Category: Reviews

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Where is Your “Humanity”?

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humanity

I initially resisted this show, as I was watching “Sunday Without God” at the same time it originally came out and did not feel like diving into another dystopian, post-apocalyptic world show. Well, it IS a caliber of dystopian, post-apocalyptic world show, but it’s just so bright and lively, it’s hard to believe we’re all doomed. “Humanity Has Declined” (“Jinrui wa Suitai Shimashita” or “Jintai”) starts off with how human civilization has regressed and humanity keeps decreasing in numbers. The story follows an unnamed girl (although she is referred to as “Ms. Sweets”) who acts as a mediator between humanity and the “fairies”, who are small elf-like creatures attracted by sweets and happy things, but also have the habit to cause trouble to her (and others) with their powers in their endless search for amusement. Continue reading

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“Punch” the Keys!

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opm

I am so very tired of superheroes. Everywhere you turn around, another superhero pops up, having epic fights with epic villains or the Old Guard is trotted out to battle yet another implacable foe, bent on world conquest or world destruction or world series. I had some resistance to “One-Punch Man” (“Wanpanman”), as I felt it was more of the same. Well, it IS more of the same, but it is done in such a cavalier, toss-off, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot kind of approach, you are drawn into it, like a cheese log at the company party. Continue reading

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Reach For The “Sky”

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Sky_Wizards_Academy

This one is a combination of magic and survival shows, kind of what might happen if “Chrome-Shelled Regios” and “Blade Dance” merged ideas, so we end up with “Sky Wizards Academy” (“Kūsen Madōshi Kōhosei no Kyōkan”, “The Instructor of the Aerial Combat Wizard Trainees”).

In the alternative world of the future, humanity was driven off the land by the threat of magical armored insects and now lives in aerial floating cities. Its defenses lie in wizards who fight the insects with magic in mid-air. They are able to float and soar about and use a variety of weapons to dispatch these ‘Devil Beetles’. Continue reading

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Baby, You Can “Drive” My Car

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Valkyrie_Drive_Mermaid

There are two anime genres I do not really like: yaoi and yuri. It’s just that it comes across to me as letting me know it’s OK to watch two guys or two gals expressing how they feel about each other in a rather intimate manner. I guess. But this show that I saw, “Valkyrie Drive Mermaid” (“Varukirī Doraivu Māmeido”) has two gals making out, but it’s a real means to an end and not just to show canoodling…..although that splash panel up there makes me a liar, eh?

The world that they live in is fraught with peril. Some girls are infected with the A Virus (no, not ‘a’ virus, the A Virus.) “A” means “Armed” and some ladies can turn into weaponry. Those are known as Exters. The other part of the virus gives us a Liberator. When these two get together, via some foreplay arousal, the Exter goes into “Drive” and becomes the weapon, although you have no idea what she will be: a sword, a mace ball, a powerful rifle. It’s pot luck at best. Continue reading

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Move Towards the “Light”

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This ‘movie’ was a bit longer than other offerings, about 45 minutes, and is a self-contained tale. The only problem I had with “Hotarubi no Mori e” (“Into the Forest of Fireflies’ Light”) is that I knew how it was going to end before I got there and that is always a grand disappointment. Continue reading

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Keeping Your “Head”

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hozuki-1

This was a show I really liked, as it was one of the few times that I could actually relate to the lead character. And he works in Hell. No, I mean he actually works in Hell. “Hōzuki no Reitetsu” (“Hozuki’s Coolheadedness”) tells the story of Hozuki (although I have seen it as Hoozuki; that is him front and center) who is a demon ogre (Psst! Don’t tell Shrek, OK?) working for King Enma (Mr Jolly behind him). Enma is the Judge of Hell and makes the decision which Hell you go to. Huh? That’s right; there are 256 divisions of Hell (depending on what you did during your life to have you directed down here) and he sends you to, say, Screaming Hell (that’s where all the drunks go). It is up to Hozuki to make sure things run well once you get there. Can’t have the employees slacking off or not really doing their job; then Hell would really go to hell. Continue reading