‘Vamp’ is such an odd word, owing to the differing meanings. It can mean, to wit:
the part of a shoe or boot upper covering especially the forepart of the foot, or
a short introductory musical passage often repeated several times before a solo, or
to piece something old with something new, or
a flirtatious woman
The word is derived from Anglo-French, alteration of avanpié, from avant- fore- + pié foot, but it can also be shorthand for vampire. In fact, the first vamp, silent movie star Theda Bara, was a caliber of vampire, as she sucked out men’s souls. (more…)
I see tons and tons of anime every day, every month and every year. I try and keep as good a record as I can as to what I’ve seen and what needs to be reviewed, so I was flummoxed that I had not given a review on this show. Bad boy! Bad boy! “Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress” (“Kōtetsujō no Kabaneri”) can be best described as ‘Snowpiercer meets Attack on Titan’, but that falls far short as to what goes on in this zombie show. (more…)
For many, a trip is a chance to get away from who you are and discover what you might be. It is also an opportunity to rid yourself of your ‘old clothes’ and try to be someone new or better or improved. Initially, that is the concept behind “The Lost Village” (“Mayoiga”), but the execution is rather complicated, as we have two competing storylines. (more…)
In an earlier review, I noted that I have to look out for trends and I think I am seeing another one, that which I will call “Episode #0”. I have a problem with offerings that are billed as an OVA. You need a series tethered to it to be an OVA; otherwise it’s a one-shot. Also, don’t bill it as a ‘movie’ when it’s about one episode time in length. But with the turn-around on “Big Order”, I came to understand that it may be a test run, to see how things are going to decide if you want a real series to go with it. (more…)
Immortality is a theme that has been addressed in numerous shows, but not in this particular manner, where it is to be feared. “Ajin: Demi-Human” looks at this idea in a disturbing approach. What is an ‘ajin’? This is a person who is an immortal and almost cannot be killed (they did research and experimentation on all of this). The problem is that you do not know you are an ajin until something happens to you that reveal it. Kei Nagai is just a kid (that angry one in the center; he really liked that shirt!), going to school or whatnot, when he is run over by a truck and killed, but on the way to the hospital, he revives and discovers that he is an ajin. Thus is the end of his ‘normal’ life. (more…)
What if fantasy became real? What if you lived in a world where extra-dimensional creatures of every ilk and caliber, of every temperment and desire, of every size and strength, were made whole? Thus is the intriguing plot idea behind “Myriad Colors Phantom World”(“Musaigen no Fantomu Wārudo”). So, how did this come to be? (more…)
This show is presented as an OVA, but it comes off more as a one-shot, and a confusing one at that. “Big Order” (“Biggu Ōdā”) tells the story of Hoshimiya Eiji, but it is done in the most painful way possible as to make it nearly incomprehensible as to what is going on. He starts off talking about wishes and if you were given one wish, what would it be? He progresses through his normal, boring life in his normal, boring town, going to his normal, boring school and seeing the new transfer student (that’s her up there, Kurenai Rin). (more…)
This is a weird fish of a show, as I am not really certain how to present it. “Venus Versus Virus” (“Vīnasu Vāsasu Vaiarasu”) has their tales revolve around the lives of two young girls: Sumire Takahana (left) and Lucia Nahashi (right). Now, Lucia is a virus hunter. No, not like Jonas Salk. These viruses infect people and turn them into monsters, who then make more monsters. Lucia’s job is to dispatch these viruses. However, she discovered that Sumire has a secret, a secret that can help the Virus Vanguard get the upper hand in these confrontations and send these monsters packing to Monster Island or wherever they come from.
Lucia uses a gun that fires a vaccine that can kill the virus. However, when she shoots Sumire (that’s right; she has to put a slug in her), the vaccine causes Sumire to go into Berserker Mode and she can destroy a virus with her bare hands. However, friend or foe, if you are in her way, that could be the end of you. The series is the relationship between these two completely divergent people and how Sumire learns to control her darker side. (more…)
As of late, I have been running into a lot of fighting academy shows, where people of varying degrees of talents and abilities are shipped off to this particular institute or that particular school to hone their fighting skills in that they may defend this country or do battle against other schools for honor and glory and toyamaki. It’s like being in “The Goblet of Fire” but without Cedric Diggory. (Hmmmm……….this intro sounds familiar). (more…)
Now, understand that it is not a misspelling, but it is called “Concrete Revolutio” (“Konkurīto Reborutio: Chōjin Gensō”, “Concrete Revolutio: Superhuman Phantasmagoria”). I couldn’t find a genuine reason for that, aside that it will stick in your head.
It is year Apotheosis 41. Now, this was a bit of a problem in trying to determine what the ‘actual’ year was, but by doing a little research, I was able to puzzle out that it is the year 1967. OK, the fashions do kind of look like Carnaby Street and we do have a Beatles-like band lurking about, but it could also be the Disco Era, with that line of thinking and dress. The Showa Era did not exist and we are dating this from 1926, the last year of the Taisho Era. Earth is currently home to superhumans and paranormal phenomena of all kinds, from aliens and magical girls to ghosts and transforming robots. However, official knowledge of these beings is officially kept under wraps by the governments of the world. (more…)
