Gundam Build Fighters Try and Char's Counterattack Blu-Ray & DVD Coming In September

Anime distributor Right Stuf, Inc. and anime producer Sunrise Inc. announced the upcoming releases of Gundam Build Fighters Try and Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack. Gundam Build Fighters and Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack will be available on Blu-ray and DVD September 6, 2016.

About Gundam Build Fighters Try:

Seven years have passed since Sei Iori won the 7th Gunpla Battle Championship World Tournament. The Gunpla Battle Championship is now run by Yajima Trading. With new rules and battle modes, the game's popularity has become even more widespread.
 
However, the Seiho Academy that Sei Iori once attended has failed to catch onto the trend. The only member of the school's Gunpla Battle Club is its president, middleschooler Fumina Hoshino. Currently there is no way the club can participate in the upcoming Gunpla Battle Japanese Under19 Championship, where players fight in teams of three.
 
Then Fumina meets a new transfer student. He is Sekai Kamiki, a young martial artist who has been travelling with his master. Together with a young Gunpla builder named Yuuma Kousaka, they finally have three members for their team.
 
Sekai Kamiki, Yuuma Kousaka, and Fumina Hoshino – team “TRY FIGHTERS” is about to begin its challenge!
 
Contains episodes 1-25 of Gundam Build Fighters Try.
 
Special Features: Clean Openings, Clean Closings, Gunpla of Guild Fighters Try, The World of Build Fighters Try, Japanese Trailers and Commercials
 
About Mobile Suit Gundam Char's Counterattack:
 
One man against the Earth...  
Universal Century 0093. Thirteen years have passed since the events of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. But the foundations of peace are once again threatened by a new Neo Zeon army led by the notorious Char Aznable! Their ultimate goal is to initiate a nuclear winter upon Earth ushering in a new age of mankind into space. Armed with the state-of-the-art Nu Gundam mobile suit, Amuro Ray and the Federation forces are all that stand against Neo Zeon. Driven by vengeance, duty and love, the final battle between rivals Char Aznable and Amuro Ray is at hand.
 
Contains the first original full-length theatrical feature of the Gundam franchise! 
 
Special Features: Japanese trailers and a special promotional video

Garo: The Animation Season 1 Review

Garo: The AnimationSeason One

Genre: Action, Adventure, Super-Natural

Synopsis: The story revolves around a young man (Leon Luis), his father (German Luis), taking place in a medieval setting. It begins with a king, his queen and son alongside his advisor (Mendoza), took watch from the top of their castle down towards the town's center. Where an pregnant woman had been tied to a pole, and the constant chants of 'burn the witch' radiated from the townsfolk. She was accused of the many disappearances of other villagers and also of the ailment that the king himself had. As the grotesque execution began, the queen and son was chided inside into the castle. It was then, they set her ablaze. In that very moment, an armored knight clad is a dark grey appeared from behind the King and with a great leap ended up soaring over the King's head and landing before the woman-- whom while being burned gave birth to a child. Shielded by some magic aura. The Knight proceeds to take the child into his arms and leap off onto an metallic horse and strode out of the city. . The story takes place seventeen years later, as the witch hunts continued.

As an avid anime watcher, one who constantly watches shows new and old in search for gems. This show was one of those shows that had the potential to become one of those very gems to stumble upon. To begin with the animation quality had been something of a treat to watch, as you soon discover that the witch hunts were really unjust and the 'witches' were really good people called Makai Knights. Who pride themselves on destroying these monsters call horrors; and the man known as Mendoza, had been the catalyst in hunting them down for reasons unknown. And let me tell you one thing; the Makai Knight transformation sequence is swift, to the point and flawless in my eyes. Shifting from 2d to CGI 2.5D seamlessly and naturally; as the mixture of the two manages to fit well in the anime. The fight scenes are something that just gradually gets better, but of course with great fight scenes comes a lot of spaces that seem lacking throughout the anime.

One of these spaces, in my opinion. Are the characters; The father is a lecherous old man cliche type. The one who gets drunk and goes after any woman that is remotely attractive-- and is not shy to go after prostitutes. While the son, was so blindly edgy that it began to cause me great annoyance. As it reminded me of edgy characters like a certain character from Naruto. [Sasuke, I'm looking at you]. The odd combination makes for some light hearted and comical scenes, but not cohesive enough to keep me entertained by it. But then, the prince comes into play. A character you knew would eventually return does so, and does so in a way you do not expect. I do not enjoy doing spoilers, as you do not really see the prince until a few episodes in. But lets just say the prince quickly became a character I enjoyed more on screen then Leon. And honestly, the prince saved the entire show from falling into obscurity (In my eyes).

Overall-- The plot, while being something that is almost cookie cutter. Gets developed in a manner over the episodes that it becomes very interesting; but the beginning half of the series was extremely lacking in luster in my eyes. It couldn't keep my attention for too long, as many of the situations were predictable. It was towards the later half that the it started to really pick up on me, and the scenes and plot became more pronounced. So, while this was only a review for Season One (Episodes 1 - 12) I will say this! After watching the last episode I wanted to watch the second half, which says a lot with the bumpy start. So to say the least, I feel like this was just a prologue season; backstory to where the plot 'really' begins. So because of this, I have high hopes season 2 will not disappoint.

Final Score: 3 out of 5

Eden of the East Premium Edition (Review)

Akira Takizawa wakes up naked outside the White House with no memories. He’s got a gun in one hand, a cell phone in the other, and doesn’t know if he’s a good guy or one of the worst. He doesn’t remember the phone gives him instant access to ten billion yen and a woman who can make his most outlandish requests a reality. He doesn’t recall his connection to the ongoing missile attacks terrorizing the Japanese people. Or the part he played in the sudden disappearance of 20,000 shut-ins. He doesn’t even remember he’s supposed to save Japan and will be murdered if he fails. Whatever it is he’s tangled up in, Takizawa’s definitely in deep – and that’s not even scratching the surface. A Premium Edition featuring the complete TV series plus movies and exclusive pack-ins, including a gorgeous collectible art box with belly band, art cards, stickers, paper craft, and an exclusive numbered certificate of authenticity.

URBANCE PILOT

Hey O&G fans, the creators of URBANCE have have released the pilot episode of the series. A few years ago we we ran an article on the creators of the anime and the project. Direction :Joël Dos Reis Viegas, Sébastien Larroudé Music : Plaid, The Tanuki Project, B.Ames, HK
Main voices: Ryan George, Vanessa Hasid, Ben Cardilli, Marie Nonnemacher. For those who haven't heard about this amazing anime here is a quick synopsis of the story:

In the crumbling inner city, sex kills. The urban landscape is split in two — men on one side, women on the other— opposing each other. COEVO seems to be the only hope: a government medical treatment developed to cure every single citizen except that those wearables haven't produced the expected results yet... Born among this lost generation of frustrated gangs, Kenzell and Lesya live each day as their last, defying anyone who stands in the way of their union. Like modern avatars of Romeo and Juliet, they will have to choose between love or their kind, Passion VS Reason, Deadly Eves VS Neo Blasterz... In their flamboyant relationship lies the premises of a revolution against the authorities, the vicious Mediators and their mysterious separatist laws. Rebels can change the world...

Check out the pilot:

Countries of production : Canada, France | Year of production : 2015 Production : Steambot, DFP | Animation: Yapiko Animation Direction : Joël Dos Reis Viegas, Sébastien Larroudé Music : Plaid, The Tanuki Project, B.Ames, HK Main voices: Ryan George, Vanessa Hasid, Ben Cardilli, Marie Nonnemacher

Patlabor and Ghost in the Shell Music composer Kenji Kawai on toco toco tv

Kenji Kawai composer of Patlabor and various anime soundtracks is featured on the Japan discovery show "toco toco." In this show, Japan creators show us places they like in Japan and speak about their activity. In this episode Kenji Kawai will introduce us to the Kita-Shinagawa area, where he was born and raised and where he is still living today. Check out the episode below.

First look at Scarlett Johansson in Live Action Ghost in The Shell

Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures have formally announced filming has begun on the live-action Ghost In The Shell movie with a still featuring Scarlett Johansson in the lead role of Major, a human/cyborg hybrid.

Johannson leads a cast comprised of Beat Takeshi Kitano, Juliette Binoche, Michael Pitt, and others. The film is directed by Snow White & the Huntsman's Rupert Sanders.

Here is a look at her as Major:

We are so pleased to be in Wellington to shoot Ghost In The Shell,” said producers Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Michael Costigan and Jeffrey Silver. “The city boasts state-of-the-art production facilities and a rich urban landscape that make it an ideal setting for a sci-fi action film. The crew-base in New Zealand working on the film is first class, and working with Sir Richard Taylor and the team at Weta Workshop is inspirational on every level. The people of New Zealand have been terrific partners in helping us bring this story and its beloved characters to audiences around the world and we are thankful for their continued hospitality.”

Ghost In The Shell is scheduled for nationwide release on March 31, 2017

Maken-Ki! Season 2 Review

Takeru and his Leadership Committee comrades are the last line of defense when it comes to ridding Tenbei Academy of mischievous Maken users. But saving all these succulent student bodies from a hoard of hocus pocus hornballs is no easy trick. Not when there's a pervy creeper pinning bras to the bulletin boars, a magical feline turning coed cuties into irresistible sex kittens, and a must see manga fest where the costumes get mysteriously shrunken down to scandalous sizes! Through it all, Takeru keeps his mind on the mammaries and the mammaries on his mind as the luscious ladies of the Leadership Committee prove that their magic is breast in class!

If I was to describe Maken-Ki! in word that word will be hilarious. I didn't get a chance to see season 1 of the show. In fact I was skeptical about entering a season and show with a blind eye. Usually when I watch anything I like to start from the first season, this way I have a full understanding of the characters, plot, setting and tone of the show. Thankfully Maken-Ki! is a show that you can start from the season 2 and still understand everything that has happen previously. Maken-Ki! succeeds because of the way the story is presented, writing, voice acting and animation. This show doesn't take itself seriously and knows what to do or say to deliver the comedic laughs. As a comedy show it does something some anime shows do, that necessarily don't work but here it does. The show constantly breaks the forth wall and say things that the audience might be thinking. As I was watching the show there was a harem scene and I was saying to myself okay this is cliche. Long and behold one of the characters points out the scene as a typical anime cliche and proceeded to end the cliche. It moments like this that really deliver and worked for me. The show is aware that it's not something we haven't seen before, and it points that out when they do something that has been done tons of times.

In addition I must stress that this show is NOT FOR YOUR KIDS! Part of what makes Maken-Ki a funny show is the an adult/immature humor. The jokes, situations are not for everyone. There is tons of boob jokes, sexual situations and fan service. If you're not a fan of fan service this show might not be for you. Maken-Ki! is uncut and does show everything expect for the genitalia. The characters are teenagers and what usually is on the mind of a perverted teenage male? The answer to that is sex of course. The fan service and sex jokes work in this anime because it's part of the story and it's not doing fans ervice or being perverted, misogynistic just for the sake of it. The story has perverted characters and the show is just showcasing what perverts do. However beyond the jokes, perverted antics and what some might consider misogynistic behavior. Maken-Ki has a lot of heart and a few messages along the way. A few messages hidden in the show is women empowerment. For every perverted joke, misogynistic act by our male protagonist there was an action from the girls correcting them. The female characters make it known of their independence, strength and definitely that their not objects. One episode that stuck with me was episode 5. Here our protagonist Takeru is stuck on an island with the school nurse. While he thinks this could be a chance to capitalize on the situation he instead learns about this woman's life, her insecurity and we as audience see that Takeru can be serious when he needs to be. It's one of the highlights of the show with a great production, pacing and stellar voice casting.

Overall if you want a good laugh, not easily offended and know that a show might is not taken seriously this one is for you. The voice acting is enjoyable both English and Japanese dub. The animation is good with a lot of shots of fan service. There is some hidden messages and themes to pay attention once you look beyond the jokes. The show is enjoyable, smart and delivers a good time. 

Blu- Ray Features Note - The Blu-Ray features commentary from the people who worked on the show. They describe characters and what's it like filming. Very funny as well.

Final Score 4 out of 5 Stars.