Animanga Nation

Review By:  Sophie Stevens

Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
MSRP: $29.98
Running Time: 100 minutes
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: TV PG
Release Date: Available Now

Memories can  be very deceptive.

In the search for the scattered memories of a kind and loving Princess of a kingdom known as Clow Country, the travelers have been through a lot on their lengthy journey across different dimensions and alternate realities and have even become as close as a family. What if these memories aren’t what they seem, though?

This is a question that pops up in Volume 12 of Tsubasa as the four episodes pick up right after Volume 11’s last episode. Finding themselves in the land ruled by the seemingly kind Feather King named Chaos, the travelers feel safe in the hands of a young man whose intentions seem to be helpful. His interest in Sakura goes unnoticed mainly because he geniunely seems to want to help them find on of Sakura’s feathers. He even points them in the direction of Mount Goraisan. Suggesting that Sakura stay in the palace with him, Chaos tells Sakura that they share a connection.

For Sakura, the connection comes in the form of a few dreams of when she was a child. In one dream, she is attacked by a giant worm only to be saved by a young man that just so happens to be slightly younger version of Chaos. Sakura quickly becomes attached to the young man who promises to be her protector and traveling companion. Unfortunately, not all of Sakura’s memories are back and she begins to wonder what this handsome young man means to her.

Meanwhile, Syaoran, Kurogane and Fai are attacked near the mountain by a number of monsters. On top of that, they are separated during said attack are are confronted by familiar faces. Kurogane, for example, encounters a man that looks suspiciously like his father while Fai goes face-to-face with somebody that looks like King Ashura.  Something about these encounters doesn’t sit well with Syaoran who – like the others – doesn’t fall for this trap.

It is Sakura, however, that does figure out what is going on when King Chaos asks her to go walking with him. He makes it very clear that he wants to be by her side. In fact, he makes a most interesting and startling proposal that does get Princess Sakura to be taken aback. What does this proposal mean and is this young man that deeply in love with her? These questions don’t matter because Sakura’s answer makes it clear that she has feelings for her companions … especially one in particular.

Sakura’s choice, though, has a negative effect on Chaos who sees Syaoran as his chief rival in winning Sakura’s heart. He faces off against him and the other three only to defeat all three to the point that they are badly injured and Syaoran’s trust sword is broken. As they recover, Chaos sends word that he wishes to challenge Syaoran to a duel with some interesting conditions if he loses the fight. Syaoran  does accept.

The duel, as it turns out, is one of the highlights of this storyline and it’s great to see all four episodes in this volume dedicated to it. As Syaoran takes on Chaos, the Feather King one of his forms that makes him a worthy opponent. I say “one of his forms” because Chaos has another form that makes up the shocking twist you don’t really see coming. It’s stuff like this that makes a series like Tsubasa such an amazing anime. In the end, the outcome will not fail to pull the rug right from under your feet.

Oh, and the hidden threat that is Fei Wang Reed – the man who has been searching for Sakura and the others – becomes more of a problem when he finally locates the travelers. He sends his agents to not only go after them but to lend Chaos a hand in defeating them.  With Fei Wang hot on their trail, this series has just got more interesting.

Tsubasa, Volume 12, deserves a place in your growing anime collection and even deserves to be called one of the best anime series to come along in a long time. Its rich storytelling doesn’t fail to keep Tsubasa fans glued to the screen. Really, you can’t find a more deep and enchanting  anime than Tsubasa.
DVD REVIEW BREAKDOWN

MOVIE/EPISODES: A
While searching a mountain for the next feather, the others aren’t aware that the Feather King Chaos has plans for Princess Sakura that have something to do with memories from her past.

VIDEO QUALITY: A+
The animation is still in top form and we definitely love the crisp video presentation.

SOUND QUALITY: A+
The English dub and original Japanese voices are both excellent but I bet you already knew that. Plus, I can’t begin to express how much I love Yuki Kajiura’s original score. The music is just plain gorgeous but the song in Episodes 50 and 51 could only be heard in the Japanese language track.

EXTRAS: C+
The character and world profiles are a nice touch but we still would love an audio commentary track or two.  You’ll still find the clean opening and closing songs as well as a few trailers.

OVERALL: A
The journey continues and we couldn’t be happier as Volume 12 of Tsubasa becomes even more interesting with these four episodes. As the hidden threat becomes more of a presence now, we can only sit back and enjoy a series that doesn’t show any signs of  slowing down.

Review by: Brenda Gregson

Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
MSRP: $49.98 US
Running Time: 320 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Action
Rating: TV PG
Release Date: Available Now
Kenichi: Fists of fury, heart of a wimp.

It takes confidence and bravery to stand up to a person who is not only bigger than you but has rippling muscles that you know are put to good use when said person is so used to brawling. For years, Kenichi was the type of kid who ran away from a fight or was too frightened to even raise a fist to the point that his classmates call him “Weak Knees” Kenichi. Then something had changed that soon his this still frightened lad going up against the toughest brawlers in town in Part One of Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple, Season 1.

Spanning the series’ first 13 episodes, Kenichi introduces us to a young man whose first day of High school turn out to be a lifechanging event for this wimpy youth. He’s also not only late for the first day of school but he’s also close-lined by a cute girl named Miu who acted out of instinct when Kenichi ran too close to her. When he gets to class, he’s surprised to find out that the new transfer student is Miu who takes a seat not far from him. He is even surprised when the girl says she wants to be his friend.

Kenichi has also always loved the martial arts seeing as he carries a number of books on the subjects and is a member of the Karate Club … or, to put it more accurate, he’s a human punching bag for the club. It isn’t until he pisses off the club’s strongest freshman that he knows he’s in trouble. To top it all off, as he’s walking home he witnesses street punks harassing Miu. Summoning what little courage he has, Kenichi stands up to them only to be the one that Miu rescues instead. As fate would have it, Miu is not only adept in the martial arts but she lives in the Ryozanpaku dojo run by her grandfather and five other martial arts masters.

Offering to train him for a fee, Kenichi becomes the dojo’s only disciple under the tutelage of Master Akisame who says he’ll take it easy on Kenichi but has the poor guy going through brutal exercises that include Kenichi pulling Akisame on a rope tied to a tire. Feeling that the lessons are more scary than the big guy that challenged him, Kenichi learns a few moves from Miu and actually wins the fight and humiliate his opponent. It is after his victory that Kenichi becomes the target of other opponents that include the referee of his first fight as well as a gang called Ragnarok.

To take on his new challengers and the gang thugs whose leader wants to meet him, Kenichi trains with the other masters that include the huge child-like Apachai (master of kick boxing), Kensei (a perverted master of the Chinese martial arts) as well as Shigure (a sexy female master of weapons). More importantly, Kenichi is reluctantly trained by Sakaki who packs quite a mean punch and is a more suitable instructor. While each master relishes in taking Kenichi’s training to it’s fullest until the boy is running for his life or – when Apachai trains him – near death.

Back in school, though, more challengers appear and Kenichi, who still doesn’t want to fight and hides in his Gardening Club, uses the lessons he learned from the different masters. Each opponent brings their own set of skills and Kenichi, recalling each master’s lessons, uses what he learned against them. In one instance, he is challenged by a former professional boxer named Takeda. Taking two of Kenichi’s classmates as hostages, the  young kid faces off against him with moves that are sure to defeat a boxer. While the training plays a role in him winning fights, it’s Kenichi’s determination to use martial arts to defend weaker people makes him courageous enough to go up against these foes. It’s even enough to impress Takeda.

In the final episodes of the 13-episode set, one of Ragnarok’s top lieutenants, a big fellow named Shinnosuke, looks for Kenichi and makes him a most interesting proposition. Still, Kenichi might be a bit of a coward at times but he has a real sense of justice that has an old rival coming to his aid when things look grim.

The series contains some decent fighting sequences thanks, in part, to director Hajime Kamegaki (who directed Naruto: Shippuden The Movie). What makes Kenichi such a fun anime series is its sense of humor that is aimed at the martial arts masters who are hilarious. Even Kenichi’s family, most especially his father (who summons his shotgun when he smells trouble), are funny. There’s also a love story here, although it seems a little one-sided seeing and Miu only sees Kenichi as just a friend.

Kenichi, Season 1: Part One, not only delivers quite an entertaining punch but it also makes the fighting action just as fun to watch. The heart of the series is its sense of humor as well as the underdog that much rather tend to a garden than take on a gang of thugs. He’s the kid that doesn’t have the courage to tell a pretty girl that he’s interested in her but has the guts to face a former pro boxer. Kenichi, we are cheering you on and happily awaiting Part Two of this series.
DVD REVIEW BREAKDOWN

MOVIE/EPISODES: B+
“Weak Knees” Kenichi is the kid you would least suspect of being able to stand up to street thugs and gang members and it isn’t until he meets a girl named Miu and her unusual household of martial arts masters. Becoming a disciple of the arts, Kenichi must try to survive tough opponents wishing to test their fighting abilities but also survive the training itself.

VIDEO QUALITY: B+
The animation might be a bit by-the-numbers but it does look good on DVD and the fighting sequences are adequate enough to represent the different fighting forms.

AUDIO QUALITY: A-
The English dub voice cast actually does a great job and the original Japanese voices are a delight if you prefer to watch the episodes the way they were meant to be seen. Top that off with a decent soundtrack and you can’t go wrong.

EXTRAS: D
A few trailers here and clean opening and closing songs there and that about covers the extras in this two-disc set.

OVERALL: B+
The first part of Season 1 of Kenichi is a well-paced anime series that’s loads of fun to watch despite the feeling you’ve seen this type of series before. It’s always a treat when the main character is a likeable underdog and you will happily cheer Kenichi’s attempt to keep from getting pulverized by street gangs and overly enthusiastic  martial arts masters.

Review by: Clive Owen

Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
MSRP: $29.98
Running Time: 100 minutes
Genre: Sci-fi / Action
Rating: TV MA
Release Date: Available Now

Welcome to the dark side of the Gate.

It didn’t take me very long to get hooked on a series like Ghost in the Shell and it took me even less to get hooked on Darker Than Black. With 10 episodes under its belt, the series feels like you’re still in that getting-to-know-you phase but then again you know enough that you like what you see and enjoy the many surprises it manages to pull off each time. Volume 3 of Darker Than Black continues to astonish so trust me when I say that you will still love this shade of black.

In past episodes, certain things about most of the characters have been revealed but not enough to paint an accurate picture of who they really are in a world affected by a mysterious occurrence. We know that Hei, also known as the Black Reaper, had a sister but what became of her fate. Well, we don’t find out in this one but more about Hei and his sister are revealed. You see, it is said that Contractors don’t dream but somehow Hei does dream and his dreams point to his past and his sister.

In Episode 11, Hei takes on a mission that has him infiltrating the Pandora Research facility at Hell’s Gate itself. He is instructed to not only look into a death at the facility that might not have been an accident as well as obtain an artifact that might be connected with the death. Posing as a janitorial candidate, Hei meets a girl named Moku who brings up a rumor that “you can regain what was once lost in the Gate if you’re willing to pay the price.”

With a Syndicate contact within the facility, Hei begins his investigation only to find that the girl he traveled with goes absolutely bonkers to the point that she’s quickly carried away by the facility’s security officers. It isn’t until she’s found dead that Hei does suspect it’s murder. He does meet a scientist whose astronomy hobby catches Hei’s interest. When they decide to go star-gazing, Hei makes a rather startling discovery about the “fake sky.” The mystery surrounding the murders becomes more evident during Hei’s investigation but before the shocking (and somewhat confusing) finale, Hei comes to realize that there might be some truth behind the rumor about the Gate.

Episode 13 begins another two-part story arc which begins with a girl that bears a striking resemblance to Yin … the mysterious white-haired girl that sits silently behind a counter and works alongside Hei and Mao and their Syndicate handler. As a Doll (which is what they call the vacant-like people affected by the Gate), it’s hard to imagine Yin showing some sign of life as well as a talent such as playing the piano. The fact is that this girl IS actually Yin and a man is looking for her ever since he caught a glimpse of a picture in a traveler’s guide. This man even turns to private investigator Gai Kurosawa (introduced in Volume 2). Meanwhile, two contractors searching are searching for Yin as well.

Gai’s perky assistant, Kiko, does find Yin and the client that hired them finally reveals his link to Yin. In fact, we do get a glimpse of who she was by looking into her past. It seems that Yin had a life before Hell’s Gate appeared. Leaving with the detective and the client, Yin’s absence is seen as a negative sign to the Syndicate and her handler is asked to kill her. This, of course, doesn’t sit well with Hai and Mao who attempt to reach Yin before either the Syndicate or the pair of Contractors get to her first. The chase is on and the outcome, well, I won’t get into what goes on.

Darker Than Black, Volume 3, is yet another excellent entry in a series that continues to be one of the smartest and interesting anime series to come along in a long time. The four episodes are not only some of the best written stories so far but we learn a little more about the characters that make up this world and unique events that make this a great sci-fi series. DVD

REVIEW BREAKDOWN

MOVIE/EPISODES: A Hei infiltrates a research facility at Hell’s Gate where strange events and murders have the Syndicate very curious. In the last two episodes of the volume, we come to learn a little about Yin as her change in behavior makes her the target of a pair of Contractors and the Syndicate itself.

VIDEO QUALITY: A+ The visual effects and gorgeous backgrounds are a refreshing change over the reused backdrops of the first two volumes. This really is a good-looking series and it shows in this volume.

AUDIO QUALITY: A
The voice work is still topnotch no matter what sound option you pick and, of course, the original compositions from Yoko Kanno works beautifully.

EXTRAS: C+
There are textless opening and closing songs and there are trailers aplenty but the real juicy bits are the audio commentary track for Episode 13 and the Production Artwork feature.

OVERALL: A
Volume 3 is the standout volume for Darker Than Black and quite possibly the best four episodes of the series yet. I’m forced to repeat myself here but this series certainly is beginning to turn into that rare anime gem that can only shine brighter with each volume. Now I’m definitely looking forward to the next volume.

Review by: Edward Zacharias
Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
MSRP: 49.98 US
Running Time: 300 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Musical
Rating: TV MA
Release Date: Available Now

This is not your usual comedy/musical.

I have to admit that I’m one of the few people around this office that really looks forward to the “musical numbers” that often pop up in the more crude and crass animated comedies like South Park or – the a lighter extent – The Simpsons. So, naturally, I was drawn to Nerima Daikon Brothers … a comedy/musical anime series that is way a bit on the weird side and filled with funny foot-tapping tunes. Why wasn’t the Blues Brothers as funny as this?

Nerima Daikon Brothers tells the story of a burly fellow named Hideki, a girly pretty boy named Ichiro and Hideki’s saucy and vivacious cousin Mako. Hideki dreams of leaving the life of a daikon farmer to turn his fertile land into a stadium where the trio could perform their brand of rocking blues on a nightly bases. They do have the talent for great vocalization despite the fact that their neighbors always complain when they break into song. All three also have a habit of singing whatever’s on their mind whether Hideki sings songs of his forbidden love for Mako or the pink-haired girl singing about her love for the Dom Perignon champagne she plans on drinking when they get famous. Oh, and a stray panda walking into the daikon field and Ichiro falls in love with it to the point that he sings about how much he loves his newly named Pandaikon.

In order to make their dreams come true, though, the three finds themselves searching for their first break. Luckily for them, Ichiro – who works in a host club – has a male client who promised him an audition. Unfortunately, the music producer is ripping off people by charging for each audition. Feeling cheated, the trio decides to get back their money by stealing it back. Stealing from a thief seems justifiable to Hideki and even more so if it means the money could be used to make their dream of having their own stadium comes true. One of the series most repeated sequence and songs are the three of them asking for money (which produces dancing girls that come out of nowhere while hauling a cash machine) or singing to the rental guy who offers an item useful to their mission.

In the end, however, they manage to take down the producer but don’t end up with the money in the end. This becomes the start of a number of missions to earn money only to end up foiling deceitful and greedy folks that think they’re beyond the law and end up with nothing to show for it. In another episode, Mako gets sucked into a Korean Pachinko place that is stealing older ladies looking to spend money on the machines and the good-looking Korean hosts. In another episode, Hideki and the others end up in a hospital where the hospital director is charging patients for unnecessary operations.

It is only after these events that a sexy police detective named Yukika comes to the farm that the series adds another player in this warped musical. The detective starts out looking to catch the three in the act but only ends up having a monster crush on Pandaikon and, later in the series, falls in love with Ichiro. In the course of the series, even Mako falls in love with Ichiro even though the pretty boy slaps her face and ignores her advances. Meanwhile, the man who does love her sees his failure to marry Mako as a law issue, which is why he ends up getting ripped off by a shady lawyer who promised to help him make a change in the Constitution so it would be legal to marry a cousin.

In a related episode, Hideki buys a wedding ring in hopes that Mako would agree to marry him but the girl doesn’t see that as a possibility seeing as she loves Ichirio. In the meantime, they go up against a fortune-teller who is blackmailing her famous clients as well as a woman whose connected with the number one pretty boy of a rival host club.

The final episodes of the series have Hideki turning his back on his friends to pursue his dreams while Ichiro, Mako and Yukika attempt to catch up to him. Mako even turns to Yukel Hakushow who acts and slightly resembles a certain “King of Pop” with removable nose, no less. In the end they even go up against the Prime Minister as friends come to the aid of the Nerima Daikon Brothers.

The good news is that songs are actually funny and the jokes are of the dirty variety that fans of Shin Chan know very well. I should mention that there’s more profanity and the jokes are a lot cruder in the English dub than the original Japanese voice work. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all seeing as both language tracks means different jokes. The songs themselves are recycled throughout the series with different lyrics, though. The only time the songs really change is when a villain begins to sing but other than that you’ll be hearing the same melodies. Thankfully, the English dub cast of Luci Christian, Greg Ayres and Christopher Patton have great singing voices as well.

Nerima Daikon Brothers, Complete Collection are 12-episodes of salaciously off-the-wall fun. It’s the kind of series that marches to its own beat and man is that beat really loaded with funny lyrics that hit the right note if you’re into crude humor. While the series isn’t spectacularly hilarious, it will not fail to make you laugh out loud a few times. A Must Have if you like South Park’s naughty tunes or a musical anime with a sense of humor.

DVD REVIEW BREAKDOWN

MOVIE/EPISODES: B
Hideki, Mako and Ichiro make up a fun trio with big dreams of having their own stadium to sing their brand of music to the Nerima masses. The trouble is that they keep running into shady characters they attempt to rob of their money but it just doesn’t work out. Yes, the songs are repeated throughout the series but the lyrics don’t.

VIDEO QUALITY: A
The video is sharp and wonderfully colorful. In other words, its just what we want to see in a DVD release. The animation might be a bit by-the-numbers but the sight gags are genuinely funny.

AUDIO QUALITY: A-
The original Japanese track his great jokes for those that will get the largely Japanese pop cultural references but the English dub has more profanity and highly suggestive dialogue and songs. You just have to love the English dub cast who do a great job with the fun songs.

EXTRAS: C
There’s a audio commentary track featuring Japanese voice actors Shigeru Matsuzaki, Showtaro Morokubo and Ayano Matsumoto. There are also some trailers and – thankfully – cleaning opening and closing songs. What, no sing-a-long track?

OVERALL: B
Wildly crude and utterly fun to watch, the Complete Collection of Nerima Daikon Brothers is a welcomed addition to the musical-comedy genre. I would have loved a variety in the song department but the change in lyrics keep the songs from become too tiresome. Overall, this is not a bad musical-comedy series that is sure to please those fans that like their anime a bit on the refreshingly improper side.

Review by: Sophie Stevens
Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
MSRP: DVD: $49.98
Running Time: 625 minutes
Genre: Romance/Comedy
Rating: TV 14
Release Date: Available Now

Sometimes a good swift kick in the face is the best way to show somebody you care.

Love and craziness is Ken Akamatsu’s bread and butter and he certainly does it right seeing as he created some fan favorite titles like Negima! as well as My Santa. He also favors stories where an ordinary boy is stuck with dozens of gorgeous young girls as we see in one of his most popular works, Love Hina. Having been a long time fan of the series, Love Hina at last gets a The Complete Series treatment on four DVDs spanning the series’ 25 episodes.

Love Hina introduces us to Keitaro Urashima who – as a child – made a promise to a cute little girl he liked that they would get into Tokyo University together. Unfortunately for him, Keitaro since he graduated High school, he has failed the entrance exam for Tokyo U three times. Still, Keitaro might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but he is committed and he plans on trying again … that is, until his Grandmother asks him to come to the city where she owns an apartment building and hot springs bath. When Keitaro gets there, he finds out that Grandma has left him in charge as apartment manager. The only twist is that the apartment is a girls-only building.

Not to happy that the new apartment manager is a boy, the lovely Naru Narusegawa, her good friend Mitsune (who speaks in a Southern drawl), the Kendo-loving Motoko and the wild monkey-like Kaolla. Naturally, having a guy manage an apartment with a hot springs bath isn’t very inviting and even more so when the clumsy Keitaro seems to find himself near the bath when a girl is in there. The running gag in the series is Keitaro somehow being mistaken as a pervert by Naru and the young girl beating the crap out of him.

Yet even with all his faults, Keitaro’s very presence begins to improve the lives of these girls. In one episode we come to see Motoko, who follows the straight path of a samurai and feels antisocial because of it, finds herself warming up to Keitaro and thus accepting men in her life. Then there’s a Junior High student named Shinobu who Keitaro meets in the first episode who is running away from home. Shinobu finds some comfort being around Keitaro and, as a result, finds herself living in the apartment as a cook. Keitaro’s story about getting into Tokyo U also touches Naru’s heart … although it doesn’t stop her from kicking him around. Perhaps Keitaro’s story reminds Naru of her own promise of getting into Tokyo U she made with her handsome tutor.

A romance blossoms between Keitaro and Naru as they attempt to get into the school. When they take the entrance exam and fail, the two (unwittingly) go on vacation to Kyoto after that disaster. Sharing a room, the two find themselves liking each another although Naru insists that nothing is going on between them. Then again, when they meet a loopy-yet-gorgeous young girl named Mitsumi who playfully flirts with Keitaro and give him a friendly kiss that pisses off Naru. When a cute and rich kid named Kentaro picks up Naru for graduation, Keitaro finds himself competing with Kentaro to take Naru out on a date.

While the series touches upon the relationship between Keitaro, Naru and Mutsumi as well as Shinobi (who shyly keeps her feelings for Keitaro bottled up), the rest of the series concentrates on the zaniness the rest of the housemates bring to the table. We not only find the characters turned into video game characters but they also take part in the mystery of the lost rent money. In another episode, we find that Kaolla has a secret that has the housemates thinking maybe she’s some kind of Magical Girl. In another, Naru wins a local pop star contest and becomes a pop sensation for awhile. When Kaolla’s older brother comes to visit he ends up engaged with all the girls.

The later episodes don’t stray far from the wackiness and fan service but it does dive deeper into the love triangles that from when we’re introduced to Professor Noriyasu Seta who is tied to both Naru and Mitsune. Professor Seta becomes a part of their lives when Keitaro takes care of Seta’s daughter, Sara. The Professor even joins the group when they are forced to work in a beach-side tea house run by Keitaro’s aunt, Haruka. The relationships become even more complex in the final episodes. I won’t get into the details but the final episodes of the four-disc set are quite possibly the best. There’s even a sweet little tale of a “living” doll that Keitaro finds in the basement level of the apartment building.

Speaking of fan service, surprisingly the series never gets way out of hand … unless you count the Episode 25 (a bonus episode that’s rarely been seen) where there’s nudity. In essence, Love Hina’s playful fan service is actually never gratuitous and thus giving the series and Keitaro a sweet innocence. The humor is of the slapstick variety, which is Ok, but Kaolla’s over-the-top antics do wear a tad thin as the series progresses.

Love Hina, The Complete Series rarely gives you time to breath thanks to its frantically paced antics and quirky sense of humor. It’s also a meaningful and cute love story with a light dash of fan service and a heavy dose of off-the-wall humor that makes this one of the more likeable Ken Akamatsu series. Even if you’ve seen the episodes before, The Complete Series set is definitely worth every dollar and even more so with a bonus episode. In other words, if you’re a fan you’ll want this and if you’re new to the series you will definitely love this series.

DVD REVIEW BREAKDOWN

MOVIE/EPISODES: A

Keitaro Urashima becomes the apartment manager of an all-girl’s dorm and becomes entangled in each of the girls’ lives and problems. Love Hina isn’t just about the fan service but instead serves up plenty of comedic and romantic elements well enough. Half the fun of the episodes is watching the insanity unfold in every episode.

VIDEO QUALITY: B+
Strangely enough, Episode 25 is the only episode of the set that really stands out with vibrant colors and noticeable clarity. That’s not to say that the other 24 episodes don’t look good but the quality could have been a lot better.

AUDIO QUALITY: A
The English dub cast does a good job of sounding just as well as the original Japanese cast that is still my favorite. The original score is nice and the opening and closing songs are downright cute.

EXTRAS: C-
Just about the only extra really worth talking about is Episode 25 which comes as a bonus episode that not only looks great but is actually a great episode. The clean opening and closing songs and a number of trailers make up the rest.

OVERALL: A
Ken Akamatsu certainly created a delightfully wild and downright charming series in Love Hina and, personally speaking, it is among his best work. The Complete Series set brings us these fun episodes just the way they were intended to be viewed and this is one series that should definitely be seen by anyone who is looking for an outrageously amusing anime series.

Review by: Clive Owen
Publisher: FUNimation Entertainment
MSRP: DVD: $59.98
Running Time: 300 minutes
Genre: Action/Romance
Rating: TV 14
Release Date: Available Now

Dear Prince, I kissed a girl and I liked it.

Typically, I’m the guy that reviews the boys titles with an eye towards the action series or the supernatural anime series or the ones with samurai warriors hacking and slashing away. It’s very rare that I look at an anime or manga series that isn’t a shonen title but there’s something about Shattered Angels that caught my attention. In hopes that I’d find that romantic yet action-fueled anime, I was a bit surprised and disappointed by Shattered Angels and I wasn’t alone since I watched it with the girls in this office.

Well, mainly I was disappointed and this is a series with cute girls either taking baths together, fighting enemies in their underwear or (gasp) kissing each another.

Ok, so those parts weren’t so bad if not a little out of place. Then again, most series with plenty of fan service just to it to, well, please the male audience. What I care about more, though, is the story, the characters and the sweeping romance. Surprisingly enough, the romance in this series is handled rather well and even when things gets a tad on the cheesy side it hardly comes off as forced. In fact, its quite easy to wrapped up in how the girls in this series feel for some of the characters in this series. These girls’ feelings are genuinely portrayed and that’s one of the good things Shattered Angels has going for it.

The series revolves around a girl named Kuu that dreams of a handsome young Prince that tells her he wants to take her away someplace together. Of course, those are only dreams but Kuu somehow accepts them as a sort of reality to the point that she is constantly writing “Dear Prince” letters to her Dream Prince. In the meantime, she sees herself as an ordinary yet empty girl with not much to offer. She can’t even ask out a guy that goes to her school that is composed of an impressive School City called Academia. Then the new transfer student named Kyoshiro comes into her life and – to her surprise – he looks a lot like the Prince in her dreams.

At the same time there’s a rumor going around Kuu’s school that a girl in a cape has reportedly been spotted on campus. It isn’t until Kuu sees this lovely girl yet mysterious girl herself that she comes to link her appearance with some strange occurrences that her school’s Mobile Morality Brigade is investigating. Then, Kuu’s best friend, Kozune, is being attacked by a vicious cat-girl. Only by attacking I mean kissing, which doesn’t look all too enjoyable for a human. This cat-girl named Torlotte turns her attention on Kuu when the same mysterious girl shows up again only this time to defend Kuu from her attacker. In an instant, the two are locked in an most unusual battle with mech-like armor parts suddenly appearing in-synch with each punch or kick they throw.

As it turns out, the blonde girl in the cape is named Setsuna and she just happens to be Kyoshiro‘s “sword” (meaning she serves Kyoshiro and defends him) and she’s also something called an Absolute Angel. Soon, Kyoshiro and Setsuna save Kuu and keep her close in hopes that Torlotte as well as another unseen threat doesn’t capture her. Kuu, of course, is happy to staying under the same roof as Kyoshiro and it doesn’t take the girl long before she realizes that she has feeling for this young man. Who is he, exactly? What is his connection with the Absolute Angels.

The head-scratching questions aren’t really revealed to Kuu even when she does manage to get captured by another Absolute Angel named Homiko who serves the even more mysterious Lady Miko. Homiko explains the significance of kissing … which is basically just another way for Absolute Angels to recharge their life force or Eternal Mana. It becomes a tad clear to Kuu as to why she caught Kyoshiro kissing Setsuka but that doesn’t shake the feeling that the Absolute Angel willing to do anything for him is doing this out of love.

As you might have guessed by now, there’s enough romantic themes that give the series just the right dash of shojo elements. Besides that, however, are the action sequences scattered throughout such as the battles between Absolute Angels becomes more intense and the family rivalry that has Kyoshiro going up against his remaining siblings. Kyoshiro reveals to Kuu that he had an older brother he always admired and not only died saving him but also saved the world. During the aftermath of a battle between Torlotte, Kyoshiro reveals to Kuu his plans for the Absolute Angels.

In the middle of all the battles and Kuu’s declaration of love for Kyoshiro, we come to see the relationship between the Absolute Angels and their handlers. Homiko has Lady Miko who not only surrounds herself with other pretty girls but strives to make Homiko her lovely “sword.” Meanwhile, Kyoshiro’s other brother, Sojiro, takes care of Trolotte even though the cat-girl kicks him around frequently. As I mentioned, there’s plenty of fan service and since recharging Eternal Mana involves kissing there’s a lot of girls kissing girls.

In the end, though, the series doesn’t get really interesting until the final five episodes. Seeing as Shattered Angels only contains 12 episodes, the fact that the final five episodes of the series are the best is just not right. The fault lies in the narrative that’s all over the place to the point that some parts actually come off as confusing. When the story isn’t being rushed or too overly complex, there’s a sweet love story filled with genuine feeling. I actually did feel the heartbreak experienced by two of its more interesting characters.

Shattered Angels does feel like a missed opportunity and this is too bad seeing as the characters start feeling real and the action rather exciting at times. Sadly, the story falls apart in places and becomes more interesting by the end and I’ll be damned if I didn’t enjoy the fact that these girls are putting their lives and emotions on the line. This isn’t a bad series but it’s not a great one either.

DVD REVIEW BREAKDOWN

MOVIE/EPISODES: C+
Kuu dreams of a gallantly handsome Prince and when she locks eyes with a new transfer student at her school she thinks it’s him. It is then that she is introduced to the world of Absolute Angels as Kuu is caught up in a battle she has yet to understand until the very end when a shocking secret is revealed. This is definitely not your typical fairy tale.

VIDEO QUALITY: A+
The series looks stunning on DVD whether you love the vibrant colors or the sharp animation. There’s fan service aplenty in this series and girl-on-girl kissing … if you’re into that sort of thing.

AUDIO QUALITY: B+
Even using a good sound system, the audio falters a bit during certain scenes and really sounds amazing during other scenes. Still, it’s hard to complain when both the English dub and Japanese voices are handled really well and the Mina Kubota score is gorgeous. I even like the opening song “Cross Heart.”

EXTRAS: D
Just about the only extras you will find are the trailers and the cleaning opening and closing songs. At least the packaging is pretty.

OVERALL: C+
Unfortunately, Shattered Angels could have been a lot better considering the series has its share of standout moments but – in the end – the storytelling fails to keep us guessing or handle the action in an exciting way. In other words, the series just isn’t compelling enough to do justice to the genre. Still, this isn’t a bad series and a rental is definitely in order.