DVD Review - Ex-Machina Excitement

Unless they've been living under a rock, nearly every anime fan has heard of the "Appleseed" movies. Based on the "Appleseed" manga by Masamune Shirow, the movies are pretty exciting shows of gunfights and cyberpunk mythology, even if they aren't that original.

"Appleseed: Ex-Machina", the third movie in the franchise, is probably the best of the Appleseed films so far. Produced by gunfight movie specialist John Woo, "Appleseed: Ex-Machina" features even flashier gunfights and a complex plot involving brainwashing.

For people unaquainted with the Appleseed franchise, the series focuses on a pair of tough E.S.W.A.T. soldiers, Deunan and Briareos (buraireiosu). While they are the best soldiers in the team, they are also a romantic wife/husband team until Briareos loses his body in an explosion. Fortunately, Briareos' body is restored in robot form. Together, they are the unstoppable duo, protecting the city-nation of Olympus from terrorists.

In "Appleseed: Ex-Machina", however, Briareos almost dies trying to save Deunan from a bomb inside one of the terrorist cyborgs. Although Deunan is grateful that Briareos only took minor damage, she isn't pleased when E.S.W.A.T. assigns her with a genetic human clone of Briareos, named Tereus. Of course, romantic tension ensues when Briareos returns to the E.S.W.A.T. team to meet his human clone. Deunan likes both of them of course, but Briareos came to her first.

With that aside, there is actually a big action plot involving a scientist named Dr. Kestner. Kestner took over a Project HALCON, a scientific project to help brain-damaged veterans with an advanced artificial intelligence system. But then the project turned the veterans insane and the project leader, Dr. Zander, was killed by veterans. Kestner vowed to get his revenge through implants into popular devices called connexus. Now the devices are transmitters which turn humans and robots insane.

Okay, the storyline is a little simplistic. Ultimately, Briareos, Deunan and Tereus decide to take on HALCON, because if they destroy the HALCON base containing the virus, they can save Olympus from being destroyed. HALCON is actually huge floating cube over the ocean. Inside the cube are tons of virus robots. Of course, the three spend their time killing robots with long machine-gun fights, acrobatics and rocket flying. And admittedly, the last fight with the core of the HALCON really isn't that spectacular.

However, the gunfights are incredible. I've honestly never seen so much flipping and jumping in a gunfight movie. In the second fight alone, Deunan spends her time flipping on steel girders and jumping all over the place just to shut off the robot with the switch on its neck. And in the HALCON gunfight, Deunan kamikazes her flying robot into another robot, ejecting before the explosion.

Okay, maybe the gunfights are ridiculously unrealistic. However, they are impressive to watch. And I also liked the twist in John Woo's use of the doves. As every John Woo fan knows, every Woo film has to have flying doves. The "Appleseed" movie puts a twist in the dove formula, though--the doves have cyborg exoskeletons containing the viruses to make robots go insane.

Okay, maybe the doves were silly. However, the movie was flashy and exciting enough to receive my approval. Despite a simplistic plot and typical John Woo silliness, this is a great-looking film with amazing computer-generated animation. "Appleseed: Ex-Machina" isn't a film to write home about, but it is fun to watch, nonetheless.

Oh, and the interview with John Woo is a good special feature as well.

Image courtesy of clockworkmachina.com

Anime review pending

My Netflix DVDs are running late, as usual. I guess my last few DVD rentals shipped late, so I ordered replacement DVDs. So eventually, I had to send back my DVD rentals and the replacement DVDs.

Although I wish shipping wasn't cumbersome, it can't be helped. Besides, I don't want to sound like I'm in a panic, especially when "Appleseed: Ex Machina" is arriving at my dorm today (or tomorrow). Masamune Shiro may have a somewhat humongous set of anime franchises, including "Ghost in the Shell". However, his series are still incredible nontheless.

I'm really looking forward to May, which is when "One Piece" uncut comes out. I'm so glad that Funimation is handling the production of the DVD, because the 4Kids edited version was total crap. Now I get to experience the great series without bad Brooklyn accents or stupid opening rap songs.

Stay tuned--this anime blog is about to explode with new material up the wazoo.

DVD Review - New Edition of Angel Sanctuary offers nothing new

I have to admit that I've seen a previous version of "Angel Sanctuary" before. Apparently Bandai Visual released a new "special edition" of the anime. However, there's nothing to really worry about, because this new version offers nothing new.

That's right--this three-episode OVA (Original Video Adaptation) is nothing really special. Hardcore fans of the OVA can watch the yaoi (uncut boy love) trailers for this series. There are also textless versions opening and ending sequences and galleries. But really, for anyone who has seen this before, there is nothing new.

And for anyone who hasn't heard of it, "Angel Sanctuary" is a violent and incestuous romance anime. Think of "Angel Sanctuary" as the equally bloody series "X", only with a love relationship between a teenage boy and his little sister. The series actually has a decent plot--there is an ongoing war between angels, the higher-ups in the world, and the demons. Apparently, the angels decided to kill off all the demons after the humans polluted their cities too much. They sought to chop away all of the evil sinners with their swords, but one angel rebelled against the others. Her name was Alexiel.

That's right, Alexiel is the woman who stands for the poor. He defended demons from the angels. She would have killed her brother Rosiel, to stop this nonsensical war. Instead, in pity of him, she instead sealed him onto the Earth in human form, leaving Alexiel with his body and mind separated.

While the subject matter is controversial, the series saves itself by showing that this story isn't exactly about Christianity. Rather, this series is about defying fate, especially about defying an apocalyptic future. And its an impressive range of bloody battles and swordfighting. And overall, even with the incestuous sex scene, the series is more about becoming an individual.

However, many of the characters' behaviors are questionable. And even though the voice acting is performed extremely well, the action in these angel horror anime series is way too bloody for its own good. The incestuous romance is a little too much, especially for religious folks in the United States. And there are no especially new features. Oh yeah, the English dub is TERRIBLE. I cannot recommend this one. If anyone has nostalgia for angel and demon-killing, feel free to buy it. But I don't care.

(edit) I received some responses from the anime club, and I have heard that this is a far better series in manga form. In fact, the OVA only scratches the surface. A couple volumes in, the incest issue doesn't come into play anymore, because the little sister actually transforms into a different angel or creature. And based on their responses, I have reason to believe that if you want a better visual experience of "Angel Sanctuary", get the manga.

Image courtesy of daeya.org

Box set - Fantastic Children

One of the series that flew under the radar of anime fanatics four years ago was "Fantastic Children". Despite the simplistic, Tezuka-style drawings, this series is very intelligent and packed with scary mysteries to be solved. A box set of this series came out recently this year in March.

The series starts with a paranoid narrator rambling about the dreaded Befort children. They are searching for Tina, the girl who can help them at their home planet, Greecia.

However, the Belfort children are really seven gray-haired scientists who reincarnate into children every few years. They want to convince Tina to return to Greecia, their home planet. Apparently, she is the ultimate weapon for Greecia, but escapes to Earth to keep herself from getting involved with the countries at war. To keep away from the reincarnating Belfort children, Tina reincarnates every 10-20 years into a different person so that no one can ever find her. From the 1700s to the early 1900s, Tina remains elusive as a fugitive.

In the 1900s, Tina is now a young girl, named Helga, wearing a blue skirt and pink blouse. She is an orphan who doesn't want any association with guys either. Toma sees her lying on a statue at his secret island. Although she doesn't speak to him, he likes the girl, and he eventually saves her from the orphanage where she is mistreated. However, he has no idea that Helga have some association with Tina, and that these Befort children have robots, karate skills and fancy weaponry that Toma can't handle.

Although the opening episodes are definitely a confusing mix of separate scenes between a detective, the Belfort children and Toma and Tina, this series is incredible. I have never seen a more fluidly animated series in my life. Although the characters are drawn rather simplistically, they move very smoothly. The digital animation is also implemented well. However, the story is the true highlight of the series. This series is about provocative mysteries, such as dark mythic creatures, ghosts and family members who disappear to join a group of gray-haired children wearing black cloaks. On top of this, there are orphanages with bodyguards who imprison Tina, secret agent organizations experimenting on people and, of course, the reincarnating Belfort children. And there are even flying robots.

Trust me--it sounds like the worst seasons of "The X-Files", but this series is the best mix of Miyazaki children and Hitchcock horror that I have ever seen. Although this series is for kids, the spooky music and shocking revelations clearly distinguish this for older audiences. This is one of those series that really doesn't sound like it would work, but it does work. In fact, it is one of the best series I have ever seen.

Images courtesy of aniweblog.org and hirvine.com

Oops, I did it again

I have to apologize to readers of my blog. In my Netflix account, I typed in the wrong zip code. So I didn't receive my movies this week.

So I have no timely reviews this week. Once again, I apologize.

On the bright side, I took a trip with the anime club to Little Tokyo. I bought a really pretty figurine of Asuka Langsley, from Neon Genesis Evangelion. Isn't she beautiful?

DVD Review - xxxHolic cures inner demons with love story

Some anime focus on saving the world from monsters. Other anime focus on a love story. This anime, however, focuses on resolving problems with evil spirits and falling in love in the process.

"xxxHolic" is probably the first anime that involves a love story with a cool fortune-teller. The anime involves a high school boy, named Kimihiro Watanuki, who helps a fortune-teller cure people with spiritual illness for a price.


In the first episode, Watanuki is being chased around by black, smoking demons. He shouts aloud that he wishes he could stop seeing them, and lo and behold, he arrives at fortune-teller Yuko's wish-granting shop.

After magic literally pulls Watanuki into the house, Yuko tells him that he sees demons because of the blood in his veins. And demons latch on to him because of his blood. Yuko offers to cure him from seeing demons if he works for her.

This is a tricky anime that forced me to think about why certain people in the anime were possessed by demons. This series is a unique mix of caretaking, Confucianist dialogue, Ouija boards and predictions of the future. However, underneath the dialogue there is a hidden love story. Based on episode four, I have the sneaking feeling that Yuko likes Watanuki. What makes this series excellent is the way in which the story hides the love story in a prediction of Watanuki's future by Yuko's mother in episode four.

Also, to break up the long dialogue, there are plenty of humorous characters as well. There are the cute twin girls, Maru and Moro. They share funny, though disturbing, romantic moments together. And for Magic Knight Rayearth fans, there is the cute black Mokona rabbit. It's black, it's little and it's Yuko's drinking buddy. I'd really love to drink with a Mokona, but then people would think I was weird.

Although this series has plenty of spirit, the only problem so far is the character design. I appreciate that the director wanted Watanuki to be tall, so that the Maru and Moro twins would look smaller in proportion. However, in this series, he looks as tall as Shaquille O'Neal! I’m really disturbed that Watanuki’s as tall as he is.
Still, this is a minor complaint to what could be a really great series. Even though the dialogue could be lengthy for some and the characters are a little tall, this is one of the most promising shojo anime releases of 2008. I'll really be looking forward to volume two of the series.
Oh, by the way, this has one of the best ending songs I have ever heard. Feel free to look up the song on Youtube. The song is “Reason” by Fotogenico.

Images courtesy of deepgraysea.com and randomc.animeblogger.net

Japan Film Festival in Little Tokyo

In case you haven't figured out from my recent post, the Japan Film Festival is here in Los Angeles at the Imaginasian Center. This is a great collection of every genre of Japanese films available. In only one day, I have seen a post-war drama, a Pulp Fiction-style drama and the scariest Japanese horror film ever.

Imaginasian tickets are $10 for a single movie, but people can purchase a three ticket package for only $20. The festival runs from April 11-17 in the Imaginasian Center and April 18-20 in the Starplex Cinemas in Irvine. There are anime movies as well, including "Appleseed: Ex Machina," the "One Piece" movie, and an awesome computer-generated image film called "Atagoal Cat's Magical Forest," featuring a gigantic singing cat.

Who can resist such a cute cat?

Image courtesy of ferdyonfilms.com

Live action adaptation - Yunagi City, Sakura Country

This week at the Japan Film Festival, I caught the U.S. Primiere of "Yunagi City, Sakura Country." This adaptation of the Fumiko Kouno's manga, known in the U.S. as "Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms," is even better than the manga itself. Hopefully a publisher will deem this worthy of an American release.

"Yunagi City, Sakura Country" is actually set in two parts. This first half, Yunagi City, focuses on Minami, a young office worker woman in Hiroshima after World War II. One of her male coworkers, Yutaka, really likes Minami, and even gives her new straw sandals. However, her memories of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima still haunts her. The second half, Sakura Country, is set 50 years after the war. Nanami's father, Asahi, sneaks off in the night to visit Hiroshima. Little does Nanami know about Asahi's relations with Minami, and his past in Hiroshima.

There haven't been too many movies about the atomic bombing of Japan released in the U.S., except for an old audiobook of the story of Sadako and the Thousand Cranes. However, for a post-war movie, it is very sensitive in its treatment of the repercussions and diseases of the atomic bomb. I was heartbroken when Nanami saw her mother and her grandmother die in the same apartment. However, through the magic of film, Nanami is one of the few descendants of the atomic bomb who managed to live on, to defy the curse of the atomic bomb.

This is one hell of a tearjerker, and the second half is really emotional. More importantly, the movie connects the events of the first and the second story together seamlessly. I love how director Kyoshi Sasabe managed to pass the ancient hairpiece on to each succeeding member of Nanami's family. I think the actor of Nanami pulled off a stunning performance, observing the pain and suffering of the victims of the atom bomb without looking away.

If you read the manga, you will definitely need to look out for the movie, filled with even more heartbreaking, emotional dialogue. Plus, Nanami looks really cute...

Image courtesy of skipcity-dcf.jp

DVD - "5 centimeters per second" shows heartwarming young love

The story begins with a 5-year-old girl named Akari talking to her best friend, a boy named Takaki. "Hey, did you know that cherry blossoms fall to the ground at a rate of five centimeters per second?" Akari says to Takaki. Then, unexpectedly, Akari runs off on the other side of the railroad tracks ahead. Takaki tries to follow, but the gates close down and Akari teases him, saying, "Goodbye, Takaki!"

Even though this is a joke at the beginning of the movie "5 Centimeters Per Second," that is exactly how suddenly Akari leaves Takaki, when her parents move away to Tochigi prefecture in northern Japan.

As director Makoto Shinkai says in an interview on the DVD, "5 Centimeters Per Second" is all about the pacing of relationships. The emotions, and the imagery reflecting the emotions, are priceless.

The film is set in three parts. The first one, "Cherry Blossoms" shows off Shinkai's storytelling at his best. When Takaki's parents move to the island of Kyushu, Takaki and Akari decide to meet for one last time in Iwafune in the winter, far up north. Although the blizzard was very inconvenient for Takaki's train trip, Akari still waits for him. Probably the most tender moment is Akari and Takaki's kiss underneath a cherry blossom tree.

The second part, "Cosmonaut," deals with Takaki's relationship with Kanae Sumita in a high school in Tageshima, Kyuushu. Kanae is clearly in love with Takaki, but Takaki's head is still in the stars. He wants to go to Tokyo University, which is the most prestigious school in Japan, but Kanae wants to confess her feelings to him. They strike up a great relationship, but no matter when opportunities arise, Kanae cannot pop the question.

As for the final part, "5 Centimeters Per Second," it actually feels more like a dizzying montage of events. Takaki is receiving messages on his cell phone. Could they be messages from Akari. He has no idea, and work is just draining the energy out of him. And as Takaki passes by a girl at the same railroad crossing, he is pretty sure that it could be Akari. Or is she just a mirage of the past?

Although the ending feels less conclusive, and more like an artsy, abstract montage that moves too fast for me to follow, I think it worked perfectly for this movie. Japanese directors are never sticklers for happy endings, but realistic ones. And although Takaki might not find Akari ever again, the memories still remain with him. And these memories are the most priceless memories for him to keep.

I'm disappointed with Anime News Network's review of this masterpiece. Although the ending could disappoint some people who would rather watch a final kiss at the end, this story isn't about winning the girl. This story is about a young man who learns to stop pining away long hours at the office and find a girl he truly loves.

Based on an interview included on the DVD, at the time when director Makoto Shinkai named this movie "5 Centimeters Per Second," he stated that everything in this movie has to do with speed, even the imagery. And the lighting effects and the imagery in this film is incredible. His meeting with Akari is in a blue, snow-covered village to reflect how Takaki gets frozen in the rest of his life daydreaming about Akari. In Kanae's romance with Takaki, Kanae always notices how Takaki is always looking ahead to the future, speeding through the sky like the nearby rocket launching in the distance.

I'm sure this movie is one of the best anime films of all time. This is a gem of a movie. Watch it immediately, because no one will regret a second of the romance, the drama and the beauty of "5 Centimeters Per Second." Hopefully, after watching this film, your own relationships will not move at five centimeters per second.

Photos courtesy of animewriter.wordpress.com and sookinouta.blogspot.com

DVD Review - Mythology meets mecha in "Aquarion"

This year has already offered two robot anime series, and "Aquarion" may be one of the most unusual series. The anime packs robot-fighting and Greek and Biblical mythology together in a action series that is exciting, no matter how odd the blend is.

I never thought that an anime would even try to mix mythology and mecha action together, but "Aquarion" blends it effortlessly. It's also no surprise that this series is that good, because it is directed by Shoji Kawamori, who directed the excellent "Macross Plus" series. The series begins immediately with a narrative on the distant future, where Shadow Angels are returning after a twelve thousand years to eliminate all the humans of the world. Fortunately, the humans have managed to launch ships, called Vectors, to destroy these Shadow Angels before they send the humans to an alternative dimension. Only Element users can use Vectors. And, in the Transformers tradition, these Vectors can transform into a humongous robot, called an Aquarion.

Meanwhile, an escapee from an internment camp, is rumored to be long-forgotton descendant of the hero Apollonius, who saved the world twelve thousand years ago. This guy, Apollo, is the Solar Wing whom Silvia, one of the Element users, is looking for to help her get stronger as a pilot. However, they couldn't be any more incompatible--Silvia comes from a line of nobility and Apollo is a brash street brat who crawls on his hands and feet like a cat. However, he certainly has the ability to harness the Aquarion's abilities to the fullest.

Then again, his emotions of agony are so strong that he can cause the Aquarion to self-destruct. He also lost his best friend, Baron, to the shadow Angels in episode one. Not surprisingly, one of the Shadow Angels tapped into his emotions to cause the Aquarion to explode, destroying an entire city.

However, despite this dark turn of events in episode two, this is one of the funniest robot anime series I have ever seen. I especially love watching Silvia and Apollo fight over the controls of the Vector. Each the pilots are very recognizable in their physical abilities, too. Sirius, Silvia's sister, is a perfectionist and swordsman who believes that he deserves to be called the descendant of Apollonius. Hong is a female pilot who is suffering after an accident which put her boyfriend in a coma. Pierre is one of the hilarious pilots, who flirts with the ladies and tends to show off his flaming kick a little too much.

While these are only a few of the pilots of the series, they all are very memorable. I love the chemistry between Silvia and Apollo, who constantly tease each other whenever they meet. And unlike other robot series, this is an anime about teamwork. All the character constantly look at each other's actions in order to discover the Shadow Angels weaknesses. I loved the fourth episode, where the characters had to discover how to withstand a Shadow Angel's attack, in which the Angel reversed gravity whenever he beat his staff on the ground. Of course, the Aquarion was able to defeat the angel by tapping into the Earth's power, buried underneath the ground.

There's also a much deeper plot to it as well, one that implements Biblical imagery. The Shadow Wings are actually capturing humans to recreate the second Tree of Life. It sounds like a really twisted version of the Creation story. Nonetheless, this series is a true gem.

And it's not quite for kids either. There is a reason why "Aquarion" is rated TV-MA. Be willing to bear the brief moments when the characters are naked when they are merging the Vectors into an Aquarion, and the scenes after pilots trade places by transporting, when the female pilots are bare naked.