Adjusting to life at home

It's taking me awhile to find my Netflix DVDs right now, so my next blog entry will have to wait until next week.

Netflix hasn't released the "One Piece" DVDs yet. I'm getting a little upset that Netflix still has the lame 4Kids version available, and not the unedited Funimation version.

Anyhow, I'll figure out some sort of compromise. Stay tuned...

The witches vs. the warlocks

Although I'd seen hints of the war between the witches and the warlocks in the first DVD of "Tweeny Witches," the second DVD fully explains the conflict. It was almost inconceivable to see hovering robots, television screens, amusement park rides and explosions, but "Tweeny" is more like a collision with the old world and the new modernized world. And it looks so amazingly good.

Be careful--there are some spoilers in the next section.

From the first DVD, we learned of Sigma, the teenage boy warlock who wanted to help the witches destroy the warlocks. Arusu, Eva and Shiela follow Sigma through a desert on broomsticks. After disguising themselves in warlock outfits, he shows them that the warlocks' world is an underground world of science. Metal covers the entire underground world. The residents don't even need to use magic. Arusu and Shiela sense that the warlocks are repressing the magic for some purpose.

After Eva blows their cover, the police capture Eva and Arusu escapes to find an old man who knew her father, or at least a man similar to him. Eva discovers in an underground graveyard that the warlock world is slowly being sucked into a vortex, and Sigma wants her to submit to the warlocks. According to him, if the warlocks can use the dark magic of Arusu's missing magic book, they can stop the vortex. Shiela isn't fooled though--she senses that dark magic would only make things worse, However, Sigma pushes a button on her suit, making her a slave! Thankfully, Arusu saves her friends, but all three of the witches realize that the world of witches and warlocks is deteriorating without witches' magic.

This series is a fantastic mix of fast spell-casting action. It is also a deep analysis of a problematic industrialized society, whose world is deteriorating due to the loss of the old magic arts. The emotional drama still remains high. The three main characters are doing whatever they can to protect each other. Shiela is an especially strong character, who sneaks Arusu onto a ship to the human realm, so that Arusu will not be hurt in the violent war between witches and warlocks.

Arusu also found a pirate man who tried to capture the human realm ship. He says that he is Arusu's mirror. What could this possibly mean? Hopefully all will be explained in the next few DVDs.

Image courtesy of videos.fansub.tv

Lucky Star late, Gurren Lagann pending and the best (so far)

Everyone on Netflix has been renting "Lucky Star," so I may have to hold off on reviewing it for awhile. That's okay--I haven't heard too many thrilling reviews about it.

Netflix decided to (finally) release Gurren Lagann as a rental. I'd have to say it's about time--the DVD was release three months ago. It's one of the biggest anime this year, so it better be released.

I wanted to review the "Code Geass" debut on Cartoon Network, but I missed episode one! (Doh!) I shouldn't fret...maybe they'll run a rerun.

I'm going to release a "best anime of the year (so far)" list this summer. Right now, I have some big candidates for best anime of the year. I'm still debating whether "Death Note" should be given honors.

Whatever the case, everything will be reviewed in late June or early July.

In the meantime, I'll be studying for finals.

Box set review - Buso Renkin

It's been awhile since I've seen a really promising action series, and Buso Renkin is a welcome surprise to the shonen (male action) anime scene. This is an awesome sci-fi action series that features intense fighting sequences, humanoid monsters and embryonic parasites.

The series doesn't begin very happily--a student named Kazuki Muto gets killed while trying to save a schoolgirl from being attacked by a monster. Although Kazuki gets stabbed very badly, the girl, Tomiko Tsumura, saves him by planting a hexagon-shaped chip in him to act as his heart.

The chip, known as a kakugane, is not an ordinary pacemaker though. In fact, Kazuki can use it to obtain specialized weapon, known as a buso renkin. Tomiko is no ordinary girl either--she informs Kazuki that she is using her buso renkin to hunt down monsters called homunculus. These first homunculi are monsters created from plants and animals by a high school boy known as the Creator. The homunculus turn into mindless slaves that eat humans to whet their appetite.

However, the Creator plays a dirty trick on Tomiko--one of his monsters drops an homunculus embryo from the sky onto her leg. The embryo attaches onto her and impairs her powers. Tomiko says that the embryo will attack onto her spine and turn her into a homunculus in one week, but Kazuki is willing to do anything to save the girl who saved his life. Thus, Kazuki embarks on a quest in the first eight episodes to find the Creator to obtain the homunculus antidote.

For an anime series, Buso Renkin looks amazing. The main characters have awesome weapons. Kazuki can produce a gigantic sword with his kakugane. Takiko has an especially cool weapon as well. Her buso renkin, the Valkyrie Skirt, consists of four robotic arms with scythes attaching to her legs to kill enemies with ease. Also, the homunculus designs are very creative. I would have never thought that a hawk homunculus would ever have metallic wings and razor-sharp claws.

However, the Creator, Koshaku Chono, has the most hilarious butterfly glasses. The glasses are shaped so because he is a sickly child and he wants to become a butterfly. And when he first turns into a homunculus, he looks even more ridiculous--he flexes his muscles to rip his clothes off so that he's only wearing spandex. Then he takes his glasses out of the crotch part of his spandex. Gross.

Okay, maybe the series is a little too off-kilter with the characters. However, the weird character designs also plays in with the humorous tone of the anime series. In a hilarious meeting between heroes and villains, Chono meets with Kazuki and Tomiko at a local burger joint. Of course, Chono wears his trademark butterfly glasses and a wacky black suit showing off his chest. Then Captain Bravo makes the meeting even spookier, showing up in a silver cloak and cowboy hat. Everyone in the burger joint is pretty spooked over the costumed men.

Probably the only thing that I don't understand his how those main characters take so many fatal blows from sharp claws and swords and still manage to remain standing. Kazuki especially gets stabbed through the stomach at least five times. I guess their kakugane must give them superhuman strength as well, because there's no way an ordinary human could get sliced that many times.

Regardless of the abnormal amount of blood in the series, Buso Renkin is one of the most entertaining action anime series of the year. Even if I've heard this action story before, the character designs look so awesome that this series is too hard to pass up.

And there is even a bigger story arc involving another butterfly scientist sending his homunculi to fight against Captain Bravo and his alchemy warriors, Tomiko and Kazuki. I can't wait to see the rest of the series.

Image courtesy of kljs.blogspot.com.

Waiting for One Piece

I haven't been able to do a post this week. Sorry.

I want to receive more Buso Renkin DVDs so that I can do a proper review of a box set. I really like the series, so I want to give the series the attention it deserves.

I'm also waiting for the uncut version of One Piece. So far, Netflix hasn't stocked up on the Funimation versions, but I'm crossing my fingers.

Once I receive more Buso Renkin, I will review it.

Edit: I just noticed that "Lucky Star" is now available on Netflix. I will review it as soon as it comes.