Saturday, August 7, 2010

Anime Review: Ghost Hunt

Anime Review: Ghost Hunt

My review of the anime Ghost Hunt from Funimation Entertainment.

Anime Review: Samurai Champloo

Anime Review: Samurai Champloo

My written review of the popular anime, Samurai Champloo from Geneon/Funimation Entertainment.

Director: Satoshi Nishimura
Studio: Funimation, formerly Geneon Entertainment
Released: March 12, 2013
Runtime: 650 minutes
Availability: In Print, on DVD, Buy on RightStufAnime, and Amazon
Streaming: Hulu and Funimation, check to see if it is streaming in your country here

Story Summary

In the distant future, on a desert planet called Gunsmoke, a notorious outlaw travels the world, wreaking havoc and destroying cities wherever he goes. His name is Vash the Stampede, and he is the $$60,00,000,000 man, and everyone is chasing him, including two insurance girls, Meryl and Milly, who try to keep the damage Vash causes to a minimum.

But Vash's goofy exterior hides a dark past that refuses to leave him alone. He must confront the mysterious Gung-Ho Guns and keep his promise to "Take care of Knives".

Impact of “Trigun” and Licensing Woes

Even after 24 years, Trigun is still a great anime; it’s considered a classic these days. But why is it still so popular, even though it’s been out of print for ages after Geneon Entertainment closed, and has recently been licensed by Funimation Entertainment and is now available on DVD? The movie has been licensed and released in the U.S. years after the series was finished.

This was a gateway to anime for a wide audience because it aired on Adult Swim. It's a classic, right up there with Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Cowboy Bebop. The dub is highly regarded by fans, even if they prefer not to use English dubs.

Two Decades Later, The Animation Still Holds Up!

Even though it wasn’t an exact faithful adaptation of the manga, it’s still a very good anime to watch. The action sequences were exhilarating, and the character designs are unique and stand out.

The art style is nice, and while the animation doesn't look as polished as digital animation, it's still special because cell animation is no longer used in the same way as it was in Trigun.

Studio Madhouse made this anime, and while it wasn't as stunning as a lot of their later work, it's still really good. The animation still stands out despite its age.

The English Dub Is Great!

This review will not cover the Japanese dub with English subtitles because this review is written for people who might just be getting into anime and aren’t “sub purists” who only watch the Japanese version and don’t watch the English version.

The Japanese dub isn't bad, but since this is a space western and westerns are associated with America, English is the best choice between Japanese and English. If you like Japanese voice acting, you'll probably enjoy Trigun in Japanese.

The English dub is terrific, and everyone sounds great. The performance by Johnny Bosch, who voices Vash the Stampede, is perfect, and it’s surprising because this was his first anime role. Jeff Nimoy is also great as Nicholas D. Wolfwood, a very unconventional traveling priest.

Dorothy Elias-Fahn is also well cast as Meryl Strife, and she’s a very good voice actress. Lia Sargent plays the seemingly air-headed insurance girl, Milly Thomson, and she gives a nice performance. It’s nice to listen to her voice, even though it might get on some audience members' nerves.

Bo Williams was great as Millions Knives. He did a really good job as Knives, playing an excellent villain. He was an interesting character, and the showdown between Knives and Vash was fantastic.

The dub is still fun to listen to, even though it's really old now, and dubbing has improved a lot since Trigun was released. It's still one I enjoy a lot.

The Soundtrack Is Great!

The musical score is very memorable, especially the opening theme “H.T.”

The music evokes the feel and emotions of a western, and it sounds like something you'd hear in a western. It has a lot of twang and guitars, and the music is a wonderful thing to hear. It evokes emotions in the audience, and there are musical themes that I think of when I remember Trigun.

The Themes of "Trigun"

There are also themes concerning pacifism and genocide, and strong Christian themes in the character of Vash the Stampede. Trigun’s themes resonate with many viewers and have made him one of the most memorable and iconic anime characters on screen. It defined anime for many in the U.S. and is considered an anime classic that is a must-watch.

The themes of pacifism and morality, and how much restraint is needed not to kill in a world where killing is easy, make the audience think about Vash and his beliefs about not taking a life.

There's also the interesting relationship with his mother in the story, and how he wants to follow her ideals.

It also deconstructs the idealistic view of pacifism that is shown in stories where it's easy to cheer on a pacifist when they're not being shot at. What makes Vash's pacifism stand out and stay with the viewer so much is the space western setting, where killing is easy, normal, and commonplace.

Vash is defined by being a pacifist in a setting where that is the hardest thing to do. It makes him one of my favorite anime characters. The Christian themes aren't easy to spot, but they are there.

The Tonal Change Might Throw You Off

Trigun has an interesting story because of the tonal shift. It starts off light-hearted and funny, but slowly shifts into a more serious tone as the story progresses. The shift could throw off the audience because they're expecting it to be pretty funny, but when it becomes serious, it's rather jarring.

The manga didn't really start out funny, but it's an interesting way to introduce Vash. The humor. The inconsistent tone is weird, but it makes the story interesting.

Parental Warning

Trigun's violence isn't extremely graphic, but people are shot and wounded by gunfire or slashed with melee weapons.

There is also some profanity, but it's not as strong as an MA-rated anime or R-rated movie.

It’s an Older Anime, but It’s a Must-Watch for Anime Fans

Overall, Trigun is a great anime, and it still looks good despite its age, although the characters do sometimes go off-model. The music is nice, and the English dub is very good. The story is worth your time, as it is deep, meaningful, and carries a good message. However, it is not suitable for kids, due to its stronger language, blood, and violence. But it is definitely a classic anime that deserves to be on your shelf. Experience the space western for yourself; it’ll stick with you after it’s over.

Trigun is available on Hulu and Crunchyroll.

Grade: A-

Trigun is an anime classic that was the gateway anime for many Western fans. It has excellent animation, deep themes, and a captivating story. It's well worth your time and money, and it's not expensive to purchase at all.

Studio Madhouse has improved a lot, but it's interesting to see some of their old work; it still holds up despite being one of their older titles. The animation still looks really great and shows off Vash in his iconic red coat.

It's still a wonderful space western, and it's a classic anime that every anime fan should watch. If you like Johnny Yong Bosch, you should enjoy watching his first foray into anime dubbing. It has a great dub.

I enjoy watching it, and it's one of my favorite anime to watch. The Trigun movie, Badlands Rumble, has been released on Blu-ray and DVD.

If you want to stream the anime, you can watch it on FunimationNow, Hulu, and YouTube.

Anime Review: Romeo X Juliet

Anime Review: Romeo X Juliet

My written review of the anime Romeo X Juliet

Anime Review: Fullmetal Alchemist (First Series)

Anime Review: Fullmetal Alchemist (First Series).

Here's my written review of Fullmetal Alchemist, The first series.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood English Dub Cast List Update 2!

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Description
I found the cast list for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood had been updated!
Maxey Whitehead as Alphonse Elric
Vic Mignogna as Edward Elric
Caitlin Glass as Winry Rockbell
J. Michael Tatum as Scar
Travis Willingham as Roy Mustang
Andy Mullins as Cornello (ep 3)
Barry Yandell as Yoki
Bill Jenkins as Slicer
Bob Carter as Sig Curtis
Brina Palencia as Nina Tucker
Bryan Massey as Isaac MacDougal (ep 1)
Chris Cason as Gluttony
Chris Patton as Greed
Christopher R. Sabat as Alex Louis Armstrong
Chuck Huber as Shou Tucker
Colleen Clinkenbeard as
Riza Hawkeye
Rose Thomas
Cynthia Cranz as Paninya
Ed Blaylock as Fuhrer Bradley
Eric Vale as Zolf Kimblee
Gwendolyn Lau as Sciezka
Jerry Jewell as Barry the Chopper
Jim Foronda as Denny Brosh
Juli Erickson as Pinako Rockbell
Kevin M. Connolly as Kain Fuery
Kyle Hebert as Vato Falman
Laura Bailey as Lust
Lydia Mackay as Trisha Elric
Meredith McCoy as Maria Ross
Mike McFarland as Jean Havoc
R Bruce Elliott as Basque Grand
Sonny Strait as Maes Hughes
Tiffany Grant as Martel
Wendy Powell as Envy
Aaron Dismuke

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Anime and Manga Shopping for Dummies

Anime Is Expensive, Ugh! It's Cheaper Online!

As anime fans, we always like to collect our favorite DVDs, manga, posters, wall scrolls, figurines and CDs, and merchandise. The problem is that anime, manga, and especially figurines tend to be expensive. You look for a series you really, really enjoyed, and then you go to Best Buy and see the price tag and think, “That’s way too expensive!”

Brick-and-mortar stores tend to have prices slightly higher than those of online retailers. It depends on the anime and whether you can wait or if you absolutely must have it now. If you buy it at a retail store, you may pay a higher price plus taxes. However, if you buy it online, you may have to pay shipping charges; it all depends on your preference.

Amazon.com Bargains!

For online users, there are plenty of sites to buy from; Amazon.com has a lot of anime in stock either directly from them or through third-party sellers. If you’re buying from third-party sellers, make sure to check their feedback. I’ve bought from third-party sellers, and it was a mostly good experience, but I would not buy from any seller that has less than 98% on their seller feedback for their storefront.

If you’re buying directly from Amazon, your DVD will most likely be over $35.00 and is eligible for FreeSuper Saver Shipping + tax. It takes about five to seven days to ship, but it is pretty fast, and since you don’t have to pay the shipping, that does help a lot.

But what if you don’t want to spend thirty to twenty-five dollars just to get free shipping? Funimation has a great line of DVDs that are under $30 on Amazon. Funimation's S.A.V.E. Titles has many good anime titles listed there, one of them I can definitely recommend is Ghost Hunt, it’s a very good anime about paranormal investigators, and it’s very well done. But as a warning, it’s highly recommended to look at user reviews before spending money on a series.

There are also great anime like Ping Pong: the Animation, Robotics;Notes, Romeo X Juliet, and XXXHolic.

You can also check out Amazon’s Anime Bestseller List to see what is selling well; you might find something that you’ve been wanting for a lot less on the bestseller list.

If you’re interested in manga titles, you can look at the Comics & Graphic Novels Manga Bestsellers to see if there’s something you want to get. Just be aware of the Yaoi label, as it means boy’s love in Japanese and is about a romantic homosexual relationship; reader discretion is advised.

Crunchyroll's Many Specials and Deals!

Crunchyroll is a very excellent online retailer for anime, manga, wall scrolls, figures, and other merchandise. Not only does Crunchyroll have sales on their front page from a different company every few weeks, but they also has a bargain bin, daily deals, and weekly specials as well.

Also, make sure to check on holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, as they have sales on holidays too!

Crunchyroll has a minimum spending $75 for free shipping. You can find good deals on Crunchyroll's store, and for thrifty anime fans, you can find plenty of bargains. A good thing about the site is that if you are pre-ordering from them, you usually get the item before it hits retail stores.

Example of bootleg anime DVDs

How to Spot Fraudulent Bootleg Discs

Anime fans are always looking for inexpensive merchandise. Sometimes people take advantage of people who want to buy anime but don’t know the difference between a bootleg and legitimate merchandise.

Anime bootlegs will usually come in three-disc sets for 26 episodes. Most anime DVDs do not cram so many episodes on each disc. The quality of the DVD case is poor, and the artwork looks like fan art put onto a DVD case.

The video encoding his horrible, because they try to cram so many episodes onto one disc. The subtitles are awful and have typos. They also copy, verbatim, the English dub, which legitimate releases are never the same as the English dub because of the language difference, and they usually have Chinese subtitles on the discs as well.

Also, most legitimate anime DVD releases have a company logo on the front, the side, and the back. Many bootleg DVDs only have one logo, and they also do not have a summary of the story on the back of the case like legitimate releases do.

HiDive Has Amazing Sales!

HiDive, the streaming service owned by Sentai FilmWorks, has sales, and they have extremely steep discounts when their discs are on sale. You can pick up some fantastic titles on sale when they have their anime on sale. The amount to get free shipping is $75.00+ so that is a lot of money, but if you buy a ton during a sale, you'll be saving a lot of money in the long run. I highly recommend periodically checking the SentaiFilmWorks website and HiDive for streaming. If you're looking for a great deal on buying anime, they license.

Don't Forget to Check Websites on Holidays!

Make sure to check all the anime websites for if they're having a sale. Also, make sure to check often for sales, especially during holidays. Also, remember to check the internet on Black Friday and Cyber Monday for sales too.

Crunchyroll and Amazon often have various sales throughout the year. You can also follow their Twitter feeds and watch for different sales that they'll announce on Twitter.

You should be able to find what you want for your anime collection. Just keep an eye out for those sales, everyone!

GuardianSoulBlade