August 7th

Parasite Dolls Complete Collection DVD
The World God Only Knows II Complete Collection DVD
The World God Only Knows II Complete Collection Blu-ray

August 14th

This Boy Can Fight Aliens! DVD
This Boy Can Fight Aliens! Blu-ray

August 21st

No.6 Complete Collection DVD
No.6 Complete Collection Blu-ray

August 28th

K-ON! Season 2 Collection 2 DVD
K-ON! Season 2 Collection 2 Blu-ray
Koihime Muso Ultimate Collection (Season 1-3) DVD (Sub-only)

Review:

The phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” would be best used to describe the first six episodes of Listen to Me Girls, I am your Father! The picture used in this review would probably give you the impression that this show was full of lolis (okay so two of the girls are lolis), fanservice hijinks, and some good old otaku pandering. In a shocking sense this is not completely true here with episodes 1 thru 6.

What we get here in the first six episodes is focusing on the plot instead of just going head first with otaku jokes and fun sight gags. The big focus on these episodes is going from the world the girls and the Yῡta live in normally to this brand new world that they suddenly forced into. This is where the series has its biggest strength. While the show could have easily taken the route is focus solely on the hardcore fanbase the show decides to bit a both here and it works would well here. The show features aspects that will please those who enjoy hardcore otaku elements (lolis, moe) in their shows and those that want more focus on plot and less on otaku subjects.

While having a strong story is important for any show, having a likeable (for the most part) cast of characters is also essential and this show does not disappoint there. What makes this ensemble of characters work is for the most part the cast is likeable and believable as well. Yῡta while only 19 has to accept and come to grips with having to raise three children on his own with a very limited budget. The girls have to accept their new living situations also while worrying about themselves. Supplementing the main cast comes with a cast of characters who falls between likeable and unlikeable. Most of the Yῡta’s college friends understand what he has been thrust into and do their best to help him out. Sato and of the girl’s one uncle are the only unlikeable cast members here but neither of these two are given enough screen time to bring down the show as a whole.

Feel, the company who is doing the animation for this show (they have also done animation for Mayo Chiki!,and Kiss X Sis along with some other titles) does an okay job but the art and animation leave a lot of be desired. The character designs are generic and there is a good bit of moe here (not a bad thing at all) used for the females. There is a lot of CG used especially with trains when they move and some characters in the background when they are walking. The CG is jarring by the fact it looks so dated by today’s standards. There is a bit of fanservice here in these first six episodes and in turn of what you may expect it is pretty light as a whole mostly of bathing scenes (which I do not count as fanservice), and few scenes of very brief panty shots. None of the fanservice takes away from any of the scenes that they occur in.

I like the OP it is a bit touching, but that is all I remember of it. The music left no impression with me so I will not talk about it. There are some notable VA’s who lend this voice to their series. Wataru Hatano gives Yῡta his voice but sounds generic as a male lead. Eri Kitamura (who you may remember from the classic series Kodomo no Jikan as the main character Rin) gives Miu who voice and so far is part of the few standout voices for the series. The other being Hiromi Igarashi who does a great job with giving Hina her voice and does a good job with sounding like a real three year old.

The first six episodes of Listen to Me Girls, I am your Father! is not bad as it sounds. Sure the animation is generic along with the character designs and dated CG being used, but the plot and the likeable cast make up for where the other areas of the show lag.

Score: 3/5

Pros: Likeable cast, the plot
Cons: Generic in just about every which way from animation, to voice acting, and music.

Listen to Me Girls, I am your father is streaming on Crunchyroll

Also streaming The Anime Network

Welcome to Part Two of my three part article on anime titles that could use a sequel.

High School of the Dead

What is the show about? Takashi Komuro is a normal high school boy, until an infection breaks out that turns people into zombie-like creatures. Along with his friends & the school nurse, they fight their way out and continue their journey to find out what exactly has happened to the world.

Why does it need a sequel or prequel? (SPOILER ALERT) – The TV series ended with the group getting to the mall. There is still more to animate so it is a no brainier there. (SPOILER END)

What type of sequel does it need? – Another twelve or thirteen episode TV series would be great to give more to the fans of the series.

Chances of this happening: If memory serves me correct it sold well in Japan and there is still stuff from the manga to but into an anime so it is possible that another season would be created.

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History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi

What is the show about? Shirahama Kenichi is an average student who has earned the nickname “Weak Legs” from always getting bullied. One day he meets a cute girl named Furinji Miu who helps him build the courage to begin training at a mysterious dojo where she lives. Here Kenichi faces intense training from masters of many different martial arts styles as he attempts to become stronger.

Why does it need a sequel or prequel? (SPOILER ALERT) – The TV series ended with an arc being completed but there is still a lot more of the manga that was not animated. (SPOILER END)

What type of sequel does it need? – Some OVA’s are coming out but what it will do remains to be seen. If another TV series was to be created another fifty two episode series should be created.

Chances of this happening: With the OVA coming out there is a possibility that another series could be create in the future.

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Initial D

What is the show about? High school student Takumi Fujiwara works as a gas station attendant during the day and a delivery boy for his father’s tofu shop during late nights. Little does he know that his precise driving skills and his father’s modified Toyota Sprinter AE86 Trueno make him the best amateur road racer on Mt. Akina’s highway. Because of this, racing groups from all over the Gunma prefecture issue challenges to Takumi to see if he really has what it takes to be a road legend.

Why does it need a sequel or prequel? (SPOILER ALERT) – Stage Four ended with Project D remaining undefeated but the manga is still being made so there is still more material to develop.(SPOILER END)

What type of sequel does it need? Having not read the manga this could be tough one to answer. I would say just to be safe another twenty four to twenty six episode series would be good for the fans of the series.

Chances of this happening: Since there is still source material I guess there is a chance that this could happen. It would be great if it would happen as Initial D is a fun series to watch.

This concludes part two.  Stay turned tomorrow for the third and final part

Recently two polls were created and asked fans what shows they would like to see get a sequel to. The list had me thinking as well about what shows should get either more episodes (another season) or just a few episodes to tidy things up (a few OVA’s). Sequels can be good or better than the previous season (Initial D is a good example) or they can be worse (Comic Party Revolution, To Heart ~Remember my Memories, and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny some good examples of this). Below are some of the shows that I believe could get sequels in terms of another season or just some OVAs. This list is far from complete and this will just include shows that I have finished myself. There is a high doubt that any of this would happen but hey one can dream right?  This will be a several part series since the list that I have come up with is longer than more articles I have written.  Part Two will be up tomorrow and Part Three will be up Saturday, along with a special on Sunday.

Ai Yori Aoshi

What is the show about? – Kaoru Hanabishi, a college student who lives alone, met a beautiful but bewildered girl dressed in kimono at train station. He volunteered to guide her way to the address she was looking for, which looked like in his neighborhood but turned out to be an empty lot. Not knowing what to do next, Kaoru invited the devastated girl to his apartment and asked for additional clue — a photo with two children whom Kaoru immediately identified as himself and Aoi Sakuraba, his childhood friend. It turned out that the girl in front of him is Aoi Sakuraba herself, his betrothed fiancée who came all the way to Tokyo to marry him. Her revelation was not only surprising but also reminded the deepest part of Kaoru’s memory for why he left the Hanabishi family in the first place.

Why does it need a sequel or prequel? (SPOILER ALERT) – Enishi ends with nothing being fully resolved. Kaoru and Aoi still love each other, and Tina is the only one of the harem girls to know that Kaoru and Aoi are in love with each other. The manga does give a great ending to the series and fleshes everything out. (SPOILER END).

What type of sequel does it need? – To bring the story to a close several OVA’s would be enough to wrap everything up completely. Three to Four OVA’s would need to be created to bring everything to a complete close that the series deserves.

Chances of this happening: It is an old show by today’s standards so there is a pretty low chance that it would get any OVA’s.

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Angel Beats

What is the show about? In a world after death, angels fight for their fate and their future. Yuri, the leader of the Shinda Sekai Sensen, rebels against the god who destined her to have an unreasonable life. On the otherhand, Tenshi, the chairperson of the student council for the world after death, battles against the SSS members. SSS members utilize armed weaponry to battle it out against the angels harnessing supernatural powers.

Why does it need a sequel or prequel? (SPOILER ALERT) – While the series did end and everyone left limbo to either go on to the next world or get reborn we do miss a few details on some of the other casts members as what happened to them when they were living and why they could not move on initially do the afterlife. (SPOILER END)

What type of sequel does it need? – This is a tough one. On one hand another twelve episode series could be made to wrap everything up complete and see what happens to everyone else after they leave the limbo world. On the other hand having a few OVA’s to explain what happen to some of the others to end of them and what allowed them to move on completely would also be enough. For this one I am going to chalk this up as either or.

Chances of this happening*: Angel Beats got high marks on either list but but since this is a P.A. Works title with Kyoto Animation being involved would at least give it enough interest if a sequel was made.

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B Gata H Kei

What is the show about? - Yamada is a high school student, and a virgin, who aspires to have 100 casual sex partners. Despite this, she soon finds herself targeting and pursuing only one boy.

Why does it need a sequel or prequel? (SPOILER ALERT) The TV series ends with Yamada and Kosuda attempting to have sex only to fail with getting this done. The series ends with just showing that Yamada and Kosuda still care about each other. (SPOILER END)

What type of sequel does it need? – This series needs another twelve or thirteen episodes to bring everything to a close. The manga ended after the TV series was finished but does give a legit ending to the series. The manga also after where the TV shows ends gives more development to the main cast and some to the side cast members.

Chances of this happening: B Gata H Kei flopped in Japan and it pretty well known about the threats the studio got after the show finished airing so the chances of B Gata H Kei getting a sequel would be low, but it did alright in the polling so there is always hope.

[Source: ANN]

Thanks to Reaper_GI for informing me of a mistake

There are twisted tales and twisted tales, but few are as twisted as poor Sado’s, who’s just realized that he actually likes being made miserable. Of course, knowing that only makes him more miserable, which in turn… well, you get the idea. Desperate to break the circle, Sado volunteers for a special club where he hopes he can work through his issues only to discover that the other members have equally… complex… issues to deal with.

For example, the hyper-aggressive club president Isurugi not only has a violent fear of cats, but also believes herself to be a god! Then there’s Yuno, who’s terrified of men; the Nurse, who forces other people to perform cosplay; and Hayama, Sado’s best friend and a compulsive cross-dresser, who’s also the girl that Sado is infatuated with.

Review:

What do you get when you take several characters that have stock issues (afraid of men, likes to be beaten, crossing dressing, etc) make it so over the top that it is ridiculous, and throw in some generic character design?  You get the series MM!  Now there is nothing wrong with characters having issues because we all have them, but you have do present these issues in a way that comes off as interesting and to an extent (though this hard with anime) have some originality to it.  With the case in MM! what we get an is over the top take with issues which is nothing wrong with that at all but it is done in a way with this series that it goes from funny a little bit to be annoying and frustrating by the end of the series.

Why does it get more annoying as it goes along?  It gets more annoying because we have seen all of them (well maybe not the loli genius who wants to make everyone perverts I do not think I have seen that done) before and we do not change much from the status quo within the series or the genre.  The only fresh take here is Taro’s masochistic tendencies, which are so over the top it is memorable and funny every time we see it come to life.  The show does a few parodies of several anime shows that are easy to get even if you are new to anime and are the funniest part of the series.

We do get a bit of background information on most of the cast into why they have these phobias or issues it is done in such a way that you can see some of these come a mile away.  Even though we get some background information here on this not everyone gets development and leaves more questions than answers for some of the cast members.  Even more the antics of the cast as the series gets along in the later episodes.  Isurugi who initially wants to help Taro with his masochism problem later decides to beat him more of the sake of beating him.  While Isurugi gets less, likeable it is even worse for Taro’s mom and sister who wants his penis so bad it is incest and it is done is such a way that they are unlikeable.  With the exception for a few cast members most of the cast is unlikeable to the point that you just want to slap them for being who they are.

Produced by Xebec the art and animation is average as a whole.  The character designs are interchangeable and the background art nothing special.  I have to give credit through where credit is due and mention that Taro’s facial expressions are memorable when he goes into masochistic mode.  In a surprise even by Xebec standards the fanservice is tame compared to some of the other shows that they have developed over the years (some of their more well titles are Ladies Vs Butlers, Kanokon, and Rin ~ Daughters of Mnemosyne).  The fanservice is mostly jiggling breasts, some cleavage and with one panty shot appears in the whole series, and that does not happen until the last episode.

The OP and ED are upbeat, have a lot of energy to them, and are the best music the series has to offer.  The music during the episodes however is generic and forgettable.

Score: 2/5

Pros: Taro’s facial expressions, the humor in the parodies
Cons: Most of the cast, just about everything else the series has to offer.

MM! is available from Right Stuf

MM is also streaming on Anime Network

May 1st

Psychic Squad Collection 1 (Sub-only)

May 8th

Get Backers Complete Collection DVD
Guin Saga Complete Collection DVD
Guin Saga Complete Collection Blu-ray

May 15th

Book of Bantorra Collection 1 DVD

May 22nd

Planzet DVD
Planzet Blu-ray

May 29th

Gintama: The Movie DVD
Gintama: The Movie Blu-ray

UPDATE: Fandom Post confirmed with Sentai that the movie will be dubbed

Sentai Filmworks announced today that it has licensed Gintama – The Movie. The movie is a theatrical remake of the Gintama series’ Benizakura arc, which sees series protagonist Gin going up against a former ally from his days fighting against the Amanto.

Odd Jobs Gin has taken on a lot of odd work in the past, and when you’re a Jack of All Trades agency based in a feudal Japan that’s been conquered and colonized by aliens, the term “Odd Jobs” means REALLY ODD jobs.  But when some more than slightly suspicious secrets from the shadows of OJG founder Gintoki Sakata’s somewhat shady former samurai past and a new pair of odd jobs collide, the action is bound to get so wild and demented that only a feature film will do it justice!  So if you’ve had the good fortune to see Gintama, Japan’s most popular science fiction samurai series before, get ready for more of the same on an epic scale!  And if you haven’t seen Gintama before, well, this is your quick and easy introduction to why Gintama (the series) is the hottest thing to hit the Land of the Rising Sun since a certain large, green reptile whose name we can’t use due to certain litigious lawyers!  So sit down, strap yourself in and make sure you’re not wearing anything too tight or constricting as the junior half of OJG takes on the task of tracking down a tenacious terrorist while their silver-haired slickster of a partner seeks out a certain sword in the side-splittingly silly GINTAMA- THE MOVIE!

Sentai will release the movie on DVD and Blu-ray later this year.

[Source: ANN]

April 3rd

Motto To Love-Ru Complete Collection DVD (Sub-only)
Polyphonica Crimson S Complete Collection DVD (Sub-only)

April 10th

Infinite Stratos + Encore Complete Collection DVD
Infinite Stratos + Encore Complete Collection Blu-Ray

April 17th

Somday’s Dreamers Complete Collection DVD

April 24th

Golgo 13 Collection 3 DVD

March 6th

Grave of the Fireflies Remastered Edition DVD
KimiKiss: Pure Rouge Complete Collection DVD (Sub-only)

March 13th

Mardock Scramble Director’s Cut DVD
Mardock Scramble Director’s Cut Blu-Ray

March 20th

ef ~ A Tale of Melodies Complete Collection DVD
ef ~ A Tale of Melodies Complete Collection Blu-Ray

March 27th

Dream Eater Merry Complete Collection DVD
Dream Eater Merry Complete Collection Blu-Ray

February 7th

Xam’d Complete Collection DVD
Xam’d Complete Collection Blu-Ray

February 14th

Hell Girl Season 3 Complete Collection DVD (Sub-only)

February 21st

Broken Blade Complete Collection DVD
Broken Blade Complete Collection Blu-Ray

February 28th

A-Channel Complete Collection DVD (Sub-only)