Anime review: Psychic Squad (Zettai Karen Children) collection 4

I tried to drag it out as long as I could but it's now time to review the fourth and final volume of Zettai Karen Children (renamed Psychic Squad in the US). Psychic Squad collection 4 is a double-disc DVD set priced at $49.98 which came out back on 6th November 2012. It contains episodes 40-52; the last episode is actually a special since the series finished with episode 51. Once again the extras are sponsor bumpers, clean OP/ED videos and trailers for other Sentai Filmworks titles. There's no English dub for the series so these discs only include the Japanese audio with optional English subtitles.

After the exciting storylines covered by the previous two sets the first few episodes in this fourth DVD collection feel like a step backwards; although we get a few glimpses of the evil Black Phantom in action nothing of importance seems to happen.

This changes towards the end of the first disc when Minamoto comes face to face with an important person from his past, the pretty Caroline 'Carry' McGee. Before long, he's forced to make some difficult decisions regarding Carry and The Children. Then, in a different story, Minamoto finds himself torn between his duties as the girls' guardian and his regrets about his own difficult childhood. Seeing the usually-stoic Minamoto struggling with his emotions adds a new dimension to his character.

Is it cheating to use a picture of Minamoto when it's
actually Hyoubu in disguise?

Another episode parodies Death Note so heavily that I was certain it was going to be a pointless filler episode. Instead, the creators used it to follow the progress of a pair of rehabilitated espers. A few plot spoilers follow after the jump.

Anime review: Psychic Squad (Zettai Karen Children) collection 3

I quickly blazed through the addictive third DVD collection of Zettai Karen Children collection (US title: Psychic Squad) just days after finishing the last batch of episodes. Released back in September 2012, Psychic Squad collection 3 includes episodes 27 to 39 in a double-disc DVD collection priced at $49.98. As with the previous two sets, the extras are sponsor bumpers, clean OP/ED videos and trailers for other Sentai Filmworks titles. Zettai Karen Children has no English dub so the only language option is Japanese audio with (optional) English subtitles.

With the first two sets having introduced us to the main characters, the series is now free to explore the main storyline in more detail. This often boils down to Minamoto worrying about the grim vision of the future he was shown by psychic dolphin Ikyuugo at the end of the the second DVD collection. Although there are just as many episodic hijinks as ever, the knowledge of what might come to pass if Ikyuugo's prediction is correct gives the story a much darker feel.

I said that everyone had been introduced, but that's not quite true; these episodes also mark the debut of one more major character: Tsubomi Fujiko. Tsubomi is the impulsive founder of the organisation The Children and Minamoto work for - and she happens to have a complicated history with their enemy, Hyoubu Kyousuke. Tsubomi is also voluptuous and self-confident; at once a powerful esper and a dreadful tease. Whenever she joins in, she provides B.A.B.E.L. with a much-needed offensive edge in battle.

Anime review: Psychic Squad (Zettai Karen Children) collection 2

I decided to watch the second Zettai Karen Children collection (retitled to Psychic Squad in the US) and ended up marathoning the entire set over the course of a weekend. This July 2012 release collects episodes 14 to 26 in a double-disc DVD collection for $49.98, though it can usually be found much more cheaply online. Extras are sponsor bumpers, creditless opening/ending videos and trailers for other Sentai Filmworks titles. The episodes here feature a brand new ending sequence. As before, the show is presented in the original Japanese with English subtitles; no American dub has been produced for Zettai Karen Children to date.

It's been a while since my review of the first collection. I mentioned the similarities to classic American titles like the X-Men before, and they're still present here. One of the most addictive aspects of Zettai Karen Children is that it recaptures the exact same excitement I felt reading those classic comics back in my early teens, without relying on the newer trends which have ended up ruining the big superhero stories for me. It's also much more consistent thanks to having just one creator instead of the rotating stable of writers and artists that the western comic industry uses on their mainstream titles. I've been waiting for a series like this for a long time.

With the introduction to the main cast more or less out of the way, this batch of episodes introduces a varied bunch of new characters. The majority of these form part of Hyoubu Kyousuke's organisation made up of renegade espers, P.A.N.D.R.A.

Fans of The Unlimited will be pleased to see some familiar faces as well as extra backstory for the characters who have already been introduced. One thing that the new espers seem to have in common is a more varied set of powers than those we'd seen previously. Magi's ability to use his hair as both wings and a weapon is awesome, as are the animal-inspired shapeshifting powers wielded by Inugami.

There has been an marked increase in the amount of 'equal opportunity' fan service since the series began. Along with the usual short skirts and skimpy tops sported by the female characters, the male leads get plenty of time to show off their flesh whenever possible too. This is sometimes done in parody - for example, any time the macho Muscle Ookama is on screen - but more often it seems to be aimed straight at the series' mixed audience. I'm not complaining, especially when Hyoubu is such a fantastic character.

My reviews are getting more fujoshi-centric...

News roundup: ANN podcast reveals the Sengoku Basara anime sold unspectacularly in the US, too

We should be getting some interesting news soon with the start of the Takarazuka Revue's musical run, but for now it's been rather quiet.

FUNimation talks about Sengoku Basara's DVD/Blu-ray sales in the US

In the interest of fairness, I am following up on my previous post about how poorly the Sengoku Basara anime performed in the UK with FUNimation's corresponding comments from the US courtesy of today's ANNCast interview. The question appears at around the 74:47 mark in the podcast and both representatives chipped in with the comments alternately.

"Basara did well for us I believe? We got the movie later on because the series did well enough. 

Basara has done fine, it hasn't blown the roof off the house...

Except for the movie!

The movie is good... I mean, it's an action show that is pretty warriors, fighting. So, is your target dudes? Not really! 

There's a lot of girl Basara fans out there. 

Oh yeah, have you seen the fanfic..? And the doujin for that stuff? You kinda know who your audience is. Dudes still like it but you know, there's the undertone of the ladies going 'oh yeah, fight, fight!'. 

I was under the impression that that was chiefly a fujoshi thing."

They then went on to say they initially thought that the Negima series was a bit hit with girls until they discovered that it only started performing well when they retargeted it towards male fans. Take that as you will. Oh well, at least there's no more anime for Sengoku Basara so its average sales can't harm the prospects of any future releases. They sounded a little disappointed that it hadn't taken off in a big way; I think it's sort of cool that the distributors take a personal interest in their shows (and apparently, in the fanfic those shows generate).

Press event at the Capcom Bar

Moving on, the menu at the Capcom Bar (as shown in my report here) is due for its latest renewal! I was a little sad to see the changes as it means I'll never be able to eat Kojuurou's delicious pasta again. A press event was held to announce the new dishes; full coverage (with photographs) is up on the GAME Watch, Famitsu and 4Gamer websites.

The newest Sengoku Basara novel series arrives on shelves

The delayed new Kodansha BOX novel successfully met its new release date of 3rd June 2013. Sengoku Basara 3: Chousokabe Motochika No Shou ('Chousokabe Motochika Chapter') is the first in the 'second season' of the Sengoku Basara 3 novel adaptations and covers the story from the game.

Tatatsu Shinichi handles the writing while the illustrations are provided by Tsutsumi Yoshisada, the same team behind the earlier novel Sengoku Basara 3: Tokugawa Ieyasu No Shou. The book can be purchased from Amazon Japan and other major retailers for ¥1,575.

Separate volumes featuring Mouri Motonari, Sarutobi Sasuke and Katakura Kojuurou will be coming later.

More Sengoku Basara manga/books are on the way

The fifth compiled volume of Itou Ryuu's Sengoku Basara 3 Bloody Angel manga is coming up for release with a tentative date of July. No formal solicitation has been announced but listings have appeared on several online bookstores such as Honto and there have been some tweets advising fans to get ready to place their orders.

Skimming Amazon Japan, I noticed some other interesting listings had appeared. It looks as though the Sengoku Basara Comic Anthology 'Dategun Chronicle' manga from earlier this year is going to be joined by a Sengoku Basara Comic Anthology 'Takedagun Chronicle' compilation at the end of July priced at ¥893. With the second issue of Sengoku Basara Magazine having Yukimura on the cover, this summer is going to be great for fans of the Takeda army!

The upcoming Takarazuka musical will have a Yukimura theme as well, of course, and there's a new listing for a ¥1,000 mook titled Le Cinq Special Edition: Hanagumi Performance Sengoku Basara to go with it.

The last of the new listings I found is something I'd been wondering about for a while now! At the end of the Sengoku Basara Science Laboratory blog posts that I summarised on this blog last year, writer Yanagita Rikao mentioned that the series would be making the jump to print. Well, it looks as though the book is almost ready since a listing has appeared for Sengoku Basara Kagaku Kenkyuujo, dated to debut on 28th June 2013 at ¥1,155. It's described as having a few bonus chapters that weren't published on the Science Laboratory blog plus extra material (this is possibly the content from Kuusou Kagaku Dokuhon 11 where Sengoku Basara once appeared).

I'm hoping this means that Capcom is planning a big announcement soon to confirm all of the details and satisfy my hunger for more Sengoku Basara books.

--

To close the post, I want to draw attention to a fun new experiment by Japanese character goods shop Otaku Republic. They're bundling up items which have a similar theme at a reduced price - and they're taking suggestions on board! You can see their first few Sengoku Basara bundles at their Tumblr page here.

Blu-ray: Destroying the market for anime on home video

This entire post is a rant. Please skip to the next blog post if you don't like reading this kind of thing.

As the title is ambiguous I want to make it clear that this post is nothing to do with the way that splitting anime releases across two competing formats (DVD and Blu-ray) eats into anime sales. That's something the distributors have to deal with for themselves.

What I'm upset about is something completely avoidable which is killing my desire to buy new anime releases. As a collector, I find it disturbing to find myself skipping series I'd have collected a few years ago. It's not because of lack of interest on my part, nor is it due to streaming, piracy or cost. It's the fact that the anime industry as a whole has become so obsessed with controlling its audience that it's intent on making it as difficult as possible to support anime. The quirks of the Blu-ray format make it a powerful weapon in the anime home video industry's rush to self-destruction.

Manga review: Hiroaki Samura's Emerald And Other Stories

I've been reading a lot of ongoing series lately which don't lend themselves well to my usual rambling review style. This time I'll take a look at a collection of short stories from the creator of Blade Of The Immortal (Mugen No Juunin).

Samura Hiroaki's Emerald And Other Stories was originally released in Japanese as Sister Generator, and from the covers alone it would be difficult for anyone to recognise them as the same book. The English adaptation was published by Dark Horse on 26th February 2013 and should be available through all good online stores. A preview is available on the official website here.

The book is made up of six short stories with a handful of standalone illustrations of women in between drawn in Samura's distinctive style.

Dark Horse has chosen Emerald as the lead story and made the Wild West theme the subject of the cover illustration. This made me hesitate since it's not a genre I'm usually interested in - but only for a moment, as the artwork is too good to miss for such a superficial reason. It's a daring idea to market the book this way as manga with such a quintessentially American theme tends to be quite rare in the US; hopefully it will catch the eyes of some fans who want to try something a little different.

I'm glad that I didn't let my misgivings guide me as Emerald turned out to be an entertaining read. Perhaps it's because the short story has a different feel to a normal western movie, or maybe it's just because seeing a gunslinger who vaguely resembles Blade of the Immortal's Manji alongside a beautiful Hyakurin lookalike is appealing for other reasons. I still don't think I'm ready for a full length Wild West manga - it's not tempted me to rush out and order all of Gun Blaze West or Trigun. Samura's self-contained tale, however, will stay with me for a while.

Of the remaining stories, the haunting Brigitte's Dinner was my favourite. In the creator's notes about each manga, which are included at the end of the book, he reveals that Brigitte's Dinner had to be trimmed in length. It's noticeable; even with the cuts it remains a strong story, but without them it might have been amazing. The Kusein Family's Greatest Show was the other stand-out for me. It's unashamedly weird, flitting between genres several times within its brief 48 pages. It's also the most sensual manga in the book (a later story, Shizuru Cinema, starts off with some similar themes before taking a turn for the strange).

The other treats contained in this book are chapters from a schoolgirl gag manga titled The Uniforms Stay On. The dumb conversations between teenaged girls have become a popular topic for gag manga lately, only here those girls are drawn more realistically than usual and the topics extend to politics and news stories as well as the usual fare. Samura plays it straight and doesn't pander by making the girls sexier or cleverer than they need to be. They're sarcastic, overconfident, vain and whimsical - and fun to watch in spite of it all.

I found it odd that there's no obvious indication from the cover that this book isn't suitable for readers of all ages. Its questionable themes definitely place it in the 'mature' category and shrinkwrap isn't much of a deterrent.

Overall, I enjoyed Emerald And Other Stories very much. It's not the first of Samura Hiroaki's compilations to be published in English; that honour goes to Ohikkoshi back in 2006. With darker themes replacing Ohikkoshi's exploration of young love, I feel that Emerald And Other Stories is the stronger offering of the two and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to fans of the artist or short stories in general.

Anime review: The World God Only Knows II (Kami Nomi Zo Shiru Sekai II)

It's been a while since I watched the first series of The World God Only Knows. Based on a Shounen Sunday manga by Wakaki Tamiki, the series follows the conquests of an unpopular schoolboy who is forced into capturing the hearts of girls using the knowledge he's gained from his favourite games. It's effectively a 'monster of the week' harem series with a huge dose of self-aware parody.

The first series was something I enjoyed more than I'd expected, so I went into this 2011 sequel hoping for more of the same. I wasn't disappointed; these twelve new episodes are just as charming and fun to watch as the earlier ones were.

Season two was released by Sentai Filmworks on Blu-ray and DVD on 7th August 2012. I was pleased that the Blu-ray video was presented in 1080p this time as Sentai have a mixed track record when it comes to transfer quality. The sets come with a choice of an English language dub or the original Japanese audio with English subtitles. I didn't watch the dub; everything in this review relates to the Japanese soundtrack. Extras are limited to textless opening/ending sequences.

Since I never reviewed it separately, I should add that the first series is also available from Sentai as a Blu-ray or DVD complete collection. According to this forum post, there's an audio glitch on the first season Blu-ray set. I haven't noticed any problems with the second season set (if anything, it's above average for a Sentai Filmworks release).

When it comes to the content of the discs, what you get with The World God Only Knows is exactly what you'd expect from the simple summary above. The plot's formula is unashamedly politically incorrect without crossing the line and becoming offensive. There are some serious undertones here and there yet nothing bad ever really happens to anyone - even the characters who lie or pick on the main character, Keima, tend to get away with bruised feelings at worst.

Most episodes are grouped into short arcs focusing on Keima's conquest of a particular girl, though there are also a couple of standalone stories which a tiny insight into Keima and his hobbies for a change of pace. Despite playing off what is a very niche gaming genre in the west, I feel that the jokes still work even for people who don't pick up on the references. Having some knowledge of Japanese dating sims and the gaming subculture simply makes everything funnier.

Amidst the fantasy storyline and gags, there's a strange undercurrent which is almost inspirational. Most harem shows are designed to make the insecure viewer feel they have a chance with attractive women. In the World God Only Knows, that's replaced by a strategic look at how an unpopular guy can improve his chances and find success with almost anyone with some hard work and empathy. Perhaps I'm reading too much into things?

The single biggest strength of The World God Only Knows is probably that Keima himself is unusually likeable; it's a harem series with a main character who is interesting enough in his own right to carry the story through all kinds of twists and turns. Even when he's pursuing a girl I'm not all that keen on, Keima's mildly sociopathic (yet ultimately kind-hearted) personality makes the show addictive viewing. The scenes where he captures the heart of each girl only work because there's an underlying plausibility about his appeal, once his nerdy side is stripped away.

The comedy works too; although Keima is clearly well-qualified to be called the 'god' of conquering girls (both in his games and now in reality too), he's also an easy target for ridicule - which makes his bickering with Elsie and her unintentionally sarcastic-sounding praise even funnier.

Of course, a series about seducing girls is no good if the girls aren't cute as well, and for the most part they're adorable. The character designs are slick and attractive. To allow the main characters to make as many gaming references and jokes as possible, all of the girls conform to established dating sim stereotypes in various ways - which should make them come across as shallow, except it's so funny and well scripted that it works. Each 'conquest' is over within a few episodes so there's no chance of boredom.

In case the human girls aren't enough (and to allow for a more supernatural twist to the ongoing storyline), this second series introduces a second demon girl character, Haqua, whose more serious personality makes Elsie seem more dithery and sweet than ever.

The main reason that I watched The World God Only Knows II now was to prepare myself for the upcoming new television series titled The World God Only Knows Megami-hen. It's due to begin this summer. I'm hoping that Crunchyroll will manage to pick up the streaming rights for this charming show, otherwise I'll have to wait for Sentai Filmworks to get the third series out on Blu-ray before watching more! Until then, if you want to have a permanent copy of the earlier seasons which Crunchyroll is already showing then these sets come highly recommended.

Two new anime streaming sites launch: Anime Sols and Daisuki

This past week has been tremendously exciting for western anime fans, with the launch of two brand new streaming websites. Both sites have taken completely different approaches to the inherent challenges in providing legal sources of anime online, and both have left me with very mixed feelings already.

Here are my completely biased personal opinions following the launch of the Anime Sols and Daisuki services.

Anime Sols is unusual even in the world of overseas anime streaming; rather than focusing on simulcasts, it's dedicated to streaming forgotten classics. Most interestingly it combines traditional streaming with a pledge system - like the system used on Kickstarter. Fans can pledge money for the series they like the most and any series which receives enough support by the deadline will receive a US (R1) DVD release with English subtitles.

In terms of strategy, Anime Sols is an absolutely brilliant idea. Customers can try the shows before deciding to pledge, cutting out the risk of supporting something they won't like and catering for both fans of streaming physical releases. It's also completely transparent about the realities of organising a physical release for a niche title - empowering hardcore fans of particular shows to support them in a way that's never been done before. Samuel Pinansky, the fan who put Anime Sols together as a labour of love, has been extremely responsive to questions so that he can take the feedback straight to the Japanese rights holders. I have nothing but praise for the way the site is being run.

And yet, I want it to fail.

That doesn't mean I have a personal grudge against Anime Sols or old anime series in general. The site is streaming several shows I'd dearly like to own on DVD and I appreciate the effort that has gone into creating something truly innovative for the community. My problem is that only people living in the US or Canada are allowed to participate in Anime Sols. Foreigners are not only barred from watching the streaming anime at all, they can't even pledge money or earn the rewards offered as incentives. It's not all bad news; the site owner has confirmed that foreigners should at least be able to buy the DVD releases if any of the projects reach their targets - we just can't help make that happen.

I want Anime Sols to fail in its current incarnation for one reason alone: it makes me feel utterly, utterly powerless as a fan. The reasons for the blanket ban on foreign users are complicated, apparently rooted in rights issues where older series have been licensed to companies on terms which wouldn't ever be allowed today. I imagine it's similar to the infamous problems with Harmony Gold and the Macross series. This situation is the fault of the rights holders and their international partners and there's nothing overseas fans or third parties can do about it. Even knowing this, however, doesn't make me feel any better about tolerating such a rotten state of affairs. Websites which go as far as blocking international IPs to break the world up into arbitrary geographical regions make the anime industry weaker.

So please, Americans, enjoy Anime Sols and continue to sponsor physical releases for the best shows. Once again, the millions of English-speaking fans outside your region are completely dependent on your generosity - and believe me, we don't want it to be this way either. I will be the first in line to sing the site's praises if the aggressive region locking issues can be addressed in future.

Daisuki

I wrote a long ramble about Daisuki when the project was first announced so I've been eagerly anticipating the site's debut. The approach that the creators of Daisuki have taken seems to be to provide a legal anime portal where fans can watch anything they like without giving up and resorting to illegal sources, while supporting the series through ads and merchandise sales in the attached store. It will obviously take some time before that ambition can be fully realised, but how are they doing so far?

After a two-week delay from its original April date, Daisuki launched this morning with a quirky selection of titles: Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Sword Art Online, Lupin III, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, Mobile Suit Z Gundam and a series of Prince of Tennis OAVs. Frustratingly only the last three titles are available in the UK. That's just half of their catalogue; disappointing for a global website which is supposed to be reducing the perceived 'need' for piracy among anime fans. Because Madoka Magica and Sword Art Online are newer and more marketable, the site's design uses these series for most of their promotional art even though foreign customers aren't allowed to see the videos.

It's a dreadful shame that Daisuki hasn't been able to solve the problem of certain series being restricted to the US market. Two of the three locked shows come from Aniplex - not Aniplex USA, but the Japanese side. It's a strange situation as the simulcast for Sword Art Online was available to the UK on Crunchyroll. I can't be sure without confirmation from users in other regions, but could it be possible that Sword Art Online has been licensed by a UK company and they've demanded exclusive streaming rights for the region too? That would certainly explain why Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not streaming to us as Manga UK licensed it for home video. If so, my feelings of disappointment extend to Manga UK as well (and to the mystery SAO licensee).

With regards to Lupin III, I don't understand what TMS has against the vast English-speaking world outside America, and I doubt I ever will.

It would be interesting (not to mention helpful) if clicking links to the unavailable shows would take foreign users to the local licensor's company website so that they can watch the series elsewhere or provide the local company with feedback about the lack of a viable streaming industry in their country. This would make Daisuki a useful resource rather than a visible reminder of how fans outside America are often overlooked.

Of the three series available to the UK, I have two of them on home video already and the third is an OAV spin-off for a television series we never got to see here. There's clearly some work to be done before Daisuki is going to be a website I visit regularly for my anime streaming needs.

Looking at things more positively, there's a lot of promise in Daisuki's website design. The video player seems to work well and I was able to watch an episode of Prince of Tennis this morning without any obvious problems. The videos come with an option to toggle the English subtitles off, and it looks as though there's room to add additional languages in future if there's enough demand. They've included a Japanese-style giveaway campaign to attract new customers (the prizes are pretty good), and there's a survey which users can fill in to vote for shows they want to watch on the site. I also like the general aesthetics of the website and the abundance of information that's available in the help section. The store doesn't seem to be online yet.

While fans in the US have been complaining that the titles available for streaming are already present on other websites, I see this as a promising step. Exclusivity is the biggest hurdle to legal streaming after region locking; in the long run, fans don't want to have to pay multiple subscription fees to be able to watch their favourite anime on a bunch of different websites with exclusive content. Getting as many series as possible onto every legal platform can only be beneficial, theoretically preventing companies like FUNimation from sitting on rights in the one region and ruining things for everyone else.

I can't help but notice that One Piece has apparently disappeared from the list of titles since the original press release, instead relegated to a 'Coming Soon' box on the Toei Animation Studio page. With Manga UK now holding the UK rights (and no doubt planning to put it on iTunes and Netflix one day in line with their glacial DVD release schedule), I'm gravely concerned that when it finally makes its appearance on Daisuki, One Piece is going to be locked away from the UK as well. The struggles of streaming - and the assumptions I make in the absence of communication - make me resent the existence of our half-hearted UK anime licensees more than ever before. I would love for there to be more engagement from the UK anime companies to stop this happening - in the absence of that, I'd prefer that Japanese licensors stopped giving UK distributors exclusive streaming rights at all. They are wasting so many opportunities to attract fans away from piracy this way.

As Daisuki does cater for the UK (in a limited way), it's earned a spot in my very exclusive list of recommended links. It's got almost as many series as the lacklustre UK streaming portal Anime On Demand, after all! Let's hope they are able to respond to user feedback swiftly and turn the site into something all anime fans can be proud to use.

Update 17/05/2013: It seems that someone at Daisuki has heard our cries, as Aniplex have unlocked both of their series for UK streaming leaving only content from TMS restricted to the US. I'd be extremely interested to know whether Aniplex's shows (Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Sword Art Online) are now available worldwide outside Japan, or whether they're still limited to certain areas.

This is a big step in the right direction and I have my fingers crossed that TMS will follow suit. More information about which shows are available in particular regions (like that provided by Crunchyroll when they announce new acquisitions) would be very helpful for those of us who travel or have friends overseas.

Anime review: Rurouni Kenshin -New Kyoto Arc- (Rurouni Kenshin -Meiji Kenkaku Romantan- Shin Kyouto Hen)

Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc is a remake of the most popular 35-episode storyline from the original television adaptation, created as part of the celebrations for the 15th anniversary of the anime series.

The fact that the producers decided to tell such a long story over the course of two 45-minute OAV episodes is cause for concern right from the outset. The original television version was a shounen fighting manga adaptation, and as such it contained some filler and repetition, certainly. However, the Kyoto story was a long one for a reason. The impact of Kenshin's journey is completely destroyed by condensing the journey to fit within such a short run time.

Newcomers can be forgiven for having no sense of the passing of time or distance as they watch this OAV series; it's little more than a high speed recap of the story, stitching together the most important scenes without any of the emotional impact. In addition, characters are introduced at breakneck speed with reliance on the viewer's knowledge of Japanese history or previous experience with the series to fill in the gaps in the story. It's a stark change from the earlier OAVs, which were arguably perfectly watchable even for someone with no prior Rurouni Kenshin exposure.

Perhaps then, it will entertain fans who have watched the series from the beginning? I'm not sure that the New Kyoto Arc succeeds here either. The brisk pace made everything feel disconnected and unimportant, no matter how well the seiyuu acted out each scene.

The art style has also been updated, and that's a pity; the Kyoto Arc from the television series had my favourite designs of the entire series. The new artwork is slick but not as memorable as the charming, slightly dated style used previously. It's also different to the sharper style mangaka Watsuki Nobuhiro adopted later on in the manga which would have been an acceptable alternative. The designs are very simple, which in turn makes it seem cheap whenever there's not much action taking place.

My lasting impression is that I don't really understand why this OAV was made. Most fans have been clamouring for an anime adaptation of the later chapters of the manga (which remain tantalisingly unexplored). Yet instead of that, they've been offered a shallow remake of what was already one of the most beloved adaptations in shounen manga history.

On the positive side, the anime provided a pleasant way to spend an idle evening and seeing certain scenes from Misao's perspective added a fresh twist. Saitou Hajime (now voiced by Narita Ken after the sad passing of Suzuoki Hirotaka) was as cool as ever, now more like a strange Meiji action hero due to the pacing. The first episode also included a raunchy scene between Shishio and Yumi which was unintentionally hilarious, mirroring my feelings about much of the rest of the disc. Rurouni Kenshin: New Kyoto Arc isn't a bad anime. It's merely a pointless anime.

I watched the Blu-ray version subtitled in Japanese. I have no complaints about the translation or subtitling quality; some people dislike the large yellow subtitles but I don't mind them. An English dub is also present on the disc. There are no extras other than a handful of Sentai Filmworks trailers.

It's always felt unfair that Rurouni Kenshin has never had a proper chance in the UK. The television adaptation was released in the US at a time when long-running series were too much of a risk for the market over here and consequently only the OAVs (and weirdly, the movie) ever received a physical release in this country, back when ADV Films were still active. With all of the previous material now long out of print it remains to be seen whether one of the local licensors will decide to give this new mini-series a release at all. In the meantime, Sentai Filmworks' US edition came out on 5th March 2013 and it can be purchased quite cheaply online as either a DVD or Blu-ray.

Anime review: No. 6

I've yet to see a noitaminA show that wasn't worth watching. No. 6 is an eleven-episode anime series from 2011 based on a series of novels written by Asano Atsuko.

Some elements of the setting reminded me of the earlier Loups=Garous movie (also based on a novel), though it's likely both share influences from earlier dystopian science fiction works. Sion is a young boy with a bright future ahead of him and a passion for science, living in a walled city (the titular No. 6) where peoples' lives are carefully controlled. Sion's comfortable world is soon turned upside-down when he encounters Nezumi, an escaped prisoner whose life he saves.

I didn't watch the dub. Kaji Yuuki's distinctive voice is immediately recognisable in the role of Sion, however, I'm less familiar with Hosoya Yoshimasa who plays Nezumi. He handles the character's difficult range of emotions perfectly. Shindou Kei stood out as the hot-tempered Inukashi as well, even though there was little doubt in my mind about the character's real gender (it was supposed to be ambiguous). The number of important characters is tiny so all of the leads have a great deal of screen time.

By the end of the series I'd grown attached to everyone in the cast - even Nezumi, who was initially too inscrutable to elicit much sympathy. One thing which should be noted is that the Sentai translation uses the English words for names where there's a direct equivalent, so Nezumi is 'Rat' in the subtitles and Inukashi is 'Dogkeeper'. This makes sense since their names are also their descriptions and it's a shame to lose that, but some fans are bound to find it grating to see the words translated instead of transcribed in the text. Overall, the subtitles are quite good for a Sentai release with only a few noticeable mistakes.

Let's draw attention to this annoying spellcheck error

The story unfolds with a grimness which would make it a perfect choice for adaptation into a drama series or live action movie. As an anime it's an ideal fit for the noitaminA television slot. The muted colours and nuanced characterisation of No. 6 mean that it might appeal to a different audience to the usual otaku crowd without limiting itself to any particular demographic.

Having seen the forum discussions which occurred when the show first aired, I should mention that a certain type of viewer will find the show's treatment of homosexual themes problematic. I would strongly advise that people who cannot stand seeing two men who might be in a relationship avoid No. 6 entirely rather than watching it and then griping. Having said that, the BL content is only as much of a plot point as the viewer wants it to be; it's easy to rationalise it as a one-sided crush or awkwardly-expressed camaraderie. There's nothing explicit or uncomfortable shown on screen whatsoever. The characters have far more pressing things to be worrying about.

The closing theme by Aimer didn't stick in my mind, unlike the beautiful opening song by Lama, Spell, which gave the start of every episode an uplifting, bittersweet feel. It was one of many things which reminded me of UN-GO - another Bones noitaminA show which aired the following season. The animation which accompanies the opening theme is a good match for the music.

Speaking of music, No. 6 includes a surprising number of insert songs for a serious short story. These are performed by the characters and enhance the emotional impact significantly.

At the time of this post No. 6 has never been licensed in the UK. Sentai Filmworks gave it a full bilingual Blu-ray release in the US back on 21st August 2012. This is the version I watched. The extras are a set of Japanese commentaries, creditless opening and ending videos and some trailers. The DVD edition costs $59.98 and the Blu-ray is $69.98, though it should be possible to find both for $30-$40 with online discounts. Unlike many of Sentai's recent discs, the picture on the Blu-ray version is lovely and it comes highly recommended.

I'm glad that Sentai have been releasing niche titles like No. 6 instead of just focusing on big hits. It's a well-made show, though destined to alienate many viewers by virtue of its weirdness and the polarising BL subtext. Personally speaking, I'm delighted that I had the chance to watch this bleak story unfold for myself.

Anime review: Psychic Squad (Zettai Karen Children) collection 1

I'd already purchased the whole of Zettai Karen Children on DVD prior to the 2013 television series THE UNLIMITED -Hyoubu Kyousuke- being picked up for broadcast to the UK through Crunchyroll. It was initially doomed to fall into my backlog of unwatched discs for years to come. This was until I become so addicted to its spin-off that I became desperate to see the original series as soon as possible.

Zettai Karen Children has been given the generic-sounding title Psychic Squad for its US release, guaranteeing that it will be overlooked by potential fans for years to come as few of the people enjoying THE UNLIMITED are going to realise the original series is already available to own. The US release splits the complete series into four double-disc DVD sets.

Due to the bland title, I almost forgot to buy the series myself. Psychic Squad collection 1 came out in on 1st May 2012 and sells for $49.98, which ends up being just over $30 when online discounts are taken into account. The set is barebones with no English dub; it contains the first thirteen episodes in Japanese with English subtitles split across two discs. There are minimal extras; just sponsor bumpers, a clean OP/ED and some trailers. Sadly, there's no Blu-ray version available and the DVD video quality is nothing to write home about. Still, I'm very glad that US licensor Sentai Filmworks released the entire show with such good timing.

Zettai Karen Children has a simple premise: in the near future, a growing number of people are being born with ESP powers such as telekinesis, teleportation and telepathy. Normal people feel threatened by these mutants espers which results in an uneasy culture of persecution on both sides. In spite of this, some espers work for the good of mankind thanks to a 'Minority Report'-style organisation which uses psychics to predict catastrophes and stop them before people can be hurt. The titular 'Children' are a trio of young female espers with unusually strong powers. They work together to help people and make the world a better place along with their idealistic young guardian, Minamoto Kouichi.

It's a lot like the X-Men, except that the cast is much smaller and there are lewd jokes every few minutes. And there really are a lot of smutty jokes, for a series which is so family friendly in every other respect.

The girls are fun to watch (my favourite is Nogami Aoi, the dark-haired teleportation expert). While Minamoto himself is a little too good-natured and naive for my tastes, he's shown to have quick wits when not being teased by the girls or the team's enemies. It takes several episodes before the protagonist of THE UNLIMITED, Hyoubu Kyousuke, finally appears in front of the main characters. Kyousuke is the main reason for my interest in the series at all, but I can safely say that it's enjoyable even without his relentless bullying.

It does, however, get considerably better once he's around to act as a foil to Minamoto's innocent personality. As fans of THE UNLIMITED will already know, Kyousuke is an older esper who hates 'Normal' human beings with a passion. What makes him a little different from most villains is that he's extremely relaxed about his evil scheming and will quite happily pop in and help the main characters out when it suits him. This is partly because he is interested in protecting one of the three Children for his own reasons, and partly because he is a natural-born troll, through and through.

Most reports seem to advise reading Shiina Takashi's original manga instead of trying the television version due to some unpopular decisions with the adaptation. I don't have access to the manga and instead came from THE UNLIMITED, so my perspective may be a little unusual. The dark, urgent atmosphere of the newer spin-off is completely absent in this story, but that's not a bad thing, especially watching them both side by side the way I've ended up doing. It's fascinating being able to see Kyousuke (and the Children) from different viewpoints.

In summary, Sentai's DVD collection was definitely a worthwhile purchase. I'm hoping that THE UNLIMITED will eventually receive a Blu-ray release in the west and gain enough of a following that the original manga makes its way over here one day.

News: Anime streaming service "Daisuki" on the way?

Some huge news broke overnight which could easily end up being the biggest development of 2013 from the perspective of a UK-based anime fan. Six major Japanese companies are launching a new anime service called Daisuki specialising in overseas streaming and merchandise. With heavy hitters like Aniplex, Sunrise and Toei on board, all of whom are known for blocking streams to the UK on third party sites, this could be very interesting indeed. Since the new Daisuki service is scheduled to start in April, we don't have long to wait to see what's going to happen.

Previous criticisms of Japanese-led overseas anime initiatives have been dubtitles (not applicable where there are no dubs, of course) and cost (Japanese streaming sites have always been reasonably priced, and this mentions both ads and subscriptions). It sounds as though they have a good understanding of their market so far, and I've long believed that the only way to fix the current broken streaming situation is for Japan to take control of it themselves. It's all very well for users in the US, but when you live in a smaller country nobody wants to sublicense a risky show that won't make its money back - and if the US takes the UK rights and then blocks users with UK IPs, they've pretty much created a situation where fans have no choice but to miss out or resort to learning how to circumvent blocks. It's playing to the culture of piracy rather than monetising anime properly.

I'm not worried about the service failing to meet my needs. So long as the UK is actually included in the new service's definition of "overseas" - it often isn't - then I am comfortable reacting with cautious excitement. The streaming situation has always been grossly mishandled by the current set of companies controlling it; Crunchyroll is doing an excellent job with the titles they pick up, but every other company either sits on UK rights and locks us out or gives us a sloppy service with no communication. The press release specifically mentions One Piece, Lupin III, Mobile Suit Gundam and Prince Of Tennis: all series I'd love to be able to watch as simulcasts, yet only one of them has streamed at all here when the US was in command. Japan cannot possibly do a worse job with overseas fans than the US has done so far.

I'm looking forward to catching up on some much-missed classic anime!

Manga review: Starry Sky volume 1

Starry Sky (Suta Suka for short) is a series of otome games and associated dramas from Honeybee. The original games stand out even in the crowded Japanese marketplace due to Kazuaki's unusual art style, and I must confess that I've always wanted to give them a closer look. However, since it's a school series and Japanese-only, Starry Sky has always dropped down my priority list. Fortunately Digital Manga Publishing have come to the rescue, releasing one of the spin-off manga adaptations in English back in May 2012 to give fans a taste of what they're missing. The English release seems to have paused for the time being as a result of DMP's shift to online-only distribution for much of 2013, after which I imagine it's going to resume.

The plot of Starry Sky doesn't attempt to be realistic. Yahisa Tsukiko is a kind young girl attending a specialist educational facility for astronomy students - where she's the only female in the entire school. Naturally she attracts the attention of quite a few of the young men she's studying with, though they're all very gentlemanly about it and nobody seems to bother her (admittedly, anyone who did would be lynched by the rest of the students within seconds). The story is told as a series of flashbacks from a slightly older Tsukiko looking back fondly at how she spent her school years with these strange, space-obsessed boys. The first volume of the manga contains three chapters, each of which focuses on one of the potential suitors with two short bonus chapters at the end which cram in a few more characters for a few pages. Although mangaka Minagawa Hal notes that she'd love to feature the entire cast eventually, for now fans of the guys who don't star in their own chapters have to make do with a few cameos.

I'm not usually keen on high school settings for romantic stories since nothing ever really happens, and indeed that's no different here. Still, the guys are very cute when their feelings for Tsukiko are in danger of being exposed, and seeing them ruffled or being teased with confessions which end up going nowhere is the series' bread and butter.

After some early reservations (the first chapter did nothing for me), I gradually found myself enjoying watching Tsukiko's heart-warming interactions with the guys around her. I still have some quibbles; it's cheesy that almost everyone seems to have a celestially-themed name, and the core premise of the series is thoroughly silly. However, Starry Sky grew on me as I met more of the characters. The third story about the stoic vice captain of the archery club was my favourite and I could quite happily have read a much longer manga series solely devoted to him romancing the main character.

One of the problems with the adaptation is that the Starry Sky universe contains a lot of characters differentiated mostly by their hair, and since most of them wear matching school uniforms it's quite difficult to tell people apart in this black and white manga. I expect that fans already familiar with the cast from the games have no such trouble, but when you're being introduced to more than a dozen characters (some more fleetingly than others) over the course of a single manga volume, it can get difficult to follow. An introduction or list of characters at the start would have made things less confusing for a complete newcomer.

In terms of the English version, the translation is good, if a little disjointed at times - this could well be the case in the original text too. I didn't notice any distracting mistakes and they also included a few bonus pages of notes from the creators, so Digital Manga Publishing's version of this book is a solid offering. The cover also proudly boasts about the original games, so hopefully Honeybee will consider making them available overseas one day if this release is a success.

All in all, I enjoyed this book and will be purchasing the next volume, if it ever appears. In the meantime I'll keep my fingers crossed that someone will pick up the PSP games for a western release. I want to see more of the Starry Sky world!

Anime review: Ground Control To Psychoelectric Girl (Denpa Onna To Seishun Otoko)

It doesn't feel as though it was all that long ago that NIS America announced that they'd acquired the rights to the 2011 Shaft anime Denpa Onna To Seishun Otoko back in October, and now I already have it in my hands. The official English title is Ground Control To Psychoelectric Girl; I'm not entirely fond of the 'ground control' reference but I like the way the aesthetics of the title match the original. And 'psychoelectric' both sounds cool and makes the box set easy to search for online. Good job, NISA.

NIS America have given the series a splendid US release in the form of a limited edition set, containing all twelve televised episodes as well as the single bonus episode from the Japanese release. Both Blu-ray and DVD discs are included. I watched the BD version for this review; the sharp artwork looks fantastic in high resolution. There's no English dub and NIS America have a notice on their website that the English subtitles are locked so they can't be turned off (a license stipulation to discourage reverse importation from Japanese fans). However, I'm lucky enough to have a playback device which can still disable them as normal, so I'd like to make the point that locked BD subtitles are nowhere near as severe a flaw as hard subtitles placed directly on the video streams were in the old days. On-disc extras are limited to creditless opening/ending sequences and trailers, and the set also contains a hardcover art book and bundles everything together in an oversized chipboard box. The design of the packaging is beautiful. If I saw this in a shop there's no way I'd be able to resist picking it up.

I'm usually not all that fond of fluffy romances involving helpless schoolgirls and weak male leads obviously designed to allow the viewer to project onto them. There's been a terrible glut of this kind of series thanks to its popularity in the light novel industry at the moment, and while there are some gems to be found there is also a large amount of generic tripe.

So there was a danger that I might have passed this series over entirely, had it received a quiet release from a larger company or come with less attractive packaging. Fortunately, I stumbled upon the opening video back when it was originally airing. The series' theme song is a collaboration between Erio's voice actress and the eccentric musicians Shinsei Kamattechan and it's easily one of the best anime openings I have heard in years. After just one viewing of the memorable title sequence, I knew I had to buy the show one day. The bouncy ending theme is adorable as well - musically, Denpa Onna To Seishun Otoko is a cut above its peers.

The other aspect of the show which immediately stands out is that the characters are all beautiful thanks to artist Buriki's work on the original character designs. I'd like to believe that I'm reasonably desensitised to adorable doe-eyed schoolgirls, yet this series has some exceptionally lovely artwork. It helps that the colours used in the anime are vivid; Erio's attention-grabbing blue hair highlights her unworldliness while also being easy on the eyes. Even the male lead is a genuinely cute-looking, likeable guy rather than one of the weak-willed doormats who usually star in series of this kind. It may be a show about aliens and psychic powers, but the beautiful artwork helped ground it in reality by making the interest that all of the characters had in one another feel plausible.

With such strong visuals and audio from the talented creators, it would have been awful if the plot let Denpa Onna To Seishun Otoko down. Thankfully, that isn't the case. The story is an offbeat take on the standard 'magical girlfriend' genre, with light harem elements as young Makoto strives to enjoy his youth to the full. Unlike most young boys in his position (if anime is anything to go by), he seizes every opportunity he's given with enviable purity of thought. When he discovers that he has an oddball cousin called Erio - a shut-in who refers to herself as an extraterrestrial and avoids opening up to others - he courageously approaches her and tries to earn her trust. Along the way, the two adolescents stumble through the challenges of making friends, fitting in and finding a place for themselves in the world. My impression throughout was that Denpa Onna isn't a harem show no matter how many cute female characters it happens to contain; it's simply an unusually lovely story about growing up and finding yourself.

I watched the whole of the first disc (nine episodes) in a single day because I was enjoying the anime far too much to take a break. My interest dipped a little at the start of the second disc, mostly because the less interesting supporting characters are given a chance to take centre stage for a while. In spite of this, it wasn't long before the plot regained its momentum and sped towards a completely satisfying climax, leaving me wishing that I didn't have to say goodbye to Makoto and his friends so soon as the final end credits scrolled.

One thing I've noticed in discussions online is that some viewers interpreted the series as making light of mental health issues, which I strongly disagree with. Even though the plot is crazy, the portrayal of the debilitating problems some of the characters struggled with actually felt more human and sympathetic than I'm used to. Makoto is the perfect rock for someone in trouble to rely on, never exploiting or making fun of those around him. Erio's helplessness is visually attractive, yet nobody in the series itself takes advantage of her and the way that the characters' quirks were dealt with always seemed reasonable, too; nobody was forced to change against their will.

Erio's mother has also been criticised for having been unable to 'solve' her daughter's quirky issues for her, which feels especially unfair. The pair of them have a loving mother-daughter relationship and she clearly respects Erio deeply. However much commentators on the Internet may dislike it, the message that even a young, fragile person needs to have the right attitude in order to keep moving forwards seems a lot stronger to me than the alternative of having a super-parent solving all of their child's problems for them.

Purchasing NIS America releases is mildly inconvenient for fans in the UK, since they're generally limited to specialist retailers. Rightstuf.com is a reliable source so long as you remember to factor in the customs charges that you may be hit with once the order arrives in the country (I recommend buying several items at once to limit the burden!). NISA also offer a limited edition lunch bag if you purchase the show through their online store. Alternatively, if you don't mind waiting until after the release date Amazon.com often has a few people selling copies to the UK that way. If you use the 'Fulfilled by Amazon' option and pick courier shipping, you can prepay the customs fees in advance which is always cheaper than paying Royal Mail upon arrival - not to mention faster. I purchased my copy from a UK-based importer, so I didn't have to worry about customs directly and instead paid a little extra to begin with. Anything to avoid Royal Mail's dreadful combination of high processing fees and delays!

According to American seller Robert's Anime Corner Store, one month after its release the first print run of Ground Control To Psychoelectric Girl had already sold out in distribution channels. NISA will be making some extra copies for circulation in the spring; after that future buyers will have to make do with a standard edition instead of the gorgeous artbox. I urge anyone who has an interest in the series to pick it up as quickly as possible to avoid disappointment!

Book review: Zaregoto

Zaregoto was a series of light novels released between 2002 and 2005, which told six stories over the course of nine books. It was written by NisiOisiN, the quirky mind behind the Bakemonogatari series and many other hits. Stylish illustrations contributed by artist take added to Zaregoto's appeal.

Back in 2008, there was a surge of interest in NisiOisiN's work in the west so along with some tie-in novels and compilations, US manga publisher Del Rey translated and released the first book in the Zaregoto series. The second book followed two years later... and that seems to have been the end of it. Whether the reason was poor sales or a side effect of Kodansha's complicated acquisition of Del Rey's properties, the second book seems to be the last we'll ever see of English-translated Zaregoto.

The story follows the adventures of an unnamed protagonist (he's addressed by various nicknames depending on which character he's speaking to, but his full name is never clearly stated in these two books). Ii-chan - as he's referred to by his close friend Kunagisa Tomo - is a very unusual guy; he's unusually detached from the world while having a truly terrible memory. He provides lackadaisical descriptions of everyday Japanese life from the perspective of someone with no particular hobbies or interests of his own. In contrast, Kunagisa is an unapologetically eccentric computer genius who lives as a shut-in. She's by far the most interesting of the two, but so enthusiastic and scatterbrained that Ii-chan's commentary is the only thing holding the plot together whenever she's around.

The first book, The Kubikiri Cycle, drops the reader right in at the deep end with a traditional murder mystery on a secluded island. I found the story rather chaotic; it's a blend of genres from crime, shounen action, philosophy and self-aware otaku comedy. Although dropping the two leads into an island setting made it easier to get to know them away from their everyday lives, it also made keeping track of the surprisingly-large supporting cast difficult - not least because they were all very strange individuals with a litany of personal quirks to remember. My lasting impression was that it was a flawed yet thoroughly enjoyable work. I wasn't able to put the book down until I reached the last page, once it had finally settled into a rhythm.

With the second volume, The Kubishime Romanticist, the author sets the story out completely differently. I felt that this worked much better, following Ii-chan back home in Kyoto and gradually introducing a very simple cast of characters. On the surface it's another murder mystery, except it's also the introduction to what I presume eventually becomes an overarching plot on a grander scale. Ii-chan's personality is also explored in more detail. I enjoyed The Kubishime Romanticist even more than the first book in the series.

A sense of NisiOisiN's writing style came across well in the English edition, though it's quite exhausting to read because obscure geeky references and Japanese sayings aren't always as clear as they would have been in the original. A number of themes seem to crop up in his stories time and again; fans of his animated works will notice similarities between certain characters and imagery which crops up here. There's obviously a lot of the author's trademark wordplay in Zaregoto too, from the character names to the verbal sparring that runs through most of Ii-chan's conversations with other people. Some of this is retained in the English adaptation, but I'm sure a lot of it is lost in translation. In the end the script is a little awkward for sacrificing some of the original charm in order to be readable as an English language mystery story, while at the same time being too rich with Japanese pop culture material to ever really catch on with a mainstream audience. The translator must have had a very challenging time.

Zaregoto Book 1: The Kubikiri Cycle was originally available from all good booksellers, though it's recently become scarce and the asking price on the used market is increasing by the day. I bought my copy brand new back when it was still easy to find for the princely sum of 49p. From this I gather that it wasn't a hot seller in UK comic shops, at least.

Zaregoto Book 2: The Kubishime Romanticist is still priced more reasonably at the time of this review. It's out of print too, though, and I wouldn't be surprised if it joins the first book in time as NisiOisiN's work gradually gathers steam in the US thanks to Blu-ray releases of the anime adaptations of Bakemonogatari, Nisemonogatari and Katanagatari, not to mention Medaka Box in due course. As Del Rey haven't published any more Zaregoto books since 2010, and Kodansha have stated that they're probably not interested in releasing any more titles from Del Rey's old library, it doesn't look good for the series' future.

Still, if you don't mind knowing that the adventures of Ii-chan and Kunagisa will be brought to an end prematurely, the two books that are available do at least have decisive endings to the stories they contain. With NisiOisiN's popularity showing no sign of abating it's probably only a matter of time before Zaregoto is adapted into a quirky late night anime series or movie. That's what I'm hoping!

Anime review: The Legend Of The Legendary Heroes (Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu)

As I don't follow the light novel industry, I somehow got it into my head that The Legend Of The Legendary Heroes (Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu) was going to be a comedy based on the lighthearted title and apparent reliance on fantasy stereotypes I saw in the initial marketing push. It has its roots in a long series of books written by Kagami Takaya which began publication more than a decade ago now.

Any kind of fantasy anime immediately catches my eye, so I patiently waited and then preordered FUNimation's home video release. The Legend Of The Legendary Heroes received a more than adequate US adaptation with little fanfare. A pair of combo packs came out together in April 2012, each including 12 of the show's 24 episodes on both Blu-ray and DVD. An English dub was also provided, though since I stuck to the Japanese version with subtitles as usual I can't advise on the dub's quality. The first of the two combo packs came in a limited edition pack with a BD-sized chipboard box to hold the series. The first pressing versions of the sets also contained a single tarot card each; a pleasant bonus even if they're nothing to write home about, as extras go.

News: The English version of Weekly Shonen Jump is finally available simultaneously (so long as you're in America)

This week marked a major landmark in the digital revolution, as the famous Shounen Jump weekly manga anthology magazine finally started publishing chapters in English, completely legally, on the same day as they go out in Japan. Given the colossal popularity of series such as Naruto, Bleach and One Piece in the US as well as in their country of origin, this is one of the biggest developments in the western digital manga industry to date.

Manga columnist Deb Aoki has published an article which covers the fan reaction so far as well as some comments from the magazine's side. The ignorant remarks from a few fans have been depressing to read, but overall a lot of people seem to be willing to get behind this. If it's a successful venture it bodes well for English manga distribution in future. The one fly in the ointment so far is that the English-language version, Shonen Jump, is limited to readers in the US and Canada. Region locking once again rears its ugly head!

If, like me, you're not from the US, I cannot stress enough how important it is to let the people behind Shounen Jump know that we're out there and waiting for our chance to enjoy simultaneous manga releases. They've produced a handy little form you can complete asking where you're from and whether you want to read Shounen Jump in English. I implore everyone from overseas who reads this to take a moment to participate if possible and let their voices be heard; the more feedback that the decision-makers get, the faster they will realise that something needs to be done.

If you can't think of three manga titles you want to request on the form, may I suggest that Kuroko No Basuke and Gintama could always use more votes..? I've noticed a fair number of visitors to this blog come here searching for more information about Gintama, and there's no better way to expand its fanbase than to give the official English manga release a second chance in the marketplace.

In any case, congratulations to the lucky fans in the US and Canada; I'll keep my fingers crossed that we'll be joining you soon to reap the benefits of digital distribution.

News: The complete Sengoku Basara 2 manga is now available in English

It's so rare that we get English-language news about the Sengoku Basara series that it deserves its own post.

Last night, Udon Entertainment announced on Twitter that the long-awaited second volume of Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends has finally been printed and sent to distributors. It's been delayed a few times, so they included a couple of tantalising photographs as proof of its existence. I can't wait to add the book to my collection!

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends is the English translation of the four-volume Sengoku Basara 2 manga. It was drawn by Haibara Yak and originally published between 2007 and 2009 in Japan. For the English-language edition, Udon split the manga across two hefty volumes rather than sticking to the same release format as the Japanese books.

There's a preview of the first volume on their website which gives a good idea of what to expect from Haibara's dynamic art style. As it's the official Sengoku Basara 2 manga, the plot naturally centres around the rise of the Toyotomi forces and the actions taken by the other armies in response. Unlike the Sengoku Basara 2 anime, the manga incorporates more characters from the game for a more balanced feel. As much as I adore Masamune, it's good to see characters like Nagamasa, Oichi, Kenshin and Keiji get some time in the spotlight.

Udon also mentioned that the first printing of volume one sold out and had to be reprinted. The new copies should be available at the end of the month. That's very comforting to hear, as brisk sales could mean that they will consider publishing more Sengoku Basara material in the future. There's plenty of manga out there for the series already just waiting to be picked up and brought to the west. A lot of fans don't seem to realise that the manga is out, so here are some links!

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends volume 1 (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Legends volume 2 (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)

Udon also published the Sengoku Basara 3 Official Complete Works in English last year as Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes Official Complete Works. This art book is filled with design illustrations from the third game. They've posted an official preview with some samples as well as photographs of how the book looks; it's obvious that a lot of care has gone into bringing this to the west. All fans of the series owe it to themselves to take a look:

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes Official Complete Works (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)

I think this is also a good opportunity to list the other Sengoku Basara products which are available in the west. Every single purchase of these products matters - let's show the publishers and Capcom that there's a real demand for Sengoku Basara overseas!

First of all, the complete anime has now been released by FUNimation. There's a UK release too from Manga Entertainment, but I can't recommend that: the US version offers a slick Blu-ray/DVD combo pack and limited edition box while the UK only had a Blu-ray for the first season. As well as the drop in quality, this means that the UK release is also completely missing four of the seven special Mini Sengoku Basara episodes which were only available on the Blu-ray version of the second season in the US. The US release is so low priced at around $20 per set that it blows the DVD-only UK version out of the water:

Sengoku Basara Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
Sengoku Basara 2 limited edition Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
Sengoku Basara -The Last Party- Blu-ray/DVD combo pack

It looks as though the second season is currently out of stock, so a standard edition might be on the way soon. UK buyers shouldn't have to pay any customs fees purchasing the sets from the US since the price is below the customs limit (currently £15).

On the game side, the dreadful westernised version of the first Sengoku Basara, 'Devil Kings', is long out of print, and with the HD Collection out in Japan now it's difficult to recommend hunting down a copy of the gutted American adaptation. However, it's still possible to find the English-language version of Sengoku Basara 3 (titled 'Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes) quite cheaply. Weak acting and lack of the Japanese voices aside, it's a good game and worth picking up. If nothing else, counting the number of different ways the dubbed Masamune catastrophically mispronounces 'Kojuurou' in his dialogue is a game in itself!

Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes for PS3 (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)
Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes for Nintendo Wii (Amazon UK) (Amazon USA)

All in all, the list of official English releases for the Sengoku Basara is pitifully short at the moment. With the anime finished and the games having stalled in the west, I hope that the fans will support the translated manga and make Capcom sit up and take notice of us again in future.