Review | Movie | L: Change The World

L: CHANGE THE WORLD : This spin-off, based on the movies of the popular manga series Death Note, tells the story of the famous detective L after wrapping up the Kira Investigation. Faced with the death of his assistant and good friend Watari, L solves countless more cases on his own, and soon faces a brand new case that could be his most difficult yet: stopping a corrupted group of scientists from
wiping out mankind with a lethal virus.

The legendary detective is back with a movie to call his own in the latest spin-off of the popular Death Note manga and anime series. I was excited to hear that L would get to take a final bow after the Kira Case came to a close, and I finally got to see it this month.

This time, L's intellect is put to the test when a team of environmentalists decide that mankind deserves to die after destroying the planet and waging pointless wars. Their weapon of choice is a deadly virus created by crossing strands of Influenza and Ebola. The virus was concluded extremely deadly when the virus was tested as a war weapon on a small village, leaving no survivors but a mysterious young boy, who is sent to L for protection after he is named a witness to the horrific events.

L's next house guest is a junior high school student named Maki, who delivers the bottled virus to L by orders of her father, who asked that the vial be delivered to Watari for protection. The pursuit is on after the scientists show up at L's headquarters searching for the virus.

The only content to be worried about in this movie is the violence; the scientists' plan for "cleansing the earth" is important enough to them that they'll kill anyone who gets in their way. The virus infects immediately through skin contact, and it is suggested the virus is airborne as well. The symptoms are, of course, everything that comes with Influenza and Ebola, and you know you've been infected when bleeding boils begin to pop up on your skin. We see this happening to the village named the virus' testing grounds; if you're not dead, you're nearly dead. It ends up a literal eyesore.

L's next task? Making sure the scientists don't come up with an antidote, stating, "If you have control of a virus and its antidote, you're invincible."

Ken'ichi Matsuyama returns to his hit role as the charming Japanese crime-fighter in director Hideo Nakata's new production. The film originally intended to take place before the Kira Case began, to convey the events when L and FBI agent Naomi Misora worked together. Hideo Nakata, director of the Japanese horror hit Ringu (which later inspired 'The Ring'), wanted to explore "L's human side" in the film, so the plot was rewritten, and L was given a chance to interact with the child co-stars of the film.

I was very impressed with this movie, seeing as usually spin-offs don't really interest me very often. Any fan of Death Note will want to check this one out, and any fans of L will want to twice as much.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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I'll Be Waiting (Movie theme)

Preview | Anime | Monochrome Factor

MONOCHROME FACTOR

Akira Nikaido is a laid-back high school student, always skipping
class and living an overall normal life. One day walking home from school he
encounters a mysterious man named Shirogane, who insists that their fates and
entwined. Akira ignores these claims and returns home. When a classmate asks
Akira and his friend Kengo to come with her to school that night to retrieve an
item she left, they are attacked by a strange monster. Shirogane appears and
intervenes, telling Akira that he must become a "shin" in order to battle the
creatures that have escaped from the Shadow World.

This is ones of the animes I watched while visiting an anime cosplay convention in May, and along with Vampire Knight, I discovered Monochrome Factor. Though the manga has been out for sometime, they began releasing anime episodes in Japan in April. So far only 6 episodes are available, out of the 13 they expect to air. I'm interested in where this show is going, even though it occasionally hints yaoi which I'm not a big fan of. Fans of the manga are used to the "old" Shirogane, who apparently isn't as touchy-feely as the new Shirogane we become used to in the anime. I have great expectations for this anime, and I'll be glad to review once the series blossoms.

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Preview | Anime | Vampire Knight

VAMPIRE KNIGHT

The prestigious Cross Academy offers a special Night Class to certain students
of the academy. The Night Class is unique because it is inhabited entirely by
vampires. To keep peace and reasonable distance between the vampires and
humans, prefects Yuuki and her best friend Zero are hired, and work to
ensure that Day Class students never discover the Night Class students are
vampires, and most importantly, that the vampires don't lose control of their
urges to feed on human blood.

I went to an anime cosplay convention a few weeks ago and the Con showed the first 3 episodes of Vampire Knight. I thought it was very interesting so far, so once I returned home I decided to look into and discovered the anime is fairly new, and only recently began producing episodes based on the already released manga. As of now, there isn't even a 10th episode, the 9th episode was released a few days ago. 26 episodes were produced in total and are still airing in Japan. I'm very pleased with where this anime is going. I can't wait to see more, then I'll be sure to return here and give you a great review.

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Review | Anime | Tsubasa Chronicle

TSUBASA CHRONICLE : Syaoran, a young archaologist, and
Princess Sakura have been friends since their childhood, sharing many memories
of their adventures together. One day, Princess Sakura is hypnotically drawn to
the ruins Syaoran is excavating, and she is given a set of strange glowing
wings. When a force begins to draw Sakura into the ruins, Syaoran quickly
rescues her, and her wings disappear. The city's priest examines unconscious
Sakura and reveals that the wings that appeared on Sakura were fragments of her
soul, and without them she will die. Syaoran is sent with Sakura to the
Dimension Witch for instructions on how to restore Sakura. Also wanting to see
the Witch, a fierce warrior named Kurogane and a placid magician named Fai D. Flourite. The Dimension Witch instructs them to join forces, and in order to grant what each of them wants, The Witch must take something precious from each of them. In order to save Sakura, Syaoran is forced to give up his memories with Sakura. Syaoran now must travel between dimensions with his new teammates and their jumpy teleport creature Mokona Modoki to recover Sakura's feathers, even if it means losing their friendship forever.

There are few things CLAMP can't do. One of Japan's leading shojo industries brings CardCaptor favorites Syaoran and Sakura together again to create Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Combined with Yuki Kajiura's music, which is every bit as enchanting as the mystifying worlds the group visit, Tsubasa provides a tale worth staying tuned for.

CLAMP, who is famous for revamping characters from their other shows, includes characters from xxxHolic as well as the shojo hit CardCaptor Sakura. Another well-known but rarely seen character is the popular Chii, who would later go on to lead her own series in Chobits. I look forward to seeing the gang in other upcoming projects by CLAMP.

There isn't a massive flood of new characters as many animes are known for; there are no new additions to the travelers and the new characters we're introduced to support the show long enough for Syaoran to locate Sakura's feathers and teleport with his friends to the next world. His loveable fellow travelers add their own comic relief when they need to. One especially memorable character is grumpy tough guy Kurogane, whose new friends prove to be more of a thorn in his side than a help; especially when he is given cutesy nicknames by blubbery rabbit-like Mokona Modoki and the merry-weathered and almost complacent Fai D. Flourite.

After the first season ends, we move into the three-episode Tsubasa: Tokyo Revelations, which is a huge crossover from the bubbly Reservoir Chronicle, and provides a forceful sock to the stomachs of people who are used to the colors of the show. The setting is the bleak future of Tokyo, scraping by on scarce water and the meat of mutated insects while living in a fortress protected by Sakura's feather as a defense from the acid rain that eroded the rest of the once vast Japanese city. The characters' eventual desperation sends them to the Dimension Witch for assistance, who isn't exactly a shoulder to cry on with her demanding payment in return for favors. The chaotic atmosphere and the grim conditions of the favorable travelers are proven enough to send even happy-go-lucky Mokona Modoki into a heavy-hearted tailspin. Though the animated series ends there for now, I'll definitely be consulting the mangas for the rest of their tales.

At times the show seems slow and dragging, but you definitely have to be paying attention; during crucial scenes there is a lot of information thrown out that a lot of the time is useful in later episodes. Despite Kurogane's cursing that evolves from Fai's "Kurorins" and "Kuropipis", this isn't objectionable for a child to watch, except for the fact that it can easily get complicated beyond a small child's comprehension. Any manga fan will be appreciative of CLAMP's gorgeous art style and careful attention to detail. Definitely worth a rental.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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1st Season Opening Theme : Blaze
A Song Of Storm And Fire
Ship Of Fools
Break The Sword Of Justice

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Review | Anime | CardCaptor Sakura

CARDCAPTOR SAKURA : Sakura Kinomoto (Sakura Avalon in the English dub) finds a mysterious locked book in her father's study. The book strangely unlocks for Sakura, and when she opens it, she finds a deck of tarot-like cards that
suddenly fly out of the book and scatter across the city. The guardian of the
book, Cerberus (Keroberos), deems Sakura the new Card
Captor to retrieve all of the lost cards before their special abilities
activate and reek havoc on the city.

CLAMP never ceases to provide its anime with originality, careful detail and imagination. It doesn't seem like they show it, however, when they frequently reprise their characters for use in other shows, but any fan can tell you that CLAMP takes extra care of their anime and fill detail into the smallest corner. CardCaptor Sakura was one of the only CLAMP animes to be brought to an American audience for children's viewing. The show was aired on Kids' WB and Cartoon Network before being removed, and several of the original Japanese episodes were removed from the English dub for cases of homosexuality, intoxication and a relationship between a teacher and a middle school student that were deemed uneditable. There is also an implied intimate relationship between an 8th grade student and a teacher, though this never occurs in the series. All English dubbed episodes, including the unaired ones, were released onto DVD uncut.

Though there are cases where it appears the series centers around the occult (including the Clow cards' resemblance to tarot cards and magical weponry and talismans are used) people should not feel threatened by this. The material and methods of use are original and do not necessarily portray characteristics used in witchcraft.

This is a great anime to bring to the kids, though one should be aware of the uncut, unaired episodes, as the listed issues may still be involved in the show. The outfits worn by Sakura while capturing a card, made by her best friend Tomoyo (Madison in the redub), are beautiful and very imaginative, great options for Halloween costumes or cosplay outfits. You never run out of ideas. What makes Sakura's captures most exciting, I think, is the revealing of the cards in the middle of Sakura's dreamy yet simple life, rollerblading to school with her brother and his friend, then the occasional shopping with friends. It is very rare that the storyboard exceeds one episode, the episodes that must be continued into another episodes are mostly the very important ones that reveal lingering questions in the show.

Definitely an anime to check out! Don't forget to watch for its main characters again in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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Review | Anime | Yu-Gi-Oh!

YU-GI-OH! : The popular card game Duel Monsters dominates Yugi Mutou's world, and with
the powerful cards given to him by his grandfather who owns a shop that sells
the cards, he is able to defeat various opponents. One day, a mysterious man
known as Pegasus sends Yugi a package inviting him to an island where he'll duel
with other Duel Monsters masters for the grand prize. However, Pegasus raises
the stakes by capturing his grandfather's soul to pursuade Yugi to come to the
island. Yugi also harnesses an ancient power that enables him to become a more
matured version of himself, carrying the soul of an Egyptian Pharoah.

If you're looking to bring yourself into the Yu-Gi-Oh world, definitely start with the original. None of this Yu-Gi-Oh! GX stupidity they've half-baked and slapped on TV. They're doing exactly what Pokemon did that lost them both their fame; they've attempted to milk the show for more than its worth and no one cares anymore. At one time, Yu-Gi-Oh was a major hype. Every kid wanted a deck of Yu-Gi-Oh cards, it was all it took to please them. Halloween costumes went out, toys, action figures, kids started buying the mangas. Kids were all over Yu-Gi-Oh until the originals went off TV and the producers attempted to compensate for it by introducing Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. The original characters, including the show's protagonist Yugi Mutou (pronounced 'Moto' in the English dub), are not featured in the new show, and new characters and hundreds of new monsters were introduced. At first, it was an interesting take on a popular show, but the new show itself was too dry to possibly keep the spirit of Yu-Gi-Oh alive any longer.

Though you don't see it in its former glory, Yu-Gi-Oh's flame still burns somewhere in the anime world. The characters are always distinguishable from not only the other characters in the show, but the rest of the anime world, due to their extravagant and unusual hair-dos (particularly the one found on Yugi) which any knowledgeable anime fan will have no problem identifying.

It's definitely a show to bring home to the boys. Since it was brought to American TV for young audiences, you can look into an English dub, but I am unaware that there is any overly questionable material in the Japanese dub. Despite being a good show it does require some patience. The characters love to talk. The show consists of a combination of fantasy and technology which can themselves be found either separately or harmoniously within the monsters the Duelists will activate, which are projected life-sized on the battlefield. Characters are continuously introduced which makes it difficult to keep up with them, but unlike Pokemon where characters are constantly added and replaced for the main band of characters, Yugi's group of closest friends remain the same.

Overall Rating:
/ 5

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