What is it about con men and great heist epics that enthrall us? Is it the intricacies of the plot in order to make this succeed? Is it the panic of potential discovery? It is that the person who is the mark is far and well deserving of them being taken to the cleaners? Is it a battle of one set of amoralistic forces against another set of amoralistic forces? Well, it’s all of that and a bag of chips. Now, if you or I get taken, it’s a travesty. But to those high rollers, that’s a different story. And that different story is “Great Pretender” (not to be confused with the Platters hit, which is called “THE Great Pretender”). (more…)

I am starting to question if we really need to base animes off of video games. On the one hand, a lot of the footwork has been done for you, as far as preproduction; on the other hand, you have to come up with real mysteries and not those tales that could be solved in five minutes if I had ALL the clues in front of me. Such is the dilemma with Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File (“Reiton Misuterī Tantei-sha ~Katorī no Nazotoki Fairu” or “Layton Mystery Detective Agency: Kat’s Mystery Solving Files”). (more…)

Does anyone remember Screaming Yellow Zonkers? When I was growing up, it was my favorite snack food, although, to be honest, this truly was the definition of junk food. It was incredibly bad for you and, in those days, absolutely loaded with preservatives and food coloring and BHA and BHT and and and other nasty things for a growing body. I knew they were terrible, THEY knew it was terrible, everyone and their grandmother KNEW they were terrible. You would be better off licking toads, but I just couldn’t pass them by (the Zonkers, not the toads). I bring up this story from my past to explain why I chased after the second season of “Gyakuten Saiban: Sono “Shinjitsu”, Igiari!” (“Turnabout Trial: I Object to That ‘Truth’!”). (more…)

I find myself drawn to crime drama animes, as there is enough going on to garner my interest and the evil guys can get genuinely evil. Such is the case with “Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens”. You may feel it is another hitman tale, but that merely scratches the surface. (more…)

It is often said that Edgar Allan Poe brought us the detective fiction novel, although there had to have been some kind of investigation and detection into crimes long ago and far away. It gets tough to put together these tales about the past, as we here in the modern era do not know how they might have done things in those days and for our tales, it was when Tokyo was Edo (sadly, that era spans 1603 to 1868, so it is hard to give a specific date). However, what we see in “Onihei” is a marvelous crime story, set off with beautiful imagery, smart story-telling and one sharp fortune cookie. (Yes, yes, I know that the fortune cookie is an American invention.) (more…)

Some tales and genres really lend themselves to be translated over to shows; others are not so friendly. I have found that 4-komas and video games can’t always make the jump to light speed, so to speak, and they betray their origins. This is never more so than in the offering “Gyakuten Saiban: Sono “Shinjitsu”, Igiari!” (“Turnabout Trial: I Object to That ‘Truth’!”), as the problem is, no matter what they call Naruhodō Ryūichi, we know him as ‘Phoenix Wright’ (and he is referred to as such on more than one occasion). (more…)

This was a show that was full of promise, but ended up devolving into the usual fight for supremacy genre that seem to bedevil this caliber of show. “Bungo Stray Dogs 2” (“Bungō Sutorei Doggusu” or ”Literary Stray Dogs”) started off the second season with an interesting take. The first season had us dealing with Atsushi Nakajima (dead center), who has the ability to change into a were tiger. He was taken on board by the Armed Detective Agency, a group dedicated to fighting the Port Mafia, a band of outlaws who also have an arsenal of people with special abilities. (more…)

This particular anime is a rarity among anime in that (a) it is based in America and (b) it is set in the past. I used to lament that anime seemed to be most about a Japan of the future. There is a challenge in trying to do the past, especially one that Americans would be more familiar with, but at the heart is a story that is no different than any samurai epic like “Yojimbo” or “Kagamusha”. (more…)

Sometimes, the best crime dramas are the ones that don’t apparently start off as one. This is both good and bad, but I would prefer to get lulled into something than know right from the outset where we were heading. Ooops, perhaps I’ve said too much. Well, that shouldn’t detract from your enjoyment of “Subete ga F ni Naru” (”Everything Becomes F” and subtitled “The Perfect Insider”). Don’t worry; the title will be made clear as it is also a major clue in the works.

Sōhei Saikawa, an associate professor of architectural engineering (right), and Moe Nishinosono (left), the daughter of his mentor, travel to the very remote Himaka Island to speak with Dr. Shiki Magata. Although the doctor is highly intelligent, she has secluded herself there, amid accusations that, years ago, she murdered her parents. While there, these two work together to solve a pair of murders on the island. (more…)