Fullmetal Alchemist Season Two Anime Review

Fullmetal Alchemist Season Two
Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Alchemist of Steel)
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
$49.98 (2010)
$69.98 (2009)
$49.98 (2008) Part 1-2/ea.
$19.98 (2008) Vol. 8-13/ea. Viridian
$49.98 (2006) Vol. 10 Limited Case
$29.98 (2006) Vol. 8-13/ea.
ISBN 704400082702
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Seiji Mizushima
Studio - Bones/Aniplex

Synopsis: The Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, are a tragic pair - they grew up alone with their mother after their father disappeared.  He was a famous alchemist and the boys had a natural affinity for alchemy.  They couldn't keep away from it and quickly learned its basic arts including transmutation circles, chemical compositions of physical objects, and the absolute law of equivalent exchange - "in order to gain something one must give up something of equal value".  When their mother becomes ill and passes away the boys are devastated.  They vow to use alchemy to bring her back to life and assemble the ingredients for a human body.  Human transmutation is highly illegal and for good reason.  The brothers' attempt goes horribly wrong as Ed loses a leg and Al loses his entire body during the procedure.  In desperation Ed bonds Al's soul to a suit of armor, but loses an arm to equivalent exchange in the process.  The creature they create is not remotely human.

Ed and Al continue their journey to find the Philosopher's Stone

Ed is lucky the brothers' childhood friend, Winry, and her grandmother are expert 'auto-mail' mechanics and fashion artificial limbs for him to use.  Al's soul can animate the suit of armor, but he no longer has a biological body.  The pair have a new mission to restore their bodies and learn of the mythical Philosopher's Stone which enables transmutations outside the law of equivalent exchange.  Ed joins the military as a State Alchemist to tap into their research about the stone, but soon learns being a 'dog of the State' is not all it's cracked up to be.

Winry tags along with the brothers on their journey

Years ago the State was involved in a bloody war with Ishbal which led to almost complete genocide.  Ed becomes known as the "Fullmetal Alchemist" and serves under Roy Mustang, a reluctant hero of the Ishbal campaign and known as the "Flame Alchemist".  Al tags along with Ed on his State missions as they search for the stone.  During their journeys the brothers have encountered many pretenders to the true stone, but eventually find genuine leads to its secrets.  The closer they get to uncovering the truth the more deadly the stakes.

Fuhrer Bradley seems like a strong yet fair leader, but how could he be the
same man who ordered the genocide in Ishbal?  

Their toughest opponent has been an Ishbalan refugee with a tattooed arm and criss-crossing scar on his face, known only as "Scar".  He vowed revenge on all State Alchemists for the slaughter in Ishbal, but his arm holds a deadly secret.  To what ends will he go to achieve his vengeance on the State Alchemists?  What does the massive death toll in Ishbal have to do with the Philosopher's Stone?

The "Scarred Man of the East"

A shadowy group of beings known as Homunculi guard the secrets of the stone.  They have incredible powers and seem unable to die.  What are their terrible origins and their link to human transmutation?  Who is behind their actions?  Ed and Al slowly discover the real origin of the stone with it's horrific price.  Death lurks around every corner and corruption in the State goes right to the top.  Can Roy Mustang find Maes Hughes' killer?

The brothers encounter the Homunculus called Greed

Ed and Al apprenticed under a hard-nosed teacher who finds them again after many years.  Why can she perform transmutations without a circle?  As the boys get closer to achieving their goal of finding the Philosopher's Stone their loved ones are put into greater danger.  What happens when Winry discovers the person responsible for her parents' murder is someone she knows?  The final search for the stone brings all of the conflicting forces together and sparks will fly.  What is the gate which appears during a human transmutation and what lies beyond it?  Can Ed and Al truly get their bodies back even if they somehow manage to obtain the Philosopher's Stone?

What are the secrets of the gate?

Pros: Great continuation of the search for the Philosopher's Stone from the first season, the ending answered a lot of questions from the series, fairly decent ending, good soundtrack and character designs, the Homunculi are tough adversaries, tone gets more serious in the final season

Winry works on Ed's auto-mail

Cons: Slapstick comedy just like the first season (although less this time), story and ending don't follow the original manga, simple animation and backgrounds, final villain was somewhat disappointing and came out of nowhere

Ed and Al's hard-nosed teacher

Mike Tells It Straight: The second season of Fullmetal Alchemist was an intense roller-coaster ride as the Elric brothers close in on the true Philosopher's Stone.  If you watched the entire first season then you're familiar with the series' blend of comedy, action, and drama.  It's difficult to balance these elements, but FA pulls it off pretty well.  The comedy felt out of place sometimes, but you get used to it and the serious elements are worth the wait.  I really liked the mystery of the stone and its slow reveal throughout the series.  The Homunculi are intriguing villains who seem unstoppable and evil, but seem to have a softer side as we get to know their history.  Scar remains a badass and plays a small, but significant role in the second season.

What is the horrifying secret of the Homunculi?

We get to see another piece of the brothers' origin when their old teacher shows up.  Her story and the revelation of the gate are truly horrifying.  The entire second season was much more serious than the first.  We're left with some major episode cliffhangers and the political intrigue within the State is nail-biting with Roy Mustang.  Winry is around for more the story and we learn who killed her parents.  All of the story seeds from the first season bear fruit and almost everything gets resolved by the end.

Roy Mustang getting some work done

Some new characters and story elements added in the second season were a little controversial.  The brothers' teacher is one, but we also meet their long-lost father and the true villain of the series is revealed (is it him!?).  Events start happening very fast at the end and the final episodes are highly emotional.  This first series diverged from the massively popular manga by Hiromu Arakawa because it was created before the series was ended and he wanted to have each medium's version be different.  Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is an adaptation which follow the manga more closely and is more serious in nature.

A glimpse into the events of the final season!

I enjoyed this series and thought the ending was actually pretty decent.  A lot of people didn't like the final villains since they appeared so late in the show.  The mystery of the gate was really intriguing, but I would have liked to get a better explanation.  Despite its shortcomings I thought Fullmetal Alchemist was one of the better anime from the past decade and recommend it highly.  I'm really excited to check out Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood to get the real story of the manga, plus it looks more hardcore!

Ed might want to get that wound looked at

TO BUY and Recommendations:
 

Fullmetal Alchemist Season One Anime Review

Fullmetal Alchemist Season One
Hagane no Renkinjutsushi (Alchemist of Steel)
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
600 mins. - 25 episodes
$49.98 (2010)
$69.98 (2009)
$49.98 (2007) Part 1-2/ea.
$19.98 (2007) Vol. 1-7/ea. Viridian
$29.98 (2005-2006) Vol. 1-7/ea.
$49.98 (2005) Vol. 1 Starter Set
ISBN 704400082696
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Seiji Mizushima
Studio - Bones

Synopsis: The first law of alchemy is "equivalent exchange" - in order to gain something one must give up something of equal value.  Young Edward and Alphonse ("Al") Elric believed this law to be the only truth of alchemy and paid a horrific price.  The two brothers learned alchemy in order to be like their absent father, a famous alchemist, and lived with their loving mother.  When she died of an illness they vowed to use alchemy to bring her back.  Assembling the ingredients for a human body the two attempted the process to recreate their mother.  Human transmutation is highly illegal and the brothers' attempt went terribly out of control.  Al lost his body and Edward lost a leg during the procedure.  Al would have died if not for Edward's quick thinking - he bonded Al's soul to a large suit of armor, but lost an arm in the process.  Worse yet, the creature the two put together was an abomination and failure.

Al and Edward learn alchemy - their lives would soon change forever

Emotionally devastated and left disfigured by their failed attempt at human transmutation, the brothers new mission is to restore their bodies.  Edward's missing two limbs are replaced with "automail" - advanced prosthetics, and Al's soul animates the empty suit of armor like a natural body.  Edward is racked with guilt over Al's condition - Al can no longer 'feel' and doesn't need food, water, or rest anymore.  Edward becomes a State Alchemist in order to gain more knowledge about human transmutation.  He is codenamed the "Fullmetal Alchemist" and is able to perform transmutations without requiring a circle.  Al remains by Edward's side on his assignments and the two prove to be a formidable team.

The Elric brothers after their failed attempt at recreating their mother

They learn of a miraculous object called a Philosopher's Stone which helps perform transmutations without paying the price of equivalent exchange.  Edward becomes obsessed with learning about the stone, but as the pair get closer to the genuine article they discover it harbors a dark secret.  Being a "dog of the State" grates on Edward and he rails against authority.  The State is guilty of some despicable acts, particularly the war on Ishbal where the State used alchemists to decimate the population.  A scarred man from Ishbal appears and exacts mortal revenge on State Alchemists.  Will Edward and Al become his next victims?

The mysterious scarred man from the East

The journey to finding the Philosopher's Stone is fraught with peril as many pretenders exist.  Can the brothers restore their bodies or will they be among the countless others who have died in frivolous pursuit of this dream?  They discover the State is filled with corruption and someone is manipulating events from behind the scenes.  Who or what are the homunculi?  What terrible choice will Edward be forced to make?

The Philospher's Stone can perform miraculous transmutations
without paying the price of equivalent exchange

Here are some of the characters Edward and Al will meet:

• Roy Mustang - superior officer to Edward and known as the "Flame Alchemist", a seasoned soldier who regrets his part in the war with Ishbal, wants to change the State from within
• Maes Hughes - works in military intelligence and is old friend's with Roy Mustang, often helps the Elric brothers with information and guidance, has an adorable little girl
• Winry Rockbell - childhood friend of Al and Edward, skilled automail technician and repairs Ed's limbs when they are broken during battles
• Louis Armstrong - the "Strong Arm Alchemist", built like a tank and often shows off his muscles by taking his shirt off, highly emotional and empathetic
• Scar - mysterious Ishbalan with a prominent scar on his face, possesses tremendous alchemical power in his right arm, his mission is to kill all State Alchemists as revenge for the slaughter in Ishbal
• Shou Tucker - the "Sewing-Life Alchemist", a researcher who created the first talking chimera (an animal with human-like intelligence), he lives with his daughter doing State-funded research

Maes Hughes says farewell to the brothers as they embark on a train

Pros: Great soundtrack particularly the opening/ending theme songs - "Ready Steady Go", "Melissa" and "Undo" are all enjoyable, character designs and character development are well done, excellent mix of comedy and serious themes, lots of interesting alchemists with different powers along with the mysterious Scar, alchemy is a cool concept

Roy Mustang shows why he's called the "Flame Alchemist"

Cons: Most of the comedy is slapstick and silly which contrasts with the serious elements, a few episodes were duds, simple animation and backgrounds

Edward and Al meet the other Elric brothers - huh!?

Mike Tells It Straight: Fullmetal Alchemist is a wildly popular anime series which manages to near-perfectly balance comedy, adventure, and serious subject matters.  I finally checked out the first season after seeing several episodes on Cartoon Network a few years ago and hearing a lot of praise for the series.  Well, it lived up to most of the hype.  The Elric brothers are likable protagonists and the circumstances of their disfigurement was truly grave.  Alchemy made a great backdrop for their story and we really get to see them develop over the first season.

Nina, the daughter of Shou Tucker, and her dog Alexander

The show started off a bit slowly, but gained good momentum right about the time Scar and the chimera were introduced.  I knew this anime was serious after those episodes and the rest of the series kept getting better.  I was a bit surprised at how lighthearted most of the series was - Edward's short-man complex, how childlike Al was in his massive armor, Maes Hughes comical gushing over his little daughter, Louis Armstrong's emotional outbursts, and more.  It helped make the characters more endearing (or more annoying, I'm not quite sure yet).

The mysterious homunculi Lust and Gluttony

This first season is half of the first full series (total of 51 episodes) and has been followed up by a quasi-sequel series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (a completely new version of the series, but with additional details and based completely on the manga).  The ending of the first season was really the beginning of the major storyline which plays out in the second season.  Despite its slow start I think FA is highly entertaining and has a lot of good subject matter.  The Elric brothers are damaged both on the outside (lost limbs, artificial body) and the inside (absent father, closeness issues).

Winry and her grandmother repair Ed's auto-mail

Those looking for a strictly serious plot may dislike the comedy aspects of the show.  If you can deal with the slapstick then you'll be rewarded down the line with more serious events.  I wouldn't recommend this show for young viewers due to the dismemberment and killing, but definitely teens and maybe pre-teens (borderline).  FA is a critical success and lives up to being one of the better shows of the past decade.  I recommend checking it out if you haven't already!

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Darker Than Black Season One Anime Review

Darker Than Black Season One
(Darker Than Black: The Black Contractor)
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
625 mins. - 26 episodes (25 + 1 OVA)
$49.98 (2011)
$69.98 (2010)
$29.98 (2008-2009) Vol. 1-6/ea.
$39.98 (2008) Vol. 1 Starter Set
ISBN 704400074592
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Tensai Okamura
Studio - Bones/Aniplex

Synopsis:  Ten years ago a section of Tokyo transformed into a horrifyingly unstable terrain where the laws of physics cannot be trusted and mysterious apparitions haunt the streets.  The site was dubbed Hell's Gate and a similar site manifested in South America was called Heaven's Gate.  When the Gates appeared the stars and moon were blocked out and replaced by a set of artificial stars.  These stars are linked to beings with strange powers called Contractors.  Each star represents one specific Contractor and glows brighter when their power is used.  In this way the activities of a Contractor can be monitored.  When the Contractor loses their life then the star falls from the sky.  A new star appears whenever another person gains powers.

Strange phenomena occur within the Gates

Contractors were once humans, but now follow a different set of rules.  They have incredible psychic powers including flight, power over the elements, body-switching, explosions and many more.  The power comes with a price as each 'contract' requires a 'payment' - something the Contractor is compelled to do after using their power.  The 'payments' are just as diverse as the powers of the Contractors.  They can include eating/drinking specific things, smoking, placing objects in a specific manner, self-inflicting pain on themselves/others, and many more.  A Contractor's 'payment' can be a curse or only a minor inconvenience, but the price must be paid or the Contractor will be adversely affected.

The mysterious Contractor assigned Messier Code BK-201
and codenamed 'The Black Reaper'

The governments of the world have kept the existence of Contractors a secret from the general public.  The Japanese government has surrounded Hell's Gate with a massive wall and a multi-national coalition called PANDORA (Physical Alteration Natural Deconstruction Organized Research Agency) studies the abnormal phenomena inside.  Contractors are completely rational beings and no longer capable of feeling regular human emotions.  They do not know loyalty or morals, but only a strong sense of self-preservation.  Many governments use Contractors as tools to perform espionage or assassinations.  Other groups calling themselves Syndicates also use Contractors, but operate secretly and often counter to government espionage agencies.

Unassuming foreign exchange student Li Shenshun arrives in Tokyo
around the same time BK-201 and the Black Reaper become active

In Tokyo the Public Security Bureau's Section 4 is charged with investigating crimes related to Contractors.  A mysterious, new Contractor nicknamed the Black Reaper has recently been sighted in Tokyo and seemingly involved in many covert ops.  Misaki Kirihara, the head of Section 4, has made it her personal mission to find the Reaper and bring him to justice.  An unassuming Chinese exchange student named Li rents a flat in Tokyo and works odd jobs to pay for school.  He is really the Contractor named Hei, 'The Black Reaper'.

Section-Chief Misaki Kirihara and Detective Yuusuke Saito

Hei works for a Syndicate in a small group with three other individuals:

• Huang - a gruff older man who receives orders (i.e. missions) from the Syndicate and organizes the team's work.  He dislikes Contractors and considers them to be less than human
• Mao - a black cat who can talk and is really a body-switching Contractor only able to possess animals.  His original, human body has been lost
• Yin - an emotionless girl who is another Gate-related entity called a Doll.  She is a medium and can use water to send a spirit form for observational purposes.  Dolls are even less human than Contractors (although no 'payment' is required), essentially having no independent will and only acting on specific instructions

Huang, Yin, Hei, and Mao

Five years ago Heaven's Gate was the site of a massive conflict between Contractors and various governments before completely disappearing.  Hei's sister Pai disappeared in the conflict and he has made it his mission to find her.  He believes investigating Hell's Gate will give him clues to finding her, but dark secrets from his past and the Heaven's Gate conflict are slowly bubbling to the surface.  Why does he keep exhibiting remotely human emotions like compassion and sorrow when they should be beyond his caring?  Various espionage agencies like MI6, the CIA, and Public Security's Section 4 are increasingly present around the Gate.  What is the secret of the meteor fragments?  How does the infamous detective Gai Kurosawa fit into the picture?  Will Hei find his lost sister or will Misaki finally catch the deadly Black Reaper? 

Mao gets hassled by Li's landlady who hates cats

Pros: Great animation quality, nice action scenes, solid characters - especially Hei and Mao, the Contractors' powers and 'payments' are neat, awesome music put together by Yoko Kanno - the first opening theme (Howling by Abingdon Boys School) is now one of my all-time favorites  from an anime, story is perfect blend of suspense/action/comedy, very good dub, I liked how each mission/storyline lasted two episodes, high death count, some romance, this DVD set includes the OVA episode Beneath the Fully Bloomed Cherry Blossoms as the 26th episode (for you obsessive completists out there!)

Hei triggers his power during a fight

Cons: Plot was a bit confusing, certain characters are never fully explained, episodic nature can slow down overall story progression, no primary antagonist or foil, they switched the opening theme song from Howling to a different song halfway through the series

Yin tries on a smile

Mike Tells It Straight:  I kept thinking to myself as I watched Darker Than Black (aka DTB) - 'Why can't X-Men be this cool?  Mutants have superpowers, but it feels like the same stories are recycled over and over again.  Someone needs to break the status quo and bring something unexpected.'  DTB was a breath of fresh air among a cacophony of stale pop culture works.  It has a perfect mix of action, intrigue, comedy, and gravity like many other great, memorable shows.  I found myself looking forward to each new episode, but mostly it was the awesome opening theme song - Howling.  Seriously epic tune and put me in the ideal mood to enjoy DTB every time!

While being held by the Evening Primrose group, Mao worries
they've noticed he's not just a regular cat

The soundtrack was excellent thanks to Yoko Kanno - prolific anime soundtrack composer who worked on Macross Plus, Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Wolf's Rain, and many more.  Visuals were top notch with two well-known studios working together - Bones (Wolf's Rain, Fullmetal Alchemist) and Aniplex (Fullmetal Alchemist, Blood+, Durarara!!).  Character designs were good and characterization definitely shined.  Hei was a cool customer, but he actually had a heart (contrary to how normal Contractors are supposed to behave).  I liked seeing the characters grow as the series progressed.

Hei takes a walk to get some ramen

I found the two-episode story arcs to be a nice change from other full-length series (i.e. 26-episodes) which tend to become episodic in the middle until the buildup to the series finale.  In DTB the first episode set up the story and players with resolution in the second episode.  Rinse and repeat for most of the series.  The only drawback - if you didn't like an arc then you were stuck with two episodes to trudge through.  Overall DTB was a great show and I recommend it highly.  It was serious, but had lots of humorous and touching moments to make you feel for the characters.  I'm looking forward to checking out the sequel.

"Just howling in the shadows!"

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Halo Legends Anime Review

Halo Legends
Warner Home Video
Complete Collection - 1 disc
119 min.
$14.98 (2010)
$19.98 (2010) Special Edition (2 disc)
ISBN 883929099245
Japanese/English Audio
Japanese/English/French/Spanish Subtitles
Directors - Frank O'Connor/Joseph Chou/Toshiyuki Kanno/Hiroshi Yamazuki/Koji Sawai/Tomoki Muraki/Daisuke Nishio/Hideki Futamura/Keiichi Sugiyama
Studios - Studio 4°C/Production I.G/Casio Entertainment/Toei Animation/Bones/Warner Bros./343 Industries

Synopsis: Seven tales from the Halo science fiction universe:

• "The Babysitter" - A team of Helljumpers attempt a long-distance assassination of a Covenant Prophet and are led by a Spartan.  Constant screw-ups by the troopers distract the Spartan from completing the mission.  Can the troopers suck it up for long enough to kill the Prophet?
• "The Duel" - A covenant Arbiter openly dissents from the Covenant religion and is targeted for assassination by a legion of footsoldiers.  Though a powerful warrior he also has a loving family which proves too tempting a target by one Covenant assassin.  Can the Arbiter fight to save his family in time?
• "The Package" - An elite group of Spartans must retrieve a special package from a Covenant ship.  They board Booster Frames and begin a space fighter battle.  Can the group get to the ship and find the package before they all die horrible space deaths?
• "Origins" - Cortana, an artificial intelligence, recounts the origins of the Halo weapon system.  She tells of the ancient race called the Forerunners and the deadly plague which brought them low called the Flood.  Forced to destroy the universe in order to stop their hated enemies along with dooming themselves.  Get the origin of the entire Halo universe in one shot.
• "Homecoming" - Spartan Daisy-023 helps evacuate a UNSC squad from overwhelming Covenant forces.  She has flashbacks of her time in the Spartan-II supersoldier project and specifically the day she breaks out in order to return to her previous life.  She is shocked to find herself still living her old life.  Who is she and why does she wear a teddy bear charm?
• "Prototype" - The Covenant are close to gaining possession of a key research facility which houses a powerful prototype weapon.  A demolition squad is dispatched to flatten the facility and led by squad leader "Ghost".  His nickname was earned after his last squad was completely annihilated except for him.  Can he stop the same thing from happening to his current squad and what is the weapon?
• "Odd One Out" - Spartan 1337 possesses incredible bad luck - he accidentally fell out of his transport and got stranded on a remote planet.  Worse, the Covenant sends their latest bio-weapon, Pluton, a being with massive powers to destroy everything in sight.  Did I mention the dinosaurs and superstrong teenagers with their biting sarcasm?  Yeah, it's going to be a long day.

Cover art for the Special Edition 2 disc set

Pros: Great animation by top studios, interesting science fiction stories, relatively easy for non-Halo fans to understand, good range of informative/action/humor stories

Cons: Mixed bag of animation and story styles, animation style on "The Duel" looks messy/blurry, may not be hardcore canon enough for the hardcore Halo fans, too many suicide missions

Spartan flying a Booster Frame

Mike Tells It Straight: American science fiction, first-person shooter game Halo gets a collection of short anime stories by top notch Japanese talent.  Halo is a massive video game franchise and we get a nice complement to their epic storylines.  I've played the games a few times, but never got deeply involved and experienced these stories as a relative newbie.  They have a very wide range and were overall very enjoyable.  I really liked how the first story was the origin to give us background information on the Halo universe and the last story was a funny parody to leave us laughing. 

Daisy-023 shoots 'em up



Warning!  If you cannot stand when a story does not follow canon to the letter then this collection is not for you.  Rarely will a franchise translate into another medium seamlessly (i.e. comic books to motion pictures as a prime example) and this instance is no exception.  Those players who have spent a good portion of their lives with these games will be the most affected.  The casual viewer and sometime player will probably enjoy this release in an oblivious manner (like me).  The hardcore fans will either love or hate it (especially those unfamiliar with anime).  It sold a ton of copies and you can buy one for relatively cheap - pick one up and find out what your weird brother has been doing in his room all these years (besides surfing the net for porn).

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Sword of the Stranger Anime Review

Sword of the Stranger

Bandai Entertainment
Movie - 103 mins.
$24.98 (2009) $39.98 Blu-Ray
ISBN 669198200120
English/Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Masahiro Ando
Studio - Bones

Synopsis: Kotaro, a young orphan boy, barely escapes the destruction of the temple where he lives by a band of Chinese Ming fighters.  They pursue him as a sacrifice to create an elixir able to grant eternal life to the emperor of China.  The Ming are aided by a rogue feudal lord and include a ruthless, blond-haired warrior possessing incredible skills.

Hiding out in an abandoned shrine, Kotaro and his faithful dog Tobimaru meet a wandering ronin calling himself No Name.  When Tobimaru is poisoned, No Name helps save his life and a bond is formed with Kotaro as No Name becomes his bodyguard. 

No Name has vowed never to use his sword again as penance for acts he performed as a warrior under a feudal lord.  He has a knot tied around his sword, but is still a formidable fighter without it.  A bloody showdown is on the horizon, but will the three companions survive and can No Name atone for his past?

Pros: Incredibly lush background visuals, thrilling and well choreographed fight sequences, humorous banter with boy and samurai, good ending, interesting characters, Chinese vs. Japanese martial arts, Ming characters actually speak Chinese (Mandarin), decent soundtrack

Cons: Story is a bit cliche, No Name still kills albeit without a sword - makes his vow to never unsheathe his sword a bit hollow, the Ming wanting to sacrifice Kotaro didn't seem plausible, the most powerful Ming warrior was a foreigner - never explained how this guy got so good at martial arts

Mike Tells It Straight: This movie has great visuals, cool fight scenes, and some interesting characters.  Mildly lacking in the story department, but overall very enjoyable.  I think people have been waiting for a truly spectacular anime movie to come along for the past few years and put a lot of expectation on this one to deliver a transcendental experience.  Don't get me wrong, it's a really good movie in the genre, but not quite the calibre of a Princess Mononoke.  It's a solid watch and actually better than I expected. 



TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Jyu-Oh-Sei: Planet of the Beast King Anime Review

Jyu-Oh-Sei: Planet of the Beast King
Funimation
Complete Collection - 11 episodes
 255 minutes
$59.98 (2008) $29.98 S.A.V.E. edition (2008)
ISBN 704400083105
English/Japanese Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Hiroshi Nishikiori
Studio - Bones
TO BUY: Jyu-Oh-Sei

Synopsis: In the far future mankind has populated the Balkan system and left a dying Earth behind.  The race has suffered under the different conditions in their new home and birth rates have dropped.  The parents of Thor and Rai are political figures and scientists on the colony Juno.  Odin, the president of Juno assassinates them and drops the twins on Chimaera, a secret prison planet with the deadliest environment in the universe. 

There is a rag-tag society on Chimaera with four "Rings" (or camps/clans) with their own chieftains.  The chieftain who conquers all four rings is crowned the "Beast King" and allowed off Chimaera.  Thor desperately wants to leave Chimaera and exact revenge on Odin for killing his parents, orchestrating his exile, and laterally causing his brother's death.  Along the way Thor is chosen by Tiz as her mate and befriends Third who helps him rise to power in the Ochre ring.  Can Thor conquer the planet and become the Beast King?  What secret agenda does Odin have with Chimaera and where have all the past Beast Kings gone? 

Pros: Good animation, very unique plot premise, catchy and off-beat opening theme song, a few interesting plot twists at the end

Cons: The dub voices for Thor and Rai as kids are incredibly annoying, story is not as violent and bloodthirsty as expected, ending is somewhat anti-climactic and felt a bit rushed, Tiz was somewhat lame too

Mike Tells It Straight: Although Jyu-Oh-Sei has a great sci-fi premise and the perfect revenge story setup it was somewhat disappointing.  It just wasn't savage enough for me and the idea of a feudal society amidst the deadly flora of Chimaera didn't jive.  Thor's rise to chieftain status was too easy and it seemed too improbable.  The twists at the end were good, but again the finale was a disappointment.  11 episodes is an odd number and they could have prolonged anticipation of (or maybe improved) the ending.  Ultimately this show is all hype.

TO BUY and Recommendations: Last Exile Demon King Daimao Dance in the Vampire Bund