Str.A.In : Strategic Armored Infantry Box Set

"The bang doesn't work without the zoom!" That very statement, while incredibly silly, is very appropriate for Funimation's release of Str.A.In. At first look, this series looks like just any other Mecha series. The truth of the matter is this series is anything but the norm. Through the various aspects of the series I found myself saying, "this is brutal, cold and real."

I'm going to start off with the packaging on this release and get the negativity out of the way. I cannot help but shake my head at the quality of the "thinner-pak" Funimation is using on all it's set release. Not everyone is bothered by this, but for me, I would prefer a stiffer material if we cannot get chipboard. The art featured on the covers is very well done, but the lime green on the spine of the box is disappointing. It's more of a distraction and hindrance to the flow of the art. The two thinpak cases inside feature some amazing art and reversible sides are even more elegant. Please do be aware of the flipped art. Your eyes are not wrong, the cases and art cover placement have the front art on what is usually the back side. Thereby opening the cover with the opening on the left. It's not a mistake, you can fix it but it won't look right.

The audio kicks in full 5.1 surround sound on both tracks. I was loving it, all channels were firing and the subwoofer was kicking in all afternoon. For the curious, I noticed no dropouts or any issues. For dubs, I listened sample both tracks for a couple episodes before deciding to stick with the English dub on this release. You'll hear some familiar voices from the Funimation dub crew. You won't disappointed with Caitlin Glass's portrayal of Sarah to Greg Ayres as Melchi. It's by no means perfect but I enjoyed the dub a little more than the Japanese dub. Either way you go, you will not be disappointed.

The video quality of this release is amazing. It's no secret I love my anime in widescreen format and this is no exception. If you're looking for glitches, bugs, or anything that could possibly show a poor authoring job; you will not find that here. I believe Funimation has been able to show some consistency and improved authoring in the last year. I'm very pleased considering how frantic the action is and the top quality animation is. I definitely enjoyed the character models especially Sara who is reminiscent of another superb Mecha series Funimation has, in Blue Gender! Sara looks inspired by Marlene as are a lot of her personality quirks.

In the end, this is a gritty series that starts off with a bang and never let's up on the zoom. I would go so far as to say Str.A.In is a spiritual prequel to Blue Gender. I do not compare series or movies to others very lightly. It's like watching what life might have been like for Marlene. Obviously the shows are not in the same universe but you definitely feel the same atmosphere from Blue Gender within Str.A.in. The storyline is amazing and develops at a fast pace, but never falls out of it's own identity without delving too much into techno-babble. I do not discuss plot points, but fair warning on getting attached to characters. Other than some questionable color choices and a thin paper box this is a sleeper hit series you do not want to miss. I give this series 5 shower scenes out of 5!

Familiar of Zero Box Set

I took a slight break from gaming with Dead Space and Little Big Planet. I thought I would take the opportunity to watch some anime. I randomly reached for one of the more recent arrivals in Familiar of Zero, produced by Geneon and distributed by Funimation.

At first look, the packaging on this release is very well done. I simply love when a studio uses a decent grade of chipboard as opposed to something like Tsubasa's Volume 7 artbox, which is of a thinner and more flexible quality. You won't find that here as it continues Geneon's standards for boxes. The cover art by itself is impeccable. Louise is featured on both sides and the spine. In particular I enjoy the framing and brown leather bound look of the box. I love this type of look, it shows some real effort, thought and care when into this release. The dvd cover art does not continue the book like appearance but that's not really needed. What I like the most about the dvd covers is that they are reversible. The current trend in anime is to not feature reversible covers with dvd's in a single case. The thinner-paks that Funi is putting out do have art but they really aren't intended to reverse and look like a regular cover. The cases themselves aren't remarkable except to note they are not Scanavo's. Please do be careful though, if you order online like I did you may have floaters. Unless the M-lock format is universally adopted there will always be the potential for this.

The video quality playing through the PS3 was really crisp and clean without any issues. The animation in the show by J.C. Staff is, as always, one of the best in the industry. Some of the designs and character models are interesting and unique aside from Tabitha who bears a striking resemblance to Yuki from Haruhi. The quiet type characters seem to share a lot of certain traits. I will avoid the moe factor in there. You will enjoy the visual style of the show as did I.

Familiar of Zero was broadcast in 2.0 so you won't be enjoying a surround sound experience. While I would have loved 5.1 for the experience, it is quite alright; I will always say 5.1 is better. The English Dub is kind of a touchy subject for me on this release. It's because I really didn't like it. Almost the entire English cast outside of Louise was incredibly annoying. Watching it the original Japanese with the subtitles was definitely my preferred way of listening to the show.

I will never go too much into plot points so as to avoid spoiling anyone who has yet to view the series. In the beginning I found the story incredibly dull and unmotivated. Feeling more like a Harry Potter with a twist than anything remotely original. This did eventually shake loose from that feeling and was able to become it's own show in the back half of the show. Familiar of Zero sure took it's sweet time to get there.

In the end, Familiar of Zero received a stellar release from Geneon and Funimation. The series is worth watching. At the very least it doesn't try to be anything other than a popcorn show with a heavy dose of fan service and some decent action. I do recommend the Japanese Audio with subs, but to each their own. I give this series 3.5 nights with Kirsche out of 5.

Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion Part 2 Limited Edition

Happiness and relief, two words I’m choosing with the latest release from Bandai Entertainment. I viewed the two volumes today once on a standard dvd player and a second time on the PS3. The reason for viewing on a standard dvd player is simple. If you received the first set of volumes from Bandai, the initial shipment of discs were riddled with encoding problems. The results of these errors varied from one dvd player to another, even the PS3 could not power past some of the issues.

I am pleased to say the Denon dvd player played every single second without issues. I watched every single second on each volume, extras included, and found not one solitary problem. No pauses, no skips in playback, etc… Here it is a flawless release from Bandai, a step in the right direction for the release of this series. The playback on the PS3 with the upconverting is truly amazing. I will say time and time again Anime on a PS3 (or upconverting dvd player) to a high def tv is the way to go. Older releases may or may not look at as good as this, but going back as far as 2003-2004 the are shows (ie. RahXephon) that look outstanding.

The audio even though it’s in English and Japanese 2.0 is still nice to hear on a surround system. If you don’t have a surround system then it’s not a problem at all. I would love to see Code Geass in 5.1 to truly rock the walls and piss off the neighbors at 9:00 am. Also included are some commentaries, for episodes 11 and 14, these are nice to listen to if you have the time. My complaint is that there are only two commentaries. I like a good commentary and I’d like to have more of them.

For fans of Japanese audio and subs, you will be pleased with the subs this time around. The first release had some typos with the subs, there’s only a couple but if you’re a detail freak like me you’ll spot them. This time around it looks like the QC department fixed everything and made sure it was all accurate. For fans of the English dub, the strong and consistent voice acting keeps it going. I’m very pleased with the casting and talent involved. It’s not perfect but having Crispin Freeman and Johnny Young Bosch in the same cast has an amazing flair to it.

That covers the dvd aspects, but there were other goodies with this release that helped make it worthwhile. I am not a huge manga collector though I do enjoy a good series. It’s a good inclusion, as are the booklets and mini-comic. Fair warning at mild spoilers with the booklets, nothing major but there’s a couple tidbits in there. Lastly, is the sound episode cd #2, though I have yet to actually listen to any of the sound cd’s. However, the wide variety of goodies and nothing insanely cheap inside makes the LE worth its purchase. If extra goodies are not important then the regular edition is a great path. I do highly recommend picking up the actual set of Part 2 instead of the individual volumes. There is a price difference going that route especially if you buy online.

After a first release plagued with encoding problems Bandai has brought out a flawless release. If you like Code Geass and don’t want to wait for a complete set in about a year this is the way to go. If you like anime with a strong story, compelling characters or awesome action then this one is for you. I give this release 5 out of 5 Kallen kisses!