Hello everyone, Its finally the weekend lol (boy am i glad) and id like to apologize for not posting yesterday. When i got home from work yesterday, I had plans to start watching some demo anime dvds that i recieved with each copy of my "Newtype USA" anime magazines, but i ended up playing some Xbox instead lol. I played for a couple hours before i finally decided to watch some of the demo dvds ^^ Those of you who are unfamiliar with "Newtype USA", i personally believe it to be the best anime multimedia related magazine that i have ever seen, and ive seen alot lol. Its pretty big, with alot of information in all regards - anime, manga, J-rock, cosplay, and each issue comes with a demo dvd and a poster and sometimes postcards, collectible cards etc . If you have any other questions about the actual magazine itself, feel free to ask me, i have about 40 of them and im glad to help any way i can ^^
A couple days ago i was chatting with Xaos about the Newtype magazine while i was sending him random pics of my anime collection in categories, and while we were chatting about it all, I got the crazy idea of taking the time to watch each of the demo dvds i have recieved with the Newtype Magazines i have bought and then writing my opinion of those episodes right here on my world ^^ . Keep in mind that i have about 40 of these magazines, which means i have about 40 of these dvds lol. Each dvd has 2 to 3 episodes of different anime, and about 20 trailers to new/old anime and movies and videogames that are recently being released. Its a dubious task for sure, but thats me - always trying to do something on a grand scale to try and be different lol.
To be honest, i really felt obligated to do this, and i really felt bad that i had all of these dvds and i had probably only taken the time to watch about 10 of them, and to me thats being wasteful in a way. Besides, if one of these little reviews that i make for one of these episodes is able to inspire someone to check an anime out and find something that they really like - then these little dvds would have overexceeded their worth by 10 times more than they would just sitting on my shelves collecting dust. thats what im all about :
Making something out of nothing.
these reviews wont go incredibly into detail, ill try to give a helpful description of the story and other points. Ill label the reviews by the date that is on the disc from the issue that they were recieved in, but the dvds wont be in chronological order, they will be listed in the order that ive watched them. If you have any definite questions about any episode of any anime that i review from these demo dvds - feel free to ask and ill get right back to you with more details ^^
so here we go....
NEWTYPE USA-DEMO DVD - AUGUST 2007 ISSUE
Innocent Venus - episode 1
Innocent Venus was great. The animation, characters, and action were great as well. In my opinion it was kind of a mixture of Akira, Escape from New York, and Metal Gear solid- since it took place in the future, and the story is centered around a little girl that a corporation is trying to apprehend. There are mecha and alot of violence so i wouldnt reccomend this anime to younger kids lol and im surprised to say that this is the first episode that i had ever heard the F-bomb being used in it on a regular basis, even though it was bleeped out lol. Id reccomend this to any anime fan right off the bat, even though ive only seen one episode- i can tell it has something special in it for episodes to come ^^
AIR TV - episode 1
To be honest, this episode really didnt reveal alot about story plot, etc., but it did reveal quite a few characters, so i really cant tell you much about the story besides that the main character is a wandering puppeteer who goes from town to town and does a puppet play with a magical little puppet (which looks cool by the way lol). While he is stopped at a town, he meets a few people including a young girl who cons him into staying at her house for the night, alleging that her mother will allow it. When her mother gets home from work it causes a short fiasco which culminates with her allowing him to stay after he agrees to drink with her lol. This episode had an equal blend of beauty, comedy, sadness, hope stuff like that. Alot of emotions, and since ive only seen this episode, its hard to tell which direction this series will go after this episode. It seemed genuine and heartfelt though and was enjoyable thats for sure!
MUSHI-SHI - episode 1
When i started watching this episode, i felt like i was watching a movie. Everything had high production value, story, animation, music, voice acting, the works. So i was kinda sad after the episode was over lol. this episode is about a young boy who has a gift in which - whatever he draws, or writes, it will come to life right out of the page. Only if he draws it from his left hand though. This episode starts off with a man who comes to meet the young boy and explains to the boy the cause of his gift and that the "mushi" are the source of it, and that a close relative of his is at the root of it in a way. i dont want to give up too much of the story because if i would have known everything beforehand, It probably would have lost its epic and mystic appeal to me, Hoever - this series reminded me alot of Princess mononoke in the regard of mystical spirits and the source of life and its will in the world. Id really like to find this series and see how the story folds out. Its really good from what ive seen^^
NEWTYPE USA DEMO DVD - MARCH 2007 ISSUE
Le Chevalier D'Eon - episode 1
This episode was quite mysterious and im sad to say that the episode really started to pick up right as it ended lol. This anime takes plae in the 1500's-1700's France and the main charcter is a high ranking knight and part of a secret organization under the king. Kinda like someone would be a part of the FBI nowdays i suppose. the look and feel of this anime really reminded me alof of a live action movie called "Brotherhood of the Wolf". They have a similar style in which they are presented, and from appearance, i can tell that they both take place around a similar place and point in time. The animation is put together well, and i love the music, probably because im a fan of classical music and the sorts. As i watched this episode i also found myself thinking of Witch Hunter Robin - im not sure why, since it has been years since ive watched that show, but im guessing its because Le chevalier DEon has alot to do with the religeous occult underworld and the cover up of Kings and stuff like that. All in all, it was different and enjoyable and once again i found myself wondering what the rest of this series would hold lol.
PEACH GIRL - episode 1
Oh god, Peach Girl lol. To start things off on a good note, this episode had great animation and it was full of beautful schoolgirls lol. To be honest, from what i gathered from this episode was that it was the typical Schoolgirl/drama/comedy anime. I could be wrong though since ive just seen this episode. The main character is a member of the school swim team and as a result - she is tanned and her hair color is altered due to chlorine, so guys at her school really dont pay attention to her since she isnt pale with dark hair like most of the other girls are. she has a few friends along with a friend thats a guy who sticks up for her when others tend to put her down behind her back, and this anime just overall seemed like it deals with the usual stuff that most girls go through during school and life in general, whether it is boys, shopping, drama, rumors etc. to tell the truth, im not a big fan of girly type anime shows, but if you are - this one was pretty good. It had some good comedy spots and was enjoyable even for me lol.
VENUS VERSUS VIRUS - episode 1
When i first started watching VVV, i really enjoyed the opening theme and opening animation, I may have to download that song if i can find it later lol. To get to the point, this episode reminded me alot of Yu yu Hakusho, since the 2 main characters (females) run a company that eradicates viruses/ghosts that are tormenting people. From what i can tell, this series mostly follows the younger girl and exploits how she manages being a normal girl in school and hanging out with her friends, while also being a part of the organization she is in while managing to make equal time for both. The characters that ive seen were pretty cool, and the animation, music, etc werent extraordinary, but they wernt lacking either. It seemed from what i saw in this episode that it could be a solid series with some cool angles as well as side stories. I wont say this is the best show ever, but it seems like a solid choice for longtime fans of anime, as well as people who are just starting to get into it ^^
ROZEN MAIDEN TRAUMEND - episode 3
Its hard to describe and to catch on to this episode since this demo dvd started me off with episode 3, right in the fray of things lol. I am surprised to say that i really enjoyed the comedy in this episode, It started of with a young boy at home about to go to school(or somewhere) and he has 4 young girls in his room wearing flowery decorated dresses and speaking properly. A couple of them have different color eyes too -one green and one red i believe. Another girl was outside the house, trying to find a way into the house, and her attempts made for some good laughs, so im led to believe that this series is mostly comedy and magic related. All in all i found myself having a good time with a cheery, happy anime with comedy. It was mostly girly-ish, but it started growing on me a little bit lol. I may end up looking for this series in due time to see how it turns out as well ^^
HELL GIRL - episode 2
I enjoyed Hell girl. To be honest, it was pretty creepy and intense, but id say that the story was put together really well, even though it is pretty much promoting the morbidness of life and hell in general, but in a sense it left me feeling that it also promoted hope too. I hadnt seen an anime like this before, so it was quite different and i dont want to spoil anything for anyone. Id say that it ulimately leaves you asking yourself - Would you rather be tormented during life, or after life? Hell girl and her companions find people being tormented for whatever reasons and eliminate their tormentors sending them to hell, but in return - once your life is over, you have to go to hell too. Its a hefty price and everyone has their own thoughts and opinions on the situation. I liked this episode though and id reccomend it to all anime fans, but id also warn them that it may be morally disturbing to some, especially if you are very religeous.
FLAG - episode 3
Id consider Flag to be more of a documentary of sorts, Im not sure if it is based on true events or if the story is ficticious. but it was good to watch something different and new thats for sure. This anime is about a photographer and a group of soldiers who are sent on a secret mission to help calm the troubles between some guerilla's and an army of a country. What's cool about this anime is that you watch it as if you are wathing through the eyes of the photographer/camera, always through the lens -since she records everything and takes pictures of everything, so you dont really see her face. its truly different and i welcomed that. If you are a fan of political type animes , about war and politics, youd most likely enjoy this one. after all, a picture is worth a million words ^^
Well it looks like i finally managed to finish the little reviews, hopefully they will be able to help some people out and introduce other fans to some new stuff out there, plus it'll give me reasons to actully take time to watch the dvds lol. I think im about to try and make some new wallpapers, so i hope to chat with you all later ^_^ thanks for visiting and i hope you all enjoy the post as much as i enjoyed making it ^^
stay strong,
Jason
