Secret Santa Review: Baccano! (Sub)

Medium: TV Anime (13 episodes + 3 DVD-only OAV episodes)
Genres: Drama, Adventure, Mystery, Comedy
Adapted from: Baccano! (ongoing 2003 light novel series)
Director: Takahiro Omori
Studio: Brain's Base
Release Date: Jul. 26 – Nov. 1, 2007 (JP – WOWOW), December 2009 (US – FUNimation), Oct. 2010 (UK – Manga UK)
Rated: 18 (UK BBFC, due to frequent swearing and frequent intense violence)

Ed. Note: Welcome to our fourth and final "Anime Secret Santa Review." Our reviewers were given review requests as gifts from their Secret Santas, and are now unveiling their opinions of the shows they chose. For more information, check out our 2010 Anime Secret Santa introductory post.

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Before I talk about Baccano! proper, I'd first like to thank my Secret Santa, whoever they may be. All three of your choices were excellent. I had already seen and loved Kino's Journey (2003), but when it came to choosing between Baccano! and Eden of the East (2009), it was a close run contest. What made my mind up for me is the following sequence of events, which I shall dramatize for you:

	: "Hmm, I want to watch both Eden of the East and Baccano! - what to do?"
	: "Hey, Hey Elliot!"
	: "What's that?"
	: "Hey there!"
	: "What the?"
	: "Hey there, Elliot, we think you should watch Baccano!. That would be for the best."
	: "Why?"
	: "Well, look how happy we are! Don't you want to find out why we are happy, and be happy yourself?"
	: "I guess..."
	: "Do it!"
	: "Agh! Okay, okay."
	: "Excellent....."

It went something like that. What I present here is more something of a trip report than a full review.

Now onto the show itself. Having watched the main 13 episode series, I have come to regard Baccano! as a series of victories and small wonders, furnishing the viewer with a massively entertaining show that manages to satisfy without outstaying its welcome or stretching too far.

I will admit that until sitting down and watching it I have avoided all discussion or reviews of Baccano! (Including the Ani-Gamers review) as whenever someone has mentioned the show they have taken pains to point out that almost anything is a spoiler when it comes to the shows twisting plotline. I even avoided reading the synopsis on the back of the DVD set before watching. (I’m glad I didn’t — whoever wrote the one on the Manga UK DVD set appears to have been drunk.)

To outline the show: set primarily in the early 1930s, Baccano! follows the exploits of a wide range of characters in both Manhattan and the transcontinental express train "The Flying Pussyfoot" as they all go about their personal business. The narrative jumps between different time periods and different characters with such frequency that the show's creators saw fit to make much of the first episode a primer for what is to follow. For most of this episode, Norio Wakamoto (with full R-rolling in effect) and his assistant prepare the viewer by discussing in a broad sense the different time periods, settings and characters that you are going to spend the following 12 episodes with, as well as showing the viewer some juicy snippets of what is to come.

This initially flummoxing first episode nearly turned me off of the show. It felt like a warning, telling me "Hey, if you aren't down with what’s going on now maybe you should just give up and put this back on your shelf. Oh, here is a quick cut of a young boy getting shot in the head. Bet you're interested now, eh?" Then, at the end of the episode something awesome happens (that I won't spoil) and I was hooked.

To cut to the chase, the plotting works marvelously. The highest praise I can lavish on Baccano! is that even with all the switching of character, time period and setting, the entire plotline comes together into a coherent whole that is massively satisfying, like watching a good detective story. The timing and placement of character and time zone transitions feels meticulously thought out and perfectly judged to maintain viewer interest without causing confusion or irritation. When transitioning between different time periods the show will throw up a black static image with the year that the following events take place in - the genius of these cuts are that they act as welcome breathing spaces in the action, heightening tension. The presentation reminds me an awful lot of the Guy Ritchie film Snatch (2000), which also uses multiple viewpoints to weave together a coherent and thrilling tale. I was worried towards the end that Baccano! would contract a fatal case of "Dumb Anime Ending" syndrome, but I was proven completely and wonderfully wrong. The ending was not bombastic or laden with sudden twists, but was immensely satisfying and ties the disparate plotlines up wonderfully.

The characters themselves also do a lot of the lifting when it comes to drawing you into the story, in part because there are so damn many of them but also because they are genuinely interesting. One particular character is called Jacuzzi Splot, and when I first saw him, i hated his guts. He had a dumb tattoo, a whiny voice, and a melancholy outlook on life. His one redeeming feature was that listening to Japanese voice actors try and pronounce "Jacuzzi" was endlessly amusing. But after a few appearances I began to root for the guy as his development on screen was so engaging and interesting to watch. This happens a lot with the characters — you might not like them, but you come to understand them through their actions. I can honestly say that Baccano! is one of the few shows that have had me rooting for a mass murderer. Multiple mass murderers, in fact.

Not only are the characters interesting because of their actions, but they also look great. Everyone is stylishly drawn and with a great deal of care, something that really helps out not only in learning names but also in deciphering expressions and intentions of the cast and helping you connect with them. This ability to empathize with the characters really pulls you in, and I feel is best outlined by two of its best characters, Isaac and Miria. I love these two, so very much. Isaac and Miria are a pair of loud, boisterous, idiotic and immensely lucky thieves and the fact that they feel like believable characters while acting in such an absurd manner for their entire time on screen is a credit to the series. They are used just the right amount — too little and they would become a throwaway gimmick, too much and they would take over the show and ruin the magic.

I mentioned that the characters were stylish before. In fact the whole series is damn stylish. Every character, backdrop and action has style in spades. What makes this work is that the style is completely cohesive and well thought out to work as a single whole experience: no sudden SHAFT-style insanity, no winks at the camera, no snickering to itself behind the stage curtains. Every element presented on screen has a purpose and it was put there to contribute directly towards viewer enjoyment, drawing you into a coherent world that has a tangible feeling of authenticity to it.

To sum up my thoughts on Baccano!, after the end of the 13th episode in my third non-stop viewing session, I stood up to retrieve the DVD from the disc tray and thought to myself: "Wow. That was really enjoyable. I wish more things were made this well." I only regret I waited until I had to be pushed by Santa to actually sit down and watch it!

[Highly Recommended]

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This review is based on the Manga UK DVD box set, purchased by the reviewer.

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Secret Santa Review: Last Exile (Hyb)

Medium: TV Anime (26 episodes)
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Military, Science Fiction
Director: Koichi Chigira
Studio: GONZO
Release Date: Apr. 7 – Sep. 29, 2003 (TV Tokyo – JP), Nov. 18, 2003 (Geneon/FUNimation – NA)
Rated: Not Rated

Ed. Note: Welcome to the second of our four "Anime Secret Santa Reviews." Our reviewers were given review requests as gifts from their Secret Santas, and are now unveiling their opinions of the shows they chose. For more information, check out our 2010 Anime Secret Santa introductory post.

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You know you're in for a polarizing show when one of the biggest pieces of praise people can give is "it's one of the few shows by this studio that's actually worth watching!" Unfortunately for anime studio GONZO (Gankutsuou, Welcome to the NHK, Linebarrels of Iron), that's basically the compliment granted to any relatively successful series that they create, and for better or for worse, Last Exile (2003) sits among this short list of "not terrible" GONZO series.

The show begins in a vaguely steampunk era in which giant airships have become the primary tool of war. Our heroes are two young pilots who make their living as couriers on the wings of their small fighter plane-esque craft called a "vanship." Claus Valca is a quiet, kindly pilot with a penchant for finishing everything he starts, while Lavie is his hot-headed, impetuous, and intelligent navigator. As the guy piloting the vanship, Claus is naturally the hero GONZO chooses to focus on, while Lavie serves simultaneously as his childhood friend, romantic interest, and moral compass.

These two couriers are living a simple life in the shadows of their legendary fathers (couriers who flew together until their untimely deaths) when they find themselves tasked with transporting a young girl named Alvis to the "Kill 'Em All" Silvana, a notorious mercenary airship thought to suck the souls out of anyone who comes aboard. After narrowly escaping attacks from the Guild, a shadowy organization that exerts subtle control over all the world's militaries and governments, the two vanship operators end up joining the Silvana's not-so-scary crew in a mysterious mission to strike the very heart of the Guild.

On paper, Last Exile seems like an exhilarating modern military tale, set in the skies of a unique world bound by strange rules — and it almost is, too. Unfortunately, GONZO's execution is painfully uneven, to the point that I often wondered if the writers knew where they were going when they created the original concept. The story is roughly split into three acts: 1) introduction of major cast and factions, 2) the Silvana wanders around doing things and battling some people, and 3) final confrontation with the Guild. As you might be able to guess, the second act features no central narrative or even an attempt at a formula (which would have made it much easier to follow). Instead the characters just meet a few unrelated challenges and overcome them, all the while developing ever so slightly as both individual characters and as a team.

Unfortunately, that individual development often leads to dead ends, as with two of the show's seemingly important romantic threads that simply die out before the introduction of the third act. The overall development of the cast, however, is one of the Last Exile's defining characteristics. The sense of cohesion between the Silvana's crew might not be apparent at first, but the motley crew of pilots, mechanics, and bridge personnel really start to feel like one big team by the end of the series. The most apt comparison that comes to my mind is original Gundam (1979), though Last Exile certainly doesn't pull it off quite that well.

Despite the compelling sense of overall camaraderie, some of the individual characters can get truly grating after 26 episodes. Let's start with Claus: his personality is so meek and boring that he is effectively the same as any of the cookie-cutter protagonists in harem anime. Underscoring this unfortunate truth is his harem of girls, including Lavie, Alvis, the cold-hearted pilot Tatiana, and even the strong-willed Vice Captain Sophia. To make matters worse, Tatiana turns into a mushy little lovestruck schoolgirl when Claus so much as lends her his jacket, and Sophia's romantic encounter comes from so far in left field that you'll likely be throwing things at your screen in frustration. To be honest, by episode 15 I was convinced that Last Exile was a harem show in disguise.

Meanwhile, there are a few characters who really shine despite their disappointing company. Alex Row, the stoic captain of the Silvana, rocks all kinds of socks with his grumpy demeanor and tortured past, but cracks begin to show in his emotional armor as we learn more about his history and see him lose control near the end of the show. Dio (no, not that one) and Lucciola, two runaways from the Guild who join up with the Silvana, and Mullin Shetland, a musketeer-turned-mechanic, provide an interesting counterpoint to the rest of the crew as outsiders coping with the stress of turning away from their previous loyalties. On the bad guy's side, the sinister Guild leader Maestro Delphine comes off as a poisonously sweet version of Gundam's Haman Karn.

But as far as I'm concerned, the real star of Last Exile is Lavie Head, Claus's energetic navigator. Originally she seems like nothing more than an obligatory bossy love interest, but by episode 8 or so it is clear that her personality reaches depths far beyond those of her lame childhood friend. Even when she decides that she doesn't want to be Claus's navigator as long as he is flying in combat (a brave and unexpected decision that throws a fascinating wrench in the works), she remains one of the most well-developed members of the crew. Lavie feels with a magnitude that nobody else in the show does, careening between nurturing love for Alvis, passionate concern for Claus, and unexpected bravery in the face of danger. Through it all, she manages to be both completely admirable and believably flawed, a feat that I'm frankly surprised GONZO managed to pull off so well.

While Japanese voice actor Chiwa Saito's performance as Lavie certainly gets the job done, Kari Wahlgren truly makes the role her own. Especially compared to Johnny Yong Bosch's typically overwrought Claus, Wahlgren's Lavie is always believable, no matter where she is on the emotional spectrum. In terms of the rest of the English cast, despite some clunky deliveries they mostly stack up well, especially thanks to spot-on Japanese-to-English voice matching by Bang Zoom.

Nearly all of the technology in the show (intricately researched and designed by character designer Range Murata and Gankutsuou's Mahiro Maeda) is animated using GONZO's notorious CG style, which only rarely blends with the two-dimensional character animation used throughout. Movement is also irritatingly choppy during the fight scenes, undercutting the clear quality of the original concepts. The skilled 2-D animators who realized Murata and Maeda's beautiful character and costume designs likely could have transformed most of the storyboards for the battle scenes into thrilling dogfights, but as it stands the 3-D fights are merely passable (though GONZO gets points for including ZERO Gundam-style monologues or pilot-to-pilot arguments during fights).

While I don't usually comment on such things, Last Exile's sound design is actually one of its greatest strengths. The sound effects used to represent the creaking and turning of machinery and the movements of the wind are far more visceral (and frequent) than the effects used in most other anime. This, combined with Maeda and Murata's unique and complex designs for clothing and machinery, makes for a lot of fascinating world-building potential. Unfortunately, spotty explanations of the factions and technologies often make it difficult to understand who is fighting whom and for what reasons. By the time the series reaches its exciting finale, it might still take a Wikipedia visit or two to understand just what was going on in the skies of Claus and Lavie's world.

Last Exile, like many GONZO series before it, is a valuable lesson in wasted potential. It's clear that the concept designers put a lot of work into the series during pre-production, and the animators' love for their material shines through in rare moments that belie Last Exile's most glaring flaw, which is that it doesn't really say or do very much with its own material. In the end, the exquisite presentation, the attempts at world-building, and the moments of genuine humanity come together to produce a work that is nothing more than the sum of its parts. We are left with a vaporous story about people in airships who fight each other.

[Passable]

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This review is based on the Hulu streams (both dub and sub) of the series, provided by FUNimation.

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Secret Santa Review: Fate/Stay Night (Sub)

Medium: TV Anime (24 episodes)
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Romance, Supernatural, Thriller
Adapted from: Fate/Stay Night (2004 game)
Director: Yuji Yamaguchi
Studio: Aniplex/Studio DEEN
Release Date: Jan. 6 – Jun. 16, 2006 (JP), Dec. 19, 2006 (Geneon/FUNimation – NA)
Rated: Not Rated

Ed. Note: Welcome to the first of our four "Anime Secret Santa Reviews." Our reviewers were given review requests as gifts from their Secret Santas, and are now unveiling their opinions of the shows they chose. For more information, check out our 2010 Anime Secret Santa introductory post.

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Fate/Stay Night tells the story of Shirō Emiya, sole surviving civilian of a local holocaust, ten years after said event. The man who rescues Shirō becomes his adoptive father and instills in him a sense of pacifist justice before passing away. Having taken this philosophy to heart, Shirō embodies self-sacrifice and lives as a doormat for his classmates' inconsiderate soles. He does not turn down any request and is always willing to sacrifice his own well being for the welfare of others. As a result, Shirō's philosophy is challenged one day after summoning the world's most capable warrior (Saber) via latent magical abilities in a knee-jerk response to a mortal threat. By doing so, Shirō inadvertently enters an exclusive tournament known as "The Holy Grail Wars," in which all participants – pairs comprised of masters (magi, or magic users) and servants (warriors) – must either kill or be killed until only one magus and his or her warrior remain.

While the overall presentation of said story is awash with harem elements, the main conflict of the story, pacifism in the midst of battle, is aptly personified via the assignment of Saber to Shirō. Furthermore, implications are deepened via the introduction of Shirō's inability, caused by his lack of study in magic, to make Saber properly materialize. Thus Emiya and Saber, respectively as magus and servant, portray two incomplete parts that leverage each other to form a whole in the hopes of competently fighting against multiple pairs of complementary wholes. This setup is rife for conflicts, and the execution does right by exploring the main theme of action vs. inaction. However, the weaving of romantic tension turns too many scenes into boring and (for the most part) inconsequential harem tropes.

That's not to say that romantic tension doesn't serve some purpose. Rather, the execution of its repeated influence only weakens the story. I'd maintain there are two instances of romantic tension aptly serving the story: that of Emiya's falling for Saber and Rin's unexplainable interest in Emiya. While the latter only serves as a reason why a fellow magus would not kill, and instead might even protect, a competitor, Emiya's falling for Saber further lends credence to why he constantly puts his life on the line for what he views as his responsibility. Really, there's an essay waiting to be written on Emiya and Saber, and that fact alone makes the anime a worthwhile watch, but other aspects deserved to be touched upon as well. Art in Fate/Stay Night is standard fare but of above average quality (budget). Really, its only fault would be the showcasing of CG alchemic circles, the animation of which seems a little too out of place. Fight scenes are well orchestrated and, for the most part, fully animated, and the overall ambience is set rather perfectly. Deep hues of night, the only time during which combat is permitted, are foreboding and bloodthirsty, while days offer a palate more complimentary to the harem walls and the associated tension break. Character designs are also quite Romantic, especially concerning the servants' attire/armor.

Writing is a tad overly dramatic, except, surprisingly, for the harem aspects. Instead, I found myself actually liking how statements by the majority of the female characters never (or rarely) said anything directly. In retrospect, I also greatly enjoyed the underlying and understated theme of regret that manifests not only within the warriors throughout the series but which also resonates as the drive behind the warriors – each a mythical figure of ancient origin.

If you have time to kill, there are far worse anime to help you pull the trigger. It's pretty, the pacing of the main plot is quick, and general subtext is nothing that requires much thought. There is even decent potential as fodder for analysis, which is surprising given the series' origin as an “eroge” (erotic game). What I can only guess to be a successful anime translation (best to ask Elliot Page) manages to eliminate all hentai aspects, save the annoyingly omnipresent harem elements (beware the first half of the date episode!!!), and deliver an enjoyable watch akin to a more grown-up Zatch Bell (2003).

[Recommended]

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This review is based on rental copies obtained via the reviewer's personal Netflix account.

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Preview: Black Butler (Dub)

Ahh, Black Butler, also known as "Kuroshitsuji" in Japan. Infamous for its perpetually squealing teenage girl fanbase, it can be difficult for male fans to actually give it a try. However, after my stint with the surprisingly funny Axis Powers Hetalia (also known for its prepubescent female fans), I thought I might as well give Black Butler from A-1 Pictures (Kannagi, Welcome to the Space Show) a fair shake.

In the two dubbed episodes that I received on FUNimation's preview disc, however, I found myself giving Black Butler much more than a fair shake. You see, this series is in fact a shōnen (boys) manga, even though it clearly aims for a female demographic with its pretty-boy main characters and vaguely homo-erotic situations. This combination of demographics, now quite common in the manga world, means that Black Butler can provide an experience that's fun for more than just the core girls audience. Go figure!

Sebastian is a demon butler, bound to his master, Ciel Phantomhive, by a devilish contract — he must obey all of his master's orders, but Ciel has also agreed to allow Sebastian to consume his soul after the contract has ended. Following along with this delightfully Faustian setup, the series is defined by a dark, gothic style, complete with classic ornamentation in both architecture and fashion.

Plus, FUNimation's dub uses some surprisingly accurate British accents to help geographically and historically place the story in Victorian England. The voices don't always work — namely Brian Mathis, who weaves in and out of an Italian accent for the villain of episode 2 — but even some of the weaker performances like Monica Rial's Cockney accent manage to produce moments of comedy.

These two (predictably) self-contained episodes center around Sebastian's dazzling butler abilities, as he shows up all of the manor's servants with his masterful preparation of dinner and ... fighting prowess. In fact, the inclusion of fight scenes highlights the most important thing about these first few episodes of Black Butler — they combine straight-up visual gags with black comedy, creepy gothic macabre, light drama, and A-1 Pictures' best imitation of BONES-style (Fullmetal Alchemist) action scenes. The result is a fun, creepy, and exciting pastiche that never leaves you without a dull moment, despite its tendency to careen between styles.

Granted, this is just based on a limited preview, so the show could easily let me down after more than two episodes. Regardless, the beginning of Black Butler is undeniably entertaining; it may feature a pretty-boy butler being pretty, but his Golgo 13-esque ability to effortlessly complete any task, no matter how gruesome, makes for fun times, and the variety of comedic styles is sure to please nearly anyone.

Look for Black Butler on DVD from FUNimation Entertainment on January 11, 2011, and check it out with English subs right now on FUNimation's video portal, Hulu, and Anime News Network.

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This preview is based on a complimentary screener DVD provided by FUNimation Entertainment.

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Review: Gankutsuou – The Count of Monte Cristo (Dub)

Medium: TV Anime (24 episodes)
Genres: Drama, Political, Science Fiction
Based on: Alexandre Dumas's novel
Director: Mahiro Maeda
Studio: GONZO
Release Date: Oct. 5, 2004 – Mar. 29, 2005 (Japan), Oct. 16, 2007 (Geneon/FUNimation – N.America)
Rated: Not Rated (appropriate for 16+)

Adaptations are one of my favorite types of stories to review due to their ability to show one story from multiple perspectives and through the eyes of multiple generations of writers. Thus, Gankutsuou, Gonzo's 2004 anime adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' seminal novel The Count of Monte Cristo, is simply irresistible to my sensibilities as both an anime fan and a fan of the original novel.

Unlike many others of its ilk, Gankutsuou goes above and beyond slavish imitation, changing a number of relatively important parts of the story from the get-go. Naturally this can confuse most readers of the book as they try to figure out how the plot could possibly work out with all of the changes. When I began watching, I, too, was a skeptic. Though I am certainly not a total believer now, the 24 episodes of Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo have shown me a fascinating approach to adaptation that maintains (and in some cases improves) the depiction of the central theme while not fretting over the nitty-gritty details of the original work.

On the topic of omitting grit, Gankutsuou skips Dumas's entire set of introductory chapters, which serve to construct the tragic back-story of the mysterious, fantastically wealthy Count of Monte Cristo. Instead, scriptwriters Natsuko Takahashi (Fullmetal Alchemist, Romeo X Juliet) and Tomohiro Yamashita (Afro Samurai, Red Garden) drop us into the Carnivale on Luna, a strikingly science-fictiony replacement for the original setting of Rome. As if the book purist in me wasn't already crying out at the omission of Edmond Dantes’s/Monte Cristo's unjust 15-year imprisonment, giant CGI blimps and reveling space colonists seem to state immediately that this is not Dumas's original (and, very importantly, that it is not trying to be).

The switch in the starting point, however, actually serves to set up the first of many important narrative shifts; the focus of the story is transferred from the Count of Monte Cristo to the anime's new protagonist, Viscount Albert de Morcerf (who plays an important role as a side character in the novel). While partying on Luna with his best buddy Franz d'Epinay, Albert finds himself in trouble with bandits, only to be saved by the Count. Before long he becomes close friends with the rich aristocrat, who ends up living in Paris, forging bonds with many of the most influential families in the city (including Albert's).

But as tragedy befalls Albert's friends, acquaintances, and enemies, it becomes clear that something sinister is afoot. Some see the Count as a prime suspect, but Albert cannot believe that the man who once saved his life would be out to cause harm to him or any of his friends.

The true strength of director Mahiro Maeda's (Blue Sub Six, "Second Rennaisance" portion of Animatrix) retelling lies not in simple translation. He might miss essential pieces of what Dumas was trying to say, but through these changes he creates an entirely new story, rooted in the basics of the original but not necessarily tied down to its themes or messages. Indeed, this contemporary version of The Count of Monte Cristo has its own moments of storytelling and aesthetic brilliance. Textile designer/digital director Yasufumi Soejima (Last Exile, Ristorante Paradiso) captures the opulence of Parisian aristocratic life using a fascinating and unique visual technique involving brightly colored textures that seem to remain stationary as the characters and objects they are attached to move around the frame. The effect is disorienting at first, but it lends the series a distinctive air of gaudiness that suits the setting. Meanwhile, the Count himself is the most striking image of the entire anime, with his almost vampiric blue face, pointed ears, and protruding canines. In the novel he is described as being so intriguing that he is the center of attention whenever he enters a room, so it is impressive that character designer Hidenori Matsubara (Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040, Sakura Wars) was able to maintain this feature while not adhering strictly to Dumas's other descriptors.

Unfortunately, Gankutsuou's anime trappings don't always work to its advantage, especially when it comes to an overuse of exposition. The original Count of Monte Cristo revels in its mystique, never making an explicit connection between the Count and Edmond Dantes (nor with his own revenge plot) until the novel's final act. In Gonzo's version, the connection is made within the first episode, and though Albert is given an incredibly wide swath of incriminating information regarding the Count, it takes him around 20 episodes to finally discover the (then quite obvious) truth. Admittedly this kind of exposition is necessary due to the omission of Dantes's back-story, but it doesn't make the dramatic irony any less frustrating.

Geneon's dub doesn't exactly help matters either, with Johnny Yong Bosch's predictably overwrought performance adding a bit more intensity than necessary to Albert's character. The Count, however, finds a quietly sinister portrayal in Jamieson Price, one that I would even say fits Dumas's original version of the character. Backing up Bosch's occasionally effective performance is Ezra Weisz, mucking up nearly all of Franz's lines with mood-crushing wooden acting. Luckily, he's one of the few stinkers in the cast, but that doesn't diminish the damage Franz does to the dub version every time he's on screen.

Gankutsuou's most effective moments come when Dumas and Maeda's sensibilities play off of each other. A scene of a girl suffering from poison, lit only by lightning bolts, expresses Dumas's supreme melodrama with a profound visual language not available to the author. Even scenes with sweeping changes, such as the aftermath of the duel near the end of the series, carry emotional weight thanks to Maeda's choice to continually compound his own calamitous plot threads and Dumas's own acute sense of tragedy.

At its best, Gankutsuou can produce just such moments of silent collaboration between Maeda and Dumas, but in between the high points are scenes of bland anime exposition and maddening, poorly executed dramatic irony. Through it all, the series maintains a quick pace, fueled in part by Takahashi and Yamashita's propensity for cliffhanger endings in each episode, which pulled me along in much the same way that Sunrise's Code Geass did. This might not be hailed as the kind of timeless classic that its source material is, but Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo is certainly a compelling, firmly above average anime melodrama, not to be missed by any genre aficionados.

[Recommended]

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This review is based on a Netflix streaming video version of the series provided by FUNimation and viewed through the reviewer's personal Netflix subscription.

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Otakon 2010: FUNimation Industry Panel

...with Adam Sheehan and Josh Morris

State of the Industry
(prescribed with a grain of salt considering the source)

Dubs are here to stay, as there is more consumer demand for DVD releases with subs than without. “There’s money to be made here.”

Viewers older than 25 now represent 51% of market, while those from 18-24 years of age represent 40%. People ranging from 13-17 years old represent the largest group of online viewers.

Convention attendance is steadily growing.

Social Media Branch
http://blog.funimation.com/ (which will post this entire panel in a week or so)
twitter.com/funimation (75,000 followers)
Facebook (72,000 fans)
YouTube.com (159,000 subscribers, 8th largest following worldwide)

Simulcasts
One Piece
Rainbow
Black Butler Season 2
Legend of Legendary Heroes
Sekirei Season 2
Shiki

Anti-Piracy Initiatives
Hired 1 lawyer and 3 additional staff to police and report online and offline copyright infringements.

DVD Releases
My Bride is a Mermaid (funimation.com/mybrideisamermaid)
Master of Martial Hearts – “Mortal Kombat with less clothing,” due August 2010
Casshern Sins (funimation.com/casshernsins) – parts 1 & 2 due August 17, 2010.
Corpse Princess (funimation.com/shikabanehime) – due September 14, 2010.
Hetalia (funimation.com/hetalia) – 26 episodes due out September 14, 2010.
Hetalia Season 2 – with tons of extras due out October 12, 2010.
Eden of the East (funimation.com/edenoftheeast) – complete series due out September 28, 2010 for $54.98 ($59 Blu-Ray)

Voice Cast Announcements
Oh! Edo Rocket (see picture for blurry but readable list)
Black Butler (see picture for blurry but readable list)

New Acquisitions
Phantom, Requiem for the Phantom
Strike Witches Season 2 (picture) coming 2011
Blessing of the Campanella (picture) coming 2011
Okamisan (picture) coming 2011
Hetalia Seasons 3 and 4 (picture) coming 2011
Hetalia “Paint It White” movie coming 2011
Summer Wars (picture) coming 2011
Evangelion 2.22 (picture) coming 2011 – possible theatrical release mentioned

Social Networking Site
Launching in September, with beta available sometime in near future, funimation.com will feature personal profiles for users as well as news, videos, behind-the-scenes exclusives, forums and contests. “Elite member subscriptions” will be available, which offer ad-free viewing and early access to dubs prior to DVD releases.

A Couple Answers from Q&A Session
FUNimation offers encouragement for small retailers via incentive support, streaming video services for in-store play, and free promotional materials that do not have to be returned.

Oasis performs opening song for Eden of the East, but only in first episode (could explain the price tag).

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Click here for more of our Otakon 2010 coverage

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Review: Dragon Ball Z Kai, Part 1 (Hyb)

Medium: TV Anime (57+ episodes, 13 reviewed)
Genres: Action, Adventure
Director: Daisuke Nishio (original series director)
Studio: Toei
Release Dates: Apr. 5, 2009 – ongoing (Fuji TV–Japan), May. 18, 2010 (FUNimation–N.America)
Rated: Not Rated (appropriate for 13+)

Dragon Ball Z kids, you know who you are. The generation that came home from school every day excited to watch the ongoing adventures of Goku and friends may have grown up now, but Toei's classic adaptation of Akira Toriyama's smash-hit shōnen manga remains a staple of fandom for many anime fans. Of course, before going any further, I should mention that I too was one of those exuberant DBZ kids. (In fact, before making Ani-Gamers, I once created a stupid DBZ fansite filled with photos, episode summaries, and ridiculous made-up power level comparisons.)

Despite the widespread love for Dragon Ball Z, though, many fans who have returned to the series since watching it as a child have found it to be tiresome and plagued by filler episodes (made to hold off production of the animation so there would still be manga content to animate). Enter Dragon Ball Kai, Toei's 20th Anniversary revival of the original TV series. Unlike many other anniversary projects, however, this is not a new series based on the same basic plot (like the 2003 Astro Boy series), nor is simply remastered footage (like the DBZ "Dragon Box"). No, Dragon Ball Kai (christened "Dragon Ball Z Kai" in North America) is, in a way, a "director's cut" of the original Dragon Ball Z, with remastered footage, new sound effects and background music, re-recorded dub tracks (in both English and Japanese) and — perhaps most importantly to many grown-up fans — all of the filler cut out.

The story of Part 1, which features 13 episodes about the martial artist Son Goku and his allies as they fight off an evil alien race called the Saiyans, moves along at a brisk pace, with barely any of DBZ's trademark scenes of laborious power-ups and staring contests. In fact, the 13 episodes of the first DVD set cover the events of the first 30 episodes of the 1989 Japanese TV broadcast, setting a pace that nearly matches that of Toriyama's manga. Granted, there are a few scenes not depicted in the manga, such as a brief moment of comedy when the Saiyan Nappa scares away a news crew, screaming, "I hate the media!"

Furthermore, Kai includes new opening and ending songs from Tanimoto Takayoshi, called "Dragon Soul" and "Yeah! Break! Care! Break!" respectively. (Beware of the awkward — yet thankfully optional — English versions of the songs included by FUNimation!) Fans of the recent Dragon Ball video games might also notice flashy new eyecatches and opening/closing animations, which I assume were drawn by the same team that creates the art for games like the Budōkai Tenkaichi series.

FUNimation's new dub (presumably made up of all new audio) sounds scarily accurate to their fantastic original, which was recorded over 10 years ago! However, the folks at FUNi have clearly made a concerted effort to appeal to hardcore anime fans this time, with frequent uses of mild profanity ("damn," "hell," and the occasional "bastard"), untranslated attack names ("Makankōsappō" instead of "Special Beam Cannon"), and a subtitle track with a notably different, more accurately translated script. Clearly this is a release for the kids who grew up on DBZ and have now grown into older otaku with the disposable income to buy a fan-centric re-release. Considering this, it's surprising that the DVDs have no special features beyond textless openings and closings, but such is the state of the struggling anime industry at the moment.

Most importantly, behind all of the great modifications from both the animators at Toei and the folks at FUNimation, the backbone of Dragon Ball Z is still surprisingly strong, even two decades after its Japanese TV release. Toriyama's unforgettable characters and trademark slapstick comedy are still an absolute joy and the action scenes have a quickness and a sense of power that served as the inspiration for many modern shōnen fighting anime. What's more, there are actually some really great-looking pans around characters in the show, notable for their fidelity despite being drawn entirely using cel animation on a weekly TV budget. Unfortunately the anime version fails to fully bring out the beauty of Toriyama's exquisite sense of shot composition, though it makes some noble efforts in many of the fight scenes.

All in all, Dragon Ball Z Kai is well worth the $50 for anybody with an interest in experiencing the joy of DBZ all over again. It distills the best qualities of the show through improvements to its visuals, sound, pacing, and top-notch English adaptation, and should be a treat for anybody who grew up watching the TV airing. For new fans of the series it might not work so well, since the 13 episodes finish up partway through the fight with main villain Vegeta, prompting a necessary purchase of Part 2 for interested viewers. Actually, newcomers might even be better served by picking up volumes 1 through 4 of Viz's release of the Dragon Ball Z manga, which cover the entire Vegeta fight and can be purchased for well under the price tag of DBZ Kai Part 1.

Still, as a lifelong fan of Dragon Ball Z, I can confidently say that, if given the choice, this is absolutely THE release of the Dragon Ball Z anime that I would purchase. With Dragon Ball Z Kai, you don't just get 13 episodes of Dragon Ball Z, but you get 13 legitimately good episodes. It's a wonderful chance to experience the best that DBZ has to offer and a chance that no true fan of the show should pass up.

[Recommended]

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This review is based on a review copy of the DVD box set, provided to the reviewer by FUNimation Entertainment.

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Win a copy of Soul Eater, Part 1!

Hey, by any chance do you guys like free stuff? Oh, you do! Well, how would you like a free copy of Soul Eater, the new action anime from FUNimation Entertainment? Fortunately for you, Ani-Gamers reviewer Ink has just finished watching Soul Eater, Part 1 for review, and we will be sending his DVDs out to one lucky Ani-Gamers reader.

How do you enter? Just drop us a comment on this post letting us know your e-mail address and the name of your favorite character from a shōnen action series, and we'll pick a random winner from all of the commenters. It doesn't even have to be a character from Soul Eater — you could pick somebody from Dragonball, Naruto, Fist of the North Star, or any other show, as long as it is a shōnen action. Good luck!

EDIT: We will stop taking submissions on Wednesday, February 17 (that's next week) at 11:59 PM.

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Review: Soul Eater, Part 1 (Hyb)

Medium: TV Anime (51 episodes)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Director: Takuya Igarashi
Studio: BONES
Original Run: Apr. 7, 2008 - Mar. 30, 2009 (TV Tokyo–Japan)
Release Date: Feb. 9, 2010 (FUNimation–N.America)
Rated: Not Rated

Forgive my repetition, but for summary’s sake: Soul Eater revolves around a bunch of kids, classified as anthropomorphic tools of destruction (weapons) or those that wield them (meisters), whose end goal by training at the Death Weapon Meister Academy (DWMA) is to keep the world safe from witches as well as those that feast on human souls for the sheer guilty pleasure of it. Centered on students, the main theme is, appropriately, one of learning. Edification does not have to mean mindsets or skill sets or interpersonal relationships, but Soul Eater manages rather impressively to interweave all three in a manner that never becomes formulaic or boring.

If there was one defining factor that initially caught my eye and made me keep tuning in to FUNimation’s streaming broadcast, it was a combination of the art and fight choreography. But within the first few episodes, I also found myself chuckling at the series’ sense of self-deprecation and drooling over the engrossing nature of the interaction between all of the characters. In short, for a Naruto-esque anime, there’s a lot of good writing lurking in the subtext and an abundance of surrealist art bolstering the background that lend to an amazing series. Not to say that the screenplay is Kafka nor the art Dali, but the series doesn’t attempt to hide its obvious craft. Instead, it adopts elements and uses them to suit its own various needs.

The art, while a bit CGI-heavy, offers viewers surrealistic backdrops and personifications (gotta love the sun and moon) as well as fight scenes that are as interestingly executed as they are engrossing. There is a minimum of hazed-out background transformations and executions during fight sequences, making the animation and depiction of fights solely reliant upon actual action (go figure). This adds to both the realism of certain situations and the sheer pleasure of watching things actually happen. Details, it’s all about the details ... until things get moving.

Over the run of the first 13 episodes, the first three of which are entirely action-driven, character-building prologue, the frequency of detailed action scenes slips, but this is taken up by the upswing in character maturation and mind games between friends and enemies alike. This is not a weak point though. The action remains in focus while more and more characters are introduced and simultaneously woven into the fray. In fact, one of the most interesting and sinister characters, whose actions result in one of the most entrancing battles within the fantasy genre I’ve yet to see, only really gets her debut in episode 12!

Ah, which audio track to tune into? (I could write an essay purely on that!) While I think the Japanese is absolutely and without question perfect, I’d also admit that the dub grew on me like a weed. Don’t get me wrong; the English dub is well-acted in almost every respect (if only seeming phoned-in and out-of-sync a bit too many times), but whoever cast a woman to voice Black Star is at fault for the series' sole inexcusable audio atrocity. While her enthusiasm shows through and through, Brittany Karbowski should NOT be voicing one of the most vivacious central characters in the show, an early teen male, simply because of her estrogen levels and vocal range. Everyone else, however, finds their role and convincingly plays their parts, but there’s just something grinding about Brittany’s girlishness, which, to her credit, is either tamed or brainwashed via repetition throughout each subsequent episode.

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This review is based on a DVD box set provided by FUNimation Entertainment.



great.

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Review: El Cazador de la Bruja, Part 2 (Hyb)

Medium: TV Anime (26 episodes)
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy
Director: Koichi Mashimo
Studio: Bee Train
Original Run: Apr. 2 - Sep. 24, 2007 (TV Tokyo–Japan)
Release Date: Dec. 15, 2009 (FUNimation–N.America)
Rated: Not Rated

Read our review of Part 1!

There’s definitely a division between the last box set and this one, an accelerated (though far from rushed) pacing and linked plot advancement, that makes episodes 14-25 a little more interesting, if only at some slight expense of the series’ sense of patient humor. Sight gags and the female leads’ charm remain but are relied upon far less often to carry the series, which now leverages viewers’ existing investment in Nadie and Ellis to bring weight to the involvement and interaction of ancillary characters such as Rosenberg, LA, Blue Eyes, and Ricardo.

The formulaic town stops are also given a tweak to develop relationships between Nadie, Ellis, Ricardo, and Lirio. You might get sick at the predictability of Ricardo encounters, but formulaic does not mean boring. There’s a gradual (if only predictably episodic) humanization budding beneath the naïve Ellis that blossoms quite believably. Her foil, the downright creepy gothic tween LA (the other human-created witch/stalker/assassin), likewise gets a chance to be more than the ruffles of his shirt and empty intimidations. His character, like Ellis, grows via confrontations with his guardian figure on a journey of self-realization.

A friend once noted that every comedic anime had its mandated hot springs episode, and I had to laugh at how brilliantly Bruja works its in (as well as the fun the writers evidently had in doing so). This is in addition to other cliché episodes, such as the hotel that turns out to be an abandoned (and now haunted) house as well as what I’d like to refer to as the bounty hunter code of ethics concerning the pseudo-ending. None of these detract from Bruja, because this series relies upon nothing but its characters to sustain itself. Thus there is no storyline too out there, no episode impugnable, because the only way the series can fail is if the characters do not develop.

That is what I mean by pseudo-ending, because Bruja actually has two. The first serves to wrap up plot and journey, while the second completes the characters. Unlike most extended finales, there’s an unsaid sorrow that should permeate the viewer’s consciousness. This is due to nothing short of the love developed between Nadie and Ellis throughout their experiences and the culmination of so much time on the road. In short, the series makes it evident that these characters know each other and are sacrificing for each other, even though neither would ask the other to do so for them. The result, if you like character-driven anime, is a bit of a tearjerker, as you realize that everything ends up exactly as it should, and you’ve been privy to some pretty intimate feeling captured though the two main characters’ realistic dialogue and some extraordinary situations.

This anime may not be for everyone. But if you like lighter stories that develop their characters with charm, humor, and a bit of subtlety, Bruja, if for nothing else, is a trip worth stealing a jeep for the privilege of taking friends of similar interest along for the ride.

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This review is based on a FUNimation box set purchased by the reviewer.



fair.

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Review: El Cazador de la Bruja, Part 1 (Hyb)

Medium: TV Anime (26 episodes)
Genres: Action, Adventure
Director: Koichi Mashimo
Studio: Bee Train
Original Run: Apr. 2 - Sep. 24, 2007 (TV Tokyo-Japan)
Release Date: Dec. 15, 2009 (FUNimation-N.America)
Rated: Not Rated

Eru Kazado – El Cazador de la Bruja (English translation: The Hunter of the Witch) – is Bee Train’s finishing move to their girls-with-guns trilogy (after Noir and Madlax), a bounty hunter-and-prize buddy pic that spans 26 episodes spread over 2 FUNimation box sets. Episodes 1-10 are formulaic and inexplicably slow-paced, but there’s an innate charm that I blame on the original writing and talented English dub that warrants a committed run through. The fact that I laugh, literally, out loud despite myself three to four times per episode is enough to make me dispute the conclusion reached by Anime News Network’s Shelf Life (though not by dissention on any of its points).

Early-20s Nadie (the bounty hunter) has come into town to capture a pre-teen-ish Ellis (the bounty) while defending herself and the bounty from the myriad other bounty hunters on her tail. Nadie is over-accommodating, inexplicably acting most of the time like an over-protective sister instead of a bounty hunter, and Ellis is like a tweeny female version of rain man with unexplained “abilities” and a case of (dum-dum-dum!) amnesia. The sources of Ellis' abilities and Nadie's passive nature are explained in the last few episodes (Eps 11-13) of the first box set, which also serve to catapult the plot into high gear without losing the charm that you’re "forced" to linger through during episodes 1-10. There’s also a plot about a top-secret experiment and the man behind the bounty as well as interactions between those in contact with Nadie and those who are observing her.

Even when you’re watching the action sequences, you might find yourself asking where the action actually is. Whether this is intentional or not, El Cazador really forces you to concentrate on the characters. If this was a more shallow series, this concentration would be a great downfall, but the writers have come up with some decently three-dimensional characters worth your interest and time. It’s not that the characters are particularly deep, but there’s enough kept unsaid that a viewer is forced to wonder. As proof of this, in episodes 11-13, when most up-in-the-air mysteries are more or less explained or have some light shed on them, the series seems to move into high gear. But high-gear pacing does not mean value, and, if you want to look at the series in terms of geography, the southern US, Mexico, and Latin American countries tend to be significantly slower-going regions. The series never really identifies where it takes places to my notice, though one would assume Mexico. The fact that the series manages to evoke this sense of timelessness is a testament to, not a condemnation of, its direction.

It would be impossible to recommend this series without the English dub. This is due in general to the actual use of Spanish (in a Spanish-titled anime, go figure). While used sparsely and sporadically, the lobbing in of occasional simple and familiar Spanish words and phrases makes the dub more sincere. In particular, though, the dub would not be what it is without Maxey Whitehead as Ellis and Trina Nishimura as Nadie. Whitehead offers up a very clueless naiveté that borders on monotone and lends great punch to the character’s antics and expressions, while Nishimura’s performance, which is overwhelmingly warm and only justified somewhere in episodes 11-13, is indispensable because of the sarcastic asides Nadie makes to herself and her travel companion during their trip ever further south. Both actors lend a humorously endearing intimacy, seldom seen in dubs, that is the drive of this series.

If you’re not laughing by episode four, call it a day. But if you noticed a smile creeping up on your face or your gut suddenly aching for breath due to sucker-punch lines, stick with the rest of the first half of this series. The writing and voice acting make for a wholly enjoyable journey that, while not anything spectacular, is too well-executed to pass up.

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This review is based on a FUNimation box set purchased by the reviewer.



fair.

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FUNimation rescues FLCL from licensing limbo [EDIT]

American anime distributor FUNimation, in their quest to license EVERYTHING EVER, acquired the rights to Production I.G and Gainax's OAV series FLCL today. This continues the trend of the distributor picking up licenses for series that were dropped by out-of-business or defunct anime distributors. [Correction: FLCL was distributed by Synch-Point, not Geneon Entertainment]

For those of you who hopped on the FLCL train a long time ago, this news is probably a little bittersweet. After all, the old Synch-Point release featured two episodes on each of three discs, and the entire set went for a whopping $60 – double the price of some of FUNimation's newer box sets for 13- or 26-episode series. Now FUNimation has confirmed a box set for the series that will likely be somewhere in the range of $30, which is great for people like me who waited to buy FLCL, but no so great for people who already paid for it.

The series will drop sometime in "late 2010" on both DVD and Blu-ray. Furthermore, according to FUNimation's Twitter account, "FLCL has been dubbed before and we think it's awesome. As soon as I know for sure if we will go with the old dub or new, you guys will know." So it's a safe prediction that we won't be hearing a new English dub, but we'll update this post with definite information if and when we hear about it. [EDIT: Yes, FUNimation will use the original Synch-Point dub.]

[via FUNimation website]

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Review: Ergo Proxy (Hyb)

Medium: TV Anime
Number of Episodes: 23
Genre: Adventure, Psychological, Science Fiction
Director: Shukou Murase
Studio: Manglobe Inc.
Version Reviewed: FUNimation DVD box set
Original Run: February 25, 2006 - August 12, 2006 (JPN)
Rated: 16+

Most Ergo Proxy reviews will begin by pitching the story of Re-L Meyer, an officer for an intelligence bureau who, during a classic post-apocalyptic X-Files-style investigation of unexplainable murders, comes in contact with a monster of unknown origins. What many reviewers neglect to mention are the themes of self-discovery, destiny-versus-choice, and the heavy religious symbolism that appear from episode two onward.

Not long after the show's opening credits, it is apparent that society is breaking down. Man’s self-made android escorts, the infallible "Autoreivs," have begun to slowly turn upon their masters, making their own choices and falling to their knees in submission, welcoming the Wachowski Brothers’ influence and clad-in-leather aesthetic. Re-L seems to be the only person with enough free thought to quest for the origins of this dangerous virus. Good thing her personal Autoreiv, Iggy, remains immune. Oh wait...

And then comes Ergo Proxy, a beast that is surprising, intelligent, scary and worthy of Isaac Asimov’s scrutiny and praises. During its 23 episodes, viewers will see the love triangle of God, Man and Machine brought to a new light as the egg comes face-to-face with the chicken.

Studio Manglobe maintains a bleak, monotone aesthetic, resulting in a world in which mankind’s creator is just as lively as he is thought to be deceased. Head writer Dai Sato has worked on Samurai Champloo, Eureka Seven and Cowboy Bebop, so clearly he’s had extensive experience with showing rather than telling. In a show like this, he holds his best cards until the final play. During most of the series, viewers are presented with many persepctives on the values and boundaries of human life. What defines humanity? Our emotions, our memories, our duties, our firearms? God is certainly not going to answer us any time soon.

Through the journey of Ergo Proxy, Re-L and her other two companions discover their own answers and boundaries. First is Vincent Law. He is voiced in English impeccably by Liam O’Brien, and is a generic mechanic who faces his true meaning in life. His near-deadly encounter with an unstoppable monster named Monrad Proxy makes him a prime suspect during Re-L’s investigations. Second is an Autoreiv shaped like a ten-year-old girl, Pino, who has an interesting inner-development story that intentionally parallels Pinocchio’s tale of achieving humanity. The three of them form an interesting parody of the nuclear family unit, which I can’t help but feel was very intentional. By episode seven, all three characters become the central party, traversing a poisonous and flat world completely devoid of life, save for the pockets of danger they encounter in search of their world.

What makes Ergo Proxy stand out for me is its stellar English voice-acting and manipulation of story-telling. Karen Thompson’s Re-L is quietly furious, capturing the character’s bravado and internal turmoil. FUNimation voice director Jonathan Klein deserves applause for pulling the voice cast through such a heady, deep and philosophical story. Many of Ergo Proxy’s greatest episodes involve Vincent’s internal struggles personified, his id and super-ego directly arguing over who Vincent should listen to. This series then breaks the rules on standard story-setting. Its exposition episode (the only time we learn the truth about mankind’s obliteration) is told through a trivia-based game show that nobody knows the answers to! And episode 16: hands-down as funny as Seinfeld, and as poignant as Waiting For Godot. Ergo Proxy’s ability to manifest the abstractions of psychological development is something very often tried in anime, but rarely pulled off so well.

The series has been out since 2006, and my only regret is not having watched this anime immediately upon its release. Originally released by Geneon, now re-released by FUNimation, Ergo Proxy has never been cheaper and is an excellent addition to the collection of any fan of Satoshi Kon's work or even the old What-The-Hell style of anime. This is the kind of thought-provoking horror/psychological suspense series that puts man (and anime viewers) in their place.

great.

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