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Director Ikuhara returns after a long decade plus hiatus since working on Utena. Utena being a show steeped in symbolism and theatrics, and a show with notorious pacing issues as a little backstory there. Studio Brain’s Base (Baccano, Natsume’s Book of Friends) is a solid studio known for crisp colors and animation work is a good sign to work on Penguindrum. The question posed now as an anime fan is, will Ikuhara improve upon his formula developed during Utena, and will the pacing improve?

Breaking down the story of Mawaru Penguindrum like Utena takes time. Over the course of the anime, there will be sequences of ... plot twists and turns in an erratic sense of feel and in a non-linear fashion. This can make it difficult to fully grasp, yet as the show continues on, the pieces do come together for the most part. Although, unlike Utena, Penguindrum’s story fixes all the pacing and storytelling elements that made Utena feel like a slog and too much rinse and repeat. Yet, much like Utena, Penguindrum’s theatrical showcase and a constant barrage of symbolism and themes have no shortage to draw from the well. This, at times, is overbearing or even pointless. Luckily, it does not hurt the messages being sent nor the story unfolding.

With clear messages being sent to the viewer through the characters and events tackle many issues from rape to death. Interaction between the three family members and what each issue presented means to them is explored well. Focusing on a small cast of characters gives much more time to learn about them in particular and how they feel about the subject matter in regards to the plot unfolding.

Music, art, presentation are all top notch and entertaining to say the least. Saying otherwise would be plucking at straws. Not to say that Penguindrum is not an over bearing anime to watch, but it is surely a more difficult anime for a casual fan to get into. Even more seasoned anime fans could easily find the anime too energetic and over the top that could take away from everything else the show does so well.

The amount of creativity and originality in Mawaru Penguindrum is remarkable. Anything a viewer had a problem with in Ikuhara’s previous work Utena should find almost everything improved upon in this one. With a bat crazy topsy-turvy ending sequence of events, Penguindrum’s wild ride is something we all as anime fans should crave to have more of.

If an anime involved mech or mechanized suits, Studio Sunrise is a good guess to be involved. The extremely popular Japanese anime Tiger and Bunny is no exception. What is interesting is the director behind this operation was the relatively unknown Keiichi Sato with his only previous work being the creator behind The Big O. He was an animation supervisor, so this work was his first real step into directing. How did the advertisement heavy Tiger and Bunny turn out?

One can basically sum up this anime as what if people with super powers made money by working on a T.V. show sponsored by companies to ... protect the city from crime. In this world, people whom have powers are called “Next.” The story follows a veteran hero by the name of Kotetsu Kaburagi aka Wild Tiger at the end of his career is paired to work with an up and coming cocky young hero, Barnaby. Thus the adventure of stopping crime on T.V. and an evil villain begins. The twist of the story is finding out who killed Barnaby’s parent when he was but a child.

Tiger and Bunny is a very “western” concept and rolls with it. It does start extremely slow in its build of the world and characters. Any sort of plot does not occur until about the half-way point which can easily sway viewers to it mediocrity on a surface level. It is not a bad guy vs good guy approach, but rather looking at these heroes have real world problems from teen adolescence to parental distance from their kid. These episodes are very singular and episodic. Some character development occurs, but really misses the opportunity for continuity despite the writing being pretty solid for each episode. Being that each hero is an anime character trope does not really help matters. At least the banter between our two main characters is pretty funny and convincing.

Other areas where the show falters is the sense of an actual conflict or real villain. Each villain is introduced, but never truly explored on other than a surface level reason or appearance. The worst offense of this is the anti-hero Lunatic whom never gets screen time and is hardly developed yet plays important roles in the story. The CG is pretty good for its time and should not deter from the show.

Tiger and Bunny has a good plot yet the pace of production is a bit messy, but written without plot holes. Villains are gradually revealed, but never hold much meaning to the story later or their place other than surface level. It does require patience from the audience, and any fan of Western super hero comics should give this a chance.

Studio PA Works history prior to doing Hanasaku Iroha was meager to say the least with only one real hit being Angel Beats. However, the director chosen was acclaimed worker within Studio Bones in Masahiro Ando (production in Metropolis, Ghost in the Shell). No doubt, at this time the studio and the staff is extremely talented and wanted to make a mark on the industry. Does a show featuring the blandness of everyday life live up to the challenge?

Our story starts off on an odd note. Ohana, an angsty 16 year old, suddenly gets the news her irresponsible and promiscuous mother is going to elope ... with her current lover leaving Ohana to live and work with the grandmother at a traditional Japanese inn out in the country. Quickly, it is sink or swim for Ohana as she must earn her keep at the inn or be kicked out. There she learns various personal trials about life itself.

Here in lies the start of many issues within this anime. Ohana begins angsty and a bit cynical and seemingly overnight (off screen) turns into the optimistic cheerful girl the audience see on screen. The plot never seems to advance with Ohana and each life learning experience, but rather skips as fast as a lightning bolt out of the sky. Basically, she and her personality are all over the place according to what is needed on screen. Somehow, Ohana herself does not come off as a mental sociopath and still remains very much human. Each and every side character is very bland and offers not much more than their defining trait such as her roommate wants to be a cook, her grandmother lives only for the inn, and among others.

Episodes are centered on Ohana as she reacts over emotionally to a situation driving the singular plot of the week. Even when a side character is featured and “changes” according to how Ohana reacts, the next episode will have the side character reset to their previous bland self as if nothing happened. The concept of conflict seriously lacks within Ohana. Everything and every so-called problem is easily solved by whatever emotion Ohana has at the time. Dare not even get into parental issues this show portrays.

Is Hanasaku Iroha a bad show? No, it is fine at best. Ohana is a character that has flaws, problems, and angst like any other human teenager. However, there is no fallout, or even any repercussions to actions. It is simply a show about an emotional girl that can overcome anything through sheer will of positivity and hard work.

A-1 Pictures makes some beautiful anime on occasion. Some better than others and some that really bring out a viewer’s emotion. Along with director Tatsuyuki Nagai (Honey and Clover II, Toradora), Anohana is an incredibly sweet and moving story that brings heart wrenching tears to the audience.

Anohana is a story about a group of 5 teenagers. Each character must face the challenge of accepting the death of an old friend from their childhood. The catch is, which is revealed right away, is Jintan can see and interact with the ghost of said friend, Menma. He is left wondering if Menma is a manifestation of his ... own mind or is she actually there? He battles through depression and attempts to figure out, with Menma, how to help her spirit move on. The story continues from there as the old group of childhood friends slowly reunite with one another, while facing old demons from their past. It really is a unique and original story with original characters that hooks the viewer in emotionally.

It is A-1 Pictures, so visually Anohana looks above par with crisp colours and fairly detailed environment. The soft sounds and music throughout the anime sets that depressive and darker mood the show is striving for. Some of the character interactions are a little over the top at times, but is not too deterring from the remainder of the anime. Some comedy is thrown in there from time to time to lighten the overall depressing mood.

The cast shown gets the viewer to feel empathy and sympathy for each of them easily. Subtle moments are shown for each character for either their motivations or even their inner emotions from episode to episode. It is well done right up until the end where things get a bit rushed and hectic along with unanswered questions right there with some heavy melodrama.

There are very few anime out there these days that truly make the viewer become emotionally invested in a story and its characters. Anohana hits all of the right notes from start to almost finish, but despite that finish, it is well worth the hours spent. Do you remember the flower you saw that day?

Studio Bones knows how to make a good anime or at least an interesting one to say the least. This ranges from Full Metal Alchemist to the ever popular Soul Eater. Seasoned storyboard worker turned director for the anime Gosick was given to Hitoshi Nanba (Area 88, Captain Tsubasa).

Gosick is about a Japanese kid, Kazuya, moving to basically southern France (fictional place called Sauville) and happens upon a mysterious loli blond French girl in the upper library. Together they slowly form a sort-of friendship while solving various mysteries they happen upon.

It’s not often a mystery anime comes to light much like any within the horror ... genre. More often than not those anime fail to hit the mark and their various ways. Unfortunately, Gosick fall directly within the lines of this problem. A series focused on mysteries being solved either come off as ridiculous and implausible, or overly simplistic and unimaginative. The first mystery is solid enough, but as the series continues each new mystery seems worse and less interesting than the one previously. Besides, the loli known as Victorique and her banter with blank slated character Kazuya nothing really happens. Side characters often make nothing more than a cameo appearance to advance to the next mystery or what have you. Even driving forces behind the two main characters offer nothing more than what was told such as Kazuya’s father is rich and wants his son to succeed, no other personality or traits to be known or shown.

Apart from the character Victorique herself, there is not much to Gosick. Victorique runs the show by herself be it a wide evolving range or personality or even to the showmanship of her solving a weak told mystery. A saving grace are elements to each mystery carry over into the next instead of a “mystery-of-the-week” sequence. Not to say Gosick is totally saved from this, but it helps the show from falling completely into a bad rap.

Basically, Gosick has a decent main character in Victorique while the show suffers from mostly everything else. It will hit the viewer with a lot of imagery and crash land them into endless amounts of information that comes off as important, but amounts to nothing most of the time. It just is not a good mystery show worth recommending.

Covers season 1 and 2

J.C. Staff, check. Director Kenichi Kasai with previous slice of life and romance anime work such as Honey and Clover, check. Even the writer and illustrator combo of Ohba Tsugumi and Obata Takeshi, the guys behind Death Note, bring past success to the table.

Bakuman features two kids that want to create a hit manga that will eventually be created into an anime. No doubt this is a nostalgia trip story based on the creator’s as they made into the manga creation industry. The director’s influence from previous work makes its’ mark known here ranging from the pastel colors and pallets to ... the late 90’s character designs. Much of the anime besides a duo’s goal to become great mangakas is the romance sub-plot of the duo with their female counterparts. Their love story is a major motivation for Bakuman.

The bromance between Mashiro and Takagi is something of a spectacle, while the story revolves around the motivations and actions of Mashiro. His drive to create a manga to become a hit anime in order to fulfill a non-sensible love struck promise kind of falls into a shounen type anime clashing with shoujo characteristics. Much of the other characters are second nature to what Mashiro himself does ranging from stubborn illustrations to overwork itself. Most of these issues tackled in Bakuman says much about the state of the industry itself. Bakuman clearly clashes with ideals and ideas of what romance is and was and even the characters themselves get called out for it during the journey. While the romance is there for good story intentions, it often feels over used and misguided for the real story being told.

Bakuman is strongest when moving away from any sub-plots and focuses on the core, making a hit manga and the struggles that come with it. Season 1 hits this quite well. However, as the series continues from there is where it seems to slow to a crawl. Sure, waiting on weekly rankings to see where they stand or even waiting to hear back from the board if their manga will make it into the magazine makes for a tight intriguing watch. Unfortunately, character motivations and choices battle with the incredible realistic tone on the industry. It is well done in most aspects, but a realistic pace and portrayal may not make the best entertainment in the long run. That’s what hurts Bakuman the most, not the unrealistic fantasy dream of romance in the sub-plot.

There is no doubt Bakuman comes with frustrations while watching. Also, there is no doubt the third season culminates into something worth the effort, if dying to see how the duo winds up with their manga success. This series is unique and is at least worth the effort of giving a good try.

Strangely enough, this series has a long history with a sequel, remade movie in 2010, and a spinoff. The studio that made this was Tatsunoko Production, a long standing studio that is still in the industry today. Ippei Kuri, the man whom co-founded the studio, was the lead episode director and series production director worked along with another now-veteran anime industry man by the name of Yoshiuki Tomino or better known as the man behind all things Gundam. Unfortunately, at the time of this review only four known episodes of the show were able to be found. However, they really show off why the show ... was quite good for 1970.

For a show aimed at young children, this anime is actually quite violent, depressing, and has many sad undertones. Honeybee Hutch starts out with a scene depicting the entire bee hive being attacked by a swarm of swaps that proceed to murder everyone, stand over the corpses, and drink their honey. The bee queen somehow escapes leaving the bodies of her children behind. A sole female worker bee from another hive (whom also escaped a genocide of her own) happens upon a single egg left and raises this bee as her own among her 9 other children. However, Hutch is different because he is not part of the hive. The other kids bully him and isolate him constantly. Hutch inevitably is told by his pseudo-mother he is actually an orphan, so an upset Hutch sets out on an adventure to find his real bee mother.

Each of the other episodes follows a formula in which Hutch will befriend another insect such as a child grasshopper and by the end of the episode another insect or creature higher of the food chain will murder/eat said insect Hutch has befriended. For example, the child grasshopper’s parents are eaten by a lizard in front of Hutch and the child with half the corpses hanging out of the lizard’s mouth. Despite the constant death and destruction surrounding Hutch, he remains a hopeful optimistic idiot which the viewer can’t help but feel for.

Character art is quite reminiscent of a cross between an old Disney and warner bros cartoon, and yet Hutch’s face and expressions usually makes him seem “special” most of the time. Music plays a huge role in the show. It always matches the mood of the scene ever changing and adapting including most insects knowing how to play an instrument leading to episodes focused around that character. Watching the 2010 remake movie is evidence of these things.

Much of the show can be compared to the movie “A Bug’s Life” how the insects interact with each other and world such as children insects using a shape of a leaf as a slide. No doubt that movie took a lot from this show.

Overall, based on what was seen and little understood language wise, events and character expressions show the viewer more than enough to understand what is happening. That says a lot to the caliber of Honeybee Hutch. It is a real shame more episodes could not be found because it was actually pretty good despite coming out in 1970.

Originally reviewed 7.June.2015

Third time is the charm for Miyazaki and Takahata. This time around Miyazaki has taken over the majority of the work, while Takahata helps in directing and storyboard. Boy did the duo hit everything just right in this anime.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the world's scientists have used horrible earthquake machines as weapons of mass destruction to ruin the Earth's tectonic plates thus causing water-world.

The story revolves around a boy name Conan and the little girl Lana who washes up on his isolated little island where he has grown. Conan himself is extremely lovable and not only him. The setting and ... plot has so much charm, it just can't be explained well enough. Lana is the central focal point of how the plot plays out, but Conan changes the game consistently with his antics that each and every episode remains fresh. The amount of danger is ever present creating a constantly worrisome environment, while somehow also having a mold of serious subject matter as well.

Animation really takes a huge leap, and while that could be technology or Miyazaki taking a step in, either way it's gorgeous. The detail and background art is extremely well done and doesn't reflect the time period this came out in. Pacing fluctuates a bit by switching between action filled scenes and arcs to a sudden halt of melancholy feeling and dialogues. This is done quite well though. This is essentially a 26 episode Studio Ghibli movie having all the Miyazaki trademarks from fun aircrafts, character designs, to the ever present theme of man vs nature.

There is a very lovable cast of characters and even though the main villain is fairly one-dimensional, the story never needs the villain to be anything other than that. It really is about the character interactions, the development of Conan and crew, and the fun sense of adventure throughout. From the industrial waste filled smoke stacks of Industria to the peaceful farmlands, each environment plays a separate role in the story in how Conan and the people he meets along the way view their world.

Honestly, it is disappointing how many anime fans have not watched this. Don’t let the year this came out make cause any sort of hesitation in watching Future Boy Conan at all! Do yourself a favor and find any way you can to watch this anime at all costs.

Ever heard of Studio Daume? Well, at least director Tetsuro Amino is known from such works as Iria, Macross 7, and Break Blade among others. He is a diverse talent and in order to make a compelling horror anime and something unique out of a vampire story needs a unique perspective.

It is summer in the remote village called Sotoba. All of a sudden the village is stricken with mysterious and sudden deaths brought on by a strange case of anemia. The village doctor by the name of Ozaki Toshio is baffled and frustrated to find an answer. At the same time, a strange family has ... moved into a giant mansion up on the hill of the town. Will the doctor be able to put a stop to these deaths or will he need to rely on the town to pitch in as well?

Yes, a rather simplistic sounding story. However, it does revolve around a village slowly being taken over by the undead and a plot for vampires to reign supreme. How many bodies must stack up before one starts to believe in the unbelievable? Fun little questions and seeing the cast of characters adjust to the situation given to them over time is quite enjoyable. Each episode up until a point does leave plenty of cliffhangers to keep the viewer going. The story even diverts focus onto other characters perspectives ultimately leading to the same end result.

The use of sound in Shiki is at times top notch or obviously bad like static in a radio program. When done right, the use of sound be it contrasting amplitudes of bells to the creepy use of screeching and growling to invoke fear on both sides of the screen. This helps settle into a low toned and all be it lonely atmosphere within the village itself. Shiki is ultimately quite dark in lighting most of the time and visuals are brought into the foreground with the use of artistic hash-markings creating lots of moments of symbolism and foreshadowing in the story.

So what is wrong with Shiki then? Really it comes down to a mixture of character overload or focus and the misstep to the show’s message with losing one’s humanity. There are too many characters and whom one thinks is pivotal to the story never has enough resolution for their personal quests. The show is way too bogged down with nonsensical philosophical exposition mainly expressed through allegories and the like such as moments with the priest and “head” vampire. Characters remain so static with little to no character development that in itself the story becomes overwhelmingly static as well.

Is Shiki ultimately worth watching? If slasher films are found entertaining, then Shiki would be at least a hit in the ballpark. Otherwise, an unnecessarily large cast with an extremely slow pace plus exposition trying to be too smart for its own good might cause Shiki to be skippable.

Here in 2010, the anime world has reached a point of knowing what panders to anime fans. What is the right way to pander? Well, Studio J.C. Staff seems to know of a formula containing of cute girls, school, a school club, a few pretty boys, and a cast of trope characters. Ookami-San and Her Seven Companions is the culmination of how to make an average anime. Is this anime average though? Well, given the tough task of trying to get something special out of this anime was none other than the Love Hina director Yoshiaki Iwasaki.

This story is a comedy parody of sort focused ... around a tom-boy like character in Ookami Ryouko. It follows her and her friends around their adventures surrounding their sort-of club called the Otogoi Bank. This club is tasked with solving any and all problems ranging from love life to thug life. Of course, most of the members are female and a couple of pretty boys as well. There is even a cheeky narrator breaking the fourth wall occasionally and pointing out certain aspects about the characters such as flaws in their personalities and the boob sizes of the girls.

There is of course a self-insert character that confesses his love for Ookami and blindly follows the adventures and becomes the main secondary character within the Otogi Bank. Sad to say, most of the characters and points within this show is pretty shallow. There are a few highlights such as the importance of friendship and believing in yourself, but they do not outshine how bland the show is. This is not a show about any real character development, but more of something filled with an occasional gimmick and something to get a few chuckles out of the viewer every now and again.

The characters art, backgrounds, tone of the anime are nothing real special by any means, but there is not anything to complain about either. Ookami herself as the main focus and whenever the show dives away from the self-insert character is another one of the higher points. She has three main friends and when the shows decides to focus on how they help Ookami and progress any sort of character development or push the story is alright. For some reason, the show likes diving into backstories with as little information as possible to try to get some feeling out of the viewer such as Ookami’s own past with sexual abuse. Things like this remains a mystery without a resolve. Much of the show when it does have something to make this show deeper and better is mostly ignored or is confusing such as Ookami’s struggle with femininity.

Basically, when Ookami-San and Her Seven Companions is done and over with, this show is not terrible nor do the flaws kill the show completely. However, this is ultimately incredibly average and is not worth watching. Too many questions linger without resolve, Ookami is as confusing a character as ever, and a few of the episodes could basically not exist. Just skip this one and save some precious time to watch something more worthwhile.