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Revolutionary Girl Utena, Excel Saga, and more
![]() September 2011 Edition by Neil Lumbard, John Sinnott, Wen-Tsai, and Todd Douglass ![]() Hello everyone, and welcome again to
another month of our ongoing Anime Talk column written exclusively for
DVDTalk.com! It's been a while since our last column, as many of our
readers have surely noticed. The column went on a miniature hiatus
because there has been some changes to our scheduling and Todd Douglass
(one of the best anime contributors around) had to take a break from
extensive Anime Talk contributions due to personal matters (i.e. he had
a super sweet job-related
promotion). Todd is still working with us, but just at a more limited
capacity time-wise.
We decided that for the start-up of the column again that we should introduce a few new changes to the way the monthly column is handled. Change can be a scary thing... it's not always what we want. Yet these changes are positive and actually help to keep the column staying fresh and continually engaging for our readers. The most noticeable change might be the lack of a table with the top anime bargains from WTK (Wen-Tsai King). These bargains will continue to be accessible but we will now be linking to the always very reader-friendly monthly compilation threads found on the DVDTalk.com forums. For the readers looking for the
Anime Bargains, please check out the monthly Official-
ANIME Bargains! - Thread
Another change-up to the
column will be the addition of some spotlight news items that will be
compiled each month for readers to have access to the best and coolest
anime news around. This month's inclusions have been brought to you by
Wen-Tsai.
Some news
tidbits...from U.S. and Japan:
Back on 7/12/2011, North American distributor Discotek Media announced their license acquisition of Lupin the Third: Season 1. The series is slated for a spring 2012 DVD release. Select episodes of the first season was directed by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, which makes it both an important and exciting acquisition. Part of Season 2 was previously licensed by the now defunct Geneon Entertainment USA. A couple of weeks ago, FUNimation Entertainment revealed the lastest list of Geneon licenses that have expired (The Familiar of Zero: Season 1 and When They Cry: Season 1 were the previously announced expired licenses). The list includes Paradise Kiss, Kamichu!, Kyo Kara Maoh!, The Story of Saiunkoku: Season 1, and The Law of Ueki. FUNimation also noted that they have no current plans to re-acquire them. For the late collectors, be prepared to pay a lot more than the original retail price. AnimEigo revealed back on July 7th that their You're Under Arrest: Season 1 will be going out of print on 1/31/2012. Releases may go out of print prior to the 2012 date should the stock become exhausted. Sentai Filmworks currently has the DVD licenses to Season 2 and Season 3: Full Throttle. ![]() For those Japanese anime importers out there, the next wave of Japan Ghibli Blu-ray releases were recently revealed. Upcoming releases include Howl's Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea, and a repackaged re-release of Ponyo that matches the style of packaging design featured on the other Japanese Ghibli Blu-ray releases. All three movie releases will be retailed at 7140yen and will be released on 11/16/2011. The three films will also include both the English sub and dub. While Ponyo has been released in the U.S. already, Disney has not reaveled its Blu-ray intentions for Howl's Moving Castle and Tales from Earthsea, or other recently released Ghibli Blu-ray titles. November isn't just for Ghibli fans, three of Makoto Shinkai's films will be released on Blu-ray in Japan. On 11/18/2011, 5 Centimeters Per Second will be re-released in Japan. The Blu-ray movie (international version) will retail at 6825yen and will include both the English sub and dub. The very same release will also include Voices of a Distant Star (English sub and dub) and She & Her Cat (English sub). 5 Centimeters Per Second is currently licensed in the U.S. by Crunchroll (distributed by Bandai Entertainment). Voices of a Distant Star was last released by ADV Films (currently out of print). About a week later following the 5 Centimeters Per Second re-release, Shinkai's latest film Hoshi o Ou Kodomo (Children Who Chase Lost Voices From Deep Below) will be released (on 11/25/2011). The Blu-ray release will be offered in a regular edition (5775yen) and limited edition (8715yen). The main movie feature will include English subtitles. The
Latest DVDTalk Anime Reviews
(Note: Click on a link for a full review to read.) ![]() ![]() Reviews by John Sinnott
When it first burst onto the R1 anime scene over a decade ago (on VHS) Revolutionary Girl Utena was a strange and very different anime. Taking the trappings of a magical girl show and twisting the conventions around to make it nearly unrecognizable, the show gained a lot of praise from critics and fans. Now the good people from The Right Stuf! have started to rerelease the unconventional and cryptic story from a newly restored print. Both set one, The Student Council Saga and set two, The Black Rose Saga, are currently available. How does the show stack up after all these years? While it's not as ground breaking today as it was when it first arrived, the program is still a surreal adventure that is totally unique but still quite entertaining. Fans should run out and make sure they get copies of these limited editions for their collections. Woo-hoo! Otaku in Region One finally get new episodes of Sgt. Frog! FUNimation has continued with the series after a long 16 months hiatus with no new episodes. It was worth the wait, as Sgt, Keroro and his Armpit Platoon are still hilarious with their bizarre and off-the-wall plans for taking over the Earth. Sgt. Frog: Season Three - Part One is another 14 episodes of goofy fun. What if after you died, you woke up in high school? That's what happens in Angel Beats, a pretty cool anime series that has been released by Sentai Filmworks, a unique mix of classroom comedy and shoot-em-up action. This complete collection includes all 13 episodes and the single OVA adventure (which is pretty funny.) The only real flaw with the show is that it's too short. Fans of school comedies will be pleased with FUNimation's latest release: Baka & Test: Summon the Beasts. An amusing show with just a dollop of action, the full 13-episode first season is available in a nice edition that includes both the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the show. Not sure why you'd need both formats (it's not like a Disney film where you might want to let the kids have the DVD and the adults will keep the Blu-ray unmarred for family viewing. I guess it would be nice if you are planning on upgrading to Blu-ray soon but haven't made the leap yet) but in any case they're both included if you need them. FUNimation continues releasing the definitive version of the most
popular anime series in the world with the
DBZ: Dragon Box - Volume 6. This set finished off the Tenkaichi
Tournament, encompasses the entire Babidi Saga (its only 12 episodes
long) and jumps into the Majin Boo (that's the way it is spelled in the
guide that comes with this set. Previously I've always seen it as
"Majin Buu.") Saga that will finish up in the next and final box.
Overall it's an exciting set of episodes, though it's a small step down
from what has come before.
Reviews
by Neil Lumbard Cowboy
Bebop: The Movie Yu
Yu Hakusho: Season 2 Noir:
Complete Series Reviews
by Todd Douglass
Fullmetal
Alchemist: Brotherhood - Part 5 Chobits:
Complete Series "Soul Eater is wildly whacky and entertaining. The characters are memorable, the action is constantly one-upping itself, and the show has a brand of humor that genuinely works. All the pieces come together to create one heck of a ride. Sure there are some stumbling points along the way, but the adventure as a whole is a trip worth taking." Project
A-Ko "Dragon Ball Z: Kai Part Five is a fine continuation of the
Z saga. The action is fantastic and the
storytelling is much more refined in this version. Gone are the days
where episodes were made up by half filler clips. That's okay in my
book and Kai is a great accompaniment to the
original in that sense. Fans and newcomers will want to check the
series out, though only those who have been collecting will want to
consider picking this one up." ![]() ![]() Other Recent and Notable Anime Reviews> (Writers Indicated for each individual review.)> > Rideback: Complete Series Review by Nick Hartel "Visually stunning both artistically and technically, "RideBack" is a relatively safe excursion into Rin's world of futuristic motorcycles, oppressive governments and heroes waiting to rise up. The flaws of the series are apparent, but are lessened by the moments when the story is on-point and emotionally engaging, just don't expect it to be that way the majority of the time. Those looking for distilled genre entertainment that doesn't leave a bunch of narrative gaps, give "RideBack" a shot. Recommended."> Dance
in the Vampire Bund: Complete Collection "Dance in
the Vampire Bund can't hold a candle to many of the anime series
that are currently available on home video, but it's still an
interesting experience nonetheless. The artistic design is wonderful to
look at (when it's not focused on making us privy to intimate physical
details of the main character), and the numerous plots vying for
attention are interesting enough in and of themselves. Unfortunately,
the creative team behind Vampire Bund didn't know how to pace
themselves and culminated them into something that's frankly, a mess. I
would highly recommend that anyone who's looking to see why this show
has drummed up so much controversy gives this a rental. It's worth
watching through once for what it has to offer, but I highly doubt most
of you out there, anime die-hards or even casual viewers such as
myself, will find this to warrant any repeat viewings.
" Manga Reviews DVDTalk.com has had a
decent number of recent new manga reviews. If you haven't already had
the chance to catch up on reading these reviews (or the manga volumes
themselves) feel free to check out the recent(ish) additions on
the forum. What do you think about the column? Like what you see? Don't like it? Have a comment or suggestion? Drop us an e-mail and let us know! |