Anime Review Roundup

Three reviews last week, beginning with two shonen series where the protagonists have been pulled out of their world, and deposited in fantastic other realms to have adventures. First up was the review of One Piece Collection 7, where Luffy and his crew of Straw Hat Pirates have been pulled from the deep blue sea, and lifted skywards to the land of Skypiea, nestling in the clouds. In this volume, the zany pirates face their toughest foe yet, God himself. Click on the review to see how they fare.

Next it was the turn of the Fairy Tail Guild, which through no magical fault of their own have been pulled into a parallel world where magic is in short supply, and a despotic king is willing to do anything to recharge his kingdom’s magical batteries. It’s always fun to see well-established heroes coming face to face with their moustache twirling evil doppelgangers, but there are one or two revelations in this collection that have implications for their own world as well. Click on the review for Fairy Tail: Part 8 to learn more.

To take us away from all this mainstream anime action, Stuart McLean finished off proceedings with a look at Mysterious Girlfriend X: Complete Series, perhaps the strangest anime series you’re likely to find this year, or indeed any year. It’s a romantic comedy set in high school, about a boy that becomes addicted to a classmate’s drool. Quite naturally she becomes his girlfriend, but this relationship is unlike anything he could have imagined. Don’t be put off by the premise, read Stuart’s review and give this quirky, leftfield series a try.