Dragon Ball Super (Japan 2017)

With, "Super," the Dragon Ball universe is back and better than ever. The same characters you've known throughout the years with new ones that are actually interesting and a plot that centers around action. What's not to love? Well, we'll get into that.

When we first see Goku again, he's living the farm life with his wife Chichi and son Goten. A pretty ordinary existence for one of the strongest warriors in the universe, but you know that things won't stay that way for long. Beerus, the God of Destruction, foresees the coming of a Super Saiyan God, and with his right-hand man Whis, begins the search for this being. Beerus makes the rounds, interrupting Bluma's birthday party and picking fights with Buu and others, all the while threatening to destroy the universe unless he gets some answers. Vegeta seems to grasp the power of Beerus and refuses to step up to him, regardless of the chaos being brought down around them. Natrually, Goku, sensing the power from Beerus, arrives and challenges him to a fight. Beerus sees the potential in Goku and realizes that there's more to this Saiyan than meets the eye. Vegeta, not wanting to be outdone, convinces Whis to let him train with him in order to become stronger. Goku eventually follows suit and the two of them are training harder than ever to become the best. 

Meanwhile, in the future, Trunks is grappling with a threat that has managed to destroy almost everything in his world. The mysterious Goku Black is hell bent on destruction and doesn't care who stands in his way. His only goal is to annihilate everything he sees. Trunks must rely on his companions both in his time and in the past to stop Black and there are more than a few twists involved with how his creation came to be. 

Beerus' twin brother Champa arrives to issue a challenge regarding the twelve universes. Champa wants all of the best foods that Earth has to offer and in order to get it, the warriors he selects from his universe will have to win over Beerus'. You see, each universe has a God of Destruction at the helm. After a series of battles takes place for the sake of food, the event itself grabs the attention of the Master of all Universes, Zeno-sama. His interest is piqued with the battles that took place and now he wants to hold a tournament of his own. This tournament would pit 10 of the best fighters from each of the universes against each other and only the winning universe would remain in existence. The stakes couldn't be higher. Goku enlists ten of the best warriors, including Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, to name a few, to comprise the team for universe seven and an epic battle for survival begins. Some of the fiercest competitors will challenge Goku like never before and Jiren is a name that will live on in DB lore forever.

You know I like to keep things spoiler free, hence the gaps in explaining the story. I personally think the Future Trunks saga is a high point in Super, so I don't want to give away the details, including how Goku Black comes to be. It's a really dark side to DB that really grabs you because there are real consequences taking place. I also think finding out who Goku chooses for the Tournament of Power is a fun thing to find out as a viewer as well because there's not shortage of characters to pull from. Some choices will certainly elicit a, "Whoa!" or a, "No way!" from you. The idea of a major tournament lends itself to Dragon Balls biggest selling point, which is the flashes action sequences. There's an abundance of that here and it's interesting to see all of the different character designs for all the fighters coming from different universes. I have to point out that I love Zeno. Period. He's both adorable and terrifying at the same time. The big elephant in the room with Super is that it's 131 episodes and even for the biggest Dragon Ball fan, I think that's more than a bit much. It almost goes without saying that there is a lot of filler here. I definitely think Super could have been tightened up well under 100 episodes. A particular low point for me was the return of Gohan and his Saiyaman character. A film crew begins making a movie about Saiyaman and Gohan gets involved with the stunts and in the process proves to Vidal and his daughter pan that he's a brave man, as well as a loving father and husband. It was a weird, misplaced story arc in the middle of Super and really didn't serve much purpose in my opinion. It's well documented at this point that the animation in Super, early on, is quite suspect and looks well below the standards you'd associate with Dragon Ball. This is true, but only for the first 15 episodes of so and then there's a noticeable change. There felt like two more major changes in animation style and quality as the series progress and trust me, by the end, you'll be blow away by it. Some of those final episodes felt like movie quality animation. 

I tried not to keep this review too long, but it's hard not to when the series is so long. I think Dragon Ball fans will love Super and I also think it's really accessible for those that use Super as an entry into the DB world. It has everything you love about DB but expands on it. It can be a slog at times but I'm glad I stuck with it. (Lee)

Grade: B+

Kimi no Na wa (Japan 2016)

A near perfect example of how to make an animated film that is so much more than just a, "cartoon", Kimi no Na wa (Your Name) is everything you come to expect from director Makoto Shinkai and is certainly his greatest cinematic achievement thus far.

Taki (Ryunoske Kamiki) lives in the big city of Tokyo and Mitsuha (Mone Kamishirashi) in the small fictional rural town of Itomori. Two teenagers who seemingly have no connection with one another live entirely different lives, yet suddenly find themselves in an unbelievable situation when they wake up to find they've switched bodies. Yes, the ol' body-switch movie but oh, this is so much more than that. Taki, like most boys (let's be honest), innocently explores his new found feminine physique and tries to adjust to life in Itomori now that he has a younger sister Yotsuha (Kanon Tani),  and Grandma Hitoha (Etsuko Ichiara) to live with in a town he doesn't know. Meanwhile, Mitsuha isn't necessarily thrilled to be in Taki's skin, but she's excited to be experiencing life in Tokyo, something she's been pining for. It doesn't take long for both Taki and Mitsuha's circle of friends begin to notice the changes in behavior. Seeing as how neither of them can explain the reasoning behind the randomness of when they switch, Taki and Mitsuha begin leaving each other messages and tips on how to navigate each other's lives until a solution for their problem can be found. Taki learns, from Grandma Hitoha, some very important aspects of ancient religious customs that involve the threads of time and how things are connected in this world. Mitsuha and her sister perform a ceremony for the God's involving kuchikamizake, an alcohol fermented with the saliva of the person performing the ceremony. Why am I telling you this? Well, because it plays an important part in how the story unfolds, but I refuse to spoil things for you. When the two stop switching bodies suddenly, Taki and his friends decide to take a trip to find Mitsuha and her hometown. However, something isn't quite right in his attempt to find her and Itomori isn't exactly what he remembered it to be. Where did Mitsuha go? And what happened to Itomori?

I'm not one to buy into the hype of anything and Kimi no Na wa certainly had plenty of that. I recall reading a lot about the stellar reception it was receiving by both audiences and critics alike and the fact that it ranks as the highest grossing film in Japan speaks volumes. My feeling after viewing Kimi no Na wa was that I truly understood why it is as praised as it is. Is it the best anime film ever made? That's purely subjective. However, it is one of the best anime films that I've personally ever seen. Makoto Shinkai continues to prove that he's the guy to watch in this industry. His storytelling and direction seem unmatched in this field and this film, as well as his prior works, drive that point home. He has a way, including with this film, to tap into the Japanese' strong love of nostalgia and their longing for the simpler life of high school days is a big component of that. CoMix studios, the animation studio that Shinkai-san works with, create some of the most stunning visuals in anime. It's no wonder he chooses to work with them because the level of detail and realism they create is the best I've seen. There are so many elements involved with this production that are firing on all cylinders and that's part of why Kimi no Na wa is so great. While initially, I didn't think the premise of body-swapping was all that original, it turns out to be so much more than that in the 2nd half. It's a film with a lot of heart, memorable characters, insanely good visuals, an amazing soundtrack composed by the popular group RadWimps and it is the sum of all these parts that create something truly special.

It's not everyday that you get an animated film of this caliber. One that both manages to take it's home country by storm, but also manages to charm audiences across the globe. Kimi no Na wa has left it's mark as something definitely worth-seeing and certainly worth remembering. (Lee)

Grade: A

Usagi Drop (Anime 2011)

Like most anime, at least that I'm aware of, Usagi Drop (うさぎドロップ) is an adaptation of the manga of the same name, which got it's start in print back in 2005. I've never read the manga, but this is an incredibly cute and charming anime series that showcases the importance of love and bonding in the family unit.

Daikichi Kawachi (Hiroshi Tsuchida), is a single, thirty-something, blue-collar worker who lives a relatively mundane life. On one of these relatively mundane days, he receives a phone call informing him that his grandfather has passed away. It's been awhile since Daikichi made his way back home, but few things can bring family back together like the passing of a loved one. At his family's home, he makes small talk with the members of his family but takes notice of a peculiar little girl that he hasn't seen before. She follows him around the house, staying hidden; clearly shy towards people. Eventually Daikichi strikes up a conversation with her and she tells him her name is Rin (Ayu Matsura), and that her father is Daikichi's grandfather. Say what!? It turns out that Daikichi's grandfather had an illegitimate child with his housekeeper, a young lady by the name of Masako (Maya Sakamoto). As you can imagine, this news has the Kawachi family in a bit of a tailspin and no one seems to know what to do with Rin. There's talk of sending her to a foster home but Daikichi, clearly being of a higher moral standing, feels that Rin is a part of the family and can't be discarded so easily. After a bit of thought, Daikichi informs the family that he'll be taking Rin home with him and will take care of her until he can figure out matters with Rin's mother. The family is in a bit of shock but Daikichi is determined to look after Rin and Rin is happy to go with someone that seems to genuinely care for her well-being. Daikichi's life as a lonely, single man has suddenly changed drastically, as has life for young Rin. Can Daikichi handle his life being completely turned upside down by the daily stresses of being a single father?

Throughout the series, Daikichi and Rin find themselves facing a number of challenges. First of all, they have to get used to just being around each other. Daikichi has to figure out how to enroll Rin in school, arranging his work schedule with her school schedule, buying her clothes and other supplies, dealing with Rin's birth mother, Rin getting sick, Rin making friends with a rowdy little boy named Koki, helping her cope with the concept of death (she tries to understand what happened to her father), and all the other challenges one would face when suddenly having a child thrust upon them without any prior preparation. I can't even imagine! I always enjoy these slice-of-life anime and Usagi Drop does a great job showing the difficult transitions that Daikichi and Rin face with what is essentially their new day-to-day lives. Daikichi is a guy who had a very ordinary life before his grandfather's death but he makes incredible sacrifices in order to accommodate this young girl that he really doesn't know. He's not always convinced he's done the right thing and even questions his ability to watch over Rin. However, he does know that she's family and deserves to be treated as such. Therein lies the really special, heartfelt message of Usagi Drop. Add to that the fact that it's all presented with a wonderfully eye-pleasing art style that is simple and clean, yet still shows attention to detail. Each episode begins with the art done in a painted, watercolor style then transitioning into a traditional, penciled art-style and this series just furthers showing it's character. You can imagine that from the show's content that there is a lot of heart in the storyline and Usagi Drop has no shortage of touching moments. I feel that Rin is an adorable character that you just find yourself rooting for and together with Daikichi, their relationship is really cute to watch. 

If you're a fan of "realistic" anime that focuses more on the human element and our relationships with one another, than Usagi Drop is a sweet series that you're sure to find heartwarming. It feels like an incredibly short 11 episodes and whenever a series feels like it's over too soon, that's always a good indicator of how enjoyable it is. (Lee)

Grade: A 

K-On! (Japan 2011)

The much-beloved manga-turned-anime, K-On! (けいおん!), finally gets the big-screen adaptation fans have been clamoring for. We all know that series' do not always translate well when turned into a feature-length film, however, as a rabid K-On! fan myself, I'm pleased to say this animated movie does not disappoint.

For those that don't know, K-On! is about a group of high school girls that join the music club at school and form a band. They call themselves Houkago Tea Time, or HTT for short. The series focuses mainly on their friendships and the moments they share in school and in the music club. The movie finds the girls, Yui (Aki Toyosaki), Mio (Yoko Hikasa), Ritsu (Satomi Sato), Tsumugi (Minako Kotobuki), on the cusp of graduating high school, and while they have big plans to attend university together, they worry about leaving their underclass bandmate, Azusa aka Azu-nyan (Ayana Taketatsu), behind. They're also planning a big graduation trip, because that's just what you do apparently, and after some assistance from the club pet turtle Ton, they pack up and head to London! Yui, Mio, Ritsu and Mugi decide that there's no better way to say thank you and to show their appreciation for Azusa than by writing a song just for her. They plan to write the song while on their trip, looking for a little London inspiration. Azusa begins to grow suspicious as the others do their best to keep their song-writing plans a secret. As you can imagine, while in England, the girls find themselves in a few wacky, unexpected situations while taking in the sights, but that's all a part of the adventure. When an opportunity to perform for the people of London on the gang's last day of vacation presents itself, time suddenly becomes a major issue when you have a plane to catch! Can the girl's put on a memorable show and still make it to the airport in time to catch their flight? And will Azusa catch on to what the others are up to and ruin the surprise?

Having K-On! made into a full-blown movie, not straight-to-dvd, was an exciting announcement. I'm a big fan of the series and I'll admit that it's even become a mini-obsession of mine. I just find the characters to be incredibly endearing and I think the art style is great. I also really like the attention to detail given to the instruments the girls play, which adds a nice level of realism to the music of the show. As a side note, for those who don't know by now, Ritsu, the drummer, is my favorite. I previously mentioned that a TV series, regardless of being animated or not, rarely translates into a successful big-screen movie, but K-On! fans, fear not, this is a movie that will not disappoint. It picks up right where the second series left off, the art is more detailed and the animation has clearly been given an extra layer of polish. It appears that all involved with the film took the extra time (thanks to a nice budget I'm sure) to add a bit more TLC to everything. All of the characters, memorable characters that is, from the series are in the film, even if only for a few minutes (Yui's sister Ui, Jun, Nadako and, Sawako-sensei for example). Most importantly, the movie version of K-On! actually feels like they're doing something big with these characters. It's not just an hour and forty-five minutes of them sitting in their clubroom, talking and having sweets. Sure, there's some of that, because that's what these girls do, but they pack their bags and head out on a big adventure. It's really a lot of fun to see them in a foreign environment (literally and figuratively speaking), because it's something you haven't seen in the series. Also, there are some original songs written for the movie and if you enjoy the music the K-On! girls put out, then these songs will be right up your alley. You'll be sure to hear some of their "classics" in the film as well. Is a near two-hour animated film too long? Perhaps for some, most likely those who didn't read the manga or watch the anime, but for a fan, it's a great running-time and you almost don't want it to end. The only downside for the movie that I could think of is that it's not really accessible for those unfamiliar with the series. Sure you can still watch it, but will you care as much about the characters? The series spent 41 episodes and countless smaller specials, developing the relationship between these characters and getting you, the viewer, invested in it.

All-in-all, I found K-On! the movie to be a great success and I'm the not the only one. It had a huge opening here in Japan, beating out Steven Spielberg's Tin-Tin at the box office when it was released and where I'm from, that's saying something. The people have spoken. Who knows what the future holds for this series, but I can only hope that there's more K-On! somewhere down the line. It would be a shame to say goodbye to these characters, but if I'm forced to, the movie was a satisfying way to do it. (Lee)

Grade: A

From Up on Poppy Hill (Japan 2011)

Serving as Goro Miyazaki's second film as director, and my first review in almost a year, From Up on Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から) is just about what you'd expect at this point from Studio Ghibli. Yeah, that's a good thing.

Umi Matsuzaki (Masami Nagasawa) is a 16 year old girl that probably works harder than most teenagers you and I know. Not only is she a student, but she helps to run a lodging house, taking on cooking and cleaning duties. Why? Because her mother, Ryoko (Jun Fubuki), is a researcher, currently in the United States. She stays at the house with a mix of different characters including her younger siblings Sora (Haruka Shiraishi), and Riku (Tsubasa Kobayashi), doctor-in-training Miki Hokuto (Yuriko Ishida), and her grandmother Hana (Keiko Takeshita), among others. At school, she and friends notice that a group of boys are protesting the demolition of their clubhouse. The school wants to tear it down because it's become incredibly rundown, a safety hazard and basically an eyesore. Taking the lead in protest is Shun (Junichi Kozada), the president of the school newspaper. He's a rather confident, well-spoken young man that Umi soon finds herself admiring. Typically too busy for anything but school and the lodging house, Umi now finds herself getting involved with different projects at the clubhouse just to help Shun and his friends. She wants to impress Shun and even gathers a ton of students to help clean the place up. The two begin developing a friendship and their feelings for one another grow stronger with each encounter. When Shun visits Umi's house for a dinner party, she tells him about her father and how his ship went down in the Korean war. She stills raises the flag for him every morning outside of the lodging house, even though he passed when she was just a child. When Umi shows Shun a picture of her father and his friends, Shun seems taken aback by the image. When he returns home from the dinner party, he looks at his photo album and realizes he has the exact same photograph in his collection. But why? Feeling uneasy and unsure about this revelation, he begins to give the cold shoulder to Umi, regardless of her manning the helm and continuing to help in restoring the clubhouse so that it can avoid being torn down. Why would Shun have the same photograph as Umi? And will the students be able to save the clubhouse from being demolished?

Goodness me, the trials and tribulations of Japanese youth in the 60's. From Up on Poppy Hill, unlike most other Studio Ghibli films, is a film that puts the focus strictly on the characters and their relationships without any fantasy element, thus giving it a great sense of realism. I'll tell you flat-out that I'm a sucker for all things Studio Ghibli. They can almost do no wrong in my eyes. I also didn't hate on Goro Miyazaki's directorial debut, Tales from Earthsea. That doesn't mean I'm biased though. I got this way because Studio Ghibli continues to put out excellent pieces of art with these films. From Up on Poppy Hill is no different in that it continues that fine tradition. I'm pleased that the running time for this movie is only around 90 minutes, because most of my criticisms in the past towards Ghibli films is that they tend to run a bit long. Umi's character is instantly likable, as is Shun, and the twists this movie throws at your are quite intriguing without being too long-winded or far-fetched. I was genuinely interested in what the connection between Umi and Shun was and it was fun to watch the students band together in order to save their clubhouse. The animation was pretty top-notch in my opinion, which is also the Ghibli standard, and the musical choices fit perfectly.

If you love Studio Ghibli films as much as I do, then you're going to enjoy From Up on Poppy Hill. For those who aren't sold on Ghibli works, then this probably isn't going to win anyone over. Harsher critics may feel this is run-of-the-mill stuff, but for those with a soft-spot for Miyazaki, it's guaranteed entertainment. (Lee)

Grade: B

Highschool of the Dead (Anime 2010)

Zombies, guns, blood, gore, T&A, oh my! How can you go wrong with that winning combination? Well, let me tell you...you can go wrong, and H.O.T.D. (学園黙示録) is proof of that. Don't get me wrong, the series oozes with promise and possibility, and there are some great moments, but that just makes it's glaring flaws all the more frustrating.

Takashi Komuro is just a loner high-school student that is lost in thought, pondering life, love, and how unfair both can be. His "me" time is interrupted by his old childhood friend, the pink-haired Saya Takagi, who seems to be constantly on Komuro's case about being stupid, a day-dreamer and so on. Both students are interrupted by a rattling coming from the front gate of the school. When some faculty members make their way over to the gate, they realize something is very wrong with the stranger trying to make his way in. The man at the gate bites one of the teachers and for all intents and purposes, kills him. After a few seconds though, the recently deceased begins to move again and gets up with a moan in his voice and a lifeless look on his face. What we have here is certainly no longer human. That's right folks, the zombie invasion has begun. Komuro and Takagi take no time in realizing that all is not right at the front gate and rightfully decide to kick things into high gear. Komuro's first stop is in getting his classmate and friend, Rei Miyamoto, and her boyfriend (who happens to be Komuro's best friend) Hisashi. Meanwhile, Takagi runs into the fat, nerdy, and somewhat awkward Kohta Hirano, and explains that there may be a situation at the school and that they need to prepare themselves. Luckily, everyone here seems to be familiar with the concept of zombies so they make sure to grab whatever they can to use as weapons. Komuro, Rei, and Hisashi decide to make their way to the rooftop, thinking that help will come for them if they barricade themselves away. Fighting their way to the top, Hisashi is bitten and things take a turn for the dramatic. Once securely barricaded away, Hisashi begins to turn into one of them and Komuro is forced to take his best friend's life. Rei is overcome with emotion in having to witness her boyfriend's death, but she and Komuro realize that they need to stick together in order to survive. As zombies continue to swarm the rooftop, the two realize that being stuck on the roof might not be such a good idea after all and begin making their way out of the school. They run into Takagi and Hirano on the way, and just before they leave they also meet Saeko Busujima, a kendo expert, and the school's giant-breasted, mostly aloof nurse, Shizuka Marikawa. Ah, the band is together and ready to rock. Everyone brings something unique to the group with Komuro's leadership skills, Rei's defensive skills (taught to her by her policeman father), Hirano's expert aim with firearms, Takagi's genius, Busujima's kendo skills, and Marikawa's ability to care for the injured. Wow, it's like an RPG game! The group decide that the best plan of action is to get the heck out of the school and stick together in checking on each others families.

Time to smash some zombie brains!

So what lies in wait for our band of unlikely heroes? Well, mostly a world in turmoil and countless walking undead. Turns out this is a worldwide pandemic and nations across the globe are in panic mode, unsure of what to do. Chaos is breaking out in the streets and no one is safe. The group, having picked up some other students and a teacher, Koichi Shido, who is hated by Rei, make their way to the city on a school bus. Shido tries to convert everyone into making him the boss, and it gets to the point where Rei can't stand to be on the bus with him anymore. Rei leaves and Komuro goes with her, thus separating the group but they all (minus Shido and his brainwashed followers) agree to meet at the police station the next day. Being alone gives Rei and Komuro time to bond and understand each other better, while Takagi and the others eventually separate themselves from Shido as well. Shizuka tells the group that they can rest up at her friends apartment close by and luckily, Rei and Komuro stumble upon the group just in time. Now that everyone is back together again, it's business as usual as they all continue to talk and bond, forming friendships and slaying zombies together. Their goal remains the same, to try and find family alive and well (wait till you get a load of Takagi's parents), and they even take in a little girl, Alice Maresato, whose family was killed, and an annoying little dog name Zeke. Sure, you'll find out why Rei hates Shido so much, and just who is Mirakawa's friend with the well-stocked apartment, so fear not.

Pink-haired girls and shotguns...awesome.

I'm obviously not going to tell you every little thing that happens in H.O.T.D., because I'm a spoiler-free advocate, but it's safe to say at this point that you get the gist. A group of survivors, mostly high school kids, are just trying to stay alive in a world gone to hell. This type of zombie-apocalypse scenario is generally right up my alley, and there are certainly a lot of things in H.O.T.D. that I dig. For one, there's no shortage of action and with that action comes plenty of blood and gore. There's also a lot of half naked (and sometimes fully naked) girls and women in this series, with breasts and crotch-shots flying across the screen in almost every scene. I feel like this anime is paying homage to those low-budget zombie movies of yesteryear, what with the over-the-top action sequences, and the out-of-nowhere panty shots and breast-bouncing. I mean hell, throw in the rock/metal guitar riffs for good measure and you basically have all the ingredients for cliche zombie entertainment. I say this because H.O.T.D. both takes itself seriously at times and at other times it's quite comical, but intentionally so. It's an interesting blend to say the least. There are 12 episodes here, and that's really not that many episodes when you consider all the scenarios you could put these characters in. Oh the possibilities! However, that's where things go horribly wrong and totally piss me off. For one, it takes three of those precious twelve episodes for the group to get out of the school. The fourth episode is half flashbacks from the first three episodes, and the sixth episode is a pointless, hentai-esque, filler episode in which nothing of real significance happens except for nudity...which is kinda awesome, but let's not get sidetracked. What is going on here!? Why are we squandering such potential on nothing!? I mean, I like looking at half naked animated women with big breasts as much as the next guy...I guess, but for 20+ minutes while the crap is hitting the fan just outside your door? Anyway, consider all the time wasting a low point for me in this series and a major reason why I didn't like it more. I should point out the art and animation are both quite good, although I'm not a fan of mixing the CG with traditional 2D art. Thankfully those moments are more in the minority. I also want to say that the character design is decent enough, although Rei's hair looks strange to me, like she has two alien antennas coming out of her head and Mirakawa's boobs are...well, ridiculous. The characters themselves though are all interesting enough with Busujima being my personal favorite, mostly because she seemed to have the most depth to her. Although I would've tossed that little dog Zeke to the first group of zombies I saw...maybe even Alice too.

H.O.T.D. overall is a fun series and any hardcore anime fan will love it, and more than likely any hardcore anime fan has already seen it and probably did love it. I'm just a casual anime viewer however, and I had a good time with the series for the most part, but I'll never forgive it for all it's filler and squandered potential. It came so close to hitting the mark across the board. I hope they have a second season and if they do, I'll be waiting with my always fine-toothed comb. (Lee)

Grade: B

Perfect Blue (Japan 1997)

It's certainly not the first anime film to do so, but Perfect Blue (パーフェクトブル) is a perfect (pun intended?) example of how animation can convey very real subject matter in an effective way. It's also a pretty good example of not all cartoons being suitable for children. Duh.

Mima (Junko Iwao) is a member of the J-pop trio CHAM! and enjoys a certain amount of success from being arguably the most popular of the group. However, fame and success isn't always as satisfying and fulfilling as it appears to be for us outsiders, and such is the case for Mima. What she really wants to do is to quit singing in an idol group and be taken seriously as an actress. We've all seen that happen with plenty of stars, but it turns out things aren't that easy and making that transition proves to be quite the challenge for Mima and her manager Rumi (Rica Matsumoto). Nevertheless, Rumi gets Mima a small part on a crime-drama called, "Double Bind", and through her perseverance and general likability, she eventually secures herself a larger role. So while things are starting to look good on Mima's end, not everyone is happy about her leaving CHAM! She receives a fax labeling her a traitor and on occasion we see a rather homely looking individual who appears to be stalking Mima. This dude is everywhere she is! The biggest issue coming from those labeling her as a traitor seems to the be the fact that Mima's taken on a complete image overhaul. Her role in, "Double Bind", puts her in provocative situations and I suppose they're angry that her innocence is lost. Listen, I'm trying to think like one of these lunatics okay? Anyway, Mima stumbles across a website (which, keep in mind, was the early days of the internet), called, "Mima's Room", and it eerily details her day-to-day activities in journal format. The only problem, and this is a biggie, is that Mima's not doing the writing. Yeah, creepy stalker alert! As you can imagine, Mima's anxiety and general paranoia of obsessive fans escalates ten-fold and she's constantly looking over her shoulder when she steps outside. She tries her best to keep up with her work responsibilities, which include seductive photo-shoots and questionable acting scenes. The next thing you know, the people associated with tarnishing Mima's image start turning up dead. This just puts Mima in a more vulnerable position, mentally and emotionally and pretty soon she finds herself not being able to differentiate between reality and fantasy. The girl is losing her mind...rightfully so. Is there anyone left that Mima can trust? Who else will turn up dead? Can she find away to snap out of her spiral of madness before it's too late!?

If you couldn't tell by now, Perfect Blue, from renowned anime director Satoshi Kon (may he R.I.P.) is a straight-up psychological thriller that doesn't pull any punches with how it presents it's content. Some have said it's "graphic" at times, I would simply tell those people to stop being sissies. Sure there are some edgy scenes best meant for the 17 and over crowd, but it's nothing you probably haven't seen before in an R-rated movie. The animation itself is top-notch in my opinion. I'm a big fan of Satoshi Kon's style and if I'd seen this movie back when it was released in 1997, it probably would've made my head explode. I mean that in a good way. This movie is all about Mima for the most part and for better or worse the film has a bit of tunnel vision. Meaning that she is the focal point and the movie doesn't really branch out from her. For me, she's not a particularly engaging character, but thankfully the circumstances around her are. Kon and company also do a good job at creating a frightening world of paranoia and a feeling of isolation and just how unsettling that can be. However, when Mima starts to lose her mind, things don't only get a bit muddled for her, but they did for me as well. It's bit difficult trying to follow exactly what's happening, what's real and what's not. If you don't pay attention, you could easily get lost. To their credit though, this confusion doesn't go on for too long before things get clear again. While I didn't find anything to be particularly surprising in terms of story-telling (including the ending), I did find the revelations, and the way in which things played out, satisfying.

Perfect Blue might not seem like anything revolutionary these days, but I imagine that for it's time it was pretty extreme. Fourteen years later I'd have to say that it holds up quite well as a complete package. It's dark, edgy, not without it's flaws, but most importantly it's fairly well-executed. Check this one out, but I wouldn't recommend it for family movie night. (Lee)

Grade: B

Tekkon Kinkreet (Japan 2006)

A crazy hybrid of American and Japanese animation work together to produce something undoubtedly different from typical anime fare, but with Tekkon Kinkreet, the final product is a mixed bag consisting of questionable animation and storytelling. The director, Michael Arias, and co-screenwriter Anthony Weintraub, are both best known for their work on the Animatrix series. Need I say more? And no...that isn't a compliment.

In Tokyo, in an area known as Treasure Town, the youth (referred to by public at large as "Cats") have taken over the streets and seem to run wild in an almost, "Lord of the Flies" fashion. Shiro/White (Yu Aoi) and Kuro/Black (Kazunari Ninomiya) are inseparable and get by on a day-to-day basis by pick-pocketing strangers and hustling in order to survive. Kuro has a reputation for running things on the street level in Treasure Town, and the police seem to understand and respect it as if there's nothing they can do about it. The boys seem content with their way of life, until an unforeseen Yakuza threat marches its way into town and makes plans to tear things down so they can build an amusement park, all in the name of monetary gain. As you can imagine, Kuro and Shiro aren't going to just sit back and let these guys take over their town, so Kuro goes on the attack in order to make his point. The Yakuza enlist the help of an evil, and sexually-ambiguous character by the name of Hebi/Snake (Masahiro Matoki) who promises to eradicate the "cat" problem with help from his three assassins. The assassins prove to be a major threat to our two protagonists and after a near fatal experience for Shiro, Kuro allows the police to take his young friend into custody for safety's sake. With Shiro out of his life, Kuro begins to become consumed with rage and a strong desire to exact revenge on the yakuza, Hebi, and the assassins. He continues to let these negatives feelings and emotions take over which sends him into a spiral of insanity. As Shiro so elegantly puts it, "I have all the screws that Kuro needs for his heart". In other words, the two young boys complete each other, and when they're separated, they become different people. Kuro needs Shiro so he can take back the city they love so dear, but in his current state, how will he survive long enough to make their dreams come true?

Right from the get-go, it's obvious that this story is all about balance. Even the trailer makes this point crystal clear, with the boys names, Black and White, being the biggest sign of all. As Kuro/Black's mental state continues to deteriorate, it's clear that he needs Shiro/White in his life in order to maintain "balance". There isn't much more to say about the story than that, because that really is the message being conveyed. Let's talk a little bit about what everyone says is the greatest aspect of this movie; the animation and visual design. Call me crazy, but I have to say that the visuals are entirely unimpressive and are worsened even more so by the use of CGI. How these "simplistic" character designs are examples of "amazing visual design" is beyond me. Even the animation of the characters is far from being fluid. The only attention to detail in Tekkon Kinkreet is in the background design, which would be great if Treasure Town felt like more a character, but it doesn't. The characters, aside from Shiro, are equally unimpressive, to the point where you don't really care whats happening to them. There was no emotional connection to any of them, so I really didn't care that Kuro was going crazy without his friend by his side. To make matters worse, the story is really run-of-the-mill stuff, with an attempt at conveying a more meaningful underlying message, but the impact is lost, again, due to uninteresting characters.

Scattered throughout my review for Tekkon Kinkreet, you probably caught the word that really sums up the movie as a whole: unimpressive. Granted, I much rather prefer the styling of Satoshi Kon and Katsuhiro Otomo, but I'm willing to give anything a chance. Unfortunately, the powers responsible for Tekkon Kinkreet can't even light a torch to the aforementioned names and it's painfully obvious. If this is an example of the direction "new anime" is headed in, I think I'll gladly stay rooted in the past. (Lee)



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Millenium Actress (Japan 2001)

Millennium Actress (Sennen Joyu) is the amazing story of Chiyoko Fujiwara , an actress for a once great movie studio. Genya Tachibana (Shozo Izuka) is a famous TV interviewer and quite possibly one of Chiyoko's biggest fans. When the studio closes, he tracks her down to get an interview with her as she's been in seclusion for over thirty years. He brings with him a key that once belonged to her. The key represents a lot of things in the movie, the first being the key that unlocks Chiyoko's memories. Chiyoko begins telling Genya and his cameraman how she initially came across the key.

When she was a teenager, the producer of the studio came to Chiyoko's town and tried to recruit her. Unfortunately, Chikoyo's mother wouldn't allow it, so she ran away from home, upset at her mother. She bumps into a young man only a few year's older than herself, who is bloody and on the run from the police. The officers chasing him ask Chiyoko as to his whereabouts and naturally she steers them off his path and brings the young man home, hiding him in the storage room where her mother won't find him. After school the next day, Chiyoko comes home and finds a whole in the wall with the young man now missing and the police searching the area for him. Chiyoko's caretaker secretly informs her that the young man took off towards the train station, so Chiyoko decides to go after him and along the way finds the key. She takes it upon herself to find him so that she can return the key to him.

The thing about Millennium Actress is that it flashes between reality and Chiyoko's movies, but as we watch Chiyoko, so do Genya and his cameraman who are both transported through time to the events in Chiyoko's life. Soon enough, her biggest fan is helping her in almost every situation as Chiyoko tries to give her mystery man back his key. Thankfully the cameraman is clueless as to what's happening, which is to say he's like the rest of the audience, waiting for someone to say what's going on. I mentioned that the key has different symbolic meanings, one of them being hope, and the other being love. It's also used to reveal the truth, and to lock away Chiyoko's feelings, but most importantly of all it's used as a reminder. The movies Chiyoko stars in also play a huge part of the storytelling because they relate to what shes going through in life at that time in her journey. I could go on and on about Millennium Actress, because it really was a great movie that had a lot of heart, and frankly, it could have been a big budget, live-action film. Even though it's a cartoon, it's still a cinematic masterpiece. I doubt that many other movies will be able to accomplish the feeling and storytelling of this wonderfully crafted film. I'll stop myself from going any further and I'll leave you to watch it for yourself, because only then will you really see what I'm talking about. (KSG-301)

Paprika (Japan 2006)

Paprika, in it's simplest form, is a movie about dreams. In a deeper form, it's a movie that explores what dreams mean to us, what problems we work out, and of course what fantasies we live out in them. I don't think a single person could disagree with having a dream that felt too "real", or the inevitable "work" dream that happens to you mere hours before waking up to go to that very job you just dreamt about! Paprika is the dream persona of Chiba (Megumi Hayashibara), a scientist working on a device called a DC mini which allows people into the dream's of others helping them to rewrite their synapse curing them of mental illnesses or helping them work through their problems.

The film starts with Officer Kogawa (Akio Otsuka) conquering his fears in order to help Paprika. We learn that they're 3 missing DC mini devices and the number one suspect is Himuro (Daisuke Sakaguchi), an assistant at the lab, who pop's up in the chief advisor's dream that's implanted in his head in the middle of the day while he's awake. Therein lies the danger of this technology. Imagine dreaming while you're awake, and the danger that could take place. In one scene, Chiba goes to jump over a handrail and almost jumps to her death from off of a building because of the DC mini. Now Chiba/Paprika is on a mission to stop Himuro and get the missing devices back.

Looking past the fact that the overall look of Paprika is absolutely fantastic, their are other elements that make this film work on so many levels. The soundtrack, being one of those elements, is poppy and yet very dreamy itself. I found myself wanting to buy the soundtrack just to continue listening to the great music the film displayed. Also, the way they handled the dreams and the dreamscape were just unreal. The point of the film was to question whether or not we could truly tell if something was a dream or a part of reality. In fact, the characters ask that very question within the movie. If Paprika had been live-action, or even CG, it just wouldn't have worked. It needed to be animated the "old fashioned way", and frankly speaking, I got lost in the world they created and forgot I was even watching a cartoon. That's how cool and mature the theme was.

When I first saw the trailer for Paprika, it had a bunch of quotes spliced in-between scenes and one of those quotes said, "Evidence that Japanese animators are reaching for the moon, while most of their American counterparts remain stuck in the kiddie sandbox." - Manohla Dargis of the New York Times. Anyone who's watched American animation should be able to agree with this quote. Thankfully we have Japan to make animated movies that have heart and require you to pay attention to the movie, rather than shrugging off the moral lesson that some Disney CG movie tried to teach you. Although there's no need for it, I would be more than happy to see more adventures of Paprika. (KSG-301)



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Tales from Earthsea (Japan 2006)

The newest film from Studio Ghilbi, and the feature film debut from Goro Miyazaki (son of legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki), Tales from Earthsea (ゲド戦記) continues in the tradition of excellent animated films that Studio Ghilbi has long been known for. Not an instant classic, but still an incredible achievement in story-telling and animation.

Prince Arren (Junichi Okada) murders his own father, the king of Enlad (Kaoru Kobayashi), and finds himself on the run. His life is saved by a stranger with mysterious powers by the name of Haitaka (Bunta Sugawara). The two decide to travel together and arrive at Hort Town, a place where everyone and everything is on the move. Haitaka explains to Arren that it's chaotic in Hort Town all year, and Arren is appalled to see that people are being sold as slaves. He also explains to Arren that the behavior on display in Hort Town is happening everywhere. The farmers crops are withering away, sheep and cattle are dying across the land, and it's as if the balance between life and death is at risk of being destroyed from all corners of Earthsea. While coming to the aid of a young girl by the name of Theru (Aoi Teshima), Arren is consumed by rage, as if something has taken over his spirit, making him disregard any concern for his life. He later finds himself at a disadvantage when the leader of the slave takers, Hare (Teruyuki Kagawa), and his men, overpower Arren and take him as a slave. Haitaka uses his magical abilities to find and rescue Arren, and upon doing so, takes Arren to an old friend's home where he can rest and heal his wounds. Tenar (Jun Fubuki) lives in a quiet country-side home with Theru, the girl Arren saved, whom she has cared for after taking her in five years ago.

The slave takers report to Lord Kumo (Yuko Tanaka) that the slaves had escaped, and the wizard with the scar was responsible. He instructs Hare to find Haitaka immediately. Arren and Haitaka have been staying with Tenar and Theru for awhile, and they work in the farms everyday. It doesn't take long for Hare and his men to find out where Haitaka is staying. Arren leaves the farm for fear that his uncontrollable rage will return and but the women in jeopardy. Now left alone, Tenar is abducted by Hare and his men. Hare leaves Theru so that she can inform Haitaka that Lord Kumo is waiting for him. After a run-in with his shadow of rage, Arren passes out in the marshes and is taken by Lord Kumo himself. Lord Kumo is obsessed with find ing eternal life, and he needs Arren in order to unlock the secret. Arren is brainwashed by Lord Kumo, and now Haitaka has to infiltrate Lord Kumo's castle in order to rescue Arren and Tenar. Once there, Haitaka's powers become useless and he is easily subdued. Meanwhile, Theru is on her way to Lord Kumo's castle, thanks to some guidance from a "friend". If she can find Arren, he just might have the strength inside to save himself and everyone else.

Tales from Earthsea is an excellent movie on a multitude of different levels. We're all aware that Studio Ghilbi puts out consistently good films, but this one was under the microscope more than others because it was the first time Hayao Miyazaki wouldn't be pulling the reigns. For the skeptics, you just have to be thankful that if it wasn't Hayao, who better to take over than his son Goro? I'm happy to say that the finished product is a film that gives you the same feeling previous Ghilbi movies have. You just know that you're watching something that people have put their blood, sweat and tears into. The animation is fantastic, as to be expected, with my only complaints being in the one or two occasions where they used CGI. However, in a time where animated films are done completely in CGI (at least in America), it's a minor nuisance and I'm just happy to be watching a "traditional" animated movie. The story is simple, but the underlying message is a powerful one: enjoy your life to the fullest, because it's the only one you've got. Without death, people wouldn't truly live, and we can't live our lives in fear, because we never know how much time we have left. Sure, it's a deep message, but it's absolutely correct and will ring true with everyone that watches. The soundtrack is also worth pointing out, as "Theru's Song", performed by Aoi Teshima (who also voices Theru), is really beautiful and adds to the already "epic" feel of the movie.

Even though Spirited Away still holds the number one spot for my all-time favorite Miyazaki film, Tales from Earthsea is a worthy addition to any Ghilbi fan's collection. (Lee)

Grade: B

 

Bug Me Not! (Hong Kong 2005)

It's been awhile since my last review, and boy did I pick a doozy to come back with. A mixture of poor CG and live-action, Bug Me Not! is a movie that is clearly geared towards the under 10 crowd, and with good intentions. However, the hour and twenty-seven minutes that it takes to get to the end would be considered trying even for the most patient child. Sometimes reviewing movies ain't easy.

Young Moon is an interesting little girl, in the sense that she walks around speaking gibberish all the time, to the point where it concerns her mother (Candy Lo). It seems Moon's best friend is a little ladybug with an incredibly awkward name: Coochie (Jan Lamb). This obviously doesn't have the same meaning in Chinese as it does in American English slang, so we'll just have to look past it. It's cute, and maybe even a little strange that the little girl and a bug can talk with one another. Moon's mother tells her it's unhealthy to talk such gibberish (walking around screaming Coochie all the time), and that talking to bugs will pretty much make adults cry. Moon doesn't want to make her mother upset, so she stops talking to Coochie, resulting in the two parting not to be reunited until a fateful encounter in a trashcan years later.

Coochie couldn't have come into teenage Moon's (Isabella Leung) life at a better time. Moon has her eye on a young man Hyland (Wilsen Chen), who works for his dad, just across the street from her apartment building. Who better to give advice to a young woman on the verge of her first love than a jive-talkin' ladybug? Don't answer that. At school, Moon and her girlfriends are doing the chit-chat things in the restroom, unaware that three teenage boy's are sitting in a stall eavesdropping on their conversation about breasts and being horny teenage girls. Smarty (Kenny Kwan), Eggy (Steven Cheung) and Baldy (Xu Boping) are the three culprits, and Smarty shows off an interesting skill, by being able to look through the stall door at the girl's! Eventually the three are caught, and after a wacky getaway scene, we find out these young men have "Ultra Powers", and are part of a special group of young people that are led by Auntie (Gillian Chung) who looks 23, but is 70 years old in reality. It turns out the boys were observing Moon in an attempt to lure her to their group because of her Ultra Power of speaking to bugs. I couldn't possibly be making this up.

In the romance department, things are progressing slowly for Moon and Hyland. Auntie tells Hyland about the "Pushover Contest" that she believes he should enter. Hyland has a severe problem with people touching him, so the idea is to help him get over his fear by being forced into man-handling people in a ring. Aside from not wanting anyone, including Moon, to touch him...Hyland can't read either. So the real question is: who wouldn't want to date him!? The prize for winning the Pushover Contest (think a sumo match, but anything goes), is a "close encounter" with Japanese idol Sasao (Charlene Choi). As you can imagine, Hyland is in the final match vying for the prize, and Moon's heart, but I'd hate to spoil the outcome for you. After a little help from Moon's bug friends, the organizer of the contest catches Coochie and Co. Moon steals them back and runs off, but Hyland stands in her way, refusing to let her leave until she apologizes to the contest organizer for ruining the match with the use of bugs. Moon can't believe Hyland won't take her side and the two get in an argument, which shows how incredibly insane Moon actually is by throwing everything she can find at Hyland. Oddly enough, the fight ends with Hyland grabbing some breasts' and Moon is so shocked (and happy) that she runs off, completely forgetting about the Coochie crew. The bugs get angry at Moon for being a "typical" human, and they get angry at Coochie for having such a terrible human friend. After a confusing situation for the bugs (and myself), they believe Coochie is dead and go on strike against contributing to the environmental cycle of Hong Kong and wage war amongst the humans. Moon, Hyland, and the other's just want to find Coochie and stop the madness. Is Coochie really dead? Will the bugs ever forgive Moon and her friends? Do you even care at this point?

The answer to that last question is probably a big NO. I have a hard time trying to find good things to say about kids movies. Sure, the performances were competent enough, and the two leads are sure to make some pre-teens swoon. However, the very idea of the movie was just so absurd without explanation that you can't being to wrap your head around the proceedings. Chances are you won't even want to. Not to mention the two musical numbers in the movie that literally came out of nowhere. Watching Bug Me Not! has helped me realize that I'm willing to watch any movie that shows up at my doorstep. It has too much story to get kids entertained, and it seems way too childish for teenagers to really enjoy. It's awkwardly stuck somewhere in between, and that just makes me wonder why, at my age, did I even bother. (Lee)

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