Fear of “Flying”

Another popular genre is the witch show. Sometimes, they come off as ‘magical girl’, but they still are putting out some degree of wizardry and prestidigitation. And we have to keep it on the QT, as we don’t want to spill the beans too soon. “Flying Witch” (“Furaingu Uitchi”) is about Makoto (that dark-haired beauty near the broom), a young witch from Yokohama, that moves to Aomori to live with some relatives as part of her training. What follows is Makoto’s daily life as she gets used to her new environment, her new relatives, and the new friends she makes there, as well as being introduced to the customs and peculiarities of witchcraft. Continue reading

“Blood” Brothers

Have you ever been to New York City, so great, they had to name it twice? I was there recently and it is everything they say it is and more. As “The Town That Never Sleeps”, it is a magnet for all kinds of movies and shows based there. Although never officially named in this anime, it takes place in The Big Apple, or, as they call it, Hellsalem’s Lot. You see, Hellsalem’s Lot was created when a portal to the “Beyond” opened, becoming, in the process, a paranormal melting pot of monsters, magic and the everyday mundane life. Three Card Monte was never like this!

“Blood Blockade Battlefront” (“Kekkai Sensen” or “Bloodline Battlefront”) tells the tale of Leonardo Watch (to the left, grasping a beer mug), a photographer who has come here to help his ailing sister. But for some strange reason, a mysterious entity gave him the “All-Seeing Eyes of God”, granting him a variety of ocular powers (he normally wear a special set of goggles). He ends up being recruited by the organization “Libra”, who is tasked to clear the streets of trouble and prevent the horrors of this city from spreading to the outside world. Now, it does help that NYC….I mean, HSL, is blanketed in a perpetual fog, so you can’t really see what’s going on or going down or going away, but it makes for overall dreary days. Continue reading

Red “Letter” Day

I don’t think my life is that big of a mess, but I constantly check what I have seen and what I have reviewed and when I find something that I haven’t reviewed, I wince, for I need to be doing a better job of this. Kind of like having GPS directing you to the Chipotle at the bottom of the Hudson River, it’s not all that helpful. Fortunately, I can recover and pass along to you an interesting movie, Momo e no Tegami” (“A Letter to Momo”). Continue reading

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

Keeping Your “Head”

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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