The Series:

Rosario + Vampire is based off the manga series of the same name which was written and illustrated by Akihisa Ikeda. A 13-episode anime adaptation produced by Gonzo and directed by Takayuki Inagaki aired in Japan in 2008. The anime quickly became notorious for its excessive use of fan service in the form of panty shots, leading the series to be censored on certain channels during its TV broadcast. The series is licensed by Funamation, who released seasons one and two on December 20, 2011.

Tsukune Aono’s low grades keep him from attending a private high school and due to some hilarious set of events he ends up attending the only school that will take him, the Yokai Academy. To his mortification, all his classmates are monsters and if they figure out his human status, he’s fresh meat! But when his scent attracts the hungry lips of a gorgeous vampire named Moka, it turns out he’s a sucker for supernatural chicks. Despite her thirst for blood Moka is a sweet girl who falls for Tsukune right away. Before long, Tsukune is being seduced by a bouncy succubus, tormented by a witch who swings both ways and he also is felt-up by a stalker snow fairy. All of these women join Tsukune in the Newspaper club, which quickly gains the attention of the Security Council. Moka doesn’t mind sharing with her new friends, but her panties get in a twist when real danger threatens her boy-toy. Beastly bullies of Yokai Academy beware, because when Tsukune unlocks Moka’s “Super S Class” monster seal, a ravaging beauty with a dropkick from hell is revealed! The series concluded with a few climatic battles between the Newspaper club and Security Council.

Right off the bat, no pun intended, this series has gratuitous amounts of fan service. Seriously, they open the first episode with a panty shot! So, if you don’t like a lot of up skirt fan service, just skip over this series. There’s even a monster that rubs her breasts on a guy to control him but, there is no nudity in this series. Not to mention, tit size becomes a running gag throughout this whole series.

This series has many differ cliches going on at the same time. The biggest one being the “Tenchi Muyo” cliche. Which is having one girl who falls for the main character, then due to the main character being a generally nice guy, attracts even more females to him who are all rivals for the guys attention. However, the main character only really has feelings for the first girl he met. The other big cliche is the “oh look how I conveniently activated your super power.” In every episode, somehow Tsukune finds some way to pull the Rosario off Moka’s neck, activating super vampire mode. It’s like, why was there a fight sequence? On the hilarious side, when the fight is over a little bat pops on the screen to tell you how long the fight took.

In the end I enjoyed this series. I had done some research on it before watching so I knew what I was getting into, tons of fan service, not much in the way of plot. This series is cliched but funny at the same time, I found myself laughing pretty much the whole time. An interesting thing is the different personalities of girls that become regular characters; they are so diverse that anyone might go, if she were real, she would so be my type. My personal favorite is Mizore, a snow fairy, quiet and reserved. Plus, I liked her outfit! So if you want a ton of fan service and a good laugh check this out. Also stay tuned for my review of Rosario + Vampire Season 2 coming soon!

The DVD:

Audio/Video

The sound is clean and the animation is great. The language options include English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special Features

Include some textless songs of the opening theme, Cosmic Love and the ending theme, Dancing in the Velvet Moon. All songs in the series are performed by Nana Mizuki, the voice actress for Moka Akashiya in the series.

The Series Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Series:

A high-tech terrorist plagues the ocean… To counter the subversive activities of the USR (a shadowy terrorist group menacing the seas), the leading nations of the world join forces to form the Peace Keeping Navy (PKN). Its inauguration ceremony, however, quickly turns into disaster as Admiral Red, charismatic leader of the USR, launches a surprise attack on the PKN. With fierce power, Red lets his intentions be known that he will destroy anything that gets in the way of his twisted vision of an ideal future… Dive into this exciting deep-sea military action-adventure thriller, as Captain Hayami and the crew of the 707 try to outwit Admiral Red’s gargantuan nuclear submarine! Submarine 707R is a two episode OVA produced by Group TAC and Sony. The episodes are based on a manga done by Satoru Ozawa which was written in 1963.

The world is at war, a group named the USR led by Admiral Red is waging a war against the rest of humanity to stop exploitation of the seas, destroying many ships and ports to achieve this.  Nations of the world unite their naval powers to create the Peace Keeping Navy, donating their countries greatest submarines. At the inaugural meeting, the Japanese submarine the 707 (an old diesel submarine), captained by Youhei Hayami, is running late. During the meeting, Admirals Red’s sub (the UX), begins launching torpedoes at the PKN’s flag ship, which is saved thanks to the sacrifice of the 707. Six months later the 707 is rebuilt, and back for round two against the UX.

Conclusion:

I liked these two OVA episodes; they showed a lot of promise of the start of a great series. The majority of the animation was of the subs under water which was crisp and clean. Along with detailed characters animation. I am also a fan of movies like Hunt for Red October, so that was another reason I checked this one out.

The sad thing is that this Anime is plagued by more downfall issues than greatness. They leave so many loose threads at the end with no hope of ever continuing the series. Stories about the crew and the families on the good and evil side of the war. Will the 707 ever beat the UX? They keep talking about “Project Red Screen”, what is that all about?? Plus there isn’t enough time to develop any of the characters to get to know them better, giving viewers little time to understand and get behind them.

In the end, the premise of this series was a fantastic idea with such a great foundation for a series but, was immediately torpedoed and sunk due to not continuing with further episodes. I recommend that if you watch this, don’t get your hopes up to high about it. Just enjoy it for what it is, awesome under water battles.

The DVD:

Audio/Video

The sound is clean and the animation is great. The language options include English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special features

Unfortunately, they are no special features for this DVD.

The Series Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Series:

Soul Eater is an anime series mostly focusing on Maka Alburn and her weapon Soul Eater, both students at the DWMA (Death Weapon Meister Academy). The series is directed by Takuya Igarashi, also produced by Aniplex and Bones and released in America by Funimation. The series is mostly based off the manga of the same name, and they stay the same until a big battle then the two plots diverge. This review covers the first Blu-ray Box Set, episodes 1-26.

Maka is a Meister and Soul is her Weapon. As students at the Grim Reaper’s Death Weapon Meister Academy, their study habits couldn’t be more different. But in battle against the supernatural forces of evil, they’re a freakin’ lethal team. That’s when Soul transforms – literally – into a razor-sharp scythe, and every defeated wicked soul he sucks down makes him more deadly. That’s when Maka unleashes the merciless slayer within, wielding her partner and dropping monsters. Seriously. Monsters. Like the witches, werewolves, and zombies that lurk in the shadows and feed on the souls of the innocent. Every freakish ghoul Maka and Soul take out strengthens their bond, and fighting alongside their fellow Meister/Weapon classmates, Maka and Soul are the world’s last line of defense against evil.

Soul Eater opens with three prologue episodes about the 3 pairs of main characters that the series will focus on. The series also follows the three as the attend school and how they learn to be better slayers of those with impure souls. When these Meisters are not at school, they’re hunting impure souls to prevent them from becoming “Demon Gods”. In their first run in with true bad guys, Maka and Soul confront the witch Medusa and the Meister Crona Wielder of the demon sword. After a fierce battle, little is seen of Medusa, but all the while she plots behind the scenes to revive the only sealed Demon God beneath the DWMA. In a final push Medusa and a team of bad guys rush the DWMA, and despite the frantic efforts of Maka, Black Star and Kid. They fail to stop the Demon God’s rival. Now as the world slowly starts to plunge into madness cause by the Demon god, what will the DWMA do to stop it?

Conclusion:

Soul Eater draws people in with its wide array of character personality types that people can sympathize with and see themselves in that role. Wither your just trying to act cool, if you’re afraid of people and situations, shy/reserved, or just wanting to be at center stage; there is a character that anyone can relate to. To me the greatest thing the series does is, finding funny in a dark place. All of this save the world business is going on, or even just in mid battle, somehow the characters find a way to crack a joke or just act insane. My only issues with the series are very minor, first off I listened to both audio tracks, and The Grim Reapers and Black Star’s voice just sounded more fitting in the Japanese than in English. Also in the Japanese they call the DWMA, Shibusen; which just sounds cooler. My other issues are with Funimation more than anything because they didn’t include episode 22 of the Soul Eater late show. Secondly, the disks end during the direct middle of a fight scene, I know it’s the center of the series but they could have backed it up one episode so viewers weren’t left hanging.

Those issues aside, Soul Eater is a action packed hilariously dark story with characters that you will love and wonder what kind of crazy thing they are going to get into next. If you watch it in English make sure you use the second English subtitle option, it will show the subtitles during the parts when Japanese is shown on the screen.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Visual

Audio and video are both extremely high quality for a Blu-ray disks, both a crisp and perfectly done. The language options include English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special Features

The special features include, a Soul Eater Late Show that was only shown during late night runs of the series (basically it’s the voice actors making fun of themselves and different random things). Commentary on Episode 1 and Episode 23, textless songs, and a few trailers.

The Series Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Series:

Outlaw Star is based off the manga written by Takehiko Itō. This series is a space opera/space western, which takes place on a ship ironically called the Outlaw Star, that follows the exploits of Gene Starwind and his motley crew as they search for a huge treasure called the Galactic Leyline. The series was released by Sunrise Studios and Bandai Entertainment took over the North America release. The series also had a run on Cartoon Network’s Toonami, but was edited and even had a whole episode cut, for censorship reasons. These of course, were removed on the DVD release. This review was requested by @PeachyAenne from twitter.

Gene Starwind and his partner Jim Hawking run a small business on the backwater planet of Centinel 3. But all that changes the day that Hilda hires them for a bodyguard job. Now, thrust into a mystery they don’t fully understand, they’re on the run from the cops, the pirates, an angry alien, and a mysterious assassin. But they’ve got one thing going in their favor – they have the galaxy’s most advanced ship!

Outlaw Star opens with each episode having a little back story about events, technology, or on the characters by an announcer, this helps understand more about what is going on, since there are very few is any filler episodes that explain the back story on anything. I like how this was done; you learn more about the back story without breaking the flow of the episode or distracting from what is going on.

In the beginning it is just Gene and Jim, jack of all trades for hire, until Hilda contract them for some repair work and a bodyguard job, and that is where things take a turn. Gene is introduced to Melfina, who is naked in a suit case, and the Tao masters are trying to get her back. Of course they all escape and make their way to an asteroid holding in the XGP which will later become the Outlaw Star. Here is where Hilda meets her end, desperately trying to make sure the pirates do not get the Outlaw Star. Once this is over Gene meets up with Aisha who is trying to find Hilda only to learn she is dead. One of Gene’s allies attempts to get his knowledge of the Galactic Leyline and Suzuka, who Gene defeats after she tries to kill Fred Lou, then joins the team but still carries out assassinations. Suzuka even takes on some assassinations that Gene is separately trying to work on. Each episode the crew learns more about the location of the Leyline and about Melfina past, all the while doing battle with pirates, the MacDougal brothers, and the Anten Seven. The one episode that was never shown on TV, takes place right before the final battle, it was taken out because of too much nudity and fan service, but there are a few points of needed plot that make sense during the last episodes. The finale of the series is a race to the finish; filled with twists, turns, epic battles and even some alliances change hands, all leading up to the final climatic battle.

Conclusion:

One of the biggest complaints about the series is that people often compare it to Cowboy Bebop, but they are not even close to the same series! They are two completely different animes. Bebop is more grounded in reality, while Outlaw Star has more of a mystic quality, among many other differences, there is no basis for comparison. My only other complaint is that they left the series to be sequel or hopes for an OVA, but the plans for that have pretty much been scrapped. Outlaw Star also created a spin off series called Angel Links, which takes place in the same universe but with different characters, besides that they have very little in common. Outlaw Star is best summed up by a line from a Toonami Commercial, “Wild West Y2K style”. There is comedy, drama, laughs, tons of action, along with characters that you can truly get behind. This all melds into a very fluid anime that has little bumps. When you watch this, you will be glued to your seat wondering what kind of crazy thing is going to happen next, and you’ll be shocked when it ends. This is also one of my top 5 favorite animes of all time, so I highly recommend it!

Audio/Video

Top quality, given that the series is 13 years old and that it isn’t a Blu-ray. The language options include English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special Features

There’s a textless Opening and Endings. Some trailers for other series. Character merchandise along with some picture galleries. Also the DVD credits.

The Series Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Series:

Black Butler is a manga written and illustrated by Yana Toboso. Since its debut on September 16, 2006, it has been serialized in Square Enix’s shonen manga magazine Monthly GFantasy. It was announced in July 2008 that an anime adaptation, directed by Shinohara Toshiya and produced by A-1 Pictures, was expected. It premiered in October 2008, and has since ended with 24 episodes. The second season aired in 2010 spanning 12 episodes with two new main characters, Alois Trancy and Claude Faustus. This review covers part one of season one, which consists of the first 12 episodes. This review was requested by Christina Cross from Facebook.

The series follows Sebastian Michaelis, a demonic butler who is bound by a supernatural contract to serve Ciel Phantomhive, the twelve-year-old head of the Phantomhive noble family and the business-savvy owner of the Funtom company, a toy manufacturer. In return, when Ciel has finished all of his tasks, including avenging his parents’ deaths, Sebastian will be allowed to kill him and consume his soul.

Black Butler revolves around two main characters with many reoccurring support characters. This series takes place in the mid 1800’s in England. Which gives it a Victorian feel with the fashion and architecture.  Sebastian Michaelis, like all anime butlers, can seemingly do everything his master demands with lighting quick efficiently and is able to kick major butt at the same time. His master, Ciel at one point is given the title of “Guard dog of the underworld” by the Queen of England. The episodes mostly show Ciel following the orders of the queen, the rest are just filler that do not even dive deeper into the back stories of the characters.

Ciel Phantomhive is the most powerful boy in all of England, but he bears the scars of unspeakable suffering. Forced to watch as his beloved parents were brutally murdered, Ciel was subsequently abducted and violently tortured. Desperate to end his suffering, the boy traded his own soul for a chance at vengeance, casting his lot with the one person on whom he could depend: Sebastian, a demon Butler summoned from the very pits of hell. Together, they’ll prowl the darkest alleys of London on a mission to snuff out those who would do evil. They’re a rare sight, these two: the Butler who dismembers with dazzling cutlery – and the Young Master who carries the devil’s marking. Rest assured that wherever they may be headed, it’ll be one hell of a ride.

The series opens with Ciel and Sebestians contract being created, there are 3 arcs that cover the whole series with some disjointed filler in the middle. One is the Jack the Ripper arc, which Ciel looks into murders of young girls to find it someone he knows and a very flamboyant man crazy Grim Reaper with a chain saw named, Grell Sutcliffe and yes he is a guy. The second arch takes Ciel and the servants in his house to a snowy town because of illegal dog fighting, at first it seems one of the town’s folk created a story of a phantom wolf to control the village and scare outsiders away, it is then later revealed that there is a phantom wolf, named Pluto who joins up with Ciel back at his mansion once the mission is complete., the crazy thing is that randomly the wolf will turn into a human form that runs around on all fours. The final arc is about someone turning little girls into puppets based off of lyrics from London Bridge Is Falling Down; seeing girls of wax, metal and even gold, when this mission is complete the “true” enemy of the series is possibly shown right as the episode fades to black. This time at least Funimation cut off the episodes at a good stopping point leaving people wondering what is going to happen next, instead of starting a new arc and cutting it off one episode in.

Conclusion:

My biggest problem with this series first off is the balance; there is a lot of comedy and drama/action in this series but unlike other anime it is not seamless at all. The comedy just seems to fall off stage, so I was just left with a kind of dumb founded look on my face. The second isn’t really a problem with the series it just turned me off of it, there is a lot of cutesy girl fan service in this series. For example, the guys wearing women‘s clothes. There is also Grell who is very into Sebastian, to the point of doing anything for the chance to kiss Sevastian, granted it never happens. These are just some of the things that bothered me, whereas others might be into this sort of thing. However, I’m not. In the end this is one of those series that clearly isn’t for everyone.

The DVD:

Audio/Visual

Sound quality and animation is great. The language options include English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special Features

There’s a commentary on Episode 01 and Episode 07. A musician profile, along with the textless opening and closing songs. Also, some trailers and previews.

The Series Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

The Series:

First off, let it be said that if you do not like tons of blood, violence, and excessive “fan service” aka panty shots and lots of boobs jiggling, then don’t watch this series. This series was requested by @nhales80 from twitter. High School of the Dead is an anime horror television series based on the manga of the same name by author Daisuke Sato and artist Shoji Sato. The series was serialized in the September 2006 issue of Fujimi Shobo’s Monthly Dragon Age, and the first volume was released by Kadokawa Shoten in March 2007, with a total of seven volumes available in Japan. The anime adaptation produced by Madhouse aired in Japan from July to September in 2010.

The series is set in the present day, beginning as the world is struck by a deadly pandemic that turns humans into zombies. The story follows Takashi Komuro the main male character of the series that is later voted the leader. There’s also three main females characters that have feelings for him. Rei Miyamoto the main female character, who liked Komuro then dated someone else but, likes him again. Saya Takagi who is a self-proclaimed genius, daughter of a politician and childhood friend of Komuro that also has feelings for him but always denies them. Saeko Busujima is a sword master in both wooden and metal. She’s calm and cool but, enjoys fighting and inflicting pain. It’s hinted that she’s crushing on Komuro, as well. Kohta Hirano is a devoted gun nut, and always will to protect Saya. He even has little bit of MacGyver in him. At one point he is able to craft a nail gun rifle that fires using gas cartridges. The school nurse Shizuka Marikawa, has a rather ditsy personality and her large tits are often used as a comical element in the story. Then there’s Alice Maresato, a 7 old girl and her dog Zeke, that was rescued by Komuro. She seems to have a cheery attitude, as Komuro and Saeko comment how she has “done well” in coping with the loss of her family.

While the students are trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse, they‘re actually aware of what zombies are and how to kill them. Komuro even says at one point, “We’re being attacked by corpses, but this is no movie or video game.” Which has always been my biggest issue when it comes to any zombie series or movie. I’ve never enjoyed when characters are ignorant to zombies or they act confused because they don’t want to believe they’re living in and experiencing the zombie apocalypse. The characters already know that head shots are the most effective way to kill them, which is a plus. Later, Saya Takagi experiments on some zombies and confirms that they are also attracted to sound. The group escapes the school and finds an apartment to stay in for the night. I found it convenient that the apartment was owned by Shizuka’s friend who’s an illegal gun owner and a world class sniper that saved Alice and Zeke with some fancy wall walking balance moves. Then they escape to Saya’s house, where they camp out for awhile and the season ends with them in front of police station.

Conclusion:

The plot is not very deep but, as for the zombie apocalypse storyline, the flow makes sense. These things could actually happen and the actions are not outrageous for the characters to come up with. So it gives the whole thing some realism, which is one of the reasons why fans like it so much. Zombies, fan service, decent plot, fantastic animation all make for one of the best zombie animes you’ll ever see! My biggest complaint is this: When is the second season coming out? I’ve heard that the creators were talking about a second season but, no word on when it will come out.

There is also an OVA but, I am not sure when it takes place during the series. This OVA does not add to the plot, it is just 25 minutes of hot sexy fan service. The ending of the OVA is hilarious, definitely worth the watch. On a side note I would give the OVA 3 Stars, I am all for fan service but give me some plot!

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Visual

Sound quality is amazing and the animation is stimulating. The format is in widescreen and the language options include English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special Features

There is a clean opening and closing animation, along with some trailers and previews.

The Series Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Series:

Fairy Tail is a series focusing on the Kingdom of Fiore a land of magic, where wizards join guilds to take on missions. Fairy Tail is one of the more infamous and legendary guilds. This series was created by Hiro Mashima, who also created the series Rave Master. The anime series has just started being released by Funimation Entertainment. This review looks at the first box set released which covers episodes 1-12. This anime was requested by @THEquadskater from twitter.

In the Kingdom of Fiore, powerful wizards make their living by joining magical guilds and contracting out their services to become “wizards for hire”. Harnessing the forces of Dragon Fire, Ice, Weaponry, and the Zodiac, four young wizards of the infamous guild, Fairy Tail, team up to seek their fortunes. Growing stronger with every mission, they travel the countryside helping people and battling rival guilds, but with personalities as different as their magic skills, this team may end up doing more damage than good.

The series follows 5 primary characters and a whole huge cast of secondary characters. The main character, Natsu Dragneel aka Salamander is trained in Fire Dragon Slayer magic by his “father” the Dragon Igneel. Natsu is a hot head but he is very loyal to his friends and his guild. There’s a 6 year old cat who can talk and fly named Happy. He was Natsu only partner until Lucy joined up. The anime is told from Lucy Heartfilia perspective. She is a Celestial Wizard, making contracts with many different spirits; some of them named after the 12 Zodiac, and summons them via different keys. Gray Fullbuster is an Ice Wizard who uses a magic called Ice Make. He can make Ice into any shape he desires. He is always at odds with Natsu, mostly based on how fire and ice don’t interact well together. Then there’s the strongest female wizard in all of Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet aka Fairy Queen, Titania. Her magic is called The Knight. It allows her to re-equip weapons and armor instantly, change her power, defenses and fighting style to suit the battle.

The part of the series covers Natsu meeting Lucy and bringing her to the guild. Natsu and Lucy team up to save one of Natsu childhood friends, Macco, on behalf of his son. Natsu goes on this quest because he knows what it is like to not have a father growing up. Later on, Natsu and Lucy take a job for simply burning a book that has a very high pay off, but the book was an inheritance left to the son of the author. On the way back from that mission Natsu and Lucy meet up with Gray, and battle some rogue wizards who mention a “Lullaby”. Now teaming up with Erza and Gray, the team races to stop the Lullaby. A song that can take the souls away from anyone who hears it, which is targeting mage guild leaders. After this mission there is some filler, then onto the next mission. Happy steals an “S Rank Mission” just so the guild master will recognize Natsu skill, with a very high pay off of $2,000,000.

Conclusion:

Fairy Tail has the perfect balance of plot, humor and drama. There is also enough back stories given on each character to explain where they are coming from. My only real compliant is that Funimation decided to cut off the box set, when they should of backed it up an episode or two. Instead of stopping it and teasing you with the start of a new mission. Even the filler episodes deepen the back story of each character, unlike other series where they can just be written off. So, if you like to laugh a lot and want to be entranced by some interesting characters, pick this up!

The DVD:

Audio/Visual

Visually, the animation is pretty amazing. The language options included English or Japanese with English subtitles.

Special features

There’s episode commentary, text-less songs, and some trailers.

The Series Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

First off this Hellsing is not to be confused with Van Hellsing (also this is a look at the original box set, not the Hellsing Ultimate series.) Secondly this review was requested by @SeresVictoria from Twitter.

The Series:

Hellsing is a television series based on Kouta Hirano’s manga series of the same name. The series is directed by Umanosuke Iida, from a screenplay by Chiaki Konaka, and produced by the Gonzo animation studio. The soundtrack was composed and performed by Yasushi Ishii. Hellsing was broadcast on Japan’s Fuji Television from October 2001 to January 2002, totaling 13 episodes.

This series is about the worst enemies of the night, vampires, and a secret war that brews in the night – a war where humanity is only a pawn. The Hellsing Organization deploys in the shadows to protect the mortal world. But now, artificially spawned vampires have appeared, forcing Hellsing to call in their ultimate weapon – the rogue vampire, Alucard!

The Hellsing Organization’s main objective throughout this series is to defeat vampires that attack the people of England. We are first introduced to Alucard, wearing all red and having a “I do whatever I want” kind of attitude. Quickly we are introduced to his Master, Sir Interga Hellsing, leader of the Hellsing Organization. Her butler, Walter, who still has proved to live up to his nickname “The Angel of Death” with deadly razor sharp wires. Followed by Seras Victoria, or as Alucard likes to call her, “Police Girl.” Seras is a member of the D11 special forces unit until being mortally wounded by Alucard in his destruction of a vampire masquerading as a priest. On the verge of death, she chose to allow Alucard to turn her into a vampire. Serving beneath Alucard, she now works for the Hellsing organization.

The first part of the series revolves around Seras’ struggle with becoming a vampire. Meanwhile, the Hellsing Organization, along with Alucard and Seras, are on the hunt for this secret shadow organization that is creating fake vampires by using these “freak” computer chips. While pursuing his orders, Alucard runs into one of his greatest enemies. A warrior priest or paladin who works for the Vatican Section XIII – Iscariot, by the name of Alexander Anderson. Anderson is Iscariot’s ultimate weapon in the fight against the undead. With regenerative capabilities and a variety of holy weapons (including his signature blessed bayonets), his mission is nothing less than the complete destruction of all the demons of Hell. As this includes many of Hellsing’s subordinates.

Toward the end of the series you find out that the government is trying to take down the Hellsing Organization which makes things difficult for everyone. Alucard also must fight the Valentine brothers Jan and Luke during all of this chaos. The Valentine brothers are “freaks,” humans who were turned into vampires with the aid of the freak chip. With an army of ghouls, they storm Hellsing HQ. Their ghouls are armed with rifles, body armor, and shields. When they storm into the Hellsing base and take out the majority of its troops. Also the “final boss” Incognito, a vampire that is also bound by humans. Though physically androgynous, he is generally thought to be male. Extremely powerful, he combines dark magic with an enchanted grenade launcher that fires spines. Incognito vomits into the launcher’s cartridges before loading; and he also has a Gatling gun as backup. He is employed by the Unknown Organization responsible for creating the freak chip as a means to destroy Alucard, though it may be possible that he has an agenda of his own.

The DVD:

Audio/Visual:

The sound quality was great. The language options on this series include, English or Japanese with English subtitles

Special Features:

There weren’t many features on this box set. There’s a credit-less opening and ending. Some concept art, along with some trailers and the DVD credits.

Conclusion:

Is the series a good one? I think it should have been longer in order to develop the characters more. They also could have put more work into piecing the plot together instead of jumping around. Most likely, the reason why Hellsing Ultimate got made, to address these issues. But I still recommend the series to anyone who likes action with a touch of comedy and vampires. Also it has been said that Funimation should be releasing a Blu-ray sometime in 2012; no official date is set yet.

The Series Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Series:

When the three powerhouse creators of Eden of the East, Gurren Lagann and Neon Genesis Evangelion bumped heads, they spawned the series that broke all the rules – then broke the mold. That’s right, today I review FLCL (also known as Fooly Cooly) a six episode series, developed by Gainax, Production IG, and Starchild Records. With writer Yoji Enokido’s dialog and director Kazuya Tsurumaki’s vision, they express how FLCL is a coming of age story mixed with a little insanity. Released originally in 2005 in Japan and then released in America in 2006, until Funamation decided to re-release it and put it on Blu-ray.

Naota Nandaba is a normal Japanese 6th grade boy (although a little cynical), but when his older brother leaves for America to play baseball, his brother leaves his homeless 17 year old girlfriend, Mamimi behind. Mamimi is sending mixed signals and advances to Naota, and he doesn’t know what to do about her. But to make matters worse, Naota’s world is totally turned upside down when he is run over by a motor scooter driven by this pink-haired girl, Haruko – who claims she’s an alien. Haruko preforms CPR on Naora who is unconscious from the accident. Quickly after he wakes up, Haruko turns around and smashes him in the head with a blue vintage Rickenbacker 4001 left-handed electric bass guitar. But because of this head injury, Naora develops these battling robots that shoot out of his skull. After their first encounter, Haruko hurls Naota into the middle of a mega-corporation’s secret agenda. Now mix in mind-bending animation and tunes that echo through your cerebellum to top off a trip that will have you falling hard for FLCL.

Throughout this series you witness all of Naota‘s experiences in life, even the little things. For example, Naota at the beginning hates drinking bitter drinks but towards the end enjoys them and hates carbonated ones. Even situations that we’ve all had to deal with at one point or another, like getting pick on by your classmates. With every experience he moves more away from Mamimi and more towards Haruko. The biggest change is at the end of Episode 4, which is a baseball themed episode. Naota has problems “swinging the bat” and at the very end he receive his own guitar and swings it at a baseball style bomb coming towards the city and everyone raves, “he finally swung the bat!” I also like the fact that FLCL makes some references to other famous series, like Gundam for example. There’s a light poke at Neon Genesis Evangelion, when Naotas’ father says he wrote a novel about it. Also the first half of episode 5 pays a lot of homage to Lupin the 3rd. But what will happen once the series truly climaxes, you might be asking yourself. Will Naota finally grow up and take responsibility or will he choose this crazy path that Haruko has showed him? Who will Naota choose – Mamimi or Haruko? You’ll have to watch and find out!

The DVD:

Audio/Video

Sound quality was crystal clear and the animation was great. Language options for Japanese or English, along with English subtitles. I think the soundtrack really made this series more enjoyable.

Special Features

The DVD booklets, in the original release, have translation notes for some of the Japanese culture references and background information on the music. Also some notes from the cast and crew. Lastly, in Episodes 1 and 6 there are some parts that refer back to the Manga, the booklets also have those inserts. The entire soundtrack was done by the Japanese band called “The Pillows.”

Conclusion:

This is a classic anime, that’s not too long. So, if you’re into zany, crazy, giant robot fighting or just enjoy a very well told coming of age story, then go out and pick up FLCL! This series is a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it! There is a two volume Manga and a three volume novel of this series as well. I recommend checking both of them out if you loved this series as much as I did.

The Series Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

“I will erase you existence”

Created by Noriaki “Tite” Kubo, Bleach has developed its own franchise. To this date, over 51 volumes of the manga have been published, and the series has developed its own anime show, video games, cards, and of course, movies. The first two installments in the film series were Bleach: Memories of Nobody and Diamond Dust Rebellion. Both films turned out quite well, and the third entry, Bleach: Fade to Black, continues that streak.

Bleach: Fade to Black opens with a mysterious occurence taking place within Soul Society that leaves everyone, with the exception of Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Korosaki, with no memory of Rukia Kukchiki. Ichigo then departs to the Soul Society to find out why no one remembers her. Upon his arrival Ichigo is met with hostility from the other Soul Reapers, who’s memory of him have also vanished. He then attempts to find and restore Rukia’s memories, and stop the villains behind the plot.

While the premise of Bleach: Fade to Black may not sound appealing, Director Noriyuki Abe is once again able to execute the story very well. Unfortunately, the film once again recycles the over-used plot device of the villains attempting to take revenge on Soul Society. That plot device was already used in Memories of Nobody, Diamond Dust Rebellion, and in several anime filler arcs. But it has become irritating at this point in the series, and is down played in Fade to Black. Unlike the previous films, the motivation isn’t just revenge, and the characters are much more developed.

But the biggest strength within the Bleach franchise has always been the characters, and Fade to Black definitely does not disappoint in that area. Abe is really able to show the importance Rukia is to the franchise, and the relationships she has with the other characters. Perhaps the best characters are the villains, who you’re able to feel a sense of sympathy for, and understand their motivations. Something that wasn’t present in the previous films, and allows for the story to be much more than another “Good vs. Evil” story. Even Kon, a character used primarily for comic relief, has his moments in the film. However, some of the characters do get shortchanged in the film, such as Orihime, Chad, or Uryū Ishida. All three of those characters have a deep relationship with Rukia, and yet, they aren’t present in the film at all. Not even a quick cameo.

The visuals used in Fade to Black aren’t anything special, and it’s about the same fans have seen in the previous films and the anime series.

Overall, Bleach: Fade to Black is a wonderful, and emotional sequel.

The Blu-ray:

Audio: As with every release of a foreign film, you are given the choice of either English or Japanese languages. However, in many wasys, the English language track is more impressive than the original Japanese language.

Video: Viz Media has provided a clean, clear transfer of the film to HD.

Unfortunately, there’s almost no special features to speak of other than some Theatrical Trailers for the film, Production Art Gallery, and a preview for Naruto: Bonds.

The Film: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
The Blu-ray: Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Today I look at FINAL FANTASY VII: Advent Children, which is the Sequel to the hit PlayStation video game Final Fantasy VII. Advent Children takes place 2 years after the events in the video game. If you have not played the game, watch videos online, or read a very detailed plot. You are not going to get the concept of this movie. Would you enjoy it, most likely, but you won’t get what is going on.

FINAL FANTASY VII: Advent Children continues the game’s storyline in this CG-animated film, featuring non-stop action and exciting visual effects. Two years have passed since the ruins of Midgar stand as a testament to the sacrifices made in order to bring peace. However, the world will soon face a new menace. A mysterious illness is spreading fast. Old enemies are astir. And Cloud, who walked away from the life of a hero to live in solitude, must step forward yet again.

Cloud is now living with Tifa taking care of an orphan named Denzel and Barret’s daughter, Marlene. People all over the city are infected with a disease called “Geostigma.” On his way to meet with The Turk, Cloud is attacked by three men; Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo. Who are looking for their “mother.” They want to bring about the rebirth of Sephiroth, later is it said that they are ruminates of Sephiroth. To help bring about this plan, the trio starts collecting Materia, which they stole from Cloud. The children from the city that are infected with Geostigma act as hostages to buy the trio some time to search for “mother,” who is actually the remaining fragments of Jenova. A huge dragon named, Bahamut Sin is summoned and the whole FF7 team comes to save the day! Sadly, this is the only time viewers will see the majority of the main characters: Cid, Barrett, Red XIII, Yuffie and Cait Sith (without his huge Moogle) Of course, through their team work they defeat the beast. Quickly after it’s revealed that Rufus Shinra has the remains of Jenova the whole time and they are absorbed by the “leader” of the trio, Kadaj. This allows him to turn into Sephiroth, which in turn leads to the climatic rematch between Cloud and Sephiroth. After the battle, all of the Geostigma is cured, thanks to Cloud’s friends and Aerith. Zack and Aerith at this point in time, inform Cloud that it’s not his time to join them.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video

The audio came in loud and clear, and the video looked wonderful.

Special Features

When the Blu-ray was released they added many different features. One that show the impact of FF7 on the world of gaming as a whole and what lead to the project called “The Compilation of Final Fantasy 7” which is all the different games and other media that explain the whole story of this world. A special feature just about Denzel, that takes place before Advent Children; the first part of a long list of stories all being told from different characters perspectives. There is also one story that takes a look back at the event of FF7 through Cloud’s eyes after the events of Advent Children. The biggest thing added to the Blu-ray had to be the 30 minutes of additional footage that helps the story, but doesn’t mess with the flow at all.

Conclusion

If you’re a fan of the series, I highly recommended this movie. Also, I highly recommend that you look into the anime release called Last Order – Final Fantasy 7 which is about 25 minutes long. Which is about the event of Nibelheim, when Sephiroth burns it down. This series also shows Cloud and Zack’s escape from Shinra near the end of the game: Crisis Core – Final Fantasy 7. Unfortunately, Last Order can only be found online, they haven‘t released it on DVD or Blu-ray. So check them both out!

The Flick: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Film:

Hideki Anno is back again, bringing us a reboot of his ground breaking series Neon Genesis Evangelion, but this time without the Gainax studio. He signed up with a different studio and decided to do “rebuild” Evangelion as he saw fit. The Rebuild consists of 4 different parts: 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and Final (with the third and fourth part to be released at the same time.) 1.0 consists of the first 6 episodes of the TV series. To quote the booklet that came with the DVD, “The animation techniques are designed to realize cutting edge visuals of Eva that no one has seen before.” Evangelion was released on DVD in two different forms, 1.01 and 1.11. Watching 1.01 and then 1.11 the only difference is some shadow retooling, 3 extra minutes of footage in 1.11, and the 2 disks are compressed down to one.

Most of the basic story remains the same. Tokyo-3 still stands after most of civilization was decimated in the Second Impact. Now the city endures the ceaseless onslaught of the deadly Angels, bizarre creatures bent on eradicating the human race. To combat this strange and ruthless enemy, the government agency NERV constructs a fleet of towering humanoid machines – the Evas – and Shinji Ikari is called into action, reluctantly taking his place at the controls of Eva Unit 01. Living a life of loneliness and questioning his existence, Shinji struggles to accept responsibility for mankind’s battle for survival in this visually striking rebuild of one of the most important anime of all time. Shinji will fight the Angels alongside the only person who might understand his plight – Rei Ayanami, the elusive and frail pilot of Eva Unit 00. One things for sure, Shinji and Rei will struggle to learn a simple truth: when carrying the burden of humanity’s survival on your shoulders, you are not alone.

Now, it wouldn’t be Evangelion without the whole thing being slightly complex and Anno delivers on this fact. While 1.0 covers the first 6 episodes of the TV series, enough changes were made to the story to make it not just a retelling of this series but a totally different story within its self. They changed the numbering of the Angels, the first one Shinji battles is no longer referred to as the 3rd but now the 4th. A lot of the social interactions have been taken out, mostly those involving Shinji and his class mates, Togi and Kesikue. They have been reduced two a few short cameos and a voicemail, with the rest of his class pretty much nonexistent. The soundtrack for the most part has been retooled and upgraded, very few new songs were added to the mix. Another is the voice cast, very few from the original series made it back for the Rebuild, the voices work for the most part but it’s just not the same. Also, a very important character to the series makes a much earlier showing. I don’t want to spoil too much for those who could be new to this series or who might be interested in watching the older series.

The noteworthy thing is that someone can watch Evangelion 1.0 without having seen the original TV series, but seeing the TV series does help one appreciate the effort that was done with the rebuild when it comes to the animation and other subtitle nuances. After the credits there’s a preview of Evangelion: 2.0 You Can (not) Advance. As I was watching the preview, I noticed that it looks like the story totally changes when compared to the series. Most notability, a new Character is introduced and new Evas have been added to the mix.

Previews before the menu: D-gray man season 1 part 2 and while on the menu, clips of the movie are playing, along with the song “Angel Attack.”

The DVD:

The audio is Dolby 6.1 and sounds it sounds great. English or Japanese with English subtitles are available. The video looked amazing as well.

Special Features

Rebuild of Evangelion 1.01: Shows how it was done with two different music scores playing but the same animation and an Angel of Doom promotional video-clip showing while the song “Angel of Doom” is playing.

Movie Previews: 3 different Eva 1.0 previews featuring “Fly Me to the Moon” sung by Hikaru Utada. 3 Different Eva 1.0 previews featuring “Beautiful World” sung by Hikaru Utada. One movie preview of Evangelion 2.0 You can (not) Advance with “Fly Me to the Moon” sung by Hikaru Utada. Trailer of other Funamation Anime include: DBZ Kai, Soul Eater, Gunslinger Girl, and others.

The Film: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Film:

“Your dreams are something you have to sacrifice everything for and attain for yourself. No one will do it for you.”

In 1995, Hideaki Anno turned his popular manga title Neon Genesis Evangelion into a 26-episode anime series. The series mixed psychology, Christianity, and science fiction to become one of the most commercially and critically successful series of all time.

In 2002, Anno then began work on the Rebuild of Evangelion series, which is a series of remakes of the original series with the aim of providing new scenes, characters, and settings for the series. The first of these films was titled Evangelion: 1.11 You Are (Not) Alone, and was a commercial and critical success. It stayed rather close to the original series, but Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is where things begin to change drastically.

Probably the biggest changes made in Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is to the storyline and characters. For this film, Anno has brought in an entirely new character to the franchise, Mari. However, she provides very little to the film other than an awesome opening fight, and to provide motivation for Shinji Ikari during the film’s climax. But we can expect her to have a bigger role in the third film. While the personalities of characters like Shinji, Misato, and Ritsuko remain the same, characters like Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langely Shikinami are considerably different from the original series. Asuka keeps her cocky personality around the other characters, and keeps her loneliness to herself. However, the love/hate relationship between her and Shinji remains intact for this series, but her attraction to Ryoji Kaji is abscent completely. Rei Ayanami is another character who’s personality goes through a change in the You Can (Not) Advance. Ayanami begins to become more open to Shinji than shown in the original series, and even tries to fix Shinji’s relationship with his father, Gendo Ikari, during the film.

The main focus of this film seems to be Shinji and his relationship with his father. The two have always had a weak relationship in the original series, as  it is more explored in the Rebuild of Evangelion series than in the original. Like in the original series, the two visit the grave of Shinji’s Mother Yui that starts to bring them closer together. Rei Ayanami also attempts to bring them even closer at one point during the film. Many can understand that healing a bad relationship with a parent is tough, but there’s seems to be hope between Shinji and Gendo. However, all that hope is lost during the battle with Bardiel, which Gendo forces Shinji to watch helplessly during Unit 01′s assault on the Angel. But Shinji begins to grow closer to Rei throughout the film, and wills Unit 01′s back to life that sees the Eva evolve into a God-like figure, as Ritsuko Akagi put it, just to save Ayanami from the Angel.

While the film does have a deep story, Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance also has some great action and visuals. The film introduces Unit 02, piloted by Asuka Langely Shikinami, as the first battle-type Eva, and allows for some great Angel fights. There’s also much emotion within these fights, such as the battle with Bardiel. The battle with the Angel Zeruel really gives off a sense of hopelessness as nothing seems to be able to stop the Angel. Unit 02 even shows off a new form not seen in the original series has no affect on the monster. Combined with a great score, it makes for some fun Giant Robot vs. Giant Monster battles. The filmmakers also do a wonderful job on the CG animation. Such work on the Angel Sahaquiel really stand-out as an upgrade in  CG animation. Even the English voice cast has done a wonderful job on the voice work, but many are probably going to view the film in Japanese with subtitles.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: The release features a wonderful 1080p HD transfer, and looks just amazing with the film’s visuals. A wonderful job has also been done on the release’s audio with a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack for both English and Japanese languages.

U.S. Cast Commentary: This is just feature-length commentary in which each voice actor comes in to talk about their thoughts on their character and the film in general.

Rebuild of Evangelion 2.22: This is a neat feature that shows the making of a few scenes from the story board to test footage, and the finished shot.

There’s not much else in the way of special features other than a few Deleted Scenes, Trailers for the film and other anime titles. The release does come with a 20-page booklet on the film.

Conclusion: Evangelion: 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance is a great addition to the franchise, and will surely please many die-hard fans. However, there’s still much to be expected in the way of special features.

The Film: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Film:

It’s hard to have a conversation about traditional animated films without bringing up Hayao Miyazaki. Even now, when computers have made the process of making animated features significantly easier, Mayazaki and his Studio Ghibli decided to shy away from the new trend of CG and maintain the beauty of hand-drawn animation. With modern classics, such as Howl’s Moving Castle and most recently Ponyo, Studio Ghibli’s artistic direction proves time and time again that the magic of hand-drawn animation is something computers simply can’t capture.

On first impression, it seems to be a fairly simplistic story of trying to find a hidden utopia nestled in the sky. Upon a deeper look, many underlying messages also reveal themselves, as is true with all of Mayazaki’s films. Given this is one of Mayazaki’s earlier stories, many nuances of the high-caliber of storytelling are, however, missing. The story tends to carry only a few sub-textual messages, while the majority of the lessons to take away from this are practically spelled out.

The story is again, one of which that explores the innocence of children in an adult-controlled world. This one does differ from some of Miyazaki’s other works with fairly heavy political messages. We meet Sheeta, a girl in possession of a magical crystal, as she is being chased by the Dola gang, a gang of sky pirates. Accompanied by her new protector, Pazu, we follow the pair as they escape to the mythic Laputa, the fabled Castle in the Sky. It’s a long journey, one with many twists and enough visually-stunning imagery to fill a barn.

While the movie can drag at some points, I didn’t feel cheated when it was over. The action-adventure style of this movie gives way only to the classic, Golden-Age romance, blending into a whimsical adventure of both the mind and heart. Plus a little, albeit more practical, steam punk thrown in for good measure.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: This is one of a series of new remastered Ghibli films, and as such, has received improvements, both in the audio and visual aspects. The audio is noticeably improved over the 2003 release. My biggest issue, not really a complaint or complement, is the fact that the video wasn’t drastically improved. One of my issues with the previous release, as with this one, is watching it on a modern player. The 2003 version wasn’t as pretty as it could have been on up-scaling players, which the new version has corrected, for the most part. However, neither versions were cleaned up that well, as in the dust captured underneath the camera in the process can almost be distracting. But, much like film grain and the issues with aged film, it gives a feel of age more than complaint. Basically, if I had to complain about one thing with this entire re-release, the capture would be it. The first disc only includes the film, a few trailers (one of which is an odd Tinkerbell/anti-piracy message), and an introduction to the feature by John Lasseter.

The second disc has two options, Original Japanese Storyboards, which is the entire movie as laid out on storyboards, and The World of Ghibli, where the bonus content is neatly tucked away inside. Enter the Studio is a mix of old and new bonus content, detailing Laputa, story development, character design, scoring the film, voice acting, and even a few original Japanese trailers. It also has some little pieces about a few other Ghibli films. Enter the Lands has a few Easter eggs about a few of Miyazaki’s other films. Nothing huge, comparable to extra-long trailers in my opinion, but still a good little time-eater.

Final Thoughts: While not my favorite Miyazaki film, though it’s hard to say just one, the journey that Castle in the Sky takes the viewer on should be experienced by anyone.

The Film: Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

The Film:

In its scant 88 minutes, My Neighbor Totoro passes by like a light wind on a beautiful Spring day. It’s a rare film in many ways, combining wonderful cell animation, music, and style, along with the whimsicality themes of childhood, Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 film defies many traditional storytelling conventions and opens us up to senses and a world unlike the one’s we’re accustomed too. Simply put, My Neighbor Totoro is an animation masterpiece.

What makes the film so good is what many might initially not like, assuming they’re used to most animation films, and that is the simplicity of My Neighbor Totoro. Simple is not bad, in fact, to properly convey the word is a tough act. The film follows two young girls who move with their dad into a new district, that is closer to their ill mother. Getting accustomed to their new home has challenges, with being the new kids in school and discovering that in the nearby forest, lies totoros. Miyazaki, more than anyone else, knows what it’s like to be a child. If he didn’t, then his keen eye would not have made this film, as well as his recent Ponyo. The film grasps at the innocent of children, and through no major villains or threats, weaves them through something possible just as eerie: growing up.

The fun and dreamlike scenes involving the Totoro, a giant rabbit-thing and even when the Cat Bus appears, feels like things children create to escape. The underlining tension of the ill mother pops up from time to time, sometimes they’re accepting of it, like it’s just apart of their lives, and other times, they worry about the inevitability of the illness, as in death. The film hinges on these ideas, yet it’s never the film’s focus. But the meetings and appearances of the Totoro are possibly the workings of the two young girls. When they go wait for their dad to come home by the bus stop, he initially doesn’t show up. They grow considered. The camera pans to the right, showing the giant Totoro standing by them in the rain, waiting along with them. It’s magic like this subtle little things, that makes a film with little plot, such a memorable classic.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: With slight improvement from the 2006 DVD edition, Disney showcases the film as best as the DVD medium allows. Sharp black lines, colorful images, and lush forest scenery offer up a great looking transfer. I doubt fans will displeased, sans the lack of a Blu-ray. Collecting a few audio tracks, each one is nicely done, even if it’s just DD Stereo. Dubs are always the step-child of anime, yet this track featuring voices of Tim Daly and Dakota Fanning is solid. The preferred track is the Japanese. Either way, Disney offers up a nice looking version of the film, and with decent audio.

Disney is re-releasing a few of the Studio Ghibli films they own, as Special Editions, to coincide with Ponyo‘s Blu-ray and DVD release (review here).

Look for a Storyboard Presentation of the Film on Disc One.

The wealth of the extras are on Disc Two in The World of Ghibli. Here, we get two options: Behind the Studio and Enter the Lands. Behind the Studio offers up a handful of selectable featurettes covering all aspects of the film’s production with interviews and a set visit. Miyazaki is present offering his insightful analysis, as well as the producers, and more. Most of this is new, but look for some of the older extras from the 2006 release to reappear. Look for over 8 featurettes, all great for Ghibli fans, as well as some short featurettes on other Ghibli films.

Enter the Lands is basically an interactive map of the films of Ghibli. While not as deep or informative as Behind the Studio, there’s a lot of items to go exploring for that give you art work, trailers, and character information.

A collectible litho is including in the case as well.

Conclusion: My Neighbor Totoro is a superb family film, timeless for all ages. Roger Ebert said it best: “Whenever I watch it, I smile, and smile, and smile.” I did too, and Studio Ghibli fans will like this new Special Edition from Disney.

The Film: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The DVD: Rating: 4 out of 5 stars