Aniplex license Madoka Magica!

I would be lying if I said I was the only one looking forward to this... 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' is coming to North America courtesy of Aniplex. So far there hasn't been any information released about the series. We don't know if it'll be dubbed or just subbed, but we do know it's coming sometime in the future. Anplex has also launched their official website for the show. If you'd like to check it out please click HERE!

I'm a big fan of this show and I promise to keep everyone informed as more information starts to come in.

Thanks!

Sound of the Sky: Review

When I first saw this show on Crunchyroll I was blown away. It's a fun, heartwarming and sad show that left me wanting more! I was really excited to hear that Nozomi had grabbed the distribution rights to it, but unfortunately they decided not to dub it. Don't get me wrong. I love subbed anime just as much as dubbed, but this is such a wonderful show, that it's a shame to know people will avoid it simply because it doesn't have a dub. I guess in this case it's their loss...

Anyways 'Sound of the Sky' takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. The seas have been replaced with deserts and countries are still waring against one another. Konata Sorami (one of the main characters) was rescued by a mysterious woman who played a golden trumpet. Ever since then she's dreamed of joining the army because she heard they would teach her how to play for free. When she finally joins she's assigned to the 1121st platoon stationed in the town of Seize.

 Konata is a typical character who's filled with energy. She's also the type of character who's always ready and willing to help anyone else in need. Rio Kazumiya, her master sergeant, is strict, but she's also very kind. Filicia Heideman is the second lieutenant. She's gone through quite a bit in her life, but somehow she's managed to maintain her smile and she's very kind and gentle with the other girls. Kureha Suminoya is a private. She's also the youngest of the girls. She's typically the one trying to talk sense into everyone else, but she does it for their sake and not her own. Finally we have Noel Kannagi. She's the pilot and appointed mechanic. She always acts tired and she hardly speaks. When she does talk a lot it's usually about machines.

(There are other characters I would love to mention, but I don't want to make this review longer then it needs to be.)

What I like about these girls is their differences, but also the tragic events that took place in their lives. While watching the show I never felt like they were simply one-sided characters. They had multiple sides to them. Even the sleepy head Noel had a side to her that took me completely by surprise the first time watching this show.

 Even though the story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world it still has beautiful scenery. Lush forests, beautiful horizons and of course there is still wildlife. It's hard to believe the world is in such disrepair while watching this show, but were reminded of this, every once in a while.

 Lastly I'll mention the music. If you don't already know 'Amazing Grace' is one of the pieces that's played multiple times during. It's a really beautiful piece and you don't have to be religious in order to appreciate it. The beginning and ending themes for each episode is also great, not to mention the song that plays during episode one and twelve.

Wrapping up the Review:

I'm sure you guys know how this review will end, but I would like to mention a few things before I wrap it up for good.

Nozomi did an excellent job with this show. It comes on four disks. Two episodes on the first disk and four episodes on the other three. Extras are scarce, but they do provide character bios and even episode previews that weren't aired on Crunchyroll. The previews aren't all that special and even take a comedic route (to be honest if they had appeared at the end of each episode I would feel like they would detract from the seriousness of the episode. Even the preview for episode twelve is comedic and that's a really dramatic episode.)

I also have to mention the OVA episodes. Episode 7.5 (Hilarious Episode) and Episode 13. These episodes play in order so you don't have to go back to the menu in order to watch them.

A booklet came with the release. It's filled with notes from the creators of the show. And not to give anything away, but the director  mentions wanting to do more episodes in the future. I'm really hoping they will be able to.

The only thing I wish Nozomi had done was dub this show. Like I said before I love subbed anime, but it's a shame how many people will pass it up simply because of that.

Well you can't please everyone. And on that note... I RECOMMEND THIS SHOW!

K-ON! DVD 2- Review

It felt like forever, but finally the second DVD of K-ON! has arrived!

Edit: (It seems the concerts were actually done by the original Japanese voice actors so I edited this review. Sorry for the mistake.)

I was really excited for this release. Not only because my favorite character, Azusa Nakano, makes her grand appearance, but because we are treated to two concerts. I received my copy just a few hours ago and I have quite a few things I would like to say about this release.

First of all I'll mention the concerts. They used the original Japanese version of these songs.. That's the approach Bandai decided to go with. The only problem I had was Yui's performance during the first concert.

Because of her training Yui actually loses her voice and it sounds scratchy and therefore it really stands out during her performance.

The next thing I would like to mention is Sawako Yamanaka. If you don't know her she's the 'Light Music Clubs' adviser (not by choice.). Her duel personalities start to emerge during these episodes and it's funny watching her go from one extreme to the other. Her voice changes during this time as well so it's easy to tell when her 'WILDER' side emerges.

And finally I would like to mention Azusa (She's Azu-Nyan to me.) Azu makes her appearance during episode eight. Azu doesn't have that many lines during this episode. The voice seems to fit, but it's hard to decide considering she doesn't go through that many emotions. I'll be able to make up my mind once the third volume is released.

Wrapping up the Review:

This show really is a lot of fun, but I wish Azu-Nyan was in it more. The episodes were fun and it was nice to see and hear the decision Bandai made when it came to the concerts. Of course if you're not happy with the English language they do have the original version on the same DVD.

Speaking of DVD's I have to mention a problem I had with mine. I was playing the DVD on my Blu-Ray player and for some reason during the seventh episode it froze in the middle of the episode and skipped to the end credits. The strange thing is I played the DVD on my mini-DVD player, Xbox 360 and Laptop and never ran into that problem. So hopefully this is an isolated incident.

The last thing I'll mention is the translated version of 'Fuwa Fuwa Time'. It's a music video that came with this release. It's not very good. Not to say the voice actresses didn't sing well, but the translation sounds weird. It's hard to describe. It's really something you'd have to listen to yourselves. 

So with that... I RECOMMEND THIS SHOW!

AMV: A New Day- Sasami Magical Girls Club

One thing I really enjoy doing is creating AMVs for people. I'm very particular about my AMVs too... Which might be the reason why I don't have that many made. Here's one I made. Even though the song is about a girl and a boy it still fits somewhat.

K-ON! DVD 2. Shipping Very Soon!

Alright! I have some great news everyone. As you all know K-ON! DVD 2 will be available July 5th, but those who pre-ordered will be getting it a bit earlier then everyone else. Well just a few moments ago I checked my banking account and it looks like Rightstuf has already taken the money for the DVD. Which means it's going to be shipping very soon... If I'm lucky it's already been shipped out. As far as I know Rightstuf doesn't take the money until they are ready to ship your order. Anyways I wanted to let everyone know this DVD will be arriving soon and I'll be doing another review. Look forward to it.

Oh! And look forward to my review of 'Sound of the Sky' (AKA: Sora No Woto)

Preorder Squid Girl At Rightstuf!

Alright! The DVD for Squid Girl: DVD 1 just appeared on Rightstuf. There aren't any details about the DVD yet except the release date and price. If you would like to pre-order the DVD yourself go to Rightstuf or click here.  I plan on pre-ordering my copy very very soon.

Squid Girl! Coming to DVD!

Squid Girl Fans! I have some excellent news for you! Media Blasters is releasing the first six episodes of Squid Girl this September on the 27th! The first volume will cost around $24.99 and includes extras. Not only that, but it'll be dubbed in English! I don't know about you guys, but I'm really excited about this! I'll keep everyone informed about the release and also do a review of the DVD once I get my copy.

Original Article

In case you haven't seen it yet. Squid Girl is about a squid girl who goes to the surface world in order to invade because she's tired of the humans polluting the oceans. Her invasion doesn't go quite as well and she ends up living on the surface world instead of taking over it.

If this show sounds like something you'd be interested in, you can watched the subbed version by going to Crunchyroll

Coyote Ragtime Show: Review

I saw the first two episodes of Coyote Ragtime Show almost four years ago. The show seemed fun at the time, but I wasn't able to complete the series. So a week ago I decided to order the complete series and only a few minutes ago did I finish the last episode.

First off Coyote Ragtime Show is about a man named 'Mister' (who goes by a lot of other names), who's in search of the pirate kings legacy... Ten Billion Space Dollars! The loot is buried somewhere on the planet Graceland, but even though Mister and his crew know where the cash is they still have a few problems. The first are the 'Twelve Sisters', a group of cyborgs that are trying to kill them. The second problem is a war that's raging on Graceland and lastly a bomb is set to destroy the entire planet in less then a week.

The first thing I have to mention are the characters. I love how they have a different variety of characters. First off Mister looks like the type of guy who'd charge headfirst into any situation and hope for the best, but in reality he's smart. He thinks things through and he's always ready with a backup plan. Franca, the pirate kings daughter, goes through a wide range of emotions. Then you have Swamp, a former coyote who turns preacher and then back to coyote. And finally you have Bishop and Katana.  These guys are really the backbone of the team.

(There are other characters I would like to mention in greater depth too, but this review would be a lot longer than need be.)

The animation is pretty good as well. I could tell the creators put a lot of effort into making things look good. The characters animation, the space battles. The only thing that disappointed me are the 'Twelve Sisters'. Their attacks ranged from stabbing, shooting and blowing things up, but it wasn't as impressive as it sounds. For instance two of the characters use bladed weapons and all we see of that is them swiping at their enemies. It seemed pretty weak and I wish they had put more effort into showing off what they could do.

The music is nice and fits each situation quite well, but it was predictable. During action sequences the music was heavy metal. During dramatic scenes the music was dark and somber. It fit well, but sometimes silence can speak volumes.

Wrapping up the review:

I really did enjoy watching this show. The visuals were great. The interaction between the characters were fun and the action scenes were really impressive and sometimes intense. I like how the main characters go through a host of problems and setbacks, but still manage to bounce back every time. One thing I have to mention is the fan service! Well the lack of it anyways. (Unless you count girls shooting guns and throwing bombs as fan service.) If you're tired of shows that are chock-full of fan service and MOE moments then this show is right up your alley.

So with that... I RECOMMEND THIS SHOW!

K-ON! DVD 1: Review

When I first saw K-ON! my idea of what this anime would be was completely different then what it actually was and to be honest I was happy about that.

Anyways K-ON! Is about a girl named Yui who wants to do something during her time in High-School. Unfortunately she doesn't have a clue what that is. At the same time Ritsu and Mio decide to join the 'Light Music Club', but since there are no other members the club is about to be disbanded. Later on Yui sees a sign created for the club and decides to join, but soon afterwards regrets her decision and is even thinking about quitting because she now has to know how to play the guitar. Thankfully Yui changes her mind after Ritsu, Mio and another member named Mugi plays for her.

I would like to say the characters are amazing and the interactions between them is what really makes the show worthwhile. Yui for instance, is a cute and very kind girl, but she's also ditsy. Mio is smart, but at the same time she's terrified of ghosts and gorey talk. Ritsu is tomboyish and also a troublemaker. Finally Mugi is the kind, rich girl, who get's fascinated with things quite easily.

The animation is pretty good. The show switches between normal models to chibis sometimes, but it's not too distracting. Actually they stop doing this after a while.

The music is another thing that makes the show fun and worth watching, but right now the girls haven't played any concerts yet. The beginning and ending songs are amazing though and definitely worth listening to. I'm not sure if the makers of K-ON! were trying to parodying something, but the music video during the end credits is worth checking out.

The last thing I'll mention is the dubbing. And simply put it was pretty good. The English voices fit the characters quite well. I thought it would take me a very long time to get used to it, but honestly it didn't. They did change the word 'Yen' to 'Dollars' though, but its such a minor thing that it's not worth fixating over.

Wrapping up the review:

Some people might say releasing four episodes with the first volume is a bad thing, but I'm happy with the decision. Sure I'm anxious to watch the rest of the series, but the fact that there is another DVD coming out means I have more episodes to look forward to. Not only that, but I'm able to support a series I really love. Honestly I want to own the second season of this amazing series and the movie as well.

The first volume of K-ON! was really fun and I'm glad I got into the series. The interactions between the characters, the stories and the music certainly makes the show worth watching. Another thing I would like to mention is the fact that you don't have to know anything about musical instruments or bands in order to get into the show.

I do have two gripes though. The first one is them changing 'Yen' to 'Dollars', but it's a small complaint. The second gripe is the complete lack of 'Azu-Nyan', but I'm willing to forgive that. She will make a small appearance in the second volume and then she'll be in the rest of the series.

So with that... I RECOMMEND THIS SHOW!