After a year since the main series ended, the Tiger and Bunny movie makes its way to the US and thankfully was not simply a visual upgrade. While the movie mirrors the first two episodes, with slight alterations, the rest skipped over the mid-season arcs. The good news is that you get new material for the most part, but the bad news is that, given the movies condensed format, we did not get any expanded material on the other heroes. Kotetsu (Tiger) and Barnaby (Bunny) take center stage in the same manner as the TV series. Kotetsu, the middle aged single father, carries most of the load and is the same blue collar hero that he was in the series. Barnaby, the young hot shot ladies man, remains fixated on the criminal syndicate/secret society, Ouroboros and is as smug as ever.
From the creative minds behind Last Exile comes a new animation centered around the struggles of citizens of a futuristic Japan that is slowly being engulfed by an out of control forest. Shangri-La was released by FUNimation Entertainment on August 21, 2012 as a two part limited edition set. The series was previously simulcasted on streaming sites such as Crunchyroll. Director Makoto Bessho, writer Hiroshi Omogi, and character designer Range Murata all contributed to this sci-fi animation.
At first glance, Production I.G.'s first 3D production, Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror, is easy to dismiss as a wannabe Studio Ghibli film that tries to be the next Spirited Away and Laputa. Using an almost paint-by-numbers approach to family films, all of your basic ingredients are present including a spunky teenage female lead named Haruka, cute dancing critters, and fantastical hullabaloo that might have some anime and cinema fans rejecting it right out of the box. However, to do so would discredit what makes Japanese storytelling so great: somewhere in the midst of the film's exotic setting, predictable plot, and dancing dolls is a film filled with a lot of heart.
Read more: Oblivion Island: Haruka and the Magic Mirror (BD/DVD) Review
When I first heard of Oreimo, I thought to myself, "yet another series that I must keep from watching in front of family and friends because it's borderline super ecchi (sexually suggestive)." [Editor's note: Aniplex licensed the series as Oreimo, a shortened version of the original Japanese: Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai, which translates to, My Little Sister Can't Possibly Be This Cute.] I was surprised to discover that the title was misleading, and the series has deeper themes like: acceptance, understanding, family bonds, and of course love for anime, manga, doujinshi (fan-made comics), and eroge (adult computer games).
We all remember the innocent and cute Powerpuff Girls and Puffy Ami Yumi. Ok, now take those two shows and add them to a blender, then add a little Invader Zim and a lot of vulgar language, a few adult toys, and a lot of panties. Just for extra measure, add a few pounds of sugar, and mix well. What do you get with this crazy mixture. Well, it would be the new Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, a thirteen episode plus one series made by Gainax Studios and brought to us by our friends at FUNimation.
Read more: Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt - Complete Series (DVD) Review
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