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Jul 5, 2009
What do you get if you take elements from "Pro Wrestling, Power Rangers and Angelic Layer", mix them in a blender and crank it up to high? Well aside from having a broken blender on your hands, the combination would most likely make "Metal Fighter Miku".
Story: 7/10
Taking place in the near future, wrestling is not what it use to be. Gone are the days where two opponents would get in the ring, and fight each other hand to hand until the other was pinned. In this era fighters have now dawned metal suits, which strengthens their moves ten times over, thus calling it "Neo Wrestling!"
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Going into this anime, I was kind of expecting the whole "wrestling idea" to play more of a side story, thus making the anime feel gimmicky. But no, in truth it actually concentrates on the wrestling theme quite a bit...maybe even too much! So what you see is what you get, the anime follows this formula to a T. In center stage we have little Miku, star of the all female fighting team called the Pretty Four. The main bulk of the story follows the girls as they take on opponents (which usually happens at the end of most episodes) until they can make it to the top, all along meeting new friends and fierce rivals. What makes the anime fun is it’s mix of funny bits, drama and action. It doesn’t surpass anything while it does this, but is there none the less. Determination and team work plays key into each fight, as matches take place in a "four on four" tag match. Now because of the metal suits involved, don’t expect to see much in the way of authentic looking wrestling moves. Most of them are exaggerated, what with super jumps, power punches and the like (if you have ever seen Angelic Layer, then they look something like that). There are a few plot twists that take place near the end that can be quite unexpected too. Most opponents don’t play fair in the very least, and you will see quite a bit of cheating and underhanded deals going though. The main characters transform into their metal suits much like you would see in your tradition magical girl anime. While the story does remain very strait forward with it’’s idea, it also doesn’t do it in a repetitive manner either. As each episode spotlights a new problem for the team to over come, whether it be stopping the underhanded deeds done by their enemies, to simply encouraging one another to stay strong. There is little to no romance in this, and the ones that are present are handled very lightly. One of the problems I had with this anime, is with it’s actual ending. Which takes place in a "1 on 1" match, which I found to be odd since the overall anime is centered on teamwork. As a whole, some viewers might find it’s linear wrestling plot to be too strict to the source to enjoy, but I think fans of action anime may want to check this out, as many of the fights are fun to watch.
Metal Fighter Miku shouldn’t contain anything that viewers would find offensive. There is no blood in this, nor is there any fan service. Of course there is violence as far as wrestling goes, but it’s only done in a mildly over the top manner.
Art: 8/10
Taking into consideration that this anime was made almost 19 years ago, it goes without saying that it doesn’t live up to anything by today’s standards. However for it’s time it really is a well detailed and colorful series. Fights are animated smoothly, with hardly any kind of re-hashed scenes used over and over again (battle suit transformations aside). Backgrounds are the only thing that don’t live up to the rest of the art, they can look quite simplistic and dull at times. If you have ever seen a series called "Cat Girl Nuku Nuku" then you will notice many resemblances between the two.
Sound: 8/10
Nice tracks play throughout the series, they feel quite dated, but still have catchy beats to them. The opening and ending tracks don’t feel quite as old however, both are pretty high up beat tunes that match well with the girls personalities. Both are sung by the same vocalist too. As far as the background tracks go there really isn’t much to say. They do their jobs for what is going on in the anime, but lack any kind of really memorable tunes, with the exception of the main track that plays when the girls are about to enter the ring. Good voice overs through out the series, though the dub version does leave a little to be desired.
Characters: 7/10
They are a mixed baggage. Most of them are well thought out and do have a "wrestler’s attitude" about them (a good thing). The character that ended up intrigued me the most was the coach--Eiichi. He was quite the hard individual to figure out at first, they don’t actually try to hide his past from the viewers, but they do hide enough of it to make most people tilt their head in interest when they see him. Miku has everything you would want in a leader. She doesn’t show boat, works hard at what she does, and always gives it here all. As the story progress you will find out that she does have her weakness that must be overcome, which is nice as far as character development goes. The other girls were a little more disappointing, they never really molded past their whole "teamwork" idea, and some such as Sayaka, you never get any really knowledge of at all. The rivals and enemies can suffer from the same thing, with the exception of a few of them, who actually do show their true selves to the audience later on. The characters who were important to the story were great, it's just a shame that some never got the attention they deserved.
Overall: 7/10
Despite it's strait forward plot, "Metal Fighter Miku" serves up just the right amount of action that should keep most viewers satisfied. Fun characters, interesting battles and a nice mix of wrestling and dialog are all part of this package. Because of it's linear storyline though, not all will be able to stay interested, and while it may be not pin any of the competition out there, it does put up a very good fight in the ring.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 24, 2009
"Can you change a destiny that has already been written for you?"
Enter "Kurokami", a series that shows the struggle of two individuals, as they attempt to change their own path that others say can not be changed.
Story: 7/10
The center of the plot revolves around "the Dopleliner System". What this means is there exists three versions of the same person (2 subs and 1 root). Should any one of these three come in plain sight of the other, they will perish, and only the root will live, and thus will consume the energy force of them known as tera. Our main heroes are Kuro (a Tera
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Guardian trying to stop the Doppleliner system and defeat her brother) and Keita (an ordinary boy who unwillingly ends up becoming her partner). What interested me the most about the anime, is the way that the actual battles take place. It almost feels like you are watching a more mature version of Pokemon at times. Each Tera Guardian can form a pack with a human, and thus use their power in conjunction with their own. So fights take place with the two helping each other--ie: the Tera Guardian fights, and the humans remain on the sidelines channeling their powers to their partner. The fighting scenes are also quite good, because despite the characters featuring "power/energy" moves, the fighting scenes themselves feel very street brawling oriented, and stylized. It overall does a good job of mixing the super powers with more authentic looking moves. Now regarding the way the actual storyline progresses, here is where I feel Kurokami tends to miss the mark. There are enough plot threads going on, and many of them do evolve throughout the series. However, they end up happening few and far between. A lot of episodes play the role of fillers, and some fight scenes that take place seem unnecessary. This can make the plot a bit tedious to follow, as it can sometimes take many episodes for something simple to be made clear. Still, making your way through the anime just to see the last few episodes really makes things worth while, as the final episodes are exciting and fast paced, though I did find it a bit odd that episode 23 ends up being a re-cap of all the others, but through a slightly different perspective. Where this anime really shines through is with its actual ending. Everything concludes nicely, and feels very satisfying at the end. And some events even end up being a bit unexpected. As a whole the story is good, there is plenty of action and plot twists to keep things exciting. But due to the storyline tending to drag on, does hinder it as a whole, but nothing too drastic.
As far as offensive material goes, Kurokami does have a few scenes which contain gory elements where blood spurts and/or is smeared on the ground. These scenes don't happen very frequently, in fact only the first few episodes really have them, with it only happening occasionally after that. Some battles even end with little to no blood spilled at all.
Art: 8/10
The arts style to this is dark and moody, but not really in a creepy kind of way. The backgrounds come off pretty well detailed, with nice looking city designs and foliage areas. Even so, the overall color schemes tend to make the series look a bit washed out. The character design is good, all of them are well proportioned and have a good sense of style to each one of the cast. The super moves (also known as "Exceeds") are flashy and colorful, with each character’s move set differing from one another. The fight scenes are by far the best part in the animation. Character moves are animated smoothly, with every punch and kick shown off with just the right amount of impact.
Sound: 6/10
For me this was the weakest point in the series. The voice acting in both the English and Japanese version is very well done, I still feel the Japanese audio is better by far in the long run. However, a majority of the soundtrack seems to favor one style of genre in music...rock! The opening and ending themes change twice through out the series. The opening animations both play rock style music tracks, while the ending theme (surprisingly) plays soft lite hearted melodies sung by Yousei Teikoku. The background music it plays also consists of rock music. I can see where they are going with this, and while I don’t care for heavy rock music, I can at least appreciate it for this anime. If you like this type of genre in music then you will love the soundtrack, but if you’re like me and don’t care for it, then you will most likely turn the volume down during some of the scenes.
Characters: 7/10
The characters are hit and miss. I will go on record of saying that Kuro is one of the coolest female heroines to come along in an anime as of late. She has a sweet and funny personality, yet holds back a lot of sorrow in here life--she is quite the layered individual. Of all the characters in the series, Keita is probably going to be the one that is hardest to tolerate...especially during the beginning. He tends to complain a lot, and is unwilling to help anyone towards the beginning, and will most likely annoy many viewers. To his credit though, he does end up changing as the story progresses, and at least becomes more tolerable in the end. The supporting cast is also the same, some characters such as Excel, Reishin and Daichi do a good job off adding to the storyline. However, there are a number of supporting characters that just don’t make the cut. Many of them don’t really seem to have much impact on what is going on, and thus make some feel unnecessary to the storyline. They’re not a bad cast by any means, some of them just don’t seem to have a staple purpose in the anime. As a whole though, the main characters themselves do end up doing their parts well for the stories’ purpose, and in that regards it is done right.
Overall: 7/10
Despite some of its flaws, Kurokami is a good anime. If you can make it through some of the fillers, and don’t mind the story dragging on somewhat, then I think you will find this a deep enough series to check out. There is enough action and plot in this to keep both the Seinen fans and casual viewers satisfied. And as it stands, it’s a series I think anime fans should give a try.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jun 21, 2009
The "Kannagi DVD Special" is basically the 14th episode to the Kannagi series, despite it only being one episode in length, it still captures the charm and humor of the series.
Story: 7/10
Taking into account that a majority of viewers will be watching this after finishing the actual TV version, I will touch base on one thing first: "it doesn’t pick up directly where the series left off", at least not in the way you would think. Most fans will remember that the actual anime ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger, with a few plot points never being answered (for the sake of spoilers, I won’t
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mention them). However, I will say that this particular episode pretty much goes back to its "slice of life" roots, you could easily place this any time after "Nagi, Zange, Tsugumi and Jin" all became acquaintances, and it wouldn’t make much difference at all. Now that’s not to say just because this episode doesn’t follow the last events from the series that it’s bad...because it’s not. In fact for only being around 23 minutes long, there is quite a bit going on. The episode starts out with the gang making a film of sorts (if you have ever seen "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya epsiode 0", then this will look pretty familiar, they even have Tsugumi pay tribute to the "Mikuru beam".) After that the gang spends some time indoors, then take on an adventure style mission while trying to return a borrowed DVD disk. I was honestly never bored once with this episode, what with so much going on during it. Now of course not all viewers will like this fact, some might even find its constantly changing direction in storyline to be a bit inconsistent and annoying. Still, all the humor and character interactions remain staple here, my favorite scene is where Jin and the others are playing an old Nintendo Famicom system from the 80’s.
Art: 8/10
Not really much I can say about the art style, other than it remains exactly the same as before. Character design is pretty distinct, with colorful environments and landscapes. Even if it is pretty appealing to the eyes, it's not really anything technically superb either, backgrounds range from detailed, to average. But overall, it is still pretty darn good.
Characters: 8/10
What made me love the Kannagi series in the first place, was with it’s cast of characters. I wouldn’t go as far to say that they were very deep, but they interacted with each other quite well, and were funny to watch. All of them keep their distinct personalities, from Daitetsu’s quiet demeanor, to Zange’s flirty ways. They mange to keep their persona’s down to earth, yet never feel like a cliche’. And speaking of characters, yes there is some "fan service" in this, which is all done in the usually Kannagi manner, but of course never over the top. Some may even find it a bit tame from the norm.
Sound: 8/10
I was really glad to see that they kept the same opening and closing scenes from the TV series, which made it feel like no time had past since we last left the gang. All the voice cast members have once again returned to fill their roles. Though I still find the background music to be pretty lackluster and boring.
Overall: 8/10
Well there isn’t really much more I can say regarding this. If you loved the TV series, then you will most likely love this. Some may still find it disappointing that this episode doesn’t shed any light on the events from the end of the series. Never the less I still found it to be just as good as the episodes from the actual anime, and I think many will feel the same way after viewing it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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May 18, 2009
"Comic Party Revolution" is the second season in the Comic Party anime. If you’re a fan of the first season, then you will enjoy this one as well. The whole premise of the anime shows life in the Otaku world, which revolves around one thing...Doujin!
Story: 7/10
The story in the second season is much more random based when compared to the first. One of the most stand out features that viewers of the first season will notice, is the age of all the characters. When we last left the gang, they were around the age of high school kids, now they seem to be of College
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age. Kazuki is still creating mangas as he usually does of course, and if you have seen other series revolving around "Doujin, " then this will feel very familiar to you. The story doesn’t really follow too much of a strong premise. The whole general idea is suppose to revolve around Kazuki and his Doujins. However this one steers more clear of that general idea, and pretty much only shows the gang running into random predicaments and gags (at least for a big chunk of the series anyway). Even so I still found quite a bit of enjoyment from the humor in this, such as when the gang gets lost in the woods, and can only get directions from a group of army members that want to challenge them to a stealth contest. Despite the series not going too over the top with it’s gags, you can also see that it doesn’t take itself very seriously either. One of the cast members even has the ability to literally transform into her favorite anime character. One thing that made the series quite enjoyable, is all the neat cosplay you get to see from time to time, many of which are quite recognizable from other series. Of course due to copyright law I guess, they never actually said the series name, and only made up a title that sounded like it. (ie: "Cardmaster Peach" is really "Cardcaptor Sakura and Wedding Peach") They also use a lot of Otaku dialog, and enjoy many jokes revolving around the whole "moe" factor. My biggest complaint with the story though, was the actual ending! It made absolutely no sense whatsoever, and felt quite uninspired. Still, it isn’t a series that is really trying to involve the viewer with its overall plot, and focuses more on randomness and character humor. All in all, it has good concepts. It may not suck you in with any of its actual storyline, but it will indeed put a smile on your face afterward. Plus I think that viewers who have seen more realistic "Doujin" titles, and thus may have found some of them to be a tad too realistic and boring, might find this one more enjoyable to digest.
Art: 8/10
I really dug the art style to this. The animators did a great job at making the characters look older, yet at the same time very familiar. The whole series is quite bright, with a nice selection of rich colors and art. Most of the characters outfits have been tweaked from their standard default ones of before, and all have great style and appeal to them. Backgrounds were okay, but sometimes looked quite faded and dull. They just couldn’t compare to the actual character art.
Sound: 7/10
The opening and closing tracks are quite catchy and memorable, so chances are you will still have them in your head long after the series is done. I actually watched this anime in both English and Japanese, and have to say that each one is just as good as the other. As with the art style though, the background music is pretty bland, they do strike the right keys for most situations, it’s just a shame that there isn’t really anything that jumps out at you.
Characters: 8/10
The heart of "Comic Party Revolution, " is not found in any kind of deep emotional story, but with its characters! Each one has his or her own likes and dislikes. You get a nice variety of personalities with this. From the down to earth Aya, to the brash and outspoken Taishi (who enjoys calling everyone his "brother and sister" in the Otaku world). They don’t have a whole great deal of depth to them, granted that there are just too many characters in this series to do so. Still, viewers will get to know them well enough to where they can understand what most are all about.
Overall: 7/10
"Comic Party Revolution" may not blow you away with its content, but it is still quite an enjoyable little series. If you're a fan of such series as "Doujin Work," or are looking for an anime that deals heavily in this life style, then you may find this one to be a bit too far fetched from the whole Doujin source. Still, if you're just looking for a short and humorous anime, then "Comic Party Revolution" is a fun read...err...watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 2, 2009
"In a world filled with chaos and death, one kid finds the determination to move forward."
Enter the world of "Final Fantasy VII: On the Way to a Smile - Episode: Denzel." To put it pretty straight forward, it shows the end results of Final Fantasy VII, but this time we view it from the perspective of an ordinary kid named Denzel, who was caught up in it.
Story:8/10
The whole premise of the storyline takes place in flashback sequences, as told by Denzel, who not only explains just how he got where he is at present, but he also wants to join the WRO. Now don’t get
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turned off by the fact that this OVA ends up being a spin-off, because even though the story does not follow the characters you have grown to know and love, it still manages to capture what really counts in the series...Final Fantasy VII’s heart! Denzel is defiantly not a kid who had it easy, as he continues his tale of love and lose, you will get that deep emotion that the series has been so good at making its audience feel, and thus will truly make you feel like you are viewing the Final Fantasy world through the eyes of this kid. Such emotions like anger, sadness, excitement, and maybe even a little bit of laughs are all present here. Which was nice considering that the whole OVA in its entirety was in fact quite serious. The cast from the original video game is few and far between, but you do get some nice cameo appearances from staple characters towards the end, which was nice at bringing the whole FF feel together. That being said of course, if you are unfamiliar with the Final Fantasy VII universe, then this title can be best described as having lite military themes, and all about showing the reality of war and rebuilding. If you’re not into this style of anime, then I doubt this one will make you change your mind on it, plus some fans of the series may in fact be dissapointed that it doesn’t have familiar faces. All in all though, the heart of the series is indeed in tacked, and contains everything that has made the Final Fantasy games so enjoyable with their story. If you’re a fan that doesn’t mind seeing new faces introduced to the story, then you will enjoy this.
Art: 8/10
The animation is sharp and well detailed, and many fans will recognize environments from the game and movie. Even though I am not the biggest Final Fantasy fan around, and thus don’t keep up with every sort of version that is made, I still found it quite nice to see some of my favorite places now in animated form. I wouldn’t go on par of saying that it’s the most well animated OVA out there, but they did animate it just like you would have pictured it in your head, and for that reason I really enjoyed it.
Sound: 7/10
Now it could be the fact that I haven’t played the game in some time, but I honestly remember the series sounding much better than this did. The whole time nothing really jumped out at me, with the exception of the ending theme. Background music was appropriate, but nothing really special that will be remembered after viewing it. Voice acting was good, and I think they got the right actors for each role. But they also sounded pretty ordinary, particularly with many of the adult male characters. I feel like I heard their sort of deep voices in many anime before. Still, the sound isn’t shabby by any means, it just doesn’t really have much charm to it overall.
Characters: 7/10
A good cast considering that most are new to the franchise. Since the story revolves around Denzel for most of the time, he is the one that is most important when it comes to this category. He did a good job at making you belive he wanted to help others, and his caring nature was impressive. However, there were certain parts where I felt the emotion he was trying to bring, either felt a little forced, or was missing in general. Even though the supporting cast was not the most varied, they still acted very human and quite believable. The personalities of the cameo appearances done by the original cast were also quite good, I felt not a moment had past since I had seen them last, even if it was only for a brief moment.
Overall: 8/10
Despite the fact that the appearance of the original cast is very brief, it ended up being surprisingly very true to the Final Fantasy universe, and I felt all of the emotion that Denzel felt. That, along with the familiar environments, will really involve the viewer. If you’re not a fan of the series, or don’t care for more serious and/or emotional storylines, then this won’t make you change your mind. Plus some fans may also find this OVA a bit too far fetched. Still, for me this was a nice change of pace from what we are use to seeing in this series. And I feel that if given the chance, this one will end up surprising most viewers as well.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 30, 2009
"Misunderstandings, " they happen to the best of us, yet more often then not, they seem to find a way of resolving themselves. Enter "Cherry no Manma, " an OVA that shows us one example of this...
Story: 6/10
I have to say that when I read the details on this series, I was expecting maybe a short story regarding love and emotion, this was pretty far from it though, despite the main characters (a girl and two guys) living under the same roof. When I mentioned "misunderstandings, " that pretty much sums up this title. The anime revolves around a character named Yuki, who seems to
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have a bit of a pervy side to him, and is accused of stealing his roommate’s (Kanoko) underwear. Since this OVA is only 10 minutes long, what you read is what you get, and because it is so short, there is really nothing more I can mention about the storyline without ruining it for you. Now that is not to say this title is boring or bad, because it really isn’t. There will be some points where you are going to think that the main storyline will in fact be echhi, but again, it really isn’t. The main point revolves around Kanoko’s underwear, but you only see them as they lay about on the cloths line, or in her dresser, not once will you see any up skirt shots or anything like that. Now for me this was a nice touch, as it made the overall story seem very simple and easy to watch. I was worried that this OVA was going to be nothing more than fan service, but no, watching the characters get ruffled from this situation was pretty cute and funny. Kind of like watching your next door neighbors get into a disagreement--you know you shouldn't watch, but can't help to anyway. Of course it goes without saying that if you’re a fan of echhi-ness, then you will be dissapointed by this. Still, what the storyline does offer in it’s short time is sweet and to the point.
Art: 7/10
The art looks pretty good considering this was made in the late 80's, the backgrounds reminded me of the same style you would see in Sailor Moon, a bit washed out at times, but overall a nice looking scenery. Character design is the strongest feature here, they look quite well thought out and appealing. The only real bummer about the art style, is that the animation can be a bit on the stiff side at times. This becomes apparent when the cast try to do anything particularly athletic, ie: run, fight etc.
Sound: 7/10
My favorite part was with the actual voice acting, though not the best you would here in a series, the actors do bring the characters to life pretty good, and are well received. There is no opening theme, but the closing is pretty cute. Plus the background tracks are quite lighthearted and appropriate (they range from soft instrumental elevator style music, to what sounds like a life on a farm theme). It set the tone pretty good!
Characters: 6/10
Now I have to go on par of saying that I have never read any of the manga versions to this, and thus just wasn't able to really connect with any of the characters in this short run. They acted okay, but nothing really special. Yuki is a slight perv, Kanoko is quick to jump to conclusions, and Yuzuru seems to be the mature voice of reason between the two. I enjoyed them, it's just a shame there wasn't anything out of the ordinary with their personalities.
Overall: 6/10
"Cherry no Manma" is a decent little slice of life title, even though it suffers from not being anything particularly new, it makes up for it by getting strait to the point with its story. If you have never read any of the mangas like me, then this OVA won't have much of a lasting affect on you. However, none the less I am now interested about this series, and plan to read the actual mangas, and I think most viewers will feel the same way after viewing this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Apr 14, 2009
"Can anime be considered art?"
Well if you have ever seen the "ef" series before, then you already know the answer, as the anime has been well known for it's artistic style and drama, not seen often in a romance series. As the name of this title says, this version of the series is simply a 4 minute prologue to the first season (ef - a tale of memories). It gives little samples of what is expected to come in the actual anime. From Miyako and Kei's rivalry, to the growing friendship between Hiro and Chihiro! There really is little to anything new with this
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addiction, basically it show scenes from the actual series, but differs somewhat between them. For example, one character who was not in a certain scene during the series, has been added briefly to it. Or it may show a similar looking scene but shown from another angle. So yeah, other than a few tweaks here and there it remains pretty much the same. It gives a great taste of things to come, which is rightfully so since this prologue was released on DVD in Japan a few months before the actual anime aired. It overall does a good job of showing off the "artistic ways" of the series to come. Still, since this is only a 4 minute video which contains clips from the anime, it won't be anything in the way of special when compared to the actual series.
The art style is the same crisp and well detailed version from the anime, with great character design, smooth looking overviews, and well detailed backgrounds and environments.
The one thing I really enjoyed from this prologue, was where Yuu played the instrumental version of "Yuukyuu no Tsubasa" on the violin, truly a wonderful piece of music. Plus you get some great samples of the character voices through each scene! It really shows off what a moving soundtrack awaits!
They pretty much show every staple character from the series, from Miyako to Kyosuke, they are all here and accounted for. Now since this is only 4 minutes running time, it is split in half between character dialog and music scenes.
"ef - a tale of memories prologue" is a great taste of things to come, if you have never seen the actual anime series before, then this version is a great way to get an over view of what it's like. It must be said however that the series contains many extended medifore scenes, and won't be for everyone. But if you are looking for a different style of viewing an anime romance title, then this is a great starter!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 12, 2009
"Ichigo Mahimaro Encore" takes us back to the world of the five Ichigo girls!
Story: 8/10
As with many "slice of life" anime titles, the story doesn’t really have any real place in the time line. It could happen pretty much at any time during the girls childhood. However, with this series it’s all about comedy and cuteness. So does it have both of them once again? You bet! From watching Miu have an "after-life" experience, to the girls trying to figure out whom of which can be considered best friends, to gags that seem to come out of nowhere. Each episode showcases a different style of
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idea or situation for the girls. Just about all of the episodes revolve around Miu (who is the one responsible for 90% of the gags again), which may in turn disappoint fans of the other girls. Still, each of them is shown in good equality with her, and the gags and laughs that you have come to expect from the anime, are all present and accounted for. In fact I would go on record of saying that episode 2 of Encore, is by far one of the funniest I have seen for the entire anime. Now since none of the stories really ever have an overall goal in mind (this version being no exception), viewers who couldn’t stand the series for it’s cuteness factor or pointless story, should avoid this one as well. Since nothing new has been added to the series (other than a tweak in the art department), and sadly there are only 2 episodes with this version. Overall though, fans of the anime won't be dissapointed! The OVA manages to capture the charm of the show to a "T." So grab a nice bucket of popcorn, site back, relax and get ready for some good cute fun!
Art: 7/10
For me this was one of the hardest things to get use to. For some odd reason "DAUME" decided to tweak the art style for the characters in this version, and now all the girls look slightly older and much more...round? It would almost appear that they have been packing away a dozen doughnuts everyday since we saw them last. Other than that however it all stays the same. Backgrounds remain pretty washed out, the color is still soft, and the character design remains cute and fluffy. If you can make it past the new looking character design, then the art style shouldn't hinder your enjoyment.
Sound 8/10
As expected we get a new opening and ending theme, made solely for this OVA. Once again the opening is cute with a high beat party pitch with the actual voice cast singing. The ending is much more calmer sincere pitched. The series' strong point in the audio department has never really been with the actual music, as most of it can be considered nothing if not "appropriate." Where the series shines in this department is with it's voice cast. All the Japanese voice actors have returned to fill their roles to each character, and pull it off great! I especially enjoyed the part where Miu inmates the other girls, you can tell that Fumiko Orikasa (her voice actress) is a very talented individual, because she does a good job of actually sounding like them!
Characters: 9/10
The girls retain their cuteness, charm and innocent ways. From Nobue's lazy carefree attitude, to Matsuri's timid personality. It really feels like not a moment has past since we last left them. No new characters have been added, and the cast remains as small as it ever did, and thus only shows the actual five girls. Which might disappoint some viewers. It shouldn't be much of a problem since this version is only 2 episodes long. The cast doesn't really have a large amount of depth to them, but they do compliment each other very well! Bottomline, they remain the same characters you have grown to either love or hate. Fans of the series will no doubt be pleased though!
Overall: 8/10
"Ichigo Mashimaro Encore" remains true to the series! Art style aside, it's the same kind of charm and comedy fans of the anime have grown to love over the years. If you didn't care for the anime before, then this one won't make you change your mind. If you're a fan of the series, or just like a good amount of cuteness to go along with your viewings. Then I highly recommend this version. Ichigo Mashimaro may not do anything new with its cute comedy style, but it does indeed do it right!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 6, 2009
Every now and then we come across an anime, that maybe nobody has ever heard of--but it really is a lot of fun to watch. Well "Junkers Come Here" is a perfect example of such a title.
Story: 9/10
This title does a great job of mixing drama and slice of life into one story, with a little bit of supernatural fun thrown in for good measure! The plot revolves around a young grade school girl named "Hiromi" and her dog "Junkers." Now Hiromi is the prime example of a bottled up child! Her parents are never around much, she doesn’t have many friends at school, and
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worse, she has a crush on someone she knows she can never have. Though the beginning of the film deals pretty much in the daily life of a sixth grader, a big chunk of the plot revolves around Hiromi's inner turmoil in her life, and sticks very close to it’s "drama" aspects mid way through. So if you’re not into having a good number of sad moments to go with your movies, then you probably won’t care for this one. However if you do like them, then there is no better movie out there to pick up. Now that's not to say there are no happy parts to this title of course, because there are a good number of them. In fact for the first half hour or so of the movie, it gears strongly to an everyday slice of life theme, and at this point you may be unsure as to where the story is even going. As the plot progresses though you’ll see little threads be weaved together to make a truly engrossing storyline. Where not all is as it seems (ie Junkers). The finale to this movie is quite well done, and becomes quite magical near the end. It is so charming and well put together that I honestly felt I was watching a Miyazaki quality film. It's the kind of movie that you can tell was made with love, and the writers really went all out to make the story as believable as possible, without over doing it with the supernatural elements. And merge the two like bread and butter!
Animation: 8/10
Well this is a movie that was made back in 1994, even so it doesn't look the highest of movie quality for even back then. The backgrounds look like an unfinished coloring book at times, and can come off as quite washed out. Where this movie really wins points on though, is with it's character animation and design! The character's themselves kind of look like a simplified version of "Kiki's Delivery Service." They are complimented with good emotional facial expressions, and move with very good fluidity! So if you can get past the sometimes bland looking backgrounds, you will enjoy the art style. I do have one question for the animators: was it REALLY necessary to draw Junker's groin area?! Ugh!
Sound: 8/10
What caught my attention most with the soundtrack, was not the actual character voices (though they are very well done), but with the actual sound effects. They sounded so real; from the opening of doors, to footsteps going upstairs, to the sound of cars passing by. All of it sounds so crisp and realistic. And the character voice were very fitting to each of their roles! You get a nice lite hearted song towards the end that matches the movie to a "T." The weakest link in the audio was the actual background music, it sounds very "mid-chip." It sometimes felt like it was being played on a Casio Keyboard, which at times came off as odd.
Characters: 9/10
The cast of characters they offer are so down to earth and real, that they perfectly bring the emotion they want you to feel. By the half way point I really cared for Hiromi, and wanted her to be happy in the end. Now at this point I feel I should talk about the "supernatural" elements to this. Enter Junkers the dog; oh but this is no ordinary dog mind you, for this dog can actually talk! In fact at the very beginning of the movie, you will see Junkers go into one of the men’s restroom, and actually use the urinal! O_o Now this actually turned out to be my biggest complaint with the movie, in that it was never actually explained as to just how Junkers could talk in the first place, nor does the plot actually revolve around him. At times he almost feels like a prop in the movie, and only seems to be there (most of the time anyway) as a comfort tool for Hiromi. I also felt the connection between them not of the highest caliber for a movie, but what they do have together is indeed quite strong and touching. Even the supporting cast is very likable, and I couldn't find one that came off as exaggerated or out of place.
Overall: 9/10
This movie really was a well put together project, you get a good range of genres (slice of life, drama, supernatural, comedy), everything that makes a well put together movie. If the idea of a "lite hearted and cute Miyazaki style film" sounds wonderful to you, then I highly recommend checking this title out. The heavier drama moments might kill some of the enjoyment for some, and it won't appeal to everyone. It is however, a movie I feel everyone should at least try!
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Mar 25, 2009
Minami-Ke: Okaeri is the third installment in the Minami-Ke series, and while it does suffer from some problems, it should still be a series that most fans of the anime will enjoy.
Story:7/10
In any slice of life anime, we know that a strong storyline won’t be part of most of the series out there. As such, Minami-Ke: Okaeri sticks very strict to it’s layed back story formula. If you have seen the earlier two versions of this series, you will find pretty much the same kind of pacing and humor, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The jokes between the various characters are all present, however
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it seems to be missing the charm that the first two seasons brought to the table. Being that this is the third installment in the series, I was really hoping that at least some of the character relations and/or friendships would have come to some kind of closure or resolve. Sadly however there really is little to none here. Many of the "Kana vs. Chiaki" scenes that were made staples are sadly missing, as is many gags from Hosaka and Makoto (however, what they do have by them is indeed funny). And really that has been what the series has always been about; comedy! There are some pretty clever bits in this version, many of which can be quite hilarious. Now that doesn’t mean you get all giggles, because there are some hit and miss episodes, or ones where it starts off very funny, then starts to come down a bit (and vis a versa). One thing that I have always praised about the Minami-Ke series for, was how the show never relies on one sol character to keep the storyline funny, and once again it delivers on that regards nicely, and each character adds their own humor as only they can do! So aside from some hit and miss episodes with the humor, it still remains an enjoyable title for the "slice of life/comedy" fans out there.
Art: 6/10
I still to this day don’t know why they had to change the artwork from the first season. I realize that it has since been done by a different studio, but even still, the earlier version seemed to work well enough for it! Well they ended up tweaking it again, and gone is the creepy looking faces the characters would get when they were annoyed and the like. The eyes have been made a little bit smaller, and the characters seem to look a bit more mature. The backgrounds were pretty washed out, and didn’t really eave much of an impression. It was really hard to adapt to at first, but I found myself getting use to it by episode 4. The art isn’t anything bad really, it just seemed so unnecessary to change it in the first place.
Sound: 8/10
All of the background music from the series has followed along nicely throughout all the seasons, all with a little bit of tweaks here and there, it still remains quite down to earth and relaxing, with many soothing instrumental pieces. The voice cast has all returned to fill their roles for all the characters, and once again pull it off very well. The opening and ending songs are much more lively when compared to the original Minami-Ke soundtrack, and are quite catchy with their happy upbeat sounds! A nice soundtrack for the ears!
Characters: 8/10
The characters (along with their comedy antics) have always been a staple to the series, and once again it delivers. I found the character chemistry between some of the various cast members to be a bit more planned out for this version. We get some funny and tender moments between Chiaki and Kana! Hosaka and Makoto, while not seen as often as in the last seasons, are still as funny as they ever were. We also get some humor from characters either not usually funny, or even shown that much. Such as Riko and Touma. Heck even Fujioka has plenty of good humor to give! I was happy that the characters remained as fun to watch as ever!
Enjoyment: 7/10
I really did enjoy what the third season had to offer, the comedy and character interactions were overall very fitting to the Minami-Ke franchise. However, due to the fact that the comedy also wasn't quite as funny as the last 2 seasons, I enjoyed this one a little bit less than the previous. Still, what it does have to offer is still very good!
Overall: 7/10
The anime seems to be keeping a solid pace for the franchise. I don’t think the series has been quite as good as it had been back with "DAUME, " but I still feel that fans of the show should indeed check this one out as well. The comedy is still there, the characters are still as charming as ever, and hey--it is more Minami-Ke!
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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