Editions

Written by Rikun

Several of the anime that I’ve been reviewing thus far have been spinoffs or adaptations of previously existing material. So imagine my surprise when I finally got around to watching Sacred Seven. Not only is it a completely original production with no preceding manga or visual novel, but it is being produced by Sunrise, the studio responsible for such megahits like Gundam, Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop, Mai-Hime, Gintama, and Code Geass to name just a few. With a confirmed run of 12 episodes, Sacred Seven is a series that has to deliver an engaging story, good characters, and a steady pace within a relatively short amount of time. So how does this series measure up? For an original production I’d say that Sacred Seven is doing a lot of things right, but is still not quite up to the level of Sunrise’s more famous series.

Our story begins in an undisclosed city in Kantou where our protagonist, Alma Tandouji, calls home. Like most other “unlikely” heroes he’s a loner who intimidates nearly everyone around him; complete with a mysterious past that he’d rather not talk about. Said past comes back to haunt him when a billionaire heiress named Ruri Aiba approaches him with the task of defeating the Darkstones, vicious monsters that threaten the planet with their existence. Though reluctant to take the job at first, Alma embraces his inner power to access the Sacred Seven abilities, thus making him the primary defender of the planet.

The story is a simple one at its core, but there’s enough detail to keep the narrative engaging. It starts out as a tokusatsu-esque hero series with monster battles every week, but just when you think you have the formula worked out another twist to the story appears. While it is clear that the series focuses on Alma and Ruri’s relationship, it manages to creep in more cast members to keep everything interesting as well as bits about the Darkstones that add another layer to your average beast of destruction. Government conspiracy and mystery are abound in this story, but thankfully the details don’t become so numerous it would make your head spin. The pacing, from what I can see, is at that sweet spot of not too fast, but not too drawn out either.

The more observant viewers will notice similarities to Code Geass when looking at the visuals, and this isn’t any big shock with character designer Yuriko Chiba in charge. The characters themselves run the gamut of the anime tropes most fans have come to expect by now, from the childhood friend to the battle butler and even the snarky nonhuman sidekick. Alma himself plays the mysterious, brooding hero part to a T and Ruri fills the role of the rich healer girl quite well. It’s nothing too revolutionary in terms of amazing characters, but they all get the job done.

If you’re into crystallized monsters and mechanized exoskeletons when it comes to battles, you’ll be happy to know that Sacred Seven has these in spades. Each Darkstone has their own unique ability, and the ways in which their users pull them off are rather fun to watch. Given that Alma has all seven under his belt, there’s no question that the ways in which he’ll have to pull them off as the story develops will be something to keep an eye out for.

Overall, if I had to give Sacred Seven one word to describe it all, I would have to consider it “balanced”. It sticks to a tried and true story about saving the world while throwing in details to keep things interesting. It’s not revolutionary by any stretch of the word and obviously borrows a lot from your typical shonen anime, but there appears to be just enough to keep viewers coming until the last episode. And while the concepts and set pieces are new and interesting to see, to call anything from this series memorable would really be stretching it.

If the predicted episode count is anything to go by then Sacred Seven will be a fun, short series that will sufficiently entertain the viewer but not overstay its welcome. It’s everything you’d expect from a tokusatsu flavored action series; nothing more, nothing less. While Sacred Seven seems capable of garnering its own fandom, it’ll really have to step up its game if it ever hopes to become an anime classic. It’s hard to say whether Sacred Seven will carve out its own identity as a premiere series, but at least the ride will be something to look forward to.

Written by GForce

If there’s anything I’ve learned about the Japanese school system from anime is that no high school can be considered ordinary. Either you there’s a bunch of kids with super powers running around and getting into fights, (see Bleach and Sailor Moon) or the building just seems to be a magnet for all sorts of weird and bizarre phenomenon (Cromartie High School). Imagine what would happen if there existed a school that not only collected students that have personalities a bit on the off kilter side but who were also extremely talented and excelled in areas that others could only dream to achieve.

R-15 is an anime series that takes place at Inspiration Academy which nurtures the talents of individuals that specialize in multiple disciplines. While some of the regular specialties have been represented such as having a genius mathematician and artist be a part of the main cast; the series gets its charm from its more quirky subjects such as a popular idol singer and an inventor who uses school grounds as a testing site for missile launches. The moment you see the school’s description being narrated by a student who’s a “genius narrator” you know that you’re dealing with a cast of eccentrics.

In fact, that’s the best way to describe R-15, eccentric, everything from its near cartoon physics, zany characters and use of long white bars to censor a woman’s private parts lets the viewer know that by no means is this going to be a serious show. Probably the strangest character of the bunch is the lead, Akutagawa Takuto who’s an accomplished author at sixteen years old. While this doesn’t sound too strange in on itself, it is quickly revealed to the audience that Takuto specializes in writing pornographic stories. Needless to say, in a show where he’s constantly surrounded by beautiful girls, he is not a well liked among the female population of Inspiration Academy.

Much of the comedy of R-15 comes from Takuto himself. Even though he does write pornographic stories, he is more of a slave to his creativity than hormones. He writes about sex not as a means of expressing his lust but more about understanding the human condition. Throughout the series he has sudden flashes of inspiration that take over his psyche at impromptu moments causing him to behave erratically. Half the time he can’t control these urges to write and seeing the passages he pens provides a good laugh.

In essence R-15 is a zany series about zany characters in zany situations. While the entire cast does comprise of geniuses, that doesn’t stop them from acting like eccentric goofballs half the time.

Written by M.Harajima

Nekogami, also known as Cat God, is a series about the daily life of Mayu, the nekogami. The episodes revolve around her daily life and how she passes each day.

When I first watched this show, I didn’t know what to expect but after reading the synopsis and the first episode, I immediately knew it would be a show I would definitely enjoy whenever I just wanted to be entertained. Nekogami may not have any action or romance some look for, but what it does have is entertainment in the most eccentric fashion. It starts off with the fear of the “God of Poverty” visiting their town. How random is it to have the “God of Poverty” which makes you wonder where the “God of Wealth” resides and if they can make a visit to MY town!

The randomness continues but each episode is focused on one character so you learn a bit more about each one of them and how they are important. We learn more about Yoshino, through “Blooming Ashes”. “Blooming Ashes” was a huge jar that was sent to the Cat Gods but it was so big that it blocked the roads which caused no one to enter their shop that day.

Mayu decided to dispose of this jar without realizing the importance this jar was to Yoshino since her grandfather entrusted her with ut and the disappearance of it would mean there would be no cherry blossoms for the year since that’s what it contained. Mayu helped in the search for this jar since she threw it out but Yoshino saw it as Mayu’s attitude of never giving up. Through Mayu’s persistence, Yoshino learned to never give up in anything and strived to be a better person.

While these episodes may seem silly and sometimes frivolous, there are life lessons hidden in each one that we can all relate to in some way. It encourages us to strive to be better people but at the same time, to have fun.

Did you know that Comiket was founded in 1975 by Yoshihiro Yonezawa and his circle of friends during his time at university.

Naruto Shippuden ©2002 MASASHI KISHIMOTO / 2007 SHIPPUDEN All Rights Reserved., Soranowoto © Paradores/Aniplex/ 1121, Chu-Bra © Yumi NakataEFUTABASHA^CHU-BRA Partnership, Astro Boy, Dororo, Blackjack and Phoenix © Tezuka Productions All Rights Reserved, Nurse Witch Komugi-chan Magikarte Z © ADVFilms All Rights Reserved

Naruto Shippuden
Episode 226

Going after Guy, who was whisked away by a giant bird, Naruto, Yamato, and Aoba arrive on an island where they spot a young woman.

Bleach
Episode 337

The captains and lieutenants of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads thought to have fallen in battle return to fight the Reigai. Meanwhile, Ichigo’s spirit energy and Hollow powers continue to grow unstable, forcing him to rest for the time being.

A Dark Rabbit has Seven Lives
Episode 7

Taito has promised to become stronger so he can protect Himea, so he knocks on the door of the student council office. Gekkou opens a dimensional rift for Taito, who finds Edelka inside. Will Taito receive the power to protect Himea, in return for a price? At the same time, Gekkou finds a suspicious-looking man in a suit who claims to be a new teacher waiting in the student council office.

Cardfight! Vanguard
Episode 33

It's the last match of the National Vanguard Championship Finals! The long-awaited Ren Suzugamori of Team AL4 arrives on the scene and in his fight, unleases a unit that no one's ever seen before!

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