Fooly Cooly (FLCL) Anime Review

Fooly Cooly (FLCL)
Furi Kuri
Funimation
Complete Collection - 1 disc
150 mins. - 6 episodes
$39.98 (2011)
$44.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
$69.95 (2007) Ultimate Edition
ISBN 704400052415
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Kazuya Tsurumaki
Studio - Gainax/Production I.G

Synopsis: Naota has always been in his older brother's shadow, but now his older brother has left to play baseball in America and Naota just feels lost.  He hangs out with Mamimi, his older brother's ex-girlfriend who smokes and constantly ditches school.  She got dumped, left behind, and is in worse shape than Naota.  They live in a depressing town with a huge factory shaped like a giant iron (like for ironing clothes) owned by Medical Mechanica.  Every day at the same time a huge cloud of steam is released from the factory covering the town in a hazy glow.

Beware crazy pink-haired girls riding Vespas!

The two are walking home one day when Naota is run over by a crazy pink-haired girl riding a Vespa scooter. She stops to hit him in the head with her electric guitar.  Miraculously he survives, but now has a big oddly-shaped lump sticking out of his head.  The crazy girl says her name is Haruko Haruhara and becomes the live-in housekeeper at Naota's house.  She is obsessed with the lump on his head and naturally his dad bunks her in Naota's room (on the top bunk).

Haruko brains poor unsuspecting Naota with her guitar

Weird things start to happen.  A full-on robot battle erupts from the lump on Naota's head and Haruko is there to finish it with a choice bash from her trusty guitar.  One of the robots moves in with Naota and becomes a servant doing chores for the family.  Naota's grandfather has the robot pick up nudie mags from the drug store for him.  It gets weirder.

Then she just shows up at his house eating dinner!

More robots and some Space Pirate King erupt from Naota's head.  The earth is in danger and Haruko (if that's her real name) seems to be in the center of it all.  A special agent from the Bureau for Interstellar Immigration is hellbent on stopping her.  Naota won't admit it, but he's got a major crush on her.  How's a teenager to cope alongside all the raging hormones?

Yep, that left a mark

Pros: Creative and fun, highly imaginative and off-beat humor, literally made me laugh out loud, energetic (almost spastic at times), doesn't take itself too seriously, great music and soundtrack, very good dub, unique coming-of-age story for both Naota and Mamimi, aged well after a decade

Grandpa, two school buddies, Dad, Canti, Haruko, Naota, Ninamori, Mamimi

Cons: Bit pricey for only six episodes, blu-ray version is not perfect due to original 4:3 aspect ratio of show, random over-the-top humor aspect of this show can turn some people off as can the animation style jumps

Hanging out with Haruko = get ready for more trouble!

Mike Tells It Straight: FLCL (aka Fooly Cooly, Furi Kuri [kinda love thang]) knocked me on the floor when I first watched it.  It was hilarious, had great action scenes, felt sexually deviant (like every teenager does when the topic of sex flashes across their minds), and contained some poignant moments.  Definitely not for the kiddies due to the sexual innuendo and a bit of mindless violence.

Canti can be pretty badass when he wants to be

It's a manic ride and filled with cultural/genre parody in-jokes.  May be hard to follow at times, but tied together by a simple coming-of-age story as Naota finally emerges from his brother's shadow.  The deep moments were rare and a bit out of place.  The animation style was varied with a little bit of everything thrown in and you can't beat this show for range of visual styles.

Now what is she really up to?

Gainax was responsible for Neon Genesis Evangelion which is an anime classic (it turned mecha on its ear).  I like the idea of them putting out a wacky show like FLCL to free themselves from the darkness of Evangelion.  Another Gainax nut-fest is Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi which I also enjoyed and thought was similar, but with 13 episodes the craziness made my head hurt.

Yeah, this just about sums it up

The original FLCL dvds were scarce/expensive until 2007 when they were re-released, but I was excited to see Funimation put out a new version in 2011 on one disc.  Little did I know the aspect ratio couldn't be changed (from 4:3 to widescreen 16:9 for current televisions) and the SD didn't translate as well to HD.  I don't recommend putting a premium on the blu-ray version - it's not remastered and lacks any improvements to the visuals.  Got the dvd set already?  Keep it, this new version doesn't really enhance the experience enough to justify a repurchase.

Naota gets to swing the bat

I consider FLCL to be another classic anime and well worth checking out.  If you can't take the wild tangents and jokes then it won't be for you.  Watching the show again after many years was great - I noticed a few more aspects of the plot and it made a bit more sense (plus the cool visual tricks Gainax pioneered which have shown up in shows since).  The humor was still there after all those years and it felt kinda uplifting (like after I watched Gurren Lagann).  Go for it!


TO BUY and Recommendations:

Rideback Anime Review

Rideback
Funimation
Complete Collection - 4 discs
300 mins. - 12 episodes
$64.98 (2011) Blu-Ray/DVD
$69.98 (2011) Limited w/keychain
ISBN 704400012464
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Atsushi Takahashi
Studio - Madhouse

Synopsis: Rin Ogata is a promising dancer with an incredible career ahead of her...until she suffers a devastating injury during a performance.  Flash forward three years to Rin as an unassuming college student after she has quit dancing.  One day she stumbles upon the school Rideback club and discovers the flame-red Fuego - an incredible machine part motorcycle and part robot.

Rin lights up the stage as a star ballerina

She finds a deep affinity for riding Fuego and her dance training proves to be an enormous benefit to operating a Rideback.  Almost immediately her riding draws the attention of Tamayo Kataoka, the Rideback champion of Japan.  Tamayo challenges Rin to a race and later becomes her mentor.

The first fateful ride (or flight) of Rin and Fuego

Ridebacks played a deciding role in halting the United States from conquering the world during the Battle of Arizona and now the GGP (Global Government Plan) have replaced them as global peacekeepers.  Japan becomes a political hotbed as the GGP plans to unveil their White Riders program inserting themselves into local police forces with an eventual global rollout.

Rin races on Fuego for the first time

Rin uses Fuego to rescue a friend in trouble and winds up embroiled in a deadly political revolution.  Now she's caught between the GGP, Japanese government, and BMA (Borderless Military Alliance).  Can Rin make a difference with Fuego and protect the ones she loves?

Tamayo takes five after a long training session on her Rideback

Pros: Great animation and use of CGI on the Ridebacks, excellent backgrounds, Ridebacks are an interesting concept, catchy opening theme song (by MELL) and opening animation sequence, pretty good dub

Beautiful sunset by Madhouse

Cons: Short at 12 episodes, doesn't have enough racing, shockingly no fan-service for a show featuring a girl riding a mecha-cycle in a dress, character designs were so-so - hair was odd and everyone had shading lines under their eyes (it's from the manga, but seriously) plus Shoko always has a snaggle tooth, Suzuri is always annoying (that gets resolved by the end)

The Goblin rides!

Mike Tells It Straight: Rideback is not your typical mecha show, but more a mix of racing, mecha, and dancing (just like the Ridebacks are a hybrid of motorcycle and robot).  It doesn't fit or focus too heavily on any of these aspects so if you're looking for a great mecha-only/racing-only/dancing-only show then it's not going to satisfy you.

Rin faces off against automated monsters

I think the plot suffered by trying to be too many things at once while being too short to fully develop the concepts opened up with the Ridebacks.  The show could easily have been a racing show with Rin's journey of discovery using Fuego to rekindle her competitive spirit from dancing and competing to become a Rideback champion.  It focuses more on the political wranglings of the GGP, BMA, and Japanese government.  It would have been perfect at 26 episodes with half dedicated to racing and the last half evolving into a political drama.

Rin's game face

Funimation's collections for this show seem like overkill - why offer a set with four discs (2 dvds and 2 blu-rays) instead of two separate sets with just dvds or blu-rays?  Drop the price and split them up because I'll either watch one or the other.  No need for both IMHO.  The limited edition box set just didn't interest me - why do I want a keychain and bigger box?  Maybe I'm being hyper-critical here, but the lack of a regular dvd set was annoying.

Great starting scene from the opening sequence

Overall Rideback was off-the-beaten-path and an interesting hybrid of different genres.  It was definitely not what I expected whether that's good or bad.  The visuals by Madhouse were great (especially the opening sequence), but the show itself was only so-so.  I would have enjoyed a racing show more, but the political intrigue was interesting.  Rin's personal journey is the real star here and a good reason to check it out.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Spice and Wolf Season One Anime Review

Spice and Wolf Season One
Okami to Koshinryo
Funimation
Complete Collection - 2 discs
325 mins. - 13 episodes
$59.98 (2009)
$49.98 (2010) Viridian
$49.98 (2011) Blu-Ray
$64.98 (2012) Blu-Ray Seasons 1-2
ISBN 704400011801
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Takeo Takahashi
Studio - Imagin

Synopsis: Kraft Lawrence is a travelling merchant passing through a familiar town during an annual harvest festival for the pagan wolf-spirit responsible for granting good crops of wheat.  He discovers a naked girl in his wagon with ears and a tail - she declares herself the wolf-goddess Holo and secures a deal with Lawrence for passage to her original homeland in the north.

Lawrence and Holo on the road

Skeptical at first, Lawrence's doubts at Holo's true nature are startlingly banished as she transforms before his eyes into a monstrous wolf-form.  The two develop a peculiar alliance as Holo proves to be a wise travelling companion and aids Lawrence in his merchant dealings.  The life of a merchant is not simple and fraught with dangers both financial and physical.

Spicey wolf

Over the course of their journey, Holo and Lawrence build a strong friendship based on both mutual respect and budding attraction.  Holo proves to be wise one moment and impetuous the next to humorous extents.  Various financial dealings pose both opportunity and misfortune for Lawrence and Holo is there to drink up any profits!

Holo drinks to your good fortune.  Now buy another round!

Several love interests appear to the frustration of Holo - a girl having a history with Lawrence from the village Holo blessed with good harvests and an attractive sheep herder with her trusty sheepdog.  Matters become complicated as Holo runs afoul of the Church who see her as a demon to be destroyed.  Can Lawrence manage to turn a profit with an untamed wolf-goddess at his side?

Lawrence and Holo argue about Norah the sheep herder

Pros: Great animation style with lush/detailed backgrounds, superb character interaction and development, cool story setup and cerebral plot, simple supply/demand economics of the merchant trade were a treat, Holo is great - a knowledgeable sage one minute and impatient thrill-seeker the next, great opening and ending theme songs, good dub

'Awwwwoooooooo!!' 

Cons: Too short (fortunately there is a Season Two available), very little action and slow-paced, high episode count per disc (6+) may affect picture quality on some players

Holo shows off her new outfit

Mike Tells It Straight: I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and depth of Spice and Wolf.  The plot and interactions between Lawrence and Holo were playful yet thought-provoking.  Any time you can add economics to an anime I'm thoroughly impressed (sorry, I'm an accountant).  The character development and romantic stirrings of the main characters was the real gem to the show.

Now that's one big and scary wolf [goddess]

Visuals were top notch from a studio I'm unfamiliar with (Imagin).  The backgrounds were incredible while the character designs were simple, but appropriate.  There's some nudity as Holo flaunts her human body a bit to make Lawrence uncomfortable - it's entirely brief with no details (i.e. nipples).  Blu-ray offers even better picture in HD and no complaints over artifacting due to high episode count per disc (I didn't experience this personally, but have seen some complaints).

'You wouldn't like me...with whiskers'

Only gripe is the lack of action, but when Holo got going she really tore things up.  Her wolf-form rampages reminded me of Princess Mononoke.  This first season was a great watch and I'm looking forward to checking out the second season.  Highly recommended if you're looking for something playfully mature and charming.

TO BUY and Recommendations:

Kekko Kamen Anime Review

Kekko Kamen
ADV Films
Complete Collection - 1 disc
90 mins. - 4 episodes
$29.98 (2005)
ISBN 702727114427
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Directors - Nobuhiro Kondo/ Kinji Yoshimoto
Studio - Dynamic Planning

Synopsis: There exists a secret prep school responsible for molding our most highly respected political leaders into the power-wielding titans we know and loathe - the Big Toenail of Satan's Spartan Institute of Higher Education!  Former alumni include George W. Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Hilary Clinton.

Poor Mayumi gets disciplined again

The teachers at the Spartan Institute (as it is commonly referred to) are experts at disciplining wayward students and bringing out the best results from their hapless wards through constant punishment.  The principal is known as the Toenail of Satan  and he employs only the most hardened instructors.  These include a former Nazi torture-woman, super-muscled physical education teacher, an exchange student from hell, and a voyeur samurai.

Kekko Kamen comes to Mayumi's aid

Mayumi Takahashi is bright, but lazy and a constant target of discipline usually involving her being tied up with her clothes torn off to reveal a young nubile body.  Rushing to her aid is the denuded damsel of justice - Kekko Kamen!  She fights for love and justice (you can only do this in the nude and expect to be successful after all).  KK employs a devastating finishing move and is the only resistance to the grotesquely perverted happenings at the Spartan Institute.

Kekko Kamen punishes the Nazi dominatrix counselor (I think she likes it)

Pros: Lots of nudity (KK's costume is 90% birthday-suit), KK's finishing move is body-slamming her muff onto her oppenents' willing faces, oddly compelling, better than the live-action movies


Cons: Low-quality animation, terrible character designs, plot is goofy and ridiculous, tacky/campy/you-name-it

The evil principal Toenail of Satan and his head instructor

Mike Tells It Straight: Kekko Kamen is campy and probably one of the most awful anime shows in existence.  Herein lies the drawback and the charm.  Originally produced in Japan in 1991-92, KK was a hybrid ecchi/hentai OVA laden with puns, parodies, and perversions.  The titular heroine literally bears her tits for justice.

Kekko Kamen has a rather unique finishing move

The plot is ludicrous and serves only to set up successive situations of bondage and nudity.  Mayumi always gets stuck in a sticky situation and KK comes to her naked rescue.  Each opponent falls to KK's muff-slam final move.  They seem to enjoy it and it's impossible to take this show seriously.

All of the villains are dumb, the plot sucks, the animation is totally weak, and it's a truly bad show.  Now typically this would turn most viewers off, but I see there are some real perverts in the crowd.  Well, this show is probably for you.  Us normal folks will just steer clear (oh wait, I watched this already - guess I'm a pervert too).

'Eat this Toenail of Satan!'

Seriously, I love most of Go Nagai's other works translated into anime (Demon Lord Dante, Getter Robo), but KK is just bad!  It reminds me of the (many, many) times I was so desperate to watch any type of anime (due to its scarcity during the '80s-'90s) - I would literally watch anything!  Good, bad, it didn't matter.  If you are in this frame of mind then it doesn't matter what I recommend here - you will watch KK without hesitation.  However, if you still have a choice (or a Netflix subscription) then heed my words - "do not succumb to the boobies, find a decent anime to watch!".




TO BUY and Recommendations:
    

Tenchi Muyo! GXP Anime Review

Tenchi Muyo! GXP
Funimation
Complete Collection - 8 discs
650 mins. - 26 episodes
$89.98 (2006)
$49.98 (2007) Viridian
$39.98 (2010) Viridian
$29.98 (2012) S.A.V.E.
ISBN 704400076008
Japanese/English Audio - English Subtitles
Director - Shinichi Watanabe
Studio - AIC

Synopsis: Seina Yamada's bad luck has legendary status - if it can possibly go wrong then it'll happen to him.  Shunned by the general social populace Seina only has a small number of friends willing to risk bodily injury by being within two feet of him.  One of them is Tenchi Masaki and one day Seina accidentally crashes his bike near Tenchi's house.  Incredibly a spaceship lands and a beautiful girl appears to give him an application to join the Galaxy Police.  He fills out the application and is whisked off to the Galaxy Police cadet academy.

Where can I sign up for the Galaxy Police!?

It soon becomes apparent to his instructors that Seina is unlucky.  He also has a lot of determination and heart.  Making it through the first grueling trials of cadet training Seina goes through body enhancement (where he becomes super-strong and resistant to harm) which comes in handy for someone suffering constant bad luck injuries. 

His first assignment brings him in contact with space pirates led by the beautiful Ryoko (different Ryoko) where he proves his bravery and resourcefulness.  It seems Seina's bad luck makes him a magnet for space pirate attacks and the GP higher ups make him captain of a ship in the 'decoy fleet'. 

Two highly skilled (and very lovely) GP officers, Amane and Kiriko, become his crew on the Kamidake - which is powered by a 'cabbit' named Fuku created by Washu (from Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki).  Now he's armed with a powerful ship and able (hot!) crew, but must fight off all the pirates in the universe and withstand the combined onslaught of an ever-growing legion of jealous women!

Cast of characters:

• Seina Yamada - the unluckiest (or possibly the luckiest) 15-year-old in the galaxy, despite his luck he possesses a valiant heart and quick wits, accidentally offered enrollment in the Galaxy Police
• Amane Kaunaq - successful GP officer and former galaxy-renowned super-model, she is the cause of Seina joining the GP, gets demoted to become his instructor and crew member on the Kamidake, her family is incredibly rich, gorgeous blonde who can also kick butt, develops feelings for Seina
• Kiriko Masaki - native to Earth and big sister to Seina's best friend, secretly a GP officer and protective of Seina, also demoted to serve as his crew member on the Kamidake, develops feelings for him and competes with Amane for his attention
• Ryoko Balta - lovely pirate captain in the Daluma Guild, impressed with Seina as a foe and develops a major crush on him after his courageous exploits during their battles
• Neju Na Melmas - two-thousand-year-old priestess of Melmas in a twelve-year-old body, has powerful telepathic or spiritual powers, she plays up her youthful appearance and adopts Seina as a 'big brother' as much as playfully telling the other girls she will marry him one day
• Fuku - cabbit derived from Ryo-Ohki, created by Washu, power source for Kamidake II, infantile development stage and highly sensitive to stressful situations, comfortable around Seina



Seiryo - Seina's nemesis is a fancy-lad

• Seto Kamiki Jurai - the 'Devil Princess of Jurai' is a high-ranking member of the Jurai royal family, notorious match-maker, politically backs Seina providing his wonderful toys (i.e. Kamidake I and II, crew members Amane and Kiriko), undying control freak
• Elma - Wau (feline or canine hominid species) scientist who happens to show affection for Seina during his academy training days (despite the species gap), notorious subject of 'furries' doujinshi
• Seiryo Tennan - Seina's physical education instructor before his body enhancement, thinks Seina is a washout, ends up being his first captain, neon pink hair (seriously?), becomes Seina's nemesis (that's a plot twist), monumentally incompetent
• NB - helper robot issued to Seina, Amane modifies it for additional surveillance and accidentally turns it into a voyeuristic pervert 'bot
• Tarant Shank - feared space pirate, member of the Daluma Guild, sadistic and personal enemy of Seina, not a guy you want to cross

Pros: Some tame fan-service, cameo appearances by all of the Tenchi characters, loved the episode where Seina finds/uses the mecha robot, great opening and ending theme songs, the whole 'Unko' thing was hilarious, longer episode count for the series allowed for more explanations of politics/relationships = better than Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki, had a decent ending

Amane, Ryoko, and Kiriko - three lovely sharks eyeing Seina

Cons: A plethora of slapstick silliness (which may not be your cup of tea, unless it's your cup of tea), typical harem show with shy nerd protagonist miraculously surrounded by beautiful women, simple animation style, 8 discs - way to milk it Funimation!

Mike Tells It Straight: I loved the first Tenchi Muyo! OVA episodes back in the '90s, but watched the finale for the series (check out my Tenchi Muyo! Ryo-Ohki review) and was left scratching my head a little bit. My expectations were pretty low for GXP and I was ready for the worst - meaning a cheap knock-off of the main story.  Boy, was I wrong!  After finishing the series I was surprised to have enjoyed it more than Ryo-Ohki.  

Tenchi and Seina talk harem

The biggest benefit to GXP is the 26-episode length which allows for a better explanation/experience of characters/politics/relationships.  It's a side story to Ryo-Ohki and guest stars the entire core Tenchi cast in a couple episodes.  Seina's journey is different than Tenchi's (they look practically identical, but I guess they're neighbors) and he ends up being a worthy protagonist. 

GXP is still a harem anime and the overall tone is juvenile slapstick, but it ends up being quite endearing.  The ending worked and I wish the same could be said for Ryo-Ohki.  I really enjoyed the last five or so episodes.  You absolutely must have watched the first Tenchi Muyo! OVA before watching this series, but I would say watch GXP first and then Ryo-Ohki.  Seto's character was particularly jarring in the final episodes of Tenchi, but she and several other characters' origins are explained in GXP. 

Pleasantly surprised by GXP - if you love Tenchi and especially if you were disappointed with some of the myriad offerings (Tenchi in Tokyo, Ryo-Ohki, movies) then you'll dig this series.  I wish Tenchi could have used Seina's ending! 

TO BUY and Recommendations: