FUNimation Entertainment
The Black Lagoon Review Is Now Available
The Black Lagoon review is now available in the Anime Reviews section and here.
I always enjoy watching Black Lagoon because it is a very rewarding series. It wasn’t made in a hurry, nor was it made to make quick money from related goods. It was made to be a blast – something accessible that everyone can enjoy and appreciate.
Usually I do a little trivia section here. This time around I decided to do a “mildly related trivia”. That is, a trivia related to Black Lagoon but not entirely what you’d expect to find here. And it goes as follows:
- It’s impossible to find a good looking image of Black Lagoon on the net. They all look terrible or super-plain.
- Roanapur – the fictional city in which most of the show takes place – is depicted in such a believable manner that there are records of people on the net asking where it really is located.
- Someone made a Grand Theft Auto themed Black Lagoon wallpaper!
- Black Lagoon is one of the only series from the 90s era that had an English language advisor. And that language advisor happened to be Dan Kanemitsu (aka Danny Choo).
- A real, functioning replica of Revi’s Sword Cutlass can be bought in the U.S. It is a Black Lagoon themed M9 gun and buying one is the ultimate fan-tribute one can make to Black Lagoon (after buying the actual show of course).
The Ergo Proxy DVD Review Is Now Available
The Ergo Proxy DVD review is now available in the reviews section and here.
I always thought the DVD cover for this series was poorly done. The mask Vincent holds in his hand appear more like a hideous set of nails than a mask, the background looks like puke and Pino is nowhere to be found. That aside, did you know Geneon released a Blu-ray version of Ergo Proxy in Japan? It did originally air in 720p so a Blu-ray version can be mastered fairly easily, but I think FUNimation did the right decision when they chose to release the DVD version. There isn’t anything visually spectacular as to warrant a Blu-ray release for this title and I am very much pleased with the DVD release.
The Strike Witches 2 Review Is Now Available
The Strike Witches 2 Blu-ray/DVD Combo review is now available in the reviews section and here.
I really took my time with this one to make sure everything is perfect so be sure to read it. I’m happy that both seasons of Strike Witches are finally available legally in the U.S. It worries me that we still have no news regarding the acquisition of the movie while other, more recent, anime series are being license left and right. But all in good time. When I look at the Strike Witches universe I see a lot of potential. A third season, which will animate the Witches of Africa and the One Winged Witches manga, seems like a great choice to continue this series.
Predicting Sentai Filmwork’s Upcoming Fate/Stay Night Release
Sentai Filmworks have acquired the rights to release Fate/Stay Night in the U.S. and will be releasing it on Blu-ray in January. That’s great! Unfortunately little else is currently known about the upcoming release and there are many burning questions to be asked. How will it look? How will it sound? How much will it retail for? And will it sell?
We try to answer these questions using some handy facts and educated guesses. Continue reading
The Ai Yori Aoshi: The Complete Series DVD Review Is Now Available
The Ai Yori Aoshi: The Complete Series DVD review is now available in the reviews section and here.
This collection is a great way to introduce yourselves to Ai Yori Aoshi and is definitely one of the rightfully titled classic anime in FUNimation’s anime classics line. But those who really want to know the entire story, and on the way get to read one of the best manga ever made, should definitely check the Ai Yori Aoshi manga as well. It was released in its entirety by Tokyopop, and while Tokyopop is no longer here the manga is still relatively easy to find. If you’d prefer to skip the volumes that were already animated I recommend you begin with volume 10 (which was only partly animated). The Ai Yori Aoshi anime focuses more on the fun and games in the life of the boarding house, while the manga offers a more balanced story and does not shun away from portraying the personal hurdles and hardships of life alongside the more happy occurrences seen in the anime.
Are Old Anime The New Hype?
In the last three years we’ve seen a growing number of old anime series making a comeback. Some resurfaced as regular editions, others as collections at a budget price and some in remastered versions. This trend is definitely going strong and almost all the U.S. anime distributors are riding the wave. But are all distributors taking the same approach? And more importantly, can these old “classic” series successfully compete for our money when facing against modern HD series with all their bells and whistles? Continue reading