Warning: This review contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

Watching all 47 episodes, it does change the game late in the series. As originally thought, it seemed like the show would adjust over time from seeing (the infamous scene of) Bright Noa with a Chicken on his head, to the final fight between Glemy Toto’s Zeon and Haman Karn’s Neo Zeon: that is what exactly happens.

The first 30 episodes of ZZ Gundam deals with Judau getting acquainted with the Argama crew after being apprehended by Captain Bright for attempting to steal the Zeta Gundam mobile suit to sell as scrap for cash to support him and his sister, Lina. His friends Iino, Beecha, Mondo, and Elle also become a part of the crew, being close friends with Judau (and helping him in the first place). Judau has a hard time accepting them, but he has no choice when Shangri-la is under attack by colony tycoon, Gemon Bajack (“Gammon” “Blackjack”…really?) with the help of Mashymre Cello (…”Marshmallow?”) of Neo Zeon.

I'm so envious of Emaly... But Bright, What About Mirai?!

Of course, familiar characters return from the first Gundam and the previous series, Zeta: Hayato Kobayashi makes a reappearance as a member of the Karaba group after learning that Zeon forces are planning to drop a colony on earth in Dublin, Ireland, “to make a point”. Fa Yuiry and Kamille Bidan from Zeta return later on after their earlier appearance at the beginning of Double Zeta, but they are reduced to being stand-ins once again.

After the events in Dublin, the Argama crew return to the La Vie En Rose to upgrade their warship to the Nahael Argama, which looks a lot better than the original Argama—and more like the original White Base that Captain Bright commanded during the One Year War. Before things are taken to the next level (in story), Bright suddenly disappears from the story when he saves Shinta and Qum (Zeta clones of Kika and Letz from 0079) from floating in space, leaving the captain duties to Emaly and… Beecha, respectfully.

Mashymre Cello: No Longer the wacky Haman fanatic we know and love.

Mashymre Cello, the Haman Karn fanatic who is seen as comedic in the earlier episodes, eventually becomes brainwashed into a Cyber Newtype (“mass produced” Newtypes): makes you wish he was his normal self, even if he was annoying. Most of show’s story is watching Lina get kidnapped again and again by Glemy for [inexplicable] political reasons, then saved by Judau repeatedly until-things go too far (re-worded to avoid actual spoilers). Glemy eventually fades from the spotlight for a moment, showing the ideological rivalry between Judau and Haman. Ah, good ole Universal Century.

Glemy orders Puru Two to finish off Judau, but she *wants* to refuse...

Then there’s the introduction of Elpeo Puru, an artificial human made solely for the intent of war using the Quebely mobile suit-but it appears that she’s a failed attempt at being a weapon of mass destruction with her admiration for Judau and disobeying Glemy. Enter Puru Two: a clone of Puru One and the Puru that should have been, along with an improved model of the Quebely, the Quin Mantha. Like with Mashymre, Puru Two is another disappointing character whose original personality drove you up the wall, but you end up feeling sorry for them, wishing they were back to their “Oh, STFU, will ya!?” selves.

Neo Zeon's Chara Soon... plotting on the side of the AEUG?

A few more disappointments with ZZ Gundam is the sudden absence of Captain Bright (IMHO)-but this is no long a problem when he reappears along with another character (or two) we did not expect to see since the end of Zeta Gundam. Hint: this character of the Earth Federation Force, had a huge role towards the end of the One Year War, and is a “distant” relative of another popular character from 0079 and Zeta.

It was saddening to me… romance-wise, because, well.. one is a reason that involves spoilers: pay close attention to Bright when he meets Emaly on the La Vie En Rose… all the way to the end (Hey! I can’t help it, being a Bright fangirl. ^_^). Also adding the fact that the show ended so suddenly without an all-out “let’s do this!” attitude from the One Year War. Lastly, it appeared to bring out the worse of the characters who were once badass (i.e.: Yazan from Zeta Gundam) into clowns. But it finally puts an end to the war between two factions of the same family that didn’t see eye-to-eye.

The slap (from Judau) to end all slaps of the Zeta era

I did enjoy watching ZZ Gundam, but it could have been better with the ending. I still hope that Bandai will release this show on Region 1 DVD or Blu-ray (even better). The humor is not all that bad as it will get better later on under Zeta laws. If you’re a fan who is choosy of what they want in their Gundam (or any anime series), I suggest giving it another try, especially if you’re like me and want more Universal Century Gundam after 5+ years of waiting patiently.

Rating:

The biggest hit in recent years is Axis Powers Hetalia (aka Hetalia: Axis Powers and Hetalia: World Series). Maybe not the biggest hit-second… maybe fifth hit biggest you see fanart and 100+ cosplayers dressed as characters from the series. But it may vary depending on the fan’s preference. You might not have watched the show before, but seeing a character with a hair antennae that’s not Edward Elric’s is spot on.

Axis Powers Hetalia is a World History Comedy anime-a rare sub-genre for such a show. It started off as a webcomic then into a manga series by Hidekaz Himaruya and was turned into an anime series you see before your eyes. As most of the title implies, the main character of APH is Italy, a shy young man with a passion for Pasta(aaaa!) and wine who dreams of becoming a powerful country, following in the footsteps of grandfather Rome.

He looks up to Germany, the leader of the “Axis Powers” group who has to put up with Italy to the point of insanity in every episode. Germany is not all that mean: he’s a tsundere-type character like we see in many anime series. There’s also Japan, who is also a stereotype of a young Japanese man who has a soft side for reading manga and is shy around others and keeps to himself.

Russia, a 'yandere' (opposite of 'tsundere') character, shows his soft side, for now...

The other main cast are America, China, France, England, and Russia. Like the “Hetalia” group, America are allies with said countries (like in real life situation). In several, (or dozens) of episodes, America’s group is seen ambushing the camp of Germany, Italy, and Japan on a beach. There are over 35 characters and counting in Axis Powers Hetalia. The characters are often seen poking fun at their own qualities, such as America’s obsession with hamburgers, recklessly declaring that he’s the “leader of the world”, and his sibling rivalry with England. The many of the arcs are based on actual world events: World Wars I & II, the Revolutionary War, and the G-8 Summit, for example.

The characters are named after the country they represent, but they have real names as well: America->Alfred, Germany->Ludwig, Russia->Ivan, etc. APH is also popular with female fans, thanks to a 80% cast of males. It is sometimes referred as a Moe series for females, especially where many Shounen-ai references are made through most of the series.

A serious scene between America and England during the Revolutionary War.

Each episode of Hetalia is 5 minutes long, so it’s really easy to get into if you’re curious or just want a quick series to get into. But there’s a word of warning: it can be hard to watch as the first several episodes run too fast, but it will all make sense soon enough.

An important fact about Axis Powers Hetalia is that it was supposed to air on TV, but due to controversy of the character Korea in the series, it’s being streamed online instead. (However, thanks to observations from fans, it seems Korea makes a very, very brief appearance in an episode. Although Korea’s role is more frequent in the manga.)

After listening to recommendations from fans, I am now a Hetalia convert; being a series review and not a “first impression” review, I also recommend checking it out (and to support it you local *legal* streaming website)! With it still on the air and my catching up to the aired episodes in one week, it would be a while before I would have written a final review. ^^

Speaking of streaming online, Axis Powers Hetalia can be watched on FUNimation, YouTube*, and Hulu* (*account required to watch due to TV-MA rating).

Rating:

Ah, Dragonball Kai. I have not forgotten about this series as it was one of the highly anticipated series of Spring 2009 along with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood that is soon to be concluded. I checked out a few episodes to see if it’s worth the trip down memory lane. I said to myself that it wasn’t worth the hype since I knew what was going to happen… just that it is going to be 100-ish episodes shorter.

Now that FUNimation is releasing Dragonball Kai (or Z Kai to avoid confusion of it being an entirely new series), I decided to give it another chance-more so that I recently won a copy of Dragonball Z Kai Part One on Blu-ray from the guys at Con-News.com (Thanks x9,000!!). In Japan, they are at the beginning of the Android Saga, one of my favorite arcs in the series. In the US, it is currently airing on Nicktoons TV and the Vegeta Saga just wrapped up (that’s only 15 episodes, folks!).

Just like Spring ’09’s favorite FMA: Brotherhood, Dragonball Kai is a complete remastered version of the original Dragonball Z in High Definition: keep in mind that this is not a new series. Not only is it remastered, but as mentioned, it is shorter than the original 291 episode run from 1989 to 1995, with original cast of Dragonball Z reprising their roles as well. In the first episode, there is an introduction that was never seen before (but not new) in the original of the origin of Son Goku: the destruction of Planet Vegeta, Bardock, and Freeza; in 1989, all we see is a space capsule heading to earth in the very first shot after the opening song.

If you’re a DBZ fanatic as I am, you know where the first few episodes lead to: Raditz’s Arrival, Goku and Piccolo vs. Raditz, training to fight Vegeta and Nappa, and the epic Goku vs. Vegeta fight. In Kai, the encounter with Raditz takes three episodes compared to five in 1989. In fact, the entire Vegeta arc in ‘89 took 36 episodes compared to 17 in Kai: this took out a huge chunk of filler episodes involving Gohan after the Raditz fight.

In other words: it’s an abridged version of Dragonball Z for people that despised anything relating to the series as it’s nothing but a shouting match. Airing on Nicktoons, it’s also a chance for younger fans to experience the excitement as their older brother and/or sister watched on Toonami 10 years ago. Watching the Dragon Boxes, it’s easy to see what was removed or simplified: power-ups, unnecessary drama, repetitive speeches of why this or that happened, etc. Being a remastered series for HD, some scenes are replaced that were too muddled from Z. I noticed slight difference in the picture on the Blu-ray from the TV version, but I think the series speaks for itself when they mean “remastered”!

We won't have to ask ourselves if we were drinking acid when Vegeta had brown hair and armor anymore.

Back in the day, Dragonball Z had a total of 2 OP and 2 ED themes: “CHA-LA-HEAD-CHA-LA”, “WE GOTTA POWER”, “Zenkai Power!”, and “We Were Angels”, respectively. As of Dragonball Kai, Episode 61, the opening is Dragon Sou, with the newest ED theme “Kokoro no Hane” by AKB48. Thanks to current on-going series like, One Piece, Bleach and Naruto, we may see more music choices later in the series. With the exception of the opening theme, while it’s the same song, the animation changes reflecting a certain point of the series: Vegeta Saga = Goku vs. Vegeta; Trunks/Android Saga = Z Fighters vs. Androids #17 and #18.

I would stick to the original Dragonball Z, but if you’re like me and have a any interest in Kai at all, it can be fun to see what was changed from the original: and it’s a plus if you have the Blu-ray version (and we don’t have to see the awful Garlic Jr. filler, yay!). Like Z, going up to the Android Saga, it picks up steam.

As to whether if Dragonball Kai is worth watching: if you had trouble understanding the plot under all the screaming, plot holes, and glowing, shiny aliens, then this is the chance to watch the series once more before writing it off as a “kiddie” Anime (if you’re curious about the editing on Nicktoons, yeah… It’s butchered a bit).

Rating:

It’s not a TV series, it’s not a movie… but a brand new OVA (Original Video Animation) series—in which was shown in theaters in Japan in limited showings despite the true meaning behind OVAs, of a Gundam series for the first time in more than a decade… and the first Universal Century series this decade. The first Episode of Unicorn begins in an excellent pace like Endless Waltz by introducing the main characters, like Banagher Links and Audrey Burne. But as for the story, I’m not sure…

Unicorn takes place 3 years after the events of Char’s Counterattack, in UC 0096. The fight between Londo Bell and Neo Zeon has died down, but the Zeon has other things in mind… something called “Laplace’s Box”, which holds the secrets of the Universal Century and the existence of the colonies. Sticking with the traditional teenager-gets-stuck-in-warfare theme in every series, Banagher, who is a student at Anaheim Electronics, gets a similar treatment… except that his reasoning appears less tiring than what the other characters in the series have been through.

Seeing an unidentified mobile suit entering the colony during a skirmish, Banagher eventually wanders off from his friends to check it out in a Ball-model mobile suit (not found on a truck, mind you). Later, he sees a girl (Audrey) falling into the colony after sneaking in. After rescuing her, they land near a building, where they attract attention of colony inhabitants—and the people who are looking for her. The people who are searching for Audrey introduce themselves, only to get a Haro thrown at them…

Banagher and Audrey flee from danger and find themselves in a mansion: home of the Chairman of Anaheim Academy, Cardeas Vist, and the Vist Foundation. While in the house, Banagher has flashbacks from looking at the decorations on the wall showing Unicorns. Banagher snaps out of it, saying that it all looks familiar to him.

With Banagher being asked to leave, Aurdrey and Cardeas have a conversation about the plans to unlock Laplace’s Box. Unlocking the box would mean many problems for the colonies, warns Audrey. But being the stubborn old man that he is, Cardeas sees his plan in another way. His stubbornness will eventually lead to bloodshed that happens later in the episode…something that unsurprisingly ticks Banagher off, but on a smaller scale than what Kamille went through. But he gets to know more of Cardeas before he pilots the Gundam Unicorn…

As far as the plot is concerned, this definitely brings Gundam back to its roots. However, I will say that the story is a little confusing… and the fact it will take a while to see the full story unfold, being an OVA series, it may take a few rewatches waiting for the next episode to understand the story. Being a Gundam fan myself, this is no problem. The next episode of Unicorn due in Fall 2010, is The Red Comet, which introduces Full Frontal, a musclebound, Char Aznable poser admirer.

Seeing that is takes place a few years after Char’s Counterattack… and that just about many of the UC series features the original cast from Mobile Suit Gundam, there should have been some cameo appearances by one of them. They are no where to be seen, but rather heard: Captain of the Ra Cailum (and my favoriteness character in the series), Bright Noa, gets an honorable mention.

Bonus: With Gundam Unicorn being my first Blu-ray title in my Anime collection (and ever), I do see a better difference in the quality over what it could have been like viewed on a DVD. And to tell the truth—I still own a SD Television (I know, I know, I should get with the times). I’d go a bit into details of what differences between old and newer Anime series on Blu-ray, but I need more experience watching BDs…

Rating:

I know a lot of people have been looking for it. In case you haven’t found it, here it is! The Summer Anime Lineup for 2010! A lot of interesting series on the list this season compared to the Spring listing.

July is the month of returning series like last year’s Dragonball Kai and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Instead of remakes, they’re second seasons of three fan favorites: Kuroshitsuji, Sengoku Basara, and Strike Witches. I know a lot of Black Butler fans are excited for sure, but June will be a time of mourning as fans of FMA bid farewell to the best series of all time as both the manga and Brotherhood comes to an end.

While Kuroshitsuji is a series that I have yet to watch at all, with the new season giving me a chance to check it out, another show called High School of the Dead looks like it will be a hit with the Higurashi crowd. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that since I’m not very familiar with the show, yet… Thanks to “watch it now, or else…” praises from ProdigalNick.

What are you going to watch this season? Thanks to CF for the chart!

Spring is less than 20 days away. Not only March will (finally) mark the end of Winter and bring to revelation that the late Winter Anime series will be or have recently ended. But there is new Anime to look forward to for the 2010 Spring Anime Lineup. The lists for Summer, Fall, and Winter 2009 were on the “meh” side, but the list strikes a resemblance to last year’s list with Dragonball Kai, K-ON!, and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

This year, I am looking forward to Gundam Unicorn (the Blu-ray version which I have on pre-order) and the second season of K-ON!. A few on there that are of interest is the Marvel/Madhouse collaboration of Iron Man and the third season of Hetalia Axis Powers.

What series are you looking forward to watching this Spring?

Like every 45+ episode Gundam Anime series, Gundam 00 will be getting a movie of its own on the big screen. The untitled Gundam 00 movie will be released in September 2010 (via Sankanku Complex, C/O The Banzai Effect!).

Without an official name, the only thing currently known about the movie is the trailer that was released in October 2009. The teaser also features a brief behind-the-scenes look at the production of the movie. Of course, it will take places after the events of Season 2. The Gundam meisters will return, along with new shiny new Gundams, ala Endless Waltz, including the new 00 model, Quanti. It looks just as awesome as Endless Waltz, too…

Scans of Characters Source: SRW HotNews

Love Hina is another Anime that I’ve been looking for for years. It’s one of my first Anime series I was serious about that wasn’t on Toonami, meaning more DVDs to buy with building my collection of Gundam Wing DVDs.

However, I’ve never brought the individual DVDs of the series, instead brought the Love Hina Spring and Christmas specials, and the Love Hina Again OVA. Love Hina is also the first Anime series that I’ve watched fansubbed. After finishing Gundam Wing, this would have been the next series to collect, but eventually, they were to be out of print.

There was the Love Hina box set-that included the specials and OVA that I already have. The only option left was to find the single volumes else where-for more than they were worth at retail stores. That changed when FUNimation got the distribution rights to Love Hina.

After years of searching, I have finally completed my Love Hina collection with the recent addition of the Complete Collection set! It also brings sense to my Anime at Large posts, searching for titles that I loved, but have somehow forgotten. That brings the totally collection of complete Anime series on DVD to 13.

The story of Love Hina is one of my favorites when it comes to a loner living in a house with more than one of the opposite sex. (In before Moe Anime a few years later.) The main character Keitaro is seen at a younger age playing with a girl who would eventually move away from the neighborhood.

Before moving, the girl promises that the both of them should attend Tokyo University. Fast forward to his teenage years, Keitaro prepares to enter Tokyo University-meeting a girl who looks a lot like his childhood friend by the name of Naru Narusegawa.

In addition to Tenchi Universe and Tenchi in Tokyo in my collection, Love Hina proudly sits in my DVD case. It feels very rewarding to finish collecting a series, all thanks to a very good used bookstore suggested by a few people in the area… that I’d like to keep to myself, for now. [/greedy]

On a side note: since it’s a store where everything is not wrapped in plastic… it was a bit funny to see the cashier open the DVD case (Mild NSFW Warning).

The first entry in the Gundam 00 universe was released not too long ago. It did occur to me many months ago that it was going to be released, it wasn’t until ProdigalNick showed off new Manga releases at BBAMAJAM (and I call myself a Gundam fan). I now have a personal copy of Gundam 00F. It’s a side-story (yay!) to the Gundam 00 series, following the story of “the other Gundam Meister”, Fon Spaak.

Gundam 00F takes place during the events of the main Gundam 00 series. It follows Fon, who appears to have been punished for just another Gundam pilot, or for simply being another crazy, angsty kid, as he is seen in restraints. But this is likely the answer throughout the story.

Fon Spaak is a member of the organization, Fereshte. The characters involved with Fereshte are Chall Acustica, who founded the organization after being a part of a Gundam development team, whose members were killed in an accident, leaving Chall as the surviving member. There’s also Eco Calore (what’s with the names?). All he does is make snarky remarks about Celestial Being and Fon. But Fon wins most of the time. Although it seems he has a past with another organization…

As the story takes place along the main story of the series, there are familiar faces: from the first appearance of Ali Al-Saachez, to the kidnapping of Massoud Rachmadi. That said, the original Gundam meisters, Setsuna, Tieria, Lockon, and Allelujah appear as well, including Wang Liu Mei, and others that appear throughout the entire series.

Bonus: Neko Haro (Mild Spoilers)

Reading through the synopsis of Gundam 00F, a few friends noticed that a catgirl graces the back of the cover. Unusual for a Gundam series… that’s not a doujinshi. The name of the “catgirl” is Hanayo, who is actually a Haro-who’s antennae (if that’s what they are) are shaped like ねこみみ (Neko Mimi / Cat Ears), and stay like that upon transformation. Hanayo is a hologram that was programmed from Chall’s past, who looks a lot like a crew member of the development team…

Thoughts

Just about every Gundam series gets a side-story (except for G Gundam). Every Gundam side-story I’ve read is just as good as the original story, if not better. Adding to my collection with Wing era The Last Outpost, Episode Zero, and Target Zero, Gundam 00F may just be the next best spin-off of a spin-off of a spin-off.

Many Gundam side-stories take place before, after, or during the original series. But the first volume of Gundam 00F takes place during the first season of Gundam 00, which is a relieve for those who have yet to finish the second season (unlike a certain someone).

It seems that the second volume hold more key to the story. Does it give Fon an extended story leaving the original cast in the dust, or will it be a spoiler fest for the confused? I’ll get back to you on that.

Rating:

Review

While it appears as just an hour long animated music video from people who may not be interested, Interstella 5555: 5ecret of the 5ive 5tar 5ystem is actually a feature length Anime film made by the legendary Leiji Matsumoto of Galaxy Express 999 and Captain Harlock fame. An added bonus to an Leiji produced film is the music of the French house duo, Daft Punk (who happen to be big fans of Harlock). The soundtrack of Interstella 5555 is based from Daft Punk’s 2001 album, Discovery.

And if it all looks familiar to those who were religiously attached to Toonami, the “music videos” for the songs “One More Time”, “Aerodynamic”, “Digital Love”, and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” (which Kanye West covered with the duo in 2008 featuring Akira) were played along with the Gorillaz‘ “Clint Eastwood” on Midnight Run.

The story of Interstella 5555 involves blue humanoid aliens from space who enjoy preforming music for the people of the planet. (Even their spaceship is shaped like a Guitar.) The first “song” the group preforms is One More Time (from Daft Punk, of course). While everyone is having a good time, their planet is suddenly under attack by intruders in Aerodynamic. Later in Digital Love, a space patrolman, who is a big fan of the band and their female member finds that the group is in danger.

In Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger the intruders arrive safely with the group… on Earth. The blue aliens undergo a major makeover to their Earthly characteristics. Being repackaged as ordinary human beings, Earl de Darkwood, the plotter behind the capturing of the band, pitches them to a record producer earning them the name to the public as “The Crecendolls” (which is also a track on Discovery-and a very, very catchy track, at that). Under hypnosis, The Crecendolls become uber famous on Earth, but eventually the spell will be broken, only to find answers of why they were kidnapped and to find a way back to their home planet.

Note that Interstella 5555 does not contain any dialogue; the entire album is played throughout the movie, from “One More Time” to the final track, “Too Long”, perfectly matching the moods of the story as The Crecendolls face hardships on Earth, finding their way back home. Not hearing voice acting and just Electronica music might be a disappointment to people that may not enjoy such a genre with their anime…

I do recommend at least hearing/watching the music videos of the first 4 songs from Discovery. Heck, just go out and buy it, if you’re feeling adventurous. I must say though that if it weren’t for Toonami, Interstella 5555 or Discovery would have never happened. It’s also a good primer for those interested in “Rave” music to dance to at your Anime con on a Saturday night.

Rating:

A trailer for the upcoming Gundam Unicorn OVA series is available on the Japanese PSN Store (found via YouTube). The trailer includes the hero of Unicorn, Banagher Links and troublemaker/Mariemaia fangirl clone-ish Aurdrey Burne. There’s also a Char/Zechs wannabe.

At the end of the trailer, there’s a date: February 20th, 2010 on Blu-ray and on PlayStation Network, along with a limited premiere run in select theaters in Japan. Did I mention that an “international” Blu-ray version will be getting an English dub and released March 12th, as thought in my dreams? ^_^

Source: SRW Hotnews

The lineup for the Winter 2009/2010 Anime is now online! The lineup is a little less compared to last year’s, although I’ll admit it’s better than what was shown last year. However, the list contains mostly romance series, like the finale of Nodame Cantabile.

Though I said the lineup was better this year, I think I’ll pass this up once again. (wow, how many times have I said that?) The only thing on the list that I’d check out later is So-Ra-No-Wo-To. The art looks a lot like K-ON!, but the plot reminds me of Valkyria Chronicles…

What are you looking forward to watching?

Winter 2009/10 Series Websites

Durarara!!
Dance in the Vampire Bund
Sora no Woto
Hanamaru Kindergarten
Nodame Cantabile (Final Season)
Katanagatari
Seikon no Qwaser
Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu
Hidamari Sketch×☆☆☆
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3: Owari Naki Unmei
Ookamikakushi
Rose O’Neill Kewpie
Omamori Himari
Ladies vs Butlers!
Chu-bra!!

Source: Rukinet

Impressions

I’ve heard about Ouran High School Host Club back in the day (only about two years ago) when it was all the rage being fansubbed. Being swapped with dozens of series, I didn’t get a chance to check it out completely: one episode was enough for me. Back to it’s online popularity: of course, the series would eventually get picked up for an English dub.

After time of contemplating, I got the chance to check out more than just one episode. Ouran High School Host Club is a “reverse harem” Anime series-and in a good way! While there are a lot of series that involves 5+ girls, there’s a handful of Anime series that has 5+ boys: Gundam Wing, Neo Angelique Abyss… Dragonball Z?!.

The character roster is as follows: Tamaki Suou, Kyoya Ootori, Kaoru and Hikaru Hitachiin (The Twins), Mitsukini Haninozuka (Hani-chan), Takashi Morinozuka (Mori), and the hero of the story, Haruhi Fujioka…. or shall I say, “heroine”?

When Haruhi is introduced, she is mistaken for a male due to the way she dresses. It is explained towards the end of the first episode of how she became to be. The Ouran boys play along (sans Tamaki) as she is forced to join the Host Club* after she breaks an expensive vase… being in an exclusive school.

(*A custom in Japan involving male “hosts” treating the female guests, ala a Maid Cafe for women-w00t!)

The first episode introduces all of the Host Club boys in their usual routine: “hosting” the female students in the academy. The boys have their unique charm: the Twins care for each other- in the way that is normally seen as taboo (…twin-cest, anyone?). Kyoya is the smooth, smart, calculating (the host club’s expenses) type. Mori: the quiet type, and Hani-chan and introducing Usa-chan, the cute Shota boy-who is actually the same age as everyone else in the academy despite his “kawaii” appearance. Finally, there’s Tamaki, the “King” of the Host Club…who usually overreacts when someone gets in the way of him and Haruhi.

The boys characteristics match perfectly, but I think they could have done better: I don’t know, like… they could have added another [male] character with otherworldly features (Hmmm… a Bara type?). Either way, I’m happy with the Ouran’s cast of characters! Plus, the art is beautiful. At first, it did look a bit crude looking, but that’s what modern Shoujo (from Bisco Hatori) looks like. (Come to think of it… this is the first time I’ve taken anything Shoujo-related seriously).

I am officially in love with Ouran High School Host Club! If you’re unsure about it, you can watch it right now on YouTube (subbed only) via the official FUNimation YT channel.

The Guyver is one of those Anime series that’s been on my mind for several years (like the rest of the Anime at Large posts, of course)… Back in 2004, I’ve ran into a lot of fans (many with “Guyver” in the name) of the show on a few message boards, and it struck me curious as to what the show was about.

At first, it looks like another Power Rangers show, but simply a Sentai show. It cross my mind again after reading about it in the February 2009 issue of Otaku USA, written by Mike Dent (of the R5 Central Podcast).

There no cheery “It’s Morphin’ Time!” catch, but it’s much deeper than that. From Anime News Network’s Encyclopedia:

Sho Fukamachi, a normal teenager accidentally found an alien object called Unit and thus, changed his life forever. The Unit bonded with Sho, resulting a powerful fighting lifeform called Guyver.

With this great power, Sho battled the mysterious Chronos and it’s Zoanoids, in order to protect his friends and his world. Unknown to Sho, the battle against Chronos will lead to the discovery of the origins of human, their destiny, and the Creators….

There is also 2 live action movies based on the same story that was (wait for it) made and released in the US in the early 1990s. The first Guyver movie features Star Wars vet Mark Hamill. But being a Star Wars actor didn’t fool the fans: the movie received bad reviews, and even to this day it constantly gets bashed by fans. (Plus the fact that Sho was renamed to Sean Baker).

That changed when Guyver 2: Dark Hero was released in 1994. While the sequel made improvements of the first movie, Dark Hero also made Voice/Actor, Screenwriter for X-Men 1 & 2 and Watchmen-to-be and Director of “Slaughter’s Road”-to-be, David Hayter a star (well, in the Metal Gear community).

Dark Hero is the first time watching anything of Guyver, keeping in mind that I haven’t watch the first Guyver movie, and probably never will due to obvious reasons… I didn’t get a chance to write a review of Dark Hero, but I’d recommend checking it out right this minute. On the other hand, I’ll have to check out the Anime version soon…

Otaku no Video is my first Netflix review since signing up for the service a month ago. It’s also the first Anime put in my queue (Next: Fushigi Yuugi—Date TBD). This is also an Anime OVA that I’ve put off for quite sometime, being fairly new to Anime back in the day.

You may think that Otaku no Video is for Anime vets only, but it can be for everyone—if you have what it takes to become an “Ota-King”.

Review

Otaku no Video is a series of short stories put together by the legendary Gainax (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagaan) that takes place in 1982 (the shorts was actually released in 1991). It follows the lives of two men, Kubo and Tanaka. Tanaka, who is trying to live a normal life with his girl friend, Yoshiko Ueno, runs into Tanaka for the first time since High School. From the circle of friends who join him on the elevator, Tanaka is obviously an Otaku.

Kubo is an Otaku too, but he makes every effort to socialize with the outside world. After their reunion, Tanaka invites Kubo to his apartment—where him and 5 other Otaku: The Fangirl, The Military Otaku, The Martial Arts Otaku, The SF (Sci-fi) Otaku, and the NEET sleeping on the floor, resides.

Tanaka’s dream is to become the #1 Otaku of Japan the world—an “Ota-King”; Otaku of Otaku. Kubo is reluctant to join his circle… I mean, he has a girlfriend, after all. Kubo gives in and moves in with Tanaka. This is where his life turns for the worst better.

After camping out for Anime screenings at the local movie theater for the obligatory Special Edition Cel, Kubo’s life starts to fall apart, and is eventually dumped by his girlfriend. (What’s an Otaku to do?) With Yoshiko out of the way, Kubo gives up his near-perfect livelihood, and with Tanaka’s help, they start their own Garage Kit company, their own Garage Anime (?), and even an Otakuland (a theme park for Otaku only)—that comes with many turbulence.

Otaku no Video is not only just a series of shorts that takes place in 1982, and again in More Otaku no Video beginning in 1985 (keeping in mind that it was actually released in 1991), but it also comes with a brief Live-Action “documentary”, “Portrait of an Otaku”, of actual (?) Otaku in Japan, from a Salaryman, to a Missionary from the US, to a Cel thief.

Thoughts

I have a lot of mixed feelings about Otaku no Video. I was embarrassed, intrigued, and proud at the same time. Then again, in the words of YouTuber/Podcaster, Otaku, No Video on Twitter: “Well, as they say, one never wants to admit to the mistakes of one’s youth.”

I’ve heard so much about Otaku no Video for a long time, being an Otaku myself for 10 years, but was reluctant to actually watch it at first as I was unsure of how I would react to it. (That was back during the days when I was exposed to Pokemon, Dragonball Z, and anything that came on Toonami).

Otaku no Video can be watched by anyone, but if you’re uncertain about it, go ahead and rent it. But buying it is recommended once you’ve watch it the first time. It’s something that can be shown to your grandchildren someday. ^^

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