Before I begin my reviews I’d like to say a word about Funimation’s Anime. Overall the quality of each is terrific. Soundtracks, voice actors and direction are right on cue, all feature high quality art, interesting premises, eye-catching intros and a real value for the money.
I’m impressed at how well each Anime is translated into English. The voice actors chosen match the look and dispositions of the characters. Too often Anime English soundtracks miss the mark when it comes to capturing the personalities of the characters-Funimation voice actors hit the mark-perfectly. Now on to the Anime.
Sex. Who doesn’t think about, fantasize about it and (let’s be honest) practice it? If you want to draw in a young audience then tease them with the promise of sex or titillate their imaginations with almost revealed body parts and ‘could this be the moment’ scenes.
That’s exactly what Yamada’s First Time does. The story is about teenager Yamada-a bouncy, body to kill for, beauty of a young thing who has but one ambition in life-to have sex with 100 guys-not at one time of course. Come on, it’s not THAT kind of an Anime!
She’s beautiful, curvaceous, perky and willing. It shouldn’t be a problem, right? Wrong!
Despite her best efforts Yamada can’t seem to get what she wants. Every move she makes is somehow quashed; her best attempts at seduction obliterated and for some odd reason boys seem to be intimidated by her.
That’s especially true of Takashi Kosuda who she has decided to be first on her list. The only problem is Yamada scares him and each time they meet (with intentional or unintentional close contact) things go wrong. Yamada wants the first one she has sex with to be as inexperienced as she is and then work up from there.
That’s the premise of the series and it makes for some hilarious encounters, awkward moments and plenty of innuendo. Yamada’s First Time is a tease-nothing really happens, despite the title. It’s an Anime intended to lead you along and deliver laughs, not lasciviousness.
The series is occasionally hosted by an Eros Deity (as sort of an impish censor) that keeps the series on track without getting overly sexual.
Tenchi Muyo! G.X.P. is the second Anime series I want to look at. The series stars Seina Yamada, a bumbling, accident prone high school student who has the tendency to get into trouble, cause disasters and lives under a cloud of bad luck. Remarkably he retains a good attitude and copes with his bad fortune regardless of whatever catastrophe beset him.
Taking a short cut on his bicycle one day, Seina witnesses a strange phenomenon at a small lake. Lights flash about and suddenly the lake up heaves a tremendous wave that carries him to the bottom of the lake.
The next moment he’s awake on his friend’s front porch with a gorgeous woman leaning over him. She tells him she saved his life and hands him a brochure to read. And then, she’s gone!
The brochure tells about the Galaxy Police Transporter and before he knows it he is recruited by and becomes part of the organization. He’s not really sure why, but like with all things in his life he goes with the flow.
After a series of misadventures at the Academy (including a body enhancement0) Seina is off to space with his new recruit fronds. They encounter space pirates, visit alien worlds, encounter strange technology and generally get into trouble at every turn.
I like this series. It’s fun to watch Seina’s constant battle with bad luck and its consequences. The supporting cast makes for a great group of characters and the stories are both funny and tension filled.
The visual effects and sci-fi elements are handled well without overplaying them. Character interaction is handled well and the voices chosen to represent each character fit them perfectly. Seina and the mysterious blonde woman who rescued him are perfectly suited to their animated persona. The S.A.V.E.: Super Amazing Value Edition contains all 26 episodes of the series on eight DVDs. Who would have thought that bad luck could wind up being good luck for Anime lovers?
The third series is my favorite-mainly because I’m a graphic artist and the design and execution of Phantom: Requiem For The Phantom series is so well plotted, designed and executed. The soundtrack amplifies the action without detracting from it. The visual ‘feel’ of the series really captures the mood of the piece with its fast editing, sudden close-ups, orchestrated fight scenes and disturbing premise.
Phantom revolves around a 15-year old Japanese boy who is captured and wakes up in a room that is sparsely decorated. He doesn't know how he got there, where his is and most importantly-who he is. He wakes up with a feeling of imminent danger-a feeling that proves justified when he escapes his room and finds himself stalked by a masked and armed assailant.
He has become part of a bold experiment that molds his mind and body into the ultimate killing machine: bereft of his own feelings and totally loyal to the crime syndicate Inferno-or so it appears.
His partner (and almost assassin) is Ein, a young girl trained to kill like he is. As the violence escalates around them the boy (now named Zwei) begins to draw closer to her and to question his mission.
His past slowly beings to reveal itself, through upsetting dreams and visions. It is only a matter of time before he learns the truth and when he does –there will be Hell to pay. Will Zwei turn against Inferno and will Ein follow his example? That’s the questions posed by the series.
Phantom is both disturbing and compelling with its violence, moody atmosphere and intriguing story. The Blu-ray/DVD Combo pack contains the complete series along with complete commercials and trailers.
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