It's been a nice couple weeks of anime and video games. There is one in particular I just finished watching that just blew me completely away. I pretty much stopped in my tracks of gaming, writing and reading. The series I am referring to is none other than Chrome Shelled Regios.
The animation quality by Zexcs is simply amazing. The world that Regios is set in maybe be simplistic in thought but is realized with breathtaking detail. An apocalyptic world in which mobile domed cities travel through. This in mere thought could almost never be realized in live action, it would be very expensive. Everything from beautiful scenery within the city, architecture of the buildings and design of the dite's (weapons) to the desolate frontier traveled by the domes.... very well done for something I see as an ambitious subject to tackle. The character designs and models are beautiful and not so cookie cutter. I felt like I was truly watching something new and fresh.
The audio, despite being 2.0 for my viewing, was very powerful. I can only imagine that 5.1 would rock my home theater. Fortunately my computer and streaming meant 2.0 was my only choice. The combination of hard and soft music through the series made the atmosphere of the show complete and even more intricate. The voice acting on this series is another outstanding aspect of the series. Handling the seriousness and the comedic elements to lighten an other dreary world is required and they performed admirably. The subtitles were sufficient and very informative. I don't recall who did them but they atleast took the time to provide definitions to words and terms. Not to mention the timing was perfect, to this day any anime streamed usually is off just a little or rushed. I could follow the action on the screen and read knowing what was happening. I won't usually remark about subs like this but I couldn't help but notice how well it was done.
I covered pretty much everything that was very good about this series... thanks for reading... oh, damn...wait a second... that was just the very good aspects. The best aspect of this series is not the animation, it's not the music, it's not the action... it is in the writing that I found Chrome Shelled Regios truly excelled in. A show can look and sound beautiful, but if the writing is weak then all of that means nothing. What I fell in love with was not just the world, but with each of the charactes. All have a tremendous background and dichotomy between each other. Ofcourse we follow Layfon's story as well as Nina's, but from Felli to Haia. Despite what you initially think of certain characters you find that there are reasons for being the way they are. In an anime with a large amount of secondary cast that is something that could be easily pushed aside in order to focus on the main plot. If you want to know about the plot, you'll be happy to know that Regios doesn't lack. It's complex without being so convoluted that you get lost watching the series. It's dark without being depressing. It's fast paced but never leaves you wondering what the hell just happened.
You might be asking yourself, "ok, but is there anything wrong or lacking in this series?" or "where's the shoe that drops with almost all series?" I'd say you'd find it with wanting another season. It's an open ended finale, you won't feel cheated but I can almost promise you'll be saying one thing. "That was awesome but there's another season right? right?" This is a no-lose situation. Chrome Shelled Regios is a one of a kind series. It's the best series I have watched this year...
Chrome Shelled Regios would be a great show brought over to Region 1 land. It's not a series that would need a dub, but would be nice if it did. I'd recommend New Gen or Bang Zoom, and ideally TRSI to release but for a dub... we'd be looking at Funimation, since they are the only company continuing consistent dubs of series. I haven't fallen in love with a show like this since Shakugan no Shana. I thought 07-Ghost was great, but it doesn't hit this level of awesome and wicked fun. I give Chrome Shelled Regios 5 out of 5 Felli shin kicks, which also comes with 5 kisses.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Hayate the Combat Butler Part 1 DVD - Bandai
After marathoning through the third box set of Bleach, its two movies and One Piece Season 2 Part 2 I wanted to do one of two things. Either picking up with Chrome Shelled Regios episode 20 or try Hayate the Combat Butler from Bandai. Regios is the more complex series and I'm having withdrawls already. However, despite a questionable release by Bandai, Hayate was certainly the best way to end my three day weekend (got Monday off).
The product itself is something I have to say is somewhat disappointing. I had presumed from the labeling and initial release of the series that this was a full "part" of the series. To be released in sets much like Funimation and TRSI as of late. At the very least something like the release of Towards the Terra and Code Geass Part 1 with two individual volumes packed together. However, it's just a single dvd case with a single dvd. I'm not thrilled Bandai went this route, not to mention changing their mind on doing a dub. *steps off soap box* Now... what was released isn't as bad as my opinion suggests. The cover art is simple and effective featuring Hayate and Nagi, it could have been better but catches your attention never the less. Other than that, it's a standard dvd case but I already swapped everything over to a double disc m-lock case. Since there's no reversible art this will work out just fine for me. I'm watching shelf space lately.
Hayate the Combat Butler looks fantastic on any basic setup to the hd setups. Thankfully Hayate was made in widescreen; this is the best way to watch anime. Character designs are simplistic but fresh at the same time. It's not as if any character reminds you of any other series. Take Hayate, for example, he looks like a scrawny little kid without being out of place. At the same time he's not as detailed as he could have been. I just feel there's not as much depth to the minor details as you see in other series. This could change as it develops further in. It's not really a con, it's more of a passing thought. The quality of the animation in the action scenes is nothing short of spectacular and very fluid. I've never personally heard of SyngerySP as the production company, but good solid effort.
The audio is both the biggest pro and the biggest con to this review. I think it's borderline criminal that Bandai rescinded their decision to dub this series. Hayate the Combat Butler would have benefited greatly from an english dub audio track, much like Lucky Star did. I go on record saying I definitely prefer the japanese dub, all the va's did an excellent job and fit their characters very well. The subs are alright but in certain scenes there's 3-4 lines running fast through it to keep up with the audio. I can't exactly watch an anime when trying to read several lines of subtitles. Even though the original language track is amazing, atleast for me, it wasn't so easy to keep up.
The premise of Hayate no Gotoku is also simple and definitely primed for crazy hijinks. I like the way we are introduced to the world of the rich and famous through the eyes of Hayate. He's very down to earth but also has learned alot through the first portion of life. Nagi, herself, isn't exactly typical either. She's not as spoiled and bratty as other anime would showcase the main female as more extreme. Each character is not so typical as you would first assume, which is an excellent trait for have. Not to mention that Hayate no Gotoku is heavy on the comedy, I would compare this to Lucky Star in terms of overall atmosphere. There's some nice commentary and excellent humor that sent me into laughing fits, just add a little romance and a little more science-fiction to it.
Hayate the Combat Butler, despite some of my opinions on how Bandai released it is a complete riot. It's funny, it's cute and it's the perfect escape. I would not hesitate to recommend this anime to anyone. If you're a dub fan, I don't know what to say beyond it sucks there isn't one. You're going to want to watch more after the 7 episodes end. Hayate is a very addictive series that grows on you the more you watch. Thus far I give Hayate the Combat Butler 4 and 1/2 Isumi blushes out of 5.
However...Bandai gets 2 out of 5 stars for the effort they put into the release. I'm disappointed, I will not being buying "Parts" like these beyond Hayate and Code Geass R2. The days of singles release are over in my eyes.
The product itself is something I have to say is somewhat disappointing. I had presumed from the labeling and initial release of the series that this was a full "part" of the series. To be released in sets much like Funimation and TRSI as of late. At the very least something like the release of Towards the Terra and Code Geass Part 1 with two individual volumes packed together. However, it's just a single dvd case with a single dvd. I'm not thrilled Bandai went this route, not to mention changing their mind on doing a dub. *steps off soap box* Now... what was released isn't as bad as my opinion suggests. The cover art is simple and effective featuring Hayate and Nagi, it could have been better but catches your attention never the less. Other than that, it's a standard dvd case but I already swapped everything over to a double disc m-lock case. Since there's no reversible art this will work out just fine for me. I'm watching shelf space lately.
Hayate the Combat Butler looks fantastic on any basic setup to the hd setups. Thankfully Hayate was made in widescreen; this is the best way to watch anime. Character designs are simplistic but fresh at the same time. It's not as if any character reminds you of any other series. Take Hayate, for example, he looks like a scrawny little kid without being out of place. At the same time he's not as detailed as he could have been. I just feel there's not as much depth to the minor details as you see in other series. This could change as it develops further in. It's not really a con, it's more of a passing thought. The quality of the animation in the action scenes is nothing short of spectacular and very fluid. I've never personally heard of SyngerySP as the production company, but good solid effort.
The audio is both the biggest pro and the biggest con to this review. I think it's borderline criminal that Bandai rescinded their decision to dub this series. Hayate the Combat Butler would have benefited greatly from an english dub audio track, much like Lucky Star did. I go on record saying I definitely prefer the japanese dub, all the va's did an excellent job and fit their characters very well. The subs are alright but in certain scenes there's 3-4 lines running fast through it to keep up with the audio. I can't exactly watch an anime when trying to read several lines of subtitles. Even though the original language track is amazing, atleast for me, it wasn't so easy to keep up.
The premise of Hayate no Gotoku is also simple and definitely primed for crazy hijinks. I like the way we are introduced to the world of the rich and famous through the eyes of Hayate. He's very down to earth but also has learned alot through the first portion of life. Nagi, herself, isn't exactly typical either. She's not as spoiled and bratty as other anime would showcase the main female as more extreme. Each character is not so typical as you would first assume, which is an excellent trait for have. Not to mention that Hayate no Gotoku is heavy on the comedy, I would compare this to Lucky Star in terms of overall atmosphere. There's some nice commentary and excellent humor that sent me into laughing fits, just add a little romance and a little more science-fiction to it.
Hayate the Combat Butler, despite some of my opinions on how Bandai released it is a complete riot. It's funny, it's cute and it's the perfect escape. I would not hesitate to recommend this anime to anyone. If you're a dub fan, I don't know what to say beyond it sucks there isn't one. You're going to want to watch more after the 7 episodes end. Hayate is a very addictive series that grows on you the more you watch. Thus far I give Hayate the Combat Butler 4 and 1/2 Isumi blushes out of 5.
However...Bandai gets 2 out of 5 stars for the effort they put into the release. I'm disappointed, I will not being buying "Parts" like these beyond Hayate and Code Geass R2. The days of singles release are over in my eyes.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Shakugan no Shana new OVA Trailer
I apologize for the lack of postings; real life interfering with fun again. I'm back now and finally some actual footage of the new OVA coming out for Shakugan no Shana before the ramping up of Shakugan no Shana III. Take a look for yourself. I don't know how to post up the video itself, but here's the link until I can figure out. Even with footage at a distance it's all very exciting. The animation looks stellar and brief glimpses of favorite characters. I almost blinked and missed my favorite bad ass maid, Wilhelmina. It's very exciting and I for one cannot wait to see this release 10/23/2009. Fuzetsu!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
