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*makes a note*
Watch Kino's Journey...

Keep watching, it gets better!

Two reviews to do. Yaaay...

Blood+:

Death Note:

Yeah, no kidding. I noticed the same thing with Death Note: $35 for the full box set, $25 each for the 3 pieces that make up the set. It doesn't make any sense at all.

It'll be a long time before I finish Death Note, it being the replacement for Bleach on Adult Swim. Though this isn't the first series I detested the main character, Light definately is up there in the list.

Blood+ started off alright then went the pace slowed which made it boring but picked up in the moments preceding Diva. All in all it's going well now that the series is at the point after the one-year time jump. And yes, I agree that Saya looks pretty nice in her new outfit, though her change in personality is rather disheartening since I'm used to her well...naivete which I thought was very cute.

As far as prices go...imports or official US releases? Never pay over $19.99 (excluding taxes and special editions) for a DVD. Retail prices in most stores are at the $24-30 mark which is rather crazy. Bestbuy usually has new releases for anime at $19.99 and under in the first couple weeks before bumping it up. You could get it far cheaper on Amazon without having to wait that long (Mind that this is all for new releases). It's all about where you look and if you're fairly patient. If not, then you can still get good deals just by looking around.

Full set purchasing vs Individual dvd purchasing:
I am not sure if this will help you guys, but I always wait to buy any Anime collection on dvd until they release the full collection in one set. I have saved thousands of dollars doing it this way. I also buy mine through Amazon online, just be careful because you might accidently get a bootleg set if you are not careful. *Note that most dvd released collections for anime only have 4 maybe 6 eps per dvd in the set.* So just make sure to compare with a known online anime source for the proper number counts. Also if you are purchasing make sure to check your regions, most of you probably know this, but it is worth mentioning.

Subbed vs Dubbed:
I am subs all the way. I used to think that dubbed was better, but after viewing anime in both forms, I revised my opinion greatly. Japanese voices can pull off some of the ridiculous funny moments in an anime that the dubbed versions can't compete with. The same being said for the action and serious scenes also. I have found that if I feel like I might have missed any action from reading the subs, I simply rewind. To be perfectly honest when we love a show or anime, we will watch it many times. Especially for me hearing the intended casted voice actors, portraying the story as it was meant holds higher value to me. Especially because the director and the writers work hand in hand with the actors. I know this may sound strange, but I always get the feeling that the subbed versions really reflect the manga that it was based on. **In my humble opinion.**

Ha. I try to go by a fairly simple formula for buying dvds. If a box sets come out to be at or about $1 an episode, it's a good deal Rarely do I pay more than $30 for a 26 episode series, unless it's something special.

I liked the personality change, as it's much closer to how Saya was in the Blood: TLV. Seems to suit her better, considering what she goes through.

I agree that the Japanese voices are generally outstanding, but sometimes I find the dubbed voices more appealing... it seems to depend on the series, really. I found the Bleach, Blood+ and Death Note subs to be far superior to the dubs, yet series like Chobits and Rumbling Hearts I preferred the dubbed. I guess I'm just too indecisive

As to the latter two series I mentioned, two more series I gotta give my two cents on!

Chobits:

Rumbling Hearts:

I import all my DVDs, so prices can get a bit crazy... As for why, well, wiki "ODEX", would ya?

Most of the stuff that's been discussed recently I haven't watched so I can't exactly tear apart your reviews give my take, except for Blood+, which was a "Oh. Yeah. Interesting. Next." kind of series, and Chobits ("Ew. Run for the hills!")

That said,

Sounds like the kind of the anime that will make me tear my hair out. Triangles!

Will be giving my take on the currently midway Fall 2007 season soon enough.

Have you not gotten into any animes that had drastically edited scenes between the original and their dubs? That's normally the biggest problem. It's been one of the problems I've been finding in Digimon Adventure recently, since I'm writing a fanfic and wanted to be somewhat accurate. And here I find that one of the supposedly more "authentic" animes we saw Stateside before 4Kids! still had random edits done to appeal to the American audience.


I don't buy enough anime to comment on DVD prices. But we don't always see full box sets, and waiting to buy the DVDs can make it so that we never see all of the DVDs at all.

I've only seen the first 2 episodes to RH though I agree that it the level of emotion and drama was enough to forecast some precipitation up there.

After seeing the first 2 episodes and reading the overall summary on Wiki I couldn't bear to watch the entire series but the feelings hovered over me for a while.

A good manga to read is Ichigo 100% (Strawberry 100% in the US). I didn't see the anime (compared to the manga I heard it's grealy underpar) but the manga is really something you can get into. The basic plot is standard but the execution as well as the driving forces make the story really interesting. They've got scanlations available of the entire series.

Genshiken: An anime about an anime club. Has a *lot* of potential, but wastes nearly all of it. It tries to depict life as an otaku, but focuses way too much on the more perverted aspects. I think the meta-anime would've been better if it was more obviously stereotypical. I found the conclusion unsatisfying, and actually wondered on the way back to my room if they had forgotten to show an episode. I'm sure plenty got lost in the translation, and it probably made a bunch of references that were too obscure for me to pick up.

Nevertheless, it is not a complete failure. The recursion of an anime club watching an anime about an anime club (sometimes shown watching anime) alone was worth something. It does have its moments, but they're only moments.

All in all, it wasn't too bad, but it could've been so much better. 7.5/10

Also, I made some small revisions to past ratings.

Genshiken 2 is currently showing now, Spaz. Maybe it clears some of the issues with the first season? Not following it, I wouldn't know.

And...

Naruto 381

I picked up You're Under Arrest! The Movie over the weekend. It a basic crime-scene police investigation storyline centered around two of Japan's finest yet hazardous police officers Miyuki and Natsumi and their antics.

Anyone familiar with the light-hearted series would have to think twice on this one. The themes are more serious and darker than it's television counterpart. The story focuses around the uncovering of a terrorist attack on the precinct and the destruction of the economy using a devised plan that was buried into secrecy by the top brass of Japan's police force.

The animation is crisp and clean giving the whole theatrical feel. The only problem is the consistancy. For some odd reason the staff decided to integrate artistic still frame shots and place them in the start or middle of intense action sequences and chases. They're sparse and only last for one or two seconds but completely throw you off. It's like speeding down a road with stop lights few and far between each other. Instead of taking pleasantry in the ferociousness of a straight-away...you have these frustrating obstructions to keep you from breaking loose and enjoying it.

The plot is interesting and pretty deep in a way but shallow in its execution. The 90mins alotted just doesn't let the story breathe and you find things rushed and some seemingly important characters, mainly the antagonists, just appear out of nowhere before being quickly apprehended...with some time in between to spearhead into a dramatic speech about this and that. If they had tacked on atleast 25 more mins, it would have been supremely better.

Overall, great potentional but an 'ok' performance. I'd say it's still worth watching atleast once, and owning to expand your series range and story selection. Despite the lackings, you'll find yourself eyeing it once in a while.

I picked up the 2005 ADV release which has 5.1 Surround Sound and cleaner visuals- the cover with a dark/blue shadow theme. If anyone's thinking about checking it out pick that one up over the earlier ADV release which lacks clear audio and has rather poorer visual value.