Light novels, by definition, are easy to read novellas driven by dialog and snappy action. The light novels I’ve read, which were based on existing anime or games, were quick to read, but not necessarily enjoyably so. The troubles I’ve encountered with light novels tend to pertain to word usage and sentence structure.

These literary speed bumps can be attributed to two sources: the author or the translator, and in rare instances, both. Japanese and English sentence structure have almost nothing in common, and it takes a really good author and/ or translator to take the intent and concept of a Japanese language light novel and make it so English speaking audiences can not only read the novel, but enjoy it as well.

The uber popular Death Note franchise released its first light novel in 2006, which was then translated into English and distributed in America in February of 2008. The book takes place before the Kira Case and explains L’s relationship to Naomi Misora. Will Another Note be as intense and all-consuming as the manga and the anime? Or will Light need to take names?

Plot Summary

Strange murders have been happening in L.A. and have gained the attention of the mysterious super sleuth known only as L. All the murders have a connection and point to the killer, but the connection is so shrouded in riddles, it will take more than one mind and set of eyes to solve . L thus recruits FBI agent Naomi Misora to help him crack this gruesome case and bring the killer to justice. Read more

Pretty boys and scary girl get mixed up in spooky romantic hilarity in Volumes Two and Three of The Wallflower!

plot summary

The pretty bishonen are still scared (kawai! kawai!) of the dark and tangled mess which is Sunako, but they’ve gotten used to her weird, disturbing ways- mostly. They’re even starting to like her! Well, at least they like her sublime Japanese-style cooking.

All four beautiful boys have given up on ever turning Sunako into a lady, even if that means they have to pay full rent to Sunako’s Aunt. Sunako in turn dislikes ever being with the four if she can help it. More often than naught, however, she’s accompanying the lovely lads on their misadventures. But even though Sunako can’t bear to be around the Creatures of Light, as she calls them, she still has room in her cobweb-covered heart to help them out when they need a hand. And Sunako with her strange and almost brutal manner of “solving” issues, manages to make things easier and brighter, despite her storm-clouded demeanor.

review

This series is such a laugh. The way it pokes fun at the shojo genre, and the idea of bishis in general, is hilarious. It’s even funnier because the characters are in on the joke: (cherry blossoms gently drift down and the clip-clop of geta can be heard) Yuki comments, “What’s with this very Japanesey atmosphere?” (Takenaga makes an entrance amid the flowers).

Even someone who has no idea what bishonen and shojo are and sat down and watched this show, they’d still get the laughs. Handsome men (no matter the archetype) with awkward issues are funny, if done right, and Wallflower is done right. Read more

In Volume Three of the supernatural xxxHolic, the Japanese summer heats up the action!

Plot Summary

Life hasn’t been easy for Watanuki, and it hasn’t gotten much easier since he started working part time in Yuko’s shop. In fact, things can be pretty difficult whenever the witch is involved. But Watanuki keeps his spirits up knowing that, with a hand from Yuko, he can help those in need. Not to mention ever since he got his new job, he’s been seeing more of his crush, Himawari. Unfortunately, Watanuki’s also been seeing more of his “nemesis”, Domeki.

With a little help from his friends, and a lot of help from Yuko, Watanuki is learning more about his latent abilities and the world he lives in- namely the price people pay for their actions and their wishes.

Review

Volume Three was an excellent DVD. The abundance of culture (summer in Japan continues!) and supernatural phenomena (pipe foxes are cute!) are an intriguing mix. The characters are compelling and the story is really moving forward.

xxxHolic has a snowball effect in terms of story development. Each episode retains a bit of the previous, repeats it a tad, transforms it a little, adding on more depth and development. Then the new repeats ever so slightly, adds on, changes into something new, and repeats. The light repetitiveness is how things keep changing, keep developing. Read more

Pervy hijinks prevail in Volumes Three and Four of the hilarious, and oh so wrong, Ninja Nonsense!

plot summary

The nonsense is nonstop as the ninja go through the seasons of fall and winter. Kaede returns to school, and normalcy, but frequently stops by to visit Shinobu at the ninja headquarters. Just as frequently, Shinobu and Onsokumaru make surprise visits to Kaede, and not always welcome ones at that.

Onsokumaru continues in his quest to catch the girls without their clothing, and just as continually, he fails. But half the fun is in the trying, so you can’t call him a quitter!

As winter turns to spring, Kaede discovers the secret about Shinobu Onsokumaru alluded to a while back. Will Kaede and Shinobu still stay friends?

review

These two volumes were the best out of the entire four volume series. There was more pervy goodness, more absolute insanity, more “Oh my dear god, did he just do that?!” moments and more side splitting hilarity.

Anime stereotypes, overplayed scenes and fetishes are all deliciously mocked in each episode. Even the ever present (in adult anime) tentacle theme was given a good poke, along with the fanboys who adore it. Not even Christmas was left out of the mix, and included culture references such as the Christmas cake and the Japanese idea of the “true” meaning of Christmas- romance!

Even though the series is rife with obscure cultural references, anime fans will still be able to understand the stereotypes and storytelling enough to be able to roll on the floor laughing. Dirty, unethical men doing random pervy things translates into any language and culture.

The randomness is what makes Ninja Nonsense such a hit. Nothing makes much sense beyond each episode, but the series stays committed to its absurdity and the laughs keep coming.

Character Design

The style for Ninja Nonsense also helped the humor. It’s hard not to laugh at cute, adorable girls being imagined doing lewd acts. The very incongruity is amusing. Character designs are very stereotypical in anime- big eyes, big boobs, scanty outfits- but anything else wouldn’t have worked as well; especially since all these things were lovingly made fun of.

Animation

Animation for Ninja Nonsense was consistent throughout the series and stayed strong.

Voice Acting

Both the English and Japanese voice casts are good. The English voice cast is fantastic however, and really shines. Watching the last two volumes with the dub was a treat. I now wish I had it on the entire time instead of the subtitles, that’s how good the acting was.

Volumes Three and Four Conclusion

These two volumes are terrific, and wrap up the series perfectly. It’s hard to imagine a satisfactory ending to such a random series, but Ninja Nonsense delivered the final laughs in style.

Volumes Rating

Ninja Nonsense, Volumes Three and Four gets 5 outta 5 Hammies!

Series Conclusion

Ninja Nonsense is a hilarious series with a pervy bend. Although boob jokes abound, it’s humor which older folk can appreciate- if they don’t mind fiendishly funny low-brow humor. This anime is not suitable for most audiences, but it’s a guilty, dirty, dirty pleasure for those it is.

Series Rating

Ninja Nonsense, Complete Series gets 4.5 outta 5 Hammies!

Volumes Three Retail Info

• Publisher: Right Stuf!
• Release DateOctober 31, 2006
• Retail Price: $29.99
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:7-9
• Run Time:80 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Volumes Four Retail Info

• Publisher: Right Stuf!
• Release Date:November 28, 2006
• Retail Price: $29.99
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:10-12
• Run Time:80 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Yuko has big plans in store for Watanuki in Volume Two of xxxHolic!

plot summary

Watanuki has fallen into cooking, cleaning and exorcising spirits for Yuko as if he’s done so his whole life. He doesn’t seem to mind the hours upon hours of culinary drudgery for a demanding mistress, but when it comes to the more supernatural aspects of his indentured servitude, Watanuki is less than enthusiastic.

Which is why Watanuki’s quasi-nemesis cum friend, Domeki, accompanies him occasionally on his tasks. Other times, it’s Yuko or Mokona who takes Watanuki in hand for his esoteric errands.

Each time Yuko gets the reluctant boy involved in a supernatural quagmire, she makes sure he learns something from the experience. Just what kind of plans does Yuko have for Watanuki?

review

While one of the episodes, “Indulgence” didn’t make much sense, the rest of the volume carried its weight and entertained. Not all the cases Yuko involves herself in pertain to people with bad habits or addictions. She sometimes lends a helping hand to beings from other realms, namely the Spiritual. But she always manages to drag Watanuki into the supernatural equation, whether he wants to or not.

With all the frequent binge eating Yuko does, Watanuki is usually cooking up a storm of traditional Japanese food. The culinary references in the series are a real bonus for someone into the native cuisine. Keep your eyes and ears peered for a taste of Japan hidden in the series!

Even though the nature of the series is that of solving case after case, the series so far doesn’t seem repetitive. Each episode builds slightly on the last to further the story, and the characters are also built upon as well.

Character Development

Watanuki is being shown to be a truly compassionate person, so although he may not like a situation, he still does what it takes to resolve it. He even stomachs having his “rival”, the stolid Domeki, around.

Yuko is still a mystery, but it seems she has something up her stylish sleeve when it comes to Watanuki’s supernatural education.

Character Design

It’s amazing that in every single episode, Yuko has on at least one different outfit. As odd as it seems, the fact that the studio took the time to draw and animate a new set of duds for every episode is impressive. Little details like this in the character designs really adds a dimension to the visuals. It’s a newness which is appealing.

Animation

The animation is still not up to par. Shots and scenes are frequently hazy or out of focus, two things which I don’t think are intended. It’s unfortunate, especially since the series deserves something better from the studio.

Conclusion

Volume Two of xxxHolic is a decent volume with good balance of visuals and story. However, it could have been much better with cleaner animation and more solid pacing.

Rating

xxxHolic, Volume Two gets 3 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:May 6, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:5-8
• Run Time:100 minutes
• Rating: TV-PG
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

The slow pace is stepped up at last, but the storytelling in still a step below average is Volume Six of Hell Girl.

plot summary

Tsugumi begins to doubt the moral value of Hell Girl’s trade when an innocent is condemned to Hell on a whim. Even though Tsugumi no longer wishes to be linked to Ai Enma, her ties to Hell Girl grow stronger each day as she sees what Ai sees in the present and the past. Ai wants something from Tsugumi and her father, Hajima, but even the powerful Hell Girl is unsure of what that something is.

But when the father and daughter investigate Hell Girl’s past, they unearth a startling secret which could damn them to Hell if they’re not careful. As Tsugumi and Hajime struggle to overcome a vengeful spirit, they must learn to grow closer or all will be lost.

review

The pacing for this series was horrid. For twenty three slow, drawn out episodes, not much was revealed of Ai and her connection to Tsugumi and Hajime. The retributions of Hell Link featured in each episode were like living the same experience, with slight differences, over and over and over and over. Then in the last three episodes, the flood gates of back story were opened and drowned out what little reason the series had.

The last three episodes felt like a schoolgirl racing to beat the bell, when in fact she had hours upon hours to get to her homeroom. I have no sympathy for a series that has that kind of time and still doesn’t deliver on schedule.

Character Development

The anime had twenty six episodes to develop Ai and make her a character to empathize with, but the studio decided to develop her at the end…in the last three episodes. It was a bad move to save something this big for the finale, especially as how there wasn’t any solid foreshadowing involved. Frankly, however, I just didn’t care.

Viewers should care about characters or at least feel something, be it disgust, compassion or hate. There was no focal point in the series to empathize with, nor was there an attempt at one till the end, when it’s revealed who we really should have been connecting with.

The finale was supposed to be a built-up scenario, one in which we’re pulled in and sitting on the edge of our seats, but a series needs momentum to do that. A series needs a running start to convincingly pull off the leaps in story and logic Hell Girl tried at the end. This anime had no momentum however, and plodded along, oblivious to the gaping hole it needed to cross in order to end. Instead of getting the point across, the series shot head first into the abyss of crappy storytelling. This is unfortunate since the idea for Hell Girl was a good one.

Animation

Hell Girl was a beautiful series filled with lush colors and striking backdrops. The gorgeous scenery featured showcasing the seasons was a treat and managed to salvage some watch-ability for the series.

Production

Each DVD in the Hell Girl series features two full-color postcards. They’re a lovely reflection of the high quality animation in the anime. The DVD covers and DVD themselves are as rich and lushly designed as the animation and are embellished with gold.

Volume Conclusion

Hell Girl, Volume Six would have been disappointing if the series as a whole had been better. Since the series wasn’t what it set out to be, the quality of storytelling in the final volume fit in with the rest of the series- poor.

Volume Rating

Hell Girl, Volume Six gets 2 outta 5 Hammies!

Series Conclusion

Hell Girl is a series which was given a large amount of time to tell a small amount of story. Too many episodes were filler-repetitious and gratuitous- telling no story and furthering nothing. The vengeance angle grew old after the first volume and I was expecting to find out more about Ai and her crew in the following volumes. That wasn’t meant to be, however, and the series’ refusal to give up episode after episode of the same thing and actually develop a plot helped damn it. The point of Hell Link and Ai Enma could have been conveyed in two or three “cases” instead of twenty three. That’s a matter of pacing and not necessarily the quality of the idea.

The anime relied too heavily on its good looks and paid little mind to the rest of what makes great anime- storytelling, pacing and character development. It’s always a shame when a good concept falls prey to the easy seduction of style-over-substance.

Series Rating

Hell Girl, Complete Series gets 2 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:May 20, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:23-26
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

The vampire brothers, Jiro and Kotaro, will finally learn their fate in the Special Zone in the last installment of Black Blood Brothers!

plot summary

After coming face to face with one of Cassa’s “brothers”, Jiro loses all control and is unable to defeat his young enemy. Afterwards, Jiro decides to leave the Special Zone with Kotaro, only to find his little brother missing.

In a panic, Jiro single-mindedly searches for his sibling, only to discover more threats lurking in the shadows. Cassa and her band of brothers have come to the Special Zone to wreck havoc among its vampire population and to resurrect an evil from the past. Kotaro and his brother are caught up in the mayhem against their will but pledge their strength to the uniting forces of the vampire houses. Can Jiro master his blind hatred towards Cassa in order to save his bloodline and the Special Zone?

review

This series was far, far too short. While other anime suffer from being overly long and drawn out, despite their lack of plot or interest, Black Blood Brothers suffers from just the opposite.

This anime is an engaging and action packed story filled with twists, unexpected moments and unique characters. For whatever reason, a large amount of information has been severely condensed and crammed into just twelve episodes.

At the beginning of the series, the pacing was perfect. There weren’t any fluff moments or unnecessary scenes, and the story never deviated from its course. But at the end, the pacing became too fast, and the info which was easy to swallow before, started to become too much at once. In episode eleven for example, there was far too much to absorb in just twenty minutes. This series deserved twenty six episodes, or at least thirteen, and could have filled each one with enough story, history and background to satisfy all the nagging questions left at the end and yet still be entertaining.

Character Development

There was a lot of good development in the final installment of the series and many questions were answered, though not in as much detail as they could have been. Some questions actually gave rise to further questions and left a feeling of “Is this all there is?” And some answers felt too pat, too convenient, especially when it came to Kotaro. There was a moment I was taken aback in an explanation of his heritage, not because it was surprising, but because it was too easy an answer. It would have been good if more in depth story was given for Jiro, Cassa and Alice’s history. That was one aspect of the series which was given a cursory pass and taken for granted.

Animation

The animation for the series stayed strong throughout all twelve episodes and had good consistency. Style-wise, it was a bit on the generic side, yet it had a shonen feel which made it better than run-of- the-mill.

Volume Conclusion

Volume Three had a lot to deliver as the last installment of a short but very involved series. It did deliver, but felt incomplete on some levels. On other levels, there was an open-ended finality which left room for interpretation; not necessarily a bad thing, but not always a good thing either. Very open in other words, in a series which worked well in the time alloted.

Series Conclusion

It’s a pity Black Blood Brothers was unable to be produced as thirteen episodes, let alone twenty six. This is an anime which would have done very well as a complete, one season twenty six episode series. Yet, it still had enough panache to pull off an interesting, exciting story in only twelve episodes, something other series can’t even do with a full season. The story was a unique take on a fascinating subject, vampires, and handled the subject matter with class. The only complaint I have for Black Blood Brothers is its abbreviated length and the lingering feeling that much more could have been done with this anime.

Volume Rating

Black Blood Brothers, Volume Three gets 3.5 outta 5 Hammies!

Series Rating

Black Blood Brothers, Complete Series gets 4 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date: May 6, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes: 9-12
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen

Vexille is the highly anticipated CG film from the creators of Appleseed. It’s a film which has stirred some controversy over the subject matter: Japan as evil technological overlords. The question is, is it as entertaining as it looks?

plot summary

Japan has been honing its robotics technology for decades and in the year 2067, android tech becomes a very real science. But the nations of the world are frightened of the implications this technology could mean, and level heavy sanctions against the island nation in order to make them stop developing android technology. Japan refuses to halt their research and withdraws from the United Nations in protest. They seal themselves off from the rest of the world with cloaking equipment and a nullifying electric wall which lets nothing in or out.

Ten years later, SWORD, an elite organization which protects America, becomes involved in a twisted plot by the Japanese robotics corporation, Daiwa. To get a firm grasp of exactly what the threat from Daiwa is, a select group of SWORD commandos infiltrate Japan.

Leon Fayden and his lover, Vexille Serra, are among the infiltration team. The two find more than they bargained for in Japan, and the threat to America looms much larger than anyone originally thought. Will the two be able to put a stop to the Japanese masterminds?

review

Vexille seems like a good idea. Androids, future tech, a sinister Japan, fighting, flying robots, ect. With fun elements like these, it seems like an automatic win for the studio. But in reality, Vexille was a bad, bad idea. Not just bad, however, boring bad. How can anyone make something as exciting androids and forbidden technology into a Snooze Fest?

Maybe it had something to do with the snail’s-crawl pacing, or the shallow characters I cared nothing for, or maybe it was the overly drawn out scenes meant to say something deep but which only managed to wander and ramble on, saying zip. Or it could have been the distracting graphics, the poorly orchestrated fight scenes, the slow-mo action, or the unfocused plot line, which itself, wandered around meaninglessly. Perhaps the dull, monotonous character designs, which bled and blended in with their surroundings were also to blame.

Whatever it was, watching Vexille was like sitting in a doctor’s office for an hour and some change- painful and boring.

Vexille felt far too similar to Appleseed EX Machina, another CG sci-fi thriller released in 2007. Everything from the special ops organizations, to the love interests, to the futuristic problems with society, have a lot in common with Appleseed. Even the flying battle suits are much the same. But where Appleseed managed to entertain, even a little, Vexille only copied poorly.

The story is meant to be a cautionary tale about Japan’s elitist attitude towards other nationalities, but comes across as disjointed and preachy. It felt like I was being force fed a bunch of different ideas packaged in what should have been an entertaining action movie. I was neither educated nor entertained by Vexille. I was just plain bored by it.

Character Development

The character development was non-existent. Nobody was given any depth and there was zero connection with any of the characters. I felt nothing for them but a kind of bored detachment, emphasis on bored.

The story took massive leaps in trying to connect characters with one another. Short scenes meant to add history to the cast and weave their stories together, only managed to distract from the already distracting plot line. It was painful how sophomoric the background info was integrated into the movie.

Character Design

The character designs are as uninspired as they come. The blasé colors and frumpy clothing make this movie look like the Matrix unplugged, i.e. the scenes in that movie which occurred outside the mainframe.

The main character, Vexille, was not so good to look at. Her character reminded me too strongly of a plain, brunette Deuna Knute from Appleseed, but not nearly as interesting.

The tech for the movie was intriguing in spots. The robots from Daiwa, for example, were unique and had a sense of realism to them. The helicopter design, however, was not very well done. Why put metal-feathered wings on a helicopter?

Another interesting highlight in Vexille were the jags- twirling, absurd creatures living in the wastelands which suck up vagrant metal and absorb it into their whirling bodies. I say interesting because all the scenes with the jags look much, much like the ones in Frank Herbert’s iconic classic, Dune. Interesting….

Animation

The studio took a gamble on Vexille’s unique blend of CG and animation. It’s a strange hybrid that doesn’t work too well with this movie. Details are hard to see and the painterly look in some scenes makes it feel like I’m looking at a Photoshop picture come to life, a stilted life.

This type of animation may work in other movies, and I commend the studio for trying something new, but it was not a good fit for the subject matter since so much was missed or jerky.

Music

Now to the the high point of Vexille, the music. Paul Oakenfold, the mix master behind the Matrix Reloaded and Appleseed soundtracks, did the music for Vexille as well. The movie had techno rasta rhythms throughout the soundtrack, along with Oakenfold’s high tension electronic beats. The soundtrack was a fantastic creation which was an exciting highlight for a tedious film.

Voice Acting

Voice casts in either Japanese or English are slightly above average, but the Japanese made the movie somewhat more exciting. But since the movie was already a chore to watch, we watched most of it in English before deciding to switch to Japanese, and then back again, in the doomed hope changing languages would make Vexille more bearable.

Conclusion

Vexille was meant to impart a lesson on Japan’s isolation and negative stance with foreigners. Instead it rambled aimlessly and imparted nothing but a bad taste and a desire to get my hour and forty five back, with interest.

Rating

Vexille gets 1 outta 5 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:May 20, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Run Time: 105 minutes
• Rating:PG-13
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Format:Color, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen