Ruin Explorers Review

Happy November! With Thanksgiving in just 19 days, I figured I'd treat you to a feast of reviews this month. Since just about everyone who reads my reviews know my love for ADV Films (R.I.P.), I figured I review some shows from the Essential Anime Collection that they released last decade. I've got 3 shows from that collection, and all of them are big hits, especially in old school anime fan's opinion. So, for you, here's the review for Ruin Explorers!

Directed by Takeshi Mori back in 1995, released by ADV Films (R.I.P.) in the late 90s on tape, and re-released in 2004 on DvD, Ruin Explorers tells the tale of Fam and Ihrie, two adventures out on a quest for the Ultimate Power. The Ultimate Power is a fantastic magical energy said to grant the wish of anybody who finds it. Ihrie desires it because of a curse placed on her by her former master (more on that later), and Fam desires it so she can create a place where she & her spirit friends can live in peace. At an inn one day, a greedy merchant by the name of Galuff tells them a tale about a possible location for the Ultimate Power, and happily gives them a map to it's location...for a fee, of course.

Fam and Ihrie set out to the location where the Ultimate Power is supposedly located. While they wander around, they run into numerous traps, including a pair of armored golems. They finally come across what they believe is the Ultimate Power, but before they can obtain it, another pair of explorers comes in, along with Galuff, who was using them this entire time. This group of explorers is composed of the sorceress Rasha, a rather arrogant yet beautiful woman, and Miguel, a swordsman who's not incredibly smart, but incredibly strong. After a quick battle, Fam & Ihrie are temporarily defeated, and the other explorers take what everyone thinks is the Ultimate Power.

Rasha, Miguel, and Galuff travel to the ceremony room, and attempt to summon the Ultimate Power. While they successfully managed the summoning, they don't quite get what they expected. Instead, they called up the queen of the castle they're in, and she tells them that the object they used is part of a 3 piece set that calls up the Ultimate Power. After this, Fam & Ihrie corner them once again, and successfully take back the item. Since they heard the whole thing, they set out on a journey that is much bigger than themselves or anybody (well, just about anybody) else they meet.

As usually, there's a whole list of positive things about the show that I'm obviously going to put down. This time, however, things are going to be put in a different order. Hopefully it won't trip you up too much.

First positive thing about Ruin Explorers is it's characters. Fam & Ihrie are the first two that we meet, and right off the bat, you know exactly what kind of people they are. Ihrie is a no-nonsense tomboy, who'd rather rush into battle than plan things out. Despite her gruff exterior, she's a kind soul that would always do the right thing, and is loyal to anyone who gains her trust. To balance out her rougher side, whenever she casts a spell, she turns into a grey-haired mouse with blue eyes and a squeaky voice. Fam is just about the sweetest, perkiest girl you can come across. She'd rather play with the spirits and enjoy a peaceful life that be violent, but can be persuaded to join in on a fight if need be.

The other main characters are just as interesting. Galuff is exactly what you'd expect from a medieval fantasy merchant: greedy, cowardly (for the most part), would do anything to make a quick buck, and always on the lookout for someone new to sucker. His character is augmented by his dog, Gil. The two are never far apart, and they always seem to feed off of each other. Rasha is the haughty character in the show. She's pretty, powerful, and arrogant. About the only person that can stand her for any length of time is Miguel, who seems to have qualities of Rasha & Ihrie combined, minus a few brain cells.

There are two other characters in Ruin Explorers, but I can't get into them. Revealing too much about would ruin your experience when watching the show. Suffice it to say, they are crucial to the story. Even the story I can't really get into, cause I might ruin certain story pieces for you.

Secondly positive aspect of the show is the music & voice acting. An entire orchestra composed the music for Ruin Explorers, and it is some of the most impressive sounding stuff you'll ever here. There nice melodic pieces for the more tender moments, loud pieces for the show's numerous action sequences, and happy music for the happy scenes. It all feels very fluid, and is help a lot by the voice acting. Despite being dubbed in the late 90s, it transitioned well into last decade and the beginning of this decade. Each of the characters has a voice that is distinctly perfect for them, with Fam's voice in particular being especially charming.

The third and final positive aspect of Ruin Explorers is the setting. A fantasy fan in general is gonna like it, but if you're a DnD fan, you'll really like it. It has just about everything that's in Dungeons & Dragons: high action, intrigue, magic, swordsmanship, old ruins, some highs seas sailing, and one of the most infamous villains you'll ever encounter. All of it works well together, and it'll have you want to see more of Fam & Ihrie's world. It's tragic that all of this is stuffed into 4 episodes, but more on that in a little bit.

Now that the positives are out of the way, it time to take a look at the negatives of Ruin Explorers. We got 3 things on our plate and their not particularly appetizing.

First off is the show's length. Like is just said above, there are only 4 episodes, making this a show that you can watch in about a single sitting. It's not that the story is bad, cause it's actually a good one. It's just that you can tell and feel that the show could have been longer. Everything goes by fairly quickly, and you can see that certain things were left out. If the show was made into a 12 or 13 episode series, then certain aspects would be a bit more clear for viewers.

Secondly, Ruin Explorers isn't necessarily a widely available show. Given the fact that it was released in 2004 by ADV Films (R.I.P.), a new or used copy can be somewhat hard to come by. Your best bet is to go to Amazon (the best place to find old & new anime, in my opinion), and that's where things may get tricky. I got my unused copy back at the start of this year (I think it was the 3rd week of January, to be more specific), for a measly 10 cents. Now, although I didn't notice back then, but there must have been a surplus supply for it to be that cheap. As of right now, a unused copy of Ruin Explorers will set you back just $5.05, which isn't too bad if you ask me. Used copies are 3 cents cheaper, but with the price being that little apart, it really doesn't matter whether you buy a used or unused DvD. If you're an old schooler and want to go for the tapes (1 episode across 4 tapes), then you're in for an even harder time. The complete show isn't up for sale, and the tapes that do exist are only for the first 2 episodes. You are better off buying a used tape: it might be a bit more fragile than a fresh tape, but you are saving some impressive amount of cash in the meantime. How much saved money, you ask? Well, let's just say that you're saving a good chunk of change.

Ruin Explorers gets a 8.5 out of 10. It has a strong story & cast, a good music score & dubbing, and the setting is very fantasy, but the show's length can be off putting, and finding a copy can be a bit of a hassle.

See you next week when I review another Essential Anime Classic. Until then, stay otaku!

Comic Party Revolution Review

Hi guys! I hope you liked the Comic Party review I posted up Tuesday, because now It's time for part 2 of my Comic Party reviews. Here for you is the review of Comic Party Revolution and all it wackiness!

First appearing on the scenes on December 22, 2003, and getting dubbed in 2006 by ADV Films (R.I.P.), Comic Party Revolution has a bit of a interesting history to it. The show was originally released on two separate DvDs as OVAs. They were later edited and extended to form the first four episodes of the show. From there, the show expanded once again into the standard 13 episodes, and was aired from April 4, 2005 to June 27, 2005. As for the story, some time has passed since the events of Comic Party. Kazuki, Mizuki, and many of the characters from the previous show, are now in college. Kazuki is now a much more confident comic writer, and while Mizuki still had some aversion to otaku and their hobbies, she's taken up the hobby of cosplay. In doing so, she's become friends with Reiko, the cosplay fan from Comic Party. In addition to the cast from Comic Party, 3 new characters show up to add to the fun: Suburu Mikage, a shrine maiden with a sense of justice, but has poor drawing skills and isn't always bright, Asahi Sakurai, the lovely & talented voice actress and idol, and Yuuzo Tachikawa, the big, strong, and mostly silent brother to Ikumi Tachikawa from Comic Party. With these 3 new characters, more laughs and hijinks are sure to follow.

This review is going to be a bit different than my Comic Party review I did earlier this week. Most of what I covered in the Comic Party can be applied here, but there are a few things that Comic Party Revolution differs from it's older sibling.

For starters, and on a more positive note, are the 3 new characters. Suburu, who was in the Comic Party game but not the anime, is a bubbly, cheerful girl. She's very kind and caring, and has a strong sense of what's right and wrong, but often gets ahead of herself, and often blunders things up, but in a hilarious way that still manages to have things out. Asahi, who was in the Comic Party game but briefly mentioned in the anime, is shy around strangers & psycho fans (of which there are many), but around friends, she's more relaxed and calm. As for Ikumi's brother Yuuzo, the only thing I can say about him is that he's a lot like Mori from Ouran High School Host Club: large, built like a tank, mostly silent, and a little slow when it comes to thinking. These three characters add a bit more spice to the already established flavor that the original cast provided, and are sure to get reactions out of people.

On a second positive note, the story structure of Comic Party Revolution is very different than it's predecessor. Instead of one main story concentrating on Kazuki, the show is made into a bunch of little stories, focusing on all of the characters. This allows a viewer to essentially pick up the show at just about any point, with perhaps the exception of the last two episodes at the very end. However, this lack of story structure can also bite the viewer back, but more on that in a little bit.

Third, there isn't a single amount of Americanization. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, then take a quick look back at the Comic Party review I did. Suffice it to say, the core & spirit of the show have stayed the same.

Fourth, just like Comic Party, Comic Party Revolution is also readily available. On Amazon, you can find the Funimation re-released complete series for just $17.50. Oddly enough, the complete series was released a year earlier, and it was a bit cheaper. $12.44, to be exact. Regardless of the version, used copies go a bit cheaper, with the 2009 version going for as little as $9.95, and the 2010 edition going for $12.47. If you decide for some reason to go for the individual ADV Films (R.I.P.) DvDs of Comic Party Revolution, then you're going to have moderate success. New editions range anywhere from $2.24 to $13.19, and used copies go from $1.13 to $8.98. Despite it availability, it also isn't readily available, but more on that in a little bit.

Now, onto the negative points, and this is where Comic Party Revolution differs a little from it predecessor.

For starters, the story's structure. While I did say that it's lack of story structure is a blessing, it also means that it can make things confusing for the viewer. With things presented in a haphazard manner, it can getting a little tough figuring out where certain things are. On top of that, if you haven't watched Comic Party, then you may be lost on a few things, possibly confusing yourself a little more.

Secondly, there are a lack of minisodes in Comic Party Revolution. If you read my Comic Party review, you may recall the 4 minisodes I talked about, each of which shows a nice sidestory. However, I'm giving the original animators the benefit of the doubt, considering that the show was worked on by 2 studios, not one.

Third and final, is the availability. Despite me saying that the complete collection released under Funimation is readily available, if you're looking for the original ADV Films (R.I.P.) releases, then you may run into a bit of trouble. As I'm putting this down, there are only 2 original ADV Films (R.I.P.) collections of the show on Amazon. One goes for $44.95, and the other is just a single cent higher. Luckily, there are 8 used copies of the collection, with the first going for $12.93, and the last one going for a whopping $75 (God only knows why).

Comic Party Revolution gets a 7 out of 10. It has all the pluses of Comic Party, plus it has 3 new characters, it's looser story structure is easier to watch, it wasn't Americanized, and the Funimation editions and some of the ADV Films (R.I.P.) editions are readily available. However, it's lack of a stable story structure, lack of minisodes, and lack of availability for certain copies weighs the show down a little bit more than Comic Party.

Before I sign off for the night, there's one little observation I'd like to make, and you may know what I'm talking about. If you watched Comic Party, and then watched Comic Party Revolution, you may have noticed that the voice actors for each show, despite sounding similar, are actually different. This is because ADV Films (R.I.P.) used their own voices actors, and not the voice actors from The Right Stuf International. It was because of this change of voice actors that there wasn't anything changed in the dub.

Until next time, stay Otaku!

Comic Party Review

Hi guys. This week, I'm bringing to you not one, but two anime-related reviews! So, here for you, is the review of the highly popular Comic Party.

Originally a dating game released in 1999 by the game studio Leaf, it was adapted into an anime in 2001 by OLM Inc., and dubbed in 2002 by The Right Stuf International. Comic Party tells the tale of Kazuki Sendo, a high school student on his way out into the real world. One day, his friend Taishi convinces (more like drags) him to come to the Toyko Big Sight for a comic book convention. Along with them is Kazuki's childhood friend Mizuki Takase, who is repulsed by the sight of so many nerds & otaku. After getting inside, Kazuki gets separated from the others, and eventually starts wandering around the convention, unaware of just about everything around him. Eventually, he stops right in front of a table run by Yu Inagawa, a highly popular comic author. There's a big commotion going on, and eventually tries to convince the crowd that Kazuki is a highly trained bodyguard that will beat up everybody if they don't disperse. The group disperses, and Yu takes Kazuki for a bit of fresh air. After a small tiff, she hands Kazuki a comic that she made. When he's done reading it, he feels different somehow, and from that point on decides to become a comic book author.

It's a wild (and slightly dramatic) ride, as he comes across a host of other characters that help (or hinder) his progress. There's Eimi Obha, a highly prideful comic author, Aya Hasebe, a timid & shy author, Minami Makimura, the head staffer of the convention, Chisa Tsukamoto, the young daughter of a local printing shop, Reiko Haga and her friends Miho, Mayu, and Yuka, girls that are obsessed with cosplay, and Ikumi Tachikawa, a young sickly girl that is Kazuki's first fan. These characters, along with Mizuki and Taishi, form the cast that carries this crazy story from start to finish.

The first thing that this show has going for it is it's story. Comic Party shows the life of a comic author in Japan pretty realistically. Kazuki quickly learns the tricks of the trade, like what pencils & paper to use, the best way to balance time between school and comic drawing, where to find a good printing shop, and other things that ensure the success of a good comic author. Besides that aspect of the story, Comic Party is also good about showing the relationship between friends who have something in common. When Kazuki meets up with the other girls, he becomes friends with them (even with Eimi to an extent). Since he doesn't know much about the comic world, he has to rely on the strength of his friends to carry him to greatness until he can carry the weight himself. It's pretty cool, in my opinion, especially since I have a lot in common with some of the cast.

Next is the length of the show. Comic Party is made up of 13 main episodes, along with 1 mini episode per DvD. The main episodes are about 22 to 24 minutes long, while the minisodes are a respectable 10 minutes. Couple them together, and you have a show that will last you at least a couple days. Pretty good, if you ask me. You can find the show on either 4 separate DvDs, or in one single collection, but more on that in a little bit.

Another positive aspect of Comic Party is the dub. The voices that each of the characters have is spot on for their characters: Aya is quiet yet gentle, Yu is very loud, but can be comforting and kind, Taishi is also loud, and can also be very sly & tricky. Despite being only composed of a small group of characters, it would actually take up a lot more space than needed to describe their voices. Suffice it to say, you won't be disappointed with how they sound, and will definitely agree (or mostly agree) with the voices chosen.

The visuals of the show are also a good point. Being an anime made back in 2001, it was drawn by hand, and processed with computers, giving the show a smooth look. The look of Tokyo is pretty nice, with all of the skyscrapes, shops, and other locations. Perhaps the most detailed of all the building of the show is the Tokyo Big Sight itself. On the outside, it looks just like the real thing. While on the inside, you aren't really shown everywhere, but what little is shown gives the viewer a tantalizing taste that may have them wanting for more.

The final positive aspect of Comic Party is how available it is. I originally bought the entire collection on Amazon at the beginning of the year for almost 25 dollars, which is a pretty good deal. Used copies of the collection are a bit more cheaper, with a couple starting at $9.99, an even greater deal if you ask me. If for some reason you don't want to buy the whole thing, and go for the individual DvD, then you may run into a bit of trouble. Your best bet will be (with the exception of the first DvD, which costs a paltry 96 cents. No joke!) to buy used copies. Used copies on Amazon are a bargain, ranging from 98 cents to $2.70. In either case, the used copies are much less strenuous on your budget, but the normal copies aren't too terrible when it comes to pricing.

Now onto the negatives. Luckily, there's only two things. Bad news is that their kinda big things.

First negative of Comic Party is the Americanization. If anyone you watched Pokemon back in the day, and I'm sure you have, then you'll no doubt come across certain things that seem a bit odd. In fact, a section of the Wikipedia article on Comic Party describes it perfectly:

"A number of re-writes and cultural changes was made to the English dub as it was Americanized. Some examples include converting the Japanese yen to dollars (although the coins of the value is clearly seen), kimono to Versace summer dress, and replacing the "Panda Onseniko" or "Hot Springs Panda" that Eimi calls Yu with "Stupid Panda""

That section of the article goes a little further, saying that "The changes were not made to the subtitles as they are correct translations of the original Japanese script".

Comic Party's second negative is in the character Mizuki. Despite being Kazuki's childhood friend, she's very negative about his new hobby. In one of the earlier episodes, she even says that "I hate the drawings you do now!" It's something like that that may make most viewers of the show hate Mizuki. A few of Kazuki's friends occasionally step in to try and tell her that comic authors, and otaku in general, are as normal as the rest of society, but nothing phases her. It isn't until the last episode (SPOILER ALERT!!) when she finally understands the whole situation, and goes to help Kazuki out. To me, this is a little too convenient, but perhaps I'm being a little harsh.

Comic Party gets a 7.5 out of 10. It offers some insight into the world of Japanese comic authors and shows some great friendships, the show's length ensures that the viewer may need a couple days to watch, the dubbing matches the personalities of the characters, the visuals are detailed and smooth, and the pricing and availability are fairly accessible, but the Americanization and Mizuki's attitude may be a bit too much for some.

I'll be here a little later this week, when I post up the review for Comic Party Revolution, Comic Party's sequel. Until then, stay Otaku!

Love Hina Review

Hi everybody, I'm back. I've got another classic anime lined up for review, and it's one that's pretty famous (or infamous, depending on who's looking at it). Here's the review for the hit show Love Hina!

Release back in April of 2000 by Ken Akamatsu, and dubbed & released in 2009 by Funimation, Love Hina tells the story of Keitaro Urashima. For a while, Keitaro has been trying to get into Tokyo U with no success (he's failed twice at the start of the show). The reason he's been trying to get in is because of a promise he made to a little girl in his past. The promise was that he and this girl would get into the school, and fall madly in love with each other. Needless to say, his journey to get into Tokyo U leads him to the Hinata Apartments, where he is told by his Aunt Haruka (she prefers that he calls her Haruka) that he is now the new manager. Problem is, this is a girl's apartment complex, and right away he gets into trouble.

After getting into the apartment complex's hot springs when no one's looking, one of the resident, Naru, steps in for a quick bath. After seeing him, she shrieks and screams in usual anime fashion, Keitaro runs through the complex trying to get away. However, things don't quite work out for him, as he also runs into Su (the nerd), and Mitsune (the sexy character of the show who's getting drunk on a regular basis). After a few attempts at communicating, there is a relative peace, and Keitaro goes on to live at the apartments, all the while managing the place, and studying to get into Tokyo U. Later on, the young & shy Shinobu, the beautiful & mature Motoko, the tough and even more spastic Sarah McDougal, and the ditzy Mutsumi round out the other girls. Each of them all have a thing for Keitaro, ranging from an innocent desire to be close to him, to an all out need to get into his pants. With Naru, things are a little more different. At the start of the show, she absolutely detests him. However, as the two work together and open up to each other a little more, things start to change, and eventually, the two start expressing feelings for one another.

The first thing that Love Hina has going for it are the characters. Each one of them has a distinct personality that separates them from the others: Su is a wiz at technology and is a total spaz, Sarah is just as spastic as Su his (some would say she more spastic) and had a habit for trouble, Shinobu is very shy but is sweet and good with household chores, Motoko is very stern & serious, Mitsune is sly & sexy, but also as a soft side to her, Mutsumi is just ditzy & loveable, Haruka seems serious, but has a loving side to her. The characters that seem to have the biggest personalities are Keitaro and Naru. The two are like fire and ice: Naru is serious, determined, emotional & emotionless at the same time, and takes no fools. Keitaro is also serious and determined, but he frequently lets his feelings get to him (sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way.), and gives the people around him numerous chances. It's a mix that keeps the show going at it's own unique pace.

The second thing Love Hina has going for it is it's mix of genres. It's primarily a shonen comedy (both complex & slapstic), but it also contains drama, romance (especially between Keitaro and Naru), and even a little action. When I first heard of this show years ago, I thought it was just a simple love comedy, but after watching the whole season, I've realized that Love Hina has a lot more in it that what's on the surface.

The third thing that brings positivity to Love Hina is it's visuals and sounds. The town that the Hinata Apartments has a very rustic feel to it, and it's partially populated by old people dressed in hot springs clothes (further adding humor to the show). As for the apartments themselves, they inside a large, sprawling complex that looks just like a castle out of medieval Japan. In later episodes, Su & Sarah discover numerous tunnels and crawlspaces underneath and inside the apartments, leading to some definitely wacky moments. In regards to the sounds of the show, the music and the dub stand out from everything else. Every character in the show, whether major or minor, has a voice that is perfectly suited to them. The music is also good, with notes, feeling, and instrumentation that is perfect for every situation.

The last positive thing about Love Hina is it's availability to the public. Given that the show was released (at least in this country) since 2009, it is still a relatively fresh show. You can go onto Amazon right now and find the full box sex for close to 25 dollars. Used copies aren't that much cheaper, so it really doesn't matter whether you buy a new or used edition. The subsequent Spring, Christmas, and OVA specials (more commonly called Love Hina Again), however, are a bit more expensive since they were released a while ago (2002 to 2003), so buy used copies whenever you can.

Now, down to what blemishes an otherwise perfect show. The one thing that weighs down the magic of Love Hina is...Keitaro & Naru's love for one another.

I know what I just said is blasphemy to just about every fan of the show, but hear me out. When the two first meet each other, there really isn't anything there. However, by the time it gets about a quarter of the way to halfway through the show, there are honest, genuine feeling transmitted between them. The problem is, while Keitaro admits to these feelings constantly, Naru seems to hide then. It gets really confusing towards the end of the show, where the feelings are even stronger, and Naru tries harder to hide them. As one person quoted in a review of the OVA: "She's bull-headed around 80% of the time and at certain points I had the irresistible urge to slap her repeatedly till she came to her senses. She continuously mistreats Keitaro and yet she can't stand it when other girls make their advances." I feel pretty much the same way, minus the slapping part.

Love Hina gets a 9 out of 10. The characters have distinct personalities, the show is a impressive mix of show styles, the voice acting, music, and visuals all look & sound great, and it's readily available, but the love triangle between Keitaro & Naru will get confusing (and irritating).

Until next time, stay Otaku!

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie Review

Hi guys. Sorry about the delay. I've been busy helping out a friend, and I've had an interesting bit of news come my way. More on that after a bit, because It's now time for a review of one of the most classic anime movies of all time. Here now is the review for Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie.

Released back in 1994 as a adaptation of the Street Fighter II games by Gisaburo Sugii, and dubbed just a year later, Street Fighter II's story almost plays out like a Street Fighter game would. M-Bison, leader of the Shadowlaw crime organization, is capturing and observing fighters for all over the world in order to create the perfect warrior. Already, he has the powerful fighters Vega, Sagat, and Balrog under his control, as well as the sexy Cammy. When Sagat has been bested in a fight against Ryu, Bison becomes obsessed with capturing him, and goes as far as to capture his friend Ken and temporarily convert him into one of his goons.

At the same time, Interpol has been tracking Shadowlaw's movements and activities. Chun-Li, one of Interpol's greatest and sexiest of agents, comes into contact with U.S. Army colonel Guile in hopes of a joint operation. It doesn't work well at first, since Guile himself has been hunting down Bison out of revenge. After getting wooped in a fight with Chun-Li, he reluctantly agrees to the partnership.

In the midst of all this criminal activity is Ryu himself. He on a journey, looking for the best fighters he can find, and challenging them to a match. He eventually gets caught up in what's going on when he shows up in America, and joins up with Chun-Li & Guile. Throughout the entire time, action stands around every corner.

As for the show's animation, I can say that it's pretty impressive. I've been a big fan of 90s anime the past couple years, and that makes me a little bias, but this movie really does look splendid. All the guys (well, most of them) are built like tanks, and could crush just about anything their hands touch. Although there are only 2 girls in the movie (Cammy & Chun-Li), they are lithe, sexy, and could kill you with just a blink of their eyes. The landscapes are impressive. Capcom easily captured the opulence of America, the majesty of Thailand's mountains, the despair of India's slums, and the royalty of England's state buildings.

One interesting note about the fight scenes is that they were choreographed! It doesn't look like it, but it was. K-1 founder Kazuyoshi Ishii and the late Andy Hug performed a couple of fights, which were later put into the film. In this day and age, it's easy to do for an animated film, but for the early 90s, it was hard as hell.

The sound effects, especially during the fight scenes, are also well done. When you hear a punch or a kick, you can almost feel it yourself. The soundtrack is also good, with western bands like Korn and Alice in Chains being used along side the original Japanese Soundtrack. Although some dubbing during the 90s wasn't the best (I'm looking at you Sailor Moon!), that's not the case for this movie. In fact, for any Vic Mignogna fans out there, this was his very first voice acting role. As Vega no less! In regards to the rest of the characters, they all sound pretty good as well.

On a final positive point, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie happens to still be fairly available, despite it's age. The 1997 film still has copies out there. I got my 1997 version for free at a cosplay picnic swap meet, but you can find used copies on Amazon for as little as $1.11. There is also a much newer edition of the film that got released back in 2006, with new copies costing as much as $9.68 and uses copies going for $4.92. In either case, it isn't expensive to buy, and is worth the purchase.

Now, onto the bad things about the movie. Fortunately, there are only 2 things wrong. The first is the characters. Pretty much every character from the first games are there: Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, etc, etc. However, some characters have much more screen time. Cammy, for example, appears only in the beginning of the film, and a little bit in the middle. In fact, a few of the popular characters, like Blanka, Zangief, and even Deejay are only given moments of screen time. Although to be fair, Blanka & Zangief does have a minute or so on screen during their fight. I'm willing to forgive the animators for this, since I'm not a massive fan for the series in general, and that it may have been impossible to give everybody a chunk of time given the 96 minutes that this movie lasts, but hardcore Street Fighter fans may be disappointed by the amount of time their favorite character may be on screen.

Next is the censorship, and this is where things get a bit interesting. When Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie was dubbed, it was released on VHS and Laserdisc simultaneously. Regardless of what it was released on, there was a tame PG-13 version, and a uncensored version that had Chun-Li's complete shower scene, and even this was still censored from the Japanese edition. When the 2006 edition was released, it was a dual-sided DVD, with the Japanese edition on one side, and the English dub on the other. The US & UK dubs are still slightly censored, with the word "Fuck" (sorry if I offended anybody with that word) cut out of two scenes in the US version. Strangely enough, the only edition of the movie to not be uncensored at all was the Australian edition, and I haven't found a copy of that yet.

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie gets a 8 out of 10. The animation looks great, the sound effects were awesome, and the availability (as well as it's pricing) is decent, but the length of time for some characters, as well as the censorship, may drive some fans crazy.

Before I sign out, I wanted to tell you the interesting news that came my way. A couple weeks ago, my mom found me a part-time job. This job involves helping out an older woman with her gardening before the winter comes in, which isn't all that different with what I do now. I might not get much money from it, but at least it will help me out for a month or two.

Until next time, stay Otaku!

Duke Nukem Forever Review

Hey guys. I'm terribly sorry to say this, but it looks like I won't be able to get an interview from Jon St. John. However, do not despair! I have something that might just be as good, and I hope you like it. Now, presenting for your viewing pleasure, a review of Duke Nukem Forever.

Having been in development for over 12 years, it was picked up by Gearbox Software in 2009 after the whole 3d Realms/Take Two legal battle, and finally released on June 14, 2011, Duke Nukem Forever tells the story of good old Duke kicking back in Las Vegas after kicking alien asses back in Duke Nukem 3d. Since that time, he's acquired fame, fortune, and women (not necessarily in that order), and notoriety as a man's man. The aliens finally show up in Sin City, and at first, they seem to be non-hostile. After a call from the president of the United States, telling Duke not to get involved since he's in a peace treaty with the Cycloid Emperor (yeah, that guy), said alien forces begin attack Las Vegas. Since Duke won't allow aliens to destroy on of his favorite cities, and his women getting taken away, he cracks his knuckles and starts on his journey to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and he's all out of bubblegum.

Now, before I go on with the rest of the review, I do have a few words. I'm going to be as neutral as possible when I'm writing. There's some very strong opinions about this game, with people saying it's amazing, and people saying it's the worst pile of garbage that has been released in recent months. As for me, I have both positive and negative things to say about Duke Nukem Forever, and I hope that I don't appear to be favoring either side.

First thing to talk about are the graphics. Duke Nukem Forever uses the latest the Unreal graphics engine, and for the most part, looks very good. Gamers really haven't seen enough of Las Vegas, or a interpretation of it at the very least. Duke's Hotel & Casino, the Ladykiller, looks like something you'd find in Sin City, complete with interactive slot machines and other gambling devices. As you fight the aliens, the building becomes damaged with all kinds of collapses and fires, creating a battlezone inside a otherwise happy environment.

Once Dukes exits the hotel, he sees a city in ruins. The Earth Defense Force has been doing the best it can to fight back, but they're getting whooped a new one until Duke arrives. Despite the destruction, Las Vegas still looks good. You can see skyscrapers in flames, and alien ships flying overhead. After a big romp through Sin City, Duke takes a trip to the Hoover Dam, where the aliens are siphoning energy to fuel a giant portal to their dimension. As he travels across the interstate and deserts of Nevada, Duke travels on the roads of the interstate, as well as going through abandoned mines, plains of sand, and even a old western town to get fuel for his monster truck.

Duke eventually arrives at the Dam, and it's a mess. The EDF have been fighting on without him, and are getting severely creamed. After a mini-boss on the top of the dam, Duke repels down to hook up with his commanding officer. The Dam has seen better days, as they are ruins all over the place. At this point, it's apparent that the aliens didn't show up for peace, as certain parts of the dam have become infested by the alien goop, as well as tentacles (not those kind, you perverts). After going through a bunch of levels (some of which are underwater. More on that later), Duke acquires explosive to take out the entire dam. After killing a underwater boss, Duke heads back topside, and has to escape before the whole damn collapses. He makes it out, but with no weapons. Luckily, the Cycloid Emperor arrives, as well as his gun-toting minions. From there...well, you can guess what happens.

As the player travels through Duke Nukem Forever, he or she also comes across some of the most disgusting aliens ever created. The pig cops also make a comeback, only this time, they got a bit more firepower than they used to, and some of them area bit taller than they used to be. The old grunts come back, complete with teleporters and jetpacks. Just about every alien that you can think of that was in Duke Nukem 3d is in this game, complete with new looks while somehow managing to feel old school.

Now onto the sound effects, and this is where I may get a little one-sided. I can't stress enough how badass Jon St. John still sounds. Duke's voices hasn't tarnished a bit in the years since Duke Nukem 3d, as he still has a sack of quips, insults, and pop-culture comments that he can use at a moment's notice. In addition to his voice, the other denizens of Duke's world sound pretty good themselves, as they got their own personalities and quirks to add to the game. Even the aliens have their own audio qualities, despite the fact that you can't understand anything they're saying. As for the weapons, rays make pings and pows, rockets and pipebombs have a satisfying blam behind them, while the old shotgun still has that thunderous roar we're all familiar with.

The length of Duke Nukem Forever is also a plus. If you've never been through it before, it will take a player 10 to 12 hours, which is pretty good. Gamers who've been through it before with probably take 8 to 10 hours, which still isn't that bad. On top of the length, there are numerous objects Duke can interact with. Many of these object can boost Duke's Ego, like weights and game machines, while other objecst are there just for shits and giggles. I'll leave that last comment to your imagination.

One more thing before I get onto the bad stuff, and that is the guns. In addition to the classic weapons from Duke Nukem 3d, DNF includes some newer firearms to put to good use. Below is everything that there is to use on the alien scumbags.

AT Laser
AT Captain Laser
Devastator
Enforcer Gun
Freeze Ray
Laser Tripmine
Colt M1911
Pipe Bomb
RPG
Railgun
Ripper
Shotgun
Shrink Ray

Compared to Duke Nukem 3d, this is a much bigger, and more colorful, amount of firepower.

Now, having gotten the good things out of the way, it's time to get into what mars this otherwise decent game. For starters, Duke Nukem Forever suffers from a bit of console-itis. Instead of save points, you now have checkpoints, which are spread out enough so that if you're playing on a moderate difficulty, it isn't a complete pain. There is also no more health, just a bar that regenerates ala Halo. Perhaps the biggest console influence is the amount of weapons you can carry. Despite the armory that exists in the world, you can only have two weapons on you at all times, in addition to the pipebombs, trip mines, beer, steroids, and holoduke in your inventory. As of a month and a half ago, there was a patch released, allowing you to carry 4 weapons instead of 2, which made things a lot easier in terms of carrying variety. Including all of these is an exclusive problem to the consoles. Loading on the PC isn't a big hassle, but console sometimes have to wait a bit before a level loads up.

Secondly, the development for this game is ridiculous. I know it's been beaten to death, but it deserves to be mentioned. I understand that games sometimes take a while to make. With all the work that gets put into a game during it's development, a delay can occur. However, constantly switching one engine for another simply to stay ahead of the crowd can damage your career. On top of that, fans of said game could become turned off of it, and no longer enjoy it. 12 to 14 years is a long time to wait for a game, and I was certain that I would never live to see it. When I finally got the chance to sit down and play Duke Nukem Forever, I was definitely disappointed by it's faults, but overall, I had a fun time.

Duke Nukem Forever gets a 7 out of 10. It's fun to see the King once again, graphics & sounds are up there in terms of quality, and the weapon rock, but the console-itis, along with the time it took to develop this game, will turn off most PC users. 

Rescue Me: Mave-Chan Review

Hi everybody! I'm sorry about not posting anything in a while. I've been waiting for a message from Jon St. John, which I comment on at the end, and I haven't gotten a comment back yet from him. Until then, here's a quick review of the delightful Rescue Me: Mave-Chan.

Published by Takeshi Mori in 2005, and dubbed by Bandai Entertainment in 2007, Rescue Me: Mave-Chan is the story of Rei Sugiyama. Rei is kind of a wuss, and he doesn't have a lot of self confidence. Whenever he felt weak or depressed, he always retreated to his room to watch anime (like many of us do). One day, he manages to win a ticket to a convention in the city, and decides to go. Problem is, he's never been to the city by himself before.

Rei eventually sets out for the convention. When he arrives, the place is abuzz with activity. He does a few things, all the while getting overwhelmed by everything that's happening, so he makes his way to the men's bathroom. Instead of stalls, he finds a vast desert, and the door behind him disappears. Soon after, Rei's attacked by a girl that's flying in the air. After a fixed miscommunication, and the arrival of a few more girls, Rei discovers that he's in a dimension that is only accessible when anime fans congregate at conventions, and share their passion with each other (don't think dirty thoughts now, you perverts!). The girls in this dimension fight the JAM (typical enemy name) and the Demon of Oblivion, who comes when an anime's time is up. The whole premise sounds ridiculous, but if you watch it, you will understand it all.

Visually, Rescue Me: Mave-Chan looks very good. Rei looks exactly as a nervous geek should: short hair, glasses, short height, and a slightly squeaky voice. The girls all look very nice, with different bodies from one another, and different personalities to match. The surroundings, whether in the real world or the anime dimension as I call it, look very standard, yet there isn't a sign of rushed work.

The audio work isn't bad either. For some (probably stupid) reason, it's hard for me to put it into words, but everything sounds good. In regards to the dubbing, it's quite good, and that's all I got to say.

This time around, I'm going to put down the negatives first, and there's a few. For starters, there's only one episode on the DvD. That's right, just one! It's not even an episode (in my opinion at least), it's more like a short movie. How short, you ask? Try 21 minutes!

Second, there isn't much for extras. All that's available is a textless opening, a very brief advertisement for the show, 3 trailers for some other shows (one was for Ghost in the Shell), and a clean (don't ask) closing.

Third, you can tell, or at the very least, feel that Rescue Me: Mave-Chan could have gone on a lot longer. The one episode that is on the DvD feels very rushed in regards to it's story, and if you haven't watched the two shows the story references, then you'll be more confused than you already are.

Despite all the negatives that Rescue Me: Mave-Chan has, there's definitely a silver lining or two. First off, being a relatively unknown title, it quite plentiful. On Amazon, a copy will set you back a mere $2.29. The few used copies that they do have are even cheaper, starting at $1.49 and going up to $3.17, which isn't that bad. Secondly, despite how confusing the story may get to some people, it's very light-hearted and humorous. The girls start up some interesting banter between one another, and in the end, Rei finally un-wusses himself in a sterotypical anime fashion.

Rescue Me: Mave-Chan gets a 6 out of 10. It's plentiful and cheap, and the story and characters are easily likeable, but there's only one episode (that's 21 minutes long), the extras are sparse, and the story of the episode seemes rushed in some way.

Oh, one more thing. About a day or two ago, I sent another e-mail to Jon St. John about an interview. I haven't gotten a response yet, but I feel strangely positive about it. Hopefully, I'll be able to post up the interview soon.

Until next time, stay Otaku!