Anime Review Roundup

What wonders have I purveyed this week? Let us begin with the final instalment of that anarchic high school comedy. Yes, my immersion in the world of surreal and zany came to an end for now, with Paniponi Dash: Volume 6. It's been a surprisingly mundane ride for me, despite the weird characters, the melancholy rabbit, and the delight in this Trekkie at least, of seeing a spaceship full of aliens gradually transforming into the crew of the Enterprise. Maybe I've just seen too many anarchic, zany, and surreal comedies. Maybe I should watch a season or two of My Family instead. While I go to have my head examined, you can examine my review.

Next up, it was the turn of Rozen Maiden: Volume 2. I barely started the series, and already it ends, although cramming 12 episodes onto two discs certainly hastened the process. Volume 1 was a whole lot of derivative, with bits of Ah My Goddess, Chobits, and every harem comedy ever created, mixed with a little card-swapping combat cliché, to create something that was utterly familiar, yet surprisingly charming. This second volume makes things a shade darker, and narrows the focus to the central character's story. See if this is a good thing by reading the review wot I wrote.

My anime week concluded with the Gungrave Complete Collection. My disdain for zombies has kept me for indulging myself with this acclaimed series from the creator of fan favourite Trigun. But no longer! I finally took the plunge and got hold of the forthcoming boxset, a chance to partake of all 26 episodes at my leisure. It does have zombies, but it also has an epic tale of friendship, betrayal and vengeance, set in a crime underworld, that makes this the anime equivalent to the Godfather movies… without the horse's head… and with loads of zombies. Read my review to see why you should rush off to place an order.

A future post-apocalyptic world, the dregs of humanity living a crime-ridden, violence plagued existence, and a sexy female cyborg on a mission of vengeance. It sounds like an anime plot, but this is live action, the emphasis on action. If you want a break from the world of anime, and would rather partake of uber violence, blood and guts, then maybe Hard Revenge Milly is what you are looking for.

ADV released Paniponi Dash: Volume 6 in the US back in 2007. They released it in the UK not long after that. MVM release both Rozen Maiden: Volume 2, and The Gungrave Complete Collection on the 5th of April. Coincidentally, that's the same date that Cine Asia will release Hard Revenge Milly.