Anime Review Roundup

Reviews this week, there were a few, beginning with Bleach: Series 4 - Part 2. This is the second of Manga's big shonen properties, those shows like D.Gray-Man designed to cater primarily for young teen male audiences, with plenty of battles and levelling up of abilities to appreciate. The first three seasons of Bleach introduced quite a compelling universe and some interesting characters, and while tastes may vary, there was a consistency of quality and thought in the stories that really impressed. With Season 4 though, we hit the blight of all long-running anime shows, filler. The nadir of filler can be seen in shows like Naruto, and that's a benchmark that I have fervently hoped Bleach can avoid. See if it managed it by clicking the link.

Next up was my continuing sojourn into the High School comedy genre. I bought the series as a job lot from the US, so there's been no pesky waits for subsequent volumes. Paniponi Dash: Volume 2 offers more fast paced mayhem and chaos from an eclectic bunch of characters and their teacher, who manages the impossible feat of being simultaneously cute and obnoxious. You know where to go to read more.

Finally, we head into penultimate territory with X: Volume 5. This apocalyptic fate fuelled drama is heading inexorably towards a climax. Slowly and surely, the tensions build as the Dragons of Earth and Dragons of Heaven test each other, so slowly and surely that I must admit that I have some concerns whether the story can be told in the time that remains. See if those concerns are addressed by wandering over to my review.

Before I wander off myself, let me just point out to fans of live action Japanese cinema, that my review of Sinking of Japan also went up last week. Eat your heart out Roland Emmerich!

Manga Entertainment release Bleach: Series 4 - Part 2 today. ADV released Paniponi Dash: Volume 2 years ago in the US, but it is available in the UK as well. MVM release Sinking of Japan, and X: Volume 5, and both have fallen behind in the schedules, being released on the 15th of March.