For those of you
unfamiliar with Anime it is the Japanese equivalent of animation here in the
U.S.
While American animation
tends to be more 'in your face' Japanese Anime is often more subtle and
enigmatic in its execution.
Symbolism plays a
huge role in Anime as do quiet, reflective moments, much of it is focused on a
single act or a character's reaction to a given situation.
Anime is linked to
the Japanese psyche. Stories represent
the Japanese culture, beliefs and perspective.
Colors, textures,
light and shadow, character attributes, locales and the environment intermingle
to produce animation strikingly different than seen in the Western world.
Not surprisingly the
influence of Anime on American animation is starting to show itself. Compositions, pacing, music, visual and
sound effects intertwine to create stories that require the viewer to pay close
attention.
A simple scene of an
object, a person's glance or even a shift in scenery can alter a storyline and
play an important role.
Recently RightStuf! sent me five of its DVD
Anime collections. Right Stuf! has an extensive
DVD and Blu-ray collection of Anime ranging from horror to humor.
The Fantastic
Detective Labyrinth DVD collection contains episode 1-25 in order that
introduce viewers to the strange and mysterious world of Mayuki Hyuga, the heir
to the Hyuga fortune and estate.
Almost doll-like in
appearance, the small, frail boy is much more than he appears.
His abilities and
skills continue to grow over the years, often surprising himself. Recently he has solved a series of
mysterious supernatural crimes taking place in and about the Tokyo which had
been almost destroyed 30 years ago.
He, along with his
faithful manservant Seiran Shinano, help the police in their investigations
while at the same time attempt to discover the secret to Mayuki's powers and
unique abilities.
Dwelling in a
Western style mansion believed to be nearly a century old, Mayuki, Seiran,
their maid and dog fend off evil that attempts to usurp the source of Mayuki's
power.
Joined by his new
grade school friends, Mayuki must learn to live as other children do and
struggle with his blossoming powers.
Fantastic Detective
Labyrinth is a real brain-teaser that will keep you guessing as to what comes
next and if what your see is really as it appears.
We never learn. Despite destroying out world with war and
pollution and moving to outer space mankind still manages to tick each other
off and starts another war-only this one is much more sinister in its scope.
Determined to free
itself from the corruption and political shenanigans of the old Earth the space
colony declares independence from its home world.
People are not
happy-on both sides. So like so much of
human history chronicles -war breaks out.
Those that rule Side
2 of the space colony begin an invasion of Earth, determined to wipe out the
old order.
Unfortunately
innocent civilians and the Earth itself suffer the consequences.
One such Earth boy,
Uso Ewin decides not to take things lying down and so rebels. At first unsure of hamlet and his abilities
he soon finds himself adept at piloting the Victory Gundam and fights back-with
consequences.
His family, friends
and the entire Earth suddenly find themselves drawn into an interstellar war
where brother fights against brother and family against family, with the fates
of the Earth and mankind weigh in the balance.
This is classic
Gundam that is in no small part responsible for the huge surge of interest in Anime. It's cinematic scope, brilliant animation,
engrossing storyline and breakout visual effects and pacing set the standard
for many Anime that followed.
Grandiose in its
sweeping storyline Victory Gundam Collection 1 has it all: pathos, humor,
intense character development and much more.
Episodes 1-26, Clean Opening 1, Clean Closing 1, End of Episode Promos
and Eyewatch Animation are all included courtesy of Sunrise and
RightStuf!.
Get ready for the
ultimate cat and mouse game with a little romance, intrigue, danger and mystery
thrown in for good measure.
Three sisters:
Hitomi, Rui and Ai Kisingi run the Cat's Eye restaurant next to the police
station in Tokyo Japan.
Unbeknownst to the
police the three siblings are actually Japan's most notorious jewel and art
thieves: Cat's Eye.
The sisters are
famous for their daring thefts and clever getaways. No one has ever caught them, seen them clearly or know who there
are.
Surprisingly the
police have somehow missed the obvious connection between the restaurant's name
and its three owners. Especially in the
dark is Utsumi Toshio, the police detective dead set on catching Cat's
Eye. Even more ironic is that he is the
boyfriend of Hitomi.
It's a classic tale
of boy meets girl, crook meets the law.
Another wrinkle in
the story is that the ladies tend to steal items once belonging to their father
who collected stolen art during the Nazi regime. The ladies rationale is to make up for their father's past sins.
In order to pull off
their crimes Hitomi often tips off Toshio about their next crime which she uses
to her advantage because she and her sister's spy on the police as the set up
their sting.
Watching Cat's Eye I
get the feeling I am watching a thriller/spy TV show from the 1970s or
1980s. Stylized images, quick editing
and limited use of computer special effects and sequences give it a bit of a
'dated' look, but in a good way.
The interesting
storyline sets up a feeling of tension and anticipation because the viewer is
never quite sure what will happen next especially since a romance between a
thief and a cop is taking place creating an atmosphere of uneasiness because
viewers never know when the secret will be revealed.
The Cat's Eye DVD
collection includes episodes 1-36, a clean opening and closing and trailers
from Nozomi Entertainment.
Creepy-that's best
word I can use after watching Nozomi Entertainment's Boogiepop Phantom Complete
TV series put out by RightStuf!
I wasn't really sure
what to expect. Boy! Was I
surprised! Boogiepop Phantom dials up
horror by slowly, almost painfully offering viewers glimpses of strange
supernatural happenings. Figures appear
out of nowhere, things lurk in shadows, people aren't people but things, city
alleys and hidden alcoves hide creepy unworldly creatures hell-bent on
destroying humans and devouring them both body and soul.
Five years ago a
series of grisly killings has the city in an uproar. Families are afraid to go
out at night, children stay indoors to play and no one walks alone, especially
at night.
Soulless creatures
take on human form seeking out those steeped in depression and loneness. They make for easy prey. When the time comes to consume them most
surrender rather than choose to live.
An experimental drug
goes wrong and changes individuals to more (and less) human, granting them
superhuman strength and endurance.
Indirectly it also created creatures who seek out and consume human
flesh and souls (or so it would appear.)
Boogiepop Phantom
pursues such creatures and 'saves' certain individuals-placing them in a dream world
for their protection.
Five years after the
grisly murders they resume and the battle against lightness and darkness soon
escalates to a higher degree.
Can the city and its
citizens be saved and what are the long-term effects of the drug? Have reality and fantasy combined? Does the past, present and future
intermingle?
The more I watched
the series the more questions I had.
What struck me the
most about Boodgiepop Phantom was the imagery.
Fragments of images, flashes of light and dark and scenes shown from
different perspectives give the series a unique look.
I was never really
sure what I was witnessing and I believe that's the whole point. Often what we perceive or think we see is
the scariest. For something to be truly
unknown it must be totally unfamiliar. Boogiepop Phantom manages to give
viewers an easy, unsettling feeling in the pit their stomachs. Every moment I found myself anxious as to
what might happen the next minute.
Beautifully
illustrated and animated, Boogiepop Phantom succeeds on many levels: as a
horror story, mystery, thriller and suspense tale.
There's something
quaint and charming about old school Anime.
Not quite as sophisticated as today's computer animated that is enhanced
and visually sophisticated, older Anime still has its merits.
Sure the characters
look a bit dated, the special effects kind of quirky and the animation a little
more low-tech, but where most old school Anime lack in razzle and dazzle they
make up for it with clever stories, inventive pacing and interesting
characters.
Space Adventure
Cobra is just such an old style Anime series.
In Space Adventure Cobra
The Original TV Series part 2 DVD set, all-around rough and tumble good guy and
womanizer Cobra is recruited by Dominique in order to infiltrate the infamous
and dangerous Pirate Guild Rug sport.
Using his position
as a Rug Ball player Cobra hopes to find out about the Guild's drug ring,
escape the training camp and report back to the authorities so they can put an
end to the Guild.
A few problems may
make that difficult. The other team
members have it out for Cobra and the Guild discovers Cobra's true purpose. Infuriated at his disruption of their
illegal activities the Guild will stop at nothing to enact its revenge on Cobra
including hunting him down and killing and destroying everyone and everything
he holds dear.
Episodes 16-31 are
included on the DVD set from Nozomi Entertainment.
For some good old fashion
Anime fun be sure to pick up your copy today and reacquaint yourself with a
classic Anime that influenced and set the standard for many of the Anime
produced today.