Anime Review Roundup

Funimation Online Anime Update

After last week's brouhaha, you'd expect Funimation to have sorted something out, and they did. While their deal with Toei regarding One Piece is still up in the air, they still have ongoing simulcasts of Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, and Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom to run. So by last Thursday it looked as if everything would be hunky dory again, with the Fullmetal Alchemist and Phantom episodes that had previously been removed, restored to the site once more. Except Funimation made the same mistake again, and once more the latest episodes of FMA and Phantom escaped before time. Cue red faces and long delays while they sorted it out. Full Metal Alchemist returned, complete with new encryption and security, and a case of pot luck if my browser would start streaming it or not. As for Phantom… Well, since Friday the Funimation Web Portal has been down for maintenance, which probably means that they are applying the same security across all their online videos. About time too… As long as my browser will stream them…

Funimation's CEO Gen Fukunaga was interviewed by ANN about the incidents.

Beck - Live Action!

And you thought that with my review of volume 6, I'd finally stop raving about this awesome series. Beck is a great anime, based on a great manga, about the rise from obscurity of a rock band, and all the trials and tribulations associated with it. It's a great slice of life anime, and I often stated in my reviews that other than the zombie dog, it was a ripe story for a live action treatment. Well, apparently I'm not the only one thinking that way, as a feature film has been announced, set for a 2010 release. The great thing about the anime was the music that was recorded especially for it. The movie looks to debut some thrity completely new songs, while the actors are undergoing 'musical training'. Read more at ANN.

More on Yoshitoshi ABe's Despera

It was just an enigmatic announcement of a series and a name a couple of weeks ago that set me off, squeeing with abandon. Well there's more news now, with a list of people involved in the project, and some conceptual artwork. Go to Moetron to see for yourself. I think I need to lie down for a bit.

More on Manga's Online Streaming

Manga Entertainment announced at the recent Expo that they would begin streaming anime to UK audiences, following the footsteps of the pioneering US companies, and that they had signed a deal with Bandai and Beez to bring Gurren Laggan to the web. If you haven't signed up for their newsletter, you may have missed the announcement of the dates this week. The first five episodes of Gurren Laggan will be made available to stream from their website manga.co.uk from the 10th of June, and will appear on Youchoob the next day.


It was another anime review sandwich last week, as I looked at the final two volumes of School Rumble Season 1. It's fair to say that School Rumble wasn't what I was expecting from an anime romantic comedy. There was no harem for one thing, and a remarkable lack of fanservice. What there was, was very funny, wholly absurd, and occasionally moving. Unfortunately, with the release of the UK series currently stalled, I had to import School Rumble: Volume 5, and School Rumble: Volume 6. The biggest difference? The Americans get fridge magnets!














The filling in my School Rumble sandwich was the much-anticipated debut of Claymore. This two-disc set came with a bumper ten episodes, yet I found that I was gnashing my teeth at the end eager for more. That can only be a good thing, and with a show about demons being fought by statuesque blonde women with big swords, you can guess just how good a thing Claymore can potentially be. You can check my review of Claymore: Volumes 1 & 2 by clicking the link.

















Finally Stuart McLean took a leisurely stroll through the tranquil and ethereal world of Mushi-shi, when he reviewed the six disc, complete series collection. You wouldn't expect me to be jealous, would you? After all, I did have a look at the individual volumes as they were released. But watching this series for the first time is an enviable experience, and I have just the slightest hint of green in my complexion in that I won't be able to discover the magic of this series anew, the way that Stuart just did. Read Stuart's review and buy the set, or buy the set and read Stuart's review. The operative words being 'buy the set'.
















Funimation released the final two volumes of School Rumble back in the beginning of 2008, and they are still available from importers all over the web. Revelation released the six-disc Mushi-shi set (don't believe the packaging) earlier last month. Manga Entertainment unleash Claymore to unsuspecting UK audiences today. So now you have something to do on your way home from work.