Anime Review Roundup

Crunchyroll's Spring Line-up-dated
I did mention last week that Crunchyroll would be adding to its spring roster with even more new shows. Midweek saw the debut of Ristorante Paradiso, something a little more adult and mature, although in a vaguely similar vein to Ouran High School Host Club. A young Italian girl ventures into the big city for the first time, and winds up at a rather unique restaurant, where her estranged mother is married to the owner. The quirk is that all the employees are male, elegant and wear glasses, while the clientele are usually female and insist on a little charm and personal attention with their pasta. Read more at Anime News Network, or you could eliminate the middleman and just go to Crunchyroll for the first episode.

Funimation's Roster Expands
Last week was the Toei Animation Funimation tie-up announcement, and with it came the sudden influx of Fist Of The North Star, a first for UK Internet users. At the end of last week they also added Slam Dunk to their line up. It's an anime about basketball quite obviously, and should you have the spare time, you can now watch all 101 episodes of it. That's around 40 hours, not counting toilet breaks.

Honey Flash!
If you don't know what that headline means, then here's some PR blurb to elucidate, followed by some clips to make you salivate.

"SHE'S SUPER CUTE AND SUPER FUN...
BUT SHE CAN KICK ASS!
(And in the first ten minutes she's in the bath and also running down the street in her undies!!)

Cinematic guilty pleasures of the bubblegum-flavoured variety don't come any more fun or satisfying than the superhero fantasy flick, CUTIE HONEY, in which the irresistible heroine of the popular Japanese manga and anime series is brought to vivid life in an effervescent eruption of exquisite eye candy.

Directed with enthusiastic verve by legendary anime director Hideaki Anno (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and starring model-turned-actress Eriko Sato (Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers!) and Mikako Ichikawa (Memories Of Matsuko), CUTIE HONEY is a shamelessly entertaining antidote to the recent spate of depressingly serious superhero flicks that have been gracing out screens lately (we're looking at you, Dark Knight and Watchmen!).

Described as a "high energy Japanese adventure comedy" by the New York Times and as "damn good fun" by Asian Cinema Drifter, CUTIE HONEY's cheeky combination of "Charlie's Angels" attitude, "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" fantasy and "Austin Powers"-style comedy adds up to a fun and wacked out spectacle that is impossible to resist."

Click the links below to feast your eyes:
Hi Res
Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3, Clip 4

Lo Res
Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3, Clip 4





Reviews that have already forthcame (if that isn't a word, it should be) begin with the Negima: Spring and Summer OVAs. It's Ken Akamatsu, which means it's a single, wimpy male, surrounded by a harem of teenaged beauties, and seaside humour will commence, with creative panty shots, accidental nudity, and awkward situations galore. Negima throws magic into the mix, with a main character that can sneeze the underwear off a girl at twenty paces. That never happened in Harry Potter…
















From the ridiculous to the sublime next, as I finally got my eager mitts on the concluding volume of Mushi-shi. This series has been one of my favourites of 2008. It's a supernatural anthology show, set at the turn of the twentieth century, with mysterious life forms known as mushi interacting in weird and wonderful ways with the humans that come into contact with them. It has to be one of the most beautiful looking and sounding anime I have ever seen. Each successive volume has been a delight, and you can see in my review if Mushi-shi: Volume 6 finished the show on a high note.


















Finally, Stuart McLean took a look at the Spiral: Complete Series Boxset. It's a mystery drama that plays heavily on the lateral thinking and logic; sort of an anime Jonathan Creek but with more peril and teenaged protagonists. I reviewed the individual volumes a while back, but Stuart's review has got me eager to watch it again. See why you should give this series a try by clicking on the link.














During the week, I also took another look at the live action adaptation of Kamikaze Girls, this time the HK Region 3 disc. If the UK release disappointed you, that review may be worth a click. Manga Entertainment release Negima: Spring and Summer OVA on May the 4th (be with you), while Revelation Films' release of Spiral: The Complete Series is in shops now. Revelation also release Mushi-shi: Volume 6 on the 18th of May, and you'll be able to pick up the complete series boxset of Mushi-shi on the same day. And you should. You really, really should.