Anime Review: Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid: Vol. 1

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Nov. 14, 2006

One of the more accessible and successful anime series in the U.S., “Full Metal Panic!” has an excellent blend of action, comedy and drama. “Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid” is a 13-episode follow up to the original “Full Metal Panic!”, a 26-episode series combining military robot action with the comedic attempts of Sousuke Sagara as he tries to blend in with high school life. His undercover mission is to protect Kaname Chidori, an often-hostile girl who has special subconscious knowledge of “Black Technology,” which is sought after by the terrorist organization Amalgam. Sousuke, who grew up as a mercenary and now works for the secret paramilitary agency Mithril, is combat trained but socially clueless. Most of the humor comes from the deadpan military attitude with which he approaches every situation, Kaname’s exasperation at his tactics and her love/hate relationship with him.

“Full Metal Panic!” was followed up by “Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu,” a purely comedic series that stepped away from the main storyline. “Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid” comes back to the main story and adds the action and drama from the first series back in, making it a true sequel.

Volume one reintroduces the characters along with the new mysterious madman Gates and his twin assassins Xia Lu Lan and Xia Lu Fan. Even without watching the first shows, the story is easy to get into. “The Second Raid” has a slightly darker tone than the original, the scenes with the assassins in particular. The first volume sets up a lot of the new conflicts and serves as a good intro to the continuing story. The animation is very high quality and the action is fluid and gorgeous. The DVD is also loaded with special features, a rarity for anime, including audio commentary for all episodes.

“Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid” is about as mainstream as anime gets.Fortunately, it’s also really good.

"Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid: Vol. 1" ★ ★ ★ ★½
U.S. Release: FUNimation/ADV Films
Animation: Kyoto Animation
Release date: Nov. 14, 2006
Genres: Action, comedy, drama, mecha, romance

Anime Review: Noein - to your other self: Vol. 1

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Oct. 31, 2006

"Noein” is an interesting mixture of adolescent comedy/drama with surreal sci-fi action and mystery. Haruka is a girl just going about her everyday life, enjoying a final summer break with her friends before one of them, Yuu Karasu, leaves for a prestigious Tokyo middle school. Yuu’s mother, however, won’t let Yuu spend time with his friends but wants him to study hard to ensure his school admission. In the background of this normal drama, a group of strange travelers in cloaks literally appear out of nowhere with glowing cords attached to their backs – leading back to another dimension – looking for the Dragon Torque. Haruka soon encounters two of these hunters, who fight over her using incredible powers, claiming she is the Dragon Torque. When Yuu tries to come to Haruka’s rescue, one of the figures reveals that he is the Yuu Karasu of his dimension, corresponding to this dimension’s future.

The sci-fi multi-dimensional plot of the show is revealed slowly, so the viewer might be lost trying to understand everything that’s going on at first. In the five episodes on volume one, the story nicely balances the sci-fi elements with the normalcy of Haruka and her friends. The contrast between the two worlds helps viewers feel how jarring things are for Haruka when strange things start to happen to her.

The art is fairly simple but fluid, even having a sketch-like quality during certain times of intensity that serves the action well. Computer effects are used heavily but are integrated expertly into the animation and again draw a nice contrast between the normal and sci-fi aspects.

With its juxtaposition of styles and intriguing story, “Noein” is far from a standard action or sci-fi series. It’s a welcome treat to those looking for something different.

"Noein - to your other self: Vol. 1" ★ ★ ★ ★
U.S. Release: Manga Entertainment
Release date: Oct. 17, 2006
Genres: Drama, sci-fi

Video games, virtual reality are newest options for business, education

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Oct. 31, 2006

Even though the mainstream press and politicians act as if video games like “Grand Theft Auto” and “Bully” are indicative of the entire medium, some forward thinkers are starting to think of video games in fascinating new ways.

Technically, the massively multiplayer online Second Life is not a game, per se, as there are no goals, points or quests to complete. Similar to the popular game “The Sims,” Second Life is more about the everyday business of life. The difference is that the business in Second Life is real, with millions of real dollars traded every week. The news agency Reuters even recently opened up a virtual news bureau inside of the game world, with a staff member paid to log onto the game at set times and keep virtual office hours. From virtual business meetings in custom-built virtual meeting rooms (with real-life video conferencers interacting with virtual avatars) to a virtual clothing store that allows avatars (with real-life measurements) to try on and buy actual outfits, Second Life is poised to become the virtual reality that was imagined when the term was first coined.

Wal-Mart, American Express and Intel are looking into using Second Life for corporate training, according to a September 2006 “Popular Science” article. A basic Second Life account is free, and players don’t have to be businessmen – flying, teleportation and nearly anything one can imagine or create is possible in this virtual playground. The site’s creator even hopes that the social aspects of his online community will be like a living MySpace.

On the education front, a year-long study by the Federation of American Scientists concluded that the addictive nature of video games could be used to create new video game learning tools for schools, according to an Oct. 17 Associated Press article. The group called for federal research into the potential of video game learning.

While educational games don’t usually sell well, “Brain Age” for Nintendo DS has been a huge seller – and it’s basically just math and reading mini-games. And if role-playing gamers can memorize all the monster and item names, strengths, and stats, just think if a game used real chemistry and science. Gamers would learn without even realizing it.

Aircraft pilot trainers and even the Army have been using games for years to teach skills that directly apply to real-world applications. Perhaps very soon, playing hours of video games won’t be a sign of a slacker but of an overachiever. Of course, if it really is that easy to learn from games, those disturbed over “Grand Theft Auto” might have a legitimate concern. Then again, school-sanctioned sports have been teaching violent and competitive activities to students for years, so maybe a college “Halo 3” team isn’t beyond possibility. Thanks to Second Life, neither is a virtual classroom.

Blogging gets writers noticed by manga, book publishers

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Oct. 10, 2006

A Japanese man who regularly went online to write a daily blog about his domineering wife has now earned the equivalent of more than $300,000 for two book deals, as well as a manga, TV series, movie and video game, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.

The “Demon Wife Diaries” is not unique either. The same article goes on to say that Japanese publishing firms scour the Internet for original content, and more than 300 books based on personal writings have been published in Japan since 2004. It’s estimated that about 1 in every 5 people in Japan read blogs and a person in Japan is far more likely to maintain a blog than a person in America.

“Densha Otoko” (“Train Man”) is another popular Japanese property based on conversations on an internet forum. What started out as people giving advice to a nerdy guy over the Internet is now a multimillion dollar, international story that’s generated over a $1,000,000 in royalties for the anonymous poster and the forum moderator. It became a book, manga, TV series and top-grossing movie. The author credited as creating “Densha Otoko” is named Hitori Nakano, a pseudonym meaning “one of those people,” according to Anime News Network. There are a couple of manga versions available in English, and the movie showed in New York at the end of September. The movie is scheduled to be out in the U.S. on DVD in January.

For anyone interested in writing, blogging is becoming the best way to get noticed. Because people from anywhere can instantly read blog postings, it can be as effective – and much less expensive – than trying to self-publish work in print. Of course, it most likely will not become a huge multi-medium hit, but at the very least blogging helps writers express themselves, hone their craft and have something creative to show prospective publishers when they prepare to turn writing into a career.

You never know, though — maybe your blog will be the one that brings the trend of blog books to the U.S.

Anime Review: Basilisk: The Spoils of War (Vol. 2)

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Oct. 10, 2006

The second volume of “Basilisk” begins with the Iga clan at an advantage over the Kouga clan – only the Iga know the uneasy truce between the clans is over. The top 10 ninja from each clan are on a hit list to determine the next shogun, and several Kouga have already been crossed off. As the battle between clans escalates, the fighting gets more brutal, although star-crossed lovers Gennosuke and Oboro remain blissfully unaware of the fighting while they stay in the Iga compound.

Many more characters are introduced – and more get crossed off the list – but this volume does an excellent job of fleshing out the members from both sides. It’s not good ninja versus bad ninja, but two warring clans that are more alike than they would ever acknowledge. When one of the main ninja from either side are killed, viewers will feel sympathetic.

The animation is still excellent, and the music adds to the dark mood and action without overpowering the scenes. While the mature content isn’t gratuitous, it is more intense than the last volume and might be best kept away from younger ones.
By the end of the volume, neither side is shown to be virtuous, and no matter which side wins, it will be a tragedy. In not choosing sides, “Basilisk” shows just how destructive and hurtful war can be. What affect it will have on Gennosuke and Oboro remains to be seen, although it looks like they will get personally involved in the next volume, which is sure to shake things up.


"Basilisk: The Spoils of War (Vol. 2)" ★ ★ ★ ★
U.S. Release: FUNimation
Animation: Gonzo
Release date: Sept. 26, 2006
Genres: Romance, historical, action, drama

Graphics may not matter in next video game console war

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Sept. 26, 2006

The thought among video gamers used to be that better graphics meant a better game, but that notion will be tested in the coming months as the three video game systems of the next generation will finally go head to head.

While the Microsoft-made Xbox 360 was released last year, sales of the system in Japan are terrible, selling only 158,000 units so far, according to a recent AP article. By comparison, in 2000 the PlayStation 2 sold almost a million units in Japan within the first two days. Later this year, Japan-based Sony and Nintendo are set to release their respective PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles, but both have totally different strategies to win over gamers.

To try to keep up with the PlayStation 3’s Blu-Ray technology, Microsoft will be putting out an HD DVD upgrade for their system, bringing their total Xbox 360 package to essentially the same price as Sony’s system. Both Sony and Microsoft are counting on gamers to spend a lot of money to acquire the latest cutting-edge game technology.

Nintendo, on the other hand, is foregoing graphics power to make a low-cost system that boasts new levels of interactivity. Of course, Sony then announced that the PlayStation 3 will also have a motion-sensing controller, but Sony’s main sales point will still be the system’s power. Nintendo is counting on gamers wanting games that are simply fun to play and appropriate for families and parties.

While gamers will always want better graphics and physics – as evidenced by PC gamers willing to pay thousands of dollars for the newest graphic systems – there is a growing trend toward games that are quick, interactive and fun. The immersive, time-eating online games will start fading away as the number of Massively Multiplayer Online games dilutes the online player base, leaving only a few standout titles, like “World of Warcraft,” with anything close to a massive audience.

Meanwhile, cutting-edge systems like the handheld PSP are being used by hardcore gamers as emulators to play old NES games and arcade classics. Even on PlayStation 2, interactive games, like “Guitar Hero,” “Dance Dance Revolution” and “Karaoke Revolution” are finding bigger audiences than most generic action adventure titles that only have graphics as a selling point. Even the Xbox 360’s Live Arcade was talked about more than its launch titles.

As video games become more mainstream, we can expect this trend to continue. Fewer gamers will be couch-bound loners who want to spend 10 hours a day in a game world, but more will be groups of friends and families who want games anyone can just pick up and play together, whether online or off.

There will still be a large market for the “Final Fantasy” and “Halo” games, but the classically fun games are making a comeback. The future of video game design depends a lot on which side wins the upcoming console war: the graphics or the fun. Gamers can only hope that companies find a way for games to have both.

Anime Review: Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie - Conquer of Shambala

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Sept. 26, 2006

While only those who’ve seen the entire 51-episode “Fullmetal Alchemist” series will get all the references, connections and relationships in the movie, it is set up to be somewhat accessible to newcomers. Naturally, the movie can’t have the same depth and philosophical musings as the series, which is an outstandingly good show, by the way. It is very different from the bulk of the series, since it connects directly to the series’ end, which changed a lot of what was usual for the show. Despite the tie in to the series, the story acts as a stand-alone adventure, establishing new characters and conflicts. The movie can serve as either an introduction to the “Fullmetal Alchemist” world or as an extra chapter to the show that ties up a few loose ends in a very satisfying way.

It’s difficult to describe the plot without giving away the whole series, but it essentially is about two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric. Ed is stranded on a parallel world, that of our 1930s Germany, where his skills in alchemy don’t work. Al, in the meantime, is improving his alchemy in an effort to find a way to bring Ed home. As in the series, their relationship, even when separated, forms the emotional core of “Fullmetal Alchemist” and provides most of the brothers’ motivations.

“Conquer of Shambala” will be most appreciated by those who love the show; those who haven’t seen “Fullmetal Alchemist” before might be a little lost, but it’s still good fun – and if it leads one to watch the series, better yet.

"Fullmetal Alchemist: The Movie - Conquer of Shambala" ★ ★ ★ ★½
U.S. Release: FUNimation
Animation: BONES
Release date: Sept. 12, 2006
Genres: Adventure, historical, sci-fi, drama

Anime Review: Basilisk: Vol. 1

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Sept. 26, 2006

“Basilisk” takes the familiar concept of two people in love from feuding families and adds ninjas with special individualized powers clashing in bloody battles. The lovers introduced in the first episode meet a tragic fate at each other’s hands after their families’ feud makes them spend their lives separated and at war, but their two grandchildren want to end the animosity and get married. However, unbeknownst to them, the top 10 ninjas from the two clans are put on a hit list, and whichever clan survives longest decides the next shogun.

The character designs give a very different look, almost a caricature, to each of the ninjas; one is limbless and moves like a snake, another is nearly round and can blow himself up like a balloon, one moves like a spider and so on. As odd and over-the-top as most of the ninja fighters are, the love story is handled with much more realism and subtlety. Whether or not their love can avoid the tragic path their grandparents took is as interesting as the actual war between the clans.

By the end of the first volume of “Basilisk,” the two lovers are still unaware that their clans are actively fighting, but several ninjas have already been crossed off the list – and some of those who get killed are surprising. With period romance, fluid action/animation and bloody battles, “Basilisk” has a lot to offer those who are looking for a serious drama (with super ninjas).

"Basilisk: Vol. 1" ★ ★ ★ ★
U.S. Release: FUNimation
Animation: Gonzo
Release date: Aug. 8, 2006
Genres: Romance, historical, action, drama

Video Game Review: Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Sept. 12, 2006

Although “Disgaea 2” is a sequel, no knowledge of the first game is really needed; the story starts with new characters and story. The game belongs to a small subgenre of role-playing games often called tactical or strategy RPGs.

Tactics games are more like super chess – they are turn-based and played on a grid, with certain movement, attack and defense values for each character. This game allows for hundreds of possible characters, with any 10 of them brought onto any stage. In this game, items as well as characters can be leveled up. The Item World adds up to 100 randomly-generated levels for each item one can ever acquire, and each completed level raises the item’s power. Because exits are every 10 levels and players can’t revive any of their 10 chosen characters who might have fallen in battle between levels, Item World is more challenging than the game’s main story.

“Disgaea 2” has quirky characters and a unique sense of humor, but the sprite-based characters and somewhat clunky camera view make the game feel dated.

Good tactical RPGs are a rarity, and lovers of the genre could spend many, many hours playing “Disgaea 2,” especially if they haven’t already experienced the game’s features in the original “Disgaea.” Those who don’t get excited just hearing about item leveling probably won’t enjoy this game.


“Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories” ★ ★ ★ ½
Nippon Ichi Software
Release date: Aug. 31, 2006
Genres: Strategy RPG

Anime Review: Shakugan no Shana: Vol. 1

As printed in The Northern Light newspaper
Sept. 12, 2006

Originally a series of light novels, “Shakugan no Shana” (roughly, “Shana of the Burning Eyes”) offers a nice change from the standard action and romantic comedies that fill the shelves.

Despite its crisp lines and smooth animation, volume one of “Shakugan no Shana” has a melancholy tinge that comes from the show’s premise: People’s very existences – not just their lives, but everyone else’s memory of that person and everything they did – are being destroyed and devoured by beings from the “Crimson World,” another dimension of sorts. Those devoured, including protagonist Yuji Sakai, are replaced by “Torches,” flickers of life made of residue from the original person. Torches provide stability by letting that person’s existence disappear gradually, so no one even notices, except for Yuji, who doesn’t seem to be fading as he should.

He meets someone who fights the Denizens of the Crimson World, the titular girl he names Shana, and the story starts from there.

More mature and a little darker than most adventure series that stay around a PG-13ish rating, “Shakugan no Shana” is engrossing and shows promise for great action and drama in upcoming volumes.

“Shakugan no Shana: Vol. 1” ★ ★ ★ ★
U.S. Release: Geneon Entertainment
Release date: Sept. 5, 2006
Genres: Drama, fantasy, action, romance