Dance in the Vampire Bund Anime Review

Dance in the Vampire Bund
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
300 min. - 12 episodes
$64.98 (2011) DVD/Blu-Ray
$69.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
ISBN: 704400013034
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Akiyuki Shinbo
Studio - Shaft

Synopsis: Vampires are real and Mina Tepes is their queen!  She reveals the existence of the vampire race on live television in spectacularly dramatic fashion.  Don't let her tween looks fool you - she's calculating and ruthless, but has a soft spot for third-year high school student Akira Kusaragi.  One year ago he had an accident and lost his memory including a childhood promise given to Mina to always stay by her side. 


That's highly inappropriate



Now she's turned his life upside down and nothing will ever be the same!  Despite being many centuries old Mina still acts like an impetuous child at times.  She has a lofty goal to establish 'The Bund' on a small island off Japan - a sanctuary for vampires and especially 'fangless' vampires (those choosing to remove their fangs and attempt to live normal human lives).  Her position as queen of the vampires is highly political and she must deal with vampire terrorist groups, 'true blood' aristocratic vampire nobles, and human politicians trying to block establishment of 'The Bund'.

Akira must regain his memory in order to save Mina and along the way discovers an affinity which startles him greatly.  She wrecks his school life, wears inappropriate clothing, and gets jealous of his girl friend Yuki.  All the while a dense political scheme grinds in the background with an explosive finish.

Pros: Great animation, good opening/ending theme songs & visuals, some fan-service, very brief nudity, good mix of modern with old vampire lore, relationship of Mina and Akira is touching and well-played, nice action scenes, unedited as far as I can tell

That's even more inappropriate

Cons: Differs from the original manga version (which is ten times racier), Mina's body is that of a barely pubescent girl and it's a little pervy to watch her, high school girl shows inappropriate feelings for young boy neighbor, first episode is actually pretty awful (it gets better in episode 2), pricey



Mike Tells It Straight: This show is one of the best vampire-themed anime you'll find.  It feels vibrant and hip, but naughty as well.  There is plenty of action and good characterization - the story progresses and secrets are revealed.  Great visual animation style and production values.  Although I've never heard of the anime studio Shaft it's pretty good.    I would rank this up there with Blood+ (another highly popular, but much longer vampire anime), but prefer the Bund because the characters have actual personalities. 



Lolicon - get it?



Why is this anime not for everyone?  "Lolicon" - the Japanese version of the "Lolita complex" where underage girls are portrayed in sexually suggestive poses, clothing or situations.  Mina's character is many centuries old, but inhabits the body of a child - a thinly-veiled excuse for lolicon and potentially offensive to viewers.  Reminds me of the character Claudia in Interview with the Vampire (portrayed by Kirsten Dunst in the movie). 

 

I thought Mina's sexual ambiguity was a risk that paid off for the producers.  Vampires are portrayed as dangerous and sexy - what better way to push the envelope than having a lolicon queen of the vampires?  It gave the love shared between her and Akira a poignant quality.  Overall much better than I expected, not for the squeamish, and absolutely not for the kiddies. 

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Halo Legends Anime Review

Halo Legends
Warner Home Video
Complete Collection - 1 disc
119 min.
$14.98 (2010)
$19.98 (2010) Special Edition (2 disc)
ISBN 883929099245
Japanese/English Audio
Japanese/English/French/Spanish Subtitles
Directors - Frank O'Connor/Joseph Chou/Toshiyuki Kanno/Hiroshi Yamazuki/Koji Sawai/Tomoki Muraki/Daisuke Nishio/Hideki Futamura/Keiichi Sugiyama
Studios - Studio 4°C/Production I.G/Casio Entertainment/Toei Animation/Bones/Warner Bros./343 Industries

Synopsis: Seven tales from the Halo science fiction universe:

• "The Babysitter" - A team of Helljumpers attempt a long-distance assassination of a Covenant Prophet and are led by a Spartan.  Constant screw-ups by the troopers distract the Spartan from completing the mission.  Can the troopers suck it up for long enough to kill the Prophet?
• "The Duel" - A covenant Arbiter openly dissents from the Covenant religion and is targeted for assassination by a legion of footsoldiers.  Though a powerful warrior he also has a loving family which proves too tempting a target by one Covenant assassin.  Can the Arbiter fight to save his family in time?
• "The Package" - An elite group of Spartans must retrieve a special package from a Covenant ship.  They board Booster Frames and begin a space fighter battle.  Can the group get to the ship and find the package before they all die horrible space deaths?
• "Origins" - Cortana, an artificial intelligence, recounts the origins of the Halo weapon system.  She tells of the ancient race called the Forerunners and the deadly plague which brought them low called the Flood.  Forced to destroy the universe in order to stop their hated enemies along with dooming themselves.  Get the origin of the entire Halo universe in one shot.
• "Homecoming" - Spartan Daisy-023 helps evacuate a UNSC squad from overwhelming Covenant forces.  She has flashbacks of her time in the Spartan-II supersoldier project and specifically the day she breaks out in order to return to her previous life.  She is shocked to find herself still living her old life.  Who is she and why does she wear a teddy bear charm?
• "Prototype" - The Covenant are close to gaining possession of a key research facility which houses a powerful prototype weapon.  A demolition squad is dispatched to flatten the facility and led by squad leader "Ghost".  His nickname was earned after his last squad was completely annihilated except for him.  Can he stop the same thing from happening to his current squad and what is the weapon?
• "Odd One Out" - Spartan 1337 possesses incredible bad luck - he accidentally fell out of his transport and got stranded on a remote planet.  Worse, the Covenant sends their latest bio-weapon, Pluton, a being with massive powers to destroy everything in sight.  Did I mention the dinosaurs and superstrong teenagers with their biting sarcasm?  Yeah, it's going to be a long day.

Cover art for the Special Edition 2 disc set

Pros: Great animation by top studios, interesting science fiction stories, relatively easy for non-Halo fans to understand, good range of informative/action/humor stories

Cons: Mixed bag of animation and story styles, animation style on "The Duel" looks messy/blurry, may not be hardcore canon enough for the hardcore Halo fans, too many suicide missions

Spartan flying a Booster Frame

Mike Tells It Straight: American science fiction, first-person shooter game Halo gets a collection of short anime stories by top notch Japanese talent.  Halo is a massive video game franchise and we get a nice complement to their epic storylines.  I've played the games a few times, but never got deeply involved and experienced these stories as a relative newbie.  They have a very wide range and were overall very enjoyable.  I really liked how the first story was the origin to give us background information on the Halo universe and the last story was a funny parody to leave us laughing. 

Daisy-023 shoots 'em up



Warning!  If you cannot stand when a story does not follow canon to the letter then this collection is not for you.  Rarely will a franchise translate into another medium seamlessly (i.e. comic books to motion pictures as a prime example) and this instance is no exception.  Those players who have spent a good portion of their lives with these games will be the most affected.  The casual viewer and sometime player will probably enjoy this release in an oblivious manner (like me).  The hardcore fans will either love or hate it (especially those unfamiliar with anime).  It sold a ton of copies and you can buy one for relatively cheap - pick one up and find out what your weird brother has been doing in his room all these years (besides surfing the net for porn).

TO BUY and Recommendations:
   

Pom Poko Anime Review

Pom Poko

Buena Vista Home Entertainment (Disney)

Movie - 119 min.

$29.99 (2005)

ISBN 786936175257

Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles

Director - Isao Takahata

Studio - Studio Ghibli

Synopsis: A massive urban development is encroaching on the natural forests of a group of tanuki ("raccoon dogs").  Soon the tanuki are fighting amongst themselves for the diminishing resources available to them.  Finally fed up with losing their habitat the tanuki band together to stop the humans with their only weapon - the magical ability of transformation!   

The tanukis practice transformation

Only the elders remember the proper techniques and must teach the younger generation.  Soon the whole group is able to pull off imaginative acts of sabotage on the construction workers and their equipment.  They scare away many workers by feigning supernatural hauntings, but more workers take their place. 

The resistance escalates into all-out warfare as the tanuki grow more desperate.  A group of elders arrives from a far-off island where transformation techniques have reached their pinnacle.  With the powerful elders on their side the tanuki prepare to launch their final illusion.  Will the brave tanuki manage to halt the irresistible force of man's progress?

Lush backgrounds - exactly what we expect from Studio Ghibli

 

Pros: Amazing animation by Studio Ghibli, wonderful backgrounds, thoughtful story with good mix of humor with serious message, highly creative and entertaining illusions, the tanukis use their massive ballsacks as parachutes and to thrash on humans!

Cons: The giant tanuki ballsacks may not be appropriate for children - because they could wet themselves from laughing so hard

Mike Tells It Straight: Studio Ghibli deliver another amazing film with top notch animation, lush backgrounds, great character designs, unparalleled creativity, and a mature environmental message.  It's nature vs. the destruction caused by man.  Even though the tanuki are playful and their acts of sabotage are more funny than anything, it's tragic to see their way of life slowly destroyed despite all their best efforts. 

Tanukis unleash their secret weapons in a police skirmish

I'm impressed Disney had the "balls" to release this film domestically considering the numerous scenes of "balls" throughout the story.  I'm glad they did and anyone seriously offended by the "balls" should lighten up.  It's a foreign film and part of the folklore of tanukis in Japanese culture - deal with it.  The dub uses the word "pouch" to describe their "balls" which should more than appease an American audience.

Ghibli have become known for their powerful pro-environment messages and score another victory here for enlightenment.  It's a touching, funny film with some highly entertaining illusions by some highly entertaining tanukis.  Watch this movie because you won't see that everyday. 

TO BUY and Recommendations: