Trailer: "Eden of the East: Paradise Lost"

If I can get my hands on a copy of the film, you better believe there will be a review.

FUNImation has released a trailer for the last film in the "Eden of the East" series, "Paradise Lost."

"Eden of the East" is one of my favorite series right now, so I'm looking forward to seeing how it all ends.  The film will be released as part of a DVD/Blu-Ray combo pack on August 2.

The Newest Acquisition From Funimation I Can't Write About At Examiner...

But I can certainly write about it here!

Yes, you are reading that right. The name of the film is "Big Tits Zombie."

Here's the UK Trailer for it. Not Safe For Work.

I would say this sounds almost like a rip-off of "Stripper Zombies," but I don't know if that film ever got picked up for Japanese distribution.  The look of the film from the trailer looks almost like an old 70s style grindhouse film.

Funimation just announced on their website and on Facebook that they acquired the rights to this one. The reaction so far on Facebook has been more along the lines of, "What the ****?" just based on the title (which was pretty much MY reaction), others getting a kick out of it.

It's coming out this Fall, so once it's up on Netflix you bet yoru sweet bippy there will be a review of this one.

Hulu Reviews: "Tiger and Bunny" and "Toriko"

This is not the "Tiger and Bunny" we are talking about...

 

 

 

Heh.  I had to use this picture...it was one of the first results you get when you look up "Tiger and Bunny" images.

Now this is what we are talking about....

Despite the unusual title, it's refreshing to see an original anime come out of Japan that wasn't based on a manga or light novel or another source.

So you're probably wondering what this is about.  Well, it looks like it could be a mecha show, but it's actually a superhero show. Well, more like a parody of a superhero show. And reality shows.  And corporate sponsorship. It's got heart, and some goofy stuff.  But it's one to watch.

In the world of "Tiger and Bunny," 45 years prior, the NEXT started emerging -- people with various superpowers. The most popular of these NEXT, all sponsored by different corporations, are competing on a reality show for the title of "King of the Heroes." The story follows Kotetsu Kobaragi, known as "Wild Tiger," who has a super strength power that only lasts for five minutes, and seems to cause more destruction than he does saving lives.  After the corporation he's sponsoring gets bought out, he not only gets a new suit but also a new partner -- the younger Barnaby Brooks, Jr., who also happens to have the same power that he does, but also has a lot of arrogance.  Neither one wants a new partner, but are forced together by the corporation, so now they have to learn to deal with it.

Now, as I noted in my review on Examiner.com, the idea of superheroes being sponsored by corporations is not a new concept.  If you've ever seen the film "Mystery Men," you know that they touched on the idea with Captain Amazing (the ever wonderful Greg Kinnear) under risk of losing his sponsorships because there hadn't been a major supervillain attacking the city in a long time. But in "Tiger and Bunny," they take the concept to a new level, with each superhero working for a different corporation, which is emblazoned on their costume somewhere.

The characters in "Tiger and Bunny" are fairly likeable.  You kind of feel bad for Kobaragi, especially when they get more into his home life -- he has a daughter who doesn't know that he's a superhero, and he just wants to do the right thing, but just can't seem to get there after so many years as a superhero. Barnaby, or "Bunny" as Kobaragi calls him in the second episode ("Because you hop around like a bunny and you've got bunny ears!"), we have a sense he has a dark past, which I'm sure we'll get more detail on in further episodes.

The animation is very much an American style -- you probably couldn't tell the difference between this show and any action animation for kids out there now.  And it works in the show's favor -- very well done CGI, and some great character designs.

If you haven't started watching this one yet, you can catch it on Hulu or Anime News Network. Episodes are posted on Saturdays.

The first episode of "Toriko" went up on FUNImation's website as well as Hulu last night after being announced earlier this week that the rights were acquired for the streaming from Toei Animation.

My impression based on the first episode? It's...goofy.

Nothing wrong with goofy. But I might have to watch a few more episodes before I make a final impression on the show.

I'm only vaguely familiar with the manga it's based on -- I've seen chapters featured in "Shonen Jump" on occassion (which reminds me -- I still have two back issues I have to catch up with). For those who aren't familiar with it, Toriko is a Gourmet Hunter -- he hunts down the best of gourmet ingredients in order to create his ultimate Full Course Meal.  In this first episode, he's hired to hunt down the gararagator for a gourmet party, but might have gotten in over his head.

The show is typical of a lot of shonen shows -- lots of action, and lots of jokes.  The premise opens itself up to that -- the idea of a muscle bound "Gourmet Hunter" is goofy (there's that word again).  And it doesn't take itself seriously in that regard.

What the first episode did was get me to want to watch more of it.  Which I intend to do -- along with a lot of the other anime I have on my list....sigh.  But at least I can watch at a different pace.

Episodes of "Toriko" are simulcast on Thursdays at 6pm PDT.

Review: Ikki Tousen

Oh, dear...what to say about this one...

Well, some facts about "Ikki Tousen." It's based on a manga, which seems almost a given in anime these days.  The show was broadcast in 2003 in Japan, and has had three additional seasons since its premiere.  I don't know who's watching this in Japan that would justify the additional seasons, but wow.

Anyway, the concept of the show is this: rival high schools are fighitng each other for dominance. Because of this, each school has their own set of fighters to defend the school.  Hakufu Sonsuru enters the picture, and doesn't realize that her destiny is to unite the schools in peace.  "Helping" her in this (a very loose term) is her rich cousin Kouyou Shuuyu, who is determined to protect her but instead becomes a punching bag each time he tries to "protect" her.

And that is pretty much the show.

I should probably save the most obvious problem of the show for later, so let's start with the writing.  What little story there is takes its plot very, very loosely from the Chinese Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Each character and story is supposed to be representative of that.  But it's just inane. The character development is sorely lacking in this show -- you can pretty much interchange any character in the story and it won't make a lick of difference to what's going on onscreen. Any character development would come from Hakufu, but it goes from "I'm a stupid character with big boobs who has no clue how the world works" to "I'm a stupid character with big boobs but I have a DESTINY!"

The voice acting in the English dub is terrible.  Which is sad because looking up some of the actors they've done some good work.  I don't blame the actors in this case so much as dealing with some inane dialogue and trying to take it as seriously as they can, but having it sound really, really stupid because of it.

The background music for the show is actually pretty decent. However, the opening theme for the show has this kind of techno/rap feel to it that doesn't quite fit the show.

The animation for the show also leaves something to be desired. The action scenes, of which there are numerous, aren't very ACTIVE.  You'll get a still shot suggesting movement, the characters attacking each other, then one character will go into detail what he's doing to the other character.  Um, aren't we supposed to see that?  If you're going to paralyze someone, shouldn't you show us how you're doing it instead of going into ridiculous detail on what you are doing to the other character? It ends up being a series of still shots with suggested action, making for a not so exciting fight.

In fact, it's almost like they blew the entire show's budget on the animation of the women's boobs.  Which is the elephant in the review and I didn't want to get into until last.

The fanservice.  The purpose of "fanservice" is to service fans. But you know how if you get too much of a good thing it can actually make you sick?  Well, that's what we have here.  According to Anime News Network's review of the first DVD release, there were 41 panty shots in the first episode alone. Ick. And the women wear skirts to school that are short enough to allow for that many panty shots.

On top of that, it's laughably ridiculous how easily the women's clothes rip and tear during a fight.  A slight breeze would cause a rip in the clothing. And it always seems to tear at very strategic places. The boobs on all the women are so huge that you can't help but wonder how they keep themselves upright at any point during the show.

Overall, avoid this one.  It's bad.  Really bad.

1 out of 5 stars.

Check out the mini-review at Examiner.com.

MarzGurl: FUNimation Gets Busy

MarzGurl from That Guy With The Glasses released her latest Anime News Editorial regarding the (temporary) pulling of the show "Fractale" by FUNimation over downloading issues and their pursuit of people who had downloaded a recent episode of "One Piece" ilegally.  Anyone else find the number of people they were going to prosecute a little odd?