Bokurano

Any fan of Mohiro Kitoh will know of his deceptive nature when it comes to his work. What usually starts off as a fun little adventure that may resemble a child's story quickly descends into a cesspool of gore and disturbing imagery. While his most recent series may not be heavy on the gore, it may even be more disturbing than his last work, Shadow Star: Narutaru.

Bokurano is a tragedy that touches upon themes such as "hopelessness" as well as the true nature of mankind. When 15 middle schoolers find a cave near the beach, they decide to explore it. They meet Kokopelli, supposedly a programmer that has developed a very realistic video game, requiring the player to pilot a robot so they can destroy an enemy robot. After all the children sign the contract, they become part of the game. Little did they know they were actually signing away their lives. The robot they pilot is real, and it runs on the life energy of the pilot, killing the child when the battle is complete. The purpose of the battles is to root out alternate universes. The loser's universe is destroyed the moment the cockpit is crushed.

Each child has different ways of dealing with their horrible fate. Despite thier best efforts, none could run from their destiny. Some took it very hard, while some were surprisingly willing to accept only they had the ability to save their universe. Admirable or not, each child piloted the robot, Zearth, and won. There is no magic way to bring the pilots back to life. There is no way to annul the contract. The term Deus Ex Machina doesn't exist in this story, and is a lot more meaningful thanks to Kitoh's strict rules that he has placed in the world he created.

If you haven't figured it out by now, there is no happy ending. I can confirm that as the series has just ended a few days ago. No, this is a story about children sacrificing their lives to save their universe. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't sad at points since I totally was. There was even one child that I got teary-eyed for. Kitoh knows how to write a tragedy and with all hope gone before the series even began, I can safely say this is one of the saddest stories I have ever experienced. The beauty comes from the childrens' struggle regardless of whether they have accepted their fate or not. You might want to be careful with this one as it is very depressing, but I still highly reccommend it to anyone wanting something a little more meaningful than the mindless action we're so used to.

FAIRY TAIL ANIME GREEN LIT!!!!!

This is HUGE news for fans of Hiro Mashima's Fairy Tail (and to a lesser extent Groove Adventure Rave). The swashbuckling tale of quirky mages and glorious shonen action is finally getting its own anime. Back when the series began, I read the first 6 chapters before deciding to stop and see if it would get an animated version. I could tell that it would be a pleasure to see the story in animated form the first time and my waiting paid off. This fall just got a whole lot more interesting.

It Looks Like the Cowboy Bebop Movie Could be Good Afterall

Recently, AnimeVice interviewed Peter Craig, the writer of the upcoming live-action Cowboy Bebop movie. Craig reassured that Sunrise and the original staff is working very closely with the production crew for the film. Even Fox is doing everything they can to capture the "feel" of Cowboy Bebop. Right now, it looks like Cowboy Bebop has a shot at being the best live-action anime adaptation ever. Let's hope Keanu's acting doesn't mess it up.

Hero of the Week: Professor Riddle

What better way to express my love of Konjiki no Gash than to acknowledge one of its greatest characters? This week brings us the elderly doctor from America with a good deal of knowledge about the demon fight, Professor Riddle.

















Professor Riddle first confronts Kiyomaro after learning about the revival of the demons from 1000 years ago. He proves to be quite knowledgeable not only in the the villain responsible for the revival, Zophise, but also in the battle for demon king in general. Thanks to the professor, Kiyomaro was able to figure out the spells in the book come from the book holder and not the book itself.

Outside of his vast knowledge, the professor is a genuinely funny character. Boasting about past endeavors or saying something outrageous only to confirm it was a lie seconds later are cause for some hilarious reactions.

Like every other character in the series, the professor is very determined to win each battle he takes seriously. Despite barely being able to move, his casting of Kid's final spell is nothing short of inspirational. Seeing Kid as his own grandson, the burning of his book ends up being one of the most emotional scenes in the series. Even after all that, Professor Riddle gets back up to help his allies through the battle for demon king despite his own elimination.

Even with his partner gone, Professor Riddle is still a key character in the series, helping the protagonists several times. His determination shows through his work and is an asset to Kiyomaro's allies. Without him, the protagonists would not have survived during several events. Nice job professor ;)

Konjiki no Gash

Konjiki No Gash (Zatch Bell in the U.S.) is a series that I've always had a somewhat bipolar relationship with. When I watched some of the anime back in high school, I had no trouble enjoying it until I noticed the subtle (albeit unintentional) Pokemon parallels. While this didn't suck all the enjoyment out of the series, it definitely lead to my gradual indifference. I lost interest around episode 80 and haven't picked up the series again until many years later. Being more open to manga and series like this in general than I was in high school, I decided to read all the scanslated chapters a few days ago. The results were definitely....SHOCKING (I know, bad joke and I should be tortured for it)

For those of you that don't know, Konjiki no Gash is a series about 100 demons with magical powers sent to the human world. Each one finds a human partner to recite spells so they can use that magic from the demons' books. The demons and their human partners fight other demons, aiming to burn the other's book resulting in the demon being sent back to the demon world. The last demon standing becomes king of the demon world.

Notice anything familiar about this setup? I'll give you a hint. It resembles one of the key components of the Shonen demographic. That's right, the battle for demon king is similiar to a tournament. While the demons are scattered around the world, they are all bound to run into each other sooner or later. It's pretty much the most flexible tournament in Shonen history.

I was really surprised by the amount of emotion the main characters displayed. Yeah, Kiyomaro's aim to make Gash the kind king is a pretty standard plot device, but the presentation is nothing short of inspiring. I thought I had been completely desensitized to the "determined speeches" but I actually found myself wanting Kiyomaro and Gash to win every battle they took part in. In most series, the victor doesn't matter to me as long as the fight is entertaining, but Konjiki no Gash has genuinly likable characters. You can't help but feel sad when a main character's book is burned even though the demon doesn't die. I found myself tearing up a few times without realizing it. Yeah it's cheesy, but it's powerful.

The battles are great. Being limited to a certain amount of spells make for some great combinations and interesting fights. Strategy plays a big role in each battle, allowing Kiyomaro to use his genius to its fullest. Even if electricity is an overused protagonist power, that doesn't stop the fights from feeling fresh.

While it is a shame the anime couldn't follow the manga completely, it is nice to see a good chunk of the canon animated. I'm sure this flew under the radar of a lot of anime fans, but trust me when I say it is definitely worth your time. I know it looks childish, but there is a good amount of depth to it and a crazy amount of blood and violence. Check the manga out too while you're at it!

GTO: Shonan 14 Days

As I said in a previous post, Great Teacher Onizuka will be returning in a brand new series. Well, the first chapter of GTO: Shonan 14 Days is finally up. While a judgement can't be made after one chapter, we might be able to predict the direction Fujisawa decides to take the sequel in.

Rather than a year or two time skip like I was predicting, the new series takes place only two weeks after the orginal series ended. Onizuka is up to his old antics again, escaping from his hospital bed so he can get on a TV program that asks teachers to remember pranks they played as a student. Knowing Onizuka, he was bound to offend a few people if not lead to the questioning of his own sanity. Of course the "prank" he remembers is almost burying alive one of his students after thinking he killed her (a humorous yet touching scene from GTO). This of course leads to Onizuka being thrown out of the studio. Eventually, he decides to lay low in Shonan for a few weeks. After a series of events involving a shoplifter and a run-in with the cops, Onizuka meets another teacher that offers a job at a school in Shonan with another "problem class". And thus, the cycle begins again.

Like I said before, it is impossible to determine where the series will go after only one chapter, but it seems to have already cemented itself as a reboot. While I don't really have a big problem with this, there was something that I thought could've been executed better. The fiasco at the TV studio pales in comparison to the trouble Onizuka was faced with almost every chapter back in GTO. It just seems like a cheap way to reboot the series. Other than that, I really had no problem with the first chapter.

One thing I am legitimately worried about is the length. The title makes it seem like the series will only encompass the two weeks Onizuka spends in Shonan. GTO took place over a whole semester (6 months), which spanned 200 chapter. If the same day:chapter ratio exists in this sequel, it will be nothing more than a series of long one shots rather than a completely new series.

I'm also worried most of the old cast will not be returning. Being in a new area, a new cast will be introduced, which I'm sure I'll like over time, but I'm still used to the quirky students and angry princpal from GTO.

I'll have more on the series when we get a bit further in. Let's hope it lasts a while.

Hero of the Week: Simon

I bet fans of Gurren Lagann weren't expecting this. Most people would pick Kamina, but I'm going with the spiral powered youth, Simon the Digger.













Simon is the very embodiment of the phrase "zero to hero". Well, he didn't start out as a zero per-se, but was greatly overshadowed by Kamina for the first 8 episodes or so. Despite being the only one capable of controlling the Lagann, the Dai-Gurren brigade didn't really pay him any mind until he proved himself, and he did that in one of the flashiest ways possible. Take a look at one of the most badass, influential, encouraging, inspirational scenes in anime (skip to around 18:50, sorry I couldn't find a short clip).



There have been very few scenes that have given me goosebumps like this, and even less since I became an adult. When I see this scene, I think to myself "maybe the world isn't so bad". Even coming from a child, determination like that is contagious. Any anime fan unaffected by a scene so full of energy and optimism can only be a miserable person.

His skills improve greatly as he enters adulthood. Becoming an even more capable captain than even Kamina, Simon goes on to fight the anti-spirals in an epic battle on a scope even greater than that of Dragon Ball Z. Seriously, we see galaxies get thrown around like they're nothing by the end of the series. With his spiral power, Simon is able to do something humans were never thought capable of doing; defeat the anti-spirals.

While Kamina had a part in it, Simon is what caused me to cross into the uncharted waters of the mecha genre, a category I cared very little about if at all before this series. Thank you for giving me the strength to survive college and inevitably graduate (maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but who cares!)

Possibly the Best Gurren Lagann AMV of All Time

Normally I wouldn't post an anime music video unless I was using it as filler, but this is something all fans of Gurren Lagann NEED to see. Utilizing one of the most beautiful, adventureous tracks in the series and combining it with scenes that flow perfectly with the music makes this one of the best AMVs I have ever seen. I seriously get goosebumps every time I hear this track, and seeing it alongside some of the most emotional moments in the series is almost overwhelming. That's how aweseome it is. Check it out.

The Shonen Formula Part 4: Mortal Wounds are Totally Survivable

How many times have you heard the phrase "Its just a scratch"? In anime, that phrase's meaning can range from a few insignificant bruises to a giant hole in someone's chest. As long as the head is still attached to the body, more often than not, the heavily wounded character will not die and at worse case scenario, they are out of commission for a few weeks.

Being host to a high level of action, shonen series can get a little out of hand with the damage and destruction. The amount of people that can survive an attack that decimates buildings is a bit ridiculous. Serving both as a device to keep the fight from ending too soon and a shield to prevent a major character from dying, the fighters' penchant for pain is unmatched.

From Rangiku's run-in with Allon to Gon's bomb-resistant body, death can be avoided pretty easily as long as someone's around to heal the wounded. Mangaka might get away with it by making the characters more than human as is the case with the Sayians and the nine-tailed fox in Naruto's body, but that is merely a short term solution before the "human" characters end up just as persistent in their escape of death as the main character itself.

The biggest offender of the death-proof characters is Roronoa Zoro from One Piece. Even after watching and reading several series, no one has even come close to the level of wounds Zoro has suffered and still lived.


Even after taking a buzzsaw to the chest, Zoro just won't go down. And that's not even the worst of it. At Thriller Bark, on top of his own wounds, he is forced to take all of Luffy's pain, losing a ton of blood in the process.


While surviving such strong attacks is incredibly unrealistic, it is entertaining and gives you a warm feeling seeing your favorite character stand up to deliver the final blow. Even if they have lost limbs, even if they are dragging a trail of blood behind them, even if their intestines are inches away from leaking out, the main character will prevail. That is what shonen is all about.

LOL More Filler

I can't really think of anything anime related to talk about. Slow news week and stuff like that. It's a lot easier to just talk about video games. Hey, I know how to cover both bases!



Hopefully I'll have an actual post tomorrow.

Dragonball Evolution Sequel? Oh Boy...

I still have not seen Dragon Ball: Evolution. I'm definitely interested in how bad it is, but I fear watching it will only serve to worsen my deep hatred of humanity. I do intend to see it some day for comedic purposes, knowing full well there wouldn't be another one due to the awful turnout of the first.

...Or so I thought. Apparently, James Marsters (guy who played Piccolo) has confirmed a sequel will being filming soon. We don't really have any reason not to trust this guy, but it does seem shady that an actor would confirm the movie's existence rather than the director himself and/or studio.

If true, what should our response be? Are we willing to give James Wong another chance at adapting the Dragonball lore correctly, or will we shun the man that may or may not have ruined our childhood? Only time will tell if the sequel is good or if it even exists at all. Once we get a real confirmation, you guys will be the first to know.

Hero of the Week: Joker

Many in the world of comic books and manga have adopted the moniker "Joker", but there's only one with a badass gravity lance and kansai accent (that I know of). I'm of course talking about Joker from Flame of Recca.















Despite being on Kurei's side, Joker helps Hokage quite a few times, even if only indirectly. He pushes his tournament rival, Koganei, to unlock the final form of his puzzle-like weapon. Even if his methods might not be seen as moral at first, Koganei definitely owes him a lot, especially when the after tournament fights begin.

Playing the bad guy isn't easy. That's why neutrality is so desirable, something Joker can pull off while still being part of the action. That is what freedom is all about. He'll be on the side that's more fun. Despite his alliance with Kurei, fun is Joker's main goal.

He also cares a great deal about his friends, going so far as to getting sucked into a blackhole just so Koganei can go on ahead during the final battle. I know those "sacrifice" scenes are usually cheesy and this one was no exception, but you couldn't help feel sad seeing one of the goofier yet badass characters disappear into oblivion. Fortunately, we find out what happened to Joker during MAR, where he takes on the name Nanashi (literally "No name"). While the series isn't even close to the level of quality found in Flame of Recca, it is good to know the lovable drifter is alive and well in a nice new world.

Darker than Black Season 2 Announced

Now this isn't something I expected. Darker than Black, a superhuman action series is getting another season. While I can't say the series was my favorite, it was definitely high quality and had a deep level of philosophy playing an important role in the story. Unfortunately, that made it confusing as hell near the end. Hopefully this second season will clear a few things up.

If you don't know about Darker than Black, take a look at the opening from the first season.

Hero of the Week: Free

This week's hero is none other than the dense but determined werewolf from Soul Eater. That's right, it's the ice using immortal, Free.














Not only is Free an adept magic user, but is also very strong physically. By taking the eye of the current witch leader (who is said to be as strong as shinigami), Free has cemented himself as one of the strongest characters in the series.

Too bad his goofiness and idiocy in battle usually costs him the fight. But hey, no hero is perfect, and amusing situations are there to drive that fact home. Even if the guy will occasionally attack himself by accident, he shows he can do it in a funny way without caring that much (what with being immortal and all).

While Free isn't the most prominent character, the scenes he have been in are golden. Despite being a villain (kind of), his enthusiasm is contagious. He isn't bothered by anything except for trivial stuff, which usually result in hilarious head banging.



As cryokinesis is my favorite elemental themed power and werewolves are my favorite animal related transformation, it's easy why I consider Free a hero. Couple that with his great personality and possible Eruka pairing (2nd favorite female character) and you end up with my favorite character in the series. Let's hope his role becomes bigger later.

I Lied (Filler Time)

E3 may be over, but my head is still spinning from all the crazy announcements (still can't believe Final Fantasy 14 got announced). Can't really focus on anime when gaming's on the mind, so I'll just leave you guys with some filler. This is my favorite Gurren Lagann Parallel Works entry.



I promise I'll have the hero of the week up tomorrow.

Possible Mini-break Incoming

Since E3 is this week, I probably won't be updating the site until it's over. I'll be busy with Level One-Start giving impressions. There's a possibility I'll still update within the next few days, but if I don't, you can look forward to the "Hero of the Week" on Thursday.