  Rated ‘T’ for Teens

NISEKOI: FALSE LOVE Vols. 1-4  Rated ‘T’ for Teens

NARUTO Vols. 1-62  Rated ‘T’ for Teens

ONE PIECE Vols. 1-67  Rated ‘T’ for Teens

RUROUNI KENSHIN: RESTORATION Vol. 1  Rated ‘T’ for Teens

TORIKO Vols. 1-17  Rated ‘T’ for Teens

“This is the first time these series will be available digitally anywhere outside of North America and we're extremely excited to work with NOOK on this groundbreaking partnership to bring some of our best-loved Shonen Jump manga titles to avid manga readers across the United Kingdom,” says Gagan Singh, Executive Vice President and CTO. “Moving forward, all new volumes for these series will also debut digitally in the U.K. NOOK Store on the same day that they come out in print in North America!”

“NOOK is committed to offering customers the very best in digital reading from across all genres, and we are pleased to be the first platform to bring digital Viz Media manga titles to the UK,” said Jim Hilt, Managing Director, Barnes & Noble S.à r.l. “More and more readers are looking to access the best in manga and digital graphic novels, and through strong relationships with publishers like Viz Media, NOOK is well positioned to continue to deliver the leading selection of this unique and popular content.”

Viewing manga on NOOK is an authentic experience thanks to NOOK’s innovative technology that formats manga in its original right-to-left reading order. Manga fans can access their favorite graphic novels on the award-winning NOOK HD and NOOK HD+ tablets, which feature stunning HD displays that enable customers to fully enjoy the artwork and compelling storytelling that brings this genre to life. Viz Media manga titles will also be available on the Free NOOK Reading Apps for iOS and Android devices, available for download at http://uk.nook.com/nook-mobile-apps.

For more information on VIZ Media manga titles, please visit www.VIZ.com.

For more information on NOOK U.K., please visit http://uk.nook.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, Australia, New Zealand 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.

About NOOK Media LLC NOOK reading and entertainment products make it easy to Read What You Love, Anywhere You Like™ with a fun, easy-to-use and immersive digital reading experience. With NOOK, customers gain access to the expansive NOOK Store® of more than 3 million (US) and 2.5 million (UK) digital books, plus periodicals, comics, apps, movies and TV shows, and the ability to enjoy content across a wide array of popular devices through Free NOOK Reading Apps™ and NOOK Video Apps™, available at www.nook.com/freenookapps. NOOK owners receive Always Free NOOK Support in any of Barnes & Noble’s nearly 700 bookstores. Find NOOK devices in Barnes & Noble stores and online at www.nook.com, as well as leading retailers including Best Buy, Walmart, Target and many others. NOOK products are available in the United Kingdom through www.nook.co.uk and leading retailers.

Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin vol. 1 review

Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin vol. 1 review Story and Art by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, Original Story by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate, Mechanical Design by Kunio iwate

When colony Side 7 is attacked by Char it is up to Amuro to pilot the technology called a Gundam against the Zeon invaders. As the battle unfolds Amuro will have to come face to face with Char. Will Amuro win… or will he lose?

Serialized in the shonen (boys’) comic anthology Gundam Ace, Origin is an incredible science fiction epic. The book is a gorgeous hardcover with high quality paper. The story itself is impossible to put down once started. The pace is quick and the action is fierce.

If there is one fault in this book it is the protagonist who is a generally difficult character to sympathize with. The rest of the cast is much easier to relate to. The books also has excellent pacing never once dragging in it’s over 440 pages. Overall Gundam the Origin is an excellent book well worth your time and money. I cannot recommend this book enough!   

Rating: 8/10

Gundam the origin vol. 1 is available in print in North America from Vertical Inc.

Rozen Maiden Zuruckspulen episode 1 review

Rozen Maiden Zuruckspulen Episode 1 Review directed by Mamoru Hatekayama Produced by Studio Deen

One day a note drops into Jun’s room asking whether or not he will wind a doll. Jun chooses the former; thus begins a series of magical battles between dolls. Mysteries are abound in this new fantastical world Jun has now entered.

Based on a manga which is currently being serialized in the seinen (men’s) comic anthology Weekly Young Jump in Japan; Zuruckspulen makes next to no sense in its first episode. This is not the right foot to start your series on. The show looks very nice but the pacing is far too quick to follow the events and characters have no time to actually interact with one another.

The advertising for the show indicates that there will be an alternate reality, supposedly, but the show does a poor job establishing it giving zero indicator of it in the first episode. If the show has any hope of improving itself it will need to slow the pace down considerably and allow the audience to familiarize themselves with the characters because as it stands it is one giant abstract mess.

Rating: 4/10

Rozen Maiden Zuruckspulen is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. 

VIZ MEDIA SHOWCASES WORLD’S HOTTEST ANIME TITLES AT 2013 LICENSING EXPO

VISIT VIZ MEDIA AT LICENSING EXPO BOOTH #A137

VIZ MEDIA SHOWCASES WORLD’S HOTTEST ANIME TITLES AT 2013 LICENSING EXPO

ACCEL WORLD, BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC TRILOGY, ‘K’ And NARUTO SHIPPUDEN, Among The New Titles To Be Showcased

San Francisco, CA, June 17, 2013 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in North America, returns to Las Vegas for the 2013 Licensing Expo with a robust catalog of some of the world’s top anime properties. The 2013 Licensing Expo is the world’s largest and most influential licensing industry event and takes place June 18th-20th at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. VIZ Media will be located in Booth # A137.

The annual Licensing Expo (www.licensingexpo.com) is the licensing industry's premier trade event for leveraging properties and brand equity to develop merchandise, Licensing Expo attracts more than 400 exhibitors representing more than 5,000 brands and properties in entertainment; sports; fashion and apparel; publishing; art and design; automotive; animation/anime; home and housewares; and lifestyle. Attendees from more than 80 countries represent the world's leading retailers, licensees, manufacturers, distributors and licensing agents.

Anime properties VIZ Media will highlight at 2013 Licensing Expo include:

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens)

NARUTO has become the hottest animated series across North America and is one of VIZ Media’s most successful manga and animated properties in terms of sales. NARUTO has aired on TV since 2005, and is currently the most watched anime program on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block. On HULU, the 500+ subtitled episodes have reached over 200 million views. In addition, digital downloads are available on all major platforms including iTunes, Xbox, Amazon, Google and Xbox. NARUTO’s continuous popularity has brought more than 1000 consumer products to the U.S. market, including video games  from Namco Bandai (7 million copies sold), graphic novels from VIZ Media (127 million copies sold), and trading card games from Bandai America (10 million packs sold).  

In May 2013, the first official fan-designed t-shirt contest took place. The contest’s success resulted the immediate interest from numerous retail buyers. VIZ Media continues to secure new licensees and expand to new product lines, ranging from digital products to food and beverage items.

More information is available on the official website at VIZ.com/naruto.

BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE TRILOGY (Rated ‘M’ for Mature Audiences)

Based on the bestselling medieval dark fantasy manga (graphic novel) series created by Kentaro Miura, the BERSERK animation is beloved by not only anime and manga fans, but also holds a large following in the action-fantasy world. To date, 31 million BERSERK graphic novels have been sold worldwide. The trilogy has been nominated for multiple international movie awards for its extreme precision, and dynamic graphics.

The first two movies screened at a special premiere event in San Francisco in Spring 2013, and the third film will debut Summer 2014. Figures and accessories made in Japan are currently available in the U.S. High-end collectors figures are scheduled for released in early 2014.

For more information on the BERSERK: THE GOLDEN AGE ARC film trilogy, please visit the official Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/BerserkFilm.

ACCEL WORLD (Rated ‘T+’ for Older Teens)

Based on award winning novel (3.5 million copies sold in Japan), ACCEL WORLD takes place in the year 2046 when the virtual world becomes reality. All 24 subtitled episodes are available on Hulu and the series is top rated in the Science Fiction Anime category. In addition, 100,000 copies of Namco Bandai’s Accel World PSP and PS3 games have sold in Japan.  Currently apparel, accessories, and figures are available in the US market.  ACCEL WORLD continues to venture into new item categories in 2013.

For more information on ACCEL WORLD, please visit: VIZAnime.com/accel-world.

K (Rated ‘T’ for Teens)

From GoHands, the studio that brought you the cyberpunk anime film series Mardock Scramble, and the enigmatic writers’ collective GoRA Project comes K. The highly anticipated series revealed little information on the plot until the its simultaneous debut in 54 countries in 2012. Upon its release, K instantly attracted the attention of a wide fan base. The first K publicity event in Japan resulted in attendance exceeding 250% of capacity, and sold out of 5000 event tickets in 15 minutes. All 13 episodes are currently streamed on Hulu and are top ranking in the Action Adventure Anime category.

For more information about K, please visit VIZAnime.com/k.

Additional VIZ Media anime properties available for license include:

• BLEACH
• DEATH NOTE
• INUYASHA: THE FINAL ACT
• LAGRANGE: THE FLOWER OF RIN-NE
• NARUTO
• NARUTO SPINOFF: ROCK LEE AND HIS NINJA PALS
• TIGER & BUNNY
• VAMPIRE KNIGHT
• ZETMAN

For more information on other VIZ Media anime properties, please visit: www.viz.com/anime.

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.