Review | Movie | Tenchi Muyo: Daughter of Darkness

TENCHI MUYO: DAUGHTER OF DARKNESS : When Tenchi Masaki is
suddenly approached by a mysterious girl named Mayuka who claims Tenchi is her father, the entire Masaki house is in a tailspin about who the mother is, and,
more importantly, how a 17-year-old boy can father a 16-year-old girl. As
Mayuka befriends the girls of the household, it is slowly suspected that Mayuka
may be part of something far more sinister.

I actually watched this movie before I began the series. This was many years ago, very way back.

Tenchi Muyo's charm is never shy; the excitement and comedy you get out of Tenchi's awkward moments, most of the time courtesy of space pirate Ryoko, never ceases to keep you alert. That's why, after watching this great movie, I finally began the series where it all began.

The story begins when Tenchi is doing his regular routine chores around his (impressively large) land, when he discovers a mysterious young girl sitting on his property. As soon as she sees him, she begins to refer to him as "daddy" and will not leave his side. Confused as always, Tenchi brings her back home for what could possibly be some answers. Naturally, this does not sit too well with Ryoko and Ayeka, who are head-over-heels in love with Tenchi. The jealousy is so strong you can smell it, and the sour taste remains with them even though Mayuka shows no sign of threatening them. Eventually, she forms her very own dislike for Ryoko, but a very strong friendship with young Sasami.

After running some tests, Washu comes up with the theory that Mayuka may be from the future, because DNA tests have proven that Tenchi is indeed Mayuka's father. She is therefore allowed to stay in the Masaki household.

Enter Yuzuka, a crazy-looking cat girl who is another in a long line of aliens seeking revenge on the Masakis, but just what could she be after? Is she the explanation for Mayuka's recent strange behavior? Ryoko's onto something, but no one wants to listen, figuring it's another one of her jealous rampages.

There is cursing in this movie, and of course the occasional groping of Tenchi by the alien chicks, and some one-sided incest. Parents may want to do some checking up before showing it to a young child, who may otherwise enjoy it for its sci-fi style fighting.

This is a fantastic movie to add to your Tenchi Muyo, and anime, collection. Tenchi Muyo became quite popular with anime fans when it was first released, and was even aired on TV for a brief time (I myself tuned in for some episodes) and this is one you'll want to keep an eye out for next time you're at the DVD store.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

Review | Movie | Pom Poko

POM POKO : The raccoons of Japan lived simple, peaceful
lives in their luscious forests, until one day, to their shock, the humans began
to tear down all the forests to make way for new housing developments. Enraged
and terrified, the raccoons must use their secret shape shifting abilities to
defend their homes from the new intruders, even if it costs lives.

Another Studio Ghibli masterpiece, Pom Poko brings something new to the table: Animals who, instead of fleeing from the deforestation that threatens them, choose to resort to a different method by turning the tables on the humans that shamelessly and thoughtlessly tear away at their homes. Based on the Japanese Tanuki folklore, many of the raccoons featured in Pom Poko have magical shape shifting powers, some a little more rusty than others. These creatures begin to notice their food and shelter becoming scarce after the invasion of their land by the crew of new housing construction, and must call on their elders, the masters of transformation, to teach them how to change their shapes. They hope to use these abilities in many different ways, but all for one sole purpose: to reclaim the land that is being stolen from them.

Though in the film they are introduced as raccoons, the Tanuki folklore is centered around a very different breed, known as the raccoon dog. In either case, the creatures in this movie are far too plump to be easily identified, doubly so with the fact that in the movie, the raccoons do not possess the famous ringed-tail that raccoons are known for. Studio Ghibli's depictions of the Tanuki are nonetheless charming and adorable. Even the mean and stuffy raccoons are hard characters to hate.

Also featured briefly in the film is another creature of folklore known at the Kitsune, a transforming fox, which in the film tries to convince the raccoons to stop their personal war with the humans and instead use their shape shifting abilities to change into humans and begin new lives. This decision is widely argued in the film, partly because of the raccoons' inability to transform into convincing humans.

I think a child would thoroughly enjoy this movie, however, here's where the warnings begin to come in. I had not been familiar with the Tanuki folklore before I watched this movie, so was surprised to discover that until about an hour through the movie, I had not noticed the raccoons' exposed genitalia. I later learn that this exposure is a prominent detail of the Tanuki in folklore, representing good luck financially. Though it may seem overly risque to the unknowing, their exposure is never, in the lore or the film, intended as sexual, and the film does not illustrate them sexually either. Rather, in the film they use what is referred to in the English dub as their "Pouches" to contribute to their shifting, such as parachutes which are seen later in the film.

Other material in the film include the deaths of humans and several raccoons, and though there is occasionally blood, it is never graphic. Additionally, there is a short scene narrated by one of the raccoons talking about how, because of lack of food and sheltering, they must halt breeding. While the raccoon talks about the female raccoons making sure this rule is kept, we see male raccoons charging at female raccoons, some seemingly drunk, and the female raccoons using karate moves to fight back, which implies their attempts to cease reproduction. Some female raccoons also have exaggerated breast size with occasional cleavage.

This movie I predict would otherwise be a delightful watch for children, even if they have to watch for 2 hours waiting for the conclusion. I extend yet another ovation for Studio Ghibli.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

Review | Movie | Whisper Of The Heart

WHISPER OF THE HEART : Shizuku Tsukishima is a junior high
school student who loves to read and write, and through reading her library
books' check-out cards, she discovers all of her books have been checked out by
a boy named Seiji Amasawa. Shizuku becomes curious to what Seiji Amasawa is like, only to find out that he is a rude stranger she found reading her book and
later insults her lyrics. As Shizuku and Seiji begin to learn more about
each other, Seiji's dreams of playing the violin helps inspire Shizuku to unlock
her dream of becoming a writer.

Another Studio Ghibli creation? How can this be? That was all it took to rope me into this film.

Shizuku Tsukishima lives the simple life; she goes to school and hangs out with her friends. This is a life she is only able to escape through her fantasy stories she checks out from the library. After dropping a book at her school, she runs to retrieve it and finds that a boy is sitting on the bench reading the book. The boy gladly gives it back, but also gladly refers to Shizuku's lyrics, which she used to mark her book, as "cornier than the original". This is enough to ruin Shizuku's day.

Computerized check-outs are beginning to come into play, which Shizuku comments that she likes the check-out cards better. Maybe because this way, she has finally cracked a pattern in every book she's ever checked out: They've all been previously read by a mysterious boy named Seiji Amasawa, whom no one at her school seems to know. It couldn't possibly be the jerk that made fun of her song. Could it?

Even though this movie is for anyone who wants an anime film that doesn't boast fantasy, I noticed that the plot of this movie didn't pick up as quickly as it could have. At least a good hour of the movie is focused on Shizuku's general life outside of her search for her mystery man, and while a slice of life is always good, a whole cake is not. There were several points in the movie that did not serve the plot at all, but were given too much focus anyway.

I also found the frequent use of the song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" slightly odd for a Japanese anime. I would never have imagined John Denver, especially singing about West Virginia, had made such an impact on Tokyo, Japan. Random? Very. Bad choice? Rather.

The simplicity of this movie occasionally topped with fantasy scenes depicting Shizuku's stories make this film a little easier to watch, but not to the point where it should be defined as a fantasy film.

This film will be okay to present to the kids, but it is a 2-hour film and is sometimes very slowly paced. I think the only bit of enchantment a child could get from this film is fat neighborhood cat Moon (Muta) that leads Shizuku across town to a mysterious antique shop where she meets and befriends Mr. Nishi, a kind old man with a heart for antiques. In case it may be important for me to note for some, there is five seconds of a bra towards the middle the movie.

Whisper of the Heart is a good film to add to your Studio Ghibli collection. Probably not so much to your Hayao Miyazaki one.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

Review | Movie | The Place Promised In Our Early Days

THE PLACE PROMISED IN OUR EARLY DAYS : In postwar Japan, after the divide of
the country, a tower is built that can be seen even from Tokyo. Friends
Hiroki, Takuya and Sayuri make a promise to fly to the tower on a plane that
Hiroki and Takuya built over their summers. When Sayuri becomes ill, the
project
is abandoned. 3 years later, after another war threatens the
country, Hiroki
discovers that Sayuri has been in a coma since she
disappeared, and believes her
coma has to do with the Tower. He calls upon
Takuya to help him continue to
build the plane, convinced that Sayuri will
wake up if they fly to the Tower.

I had heard about this movie from several sources, so I decided to look into it. My first surprise was that the film would last an hour and a half; making a good animated film in less than 2 hours is a feat rarely accomplished. That would turn out to be the problem with this movie.

I was having a bit of trouble getting through the first half of the movie. My first complaint is that it was poorly paced. Sometimes it was quick and not very detailed, and sometimes it was slow and lagging repeatedly. I felt like they could have done more with the storyline, it was a little hurried and choppy.

When we leave the natural everyday flow of things and begin moving into the laboratories that surround the mysterious Tower, that's when things get technical and it gets very difficult to figure out what's going on. Maybe it's something about me watching this movie at midnight but it often got way too rushed into complicated things, so instead of focusing on the depth or inner plot of the film, we can't focus on the essentials because we're too busy thinking, "Nano WHAT?"

I also still can't seem to understand the connections between the Tower, the parallel worlds and the film's female lead Sayuri. Everything seemed to be linked somehow to Sayuri but I haven't caught on just why or how. My next question is about the worlds themselves; how are they maintained, how does Sayuri link with them, how does co-protagonist Hiroki link with them. This was also not explained clearly, if the impression I was given is even the correct explanation.
The beginning of the film seemed to drag, but the end in my opinion was a bit fast. My next question is about Hiroki's apparent unexplained ability to avoid turmoil completely; despite flying straight into the smack middle of a war in the air, he is hardly hassled by the attack and takes no damage at all. He's out of there in less than a minute. Impressive, but again, not explained at all.

I think the only overall problem with this movie is that they failed to fit the summary of the plot into an hour and a half. It could have probably gone a very long way if it had been made into a series of episodes, which would most likely have helped the conveying of the plot in a timely and understandable manner. This film has got little fearsome material; one mild curse word, a bit of blood and a bra, but a child would not be able to read this movie properly at all anyway. I hardly could.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

Review | Anime | Mahou Sensei Negima

MAHOU SENSEI NEGIMA! : Precocious 10-year-old Negi
Springfield transfers from Wales to Mahora Academy in Japan as an English
teacher in order to complete his wizard training. His class is made up of middle
school girls who are immediately affectionate towards him due to how "adorable"
he is. He cannot, however, gain respect from Asuna Kagurazaka, who just sees him as an ignorant child. Upon discovering Negi's secret of being a wizard, Asuna
and Negi ultimately team up and combine their abilities to protect their school
and classmates from strange happenings.

I had heard great things about this show from different locations and decided to try it out. I discovered many interesting facts about this series, including the fact that it was created by the same talents that brought us the ever-popular Love Hina. I was also excited to hear they had made the series into a live action (which I can't seem to enjoy as much as the anime.)

In contrast to the typical 'Magical Girl' animes is this eccentric 'Magical Boy' series that illustrates Professor Negi Springfield's past and present and his honest relationships with his students. Though he'll discover through his career at the school that many of his students have crushes on him (some more obvious than others) his dedication to his art and skill filter any feelings he may have had into a desire for merely teacher-student relationships. Negi offers as much comic relief as he does dramatic climaxes when his magic goes awry which lands Asuna smack in the middle of it, only increasing her dislike of him. Asuna does, however, show her pity towards Negi due to his never knowing his father, being an orphan herself. Though their relationship is unclear at the beginning, towards the end they begin to realize their friendship.

Asuna's partnership with him does prove useful at times because of an unexplained immunity to magical barriers and spells that should otherwise be effective towards humans. This is indirectly explained near the end of the series. Using the pactio magic that was obligated by pactio-starved ermine Chamo, Asuma attains magic powers that enables her to fight alongside Negi whenever enemies of the Magical World appear to take students they believe possess special abilities.

Parents may want to know about the elaborate fantasies of the students, with Negi as the subject of their affection. Japanese anime is known for targeting mature children as the love interests of much older characters, which is magnified more so in this series. The girls harbor an almost unhealthy obsession with Negi and/or his love life, even tricking Negi into entering the school at night, unaware that the girls had put on a game to see who could find Negi in the building and kiss him first. The pactios of magic require a kiss from a female in order to complete the pactio; Near the end of the series Negi is kissed by all the students in his class. Even when Negi is outside of his class, we may still worry about Chamo, who himself is under arrested for stealing hundreds of women's underwear.

The energy of this series is always high, and if you enjoyed Love Hina or AzuManga Daioh, you may not want to miss Negima!

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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Review | Movie | AIR: The Movie

AIR: THE MOVIE : This reinterpretation of the AIR series sheds a new light on the small town of Kami, as traveler Yukito arrives at the seaside town looking for a way to make money. There he meets Misuzu, a young school girl, who upon finding out that Yukito has nowhere to stay, allows him to stay with her. As Yukito and Misuzu become friends, a legend begins to unfold that tells of a winged being falling in love with her human guardian while in captivity, against the laws of her people. Consequently, she is punished with a mysterious illness, which will inflict all of her reincarnations until the curse can be broken. When Misuzu becomes deathly ill with a sickness that cannot be diagnosed, Yukito fears that Misuzu may be the reincarnation of the winged being from the legend.

AIR: The Movie is not a continuation of the anime, but the same story told through a different viewpoint. The animation for AIR is different than that of the movie, and Yukito's seemingly cold personality from the anime is less obvious in the movie.

AIR, though a beautiful anime, is a tear-jerker. You can feel your heart go out to Misuzu, who despite her weaknesses maintains a sunny disposition. We do not get the comic relief from Potato that we do in the series, as Potato only appears once as a character Misuzu is watching on TV.

The theme of the movie is a lot softer; Yukito is not hesitant about a relationship with Misuzu and treats her with more kindness. The two are seen doing more friendly things together, as opposed to the anime where Yukito grumbles throughout whenever Misuzu takes him anywhere. Misuzu, however, does not spend as much of the quality time with her mother figure aunt Haruko as she did in the anime.

This interpretation of the AIR story is every bit as beautiful as the anime it parallels, and every fan of the AIR series will definitely want to catch it.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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Review | Movie | Princess Mononoke

PRINCESS MONONOKE : When a demon attacks a small village, Prince
Ashitaka battles the creature and is cursed by its poison. The Elder of the
village reveals that the curse is deadly and will cause him great pain before
killing him. In an attempt to save himself, Ashitaka journeys to the town that
may have been responsible for the demon that cursed him, and discovers the town
has been under attack by a tribe of wolves lead by a wolf-raised human girl, determined to drive the humans from the forests they're destroying.

One of Hayao Miyazaki's best works, "Mononoke-hime" is a favorite among anime fans for its attention to detail and complex plot. Director Miyazaki is known for conveying his views metaphorically into his films, and Princess Mononoke views the era of construction from the eyes of the creatures that lose their homes through deforestation. Out of anger towards humans for their cruel actions, the leaders of the animal tribes wage war against the powerful Lady Eboshi, the woman responsible for mutilating the vast forests surrounding her town. Leading the wolf tribe is San, who was raised by the tribe's wise leader Moro, a large wolf that chose not to devour San upon discovering her. San grew up despising humans as her animal brothers did, and her only purpose is to kill Eboshi at all costs and take back the forest. Ashitaka, caught in the middle of the battle, simply wants the humans and forest animals to live in peace with each other, which is an outrageous idea on both parts.

Princess Mononoke, aside from being beautifully animated with a score to match, is very moving and inspiring to those who take a good look at the movie in depth. Though the film is very long (about 2 hours), any fan of Miyazaki's previous works such as Spirited Away and Kiki's Delivery Service will feel nothing but honored and excited to use the time watching this mystifying film.

The film does, however, hold a R rating. The film is violent nearly throughout, there are many war scenes and many animals are killed. Humans limbs are removed through the film and the dead, burnt bodies of animals and humans can be seen. Though nothing is too graphic, there is a great deal of blood to go around. Unless you are fearful of the sight of blood, the violence should not be a reason to stray from the film.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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