The current, highly rated Japanese anime television series Kaidan Restaurant will get its first theatrical film this August. Masayuki Ochiai (Parasite Eve) will direct the film, which will be a combination of anime and live action.

Source:animenation.net

The official Japanese homepage for the Pocket Monster movie franchise now hosts a Flash trailer for this summer’s 13th Pokemon theatrical film, along with two teaser trailers. Pocket Monster Diamond & Pearl: Genei no Hasha Zoroark (The Phantom Champion Zoroark) will hit Japanese theaters on July 10.

Source:animenation.net

The homepage for the Trigun: Badlands Rumble motion picture is now streaming a new trailer. The movie will shoot into Japanese theaters on April 24.

I’ve been wary of the previously released trailers, but there’s something about the composition and pacing of this trailer that feels more substantial and less like it’s trying too hard. There’s definitely a nice balance of humor, action, and drama in this trailer, not to mention a few really nice scenes.

Source:animenation.net

Tokyopop has announced that the entire 51 episode “Rave Master” (Groove Adventure Rave) anime television series is now available as an English dubbed DVD-on-demand collection retailing at $39.99 from Amazon’s CreateSpace DVD-R retail service. Tokyopop released three DVD volumes of the 2001 television series in 2003.

Source:animenation.net

FUNimation has announced its acquisition of digital, broadcast, and home video distribution rights, and merchandise rights to the current Baka to Test to Shokanju and Dance in the Vampire Bund anime television series. The English subtitled first two episodes of “Baka and Test – Summon the Beasts” and the first four English subtitled episodes of Vampire Bund are streaming on the FUNimation site now. New weekly episodes will premiere online next week, just days after Japanese TV broadcast. Streaming viewing for both series is free. Episodes will be available for permanent download at $1.99 per episode.

Nice shows, although Vampire Bund could certainly be better. Free simulcasting is nice, although it seems almost pointless considering that both shows are scheduled to end later this month. I wonder if the bizarre half-translated title “Baka and Test” was a licensor demand.

Update: Yes, we’re getting Vampire Bund, but not all of it. FUNimation has confirmed that it will only release the series in America in a censored version.

Source:animenation.net

Record Of Lodoss Wars is one of the most popular fantasy imports of recent memory, and it’s no wonder–over the course of the original 13 OVAs, we get to know a band of characters very well, and their exploits are not only exciting but occasionally thought-provoking and (dare I say it?) touching. There’s now a Lodoss television show, and although I haven’t seen it, I understand that it’s following the same style of formula. Legend of Crystania is set as a sequel of sorts to the original OVAs and the novels upon which they were based. Those who expect a sequel in the typical sense will be disappointed; others who can accept the basic carryover and don’t mind a new story in the same universe ought to enjoy it for what it is.

Legend of Crystania starts with King Ashram and his people sailing to the ends of the world trying to find a home. Exhausted and starving, Ashram asks the gods why he is still wandering. An answer comes from Barbas, an evil lesser god who is willing to let Ashram’s people settle in exchange for possession of the king’s body. He agrees, and while his people now have a home, he is trapped for over 300 years as Barbas becomes more and more powerful through the use of his body. Pirotesse, the dark elf, accompanied Ashram on the journey, and wants to find a way to set his soul free.

From there, we get a setup not unlike that of Lodoss. A hotheaded prince, a thoughtful mage, a couple of warrior types loyal to the prince’s family, etc. all enter into the world of Crystania when Redon (the prince) is called by Barbas to receive the power to avenge his family. Mayhem ensues as the inhabitants of Crystania, who turn out to be shapeshifters, defend themselves against the intruders while trying to break free of the evil of Barbas. Redon and his friends’ decisions will help determine the fate of Crystania, the land of the gods.

First off, let’s get the show’s faults right out in the open. The artwork is off-putting, especially if you’ve come to enjoy the beautiful artwork from the Lodoss OVAs. The character designs are just plain weird–they don’t look like typical anime by any stretch. The first twenty minutes or so, I was caught up in the whole “why do they look like this?” question. After that, though, the plot takes hold and it becomes less noticable. Don’t be fooled by the box cover, however–the art there is not what is in the show. Second, there is no way an 85 minute movie (including the credits) can possibly develop characters as well as a 6+ OVA series can. It can’t happen, and it doesn’t. That is relatively minor, since the show keeps its focus on only primary characters, but you don’t feel like you get to know the minor characters almost at all. Finally, those who want a sequel to the main characters in Lodoss Wars will have to look elsewhere–this is a sidestory that resolves a minor issue and does not concern any of the main characters.

Having said all that, I found Legend of Crystania surprisingly entertaining. It moved well, the main characters were interesting (if not unique), and I did like the whole landscape. The Lodoss universe is very interesting to me, and I find it engaging. Although this is not a perfect show by any means, the plot’s the thing, and I believe the story makes up for the faults. Also, the action sequences are done very well, and are much more exciting than those in some of the “fighting” shows I’ve seen recently. So it depends–if you like Lodoss, you could wind up loving or hating this show. Nevertheless, I think’s it’s worth the chance.

Legend of Crystania — violence, some graphic — B

Source:theanimereview.com

Have you ever once seen the power of music destroy an enemy civilization in American media? I can’t think of any shows that have done so, but anime has a huge catalog of titles that involve music being the driving force behind a culture’s power. Although you’d be hard pressed to track the phenomenon back before Macross, you can certainly see it in a variety of shows from the Megazone 23 series to Yohko: Adventure of Leda and more. Black Heaven is unique despite its well-used formula because despite the emphasis on sonic displays of prowess and virtuoso guitar feats, it’s a human story that plums areas in which few anime dare to tread. The show has some significant flaws, but at the most basic emotional level, it rocks.

Oji is a salaryman, a working stiff who toils in an essentially mindless job that keeps his mind off the fact that he was once an incredible guitarist with a short-lived but extremely popular metal band. He’s got a young son and a nagging wife; he loves both but can’t really express much emotion towards them. One day, he finds that his beloved Flying V guitar has been pitched in the garbage by his spouse, who figured it just wasn’t worth keeping around. Distraught, he tries to vain to find comfort in his work…but strange things are afoot. A mysterious, beautiful stranger named Yuki comes to work for his company, and Oji discovers in a drunken stupor that Yuki actually needs him to play guitar for her. She’s actually from another world, and for reasons unexplained, his unique musical sound powers the weapon that can save the earth from alien invasion and destruction. Chaos ensues as Oji’s wife and child grow more and more aware of his strange behavior and the time he’s spending with Yuki…can he keep his home life from crumbling, save the universe, and still keep shredding?

Although it’s unclear whether or not this was late-evening television programming, since there are no real eyecatches on the DVD release, it would seem to be by all other appearances. The animation is functional but not impressive, and the relatively new technique of digital panning is used frequently. If you’ve not seen it before, you’ll notice it immediately; it is about the most annoying thing I’ve seen in anime in a long time. You eventually get over it, but it really limits the feeling of actual movement. That being said, this show is not about animation, it’s about music and (surprisingly) about relationships, and so it’s not such a distraction. Also, if you’ve seen the opening credit sequence, don’t take it as representative of the series–it’s very unique, but not very anime-esque and not at all attractive. The rest of the show, despite its animation faults, doesn’t look like this. However, if you skip the credits, you miss the immensely enjoyable “Cautionary Warning”, a great metal tune by John Sykes. A welcome relief from J-Pop, I must admit.

And that leads into the heart of the show, which is the music. There are lots of riffs throughout the series, as well as some nice solos and instrumentals placed appropriately through the episodes. All of it is enjoyable, and most of it fits perfectly in matching the tone of the sequences involved. Those who can’t stand 80s metal music or any of the culture around it might find it annoying, but I really grooved on the sound. This is a soundtrack I could easily buy, which is a rarity for me. (However, I would skip the end credits–the song they chose must have been to reach a different audience than the rest of the show, and it is unbearable.)

Meanwhile, the music is nothing without the actual show being good, and it largely succeeds. Frankly, so far the alien invasion bit is merely a catch–it’s been woefully underdeveloped to the point that we don’t even know who the two opposing sides are, and it becomes more and more weak the more you think about it. The show wisely sidesteps this problem by being funny and touching, keeping the focus on Oji and how he is starting to break out of his self-imposed shell and not on the war out in space somewhere. With each episode, we start to care more and more about who Oji is and why he is that way, and we even develop a soft spot for his haggard wife Yohko. I cannot think of another single anime that’s been released in the US whose main character is an utterly normal, relatively boring guy with a family and a “real” life. This isn’t to say that anime of this type doesn’t exist, merely that it’s extremely unique. As such, it reaches places other anime just don’t go into. What guy in his 30s doesn’t remember the rock band he played with, the girl that was almost his, the job that was just out of reach? Black Heaven discusses the concept of loss and regret, but never descends into nostalgia; it goes for the heart while being remarkably funny at the same time.

If you like (or can at least tolerate) loud music and an anime that is outside of the mainstream, give the first volume of Black Heaven a try. For its relatively weak animation and thin overlying plot, this is a rock and roll dream seldom seen. I also imagine slightly older audiences will appreciate this one even more–though there’s nothing unacceptable for teenagers, ultimately adults really will appreciate Oji’s transformation from a sorry little man with forgotten hopes to a hero with life left in his Gibson six-string.

Black Heaven Vol. 1 — very brief (stylized) nudity, mild language — A-

Source:theanimereview.com

Creativity is a hard thing to come by, and few shows have it. Plenty are action-packed, entertaining, exciting, and all together predictable. Then there are the DOA packages, where somebody tries something new but utterly fails because their ideas are just too far out there to understand. Sometimes, a mix of the familiar and the outlandish is actually best. Such is the case with The Fantastic Adventure Of Yohko: Leda. It’s a classic B-grade movie adventure that has enough originality to fill a couple of normal features. A dearth of characterization hurts this OVA’s emotional impact, but a forgiving audience will have a great time.

Yohko is the prototypical schoolgirl with a crush on a boy so anonymous we never even see his face. She wants to confess her feelings, and one day a song pours out of her. She records the song and carries it in her Walkman, hoping to have the courage to speak to him. As the moment arrives, Yohko passes him by. Perhaps she’s missed her chance.

As the boy walks away, Yohko dissolves into the ground. Literally. This is where the fun begins.

Yohko finds herself in a terrifying yet beautifully wondrous new world called Ashanti. After surviving her initial drop into this place, she meets her first traveling companion, a talking fluffy dog named Lingum. Simultaneously scared and fascinated by this chatty mongrel, she learns that a rift between her world (which they call Noah) and Ashanti has opened. Legend has it that an ancient goddess named Leda will call someone from Noah at Ashanti’s darkest moment. And that moment is upon them, as the evil pretty boy Lord Zell plans to conquer not only Ashanti but also Noah by controlling the heart of Leda. The key to his plan? Why, Yohko’s song, of course. Lingum, Yohko, and a priestess of Leda called Yoni will have to battle Zell’s forces to stop this invasion from starting, and Yohko will face her deepest dreams and fears in the process.

Now just by that plot, you can see that this show isn’t particularly new. The odds and ends of it show up in Magic Knight Rayearth, Fushigi Yugi, and plenty of other shoujo (or women’s) anime. Together with characters that fit stereotypes more than real people, Leda starts off with a hard load to carry. Yohko is so much an everygirl that she isn’t particularly compelling, and her acceptance in becoming a warrior in a single moment is silly. Lingum is fun, but primarily there for the cute factor. Yoni is a plot device. Zell is ridiculous, right down to his sorcerer’s robes. And that’s essentially it for the characters.

So why can I still recommend this piece? It’s because you will see things here you won’t see anywhere else. You’ll see creatures that Lewis Carroll would have envied. You’ll see mecha that make you rethink how cool Gundam is. You’ll see better mechanical designs than in a half-dozen other shows combined. This is a fantasy world that is indeed fantastic. Combined with some sharp action sequences, a soundtrack that’s still a worthy listen in 2003, and nice animation, there’s plenty to enjoy. And yes, it’s fun, a joy at times to just sit and watch.

It’s also the rare title that has major crossover appeal to both sexes. As the deodorant commercial goes, Leda’s strong enough for a man but made for a woman. Despite my picking on certain character choices, there are some very interesting choices here too. Because we never see Yohko’s choice in a man, we don’t make judgments on her; we simply accept him as the embodiment of unrequited love. We feel for Yohko not because we know her, but because we know ourselves and our own pangs of love. And that isn’t a storyline limited to either of the sexes.

I’ve grown fonder of Leda over the years, enough that I wanted to watch it again before writing a revised review. I caught some flaws I didn’t remember, but I also was reminded of why this title works. It’s like listening to the 80s station and hearing a tune that floods you with memories, not because the melody is great but because it connects with you at some deeper level. Leda’s surface is glittery and sometimes too predictable, but underneath is a love song waiting to be heard.

The Fantastic Adventure of Yohko: Leda — violence — B+

Source:theanimereview.com

When you don’t absolutely love the next great thing in anime, sometimes it can be disappointing…even when the show is pretty good. That’s the case for me and Le Chevalier D’Eon, the latest offering from ADV Films. High levels of anticipation have surrounded the show, in no small part due to the involvement of Production I.G. being behind the animation. Shown in Japan in 2006, it’s made a quick release in the U.S. and has received special treatment, including a collector’s booklet and extensive on-disc liner notes. Anime on DVD and Anime News Network are raving about it, and I was really looking forward to it. What I found was solid in many respects, but there’s a big whiff of absurdity in this historical blend of drama, horror, and action.

The setting is France, in the mid-1700s well before the Revolution. D’Eon is in a state of mourning. His sister Lia’s body has been found floating in the Seine river in a casket with the word “Psalms” signed on top in blood. Filled with mercury, the church won’t let her body be properly buried because it supposedly won’t decompose and return to dust as is proper for a human being. Then where is her soul? D’Eon doesn’t know. He does know, however, that he must find out who is responsible for her death. But where to start with so many questions? As a nobleman, he has connections, but who knows what the mysterious sign found on Lia’s head means? Is there a secret society that has links to a Parisian serial killer? Even with the help of a mysterious knight, an old mentor, and a young page, D’Eon may find death before he finds answers. All of it comes to a head when in battle D’Eon finds himself overtaken by his sister’s soul, who chants a psalm to possess him and avenge herself.

Production I.G. has a spotty track record when it comes to using computer animation; at times they appear on the cutting edge, and other times their work is almost laughable. Le Chevalier D’Eon starts off looking like it’s going to be on the bad end — the first episode has several points where the CG is awful. Galloping through a fence with no real sense of motion, only a CG slide…a guy opens a door and moves along with it in the next few frames…characters look like Colorforms on the backgrounds…you know the drill. They tried to do too much and it looks bad. However, it tones down thereafter, and at times it’s downright easy on the eyes in the following three episodes. No one is going to mistake it for the next revolution in CGI animation, but it does get better. There’s certainly a visual flair, and when the swordfights start, they are pretty amazing. Other elements of the production are far better. The music is quite nice, and both the opening and closing themes are well worth a second listen. The visual designs are muted, reminding me of the work found in Witch Hunter Robin, and they are very appropriate for the historical setting.

What works for Le Chevalier D’Eon is its historical setting. Although there are occasional shows that deal with historical periods in Europe, such as The Rose of Versailles, it’s nice to get an anime that’s not either in Japan or outer space. (I like my sci-fi, but still…) The fact that Chevalier uses real historical characters makes it all the more fascinating, since there are plenty of comparisons to make. I should also note that Chevalier is easy to watch. The pacing is excellent, and just when you expect you’ve got something figured out, a new puzzler is introduced. Getting through these four episodes in one evening was a cruise. It may not have a blazing battle every minute, but it held my interest. What’s more, the mysteries here are so engaging that you’ll be eager for the next disc.

Chevalier didn’t win me over, however, and for reasons both universal and personal. First, while Chevalier positions itself as a historical Gothic thriller the likes of which you’ve never seen before, the horrific supernatural elements put it way over-the-top. It’s one thing for cultic secret societies to be behind murders and revolutions. It’s another thing entirely for those societies to be creating zombies that come back from the dead. Now this isn’t to say this is entirely unseen; you can find historical supernatural thrillers in From Hell, Brotherhood of the Wolf, and even Interview With The Vampire. But somehow it didn’t work for me, and I like zombie films! I enjoy George Romero and his ilk, but the supernatural bent here felt off-kilter. Maybe it was just totally outside my realm of expectations. Or maybe it’s that it made it feel like too many other shows I’ve watched. The anime realm is filled with plenty of undead occultish types, and moving them to France doesn’t make them any more original.

Then again, perhaps it’s because I found the whole “Christian magic” angle of the program particularly ridiculous. Unlike Japanese cultural religions that incorporate magical legends into their lore, Christianity and Judaism’s roots show a profound disdain for magical arts. Just look at Acts 8:9-24 for a story about Simon, often referred to as Simon Magus, who was strongly chastised when he asked to buy the ability to use the God-given powers the disciples were displaying. As such, to see the “Poets” going around doing magic with “Psalms” is patently absurd. So is the whole premise of Lia possessing D’Eon by quoting “the Psalm of Vengeance” or even the notion that Lia’s soul would wind up walking the earth without her body’s burial. (Admittedly, at times in church history there have been some wild notions about the soul/body dichotomy, but this is the first I’ve heard of this one.) The “Psalm” quoted throughout the program is really an incantation, just like any other we see in a magical girl show during a transformation sequence. It makes the pseudo-Christian symbolism of Neon Genesis Evangelion look perfectly reasonable by comparison. Now this does not mean that there weren’t religious cults in 1700s France; I have no doubt that the occult was practiced. But to equate Christianity with the practices of witchcraft? It goes to show how little the show’s creators understand Christianity on the whole. I couldn’t write a program that would do justice to Shinto, and I wish that those who don’t understand Christianity would just leave it well enough alone. Things like the whole crossdressing/transgender issues between D’Eon and Lia didn’t bother me half as much as this. One other thing…the characters have to explain simple biblical allusions to each other (at one point, D’Eon explains to someone that “Psalms” is a book in the Bible). In 1700s France? Not likely. They’re doing it for us, the assumedly biblically illiterate audience, but their method is painful for those who know the effect of Christianity on Europe.

If what I’ve said above sounds goofy to you, then you’ll probably like Le Chevalier D’Eon. Other than the animation problems in the first episode, there’s much on the surface to appreciate. I can’t say I liked the occult aspects or the bizarro view of Christianity the show presents, but I thought the presentation was good and the entertainment value high. I give it a cautious recommendation, realizing that many people out there already love it. I can’t wholeheartedly throw my support behind it with its problems, but I certainly might give it another try.

Le Chevalier D’Eon Vol. 1 — violence, occultism — B

Source:worldtravelguide.net

Spooky noises, haunted houses, possessions…all are part and parcel of the horror genre. One could argue that the field of horror films has never had much promise, and that the only original one in the 1990s was Scream, which simply took the premise and added a postmodern veneer. The Japanese never saw the advent of irony and sarcasm enter into the realm of terror flicks, however, and so it seems they all run together at times. Laughing Target is notable due to its creator, Rumiko Takahashi of Ranma, Urusei Yatsura, and Inuyasha fame. She released this video as part of a series called Rumic’s World, a bunch of one-shot stories that let her break free of the confines of her continuing series. Laughing Target is also interesting to watch because it has a great deal of atmosphere; it reaches that level of spookiness that few scary movies attain. It still should be better, though, considering its author; too much cliché and wayward storytelling move this into the second tier of anime.

Yuzuru is a handsome archer, admired by his classmates and swooned over by the girls. Life with his girlfriend Satomi seems great–that is, until his fiancé Azusa comes on the scene. Years before, Yuzuru’s father made a deal with a strange aunt that Yuzuru would marry her daughter Azusa so that their family line would continue. Now everybody’s grown up, and old promises are easily forgotten…or are they? Azusa seems to be completely infatuated with Yuzuru, and she’s not willing for anyone to come between them. She’s also got a truly bizarre curse that creates little slimy slugs that devour those who get in her way. Azusa becomes far more than an unwanted visitor.

Released back in the 80s when OVA one-shots could still get decent budgets, Laughing Target is a nice looking show. I had forgotten what small nuances could do to make a scene more powerful. The subtle movement seen in Laughing Target gives it a certain amount of weight that a show of this type rarely has. Beyond the animation, which is otherwise unspectacular, the feel of this show is great. Some really creepy moments transcend the rest of the movie, in particular a shot that occurs just after the credits finish. The music was also nicely selected, adding to the mood without dating the piece.

If only it weren’t so simplistic. We see everything coming a mile before the characters do in Laughing Target, and though dread is an old genre standby, we are never really surprised or given a good shock. Two of the more scary sequences happen around fan service moments, which signals a sign of poor planning (if not desperation). What’s more, several intense sequences don’t make sense where they are staged–there should be plenty of people around, but there aren’t. It’s one thing for a crazy psycho to attack you on a deserted street; it’s another if every street is deserted and for no good reason. We’re also not given a reason why Azusa has become one with this malevolent entity; she just is. Sometimes, ignorance is horrifying in and of itself, but here it’s set up like a mystery that’s unresolved. A puzzle that’s missing pieces is nigh frustrating when it sits a few jigsaws short of completion. (I also don’t think Takahashi’s character designs lend themselves well to horror, but that’s a personal beef I think few will have.)

Laughing Target is better than many horror films filled with blood and tentacles. Because it rises above the dreck, we hope for more, and wind up a tad disappointed. I think it’s a fine rental, but not the top anime has to offer.

Laughing Target — brief nudity, violence, some disturbing imagery — B-

Source:worldtravelguide.net