Category: TV Anime (Page 6 of 9)

Coyote Ragtime Show: The Complete Series

January 4, 2009 /

“Coyote Ragtime Show” is like a party sampler of some of the best animes ever made, but while it may ooze potential, it never attains the level of quality of the shows it imitates. Part of this has to do with its surprisingly short length (a mere 12 episodes), but it’s mostly because it makes the age-old mistake of choosing style over substance. Sure, “Coyote Ragtime Show” may be fun to look at, but once you get past the sharp animation, it’s pretty shallow stuff. The series, which follows a team of space pirates as they attempt to uncover a hidden treasure while being pursued by a police inspector and an android assassin, feels a lot like “Firefly” and “Cowboy Bebop” rolled into one, only you’re never given the chance to truly get to know the main characters. Showgate really missed out on the opportunity to make the best of such a great cast of characters, and had the series wrapped up the treasure hunt storyline quicker, “Coyote Ragtime Show” might have enjoyed bigger success. As it is, the show is more like an appetizer than a full meal, and though there’s nothing too negative to say that would prevent anyone from watching it, you might be better off investing your time in something a little more… substantial.

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TV, TV Anime, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs, TV Sci-Fi

Tales of Phantasia

December 19, 2008 /

Based on the popular RPG video game franchise of the same name, “Tales of Phantasia” is essentially a two-hour, animated re-telling of the first title in the series. Originally released a year ago by Geneon, the full-length feature tells the tale of six survivors who band together to fight against an evil warlord known as Dhaos the Demon King when he’s released from captivity by a power hungry conqueror. In order to stop him from unleashing darkness throughout the land of Midgard, a young warrior and a beautiful cleric must travel back in time to recruit the help of a witch, a summoner, and a ninja to bring back to present day, while their archer friend Chester holds Dhaos off on his own. When Dhaos runs off to wreak havoc in the future, however, the band of heroes must follow him through space and time and put an end to his destruction before it’s too late.

Tales of Phantasia

Though the animation is sharp and the characters themselves are cool, “Tales of Phantasia” is executed very poorly. Because it’s based on an RPG (which are typically loaded with more plot than the average video game), the story has a tendency to jump around a lot without any explanation. This is done, of course, so that the creators can cram the entire story into one movie, but it doesn’t work as well as they think. As soon as Cress and Mint travel back in time, only to be immediately thrust into a giant battle where everybody already knows why they’re there, the audience loses interest in what’s going on. The same can be said of the characters, who are nothing more than tools to progress the story. It’s too bad that the original producers of the movie didn’t expand the story into an entire season, because “Tales of Phantasia” definitely deserves more attention than it received. As it stands, this is for diehard fans only.

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External Movie DVDs, External TV, Movie DVDs, TV Anime, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

Dragon Ball Z: Season Seven

November 27, 2008 /

The seventh season of “Dragon Ball Z” is a bit of an odd duck compared to the rest of the series, as the lack of a major villain makes it seem like nothing happens. In fact, some have even compared it to the mini-arc of filler episodes better known as the Garlic Jr. Saga, but whereas those episodes did little to further the story, Season Seven serves as the buildup to the big finale. It’s also a nice break from the exhausting Cell Games, and it makes some great strides in the development of the Z Fighters along the way. For starters, Gohan has finally become a teenager, and when he’s not getting into trouble with classmate Videl (AKA Mr. Satan’s daughter), he’s moonlighting as the superhero called Great Saiyaman. Goku, meanwhile, takes part in an Other World Tournament for the chance to train with the Grand Kai, and when he finally returns to Earth to fight in the upcoming World Martial Arts Tournament, he discovers that he also has a new son named Goten. Though it may seem a bit counterproductive to age Gohan and then create a brand new character who’s just like him, this time around, they’ve given the little tyke someone to play with (young Trunks), making them both that much less annoying from the get-go. Plus, with two tournaments worth of fighting and the hilarious return of Mr. Satan, how could anyone call Season Seven filler? It might not be as epic as past sagas, but you better believe it’s just as good.

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TV, TV Action, TV Anime, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

Darker Than Black: Volume One

November 22, 2008 /

If “Heroes” was an animated series, it would probably be a lot like “Darker Than Black.” Both shows share a similar set-up (a mysterious phenomenon triggers the arrival of individuals with supernatural powers), and likely, the same audience. But while the live-action series has just recently experimented with its darker side, “Darker Than Black” is completely immersed in it from the start. You never really know who the good or the bad guy is throughout the first five episodes of the show, but you do know that Hei (nicknamed The Black Reaper) is the protagonist. Equipped with the ability to generate electricity, Hei works for a secret organization where his powers are used to carry out the dirty work of others, but when a special agent begins investigating his recent string of murders, both his friends and enemies begin to question his true intentions.

Darker Than Black 1

The introductory episodes don’t explain a whole lot, and the self-contained stories make it even more difficult to invest in the big picture (whatever it may be), but there’s something strangely alluring about “Darker Than Black” that extends a little farther than its cool concept and hyper-stylized action. Whatever the reason, you’d think that with so many different animes being released each year, a show like “Darker Than Black” would try a little harder to stand out from the pack. It’s not like it doesn’t have the tools to do so, but for some reason, the show seems content with keeping its audience in the dark; at least for now, anyway. Here’s hoping that changes, because if we don’t get answers soon, Funimation is going to have a heck of a time convincing viewers to stick around.

Click to buy “Darker Than Black: Volume One”

TV, TV Anime, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge / The Return of Cooler

November 3, 2008 /

By far two of the best “Dragon Ball Z” movies released, the Cooler-themed double feature is much shorter in comparison to the earlier films, but it’s a vast improvement on a tired formula that felt stale the first time around. The first film, “Cooler’s Revenge,” opens with a prologue that shows how Freiza’s older brother let the escape pod carrying Goku as a child get away unharmed. When he discovers that a Saiyan killed his cocky little brother during his attempted takeover of Namek, however, Cooler heads to Earth with his Armored Squadron to exact revenge. Following Goku’s eventual defeat of Cooler (who’s seemingly burned to a crisp by the Sun), the Z Warriors are contacted by Dende warning of an alien takeover of Namek’s new home planet. When they arrive, a new and improved Metal Cooler is there to welcome them – and this time around, he’s got the help of a rogue computer chip that automatically rebuilds him every time he’s destroyed. Sure, he’s kind of like Cell (who had a similar regenerative power), but anyone who enjoyed the Namek and Freiza sagas (and really, what “DBZ” fan didn’t like them?) will absolutely love both of these films. Short, sweet and loaded with wall-to-wall action, “Cooler’s Revenge” features Piccolo in one of his most badass appearances yet, while Vegeta’s team-up with Goku in “The Return of Cooler” is a welcome surprise.

Click to buy “Dragon Ball Z: Cooler’s Revenge / The Return of Cooler”

External TV, TV, TV Anime, TV DVD Quicktakes, TV DVDs

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