ANIME REVIEW: Rokka No Yuusha

Rokka No Yuusha (English Title: Rokka: Braves Of The Six Flowers) is a 12 episode anime series produced by Pony Canyon. It was originally a light novel series written by Ishio Yamagata then a manga and now it has been adapted for anime. The series despite its fantasy and magic setting is best described as a mystery.

PLOT

When the Majin awakes from the depths of darkness, the deity of fate selects six heroes and bequeaths them with the power to save the world. Adlet, a boy who proclaims himself the strongest man in the world, has been selected among "The Heroes of the Six Flowers". However, as the heroes gather, they soon begin to suspect that someone amongst them is an imposter.

WHY I WATCHED

You don’t get many anime series that revolve around mysteries, I’ve watched a few Hyouka is an interesting one that I thoroughly recommend. I chose this as something to break up the usual parade of mecha, fantasy and fighting anime.

WHAT I THOUGHT

I am writing this review up after the first 9 episodes of the show but I think given the mystery premise that’s fine. This anime is pretty much a run of the mill whodunit where instead of a remote hotel or a dinner party caught off by a flood you have a group of warriors stuck inside a barrier with the equivalent of a locked room mystery to deal with.

The mystery is at the core but this is about a group of warriors so we do see amazing fights with a range of interesting fighting styles and the interpersonal relationships and how each warrior reacts to one another is interesting to say the least. The warriors are very different from different social classes we have everything from princesses to commoners.

There isn’t much more I can reveal that doesn’t get into major spoiler territory so I will just say that trying to figure the mystery out is a great little brain teaser and makes me eager to see how things work out. I don’t know whether this is just a first season or if this was just meant to be a one off, I tend to think it could be the former subject to ratings.

If you like things like Sherlock or mystery books than you could do much worse than this anime which is just the kind of whodunit fix you need.

ANIME REVIEW: Terra Formars

Terra Formars was originally a manga serialised in Weekly Young Jump which was then adapted for anime in 2014. There were also two OAV (basically one-off or very short anime series) covering the earlier missions often referred to the show.

The anime ran from September 26, 2014 to December 19 2014 and consisted of 13 episodes

For those interested I did a little research and unfortunately could not find any evidence that there will be another season. There is still a manga to read though.

WHY I WATCHED

Terra Formars was marketed as a Horror/Sci-Fi which sounded pretty interesting to me and other than that it pretty much came out of nowhere. It sounded like a fairly cut and dry idea, hard to go wrong, it reminded me a bit of Gantz but could just as easily be described as Attack On Titan in space.

WHAT I THOUGHT

Terra Formars is a wild, wild ride. There is a OVA which is like two episodes wrong but I’m not whether or not you should watch it first, it shows the previous missions will be referred to in the show from the beginning so make up your own mind. So first up is Terra Formars scary? Definitely not in a jump scare serial killer behind you sort of way but more of a no one is safe so don’t get attached to that character you find endearing.

One thing of note is that when Terra Formars was first broadcast is was heavily censored (what else would you do with a horror show) so trust me when you I say you want none of that action it is more horrifying than any of the deaths on the show.

Zeroing in on the show’s core reveal it to be a battle anime (think Naruto, DBZ) with the fights being more violent but just as intricate with just as many “let me just pull this special move out of my ass” moments which will make you smile.

The explanations for the Science behind the abilities of our protagonists and the enemies is well worked though it doesn’t exactly have me wanting to queue for that surgery. The announcer is awesome I kind of want to check out the English dub to see if he is up to scratch but somehow I think I will be disappointed.

As I mentioned previously absolutely no one is safe but if you had to watch one character it has to be Michelle K Davis as one of the leaders of the crews and perhaps the most badass female anime of recent times (say last five years). She is one of the few female protagonists you see in a show where you think yeah even without her powers or abilities she still kick the crap out of most who tried to take her on.

The show isn’t all action though there are flashbacks which serve to show why people would choose to go to Mars on what could be well be a suicide mission. The flashbacks speaks of mega corporations and the divide between rich and poor growing even larger.

So if you have a strong stomach and a love of epic multi-episode battles handled a lot better than they were in Dragon Ball and if you want to see some strong women calling the shots than go pick this up on DVD or on a streaming service if you can find it.

ANIME REVIEW: Is it Wrong to Try and Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon

Familia Myth is what I will be referring to this as from now on but having the full title is useful.

So in no particular order these are its titles.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? - Eng Title

Danjon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darō ka - Long Title

^{DanMachi - Shortended Title}

Familia Myth is the anime adaption of a light novel series from SB Creative – GA Bunko. The anime series had an initial 13 episode run and started broadcasting on April 4^th.

PLOT

The story follows the exploits of Bell Cranel, a 14-year-old solo adventurer under the goddess Hestia. As the only member of the Hestia Familia, he works hard every day in the dungeon to make ends meet while seeking to improve himself. He looks up to Aiz Wallenstein, a famous and powerful swordswoman who once saved his life, and with whom he fell in love. He is unaware that several other girls, deities and mortals alike, also develop affections towards him; most notably Hestia herself.

WHY I CHOSE IT

I was not sure about this show at first but decided to give it a try and when I checked it out on the various anime sites I saw that word most dreaded of anime fans "

WHAT I THOUGHT

I was not sure about it at first and even a look at that cover was a bit off putting somehow I could sense the harem issues but after a bit of back and forth probably 2/3 of the way into its run I took the plunge. The show is not a harem at least it is not the only thing it is. It really can be described as the typical male anime protagonist gradually proving himself and rising up through the ranks, this story has been told dozens of times but I was entertained all the same.

If I could de-construct DanMachi into its constituent parts and look at them I would probably come out having no idea how the show manages to work as well as it does. It is also interesting because this is basically an anime version of most fantasy JRPGs. The idea of experience and talent trees are presented in an interesting way.

Bell Cranel is the protagonist of the show and starts out as a level 1 adventurer (yes they have levels) who is just beginning his career. He is a nice if oblivious dude which should give you some idea of the character arc you’ll watch but still he is compelling to watch.

Hestia is a god one of the pantheon who came down to the world at some stage in the past to live with humans. She’s called the “Loli-God” down to looking like a kid, those ponytails and her other apparent assets. I couldn’t tell you why other than the obvious but she makes me uncomfortable, it is not the first time I’ve see Lolita with overly large breasts but her body combined with her personality makes it super weird.

Ais Wallenstein is the superstar of the world of Dungeon and considered to be one of the top adventurers as well as one of the most beautiful who Bell falls for in the first episode.

So to settle up if you like adventure anime and JRPGs then DanMachi is a show that is worth checking out. This initial season looks good for a renewal though I can’t confirm that. So just remember that as I said before this is so much more than a harem show.

ANIME REVIEW: Hamatora

Hamatora is a 2014 anime that ran for 12 episodes from Jan 8 to Mar 26 in Japan. It was produced by TV Tokyo, NAZ, DIVE II Entertainment and the second season titled Re: Hamatora began on Jul 8.

PLOT

"Minimum" - a special inborn power found in a limited number of human beings, known as "minimum holders." In Yokohama, the detective team Hamatora, formed by two minimum holders named Nice and Murasaki, comes across information connected to a serial killer being pursued by their old friend Art. It turns out all the victims are minimum holders like them. Unwillingly at first, the two detectives become involved in the investigation.

WHAT I THOUGHT

With that plot summary you might think that this show is as straightforward as can be an action anime with super powers and not much plot at all. You would be wrong there is something so much deeper lying below the surface of this anime, something that becomes much clearer in the second season. I’m getting ahead of myself first we should consider the core elements of the show.

The detective agency – Hamatora – which is really more accurately sort of an agency for odd jobs consists of a small group of friends who all possess Minimums which are there super powers. The powers seem to be activated by the Minimum holder interacting with objects that they tend to keep on them, I’m not sure if it is like a shortcut to an incantation or if they can’t use their abilities without them which is something we never find out.

The leader Nice has a power that puts him about one level below Superman in terms of the world of Hamatora though it took me until the second season to get any sort of understanding of what it was that he was doing. A lot of the fun I had with watching Hamatora was trying to figure out the rules around their powers but that might just be for former comic collectors like me to enjoy.

I can’t write about this show without mentioning that there is a lot of comedy thrown in there especially in the opening half of the season, comedy which for me did not always work but isn’t so bad that it puts you off checking out the next episode.

There is a mystery at the centre of Hamatora despite what the first few filler episodes might make you think I urge you just to hang in there, like a large number of anime shows out there the first few filler episodes are just that but they offer you bread crumb bits that actually do feature when things pick up in the second half of the season.

The animation is great and I love the outfits and sense of style, definitely good for cosplaying opportunities for guys something that I can definitely get behind. The music is interesting lots of piano and very different from what you tend to hear in most anime.

Hamatora first season lasts 13 episodes with a Finale that definitely has a WTF moment but in a good way and because it has a second season you know that you get some resolution and actually a reasonable resolution at that.

ANIME REVIEW: Mekakucity Actors

Bear with me people this is a new feature and trying to review a whole season of an anime is very different from my episodic or single book reviews. Hope you have fun reading it.

Mekakucity Actors is a 2014 anime series that ran first from April 13, 2014 to June 29, 2014. Its producers are listed as Aniplex, Shaft and 1^st Place.

PLOT

The incidents which occurred on August 14th and 15th bring a group of young boys and girls together... They are members of a group they call themselves the "Mekakushi Dan" (Blindfold Organization) and each member possesses a strange power involving their eyes. Will the members of this peculiar organization be able to solve the mysteries behind these incidents and see the truth?

ANIMATION

The animation is smooth and incredibly well done but the animation style is fairly unique as such things go and most similar to the Bakemonogatari series which was made by the same studio. It is beautiful but very different and will take some getting used to.

WHAT I THOUGHT

This anime makes no sense.

This anime makes no sense.

This anime makes…

OH wait why didn’t they make that more clear in the beginning.

If you require require a show to have a linear plot moving from A to B and so on you need to stay well away from this show it might have an adverse effect on your health seriously at times this show can and will seriously stress you out.

Mekakucity is one of the strangest anime I have ever seen. It is not that the show doesn’t have a plot in fact the plot is rather expansive and pretty involved the issue comes around the fact that the plot doesn’t follow any simple timeline or logical progression it just tells you stuff whenever it wants and without warning. It jumps here and there and doesn’t explain itself.

Mekakucity Actors is based on a series of Vocaloid songs by the artitst Jin so perhaps that explains some of the weirdness of the show. The songs were apparently huge and spawned light novel and manga adaptions, the songs together tell a story which is something to note in terms of discussing the show itself.

There are things to recommend in this anime the art work is good but somewhat unique UNLESS you have also watched Monogatari and the related series which are all made by the same studio and do this weird thing where only the main characters have any definition and extras are often still silhouettes or disembodied voices. It is kind of creepy if I’m honest but meh.

I can recommend this if you want to take a look at a great example of non-typical anime, there isn’t a wimpy protagonist who just wants to become strong or humanoid mecha battles between warring nations. It is definitely an anime that you can’t watch passively you need to pay attention to what is going on and think about them in order to rearrange the jigsaw that is the plot of this show.

FILM REVIEW: Blood The Last Vampire

Blood The Last Vampire is a 2009 Hong Kong remake of the popular 2000 anime. Directed by Chris Nahon and starring Gianna Jun and Allison Miller, it is described as action/horror/thriller which is pretty spot on. It was released on the 26 June 2009 in the UK.

PLOT

A vampire named Saya, who is part of covert government agency that hunts and destroys demons in a post-WWII Japan, is inserted in a military school to discover which one of her classmates is a demon in disguise.

WHY I WATCHED

I remember Blood The Last Vampire it was a great film but shockingly short at 48 minutes. I figure it was worth checking this out as it would seem to be a fairly straightforward thing to turn this story into a live action, we’re not talking the latest Gundam or even DragonBall (because we all know how the latter went).

WHAT I THOUGHT

I was wondering what to expect, things like this can easily go wrong. I have watched the original Anime release but that was a long time ago so I don’t remember much about it but you certainly don’t need to have watched the original.

The pacing is pretty slow at the beginning with quite a lot of info-dumping going on but once that is out of the way things really get going and it shifts into high gear. There is a reasonably large cast of characters and there are a few other sub plots that tie into Saya’s story eventually.

Some people may be annoyed that the plot gets sidetracked by the General’s daughter and her contribution to the story. Her inclusion can be thought of as the Westernisation of the film to appeal more to those strange people for whom senseless violence and bloodshed is not enough to make a film. It works though it adds something to the story and in some way makes the whole Saya against the Horde slightly more believable.

So in closing I would definitely recommend this for the anime completists out there as a fun and action packed ride.

WATCH FOR…

Great fight choreography

Fleshing out of the origin and background of the story (may or may not be canon?)

DON’T WATCH FOR…

A copy of the original Blood The Last Vampire

ANIME REVIEW: Hyouka

Hyouka is a 22 episode anime based on the book series of the same name. 

This is a spoiler free review.

Plot

Hōtarō Oreki doesn't like to do things that he considers a waste of energy. However, things start to change when he enters high school because even though he does not want to join any non-compulsory school activities, his older sister requested that he join the deserted Classics Club so that it won't be disbanded. Unknown to him, another student Eru Chitanda already planned to join; but instead of being free from club obligations, Hōtarō eventually joined as he is strangely unable to refuse nor to escape from Eru's passionate gaze of curiosity. Together with his friends Satoshi and Mayaka, they began to discuss a variety of mysteries in school that only Hōtarō seems to be able to solve; including the mystery that lingered on from Eru's childhood memory.

Why I Chose It

I had heard a lot of things about Hyouka and read some reviews, eventually decided to take the plunge after wanting to learn more about the mystery solving nature of the show. I should also mention that the screenshots I saw showed artwork that was some of the best I had seen and that definitely helped tip me towards giving the show a chance.

What I thought

I really didn’t know what to expect with this series but I had heard so many good things about it and really wanted to take the plunge with a series after finishing up Accel World.

This couldn’t be more different from Accel World with the only common thread being that they are both set in and around high school. The theme of mystery solving and amateur detective work instantly got me hooked in making me watch multiple episodes at a time.

One major point going for this show is the protagonist, maybe it is just because I came to this from watching Accel World but it is so nice to have a lead with a strong sense of self even if he can get talked into all manner of things by a curious girl.

Going off topic for a second I find a problem with a lot of anime shows is protagonists that are almost blank slates with seemingly no thoughts of their own, you could never mistake Hotaro as someone without his own thoughts on life and while throughout the series his mind slowly changes you can see why he makes the choices he does.

I can’t talk about Hyouka without mentioning the mysteries that they gang solve, I found them interesting and engaging as well as very well laid out. You don’t get the TV murder mystery effect where we the detective announces some previously unknown fact that reveals the murderer in an instant, mysteries in Hyouka are solved by deduction which is impressive but believable.

High school politics Japanese style always keep me interested, the after school clubs that seem to mirror the traditional social groups of Goths, jocks et al in an American setting. I probably just wish that my high school was more like that (especially that whole co-ed thing but I digress) but I get that it is an idealised version of what most Japanese High Schools are nice but it serves as an interesting glimpse into a different culture.

In closing I can definitely recommend Hyouka but be prepared to spend a few hours watching those episodes in bulk. This anime showcases well that not every title is about energy attacks and intense action scenes sometimes it is just about friends coming together and helping each other out.