Shingu Secret of the Stellar Wars Review

The first thought to be held about this series will surely be: “Finally an anime series that doesn’t involve crazy robots, eccentric hair, and characters that are nervous wrecks.”

Shingu Secret of the Stellar Wars is the story of a average Japanese teen, that is put into situations revolving around a new transfer student, aliens, and how the people around him are connected to it all.

Viewers will be pleased to see that the male lead doesn’t fall into the role of the inexperienced hero that must save everyone, but rather is an emotionally and mentally matured young man with an important role to play in things to come.

The characters that interact with the main character, Hajime Murata, are interestingly done, and all have their roles and personalities, in their own social clicks, as well as in the overall story.

Some of the best characters are Muryou Subaru, the transfer student, and Futaba Murata, Hajime’s younger sister.  Subaru, is Hajime’s new friend and a strange individual who carries himself with unconditional compassion for everyone around him, and a high sense of loyalty.

Subaru has an older sister who lives in Tokyo, but visits his home a lot, and the comical family moments that occur help make him seem more like a normal teen.

Futaba is the eccentric younger sister of Hajime, and at times acts as Hajime’s subconscious, making accusations and comments that Hajime might not say outloud.

The woven tapestry and wood carving style patterns that are used during the introduction screen, and the ending credits is a nice touch, for this series, filled with many repeating Japanese themes.

The style of drawing and watercolors used throughout the show adds an artistic look and feel to some of the scenery, while most of the series sticks to the standard drawing style of most anime.

Oddly enough, the alien invader ships look like a child’s spinning top, and is a bit comical to see.  Fighting for the side of good is a very large, white paper alien being, that after crushing the invaders, disappears into a poof of cherry blossom petals.

Conspiracy theories and suspicious of who could be an alien, or involved with the aliens surround many of the characters and the people they interact with.

Shingu Secret of the Stellar Wars is an excellent series to pick up and watch if you or anyone you know is interested in anime, but worries about being thrust into complex and confusing storylines.  For the price and overall wonder of the series’ boxset, this is an excellent purchase.

The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye DVD Review

English with Japanese Subtitles, Japanese with English Subtitles
Rated: 15+
Genre: Action, adventure, comedy

Based off of novels by Ryou Hoshino, “The Third: The Girl With The Blue Eye” is the energetic story of Honoka, a sword slinging, gun toting mercenary, accompanied by her trusty and quirky AI-tank, Bogie.  In a desolate desert world, overrun with giant insects and outlaws, when Honoka runs across Iks, a young man who will bring about some of Honoka’s most difficult challenges.

Spanning over 6 DVD’s, and 16 manga volumes, “The Third” has been a hit series in Japan’s “Dragon Age Magazine” since 1999, running along side of “Full Metal Panic” and “Slayers.”  With the 6th DVD set to release in late May, fans of the series will be happy to hear that a limited edition of disc 3 with a release date of March 25th, featuring a limited edition art box to house all six DVD’s and two exclusive puzzles depicting artwork from the series.

The DVD contains a reversible cover, character art galleries and bios with commentary, as well as interviews with Megumi Toyoguchi who does the voice work of Honoka, and Daisuke Namikawa who plays Iks.  Music videos, a 12 page art booklet with episode summaries and additional trailers from Rightstuf and Nozomi entertainment are also included.

Overall, the series is an action packed blast, filled with intense sword fights, explosions, and smart mouth tanks.  The artwork and animation are amazing, and are done in great detail.  With English and Japanese spoken languages, fans can watch the series “Newtype USA” magazine called a “corker of an action/sci-fi/comedy…” in its original Japanese format, and again with excellently done English dubbing.

Aoi Yori Aoshi Manga Series Review

Aoi Yori Aoshi is the romantic tale of Aoi, the heiress of a major Japanese corporation, and her love for her arranged fiance, Kaoru-dono, the former heir to yet another major Japanese family.  The story spans across the time frame of a few years from the point at which Aoi reconnects with Kaoru, and the point at which their lives together begin.

 Overall as a series, it is very sweet, and even the male audience will find enjoyment in the story, the artwork, and the characters.  It is technically classified as a “harem” series, because Aoi-chan is one of several people living with Kaoru that wish to connect with him.  It does however, stay away from become an angst riden lament, like Love Hina.

 With 17 volumes of manga, and 2 DVD series spanning roughly 10 discs, this series is a great addition for anyone that is interested in a simpler series, or anyone that has questionable doubts about anime and manga in general.

Star Wars: Force Unleashed Preview

PS3/Xbox 360/Wii

Fans of the Star Wars series will whip out their collapsable light sabers in glee as Lucas Arts has unveiled The Force Unleashed.  Players will step into the shoes of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice, as they scour the galaxy to kill all remaining jedi.

The new A.I. system and developments brought to the Star Wars universe will allow more realism to the extent that enemies will even try to break their fall.  Environments are so extensively manipulative that after slamming an enemy into a pillar, players can pick up the broken pieces and use them as weapons.

From initial concept art and screenshots, the name The Force Unleashed ties in well with the chaotic and powerful Force powers that are said to be a part of the game.  As Vader’s secret apprentice, player’s will find themselves traveling to exotic worlds and encounter jedi that are no longer the honorable knights as before, but now are willing to do what it takes to survive.  From other screenshots, jedi opponants will no longer be a simple one on one battle of you versus them, but at times, they will employ the assitance of the people and creatures around them.

Combat has been upgraded to allow for over two dozen combinations of Force and saber skills.  Players can perform such combinations as Force gripping an enemy, zapping them with Force lightning and launching them into a group of enemies, turning a storm trooper into an explosive.

Lucas Arts has not set a release date at this time, but has announced that versions of the game will be available on the PS3, Xbox 360, PS2, PSP, and DS.  Players may be disappointed that during an interview with Game Informer Magazine, Lucas Arts commented that Vader is not a playable character in the main story line, but did not comment whether or not Vader would be available for any multiplayer or side missions.

 For an added bonus to Nintendo Wii fans, a rumored version will feature wii-mote lightsaber controls and force powers.

To Heart DVD series

Genre: Comedy, Romance
# of Discs: 4

A slice of life never tasted so sweet.  “To Heart” is an interesting anime adaptation story from a Japanese video game involving high school friends, Hiroyuki Fujita and Akari Kamigishi.

“To Heart” is the story of two childhood friends, and their emotional development with one another.  The story is a realistic tale, unlike some anime which are set in an overly imaginative environments, filled with overly eccentric characters.

Characters are developed well enough that it is easy to understand their personality, and the motives behind their actions.  The English and Japanese voice acting is well done for the most part, and stays with the typical anime style of making girls sounding very childish and innocent.

The stories for the most part, revolve around typical events that plague teenagers, like hunting for concert tickets, hanging out at restaurants, and going to school.  While some viewers may find it dull, “To Heart” does not try to jump through hoops to keep viewers interested; however, “To Heart“ is not a show specifically targeted to a select group.

Comedy and jokes in “To Heart” can be a bit difficult to interpret when it is a Japanese pop culture reference, but luckily in those situations, subtitles add a much needed explanation for those situations.

DVD features include translation notes, an art gallery, character bios, and also includes spoken languages of English, Japanese, and English subtitles.

All in all, it is a very good series to watch, not only for fans of anime, but also for people that are uncertain about jumping right into some of the more widely known, but also more eccentric series like “Bleach” or “Death Note.”