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Series: Tower Of Druaga – The Complete Series
UK Release date: 9th May 2011
Distributor: MVM
Certificate: 12
Running time: 600 mins
Director: Koichi Chigira
Genre: Anime
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Japan
Language: Japanese
Review by: Dave O Butnu
When most computer games are adapted to film or TV series, the results are often disappointing. We’re all familiar with the mass disappointment with such ventures as Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within and the Resident Evil franchise, and even Christian Slater couldn’t save Alone In The Dark from its straight to DVD destiny. Even if you thought these films were good, they by no means lived up to the stature of the games on which they were based. What can producers do to make computer game adaptations more enjoyable, especially in the eyes of the fans of the games they often butcher? The answer is, of course, to do things differently, and that is exactly what anime producers Gonzo have done with Tower Of Druaga.
As the title suggests, the series is about a huge tower, in the fantasy land of Uruk, which was built by an evil god called Druaga. At the top of the tower is a holy crystal rod, which is both fantastically powerful and incredibly valuable. This means that many of the citizens of Uruk set out to climb the tower in hope of getting the crystal rod and the countless other treasures littered around its many floors. However, the tower is no easy climb and is filled with armies of nasty monsters and malicious traps.
As Jil sets off with a group of fellow climbers, including his brother, it soon becomes clear that he has a lot to learn before he will be strong enough to reach the top of the tower. The group tell Jil to leave, so he finds new friends to climb with, who also turn out to be inexperienced climbers. Also climbing the tower is the mighty Army of Uruk and an evil assassin. Everyone seems to have different motives for climbing the tower and it soon becomes clear that they are not just competing with the tower, but each other as well…
You’ll be forgiven if you’ve never heard of a game called The Tower Of Druaga, since it was only released as an arcade game in Japan and the United States, way back in 1984. The game was a sort of action role-playing game and spawned a number of sequels on various consoles. The anime series uses the story of the game as its backdrop, but is set 80 years later and in a completely new and bigger tower.
So what does Tower Of Druaga do differently to its various other video-game-adapting counterparts? Well, firstly it doesn’t take itself as seriously. In fact, for the most part you could say it’s a comedy. The comedy employed is mostly quite slapstick, however, there are also a lot of jokes and references to the original game, role-playing games (as in Dungeons & Dragons) and computer games in general. In most cases, the jokes are really funny and will often catch you off guard, but some of the humour is a little lost in translation.
Tower Of Druaga takes even more from the original game by playing on the repetitive nature of such games. The characters make complaints about “yet another fight” and how “everything looks the same.” This approach actually seems to make it far more enjoyable than if the series had simply tried to be a serious adaptation.
The series also utilises the seemingly infinite sub quests that are another typical cliché of Japanese RPG games. In almost every episode we see the characters helping someone get their stolen wallet back or looking for their missing spear. This also shapes the narrative in to a more labyrinthine structure, which again seems even more ironic given that it is effectively set within a tower-shaped labyrinth!
Further to the constant sub quests, there is also a conspiracy sub plot as well as some sort of ancient prophecy which is gradually explained. Every episode brings completely new surprises, even though we all assume that we know what is going to happen next because of the countless clichés. The constant detours that the narrative takes us on distract us enough that by the time we end up back on track, we’ve forgotten that we knew where we were going!
Considering the aesthetic appearing to be directed more at younger audiences, Tower Of Druaga actually depicts some fairly adult content and themes. People actually die (the bad guys ruthlessly execute innocents), some characters even change gender at one point and, although we don’t see it, they discreetly joke about taboos such as masturbation and group sex.
Even more interesting are the opening credits to each episode, which show high school kids, who resemble the characters from the story, living their normal real world lives. Perhaps this suggests that the story portrayed in the series is merely an anime based on a group of children playing a role playing version of the game! Maybe we are just imagining that we are watching the DVD! Can any of this be assumed to be ‘real’?! To make things worse, the theme tune is incredibly catchy and you will find yourself humming it for days, despite not being able to understand the Japanese lyrics.
For anyone who isn’t too sure if they like anime, Tower Of Druaga is a good place to start. The episodes are only 25 minutes long and it will make you laugh throughout. Especially if you like playing games like Zelda or Final Fantasy. If you already know that you like anime, then you’ll definitely enjoy Tower of Druaga. This series is both insane and very funny, albeit very geeky at the same time! DOB
Film: Pandemic
Year of production: 2009
UK Release date: 9th May 2011
Distributor: MVM
Certificate: 15
Running time: 130 mins
Director: Takahisa Zeze
Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Rei Dan, Ryôko Kuninaka, Yûji Tanaka, Chizuru Ikewaki
Genre: Drama/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Format: DVD
Country of Production: Japan
Language: Japanese
Review by: Daryl Wing
Prolific Japanese auteur Takahisa Zeze (Flying Rabbits, Moon Child) is back with Pandemic, a harrowing film starring an impressive group of actors including Satoshi Tsumabuki (Dororo, The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift), Kanningu Takeyama (Memories Of Matsuko) and the much-celebrated Tatsuya Fuji (In The Realm Of The Senses, Empire Of Passion). Will this topical tale of a country threatened by a mysterious virus be the apocalyptic disaster movie it longs to be, or will it just be a calamity?
A lethal avian flu outbreak hits a small village in the Northern Philippines, with the team working to contain the virus hearing unconfirmed reports that one of the residents has left the village, taking a chicken with him. Three months later, a poultry farm on the outskirts of Tokyo is found to be infected.
At a nearby hospital, doctors quickly determine that the cause of a patient’s death is not avian flu, but something much, much worse – and early estimates suggest an outbreak of this deadly plague could infect Tokyo and kill 640,000 people within weeks.
As fear quickly spreads, medical researchers race to identify and isolate the virus, and to produce a vaccine. But the death toll begins to rise far quicker than anticipated. All flights are cancelled, resulting in mass panic and chaos, and in the middle of it all, the hospital where the virus was first discovered has become a war zone. Will anyone discover a cure before it’s too late?
An old proverb reads, better a little loss than a long sorrow. Director Takahisa Zeze takes these words of wisdom and spreads its message over 130 minutes of misery and sentimental claptrap. The message is clear, and delivered during the film’s final act (if you’re lucky enough to make it that far), but if you really must lose a fly to catch a trout, surely there are ways of making an apocalyptic thriller more exciting than replacing action and chills with hospital drama best left to daytime television. On this evidence, watching a trout eat a fly would actually make for more interesting viewing.
While the basic premise of this depressing tale might sound like a rehash of Wolfgang Peterson’s impressive Outbreak (1995), watching it unfold is something else entirely; shot on a small budget, with only a handful of impressive visuals towards the end of the film, as we witness Tokyo in all its desolate glory, this is perhaps the dullest disaster movie to ever grace our screens. Takahisa isn’t afraid to pull the rug from under our feet, and many characters we’ve gotten to know over the film’s duration are fatally discharged with considerable ease. It’s just a shame nobody cares. You certainly won’t be touched by it either; no matter how many times Zeze wheels out his pianist to remind us that a sad part is fast approaching.
If you’re of the opinion that any disaster film could be improved tremendously by the addition of such wonderfully touching dialogue similar to, “I’ve seen so many people die, now it’s my turn I’m scared,” and a doctor screaming “Why?” when the first victim dies, in a manner that suggests he’s never seen someone kick the bucket before, then Pandemic is the movie for you. You’ll be rewarded with a truly astonishing scene in which the only bright spark, Yuji Tanaka’s sweet nurse Mito, manages to not only keep hold of her mobile after being struck down by the deadly virus for a good ten minutes without anyone noticing, but she also sends a text message to her worried child from beyond the grave. A spoiler if ever there was one, but if it stops you from wasting two hours of your life on this tosh then you’ll be grateful in the long run.
Other failings include a lack of conflict that results in a lack of thrills, and each character’s willingness to help when some would surely be running for the exit creates a world that just isn’t very believable. Yes, it’s their job to preserve life, but this is one of the deadliest viruses known to man – a cure seemingly impossible. Wouldn’t someone sneak out the back door? The acting, a disappointment when you look at the impressive cast list, veers from average to poor then back again throughout, with some characters struggling to convince when English dialogue is required, while other performances, especially the European cameos, simply stink – they would look out of their depth on children’s television.
The biggest problem, though, is a complete lack of empathy for any of the characters. Too many times Takahisa ditches characterization and back-story for scenes that fail to move the story forward. He introduces a romance that doesn’t satisfy, tells a story without a hint of humour, which would go some way to making this experience more pleasurable, not to mention the simplest device to make his stars likeable, and bombards us with so much death you’ll be bored by the time another character succumbs. A film that’s more miserable than sad, Pandemic can’t be saved by pretty snowstorms and the pouring rain (Takahisa’s ultimately tiring party trick).
With an impressive cast and a premise to really pull at the heartstrings, Takahisa Zeze ditches the thrills, chaos and menace a deadly virus could bring to the operating table, replacing them with a plot so slow-paced it’s probably not even worth checking for a pulse – catching a cold is more fun than this coma-inducing disaster of a movie. DW
Film: Wushu
Year of production: 2008
Release date: 18th April 2011
Studio: MVM
Certificate: 12
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Antony Szeto
Starring: Sammo Hung, Wei Dong, Wu Dazhou, Lie Xin, Shi Yao
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Family/Martial Arts
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Mandarin
Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung are back together (although only Sammo appears on screen with Jackie taking on the role of executive producer) for this 2008 action film aimed squarely at the younger generation, but will their combined efforts elevate the film to the dizzying heights reached with their previous collaborations as part of the Three Dragons?
The portly, yet oddly sprightly Mr Li (Sammo Hung) is a father to two boys and a martial arts teacher who is determined to honour his late wife’s memory by bringing up his sons in a manner she would approve of. At the Wushu school of martial arts he heads up, his two young sons Yi and Er quickly make friends with fellow classmates Yauwu, Zhang and Fong (the only girl of the group) and form the Jing Wu Men.
The Jing Wu Men grow up together, and each one of them becomes an expert in a chosen martial arts discipline by the time they reach their teenage years. Soon, they are joined by Xiao Yi, a pretty girl and fellow martial artist who Zhang takes a shine to, and doesn’t particularly mind being kicked in the face by during an arranged ‘duel’. At the same time, a gang led by Le, a wayward former pupil of the Wushu school, begins kidnapping young children, and the Jing Wu Men set out to save the day.
Their efforts to defeat the gang intensify when two young twins from the school are kidnapped along with one of the Jing Wu Men and Nan, another former pupil who works as a film stuntman and fight choreographer. Mr Li, his son Yi and Yauwu are called into action to rescue the kidnap victims, but the evil Le proves to be a remarkably tough adversary. At least until he starts fighting dirty, and Mr Li starts throwing his weight around...
If you’re looking for a martial arts film with plenty of historical detail and narrative depth, Wushu is not the film to go for, but if flashy fun, cheesy music and gawky teenage romance are what you’re after, look no further. The kids start out cute and talented, and pretty much stay that way as teenagers. They have their problems, but Mr Li and his beautiful, ever supportive sidekick Miss Zhang are always on hand to help.
It would be easy to pick fault with Wushu, but it’s better just to enjoy the flaws as amusing oddities rather than labour over them. Early in the film, for example, the pint-sized Jing Wu Men basically steal, or ‘rescue’, a puppy from an old man they surmise might want to eat it, then pretty much abandon the puppy when it leads them to what will become their secret hideaway. Well, maybe they don’t abandon the puppy after all; it is possible that they hungrily devour it themselves off-camera, but we’re probably not meant to worry about that.
The main appeal of Wushu is the expertly filmed martial arts action. With the aid of split screens, slow motion and upbeat, relentlessly sugary music, the action sequences give the film an energetic, hyper-kinetic wow factor that kids and not-too-demanding martial arts fans will love. The main story and simple sub-plots do just enough to hold it all together, and the young cast are all perfectly likeable as the Jing Wu Men. It doesn’t always go smoothly for them, and they do have the odd setback to deal with, so you’re not left with the feeling of wanting to throttle them (much), but all ends well, as you would expect.
There is very little blood, though Nan very nearly does get his skull cracked open ‘like an egg’ with a sledgehammer by one of Le’s henchmen, and Mr Li gets a bloody lip in the climactic fight with Le. It could have been a lot worse for Mr Li, though, if Le had just been a bit quicker with that saw... And if you’re not in the mood for reading subtitles, there’s also a dubbed version with American accents.
Martial arts purists will probably turn their noses up at Wushu, and it’s certainly ripe for parody, but as a harmless bit of fun, it makes for entertaining enough viewing. But exactly what did happen to that cute little puppy?
Wushu won’t set the world of martial arts films alight, but it’s undemanding, well crafted fun, and there are worse things for kids to emulate than the irrepressible Jing Wu Men. JG
Raised by their grandmother since their mother’s death, 9-year-old Li Yi (Wei Dong) and his younger brother Li Er (Wu Dazhou) are about to start a new life with their father, Li Hui (Sammo Hung), a teacher at an elite Chinese martial arts school which they are to attend. Their mischief-filled first day introduces them to fellow pupils Fong Fong (Lie Xin), Xiao Zhang (Shi Yao) and Yang Yauwu (Liang Zhicheng) and a life-long allegiance between the five friends is soon formed.
Ten years later, in their final year of college, Li Yi, Fong Fong and Yang have become the school’s top Wushu students, while Li Er and Xiao Zhang are the top two Sanda fighters, all working hard to get in shape for the forthcoming selection competition for the provincial martial arts team. A chance meeting with a former student-turned-fight choreographer, Guo Nan (Zhang Jin), and a visit to his latest film set rouses dreams of action movie stardom in the youngsters, dreams which could threaten their athletic careers.
However, their fates take an unexpected turn when they cross paths with Ke Le (Tie Nan), a former pupil of Li Hui and a one-time friend of Nan’s, who is now involved in illegal underground fighting and a child trafficking ring. When the five friends thwart Ke Le’s attempt to kidnap a little girl, it places all their lives in danger. Turning to Li Hui for help, the group of friends and their mentor must combine their combine skills to face their greatest challenge.
Feet and fists fly with impressive speed, style and grace as a new generation of martial arts stars takes the stage to display their fighting skills under the guidance of two of the genre’s master practitioners in Wushu, a film that is as full of charm and character as it is bone-crunching action.
Film: Wushu
Release date: 18th April 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 101 mins
Director: Antony Szeto
Starring: Sammo Hung, Wei Dong, Wu Dazhou, Lie Xin, Shi Yao
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Family/Martial Arts
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Hong Kong
Film: Death Notice: Ikigami
Release date: 7th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 128 mins
Director: Tomoyuki Takimoto
Starring: Shota Matsuda, Koji Tsukamoto, Riko Narumi, Takayuki Yamada, Akira Emoto
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Tomoyuki Takimoto faithfully adapts three stories from Môtoro Mase’s seven volume manga Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit for the screen, where he explores themes of loss and mortality against a backdrop of a fictional Japan where the government rules through fear and a demand for unwavering allegiance from its citizens.
In a dystopian Japan, where CCTV monitors its citizens’ every move, the totalitarian government has implemented the Special Law for the Maintenance of National Prosperity, whereby all children are inoculated as they enter junior school.
While the majority of the inoculations are benign, one in every thousand carries a tiny radio controlled capsule which, on activation by the government when the condemned receive their ikigami (death notice) any time between the ages of 18 and 24, causes the recipient to fall down dead exactly twenty-four hours later. Upon receipt of this notice, the victims are given any food, lodgings and entertainment they desire at the state’s expense. If, however, they commit a crime during this time, they forfeit pension payment that the government pays to their family as a means of compensation. By enforcing such a tyrannous law, the government hopes that by instilling the fear of instant and unprejudiced death, young people will learn to appreciate life more, thus creating a more prosperous Japan
Kengo Fujimoto (Shôta Matsuda) has just qualified as a distributor of these death notices. Despite having serious concerns over the morality and humaneness of the government’s practices, especially with regards to their severe punishment of ‘thought crimes’ (forced ‘re-education’), Kengo embarks on his first assignment; to deliver an ikigami to 23-year-old up-and-coming musician Tsubasa Tanabe (Yuta Kanai). Soon after, he pays a somewhat more welcome visit to the reclusive son of the opposition party’s outspoken politician, who’s strained relationship with his parents causes him to flout the ‘no crime’ rule. Finally, Kengo must deliver to Satoshi Iizuka (Takayuki Yamada), a working class debt collector struggling to arrange his blind sister’s cornea transplant.
These three stories of the recipients of Kengo’s death notice intertwine to explore the many ways that people cope with death when forced to face its inevitability…
After a low key, grainy opening showing an ikigami recipient exacting revenge on a former bully, the pace slows dramatically, mirroring the regimented and bleak training Kengo must endure before he is qualified to deliver the death notices. A dull palette of greys and white is juxtaposed by the stark black suits of the marching salary men of this Orwell-inspired alternate Japan, with Big Brother watching their every move via an extensive network of CCTV (often shown from a POV shot, adding to the illusion). This slow pace threatens to disengage and alienate the viewer, but comes together as soon as the more human element comes to the fore. As Tsubasa and his busking partner take to the streets, the city comes to life with a bustling, more instantly familiar Japan enveloping Kengo in the human consequences of the law he is blindly enforcing.
The film’s emotional core is most present in, unsurprisingly, the different reactions of the characters on receipt of their death notices. Throughout their ordeals, Kengo acts as our witness, observing the events without interference (as he is instructed to do by his superiors) allowing for a restrained performance by Matsuda, which he uses to embody Kengo with a stoic professionalism which is perfectly tuned to his sterile surroundings, and makes his journey more engaging as he realises the effect these ikigami have on the Japanese youth and their families.
The first ikigami follows Tsubasa as he neglects his old band mate in favour of the promise of fame and fortune, which is arguably the most effective of the three stories, showcasing the character’s ability to deal with his impending death head on, and make the most of his last twenty-four hours. After using his free pass to order everything on the menu at a fancy restaurant, the musician rushes across town to attend the televised showcase of his duo’s new single (think Top Of The Pops), determined to realise his life’s ambition before succumbing to the inevitable. Meanwhile, his old busking partner is watching on television, along with the boy’s mother and Kengo (who is already questioning the regime). It is impossible not to be moved as the singer abandons the scheduled performance in favour of the song he used to play on the streets, while his friend watches from across the city and tearfully strums along. As the literal final curtain falls, Tsubasa becomes a figurehead for the anti-ikigami political movement. It is Yuta Kanai’s performance as Tsubasa that creates the emotional impact of this section, as his passionate performance channels all the confusion, unfairness and irrationality of his predicament into Komatsuna’s song, ‘Signpost’. It’s poignant and just on the right side of sentimental to remain effective.
The film does, however, forego some of this subtlety in the final act, opting for a more soap opera approach which somewhat pales in comparison to the emotional impact of Kengo’s previous encounter. This does little to dampen the subtleties of the rest of the film, which does well to offer an alternative to the similarly themed manga adaptations, such as Shusuke Kaneko’s Death Note and Kinji Fukasaku’s Battle Royale.
A well balanced and emotionally effective film, Death Notice: Ikigama stumbles at the final hurdle by relying a little too heavily on overt sentimentality, but is redeemed by its believable dystopian vision and some genuinely touching moments. RB
Series: The Slayers Evolution-R: Season 4 Part 2
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 325 mins
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
The fifth anime series to evolve from Hajime Kanzaka’s Slayers novels and manga continues into its fourth season, as Slayers Evolution-R attempts to keep the fan-following for the franchise alive two decades after its initial popularity. The last in a long legacy, Evolution-R carries a heavy responsibility to Slayers fans, as it ret-cons Lina Inverse’s earlier adventures through this Dungeons & Dragons inspired universe, where campy comedy and lengthy back-stories travel hand in hand.
Series four, disc two starts in the middle of Lina’s mission to protect gloomy merchant Radok from the threats of Zumma, an assassin out to kill Lina. The true plot focuses on their pursuit of the Hellmaster’s Jar, with which they can resurrect Rezo the Red Priest, as well as finding and destroying one of the scattered segments of Shabranigdo’s soul.
As the characters try to work out how to free Rezo, and bicker over what they want to use his power for, revelations occur that make them question whether they should free him at all...
For a show with such a complicated background, Evolution-R continues to be simplistically written. Though every episode progresses the storyline, it does so in slow baby steps, padding out the events out with stereotypical anime fight scenes and extended comical sequences. Ever notice that only two main, definable events seem to occur per original-trilogy Star Wars movie? Now subtract budget and originality. Most frustrating of these padding sequences on this DVD involved the gang repeatedly fighting monsters to make useless broths under Rezo’s instruction, lament their wasted time, and then repeat the process. This gag gets played far beyond funny, until the fast-forward button is looking extremely tempting. This said, the episodes do, at least, finally deal with the Rezo, a long-awaited development of the show. Now that the moment is finally upon us, the writers seem eager to drag it over as many episodes as possible.
Many back-stories are revealed in these episodes, which provide some insight into the characters, and aid in making them seem less flat and insubstantial. Even the annoying stuffed animal, Pokota, has a painful past, and faces some difficult realisations and choices. However, when the spotlight is not on a particular character and their personal angst, they continue to be two-dimensional stereotypes. The show is, granted, a parody of earlier anime, which explains the unoriginal nature of the cast, but cannot excuse it. From the dialogue to their appearance, there is nothing to recommend them above those in other anime. Lina, in particular, is as loud, annoying and unsympathetic as ever. When the main character is the hardest to tolerate, you have a serious problem. As these episodes strive to give her companions some development, her own un-engaging nature becomes extremely apparent.
Evolution-R cannot, of course, be blamed for the design of the characters, as it is merely continuing a long established story. What it can be held responsible for is the way it portrays and handles them. In the first episode on the disc, a fatal error is instantly made. Radok, the merchant, has a long talk with his son, delving deep into his personal angst. Giving so much time to an apparent side-character shifts our interest from the main cast onto him, which is then made worse by Lina’s immature taunting of him. Her words aren’t clever or even believable in tone – she seems to smile whilst challenging the serious things he just confessed. This is a failure of her acting, scripting and animation, and when Radok and his son are no longer in the show, we’re left with the now unappealing protagonist.
This acquisition and then loss of two characters highlights another issue with the show. It’s thin on plot, yet heavy on characters. Minor characters constantly arrive and leave, adding to the confusion of the already complex back-story. The plus side of this is that fans of the franchise can get nerd-excited every time a figure from previous incarnations shows up. For example, Xellos (the obligatory happily fay character) makes enough cameos to keep his following happy, though his appearances contribute very little to the storyline.
Artistically, some of the episodes have some beautiful backgrounds, and an interesting effect is often used for beams of light; they’re no Studio Ghibli, but they provide something pretty to look at to make up for the less skilfully animated characters. Though smooth enough, their movements are occasionally jerky or un-natural, and more distracting are the instances of expressions not matching the lines spoken. Angry exchanges are far less effective when the characters appear happy about them.
As well as the illustration, there is varying quality in the voice acting. Some of the performances are lacking; for example, once again, Lina’s character is left lacking. Her character is intended to be immature and annoying – her comrades comment on it often – and yet the director has made a bad decision in portraying this to the point where she is intolerable to listen to. It is commendable that FUNimation were able to re-unite most of the Central Park Media dub cast from previous series’; however, this does not mean that all of them were perfect.
These flaws aside, Evolution-R is very simple watching. In these episodes, in particular, where the Hellmaster’s Jar plot continues over several episodes, it is easy to let them wash over you. If you can tolerate cheese and enjoy laughing at bizarre or cliché lines, and you let your guard down, the show can get under your skin. The intended humour is less entertaining then what is, perhaps, the unintended humour, but this campy nature, these quotably naff lines, and its failure to meet its potential all, in a way, provide what is needed to maintain a cult following. Playing the so-bad-it’s-good card, the lack of substance can leave some people wanting more, and therefore, despite themselves, coming back. It’s a fatal, yet highly effective trap.
If you don’t expect much from it, then Slayers Evolution-R can provide some light entertainment to a coach potato session. Part 2 continues the camp, comedic style of the series, whilst finally addressing some of the issues many complained the series took too long to get to. The jokes can feel strained or over-done, flashbacks often feel like substitutes for three-dimensional character scripting, and, of course, Lina continues to irritate. A fan could either forgive or strongly condemn these flaws. For a recent addition to a long line of anime and manga, one would expect higher production value from this show. On the other hand, it stays in line with what came before and frequently references characters from other strands, so, at the end of the day; it comes down to where you place your priorities. Critically, though, it cannot stand as a competitor against the more acclaimed anime. AIB
In the interests of national prosperity, in a near-future Japan all children are given an inoculation on their first day at school. One in every thousand of the injections contains a lethal nano-capsule, which will end the recipient’s life sometime between the ages of 18 and 24. Having been randomly selected to die, prior to their termination these citizens are given 24 hours’ notification of their impending doom in the form of an ‘Ikigami’, a death notice allowing them one final day to say goodbye to loved ones and to come to terms with their fate.
Among those civil servants tasked with delivering the death notices is Kengo Fujimoto, a young man who secretly harbours reservations about the National Prosperity Law but who dares not speak out for fear of being charged with “thought crimes” against the state. Kengo’s moral dilemma regarding the law compels him to breaking the rules of his job by becoming emotionally involved in the lives of the first three people to whom he delivers an Ikigami: a struggling musician who finds fame at the cost of his greatest friendship; the reclusive son of a politician running for office on a campaign that unreservedly supports the National Prosperity Law; and a debt collector whose financial situation is about to become stable enough for him to take his blind sister out of an orphanage and support her himself. Kengo’s intervention in the final moments of the lives of these three people has a profound effect that leads him to question everything he has been taught to believe. But what is the cost of change?
Dark, chilling and deeply moving, Death Notice: Ikigami is a disturbing exploration of and all-too-possible vision of the future.
Film: Death Notice: Ikigami
Release date: 7th March 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 128 mins
Director: Tomoyuki Takimoto
Starring: Shota Matsuda, Koji Tsukamoto, Riko Narumi, Takayuki Yamada, Akira Emoto
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Series: Blade Of The Immortal - Volume 3
Release date: 10th January 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 100 mins
Director: Koichi Mashimo
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
The third volume of Koichi Mashimo’s Blade Of The Immortal anime, an adaptation of the manga series of the same name by Hiroaki Samura, brings the first series to a close with four climatic episodes.
The volume sees the immortal samurai Manji and Rin, the young girl he has vowed to protect, continue on their quest to find and kill the members of the Ittō-ryū to satisfy Rin’s thirst for revenge following the murder of her mother and father at the hands of the rogue dojo’s leaders…
In the first episode of the volume, the tenth of the series, Mask Of Change, our heroes take a welcome break from the action-packed slaughter of the previous few episodes and enjoy the surroundings of a festival. A chance encounter with a mask maker at the festival and his son leads to an unusual confrontation with one of the Ittō-ryū who raped Rin’s mother.
At times the dialogue in Blade Of The Immortal can become clunky in its unremitting attempt to be at all times profoundly exploring the meaning of life and death, revenge and forgiveness, yet the patient discussion over tea between Rin and Araya Kawakami is full of heartfelt truth on both sides and builds to a tense finale.
The viewers patience is paid off, too, as Manji arrives in time to bring his no-nonsense badass stab-first-talk-later attitude to bear in the next episode, and the fight at close quarters with short blades is just as exhilarating and well conceived in terms of animation and direction as any battle in previous episodes.
The animation continues to be solid and engaging, with clever tropes well used and not over-relied on, and the combat scenes imaginatively designed. As one might expect for an anime about an immortal samurai carrying such a vast array of sharp objects as Manji does, the series is no stranger to gushing blood and violence. However, the creative fight sequences, relieved by affecting exchanges of dialogue between the protagonists and those they meet on the road never allow the violence to become mundane.
This is particularly true in the concluding episodes of the volume when, having retreated to the country to train, Rin encounter’s Anotsu, the Ittō-ryū’s ambitious leader and the ruthless architect of her family’s murder. As in the previous encounter with the mask maker, the dialogue delves deeper in to the past and the reasons behind the Ittō-ryū’s rise to power.
One of the triumph’s of Koichi Mashimo’s adaptation of the story is his ability to build the tension to a simmer and keep it there, almost without being noticed, only to surge forth and award meditation with energetic fight scenes; his ability to engage the audience equally in the musings of Anotsu on the philosophy of the sword, as he does in the rampaging combat of Manji. Mashimo combines in Blade Of The Immortal both these stalwarts of samurai anime, and this volume will satisfy any true aficionado of the genre. A particular scene where Anotsu’s mastery of gentle violence, the paradox of fighting philosophy, is deftly demonstrated shows him slicing falling leaves with a colossal axe. The set piece is indicative of the whole volume: it looks cool, but suggests a little something to reveal below the surface. This suggestion comes from the presence of Rin who watches on unnoticed.
Blade Of The Immortal has more to offer beyond sword swinging and an appreciation of martial arts theory, and it is Rin who ties the combat scenes and an abstract admiration of the minutiae of swordplay to something more real. Her quest for revenge, her fluctuating self-doubt and assurance, make her the emotional heart of the story, acting as a foil to Manji’s jaded cynic, and thus driving him and the narrative forward. The interaction of the two gets a little more screen time in this unhurried volume, providing humour and a hint of affection, adding another layer to the slowly more complex characters.
Although the dialogue is suitably mystical and dreamy for the subject matter, it is sometimes overly so, and could do with pairing back slightly. So, too, with Kô Ôtani’s soundtrack; it helps to juxtapose the fighting and the more measured scenes of dialogue, and makes effectively haunting use of traditional shamisen music, yet it can be obtrusive, especially when the traditional makes way for modern driving guitar typical of anime combat.
The slight flaw of sometimes over-egging it is less prevalent in this final volume, which makes it all the more watchable as the charm of its animation, story and characters are allowed to shine the brighter.
Blade Of The Immortal is definitely at its best when embracing this less is more philosophy, and the final volume of the series is testament to that. The measured pace of the series finale is against the grain of concluding episodes generally, denying an explosive cliff-hanger, yet achieves the same aims admirably. The audience are left with a thirst for more; we have been allowed to peek at certain things, shown possible directions the characters may take, and tantalised rather than let down by an anti-climatic final showdown. There has been no word as yet of a second series, which would be a great shame – the third volume is an improvement, but it is not the polished finished article yet, so it would be great to see where it can be taken. GC
The final 13 episodes from the fourth season of the 1990s Japanese anime series.
Lina Inverse is a fire-throwing sorceress who spends her life robbing the rich. As Lina and her crew search for the Hellmaster's jar, they arrive at a village that is being harassed by a headless knight named Hans.
Series: Slayers Evolution - R: Season 4 Part 2
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 325 mins
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
In a land beset by the forces of evil, a solitary light shines forth with the hope of salvation...but that's a far different story!
Meet Lina Inverse, a spunky sorceress with a penchant for fire who enjoys nothing more than liberating the unearned from those less deserving. With her strapping, yet strapped for brains, faithful sidekick Gourry, her ambitious young protege, Amelia, and the ever-stoic Zelgadis, this ragtag team of misfit adventurers set out in search of a cure and end up on a quest to save the world. Together they find more trouble than they could possibly hope for, and nowhere near enough plunder!
Series: Slayers Next: The Complete Second Season
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 650 mins
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Starring: Hikaru Midorikawa, Masami Suzuki, Megumi Hayashibara, Yasunori Matsumoto, Akira Ishida
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
DVD Special Features:
•
Actor interviews
•
Cover art gallery
•
Sketch gallery
•
Image gallery
•
Trailers
All 24 episodes from the first two series of the blackly comic Japanese anime about living 'Rozen Maiden' dolls created by a mysterious dollmaker with extraordinary talents.
Series: Rozen Maiden: Series 1 & 2 Collection
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 12
Running time: 600 mins
Director: Ko Matsuo
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
All 13 episodes of the intricately plotted Japanese anime series, following two detectives on the trail of a mysterious young boy who has been attacking complete strangers with a golden bat.
As the detectives investigate, they learn more about the boy's strange history.
Series: Paranoia Agent: Complete Collection
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 325 mins
Director: Satoshi Kon
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Who's Minawa? Just as life finally returns to 'normal', a new girl shows up spying on Suguru. Who is she? Another combat android?! But who could she be working for?
A new mystery besets our friends as Sugur and Mahoro try to determine whom this clumsy and shy android could be. In the meantime, Mahoro has adopted her as a little sister and a maid in training. Unfortunately, for our new maid, Minawa gets to experience Suguru's frenetic lifestyle, which includes Mahoro's plan for a larger bust-line...
Series: Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful Collection – Complete 2nd Season + Summer Special
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 15
Running time: 375 mins
Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga
Starring: Ayako Kawasumi, Fujiko Takimoto, Asami Sanada, Ai Shimizu, Atsushi Kisaichi
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
DVD Special Features:
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Clean opening and closing
•
Production art gallery
•
Trailers
All 13 episodes from the first season of the Japanese anime series about a group of seven schools that regularly fight pitched battles with one another.
Series: Battle Vixens (Ikki Tousen): Collection
Release date: 7th February 2011
Certificate: 18
Running time: 325 mins
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Starring: N/a
Genre: Anime
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Film: 252: Sign Of Life
Release date: 10th January 2010
Certificate: 12
Running time: 128 mins
Director: Nobuo Mizuta
Starring: Hideaki Itô, Masaaki Uchino, Takayuki Yamada, Yu Kashii, Minji
Genre: Action/Adventure/Drama/Thriller
Studio: MVM
Format: DVD
Country: Japan
Named after the Tokyo Fire Department code that indicates the discovery of survivors in need of rescue, Nobuo Mizuta’s latest offering is inspired by a real-life rescue event that occurred following the Chuetsu earthquake of 2004. Ambitiously comparing itself to The Towering Inferno (1974), while at the same time allowing expectations to drop by throwing Japan Sinks (2006) into the mix, 252: Sign Of Life still has its work cut out, so will it sink or swim?
Yuji Shinohara, a former member of the Tokyo Rescue Fire Service, is struggling to cope with his career change, still haunted by the memories that forced him to quit the job he loved.
As the birthday of his young, deaf-mute daughter Shiori approaches, so too does a devastating tidal wave that virtually destroys their city, forewarned by brutal, baseball-sized hailstones that pound Tokyo into submission.
Trapped in the rapidly flooding and collapsing subway system with only a handful of survivors, conflicting personalities must be put to one side if any of them are to survive and attract the attention of the elite response force Yuji once sacrificed so much for. The sooner the better, too, as another savage storm is about to strike…
“Is help ever going to come?” rants the tetchy medical trainee during the opening scene of Mizuta’s melodramatic mess up, probably mirrored by the viewer’s own feelings long before the two-hour-mark blows in. It’s frustrating to say the least. The hailstone assault at the outset, followed quickly by the tidal wave that terrifies Tokyo, is every bit as harrowing as anything witnessed in recent disaster movies, if not more so. It even looks and sounds great, too.
Mizuta clearly prefers to flex his action muscles, and the opening half-an-hour is by far the best, as Yuji searches for his wife and daughter during Mother Nature’s vicious onslaught - his daughter Shiori’s desperate blasts on her whistle may echo that of Rose’s in Titanic (1997), but it works just as well, and although its running time would’ve been criminally short, the credits should’ve rolled not long after.
Sadly, having bombarded the viewer with such transports of delight, Mizuta fails to capitalise, and as is so often the case with disaster movies, the aftermath is more or less an afterthought. Punctured by hammy dialogue (“Yuji, did you…get over it?”), flashbacks that should’ve opened the story, and far too convenient plot devices, encapsulated by a tension-free blood transfusion using a bubble-filter for fish-tanks, Sign Of Life shows little originality, and certainly none of its epithet.
Some of the sets actually resemble that of a daytime soap opera, with acting from its supporting cast matching its second-rate veneer – a far cry from the jaw-dropping opening act. Hideaki Ito and Ayane Omori, playing Yuji and daughter Shiori respectably, easily stand out from the crowd with solid performances that are in tune with the audience, even if Omori finally tests its patience with a discreditable change of fortune in the final act.
The biggest embarrassment though is Masaaki Uchino: plucked from television, destined to stay there, if he’s lucky, he plays Shizuma, brother of Yuji, and now in charge of the Fire Rescue Service. His acting credentials are seriously hampered by daft dialogue (he screams, in understated fashion, “It’s falling!” as the train carriage holding the survivors plummets to the ground) and a ridiculous team of rescuers that don’t want to do their jobs because it might be a bit dangerous.
The latter is the biggest bugbear of the entire movie, as time and time again rescue attempts are halted due to health and safety regulations. Mizuta even dares to create conflict by highlighting the displeasure of one of the team, annoyed that he’s not able to fulfil the job description he applied for. Fortunately, he’s quickly talked out of such ridiculous heroic endeavours by his colleagues (they have family and he doesn’t, you see).
Ultimately, other than a surprising turn of events, albeit brief, when Shiori tries to retrieve her present (how Yuji managed to keep it for so long in such surroundings is a question long since forgotten), the film continues to its wishy-washy, overblown, sentimental, and to be expected conclusion. Having said that, extra brownie points must be awarded to the nonsensical weather forecaster that dares to question the Rescue Service by uttering the line, “Can’t we save them by using a helicopter?” You can probably guess what happens next…
Anyone who can appreciate a studied, haunting portrayal of mankind’s struggle against its self-destructive tendencies is better off watching something else. 252: Sign Of Life is more disaster than movie, disguising its lacklustre script with impressive effects but little else. DW
